Come To Class!
/Dear Yogis!
Hope you had a lovely weekend. My lucky new studio is hoping to welcome you back to classes. Classes last week had a trickle of familiar faces and new yogis. Ceiling fans moved the air around and provided a little whirr sound for meditation aid! I was thrilled to have friends over for Mysore practice too; early start, percolated coffee after, ready for the day by 7.30am! The studio looks on to the garden and the tall tree was golden and green in the glow of the morning sun. I imagined that the tree was holding its face up to the light. Brightness floods the room and whitens the white walls and shines in every corner. It’s incredibly uplifting.
On the middle wall between the windows is a batik of the Sri Lankan Moonstone. The shape and design have been through many incarnations since it originated in India at the time of the Buddha. The metaphysical interpretation says that it represents spiritual stages on the way to Nirvana. The 11th century saw design changes such as the removal of the image of the bull due to Hindu influence. The moonstone was also added to the entrances to secular buildings and became an ornate welcome to guests. You can view it as a heartfelt welcome or a roadmap to enlightenment!
Come to class! If you’re interested in having somewhere to practice your Mysore, let me know.
For the Monday and Tuesday stretchy classes at 7.00, you can book in-person and online classes as usual, through my website. On the booking page you’ll find the options. You can book all the classes here.
Zoom classes
Still here! Still has adherents. Just make sure you have a yoga strap or some kind of belt and a bolster/meditation cushion/yoga blocks or something to practice a yin backbend on. (Talking of which, I gave out some equipment at the beginning of lock-down. If you’re not using it, can I have it back to restock my yoga studio?)
Yoga in the news
The Hindu Has: Yoga day rehearsal conducted. ‘About 500 teachers are being trained as master trainers who in turn will impart training to other yoga enthusiasts to prepare them for the International Yoga Day to be held on June 21.’
The Independent has: Woman shares ‘infuriating’ experience being body-shamed by yoga studio. ‘After Crociani explained to the yoga instructor that she’s been practising for more than a decade, and is a yoga teacher herself, she said she was told by the instructor that “just because you’ve been practising for over 17 years doesn’t mean you’ve been practising every single day for 17 years”. “So maybe you haven’t put on the mat as many hours as some of the other students is what I’m saying.’
Well+Good has: How I Used Yoga To Heal From Heartbreak. ‘I found reprieve on my mat. It was 60 minutes where I didn't have to think about my proverbial "challenges." For 60 minutes, I could stop ruminating on what he said and what I didn't say. Instead, I simply focused on the teacher guiding me in and out of postures while listening to my breath. As my mind hooked into the flow, I began trying to link my breath with each movement. My brain got lost in the repetitive chanting of inhale and exhale, and my subconscious unlocked itself through intuitive primal movements.’
