HI THERE YOGIS and friends…

Only a few more sleeps until my birthday.  Thank you to those who have responded with best wishes, and those who will be attending. ALL WELCOME. Because we are still COVID CONSCIOUS, we can’t have a big gathering, but, signing in and keeping distance, sanitising, and drifting in from 2pm in the afternoon should meet all the requirements.  I am hoping for nice weather, the garden is good, so is the deck, so we will be able to spread out.  If you plan to sit near the pond, bring mozzie spray (just be aware).  Reminder about parking (we have “sensitive” neighbours) – Please park on the white gravel, the empty driveway of the empty block opposite, or the nature strip in front of the studio 37 Morris Rd. Woodend.

RUMI – THE WAY OF PASSION

I have been inspired as you have by the poems of Rumi, and The words of the Prophet Mohamed (dictated to him by the Angel Gabriel), and have been reading them before my meditation time in the morning.  Would you like to join me..maybe Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday at 7pm? You could drift in, and drift out.  No need to sit for any length of time – even 3 minutes is good.  I will read a poem, then we will silently meditate on it.  I will probably sit for about an hour (except for Tuesday with the Sutras starting at 7.30pm), but you don’t have to.  Please let me know you would like to join, I will organise a start date, send you an ID and we will go from there.  It will be by donation.  I would like it to be term by term.  To join in please email yogafirst2@bigpond.com.

Rumi says that wherever you are and in every circumstance, try always to be a lover and a passionate lover. By the way,  I am sure that he did not mean going around being Mother Amma, hugging and kissing everyone….  People who do that are trying to meet their own needs for love, and not necessarily the needs of others.    Rumi was met by God in the person of Shams of Tabriz,   and is someone who has possessed and lived love in its splendour, with a realisation so complete, so multifaceted and deep that he goes beyond all denominations and definitions to show humankind the fullness of what a human in love and empowered BY GOD, can become.

Teilhard de Chardin before he died said “Humankind is being brought to a moment where it will have to decide between suicide and adoration”  I believe that moment is NOW”.  It is your decision.  Will you choose “Goodness”? If you have read the Gita you will know that Krishna asked this question of Arjuna.. that the whole of this book is about Duty and Devotion.  What do you worship? Some worship money, some their job, some people what they imagine to be freedom.  Some people even seem to worship themselves.  We all worship something.  It is time to choose. CHOOSE LOVE…

 

MEDITATION

How does meditation effect you?  Well, yesterday morning I had a beautiful encounter in meditation and sobbed for most of the day – about everything.  I tried to watch the news, but it was almost unbearable.  Everything is so sad, so much about loss, about trouble, about death.  I am personally not afraid of death, but death that comes suddenly to others was very raw.    I am trying to live in the world and most of the time it is difficult.

One of my students talking about my drawings said that she imagined I was thinking about being underwater.  I actually (and beautifully) feel at the moment that I  am under spiritual water, I am in a sea of God’ness, and when I come up and out of it, I start to cry.  I am crying, but I am not sad – love and grief living together..  If you meditate with me, it might happen to you.  As Rumi says, “the journey has to be taken, with all its suffering, all its pain and all its splendour”.

I look forward (as always), to meeting you on the mat.

Namaste.  Jahne

 

 

 

 

Dear Yogis,

Another fabulous day in Paradise!  How about you?

A REMINDER:  ZOOM COMING UP.  The FREEE Tarot Class at 6.45 Friday Night, then The TAROT ART Class on Saturday at 2pm and on Sunday the Gita Study at 10am in the morning.  If you aren’t on the log, I won’t send you an ID, so please let me know if you want to come to class (if you haven’t before – or haven’t for some time), and I will send you an ID in good time.

BIRTHDAY.  ON SUNDAY between 2pm and 4pm (or thereabouts), I am having another 21st birthday.  The last one was about 6 years or more ago, and I thought after last year and covid another one was in order.  Because we are Covid Conscious, just drop in.  There will not be a big gathering with a start and an end,  to enable “social distancing”.  The weather promises to be good, so we will be able to spend some time on the deck and in the garden and not be marooned in the house.  We have to be responsible.  But not so responsible that there won’t be some beautiful champagne to mark the occasion…  Please come.  Park on the white gravel making room for others, and there is a driveway with no house opposite us, you can park there.  Please do not park in front of neighbours gates or garages.  Take  care. this is not the road for careless parkers.  If unsure…you can always park in Mt. Macedon Rd…

 

MY NEW COMMISSION

I have a lovely commission to draw sea creatures.  A WHALE SHARK, A LEOPARD SHARK AND A MANTA RAY.  This takes me back to when I spent every day doing scientific drawings (my speciality Marine Mammals).  I thought you might like to be with me as I progress in this project  and have taken a photo to show you the supplies I needed in order to start… the photo doesn’t show the sketch book, the pencils and so on needed to begin.

