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Dear Yogis,

You may be suffering COVID FATIGUE but I saw this hidden away on twitter, and thought you may be interested.  This virus is the same as most other virus, it causes complications in the body that don’t manifest for years, so we mustn’t get complacent.  It is important we keep up our supplementation, and look after our nutrition especially if at any time we have tested positive, or imagine that we have gone through some part of the process without actually testing positive. 

 

THE STUDIO/YOGA SCHEDULE FOR THIS WEEK.
ZOOM, FRIDAY 6.45 Tarot – we are going to do a business/life spread and interpret it.
STUDIO, FRIDAY 5.30 Yoga.  SUNDAY 12pm to 4pm A drop in time.  Take the opportunity to come see me, discover what we do here, see the ION-KI FOOT CLEANSE, the Tattoo designs, and maybe discuss Tarot.  Whatever you like.  I am here for the ‘tour”.

 

GARLIC GROWING
This is a modern Russian Gardeners idea, and I like it.  Cut an empty drink bottle in half use the funnel stopped with a wick made of cotton wool or as I have, paper towel,  to hold the garlic cloves.  You can peel the cloves or not, I don’t.  You will see little shoots appearing, and the roots going down.   Once you see the roots you can take out the wick and let the roots spread.    Then plant them.  This in the photo is Elephant Garlic – BIG.

The plastic bottle and the garlic is quite attractive, and you could have a few on the windowsill, they look good.

 

VEGETABLE BOXES
Here is my new vegetable box.  I have two, quite a size.  They were a birthday gift from a student, and I imagined what would arrive would have been  a considerably smaller model, but no, these are full size, and a much sturdier construction than my house actually – “well built” would be an understatement!  Many thanks to Mark and Katie who moved them into position for me.  They had the proper “piano moving” equipment, so it was relatively easy.   I think I will paint them to blend them into the garden a bit more, or paint them terra-cotta to accentuate the positive.

I put one in full sun and I am going to grow potatoes and artichokes in it.  Potatoes to build the soil in the first instance.  The one in the photo is in dappled shade, so,  comfrey, gotu-cola, and cranberries will be the first things I put here.  Also I will also use it to mature white raspberries, (my new fruiting bushes), prior to putting them in the garden.   It has made me think about the various spaces much more, and how to best use the areas in the garden I already have.   They are a work in progress.

I am talking now with John about trialling a Kenyan top box bee hive for him.  I have two places in the garden it can go….

 

When you come for your IONIC FOOT CLEANSE, your Bach Remedies or a Yoga Class, you are welcome to look around the garden…  Or you can just come and talk herbs with me.  Love to see you.

 

SEE YOU IN THE GARDEN.

NAMASTE – JAHNE

 

 

 

 

Dear Yogis,

Over the last few weeks we have been focussing on all things HEALING, and today I thought we could detour to SINGING BELLS.  These are often overlooked as a healing modality on their own, but now in America, thanks to the artist Guadalupe Maravilla, therapists and even scientists are taking a second look.  CCP GRADUATES TAKE NOTE.

Maravilla used these therapies on himself whilst recovering from cancer.  When he discovered their effectiveness he started to construct installations based on sound so that others (especially children) could experience this therapy.  Not exactly new, and overcomes the complaint “I want to meditate but I can’t”.  Add pain to this perceived difficulty and you have a client who will resort to heavy duty pain medications instead of moving forward into yoga based therapies.  With sound therapies there is no learning curve, you just lie on the mat and let go.


Merely lying down and listening to the high-intensity, low-frequency combination of singing bowls, gongs, and bells in a sound meditation could induce a deep relaxation response and positively affect mood and sense of well-being. Sound healing has been used for centuries by yogis and utilized in various forms by cultures the world over, including native peoples. Although we don’t think of it the same way, Australian aboriginal tribes have used the didgeridoo as a sound healing instrument for over 40 000 years.  Ancient instruments have also been used for religious and spiritual ceremonies such as Tibetan (also called “Himalayan”) singing bowls, originally used by Tibetan monks for spiritual ceremonies.

Heart disease, diabetes, addiction, and mental health issues have all been linked to stress and tension. Meditation, including systems such as mindfulness-based meditations, has shown promise in inducing the relaxation response and helping alleviate anxiety and improve well-being. The relaxation response is the body’s physiological response in relaxation, including lowered blood pressure to counter the fight-or-flight response and activation of the parasympathetic nervous system.

In one study, singing bowls were used for emotional healing with high-risk youth as part of what was termed the best self-visualization method.  The bowls were used in a psychotherapy model in combination with deep breathing, visualization, and a loving kindness meditation. The authors of the studies I have read reported that this combination of healing methods may be a catalyst for emotional and psychological healing in counseling sessions.

