Plot Twist! Hamlet Meditates!
/Dear Yogis!
I saw Hamlet yesterday and it strikes me that Hamlet doesn’t have mental health issues! Like Arjuna in the Bhagavad Gita, he is faced with an impossible task and has a melt-down. Who wouldn’t if their recently murdered father’s ghost appeared and demanded revenge by the killing of their uncle, the mother’s husband? Arjuna is the same in the Bhagavad Gita - he has to kill an opposing army of uncles and cousins or be killed… and so has a melt-down. Of course he does! Very handily, Arjuna has God as his charioteer advising him on different types of yoga and how to overcome the mind!
As I watched Hamlet’s torment about his mother’s new sex life, it struck me that he could do with a bit of conquering the mind and disengagement from detrimental mind activity! That’s not easy in a plague of thoughts. Everyone knows how much the mind likes to chew over sorrow and stuff you can’t change. I found a lovely essay by Ajahn Sucitto from Chithurst Monastery about mindfulness breathing with a technique that I love – watching the spaces in between the breaths. Here’s his instruction:
“The practice is to follow the exhalation into the pause phase where the abdominal muscles come to rest, as if there is no next inhalation. Then let the inhalation gather, fulfil itself and also come to rest with the upper chest and throat lightly expanded. The pause phase is the crucial bit: it’s when the will lets go. That brings a relaxation at the end of the out-breath, and a bright opening at the end of the inhalation. As you tune into that pause, and trust letting go of the next moment, or, of what to do, or even who you are – there is a growing sense of release. Instead of a tangled energy of remembering, chewing on and restraining thoughts and opinions, there is a restful open energy. Unless you’ve deliberately paused and released it, a thread of grievance or passion has just gone into storage – and will arise later. Threads don’t drop by themselves when the mind that is holding them moves into the background. But the possibility that the pause offers is to place a topic under an open timeless light; having reviewed it, maybe it can be relinquished. And at other times, having let an idea rest in that aware space, new angles and insights into it arise as the mind re-engages.
Go for it, Hamlet! Sit and breathe! You can read the full thing here.
Zoom Classes
Look at these beautiful African print bolsters! Also, for just £11, there are mini bolsters or your supported Bridge Pose. You might fancy a treat for your zoom classes. And come to class today. As I write this, one person is booked for today’s class. Join us!!! For all classes and especially today, you can book here.
Yoga in the news
WalesOnline has: Heathrow Express hosts first ever live yoga class held on moving train. ‘To get passengers in the right frame of mind, the "Tranquil Train" carriage hosting the sessions was decorated with fresh eucalyptus and lavender to fill the carriage with soothing aromas. The initiative was trialled after a study also commissioned by Heathrow Express found more than half of public transport users find travel stressful following the Covid-19 pandemic.’
India.com has: Yoga For Eyes: 5 Powerful Yoga Asanas to Improve Your Eyesight Naturally. ‘Himalayan Siddha, Grand Master Akshar on the occasion of World Sight Day shares 5 Yoga exercises to protect and improve your vision Ensure that your diet contains nutritious food, and get sufficient sleep to protect your vision and improve eyesight. Practice these special and powerful asanas to improve and enhance your eyesight. As a beginner, you can start your practice for a minimum of 5-10 minutes a day’.
MSN has: Yoga's Easiest Backbend Is Also One of the Easiest To Mess Up. ‘While the exercise might seem easy, it's important to be intentional with the way you move. You really focus on moving slowly through each vertebra instead of just... thrashing around all over the place’.
