Dear Yogis,

A lovely sewing bee as usual.  It is interesting that no matter what the class is – yoga, sewing, meditation, tarot anything –  people come if they feel that can GET something.  They rarely come in order to give – give time, companionship, skill, healing…..  we missed your company.  

NEW YOGA CLASSES STARTING IN THE WEEK.  SEE BELOW.  All welcome.

Maybe you thought that because I had many interests, my yoga is being drowned… not so.  I sit and I draw and sew and paint – all the while I think! With all that is happening in the world, I thought I would bring your mind once again to THE YUGAS, in particular the age that we are living through at the moment, THE KALI YUGA.

THE AGE OF DARKNESS:  In the Hindu traditions it is said that existence moves through cycles of increase and decrease, expansion and contraction.  These cycles are divided into four eras or yugas.  The first, THE SATYA YUGA is the longest – a time of beauty and harmony, purity and perfection when desires and fulfilment arise simultaneously – This era is said to last 1,728,000 years.  The next is the TRETA YUGA of 1,296,000 years.  In this era,  perfection wanes slightly,  longing, paths and goals begin to unravel.  In the DVATPARA YUGA which lasts 864,000 years, desires, classes,  action and intentions get more and more varied.  Then we come to our era THE KALI YUGA. Kali Yuga (Sanskrit: कलियुग, romanized: kaliyuga or kali-yuga) means “the age of Kali (demon)”, “the age of darkness”, “the age of vice and misery”, or “the age of quarrel and hypocrisy”. A complete description of Kali Yuga is found in the Mahabharata, Manusmriti, Vishnu Smriti, and various Puranas.

In the Kali Yuga, desires and the objects of desire have been separated.  We struggle to bring them together but our attempts at best are temporary.  It is a time marked by anguish, longing and rage.  In this time spiritual, moral and ethical life degenerate, material life becoming the only motivator and goal.  Pollution, corruption, disease degeneration and violence fill our mind and poison the world.  The only useful virtue that can be practised is COMPASSION. We are moving inexorably towards the end of time as we know it.  We feel the end approaching.  The tempo of mass destruction has increased, dread and a sense of unreality now pervade the midstream of the modern age.

Yugas and Human Consciousness.   The solar system with the Sun and the planets around it is moving in the galaxy. It takes 25,920 years for our solar system to complete one cycle around a larger star. From the effects upon the planet, we believe this big star or big system that our system is going around is not located in the center of the orbit but somewhere to the side. Whenever our solar system comes closer to this big system, all the creatures living in our system rise to greater possibilities. Whenever our system moves away from it, the creatures living in our system come to the lowest level of possibility – we say this is Kali Yuga.

When our solar system is closer to the “Super Sun,” a Satya Yuga will begin. The human mind will be at its highest capability. People’s ability to know life, people’s ability to communicate, people’s ability to live joyfully will be at its highest. Or in other words, we will have sensible people. All it takes to live well on this planet is a bunch of sensible people.

We can set the foundations and have the joy of creating an atmosphere for a stretch of thousands of years of golden time upon the planet. This is not all predictions and conjecture – this is based on a deep-rooted understanding about what happens with the human mind in relation to the planet on which we live. We do not only live on this planet – we are the planet. If you do not understand this today, you will understand this when you are buried. The planet understands that you are a part of it – only you think something else of yourself.

BACK TO BASICS – IGA VS COLES:  We all have to eat and we have these two stores in our town.  I love Croissants, and IGA have recently introduced a pack of 6 for $3.  They are individually wrapped, they are made in France, and they are quite the best croissants in a supermarket around this price….  Coles have frozen French croissants for $6 for 6, but they are not as nice.  Try IGA’s.

YOGA CLASSES AND STUDIO TIMES…..

Windarring Yoga –  Tues. x 2 +Thurs. x 1. (some Fridays)

STUDIO YOGA WOODEND: Monday Hatha 1pm (full) Mon. 2.15, Wednesday Restorative 1pm

NEW:  CALM AND CLEANSE YOGA Thurs. 10am and Sat 2.30 starting the first week in November (next week!) 

STUDIO SEWING BEE – Sundays at 2.30

TAROT READINGS AT THE STUDIO – Look forward to hearing from you.  You can even come on the weekends, and I can do “doubles” – you and mum, maybe you and a friend. BRAILLE Tarot deck and usb – a course on tarot reading for the blind is on the way…

THE YOGA LUNCHEON:  As always the last Saturday in the month.  The next at 12noon the 28th October – PUT IT IN YOUR DIARY NOW.. I have booked for us to go to  The Full Moon in Woodend.  Warm, “homey” and great food. I love the Nachos – with chicken – with prawns – vegan, or Mexican.  Any of them are great.

