Wednesday 28th Sept @ St Andrews Church Hall -ON-
Thursday 29th Sept @ NZ Defence Force -ON-
Saturday 1st Oct @ Purebalance -ON
Today I just committed to attending a Yoga Retreat with Amber Spear http://www.amberspear.com/
She is a friend of Jo Camponovo whom I am close friends with and I'm hopeful will some day come to Wellington to teach her Acroyoga magic.
Anyway, the retreat is in Bali and I will be staying on to check out the Bali Spirit Festival directly after http://www.balispiritfestival.com/
Here's to new experiences and new adventures
Saturday, September 24, 2011
Sunday, September 18, 2011
This just in..
Unless one believes themselves to be [a] God, Mercy is the only path that leads to peace.
And anyone who thinks Mercy is easy does not know what the word truly means.
And anyone who thinks Mercy is easy does not know what the word truly means.
Friday, September 16, 2011
Wellington Yoga Classes 19/09/11 - 25/09/11
Wednesday 21st Sept @ St Andrews Church Hall -ON-
Thursday 22nd Sept @ NZ Defence Force -ON-
Saturday 24th Sept @ Purebalance -ON-
Listen to your body; connect to it with your mind, and be guided by your inner light,
It will help you see your way through even the darkest night
Thursday 22nd Sept @ NZ Defence Force -ON-
Saturday 24th Sept @ Purebalance -ON-
Listen to your body; connect to it with your mind, and be guided by your inner light,
It will help you see your way through even the darkest night
Monday, September 12, 2011
Yoga (and other four letter words)
The perception that Yoga and Flexibility are two sides of the same coin is very understandable. However, as I've come to appreciate more and more while I bumble my way through life, something can be true and at the same time completely false.
The assumption that someone is an advanced yoga practitioner based purely on how advanced their Asana practice is, is pretty analogous to saying that my Uncle Lorrie must be a genius at writing because he is a prolific reader.
It could be a mild indicator, but it is hardly enough information to make an informed decision about. Honestly, I think the perception of what Yoga is needs a serious tune up. Actually, trying to define Yoga is pretty much like trying to describe a beautiful sunset, but not just any sunset, rather "the" sunset that made you feel like for just a moment, God had revealed everything to you, and you were so at peace that it didn't even matter anymore. The point is, I'm not comparing Yoga to a sunset, I'm saying good luck trying to define something that was, is, and always will be so deeply personal and intimate to each individual who truly discovers this thing from within themselves.
So at least there's that. Yoga is something that is coming from the inside out. Sure, it can be a complete circle, things can start going outside in, but the real point here is our ability to suck stuff in is not the question, it's where it's being sucked into. When you don't know that place, you don't really know what; why or where it's even going. You don't know you.
Self realisation. Frankly the phrase comes off as a little pretentious to me. Maybe because most people would connotate those two words with a puritanical path that no real human being could ever possibly travel. So clearly I don't think it means that (and if it does mean that then I'm right royaly screwed). I think it means developing, one baby step at a time, a deeper understanding of what drives you. I mean what drives "you". What makes you happy; what makes you afraid. What is it that provokes you to travel the path you have chosen, or what is it that makes you think you never chose any path to begin with.
I can probably explain better by using myself as a crash-test dummy. I ran. I ran because it made me feel good. I ran because the faster I ran, the more people liked me. It felt good when people liked me as it gave me a sense of self-worth. But I didn't really "know" that. I just knew I enjoyed this feeling I was getting when I ran fast and won races. I didn't understand the source of it, I never looked inward enough to understand where this was coming from, what the feedback loop was and how it was shaping the reality I was constructing for myself.
So of course, you just keep pushing. You just can't get enough, the last high was good, but I need another hit, and for some reason I started needing them more and more frequently. What happens when you injure yourself and all of a sudden that whole feedback loop is gone? You get freaking miserable is what happens. Again, not enough self-knowledge to really understand why this feels more like a death in the family than a sporting layoff. But like any junkie, there comes a point when (in my case almost as an act of desperation) you do start looking for real answers.
