Wednesday 12 October 2011

dear friends and Yogis,


I've been thinking a great deal recently about what brings people to Yoga. For many of us it's initially a need to do something physical. A desire to 'become more flexible'. The majority of the world still views Yoga very much as something that requires and promotes mobility, sometimes of breathtaking proportion!
Some of us become frustrated by other forms of exercise so we turn to Yoga, and others actively seek it out as a possible practice that can help us combat the stresses and strains of our hectic lives. More and more people are waking up to Yoga's potential for their minds as well as their bodies.
The fascinating thing is, these two elements are intrinsically linked. There are many philosophies that have recognised the powerful connection between body and mind for many hundreds of years, Yoga is just one.
Those of us who come to Yoga through a need to help ourselves with health issues, have often become disillusioned with Western medicine, perhaps because we feel that it doesn't really deal with the whole picture. We turn to Yoga (and other more holistic treatments) as a means to benefit our 'selves' in a more 'whole'some fashion. The fact is that Western science is finally cottoning on to this idea that what affects the mind also affects the body, but it's slow to take shape and to take root. We've all known for some time that stress is bad for our hearts, and yet we continue to rush around and not make time for ourselves. Have you ever noticed that the times when you need a Yoga class the most, are the very occasions when you don't seem to have enough time to go? The very thing that you need and should make time for, is the one thing that is edged out of your day. We all do it!

I have a huge passion and belief in our ability to heal ourselves. We all have this potential. We need to implement it. The idea of self-maintenance needs to start earlier in life.  We need to instill in ourselves the idea that our minds and our bodies need a certain amount of care and attention (if we start early enough it becomes a pleasurable part of our routine).  You wouldn't live in a house for 70 years or so and not expect to do any structural maintenance work on it, would you? Why should your body and your mind be any different? After all they are the 'housing' that carry 'you' around your life, and enable you to do whatever it is that you do.
We have a long way to go before this approach becomes the norm and please remember; maintenance doesn't simply refer to exercise, it's also about taking time to restore and nurture, introducing and cultivating an awareness of your state of mind and how you feel emotionally. This requires space to allow a little breath work and gravity to enter the equation. Space of course requires time, and time is the thing that we all seem to have so little of.
Next time you find yourself pushing your Yoga practice or class to the bottom of your priority list, remind yourself how important that time really is. It's a window of opportunity and a vital part of your maintenance programme. It's not an extra or a luxury. It's integral to your health. Invest some time, and you will reap the benefits both in your physical and your mental well-being.
We only have one body, one mind. Let's give it some well earned TLC

namaste,

Julia ♥

Friday 29 July 2011

An invitation...

Dear fellow Yogis,

As late summer draws closer, the late afternoon sun starts to descend and slant ever lower and quicker, and we can start to feel the days shortening around us.
Take some time over the next few weeks to consciously be in the moment. This is of course a good deal easier when we're on holiday, away from the pressures of our job or daily routine. So it is in fact the perfect time to set aside a few moments throughout your day to really 'BE' where ever you find yourself.
  Many people find the idea of some form of mediation sounds wonderful, but the practicality of actually manifesting it quite a challenge. Meditation can take many forms, and is a versatile practice, as it can be done pretty much anywhere. If you walk regularly and find yourself out amongst fields, trees and open spaces, take a moment to pause. Slow your steps and find somewhere to sit and just breathe. Close your eyes and notice the sounds and sensations around you. If you can draw your mind away from it's usual incessant chatter, you are on the road to cultivating some control over it's meanderings. Even if this control only lasts a few seconds, if you practice (and we all need to practice this!) in time it will get easier.
Why is this necessary? Why bother, what's the point? Is there a point to meditation? You could argue that there isn't. You could argue that the fact that there is no point, IS the point. Why should everything have a point, or a reason or an end result? Isn't it often just as much about the process? Living in such a goal-driven society this can be a hard concept to embrace at times.
Perhaps one of the most significant results of a regular meditative practice is a gradual quietening of some of the louder, more disturbing voices in our heads. Many of us frequently have unnecessary conversations with ourselves about things, people and events that aren't constructive and only cause us to experience more Duhkha which I touched on in my last post. We dwell on past happenings ( and indeed, anything that isn't happening in this very moment, even if it took place a few minutes previously, is in the past), we also fabricate future scenarios, building sand castles in thin air. Meditating on the moment you are in, helps bring you back to the now, and the actual nature of things as they truly are. The nature of something remains undisturbed by what goes on around it. We all have this natural state at our very centre,  and the more we persevere to quieten the noise in our heads, the more we can come to this place. It's not easily found when the volume dial of the mind is cranked up to ten.
Start with your breath. Yoga teaches us to 'Yoke' the body and the mind by using the breath. It is our greatest tool, and provides a magical link between the physical and the mental and emotional if we employ it often. Put in the simplest of terms, all that Yoga is asking us to do is to consciously breathe. On our mats, every movement is transformed into a meditation as we link these three elements. Off our mats we can still practice Yoga by uniting body, breath and mind. Much of the crazy world around us can positively discourage this union, so make time to explore it.
Bring yourself back to your breath and experience yourself as you do this. Witness the nature of yourself in the moment, breath to breath. Doing this regularly you are not only truly practicing Yoga, but you are connecting with a place within that remains undisturbed by the turbulence of life. Picture this place as similar to the depths of the ocean, unmoved by the currents and tides at the surface.  It is yours to explore when ever and where ever you chose. You are invited, so come on in, the water's lovely.
Julia ❤

