Newsletter January 2016

Dear One

How is your practice going?

It is such a pleasure to return from Perth, Western Australia, to my local classes. In Perth, my daughter Karuna was busy teaching holiday Yoga classes for 5-7 year olds, great fun and quite demanding to keep their attention for 2 hours.

The short classes consisted of postures (copying and making shapes like a triangle, warrior, bow, locust, dog and dead man posture – in which they were tested to see if they were dead!), story (with a moral), eye exercises, enormous smooth breaths and one pointed attention – meditation (3 mins). The classes are fun and fast with no correction but lots of praise, a wonderful experience to teach such observant beings. No intellectualising, but great at copying. I feel that I have received a gift after teaching children and knew that the quote from a ‘Course of Miracles’ is true “Whatever you teach or give, you give but to yourself”.

India, the home of Yoga, was indeed a yogic experience. The practice just flowed, posture, talks, pranayama and mediation, it seemed quite natural and we all attended everything. There will be a return trip!

We are finding a suitable venue for a week’s yoga retreat this summer for Teacher Training students, especially distant students. Leave some holiday for this, if you miss out on the residentials it seems too long a gap before I see you again.

Please make the 6th and 7th February weekend at Colet House, Hammersmith 10am -7.30pm on Saturday and 8am - 4.30pm on Sunday. Let us know that you are coming and if you would like help in finding a bed for Saturday night.

Standing postures, deep breathing make a very good practice especially in winter as it warms the body and peps up the circulation –warmth and movement stops you hibernating!

Stimulate the lower chakras and warm the feet. If you are sitting down to work or watch, have breaks and walk about a bit, don’t become stagnant. I had a trampoline in the office to be used when on the phone!

Please remember that shavasana can be your most important posture – so enjoy the pleasure of that complete relaxation.

New students, please start reading Patanjali’s sutras in your book ‘Enlightenment’, one at a time and ponder in the day. All the rest, please continue the sutras, and how are you finding reading ‘the Geeta’?

Ask yourself, what do you enjoy most? What is you greatest pleasure? And as Joseph Campbell said ‘Follow your Bliss’.

Love to you and breathe well

Ruth