May Newsletter

Mindful In May

Meditation Classes are running through May at my home studio in Bensville.                

For more information www.learningcirclesyoga.com

Tuesday - Friday                          8.30 - 9.30 am
Begins 1/05/19 and Ends 31/05/19.
Due to the small number of people (only 4) classes must be booked and paid for in advance.

The cost of a class is $15    Book 4 classes for $50 or use your yoga pass.

Explore my yoga students favourite meditations, including self massage with essential oils, singing bowl meditation, pranayama - breathing exercises such as Ocean Breath and the powerful and deeply relaxing Yoga Nidra.
Choose to sit on a yoga mat, a chair or lay down.

MINDFUL IN MAY

This month we are going to practice thirty minutes meditation or mindfulness, each class.

Mindfulness means maintaining a moment- by- moment awareness of our thoughts and feelings. As you become more experienced your whole yoga practice becomes a meditation. If the time flies during class you are slipping into moments of focused concentration.

Mindfulness and meditation do not have to be practiced sitting still for long periods of time and for some people this can increase stress and restlessness especially beginners. Yoga asana and vinyasa (positions and special movements) make mindfulness easier and give students a wonderful focus. The physical body - our true home.

YOGA NIDRA

This month we are going to practice Yoga Nidra for 20 minutes each week. I believe it is the most important meditation technique. It teaches you how to relax your whole body and how to become aware of your breath. This is what Dr Saraswati has to say about Yoga Nidra

‘Yoga Nidra is one of the deepest, most effective forms of relaxation. Performed in a lying position, it is often described as ‘conscious sleep’. Yoga Nidra reveals and removes hidden tensions and unconscious drives that drain our energy and distort our personality.

Yoga Nidra is initially used to remove the exhaustion of modern living, to give you the energy to work more effectively and to be able to engage with life with greater joy. Once you have learned to remove exhaustion and recuperate your energy you can use Yoga Nidra to develop powerful internal awareness and great mental strength."

SATTVIC FOOD FOR MEDITATION.

Food to make you feel calm and clear headed.

(Extract from my  Byron Yoga Teacher Training Journal)

This is the purest diet, the most suitable one for any serious student of yoga. It nourishes the body and maintains a peaceful state. And it calms and purifies the mind, enabling it to function at its maximum potential.

A sattvic diet thus leads to true health: a peaceful mind in control of a fit body, with a balanced flow of energy between them,

Sattvic foods include grains, wholemeal bread, fresh fruit and vegetables, dairy, legumes, nuts ,seeds, sprouted seeds, honey and herbal teas. Always eating in moderation.

The other forms of food are known as Rajastic and Tamasic.

Too much Rajastic food will over stimulate the body, making the mind restless and uncontrollable. These foods include strong spices, coffee and tea, fish, eggs, onions, garlic, salt and chocolate...pity about chocolate and coffee!

Too much Tamasic food benefits neither the body or mind. Prana or energy is withdrawn, powers of reasoning become clouded and a sense of inertia sets in. Disease resistance is destroyed and the mind fills with dark emotions such as anger and greed . Tamasic foods include meat, alcohol, tobacco, some fermented foods, most processed foods and stale or overripe foods.

A sattvic diet is a vegetarian, whole food diet. For 2 weeks I ate a sattvic, vegan, gluten free diet at Teacher Training. By the end of  2 weeks I felt peaceful and calm due to the food and the yoga. However I lost too much weight, was starving, had diarrhoea and found the food too chewy and a bit tasteless, not enough cheese, garlic and onions! Find a balance with my vegetarian recipes.

 http://www.learningcirclesyoga.com/441171737

HERBS FOR MEDITATION - Basil & Gotu Cola

I have already written a lot about them but here is a quick overview. 

Gotu Cola - Is one of the most important rejuvenate herbs for the brain, revitalising brain cells and increasing memory. In the Himalayas it is used by mediators as food for meditation. It is also a native of Australia. It awakens the crown Chakra. I now have Ayurvedic Gotu Cola powder which is heated with warm milk to enhance its medicinal properties. Available with a Heart to Heart Consult.

Basil opens the heart and mind bestowing the energy of love and  encouraging a state of pure awareness.  Bird Song has my delicious and highly nutritious - 4 seed pesto. Add more Basil to your diet and drink Basil Tea.

Don’t forget the essential oils.

 These can be used in an essentail oil burner or a few drops added to an eye mask.

Sandalwood is cooling & calming for the mind.

Basil I have already mentioned.

Frankincense aids focus and meditation.

Lavender is relaxing, calming and supportive.

Peppermint is stimulating and revitalising. 

The best things in life are free.

Close your eyes for a moment.

Place your left hand on your heart and feel life flowing through you. 

Namaste Julie