Wednesday 25 May 2011

morning thoughts....

hello fellow Yogis and Yoginis,
I was reminded yesterday of the importance of community. I had a couple of meetings with other local Yoga teachers, and it really served to drive home the importance of connection, not just professional, but for the simple act of interchange and reciprocation. A direct exchange on a personal and emotional level is something that can easily be forgotton in an age where communication is effortlessly available at the touch of a button. Many of us use email and text more than picking up the phone or actually making the effort to physically meet with friends, colleagues and loved ones.
There is also the idea that creating a network of like-minded individuals sows a seed which spreads it's message quietly but surely, drawing others in around it, so that before long we have mapped a group of people with different view points, experiences and ideas that can come together to share and support a common goal. If that goal is Yoga, the end result can be so vast and looked at on so many levels, that there really is no end to the possibilities! One of the things that makes Yoga so special is it's vastness as a subject. The idea that we are free to question and explore, encouraging us to learn and further our knowledge in the quest for truths of whatever shape or form......this is the backbone of a discipline such as Yoga. Knowing that these truths may well shift and morph into something else in time, is also a key aspect. If nothing in this world is permanent, why should so-called truths be any different? If we can accept this idea, we are far more likely to embrace change in whatever form it takes, and we will be open to our Yoga, our students, our families, our fellow teachers and in our communication and community.

Sometimes it is challenging to be open, usually because our mind has put up an obstacle of some description. We may feel threatened in some way, and this will lead to a shutting down or closing off, unless we can find the courage ( and it does take courage ) to recognise what our mind or ego is trying to do. It is a form of sabotage and not easy to overcome. In Yoga the feelings of emotional discomfort or pain that accompany this closing down are known as Duhkha. Sometimes people don't even realise they are experiencing Duhkha. This is where we come full circle, as a regular Yoga practice can help us develop the awareness we need to recognise Duhkha and our response to it. Some of us lash out, others internalise. Neither is going to bring us balance or peace. Perseverence with our practice, both  on and off our Yoga mats will increase our awareness of how we react to the situations and people around us. This is often a long process, and requires a good deal of patience and hard work. It is really only through attempting to face our Duhkha that we can find a way out of the pattern, regaining the ability to open up once more to the connections and possibilities around us, free from the fear that made us feel threatened in the first place.
Use your Yoga for what it was intended; it is a powerful life tool. Take it with you when you step off your mat. Remind yourself that it is not an easy path, but that it is a noble and courageous one.
with thanks and gratitude,

Julia x

Thursday 17 March 2011

Welcome.

Welcome to my new website. Here you'll find information about me and the way I teach and practice Yoga. There's also helpful info on Yoga for those of you who are new to it and need answers to basic questions; just look on the Yoga FAQ page. I am currently in the process of setting up new classes in and around Bury St Edmunds, so if you are interested in practicing with an experienced teacher please do get in touch.

It is my heartfelt belief that currently many of us don't pay our bodies enough attention. By 'bodies' I'm not just talking about our physical attributes, I mean the many layers that constitute what it is to be a human being. We need to start spending a little more time working consciously with ourselves, finding quiet and focusing our attention on some of the details and as a result, hopefully feeling better and healthier. My goal as a teacher is to allow people to come and share a space which invites them to explore their strengths and weaknesses in a safe and compassionate environment, to learn about their bodies and to practice Yoga which they can take home with them and apply to their every day. 


Before signing off, my thanks go to Deb Googe for helping me set this site up. She's been brilliant, and very patient, and I think you'll agree, done a great job! Also, thanks to Saskia for the beautiful images. Thanks to all my students, past and present. It is such a huge privilege teaching Yoga, and I learn so much from you all. 

I look forward to seeing you in a Yoga class very soon, namaste, Julia x

Followers