I didn't start by looking inwards. Maybe it was just a fluke that stretch classes presented themselves as a way to rehab a broken body. But it was the process of stretching my body that triggered something else much more important: A self awareness of what I was feeling. Not what I was feeling physically, what I was feeling emotionally. Peaceful; connected; frustrated; humiliated; inspired; excited; hopeful; fun.
wtf, how could all that be coming from a stretch class? Even when I was healed enough to return to running, I'd found something (which I rationalised as a way to prevent injury) I was not going to give up. At this stage in my life it was getting harder to win races, the old high just wasn't as available to me as it used to be. But there was better introspection now. Although it was still making me miserable (not winning) I was looking inwards for answers to the solution. In the past the solution was all about getting a better pair of shoes more suited to my running style, or finding a better coach and training partners.
Now I was asking questions about exactly what "I" was doing. Even then that was not quite the right question to ask, but at least it was directed at the most relevant person: Myself. Eventually, the right question did come along: Why was I doing this?!?
You see, there's nothing wrong with running. It all comes down to why. I'd say Yoga can easily manifest itself through running. A jog through forest tracks has the potential to be a deeply meditative activity if that is the reason why you decided to do it (or at least one of them). I know this is true because after nearly 10 years of no running at all, I actually now do it occasionally and it is pure joy (not withstanding my comparative lack of cardiovascular fitness).
So yeah, Why was I doing this? The ugly truth was finally starting to stare back at me from the self-reflective mirror. On one particularly miserable day I knew that my reality needed to change, because the current one was making me into a pretty disappointing example of a human being.
Jumping back to the beginning then, I'm going to assert some accusations about what Yoga isn't, rather than what it is. It isn't about being flexible. Given that for most people a formal Yoga practice (in a class) will manifest as an Asana practice, then yes, it's likely that to a greater or lesser degree, there is going to be an improvement in your flexibility. Not just your flexibility, probably your functional strength and sense of balance will improve as well. Likely also the quality of your breathing and your mental wellbeing will improve simply by virtue of the balancing effect the asana is having with the mind and body connection.
If you are finding the Asana practice is a barrier to you due to the poses being too advanced, then find another teacher, or another style of Yoga better suited to your constitution. The asana practice is there to serve you, you are not there to serve the asana.
Yoga isn't a label. It's unfortunate that to teach Yoga one must be labelled a Yoga Teacher. Somehow, I've now been endowed with an external identification of something that at the end of the day has no real bearing on my personal level of "Yogic-ness". I've met Yoga teachers who aren't very Yogic, to be frank.
Yoga does not have to even be based on an Asana practice at all. I'm always meeting new people who already practice Yoga in the very way they live. I'm almost embarrassed when these people identify me as an "advanced Yoga dude" when in fact I am more than sure that they are in a much higher state of grace than I am.
So I'll end this by saying that I love Asana. I practice it every day and it is deeply healing for me due in no small part because of "why" I practice it: I don't care what anyone else thinks. I'm not trying to prove anything to anyone. I indulge my practice at an instinctive level with very little self judgement. Conversely I practice with a deep self awareness. I listen to my body, I listen to my mood, I reflect and I gently transform my spirit while I'm bending my limbs. I come away washed, and after all of that is over, then I'm ready to see if I can actually do some real Yoga, and bring some grace into my life.
The assumption that someone is an advanced yoga practitioner based purely on how advanced their Asana practice is, is pretty analogous to saying that my Uncle Lorrie must be a genius at writing because he is a prolific reader.
It could be a mild indicator, but it is hardly enough information to make an informed decision about. Honestly, I think the perception of what Yoga is needs a serious tune up. Actually, trying to define Yoga is pretty much like trying to describe a beautiful sunset, but not just any sunset, rather "the" sunset that made you feel like for just a moment, God had revealed everything to you, and you were so at peace that it didn't even matter anymore. The point is, I'm not comparing Yoga to a sunset, I'm saying good luck trying to define something that was, is, and always will be so deeply personal and intimate to each individual who truly discovers this thing from within themselves.
