Dear Yogis,

I am writing this on Sunday afternoon.  Another weekend is past and only a few days to go until we hear what restrictions have been lifted for our brothers and sister yogis in Melbourne.  Out here in the Macedon Ranges we have weathered the furious storm, and now we are in a place of peace and calm.  I even plan to have afternoon tea on the back verandah…  I think I have reawakened to the joy of flicking a switch for power, and the bliss of a hot shower.

ZOOM:  
SUNDAY.  This morning we decided to study Mary Magdalen  (Instead of the Bardo)
MONDAY 6.30 Mary Magdalen FREE TEACHER TRAINING
TUESDAY 7.30: The Tibetan Book of the Dead (If you are thinking of joining us for The Compassionate Companions Project, you would do well to come to this class.
STUDIO
MONDAY Hatha Yoga (full), WEDNESDAY Restorative Yoga (full), FRIDAY Hatha Yoga – vacancies available

SMOKIN – THE YOGA OF SMOKE – The herbs, the book and the pipes, are  now on my etsy site.  www.myyogabooks.etsy.com

 

MARY MAGDALEN – The teacher.
We have spent quite a lot of time discussing The Gospel of MARY>  It is always surprising to people to realise that Mary was not the “penitent Sinner”.  She was a woman of means and one of the women who funded the travels and teachings of Jesus.  Without her and the others the travels and the teachings Jesus gave would have not been possible in the way that they were.  Even Buddha was funded by Princes and wealthy individuals.  They all needed a Michael Gudinski, to organise things…..and usually one was there.

To dismiss Mary Magdalen as the  Church did, relegate Mary the Mother of Jesus to a sexless holy being devoid of other children, feelings, love and a husband (not a convenience), and have Jesus appear a sinless icon, well let’s take another look.

In our Studies on The Magdalen we are doing just that.  Examining the writings, what motivated her, and interestingly the difficulties she had with the males, especially the disciples who wanted her to remain in the background after Jesus death…  Jesus gave his most metaphysical teachings to her – she was the “one He loved”.  I think she was the smartest.

Having these historically portrayed,  real people,  grow up human and still achieve the wonderful things they did, is much more inspiring to me than to imagine that in some impossible way they arrived on the earth without blemish and stayed that way.  They had mothers, fathers, relatives, children, neighbours, needs and desires as we all have.

We all have the opportunity to choose goodness in every moment, that is the joy of the spiritual path, and the great gift given to us by God.  It is not to arrive on the earth sinless, but to understand the choices that we make in every minute.  That is the hard part.

Jesus said “I am the door”.  The door to the Kingdom.  Buddha is also described as a door, a teacher who shows us the way.  It is said there are 84,000 Dharma doors.  If you found a door, it would not be very Buddhist of you to say yours was the only door.  We should not be afraid of more Dharma doors, only afraid that no more will be opened.  

Remember the Buddha relies on us for the Dharma to continue to develop as a living organism – not a stale Dharma but a real “DHARMAKAYA”, a real body of teaching.

 

I WILL SEE YOU ON THE MAT (or in a one-to-one perhaps),

NAMASTE – JAHNE

 

 

Well yogis,

Here we are… power off on Wednesday evening, not on again until noon today.  I learned a number of things.  How to repatriate an old camp stove was the greatest of these and allowed me to have hot water and cook.  Thank goodness for the wonderful student who allowed me to power up my computers, and phones at their unaffected home.

ZOOM CLASSES

SATURDAY 2PM.  The first meeting with regard to COMPASSIONATE COMPANION PROJECT.  I don’t expect to launch it until August, but there is a lot to do until then, and I would like your  input and your enthusiasm.  I have always been student led, and I have not changed.  I am taking a “Bardo” direction, and hopefully taking you with me.  This course will give you three certificates on graduation.  “Compassionate Companions” Certification, “Death Doula” Certification and “Compassionate Companions – Veterinary” certification.

If you want to join the conversation, please email me and I will send you a zoom ID. The course will cost under $400 and take 12 weeks.  That is the plan.

SUNDAY 10am: The Bardo (Tibetan Book of the Dead).
MONDAY 6.30: Mary Magdalen
TUESDAY 7.30: Mary Magdalen the study course.

STUDIO
Monday 1pm (full), Wednesday 5.30 (full), and Friday Hatha 5.30 vacancies available.

THE RED THREAD

Everyone who joins the COMPASSIONATE COMPANIONS COURSE will receive a RED THREAD – a  Red Thread bracelet the origin of which is drenched in history.  I make and will give these to the students in the class, to help them to remember who they are, and will be a way of recognising, noticing people who are on the same path.  It is an ancient sign.

If you google “RED THREAD” or ‘RED STRING” you will get pages of references to why people wear them.  But for us, it helps us recognise those who like us are on the same path.  I wear one and have for years.  It is worn on the left side (feminine) side of the body.  It is the receiving side, the side of the heart.  It is worn to honour the feminine and this is the side that allows us to “receive” spirit, and dream.

