“If in our daily life we can smile, if we can be peaceful and happy, not only we, but everyone will profit from it. This is the most basic kind of peace work.”
― Thich Nhat Hanh
Namaste lovely people!!
Our classes start again this week in person in Lyme Regis (Charmouth Road) on:
General Yoga Classes
Monday 11th September 5.50pm – 7pm
Tuesday 12th September 10am – 11.10 am
Yoga for Anxiety/Stress/Insomnia
Tuesday 12th September 11.30am – 12.30am
And online:
General Yoga Classes
Tuesday 12th September 5.50pm – 7pm
Yoga for Anxiety/Stress/Insomnia
Wednesday 13th September 9.30am – 10.30am
All classes are suitable for beginners or experienced yogis alike ~ and all classes involve breathwork, yoga postures woven onto the breath and a guided meditative relaxation to end leaving you feeling rejuvenated, energised, strengthened and above all at peace!
There is so much in the news on a daily basis about the harm experienced in our world and it can be difficult not to get caught up in it. However, we have a choice as to whether to engage with this or turn our focus towards peace and harmony. There have been many great pacifists such as Thich Nhat Hanh; Gandhi; and the Dalai Lama who have all done all they can to spread peace in our world along with helping us to be aware of the quiet violence that can lie within all of us.
The Eight Limbs of Yoga are the philosophy and ancient roots behind all yoga with the ultimate goal of cultivating a steady mind and sense of calm and inner peace. These 8 limbs begin with the Yamas (how we relate to others) and Niyamas (how we take care of ourselves).
None of these tools or concepts are hard and fast rules – they are open to interpretation as we see fit and this may be different for us from day to day. The first Yama is Ahimsa – “non-harm” and this can be interpreted by the causing of no harm to ourselves or to any living being – with the yogic belief that as we are all sharing the same energy, if we were to hurt another, we ultimately hurt ourselves and vice versa: if we cause harm to ourselves (by negative thinking, pushing ourselves too hard) then we are likely to spread a negative energy towards others, thus causing them harm. …. What goes around, comes around.
Yoga is not only the physical movement of the body but it is also a journey of self reflection, moving inwards to observe our innermost self and what makes us the intricate, fascinating and wonderful human being that we are. In our practice we can observe Ahimsa when we push ourselves too hard on our mats or think we are “not good enough” and thereby cause ourselves physical and mental harm. By integrating the practice of Ahimsa into our everyday life we can view this more subtly by noticing when our thoughts contain negative responses like disappointment, resentment or guilt or when we feel shame, as it is in these thoughts we are subtly creating violence against ourselves or others. If you cannot forgive yourself or another for something they have done then this can be viewed as violence, as it pushes love and kindness away and creates negativity and a wasted energy. Negative energy as well as creating a butterfly effect around the world also increases the cortisol levels in our bodies which invokes the fight and flight response, which, in turn, can cause harmful stress to our bodies and minds, thus reducing immunity, energy, and ultimately can cause disease.
Observing ourselves and our thoughts with curiosity when we are on our yoga mat can be revealing – noticing objectively how our mind works, how we feel about our postures, the frustrations that we are not progressing quickly enough perhaps. Practicing Ahimsa moves us away from negativity towards positive thoughts about ourselves, helping us to have more uplifting thoughts about our practice and ourselves no matter how strong or flexible we perceive our bodies to be. We learn to focus on what we can do rather than what we cannot do and this has a huge affect on our whole being and the world around us.
For more information about all my classes please see: https://www.judithdavismindedyoga.co.uk/general-yoga-classes-and-for-stress-anxiety/
Or do give me a call or send me an email…..
If it is personal private attention you would like then I teach 121 sessions of both yoga and yoga therapy for health challenges such as trauma, depression, anxiety, pain management and chronic stress and insomnia: https://www.judithdavismindedyoga.co.uk/yoga-therapy/