So at least there's that. Yoga is something that is coming from the inside out. Sure, it can be a complete circle, things can start going outside in, but the real point here is our ability to suck stuff in is not the question, it's where it's being sucked into. When you don't know that place, you don't really know what; why or where it's even going. You don't know you.
Self realisation. Frankly the phrase comes off as a little pretentious to me. Maybe because most people would connotate those two words with a puritanical path that no real human being could ever possibly travel. So clearly I don't think it means that (and if it does mean that then I'm right royaly screwed). I think it means developing, one baby step at a time, a deeper understanding of what drives you. I mean what drives "you". What makes you happy; what makes you afraid. What is it that provokes you to travel the path you have chosen, or what is it that makes you think you never chose any path to begin with.
I can probably explain better by using myself as a crash-test dummy. I ran. I ran because it made me feel good. I ran because the faster I ran, the more people liked me. It felt good when people liked me as it gave me a sense of self-worth. But I didn't really "know" that. I just knew I enjoyed this feeling I was getting when I ran fast and won races. I didn't understand the source of it, I never looked inward enough to understand where this was coming from, what the feedback loop was and how it was shaping the reality I was constructing for myself.
So of course, you just keep pushing. You just can't get enough, the last high was good, but I need another hit, and for some reason I started needing them more and more frequently. What happens when you injure yourself and all of a sudden that whole feedback loop is gone? You get freaking miserable is what happens. Again, not enough self-knowledge to really understand why this feels more like a death in the family than a sporting layoff. But like any junkie, there comes a point when (in my case almost as an act of desperation) you do start looking for real answers.
I didn't start by looking inwards. Maybe it was just a fluke that stretch classes presented themselves as a way to rehab a broken body. But it was the process of stretching my body that triggered something else much more important: A self awareness of what I was feeling. Not what I was feeling physically, what I was feeling emotionally. Peaceful; connected; frustrated; humiliated; inspired; excited; hopeful; fun.
wtf, how could all that be coming from a stretch class? Even when I was healed enough to return to running, I'd found something (which I rationalised as a way to prevent injury) I was not going to give up. At this stage in my life it was getting harder to win races, the old high just wasn't as available to me as it used to be. But there was better introspection now. Although it was still making me miserable (not winning) I was looking inwards for answers to the solution. In the past the solution was all about getting a better pair of shoes more suited to my running style, or finding a better coach and training partners.
Now I was asking questions about exactly what "I" was doing. Even then that was not quite the right question to ask, but at least it was directed at the most relevant person: Myself. Eventually, the right question did come along: Why was I doing this?!?
You see, there's nothing wrong with running. It all comes down to why. I'd say Yoga can easily manifest itself through running. A jog through forest tracks has the potential to be a deeply meditative activity if that is the reason why you decided to do it (or at least one of them). I know this is true because after nearly 10 years of no running at all, I actually now do it occasionally and it is pure joy (not withstanding my comparative lack of cardiovascular fitness).
So yeah, Why was I doing this? The ugly truth was finally starting to stare back at me from the self-reflective mirror. On one particularly miserable day I knew that my reality needed to change, because the current one was making me into a pretty disappointing example of a human being.
Jumping back to the beginning then, I'm going to assert some accusations about what Yoga isn't, rather than what it is. It isn't about being flexible. Given that for most people a formal Yoga practice (in a class) will manifest as an Asana practice, then yes, it's likely that to a greater or lesser degree, there is going to be an improvement in your flexibility. Not just your flexibility, probably your functional strength and sense of balance will improve as well. Likely also the quality of your breathing and your mental wellbeing will improve simply by virtue of the balancing effect the asana is having with the mind and body connection.
If you are finding the Asana practice is a barrier to you due to the poses being too advanced, then find another teacher, or another style of Yoga better suited to your constitution. The asana practice is there to serve you, you are not there to serve the asana.
