Merry Christmas

The scene

Thanks to my wonderful Yogi's who finished the Spring Into Yoga Course.

It was great to see you all each week, rain or shine! Hmmm, there was a bit more rain than shine but that didn't stop you from springing into some fun Yoga poses.

I hope that everyone enjoys the break and spends some time self centering (quite different to being self centered, or selfish), enjoying time with family and friends and hopefully some chill axing!

Until the New Year, Namaste!

Sara

Quote

Yoga teaches us to stop, breathe, and use the tool of introspection, thus helping us avoid the slippery slope of hurtful words and actions.

Sadie Nardini

Classes!

Spring into Yoga Yoga at my place

Hi there,  I'd love you join my 4 week specialised Yoga course called "Spring into Yoga".  In a small class environment with a beautiful outdoor setting we will cover:  Physical Postures (Asanas)  Meditation Breath Awareness Here are the details:  Time:  10am to 11am  Dates:  Thursday 10th November  Thursday 17th November Thursday 24th November  Thursday 1st December  Address:  106 Carawa Road, Cromer  Phone:  0407 264 996  Cost:  $55 for 4 weeks (cash, cheque or Internet Banking) What you will need:  Bring a mat if you like (otherwise I have some)  Bring a smile and be prepared to work your body, relax, and enjoy yourself.  I have a wonderful outdoor area, which is perfect for Summer Yoga. Take a look at the photos in the header and imagine yourself relaxing and enjoying a good hour of Yoga. Just incase, we have heaters, outdoor blinds and a fan.  As I have limited space and would like to keep the class small for individualised attention, please let me know if you would like to reserve a spot by email or phone.  Have a great week.  Sara Spitzer Yoga Teacher 350 Hours  First Aid  ps. You dont need to "be" any of the following to do Yoga: a gymnast, part of a circus, flexible, or 15!! You'll be surprised what you can do.   pps. On Wednesday nights I teach at Genesis Fitness Centre at St Leonards if you feel like a night time class and your in the area!

Walkasana

I read a great blog this week discussing walkasana at dailydownwarddog.com.

For months I have seen the entrance to what I imagined to be a beautiful walk. So, today with no plans I decided to take myself off for some walkasana.

I parked my car and I walked the most beautiful path from the corner of South Creek Road & Rose Avenue to the beginning of Narrabeen Lake. It was beautiful, relaxing, quiet and still.  To begin with my mind was racing, then moments of quiet, and eventually less racing and more quiet. I saw cyclists, walkers, runners & cute little birds.

For some reason, I don't go for walks much anymore.

Well today changed that. It was literally "a breath of fresh air".

Do you walk much?

Distinguishing Heart from Mind

".... This common dynamic between the heart and the mind is why our contemplative practices like meditation and journal writing are essential for our progress on the path. We must become intimately acquainted with our mind's voices and learn to distinguish them from our heart's voices. We must recognise the "part" of ourselves who is eating the meal, the part who is still pondering the menu, and the part who won't even sit down at the table".

Page 41 of My Body is a Temple, Yoga as a Path to Wholeness. Christina Sell

Truth

Satyananda Ashram, Mangrove Mountain

One of the (many) things I love about Yoga is summed up in this quote from; My Body is a Temple: Yoga as a path to wholeness by Christina Sell:

We are trained to try to make ourselves better rather than to see ourselves as good and then act accordingly. 

I don't know about you, but that sums a lot of things up for me. You have a built in goodness, glowing inside you.

If we make time for a little quiet time, a small time to be still, we could start to access that goodness and see the things that get in our way, making our life harder than necessary.

Christina writes Sitting still and quiet in meditation is an act of great love in a culture of stress, rushing and distraction. 

Each day I try to practice my Yoga... on and off the mat. Its hard, but its worth it.

Do you create stillness in your day?

Namaste

Teaching

My cute kids & me

Wow, teaching Yoga is full of changes.

