"Yoga balances, harmonizes, purifies
and strengthens the body, mind
and soul. It shows the perfect way to
health, perfect mind control
and perfect peace with one's own self,
the world and nature..."
Swami Vishnudevananada, Founder of the International Sivananda Vedanta Centres and disciple of Swami Sivananda
Some of you may know, that the last year has been very intense, not necessarily bad, but intense in all areas of my life – a home move, family health issues, responsiiblity for developing a new project to bring mindfulness into primary schools on top of all the usual teaching commitments, plus working on the new website, root canal surgery and two months of excruciating back pain.
The things that bring me the most joy were slowly edged out of my routine as I had very little time. I found it really tough and longed to escape to a simple life.
It was my yoga and meditation practice which gave me the clarity to stop and question how I was living: Was I doing the right thing for me? Would this bring me peace? As Swami Vishnu says, my yoga practise showed me the best way forward. Without the support of friends and my mum, I don’t know how I would have managed. We need people.
It is my own life navigation through both calm and stormy seas that informs my teaching of both yoga and mindfulness based stress reduction (MBSR).
We all deserve a fresh perspective on life now and then. The body awareness that yoga helps cultivate is similar to tuning a radio to a station you enjoy listening to – you learn to listen to your body and take its cues to do what is right for it.
MBSR is about learning the skill of relating to your conditioned patterns of thinking and feeling with less reaction and more patience and compassion. Scientists have tons of evidence about its benefits for not only enhancing workplace productivity and happiness but also pulling you out of a mental rut at times of stress, anxiety and depression.
September’s offerings for yoga and MBSR are only a few weeks away. Take a look at the yoga and mindfulness pages for all the details. It would be a pleasure to teach you how to navigate your own boat through silky smooth waters or the rough oceans that life can sometimes be!
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