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Marie's Blog on Ayurveda & Yoga
Yoga element
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Posted on Thursday, March 10, 2011 11:34 PM
 My mum is quite an amazing modern woman, she was ahead of her time I think in many ways. And one way in particular always struck me, was that she embraced new ideas if she could understand them. An example: I grew up, with a very strong catholic upbringing, and Lent came around my mum would make Lent not a suffering but a challenge, by giving me a twist on it. (I hated giving up chocolate, I still put it down to low blood pressure!) She would always remind me, that it was not so much what I would give up that could offer me Peace by Easter... but by what I would Begin, that would make me feel better before Easter came around. And thats when it started, and still continues. An annual adventure into tipping my toe into some amount of Spiritual reading. From various Saints lives and deaths, to Living Saints, to reading (perusing, skimming, and sometimes running from) different parts of the Bible...(which is a completely different subject, but I do have to add, if you want adventure, mayhem, murder, love, passion, Spirituality, joy, insight, loving kindness, hidden meanings, exquisite poetry...the Bible has it all!) to the reading of one of my favourite historical novels, by Jim Bishop, The Day Christ Died. (Now that is fantastic reading, with all the elements of a gripping story, in my view on Par with the best of Grisham and Coben, but this book is based on proven historical facts of that time. ) but Lent is also about Cleaning....Cleaning to Purify our body, our mind and open our Hearts. Reading something new, something uplifting and lightening to the Heart is one way of doing this...anything that feeds us Love (Prana), lifts our Heart above our head, this is Yoga. Rumi, The Upanishads, The Veda's, the Mahabharata, The Bhagavad Gita, The Life of Mother Teresa of Calcutta, Bernadette of Lourdes...So many to choose from...google one, go for it... You really wont regret it. Fascinating, mind bending, heart wrenching, Exhale....Love waits for us all. |
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Marie Mills: Posted on Tuesday, January 04, 2011 10:25 AM
 Years ago a very good friend, Mel, pointed out to me that it is no wonder that the modern Calendar year begins with January...intrigued by symbolism all my life, this thought has always stayed with me dear Mel, thank you. Janus, the Roman God of all beginnings and endings, waits at the Doorway to every New Year. Not only is a choice placed before us, which door do I choose to open, but also, which door am I choosing to close, or will I remain stationary, stagnate, stuck in a familiar place of comfort and dis-ease. The power that comes forth as every new calendar year ends, is in this new chance. Janus allows us and also encourages us to leave behind old patterns, and to step into a new direction. Some friends of mine were asking me over the weekend, exactly what is it I come across most often as part and parcel of the human condition at this time of year. I would have to look at myself first, since my universe begins with me, it is only myself I see human nature the best...and within myself I know the most prevelant pattern is: the fact that I want effective long lasting change, but I do not want to change how I do things, nor make further effort than I already am in my pursuit of Peace! for example, I want to be more focused, hold a discerning mind steady, feel content and less fearful, all attributes that I can attest meditation does bring! But there is a draw, an energy in me to NOT meditate every day...skip one day and my practice is down the swanneee! (this is Tamas, the slow earth bound inertia energy!) I also want to have better digestive power, so that my body as a whole will function optimally. At this stage, and age in my life, I want to feel better, look better and embrace all the challenges that come towards me with a bit of gusto... but taking my herbs before all meals (which is the time for agni power) is very difficult, especially during holidays, when I need it the most! And this difficulty to allow change to happen, even though the results are exactly what I want, is what I find most prevelant in my own life. I want change, but I find it most difficult to allow change to happen. And yet, for the most part, Ayurveda and Yoga give so many easy simple applications to my everyday life. I can see how much effective change has come about, most profoundly in my mind and attitude, but there have also been large changes in my physical body...i.e, food awareness and weight loss have been a great added bonus! Embrace Janus, and allow change to happen with an open heart, and an amount of Self inquiry...that you are the pivotal point in your New Year resolution. Awareness of what we would like to happen in our life is the first step. Courage to make the incremental changes comes, sometimes fast, but more times slowly, it is only when we look back, we see we have been preparing for change and making it happen over many years. Mini Yoga in action. Remember, Yoga is about the mind, and Ayurveda is about the body. If we can get over parts of our mind...we have oppurtunity to actively participate in our Life and new direction. Breathe through the Gateway, exhale when you arrive. |
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marie mills: Posted on Wednesday, December 01, 2010 12:33 PM
 Speaking recently to a good friend, I found it was suprising to learn that the yoga class he attended was formulated quite differently to my classes. It brought to mind the difference between teachers is very pronounced, so please if you do not find a class that suits you, it has more to do with the teacher than Yoga itself! Just like anything in this life, we learn from all things, but go to those things that make us feel warm and comforted are the best for us at that time in our life. I feel a yoga class should have the components of a good novel...there is a beginning, a middle, a climax and an end. In an Ayurvedic Yoga class, we are seeking first of all Sattva, the best way to do this is to increase Pranic intake (breath awareness via Pranayama) and to balance the Dosha's which, because of the Guna's, are always in a state of flux and change due to our elemental nature. My classes always begin with some amount of Breathing awareness,the amount of time depends on the students,but generally the first 3 to 9 minutes, this goes for teenagers as well as my long term students. Breath awareness at the start of class is essential to entering a more Self aware state of movement and mindfulness. The middle and climax of class are often connected either with a series of movememts and postures connected with breath and stillness. The climax can either be a specific posture, such as Tree, Plough or Legs up the wall, or the mastering of a great series such as the Dragon Fly. But for most who attend my classes, the climax of the class is nearest the end, in Shavasana. The ultimate Dead man's pose, as we surrender into the present moment, the combination of the Guna's awakened and Sattva is very pronounced. And the end of class I always try to offer no less than 15 minutes in total of a mix in Relaxation, Concentration and Meditation as a large portion of class, for it is in stillness that we learn the most about our Self. The massive benefits that stopping offer our body is incomparibale to anything else we do to benefit our whole body. We can eat all the correct food, exercise every day, and still be exhausted and frantic in our mind. Stopping and learning the skills to focus the mind and working toward cultivating them in our daily life, will allow true restoration to the nervous system. My own yoga class recipe was developed because of the two great Yoga teachers I had myself, Charlie Stevens and Marianne Gabriel. It is due to their understanding of physiology, emotion and mind that I continue to seek Stillness in my own life for continued health and restoration. I hope you have the fortune to find a teacher that suits your needs for mind and body to be comforted, balanced and stilled. And most especially, Laughter is a key element to the Joy of life and Yoga. So, if it's not fun, its not Yoga! |
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