Dear Yogis,

MAORI CULTURE.  I learned this morning that 600 years ago the Maori of Chatham Islands off the Coast of New Zealand made a covenant to do away with war and follow the path of peace.  It is the longest peace covenant in the world.

Martin Luther King Jr. gave his life so that those who came after him could experience the freedom promised them in the Constitution.    Mohandas Gandhi chose a path that led to death so that others might experience a more meaningful life.     The Moriori of New Zealand’s Rekohu/Chatham Island laid down their lives because they believed in peace and non-violence.

MY BOOK on Yoga Disability to accompany our course is coming along in leaps and bounds.

Today (and next Thursday) I am going to speak to insurance brokers to learn the actuarial implications, and I have been to the NDIS – it will take a few visits – to learn the ins and outs of this scheme and how it will help you.  I have my ID and will have my CertIV.  These are not really required at the moment, but if I wanted to be employed with Windarring for instance they require us all to have these qualifications.  It might seem like overkill (I did in the beginning) but I have revised my ideas and have learned that they can be quite valuable.

• Belonging to a community by  showing up regularly
• The release of endorphins and stimulation of parasympathetic activity through correct breathing, and when able ujaii
• Down regulating the nervous system, in this community I encourage regular “omming” practice..
• Inducing a mindful state and the brain activity associated with that.
• Regulation of the nervous system by releasing physical tension.
• Promotion of the mind body connection – and in this way working towards integration of sensory awareness and increased interoceptive integration

These benefits are not unique to YOGA FOR DISABILITY

Yet there is something different because of the limitation of the students, however the system remains the same. Psychologically it acts as a mirror. Every time you do the same sequence, each time it is different. What has changed? Your mind! Using the same sequence at least a couple of times a week (if not more) changes our client’s habitual ways of thinking and being in the world. In yoga philosophy these are samskaras.

Most yoga disciplines also set you up to fail and be ok with that. There is no chance you can do all the asanas, they are just too hard. It teaches you about effort and then releasing the fruits of that effort – this is a key teaching in India’s most popular yoga text, The Bhagavad Gita. We love talking about how and why yoga works. We spent decades studying the scriptures and during covid lockdowns you joined us consistently to learn more.

We just do it, it works. End of story.   In our classes yoga can be something intimate, empowering.  A yoga practice that guides us, in a very unique way.

Dear Yogis,

What a confusing, busy time this is, and February already! Maybe now that schools have gone back (or are in the process) we will all settle down to a routine – I am a Capricorn and I work best with a routine, what about you.  People have not been able to think or make up their minds because things are so different now we are settling down after the covid experience.  Look around you.  Where are the opportunities, what is the Government spending money on, where can your yoga business most fruitfully lead?  I suggest THE DISABILITY SECTOR.

I work in this sector.  It is exciting, it is growing, and it makes great use of your yoga qualifications.  Hardly any yogis are looking to this community and I am hoping that my course will encourage a change in this.   At the moment I am still working on the BIG book to go with the course, however, I am thinking of doing it a chapter at a time (like Charles Dickens), and teaching in this way so that you won’t have to bite off too much, the cost will be low, and you can ease yourself into this community which may be quite new to you.  There will of course be weekly zoom classes so that we can chat face to face.  If you are already an NDIS provider or hold an ID, you can still benefit from this course which will expand your possibilities.

BACH THERAPIES AND TAROT.  

On Monday we looked at the tarot, and matched the cards with herbs.  First we zoomed through the major arcana to make sure we were all on the same page with regards to meanings, and we have got part of the way through matching these with herbs.  It is a great class and as we have talked herbs for a while there is a lot of discussion about which herbs go with what card and why.  The added advantage is that the class are working with the herbs so that they know the effects,  the actual “in the studio” successes and failures

I drew the EMPEROR card.  When you draw this card, you should ask yourself the following questions: Are you a good or terrible king as in the “king of your life”? What is your approach to dealing with other people in your life? Is your word binding? Are you a stickler about sticking to your plans – do you do what you say you will do? Do you make any plans at all? Do you feel in charge of your life? Do you need more or less of a regimen? Always ask yourself how you might create harmony with these male forces in your life while addressing the Emperor card.  The appropriate herbs can help you keep on track.

THE CARD I CHOSE TODAY:

If you chose this card too, the Emperor has appeared to you today to encourage you to keep moving forward and not to give up on your goals. The Emperor – clad in armour, sitting square and assured on his throne, definitely all things masculine – represents a person with unshakable confidence who knows how and when to use his force of will. He also knows when the work he can do is done and when it’s time to step back and let nature do the rest. If you’ve been working hard on something important to you, do what you can but remember that there needs to be a balance in how much willpower you exert each day. Working 15 hour days can only be sustainable for so long before you burn out and have to take an even longer break. Sometimes less is more.

The herbs, Bach Flower Remedies I believe resonate with this card are WALNUT AND OAK.  Oak is for the type of person who is naturally brave and has the strength of character to keep going no matter what happens, and walnut is for the type of people who are happily going about their life, confident that they are progressing in the direction of their dreams.  These remedies help mind and mood.  If you have lost sight of your goals,  Bach Remedies can assist a return to  the naturally positive side of your character and help you adjust to change on your terms.

THE STUDIO 

CLASS TIMES:  (Windarring –  Tues x 2 +Thurs+Fri).  STUDIO WOODEND: Monday Hatha 1pm, Wed. Restorative 1pm –   I am also thinking of a Saturday morning YOGA class, although I do have to accomodate a gallery obligation one morning a month – tricky but we can manage, maybe Saturday afternoon would be better?

