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.