The photo also does not show the work I have done researching these wonderful beings.  If I was being paid $5,000 per drawing (or employed by a tertiary institution)  I would be able to go to the museum and see skins, go to an aquarium somewhere or spend hours getting to know how they live, eat, move and breathe – which I have done as best I can, googling and you-tubing as travel is forbidden at present.

No Philosophy today – it’s “nose to the grindstone” time… not in front of the computer.

Remember as you move about in the world, good deeds are signs of “the Kingdom” – letters from heaven.

SEE YOU ON THE MAT.

NAMASTE – JAHNE

 

Dear Yogis,

The beginning of a REAL week.  One in which there are classes, Studio classes, zoom classes, and we are starting to move forward again as a school… instead of some being away, and some staying stuck, and the few still coming to class (very grateful for everyone).  I am so looking forward to seeing you all again.  It seems such a long time.

 

 

HERE IS A RUN DOWN of the classes coming up in the next few days….

*MONDAY ZOOM CLASS – THE HYPERMOBILITY LECTURES.6.30pm
This is the beginning of a new set of Hypermobility lectures (If you missed the first or want to revise!)  If you think you are hypermobile, or you have a child who is, or just want to know more in order to be a more effective yoga teacher…then these are the classes for you.

*TUESDAY ZOOM CLASS – THE DIAMOND SUTRA,   7.30pm
Abundance and Prosperity.  How to diagnose your life and your business the Buddha’s way.  This sutra is the ‘Remover of Obstacles”.

 *POSSIBLE WEDNESDAY 7PM CLASS (or Saturday morning at 10am – you choose).
I believe the world is increasingly “rudderless” and most people are not only functioning without a rudder, they are only using one oar.  They are going in circles, and in some cases, not realising… not understanding how to move forward.

To address this in some measure, I  (taking my “heart in my hands”) am contemplating a Wednesday 7pm class “BIBLE/ISLAM/GITA”.  BIG concepts.  We are learning them in the Gita class in a gentle way, but this will focus in deeper.  …  If you are interested, please let me know…  Remember “Nothing can befall us that is not ordained by God” (The Qu’ran)

STUDIO CLASSES:  Monday 1pm (full), Wednesday zoom 12.30 restorative, studio 5.50 restorative (full), Friday 5.30 Restorative – this is a new class and I encourage others to join this..

If you have not paid for the class, please go to the home page of the web site www.yogabeautiful.com.au and click on the button PAY VIA PAY PAL (not the DONATE button – unless you are donating extra).  PAYPAL will notify me quickly of the money received..  Please bring paper and pen to class.  I hope that you will need them.

 

SUFISM

On Sunday at our class, we discussed (again) the poetry of Rumi.  I have on numerous occasions talked about Rumi and his life, but we have not much discussed SUFISM.  To understand the Sufis it is said, is to grasp the heart and soul of Islam.  Sufism is Islam’s  greatest secret.  Because few non-Muslims understand, or are prepared to contemplate the immaterial, mystical element in Islam’s appeal for its believers, sufism is largely undiscovered.  Yes, you all know Rumi, but have you looked further.

Sufis have given great spiritual depth to Islam, and to generations of Muslims.  Sufism is about Batin, the inner secrets of The prophet the Quran, and the Sharia.

Scholars of The Sharia (the Law), focus on how to stand, bow, and how to prostrate oneself in prayer – however, the Sufi masters are concerned about the state of the believers soul and heart when they are standing before God.  The Sufis (in their own words), are not concerned with the love letter but with the lover Himself, and for this reason concentrate, immerse themselves (or in Rumi’s case, drown themselves) in love, miracles and pious devotion.

Sufi Muslims range from the very strict observance of Sharia to the very lax, from dancers and dervishes to serious scholars, and from the highly secretive to the achingly transparent.  Some go regularly to teachers in their mystical orders (Nasquibandi, Qadiri and Chisti schools), and some roam free and follow their heart..

They all share a common deep love for the Divine, and a vibrant attachment to the prophet Mohamed.  They possess a deeply spiritual charisma which touches all who open their hearts to being taught.  Their tranquility is real and brings serenity to all who meet them – Sufi Masters radiate stillness and a Divine energy.

Princess Jahanara (the feminine face of Sufism in the 1600’s) battled even her brother over the opposing strands of Islam.  Literalism over mysticism.  When she died she could have been buried with her father who built the TajMahal but was buried in a small grave in Delhi.  The inscription over her tomb reads “Let no rich canopy cover my grave: this grass is the best covering for the tomb of the Faqueera (poor in spirit), the humble, transitory Jahanara, disciple of the holy men of Chisti (Sufi), daughter of the emperor Sha Jahan” (AD 1681)

Look around you – who do you see, what do you see?  Is your world good? Or is it “troublesome” to your soul?  We yoga teachers (YOGA = UNION/UNITY) have the possibility of drawing our community together.  We could call ourselves THE CHOSEN.  The time has come when we need to judge on which side we stand.

You can be THE GATE for your community… It is your choice.

Namaste – Jahne