Dear Yogis,

No feedback from the last newsletter which I thought would press a few buttons – I felt pushed into writing it (which I always do – as Fr.Martin said, “…when the spirit speaks!”).  Maybe no-one read it?  I know it was published.

This morning politically –  Biden dropped a bombshell.  After all his protestations he is stepping down.  Foolish, foolish.  Did The Mahatmas step down? the Saudi Sheiks? will Putin?  No, they are there until they drop off the twig.  There will be bad days, but they have the knowledge, the direction.  Anyone else will have to be dropped behind enemy lines so to speak – everyone will be taking pot shots at them too.

At least with Biden we knew where he was going, even if physically stumbling, he did have guts.  Trump just goes with the most favourable wind and is a PR Machine (have you got your “ear bandage”?).  We know NOTHING about Kamala apart from the obvious and what we have been told.  Fancy being thrown up against Trump.  Maggie Thatcher (The Iron Butterfly) could have done it – will Kamala?  Who knows.

Good job they are all church goers – this race will need supernatural help, and no matter who wins, the country will have to struggle through the next few years..  I imagine that Kamala will get the black, and female votes… Obama has not officially “endorsed” her –  I wonder why not? Hilary Clinton has gotten on board, but Rupert Murdoch (an avid fan of USA/Australia partnership) has yet to throw his hat in the ring.  Maybe he is just too busy with his new wife.  I did watch the doco, and I though his words were very scripted.  There was nothing new, although I am sure it will push Bridgerton off the yoga chat agenda.  The look of the lady with the gun on the promos and Kamala? Flippant comment I know.

Guess what?  We are going to have a Yoga Lunch this Saturday (27th July).  It takes ages to send out emails, get replies, then get apologies, then re-booking and on and on, until we actually get there exhausted with only three takers.  After 10+ years of effort I thought perhaps it had run its course, but no!  I had a special request from a student and decided that at least she and I would lunch.  I let the group know,  and guess what – I have some takers.  Saturday at the Vic in Woodend at 12noon.

If you want to join us, let me know.  Email me at yogafirst2@bigpond.com.  I don’t have the time to do encouragement every couple of days.  It is important to you, or not.  It is important to me and I will be there.

CARDS AND ART.  I do have sets of 5 TIBETAN and YIN CARDS, and have finished some lovely portrait ICONS (especially of the cat Gracie).  I will be putting the on etsy this week, and will let you know.

 

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

Windarring Yoga –  Kyneton Tues. 1pm,  9.30AM in Gisborne.

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 (or a bit later)  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.  LAST WEEK WAS FABULOUS.

>>>>>>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

YOGA MONTHLY LUNCH:  27th July, The Victoria, Woodend –  at 12 noon

NEW YIN YOGA CARDS ON THE WAY. 

 

NAMASTE .  JAHNE

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