I have finished up with Djazzex and thank the lovely Lisa for a wonderful opportunity to teach Yoga in her dance school. Its been 7 months and during that time I have taught all sorts of people. I love hearing from students the wonderful effects Yoga has had on their lives:

- OMG I slept so well after Yoga last week
- I just didn't want to get up from Savasana
- I never knew I could do THAT
- I feel so relaxed after Yoga
- My back doesn't ache so much anymore

Yummy juicy feedback. Why is Yoga so good, because it works!

Next week I start with Genesis Gym in St Leonards. A different environment with lots of wonderful opportunities for my yoga teaching practice.

Namaste

Yoga Outdoors

Yoga lends itself to the outdoors, what better way to enjoy Yoga and our beautiful Northern Beaches than to take our mats and line up for some Asana?

So, I am making some enquiries and hope to have a package together soon.

Am a bit surprised its more expensive to hire a hall than to exercise in a park!!

Naaaaamaste!

Teaching Yoga

Here is my small but fun update on my Yoga "journey" (I know thats a bit new agey but I just couldnt think of another word):

Gone
Thursday Yoga at Djazzex Dance and Pilates - Just not enough peeps

Staying
Wednesday Evenings at Djazzex 8pm to 9pm - All welcome, all levels

I had fun relieving for a Yoga Teacher at a gym in St Leonards, it was fun to teach in a gym environment for 6 weeks. Welcome back Kathy!

Namaste

Everyday life

Lately I have seen a fair amount of pain going on in peoples lives. It makes me so sad to see my friends in pain, and to hear about others pain. It makes me want to do something, quickly, to take the pain away. Sometimes I can help, but often its something in their lives that I cant work out for them. Like I guess, my friends cant work out mine. 

Our modern day culture tells us to do something. Change your thinking, buy yourself the latest ..insert here..... , do something for someone else (I do like this one though). But its all about action, and I am learning that often we can begin change by just being with it. Yes, its precisely the opposite of what society would like us to do. Do nothing. Don't change anything. Just be with it. 

Currently I am reading Yoga for Emotional Balance by Bo Forbes and its great. She taps into this issue, this running away from our feelings and emotions. On page 6 she writes "Through regulating the breath and relaxing the body, we learn to be present with our issues and our pain. We learn to resist getting caught up in our reactions, or letting them define us". 

Wow. How much time and energy (and money) we could all save, if we learnt to sit with our issues and our pain. Could I, could you?

Namaste

Quote on Relatedness

Brighton, UK

In her book "The Eloquence of Living" Vimala Thakar discusses relatedness.

Here is a beautiful quote from page 17:

"You stand at the seashore perhaps knee-deep in water observing the skies, the wide horizons, the openness.

You listen to the birds; they are singing for their own joy.

You listen and the sounds do something to you.

Its a happening.

The only requirement is to be there.

In the simplicity of your being, communion takes place.

You are not seeking, but something is bestowed on you, something touches you at all levels".

Namaste.

The Kleshas

happiness

The Kleshas are 5 behaviours that keep us from experiencing calm abiding happiness. I can "see" them pop up during my average day. Patanjali wrote about them in the Yoga Sutras, which are four chapters about the path to enlightenment... or peace. 196 lines, divided into four chapters that give us wisdom on overcoming unhappiness, or getting out of our own way, so we can see how wonderful we really are. Wonderful, not in an egoic way but in a humble, peaceful, centered kind of way.

So, the Kleshas are:
1. Ignorance
2. Egoism
3. Attachment
4. Aversion
5. Fear

During an average day I would be scared (ooops, there's one already) to ponder how many of my thoughts are Kleshas.

The second line in the Yoga Sutras talks about "calming the fluctuations of the mind". So a fluctuation could be any of the five above, which are the negative Kleshas.

Now who wants to get rid of these! Well, me for sure. Its so exhausting having the mind run riot, its so reassurring to know that we can actually calm our mind, and we can begin to notice what we notice.

Which leads me to my next point, meditation. Meditation helps you get to know yourself, really know yourself. Then you learn to calm that damn monkey mind and you begin to see life play out in front of your very eyes, see the dramas unfolding and begin to see your life more clearly.

