Physical-OR-Spiritual Yoga?
/Dear Yogis,
Someone wrote to me and asked if my attitude to yoga practice was a purely physical pursuit and, if so, he wouldn’t be in touch again. It made me smile. The debate about physical-OR-spiritual is really something we don’t need to worry about. Once you’ve recognised how the ego intrudes and makes you attach to one side of the other, you can let it go (you have a ready-made lesson in non-attachment!) and enjoy the movement and the feeling of yoga!
The question also made me recall Christine Karitinou Ireland who said during her retreat in Kythera once that: ‘The body is the most precious and spiritual thing. When we practice the body is supposed to feel happiness... Every moment is supposed to feel beneficial, even when it’s a difficult posture.
She said: "I never saw this practice as an Indian thing. The body is the body. We are the same species". “The practice is simple. Breathing, practice, breathing, practice, breathing, practice. We are reintroduced to our innate knowledge”.
Isn’t is somewhat blasphemous, anyway, to disrespect the body, refuse exercise, eat junk food, drink too much alcohol…? Your body is your temporary dwelling place. Meditating on its temporary nature is a spiritual practice. Yoga is your meditation.
Training
Eden yogis! Classes are free this week (what’s left of it) and you can take classes online with Alain on Mondays at 8:15am, Thursdays at 7pm and Fridays at 9am. Alain teaches slow Ashtanga based yoga and focused on breathing and safe alignment. And I’m thrilled to say that my teacher, Valentina Candiani, is now an Eden yoga teacher on Tuesdays at 10.15 for Power Vinyasa.
Zoom Classes
It’s lovely to see you in my studio, albeit online. Nevertheless, I still love sharing the space with you. Book an evening class here: goodtimesyoga.co.uk/book-online. The Class Pass and Pay-What-You-Like are on goodtimesyoga.co.uk/livestream-yoga-price-options. Let me know if you would prefer my bank details. No problem.
Yoga in the news
The Times has: Yoga is not just unorthodox, its wrong, say Greek bishops. Last year, “Metropolitan Nektarios of Argolis held an event at which he warned the crowd against its “dangers”, saying: “We make a confession to God. This is the same thing that people do during Yoga”.
Vogue.com has: 12 Black Mental-Health and Wellness Resources to Follow on Instagram. You’ll find links to Black Girl In Om for ‘mind-clearing meditation, and body-restoring yoga’, HealHaus for healing that is accessible, inclusive, and community oriented from Brooklyn, and Glowmaven for Yogini Latham Thomas, Self-Care Sorceress and Oprah’s Super Soul 100.
HELLO! has: 7 royals who practise yoga to inspire you. It might inspire you that Camilla went to a yoga retreat in India or the Queen ‘watched pupils practising at the opening of Westminster School’