In Japan, they believe that the Red Thread has to do with our fate, that we are tied with this thread to all people we are destined to meet in order for our soul to evolve.  The stories are echoed in ancient Islamic, Christian and Jewish texts, and is even mentioned in the Bible.

Even if you don’t want to join my studio, or sign up for the course you can own a RED THREAD BRACELET and an accompanying booklet.  Please go to www.myyogabooks.etsy.com.   and don’t forget to google ‘THE RED THREAD”  for pages of background historical facts.

 

THE SMOKING HERBS.
The mix I make (mostly from herbs I grow myself), is getting fabulous reviews about its relaxing properties.  It really gives great sleep! So if you buy some do not take it before you drive or before work.  Save it for before you go to bed.  It contains damiana (sister to cannabis), hops (also a sister to cannabis), lavender, mullein, mugwort.  10grams for $20 including postage.  This is enough for 10 to 15 “doses” the way that I smoke it in my little pipes.  You don’t need much.  Just smelling my fingers after I have been blending is enough to calm my body down… and I have to be very careful with the hops, they are sticky with resin.

If you don’t smoke, then make a little cotton bag, pop in a little of the mix and put it in your pillow.  Very relaxing.  Good dreams.
email if you are interested… I don’t have enough home grown herbs to put on etsy.  This is just for my clients and students. yogafirst2@bigpond.com

 

I will see you on the mat (I really will – restrictions lifting, power on!)

NAMASTE.  JAHNE

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dear Yogis,

We have sub-zero(?) temperatures here which add to the difficulties of Covid Style classes when possible.  We manage.  Most yoga schools called a halt until next week, but even then there are no guarantees.  At the moment the classes are as follows…

STUDIO – with Covid restrictions – masks, sanitising, Q codes etc
Monday Hatha 1pm (full), Wednesday Restorative at 5.30 (full) and Friday Hatha at 5.30 (vacancies available)

ZOOM
SUNDAY: 10am The Bardo (This is about living, not just about dying)
MONDAY: 6.30 Mary Magdalen Teacher Training
TUESDAY: 7.30 Mary Magdalen –  The Study

SATURDAY 2pm An information session-THE COMPASSIONATE COMPANIONS PROGRAM.   Please book and I will send you an ID.

REGISTRATIONS – It is almost the End of The Financial year and you may have organised your registrations payments to be alongside this.  Please check and see if your Registration and insurance is up to date.  If you are teaching and have not graduated you need a Student Registration and a Student Insurance, if you don’t have this you are not correctly insured.  Email me and I will send you the application form  yogafirst2@bigpond.com

 

COMPASSIONATE COMPANIONS PROGRAM
Often called Death Doula, no matter what we are learning at the moment it seems to link back to this program.  The process of dying (and living) from the Book of the Dead and yoga, the process of living from The Gospel of Mary Magdalen, the physical aspects and the yamas from yoga… and lots more. It is fascinating.  

In this program I am teaching from all the different aspects of this new profession, and when you graduate from what is a short course (12 weeks?) you will have three certificates.  A “Compassionate Companion” certification, a “Compassionate Companion – Veterinary” Certification and a “Death Doula” Certification.  When you add this to your yoga and/or other qualifications it is pretty impressive.

I will be launching this program in August, although I can send you a working document if you would like to know more.  If you are interested I will put you on the mailing list and let you know our progress via newsletters.  This is a very worthwhile (short) course and the qualifications you will receive on graduation will be invaluable as you move forward.

We live in an ageing population, plus we are dealing with the covid fall-out… add this to the “normal” occurrences of anxiety, depression, and the epidemic of loneliness and I am sure you can see how in demand you will be, not just in your own family, but also in the wider community.  You came to SERVE.  Here is your opportunity.  Email me and I will send the working document. yogafirst2@bigpond.com

 

BEING GRATEFUL
Until you just sit and breathe, you often forget (or don’t consider) the richness of your life.  The life we have been given.  In prayer, in meditation we often “give what we have” to God, but do we forget to say thank you to God for what has been given to us?

“Everything that is mine I give to you”, means that we already have everything we need at our disposal, we can have EVERYTHING if we will just see what we have been given and accept it.  We don’t have to do anything, we don’t have to qualify, we don’t have to be anything… we only have to acknowledge the gift and be grateful.

Whatever you have asked for is yours already.  We are the ones who put up the blocks to our abundance, not God.  When you understand the vastness of the gift it will blow your mind.  There are times when it is clear to me and at those times I have a hard time breathing,  the gift is so vast it just overwhelms me.  There are times I can’t understand it, and there are times when I am too far away from God to accept it.  But at the back of everything I have a good relationship with Him, so I can get back to the window of clarity.

Make a good decision, make a bad decision, and then move on.  One of the greatest gifts is that we can re-create ourselves for the good in every second.  Remember –  “Nothing happens that is not the will of Allah. Trust this”

HAVE A WONDERFUL DAY – I WILL SEE YOU ON THE MAT

NAMASTE.  JAHNE
.