Thanks Patanjali.

Namaste.

Gratitude

Satyananda Ashram - October 2010

I love the word Gratitude. Its such a big full bodied word. Saying it makes me feel so happy and contented.

Here is a beautiful quote for the weekend:

"In daily life we must see that it is not happiness that makes us grateful, but gratefulness that makes us happy."

Bother David Steindl-Rast.

Nice.

Namaste.

Yoga - to prop or not?

During my recent couple of months teaching I have noticed a need for Yoga props.

There are a few Yoga props that I think are valuable for Yoga practice.

These are:

Bolsters (big sturdy sausages)
Belts (great to loop around legs and feet: not to keep your pants up!!)
Blocks (many uses)
Blankets (lets raise our hips guys and gals)
Eye bags (do I really need to say anything?)

In the Yoga Sutras Patanjali refers to each posture being steady and comfortable (Chapter 2: 46). Props can be the difference between being comfortable and straining a muscle. I know which one I choose!

I choose to say "yaye" to props and just sent my order to www.iyogaprops.com.au. I want my Yoga peeps to be steady and comfortable Patanjali!

Namaste.

Mr Iyengar - Light On Life

Today I picked up a great book called Light on Life by Mr B K S Iyengar, one of the Grandfathers of Yoga.

He's amazing! I am continually spellbound by the insights of the Yoga community. I previously spent a huge amount of time trying to be ok with who I am and to learn how to handle my "difficult" people. I literally stumbled across that personality a dozen times and each time they left me miffed, perplexed and usually in tears.

So.... getting back to Yoga, well the view is that you are fine the way you are. Its how the mind operates that mucks you up. You were born a shining wonder, yes, each of us. Can you believe that, your actually ok just the way you are!

On page 11 Mr Iyengar writes "Asana maintains the strength and health of the body, without which little progress can be made. It also keeps the body in harmony with nature. We all know that the mind affects the body, for example "You look down in the dumps", or "He was crestfallen". Why not, suggests yoga, try the other way round - access mind through body. "Chin up" and "Shoulders back, stand up straight" express this approach. Self-cultivation through asana is the broad gateway leading to the inner enclosures we need to explore. In other words, we are going to try to use asana (postures) to sculpt the mind.

Wow, use the mind to lead the body. Makes sense to me. Yoga asanas take you to places you might not feel like going to, but it opens up the body in ways that need.

Thanks Mr Iyengar!

Namaste.

Yoga for Kids - Stillness

On the weekend I did a 20 hour "Yoga Teacher Training Course for Kids".

I love teaching Yoga to adults as I can share with them the amazing benefits of Yoga. Yoga is still around after thousands of years for a reason, IT WORKS. It works on your mind, body and spirit. It releases tension, it makes your body feel alive and it gives you energy to go forward into the rest of your life with some clarity and peace. And goodness knows, dont we need that!

However, teaching kids as I learned this weekend is completely different. Its an entirely different set up, lesson plan, props are suggested (from small balls, little windmills, colouring in, self-esteem tools etc) games are included and sweet little relaxation ideas.

What I came away with is a real need to offer Yoga to kids. Many have a busy schedule (mine included) and as a result they often cant relax and get a sense of calm or stillness. When we have that, we can make better decisions and we can sail the seas of life alot more smoothly.

Tonight I did some of my new material with my kids. Yes, they enjoyed it and so did I.

Namaste.

Valentines Day Class

Valentines Day is approaching. I was thinking about this day today and I wondered to myself, why is it so that we love others so much (and so publicly) and sometimes leave so little for ourselves (Mum's especially, yes you know its true).

I think that Yoga is onto something when it puts kindness (Ahimsa) first, in its set of guideposts for life. Its such a badge of honour these days to run around after others, yes sure, yes no problem. Its nice that we all like to help each other out, but I think that some are crying out for a little kindness to be shown to them. 