Yoga isn't a label. It's unfortunate that to teach Yoga one must be labelled a Yoga Teacher. Somehow, I've now been endowed with an external identification of something that at the end of the day has no real bearing on my personal level of "Yogic-ness". I've met Yoga teachers who aren't very Yogic, to be frank.
Yoga does not have to even be based on an Asana practice at all. I'm always meeting new people who already practice Yoga in the very way they live. I'm almost embarrassed when these people identify me as an "advanced Yoga dude" when in fact I am more than sure that they are in a much higher state of grace than I am.
So I'll end this by saying that I love Asana. I practice it every day and it is deeply healing for me due in no small part because of "why" I practice it: I don't care what anyone else thinks. I'm not trying to prove anything to anyone. I indulge my practice at an instinctive level with very little self judgement. Conversely I practice with a deep self awareness. I listen to my body, I listen to my mood, I reflect and I gently transform my spirit while I'm bending my limbs. I come away washed, and after all of that is over, then I'm ready to see if I can actually do some real Yoga, and bring some grace into my life.
Friday, September 9, 2011
Wellington Yoga Classes 12/09/2011 - 18/09/2011
Wednesday 14th Sept @ St Andrews Church Hall -ON-
Thursday 15th Sept @ NZ Defence Force -ON-
Saturday 17th Sept @ Purebalance -ON-
Yay, green lights across the board for next week
And yes, todays class was Vinyasa, pushed it along without going too crazy -I'll save that for my own practice :-)
Shoulder is also 99% better, so for any purebalance peeps out there, I'll probably set a date for an informal flying/partnering session at next weeks class
Thursday 15th Sept @ NZ Defence Force -ON-
Saturday 17th Sept @ Purebalance -ON-
Yay, green lights across the board for next week
And yes, todays class was Vinyasa, pushed it along without going too crazy -I'll save that for my own practice :-)
Shoulder is also 99% better, so for any purebalance peeps out there, I'll probably set a date for an informal flying/partnering session at next weeks class
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Musings
So I'm thinking tomorrows class at Purebalance will be a Vinyasa Flow. I'm in a mood to push things along a bit harder than normal, but I'll keep an eye out and not get too carried away.
Love having 75 minutes to play with. Lunchhour classes are such a squish
Love having 75 minutes to play with. Lunchhour classes are such a squish
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Wellington Yoga Classes 05/09/11 - 11/09/11
My first Post! I am making a commitment to maintain this blogspot by updating each weeks classes in advance so that all interested parties will be able to check here at any time of their suiting to find out if my classes are on or if for some unfortunate reason I need to make a cancellation. So here we go:
Wednesday 7th Sept @ St Andrews Church Hall -CANCELLED-
Thursday 8th Sept @ NZ Defence Force -CANCELLED-
Saturday 10th Sept @ Purebalance -ON-
I will likely also inlude other Yogic based musings; ideas; initiatives etc. Comments are enabled (you must register to post) so feedback and/or questions are welcome
In addition, given my capacity for being very absent minded, feel free to remind me of things I may have forgotten, like if I'm wearing my t-shirt back to front; or if I have my underpants on outside of my trousers. You may also wish to comment on the class structure; difficulty etc, lets make this a two way street!
Shanti
b
Wednesday 7th Sept @ St Andrews Church Hall -CANCELLED-
Thursday 8th Sept @ NZ Defence Force -CANCELLED-
Saturday 10th Sept @ Purebalance -ON-
I will likely also inlude other Yogic based musings; ideas; initiatives etc. Comments are enabled (you must register to post) so feedback and/or questions are welcome
In addition, given my capacity for being very absent minded, feel free to remind me of things I may have forgotten, like if I'm wearing my t-shirt back to front; or if I have my underpants on outside of my trousers. You may also wish to comment on the class structure; difficulty etc, lets make this a two way street!
Shanti
b
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