FREE ZOOM HERBAL WORKSHOP.  Mondays at 6.30 on zoom.  Remember – Bach Flower Therapies are PRANA SHAKTI in a bottle!

ZOOM – YOGA FOR DISABILITY – Please register your interest – Maybe a Thursday or Friday evening zoom would suit us all.  Let me know or I will make an executive decision.   The zoom will include the book chapter by chapter.  We can also do a CHAKRA BALANCING HAND MASSAGE ON ZOOM.  For either of these, let me know your interest.

APPOINTMENTS IN THE STUDIO – I am available for massage, hand massage, Bach Flowers and Tarot… you choose your combo and we will explore them together. $85 per session no matter how we put it together.

THE YOGA LUNCHEON:  “THE FULL MOON SALOON”, Last Saturday in the month (a change of day) at 1pm. (we are still discussing times).

SEE YOU ON THE MAT (SOMEWHERE)

JAHNE

Dear Yogis,

This Sunday I went to THE GREAT STUPA in Marong.  The Stupa has grown quite a lot since I visited last.  Inside it looks like a cathedral it is so tall , and getting taller.  It is always worth a visit – the next big ceremony is the CEREMONY OF LIGHTS in June, and then the Vegetarian Feast Day October.  Google for times and days.  You can go anytime for a “self-guided” walk – it is worth the time – Marong is an hour from Woodend although you can catch a train and get the bus from Bendigo Station.

Around the extensive grounds (200 acres) are extensive landscaped gardens and statues.   The elephant is life size with the four animals on its back emphasising the fact that life goes easier when we work together, and Quan Yin is the feminine form of The Buddha and the Bodhisattva of Compassion. It is a giant statue standing in a beautiful, tranquil pool.

In Sanskrit she’s known as Padma pani – “Born of the Lotus” symbolising purity, peace and harmony.
Another version suggests she originated from the Taoist Immortal Ci Hang Zhen Ren,  a Taoistic ‘perfect person’ having an endless willingness and sparing no effort in helping those in need.  Commonly known in the West as the Goddess of Mercy, Guan Yin is also revered by both the Taoists and Buddhists.

Quan Yin is usually shown in a white flowing robe – white being the symbol of purity, and usually wearing necklaces of Indian/Chinese royalty. In the right hand is a water jar, (one of the eight Buddhist symbols of good fortune) containing pure water, the divine nectar of life, compassion and wisdom, and in the left, a willow branch to sprinkle the divine nectar of life upon the devotees to bless them with physical and spiritual peace. The willow branch is also a symbol of being able to bend (or adapt) but not break. The willow is also used in shamanistic rituals and has had medicinal purposes as well.

THE TAROT THIS MORNING.  

I chose THE STAR.

When they gaze up at the stars, many individuals claim they feel like a completely different person.  Their perspective has changed – they somehow feel connected to the Universe.  Looking up at the stars, you can see a thousand distinct flickering lights in the sky: the sky is similar to our planet in that sense, and each individual is a bright, lovely star. I often spend some time gazing up at the sky and absorbing the genuine peace it provides. The Star’s tranquility is like this. In the Muslim faith they believe that every star is a departed soul – a comforting thought.

The Star Card prompts me to ask crucial questions.   What are your expectations? What are your aspirations? What drives you to get out of bed every day? What brings you joy? Are you pursuing what you like to do? Do you feel like you could use a little more hope in your life?

I believe that the Star has appeared today to remind me to come back to my senses – literally. In the RW deck, the 5 streams of water spreading out on the ground in this card represent consciousness flowing out through the 5 senses. In this information age we spend too much time in our minds.  We end up thinking so much that eventually, all we have to think about is more thoughts that might not have anything to do with what is real. This state of overthinking leads to anxiety and unrest. The best way back to reality is by focusing on the senses. Listen to the sounds in the room or focus your eyes on a single point for even just a few minutes and watch how your mind begins to relax.

It is a prompt – a reminder to me (and to you) not to leave your meditation until you have time.  Meditation should start your day, even if the half hour before rising you call “day dreaming”, do it.  That calm before the storm is hugely useful

You know i love everything Taot, and i wondered if you would be interested in a TAROT CHALLENGE.  I can draw a card for you every day and tell you about mine, and you can draw a card for yourself, write it down in your journal and learn, learn, learn.  It is this continuous use of the tarot which will help you get on top of the skill.

You can use my REVELATION deck or you can use any deck you like.  I swing between my deck and the Rider Waite.  Although I have quite a range of decks to choose from – I am not a “tyre kicker”.  Some at-home readers keep on swapping between decks to get a better reading – it doesn’t work.   My card today was THE EMPEROR.

THE STUDIO 

CLASS TIMES:  (Windarring –  Tues x 2 /Thurs/Fri).  STUDIO WOODEND: Monday Hatha 1pm, Wed. Restorative 1pm –   I am also thinking of a Saturday morning YOGA class, although I do have to accomodate a gallery obligation one morning a month – tricky but we can manage, maybe Saturday afternoon would be better?

FREE ZOOM HERBAL WORKSHOP.  Mondays at 6.30 on zoom.  Remember – Bach Flower Therapies are PRANA SHAKTI in a bottle!

ZOOM – YOGA FOR DISABILITY – Please register your interest – Maybe a Thursday or Friday evening zoom would suit us all.  Let me know or I will make an executive decision.   The zoom will include the book.  We can also do a CHAKRA BALANCING HAND MASSAGE ON ZOOM.  For either of these, let me know your interest.

THE YOGA LUNCHEON:  “THE FULL MOON SALOON”, Last Saturday in the month (a change of day) at 1pm. (we are still discussing times).

SEE YOU ON THE MAT (SOMEWHERE)

JAHNE