So stop. Think. Ponder. What can you do today to show a little love and kindness to yourself? A nap, a long bath, a walk and coffee, just something simple. I would love to hear your thoughts.

I think that for my Monday Class I am going to consider bringing the theme of love and kindness to the practice. Hmmm, how will she do that? Come and find out. 

Monday: www.djazzexdanceandpilates.com 9.30am to 10.30am. See you there. 

Namaste. 

Teaching Yoga

On Monday I taught my first public class. It was daunting and I was nervous, but it was that kind of scary nervous.

That morning I got up at 6am and rolled my mat out. I did the class I was going to teach, on my own in the family room surrounded by Thomas the Tank Engine and Car's Cars till 7am.

The key for me that day was preparation. I made sure it all flowed smoothly and that I felt comfortable and of course, all limbered up myself. Afterall, the class a Yoga Teacher teaches isn't an opportunity to do their own yoga, they are there to teach.

Which I did, even if their was only 1 person. Thanks Tania!

Namaste.

Teaching Yoga

I am very excited to announce (is there anyone out there???) that I am starting to teach yoga on Monday the 31st January.

I have met a lovely lady who is going to offer Yoga through her dance studio. What a woman!

We met and talked about times and I am going to teach on:

Mondays 9.30am to 10.30am

Thursday 9.30am to 10.30am

Its in Brookvale and for details you can just hop to my "Class Times" page or go to: www.djazzexdanceandpilates.com.

Early enough that the school drop off can co-incide getting straight to a class (and perhaps grab a coffee on the way!!) and late enough so that we can get there!

Its a mixture of excitement and nerves...fear even. Now I need to take that fear and "sit" with it, let it be and as one of my fab yoga teachers told me, "unpack" it. Often things aren't so bad, if one considers sitting with the feeling and looking into it.

So this weekend its about my yoga and about my daughter turning 9. Happy Birthday Maddy.

Have a great weekend peeps.

Hopefully I will see someone in my class on Monday!

Sara

Goals vs Intentions

If you practice yoga, you may be familiar with your teacher asking you during the class to "set an intention".

My understanding is that a goal is something that has an end result, for example saving $2000 or exercise every 2nd day. Its a future outcome that you use your discipline and work towards.

An intention is a path or a value based practice. Or as Phillip Moffit wrote in a Yoga Journal Article "You set your intentions based on understanding what matters most to you and make a commitment to align your worldly actions with your inner values".

So I am putting it out there, does your life reflect your intention(s)? How do you infuse each day with your intentions?

Some intentions for a yoga class may be:

- authenticity - to be more authentic in your practice
- truthfulness - to be more honest about where your bodies edge is in a class, compared to the gymnast beside you
- kindness - to help tidy the yoga room before you leave class

Things to think about.

Favourite Yoga Books

Last year during my teacher training I discovered that there are SO many Yoga books to choose from. I did go a little bit crazy, but have calmed down.

If your interested in yoga here is a great introduction:

Bringing Yoga To Life by Donna Farhi
The Wisdom of Yoga by Stephen Cope
Yoga and the Path of the Urban Mystic by Darren Main

Going a bit further in:

A Life Worth Breathing by Max Strom
The Yamas and Niyamas by Deborah Adele
Mindful Yoga, Mindful Life by Charlotte Bell
The Heart of Yoga by Desikachar

Bit more serious:

Glimpses of Raja Yoga by Vimala Thakar

For Teaching Yoga:

Teaching Yoga by Mark Stephens
Instructing Hatha Yoga by Kappmeier & Ambrosini

There are so many wonderful books on Yoga.

Enjoy.

Consider this quote for 2011:

During my year of Teacher Training I came across this quote (and quite a few others!) which I thought you might like to consider for 2011:

Our assignments are varied and they change from time to time.
Dont take them lightly.
Give them your full heart and energy.
Do them with enthusiasm.
Do whatever you have to do.... with all your heart and soul.

Marjorie Pay Hinckley.

What are your assignments for 2011? How might you give them your full heart and energy?

Namaste.