Dear Yogis,

Tough love this morning.  

I have made no secret of the fact that I was a survivor of assault at a very young age, I am disturbed that nothing seems to have changed much in terms of male attitudes in this regard.  I was watching some older newsreels out of Iran particularly the death of Neda Soltan, and was struck by the connection (in my opinion) between males in our society and males in theirs.

It is my belief that any “fundamentalist” is afraid of beauty.   They cannot control themselves in front of beauty, and they know they can’t.  They can’t express or acknowledge their feelings in a benign way because of their conditioning, and it seems their response is not to control themselves, but to destroy the thing in front of them that causes this response, whether that is a painting, a building or a person.

Unfortunately, to a greater or lesser extent, the church gives them the excuse to act on this impulse, and nowhere is this more profound than in fundamentalist regimes.  The leaders say to perpetrators of violence –  “it is not your fault, it  is the devil seeking to take over”.  In response to this “devil”  they will  destroy whatever disrupts their belief. They will diminish  the beauty in front of them by requiring it to be veiled, or they will kill.    The truth is the first victim.

However the reporting of such acts is no longer in the dark, or in the hands of the government or one man – Youtube allows the reality to be disseminated to the world immediately.  The object of Neda’s death was to make her invisible. Long live the spirit of Neda.  Much has changed since she died, but maybe not enough.  Did she die in vain?

Please read about Neda Agha Soltan (not Neda Soltani who was possibly the government stooge – the regime at one time claimed that Neda Agha Soltan was an actress and didn’t die – Not true).

Neda died with her eyes open.

 

CLASSES WOODEND.  from 8th July for the next term….

Windarring Yoga –  Kyneton Tues. 1pm .  (Tuesday 9.30AM in Gisborne starting 16th July).

STUDIO YOGA WOODEND: Monday Hatha 1pm (full) Wednesday Restorative 1pm,  FRIDAY RESTORATIVE 10am

DISABILITY YOGA CLASS (YOGA FOR WHEELIES AND WALKERS) in NORMA RICHARDSON hall, starting 9.30am 17th July  by donation.

Arrive around 9.30 and we will start when we are settled.   I will be leaving around 11am..  I am not sure how long the class will last, or how long it will take to get everyone ready and moving, but we will be relaxed, and see how it goes.

>>>>>>ZOOM DISABILITY YOGA TEACHER TRAINING. Transfer to distance, zoom done.   . Usual zoom classes MONDAY 22nd July.  If you want to join in you can, but you will need to email me to get the ZOOM ID.  

NEXT STUDIO TEACHER TRAINING – The Sunday July 28th at 2.30

NEW YIN YOGA CARDS ON THE WAY. 

 

NAMASTE .  JAHNE

 

Dear Yogis,

As Miss Marple has said, “The essence of life is to move forward”, and after the disturbing occurrences over the past week, I thought these words of the Late JFK,  sent to me by a client may give you pause for thought….

“Our lives on this planet are too short and the work to be done too great to let this negative spirit  flourish any longer in our land. Of course we cannot vanish it with a program, nor with a resolution. But we can perhaps remember—even if only for a time—that those who live with us are our brothers, that they share with us the same short movement of life, that they seek—as we do—nothing but the chance to live out their lives in purpose and happiness, winning what satisfaction and fulfillment they can. Surely this bond of common faith, this bond of common goal, can begin to teach us something. Surely we can learn, at least, to look at those around us as fellow men and surely we can begin to work a little harder to bind up the wounds among us and to become in our hearts brothers and countrymen once again”.

I think community art goes a long way to bring communities together.  I remember the YARN BOMBING group at our local library.  It was very “ecumenical”.  All ages, all abilities, even teenagers from the high school and local college who wanted to learn to knit.  Yarn Bombing is fabulous because it doesn’t matter your age or ability, or if you make a mess – always a consideration if you are just starting out.  Of course, even the “messes” were used.

We were stopped in this wonderful enterprise by a group of greenies who thought that wrapping tree trunks in colourful knitting “disturbed the possums” (really, if this stopped possums I would think the sale of wool would escalate considerably!),  and bringing attention to the “architectural features” of the town could encourage vandalism, whilst decorating the bollards disturbed their usage? !  Yarn Bombing never did any of this, in fact people used to come from as far away as NSW to see and photograph the knitting on International Yarn Bombing Day each June.  

I would like to start it up again, and now, we could join together via zoom… you could start groups in your town, in your studio (?) whilst we work our way through this economic downturn.  It doesn’t cost much for a ball or two of wool.

 

CLASSES WOODEND.  from 8th July for the next term….

Windarring Yoga –  Kyneton Tues. 1pm .  (Tuesday 9.30AM in Gisborne starting 16th July).

STUDIO YOGA WOODEND: Monday Hatha 1pm (full) Wednesday Restorative 1pm,  FRIDAY RESTORATIVE 10am

DISABILITY YOGA CLASS (YOGA FOR WHEELIES AND WALKERS) in NORMA RICHARDSON hall, starting 9.30am 17th July  by donation.

Arrive around 9.30 and we will start when we are settled.   I will be leaving around 11am..  I am not sure how long the class will last, or how long it will take to get everyone ready and moving, but we will be relaxed, and see how it goes.