The studies does, provide the groundwork for future research regarding the effects of singing bowl meditations on assessments of stress and well-being. As we have discovered in Yoga meditations, this low-tech form of meditation may have the capacity to lower blood pressure and heart rate, thus there are potential benefits to cardiovascular health yet to be further explored. The results provide promise for a form of stress reduction that does not require the individual to learn a disciplined form of meditation. In fact, the participant may even fall asleep if desired. At the very least, participants generally express feelings of deep relaxation and inner peace following the sound meditation.

Moreover, those in health professions (and as I have said, CCP Graduates),  nurses and counselors could easily provide these meditations to patients. While it may require a very minimal amount of practice, extensive training is not necessary to learn to play the singing bowls and other instruments, thus, this type of meditation could be taught to health and counseling professionals and provided in an almost unlimited number of settings to induce the relaxation response, reduce stress, and potentially stress-related disease in the body.

I am sure that there are ongoing studies, and over time we will learn of the bowls remarkable properties in depth.  In the meantime, let’s take the opportunity to take these therapies into various settings (and in our studios) and introduce it to clients.  Not as a special occurrence, but as a regular part of our practice.

 

SEE YOU ON THE MAT.

NAMSATE.  JANE

Dear Yogis,

What can I say – another beautiful day in “paradise”, and rain is forecast for the end of the week… if it rains at night before then that will be especially welcome, not because of the temperature, but because of the fire danger – we are getting to the “iffy” part of the year (“Ash Wednesday” usually High Fire Danger time – is still vivid in my memory banks).  Ash Wednesdaywhich occurs after Shrove Tuesday is always 46 days before Easter Sunday and marks the beginning of Lent.  This year it falls on March 2nd.   I always breathe a sign of relief after February has come and cone with no fires of consequence. There are always smaller fires, and we have already had a few.

SCHEDULE:  
YOGA: Monday 1pm, Wednesday 5,30 and Friday 5.30
ZOOM: Monday 6.30 The Gita, Tuesday 7.30 Herbs and Friday 6.45 Tarot
SUNDAY: SUNDAY OPEN STUDIO from 12 noon to 4pm. – please book a time although there is lots of inside and outside space, even if it rains which is forecast.    I have potted up some Bach Herbs for sale, I have the fungi Poster on beautiful paper, paintings, and some very interesting collectibles.  You can see the Foot Cleanse – you can have one before or after the open studio (please book), see the tarot designs…  a chance to catch up after Covid.

STILL DETOXING:  When am I going to stop? Answer?  When the water in the foot cleanse becomes worth looking at.  At present it is still dark coloured, and more flecks appearing than in the beginning which I read as being the cleanse underway.  The result of seeing this mucky water is to make me consider even more carefully what I eat.  No supermarket fish three times a week – which is the only (known) source of heavy metals occurring at present… although I probably have got some stored in my cells which are cleansing – plus I have one mercury filling which may be leaking.. probably time to have it removed. The photo is at an odd angle, but it gave the best view keeping the overhead light out of view.  You can see the black flecks, which are the heavy metal deposits escaping…

Since I have been cleansing in this way I have felt more energised, more capable and (if i can say it – ) YOUNGER!, and who doesn’t need this? My memory is also much better, and I get to the end of the day feeling better and have given up the “nanna naps”. I have time, and would love clients who are able to come for a session with me.  The cleanse takes half and hour, I include a Bach remedy to help you adjust to the new you when you get home, and to help the process on its way.  You will feel different, work differently, and approach your life more positively.  And yes, it has helped me get rid of a kilo or two painlessly.  Email me for an appointment.  yogafirst2@bigpond.com

MOON CHARTS:

I was working on my to-do list and my year ahead list.  I usually give a nod to the moon charts, and thought I would pay more attention this year.  All I found was confusion caused by the Southern Hemisphere and Northern hemisphere rotations and shadows.  Even people like Biddy Tarot (an Australian) only gives northern charts, probably because most of her members are overseas.

So, I have finished the easy to read drawings of the luna map from the South Skies, ours,  and will get them printed asap.  I put the beginnings of them on my instagram account if you want to visit me there and see what I have been up to.  My “Late Night Drawing” sessions have been very productive.

TODAY:  I really do hope that you are making your way profitably through your covid experience. A cleanse would be of help if you live close enough.  I am due for a medical assessment at the end of the month and i will be very interested after the Vax, the cleansing and the “NEW” me.  

PS: I am in conversation with Thermomix with regards to working with them on THE HERBAL/BACH WAY.  No-one has tackled this, and see so many of you have a Thermomix, this may be interested.

SEE YOU AT THE OPEN DAY

NAMASTE. JAHNE