Savasana For Uncertain TImes

Dear Yogis.

This week, with over 100,000 UK deaths from Coronavirus, it felt right to finish classes with compassion and thoughts of others. Savasana, lying down at the end of the class, can be a number of things: it can be meditation practice, it can be semi-sleep to soak in the benefits of the physical practice; and, in overwhelming times, savasana can be used to send loving and kind thoughts into the world to the people who might need your wishes. Generosity to others will always turn out to be generosity to yourself.

First of all, Loving Kindness Meditation. We ask for peace, courage, safety and happiness for ourselves and others. This meditation increases your ability to see things from another’s perspective, (here’s how from a previous Friday Email. Have a go!) This is an especially nice practice if your mind is troubled and refusing to settle. Turning your focus to send compassion for others will calm a restless mind!

The second way I’ve been closing the class this week is with the Ashtanga Closing Chant. According to my teacher David Swenson, it was introduced as part of Ashtanga practice after the horror of 9/11. The chant sends our best wishes to our politicians, believe it or not. We want them to be noble, protect us and protect the earth. Here’s one translation (in English):

May the rulers of the earth keep to the path of virtue
For protecting the welfare of all generations.
May the religious, and all people be forever blessed,
May all beings everywhere be happy and free.

As always, yoga is not about the practice on the mat but how we are in the world. You could do either of these mantras at any time of the day, or use one to tone down an anxious moment.

Zoom  Classes 

I’ve been teaching the Ashtanga seated postures this week. If you are new to yoga, low on energy, not keen on Sun Salutations, or looking to increase activity from Stretchy classes, it’s exactly right. You can skip the jumpy bit and make it a calm practice. Practiced Ashtangis can jump! From now on, Wednesday will be the regular Ashtanga seated practice. You can book all classes here.

Yoga in the news 

Wired has: The yoga world is riddled with anti-vaxxers and QAnon believers. ‘The historical links between yoga and New Age pursuits and extremist politics are well-documented, including Nazi Germany’s interest in astrology and alternative medicine and the way yoga has sometimes served as inspiration to fascist ideology, including in Britain.’

The Independent has:  The power of moving your body in troubled times. ‘I found yin yoga, a practice focusing on passive poses, and Kassandra Reinhardt, who has been teaching on YouTube since 2014. She can ease the memory of any miserable day, and so can yin, which isn’t about stretching muscles but relaxing into them in order to release ligaments, joints, bones and fascia’.

Have a Yin weekend – but not if you haven’t done your taxes… still!