>>>>>>ZOOM DISABILITY YOGA TEACHER TRAINING. THIS week class number 5 at  6.30 zoom.  . THE  LAST ONE OF FIVE = TODAY MONDAY 15th July.  If you want to join in you can, but you will need to email me to get the ZOOM ID.  

NEXT STUDIO TEACHER TRAINING – The Sunday July 28th at 2.30

NEW YIN YOGA CLASSES ON THE WAY – plus cards.

 

NAMASTE .  JAHNE

Hi there Yogis,

 

A lot has happened politically since we last spoke – in response I have watched the Martin Luther King doco, and was spoken to by a song that was repeated through the documentary and at the end “…When the Spirit says march we will march, when the Spirit says “Do” we will do”.  It is a strong discipline to listen to spirit, and then Do in the Spirit, not what we THINK is right, but what Spirit directs.  Start small – when to go to bed when to get up, what to do next in your day…  Sometimes we have to say no even when we are not sure of the outcome.

Yesterday I went to Church and was introduced as we all were,  to the new priest.  He is younger, he is impatient, and the service lasted only half an hour (it was speedy).

Remember when you first started teaching yoga and it was hard to judge how many asanas to do – sometimes 20 asanas took 20 minutes, sometimes 65, and from your point of view little had changed.  I guess it must have been the same for him.  One of the parishioners said to him afterwards “….if you manage to keep the sermons down to 6 minutes as you did this time, I see a long and illustrious career for you in this Parish”.

 

THE SUPER HEMP(?)     I have been swamped lately with facebook ads featuring well known and respected people touting a new magic HEMP OIL (SUPER HEMP) for senility and dementia.  I looked hard at the various claims.  I totally believe that CBD can help, and much more than the “Hemp Oil” which is sold in Australia and at Coles and Woollies, and is advised on the FB pages.  Hemp oil is not CBD, and CBD is different from Marijuana.  It works with our ENDOCANNABINOID SYSTEM (how many times have I said this???).  It certainly will aid all things psychological.  The hemp oil,  no matter where you buy it does have more Omega 3,4,5 and 6 than any other known plant or oil, so you would be well to indulge, using it in dressings, smoothies and anywhere you don’t heat it up..  But it is not CBD although the “gummy” makers have gotten on board and try and imply that it is.

Marijuana plant with cannabis oil, cannabis protein and cannabis seeds

CBD is still restricted in Australia, and many Doctors are still saying it doesn’t work – mainly because they know nothing, but still charging enormous amounts for it – and according to my students, up to $700 for 50ml.  It works, but you really do need to be specific about the oil, and work with a dosage to suit you – in Canada and in the Netherlands they have “cannabis baristas”.  Retailers who know as much as they can about the 500 varieties.  Hemp is is not CBD, and CBD is not marijuana.  CBD works with the endocannabinoid system, and marijuana blankets the system.  Both are useful, and depends where you are in your illness/condition. HEMP OIL is culinary.  It works in the same way that coconut oil works, useful but nor revolutionary!

A revolution I would like to see is cannabis being legalised in Australia as it is in the USA and Canada (and of course the Netherlands where a brothel, a cannabis shop a church and a kindergarten can all exist side by side).

If you want to know more, go to www.myyogabooks.etsy.com and download KANNABIS KITCHEN.  An information/recipe book I wrote pre-covid.  It works then, and it still works. Of course, I have my special hemp oil which I use everyday, as do many of my clients.  Hemp protein is also  spectacularly useful in your smoothies as you will see when you download the book which is full of recipes.  As with anything, you get what you pay for.  Go to your health food store, not the supermarkets.   Royal Hemp is a Hemp Product (not a CBD product) brand I endorse. Copaiba is an oil that is similar in effect to CBD – but not as easy as it once was to locate.  Rosemary is another.  New directions in Sydney sell both – they are a reputable essential oil retailer and wholesaler to the trade, and considerably cheaper than multi-level-marketing brands.

If you want any advice about any of this please email.  I keep records about clients who use these products, how they use them to build their health, and the results.

YOGA and CBD?  In the USA you can do “CBD YOGA” classes where participants use CBD before class.  I can’t see that it would be a big help, but it could be the placebo effect.  If you feel better – you are better and your yoga will be more rewarding.

 

CLASSES WOODEND.  from 8th July for the next term….

Windarring Yoga –  Kyneton Tues. 1pm .  (Tuesday 9.30AM in Gisborne starting 16th July).

STUDIO YOGA WOODEND: Monday Hatha 1pm (full) Wednesday Restorative 1pm,  FRIDAY RESTORATIVE 10am

DISABILITY YOGA CLASS (YOGA FOR WHEELIES AND WALKERS) in NORMA RICHARDSON hall, starting 9.30am 17th July  by donation.

Arrive around 9.30 and we will start when we are settled.   I will be leaving around 11am..  I am not sure how long the class will last, or how long it will take to get everyone ready and moving, but we will be relaxed, and see how it goes.

>>>>>>ZOOM DISABILITY YOGA TEACHER TRAINING. THIS week class number 5 at  6.30 zoom.  . THE  LAST ONE OF FIVE = TODAY MONDAY 15th July.  If you want to join in you can, but you will need to email me to get the ZOOM ID.  

NEXT STUDIO TEACHER TRAINING – The Sunday July 28th at 2.30

NEW YIN YOGA CLASSES ON THE WAY – plus cards.

 

NAMASTE .  JAHNE