SEE YOU IN THE STUDIO (and at the yoga lunch at the end of the month)

Dear Yogis,

Gorgeous gardening weather, and not a time for dark thoughts – but I had them this morning.       Read on only if perhaps you wish to be challenged.  Maybe you have had these thoughts, may be not, they are not easy to deal with.  I hope that my thoughts have helped you – it was totally new way of looking at my relationships.  I did play a role in them and am still processing.  At the time I did have the opportunity to love myself enough to move away, but did not – I am still processing after all this time.  This is what it is all about – as Tina said “What has love got to do with it?”.

This morning, for the very first time in my life I experienced an actual dark cloud descend on me! Recently I was talking about love with a student, we spoke of our partners, how they had “done us wrong” and how, no matter the depth of our hurt, we admitted still to feelings of love – not an unusual girl conversation.  A female thing?

The cloud visited this morning when I moved on from this conversation,  to recall an episode of Kavanagh QC with JohnThaw.  He played a QC working with the International Tribunal of War Crimes.  They were trying to bring to justice a German who worked as a Doctor in the camps.   The doctor said he was a prisoner, had escaped to England and “become” English.  More English than the English, he even had the camp tattoo.  No one could or would say otherwise until an old lady was brough to the stand.  She called him  her “Angel”. Under a number of episodes of clever and gentle questioning by Kavanagh, it turns out that the man was a Doctor in the camps, he was her abuser and he was her rescuer, and she loved him for that.  This response in the old days was called the Stockholm Syndrome.  Yes, he was brought to justice.

I wondered if that is the same as an abusive (emotional or physical) relationship where we love our abuser because any other response is not open to us at the time.   I can only say what it felt like to me.   As a human and especially as a female, I have to process this, move through to forgiveness and find a new place. I have thought about it before but only as a vague thought – this morning brought it right to the mat.   Thank goodness for yoga, meditation and the Tibetan Book of the Dead (an interesting thought I will explore) – how would we move forward without the safety of our mat? Our special country.

Stockholm syndrome is a complex—and often misunderstood—phenomenon, and is not defined as a mental health condition by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5 TR). Instead, the American Psychiatric Association (APA) considers it a mental and emotional response.    Stockholm syndrome is typically considered a psychological defence or coping mechanism experienced by some during extreme trauma, like kidnapping, domestic abuse or human sex trafficking. At this point I would like to know more about Stockholm syndrome and what it might look like in different scenarios, like abusive relationships and even unhealthy workplace dynamics.

Note: I have spoken of my experience as  Stockholm syndrome, but some mental health clinicians recommend the term trauma bonding instead, as it may be less stigmatizing.

“………….I’ve been taking on a new direction, but I have to say I’ve been thinking about my own protection – It scares me to feel this way……..” (Tina Turner) 

YOGA CLASSES AND STUDIO TIMES…..

Windarring Yoga –  Tues. x 2 +Thurs. x 1. (some Fridays)

STUDIO YOGA WOODEND: Monday Hatha 1pm (full) 2.15 Wed. Restorative 1pm.  STUDIO SEWING BEE – Sundays at 2.30

TAROT READINGS AT THE STUDIO – Look forward to hearing from you.  You can even come on the weekends, and I can do “doubles” – you and mum, maybe you and a friend. BRAILLE Tarot deck and usb – a course on tarot reading for the blind is on the way…

THE YOGA LUNCHEON:  As always the last Saturday in the month.  The next at 12noon the 28th October – PUT IT IN YOUR DIARY NOW.. I have booked for us to go to  The Full Moon in Woodend.  Warm, “homey” and great food. I love the Nachos – with chicken – with prawns – vegan, or Mexican.  Any of them are great.

SEE YOU IN THE STUDIO (and at the yoga lunch at the end of the month)

Dear Yogis,

Before I jumping to money saving ideas, I am hoping to remind you that those who pay for their yoga classes by the term, or who are due for registration, do a quick catch up.  If you have missed a few classes remember if you pay by the term you are ahead,  because you get the holidays without charge to make up for any time you are not able to come (which is usually the case).

If your teacher training registration has lapsed, please catch up with that.  Those Institutes who have consistently charged less for regos are gradually closing – it costs money to be here for you.  Then Yoga Australia which has increased registration for teachers, and increased training requirements are well ahead of the game.  We come about mid-way.  Not as expensive at YA, and not so cheap we can’t keep afloat.  Please keep up your membership – we provided the way that enabled you to be the yoga teacher you have become.

MAKING BULK CREAM SOUP.

Although we have made our way through the covid crisis, another food/price crisis is here.  As food prices rise weekly and more people struggle just to put food on the table I wanted to share another recipe that I make to stock my pantry, save money, and make healthier foods — using real food ingredients, without chemicals and additives.   Although I am “famous” for my coconut cookies with 2 ingredients, this CREAM SOUP recipe is very easy too.  

From time to time I stock up by making a large batch of dry cream soup mixes to stock my pantry.  I used to make these mixes regularly when my children were young but I haven’t done a large batch since I realised i was sensitive  to wheat in 2015.  I haven’t bought canned soup in 20+ years, and I had forgotten how easy it was to make dry cream soup base and use it to make fresh soups and sauces when the pantry is looking a bit low, saving both money and time.  With summer on the way the garden is blooming, and gathering greens (and the jerusalem artichokes in the pic to the left) and adding some of my soup powder can wizard up a great meal for almost nothing.  In supermarkets, Soup even in cans is rising in price and for the gluten free variety you may be forking out $5 or $6 for a can with two small serves.

My advice – make your own, it is so easy and you can change it by making small additions whilst you are making it, or in the cooking.   I can make large jars of this dried cream soup mix in less than an hour.  Each large jar will make the equivalent of 8 cans of soup for a few cents per bowl.

CREAM DRY SOUP MIX

Ingredients:  *1 cup skim milk powder * 1  1/2 cups all-purpose flour or gluten-free flour blend *  1 tablespoon onion powder * 2 tablespoons bullion powder (Beef, chicken or vegetarian)* 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, freshly grated

• For Cream of Mushroom Soup: Add 1/4 cup diced or a tablespoon of dried mushroom.
• For Cream of Chicken Soup: Add 1/4 to 1/2 cup finely chopped chicken pieces or vegan dried chicken flakes.
• For Cream of Celery Soup: Add 1 tablespoon finely chopped celery sticks.
• For Creamy tomato soup:  Add 1/2 cup tomato powder or a tablespoon of tomato paste
• For Cream of Potato Soup: Add 1/2 cup instant mash potatoes
• For Pumpkin Bisque: Add 1/2 cup dried pumpkin pieces, or microwaved pumpkin to taste 
• For Creamy Cheese soup: Add 1/2 cup cheese  (or make cheese powder to add – Blend freeze dried cheese with 1 tablespoon tapioca starch to make the powdered cheese)

I can make about 6 large jars of the dry soup mix in no time at all, and did during covid..   That’s the equivalent of 48 cans of cream soup. What are you doing to save money?

TAROT -The Seven of Pentacles (RW).

I pick a card from the deck every day (sometimes Rider Waite, sometimes Revelation) and I love this one.  The Seven of Pentacles has appeared today to encourage me to take my time, be meticulous and don’t rush. Whatever I am working on in has reached a stage where all I can do is wait for the time to be right. Harvesting too soon can reduce the yield or even ruin the entire project. If you have made it this far, you can be patient just a little bit longer. Patience, Patience…..   Hold out just a little bit longer.  Success is just around the corner.

These are questions i ask myself on choosing this card.   I am close to harvest, so where am I gardening?  Is it a project, a hobby, or some other activity? How far have you progressed in terms of your objectives and accomplishments? Right now, whilst I am waiting, is the time to congratulate myself for the distance I have come, and to sit quietly and know that all is well.

“re.MAKE” –    UPCYCLING, RENOVATING.

If your treasured items need re-imagining and mending, come see me – please make an appointment first.. I am pretty well booked until the end of October (unless you are a regular who needs a skirt/pants tweaked), so keep that in mind. SEWING BEE SUNDAY AT 2.30 at my studio, 37 Morris Road, Woodend.  I will be working on another quilt.

A note to quilt owners.  If you have a cherished quilt, please check it regularly for wear and tear especially along all the seams.  Once they get to a certain stage they are a lifetime’s work just keeping them intact.  If yours was a gift to others, it does take away the need to worry about christmas gifts, because there will always be repairs needed on the quilt (like the silk patchwork to the left).
).

YOGA CLASSES AND STUDIO TIMES…..

Windarring Yoga –  Tues. x 2 +Thurs. x 1. (some Fridays)

STUDIO YOGA WOODEND: Monday Hatha 1pm (full) 2.15 Wed. Restorative 1pm.  

TAROT READINGS AT THE STUDIO – Look forward to hearing from you.  You can even come on the weekends, and I can do “doubles” – you and mum, maybe you and a friend. BRAILLE Tarot deck and usb – a course on tarot reading for the blind is on the way…

THE YOGA LUNCHEON:  As always the last Saturday in the month.  The next at 12noon the 28th October – PUT IT IN YOUR DIARY NOW.. I have booked for us to go to  The Full Moon in Woodend.  Warm, “homey” and great food. I love the Nachos – with chicken – with prawns – vegan, or Mexican.  Any of them are great.

SEE YOU IN THE STUDIO (and at the yoga lunch at the end of the month)