Happy International Women’s Day!
I loved teaching last week’s Intuition workshops, our intuition is our highest possible guide and yet we ignore it, don’t trust it or don’t act upon it. Research shows that our intuition only lasts for 37 seconds before it goes away so it helps if we immediately ask our intuition questions or write about it or type up a note in our phone. Meditation helps us to be more in touch with ourselves and therefore helps with recognising and trusting our intuition too.
As for this week’s yoga workshops, they are based on Sangha - community. Community is my chosen word of the year and seeing all of you on a weekly basis and seeing the ASL yoga community here in Austin grow is one of my favourite things about being a yoga teacher. Research shows that having interactions with people and feeling like you belong can do absolute wonders for your health. Sangha yoga workshops - think heartwarming fun! I would love to see you there.
We also have yoga with adorable baby goats on Saturday 14th March at 1pm to fundraise for Lead-K which campaigns to stop language deprivation in deaf kids.
There’ll be a photographer there for you to have a memento and the lovely Anna will be interpreting so bring your friends and family even if they don’t know any sign language. Kids over the age of 10 are also welcome to come and join too.
It’s just going to be ridiculously cute - don’t miss out!
Secret Church ASL Yoga workshop tickets
ASL WEDNESDAY WORKSHOP TICKETS
Yogic Philosophy of the Week
Yoga is an eight-fold path and the second of the eight limbs of yoga is called Niyamas. Niyamas are how we act toward ourselves, inner observances. The third of the five Niyamas is Tapas. Tapas is described as having zeal for a yogic lifestyle, self-discipline and commitment. It takes an internal shift to bring in something new into your life and to make a habit of it.
Even though I’m a yoga teacher - I struggle with committing to a daily yoga practice as much as anyone else. In fact, I haven’t met a yoga teacher that doesn’t struggle with cultivating a daily yoga practice. However over the years I’ve learnt a few tricks - I’ll arrange to go to a yoga class with a friend, that way it’s harder to back out of it. I’ll put on yoga clothes on and I always feel like doing a few poses at home just because I have yoga pants on. I will read yogic books and articles for inspiration. I will pay for yoga classes by the month - that HELPS a great deal, no-one wants to waste their money. I will sometimes leave my yoga mat unrolled by my bed so it’s right there when I wake up. I will also involve the family and do fun poses together.
It’s not only doing yoga poses that deserves our commitment - it’s also breath work, meditation and generally living a more considered life. I have a notice board at home with ‘Deep breaths are like little love notes to your body’, I know - it’s a little cheesy but hey…it works, every time I see it, I’ll take a lovely big breath that grounds me. I also take 5 deep breaths, think of 3 things I’m grateful for and set 1 intention for the day the first thing in the morning, before I look at my phone - it took me a few weeks to get into the habit and now I feel icky if I don’t do it - just as if you haven’t brushed your teeth. Some people will wake up at 5am to light a candle, do the ‘Morning Papers’ where they just put all their thoughts onto paper, meditate, do an oil massage and so on before everyone else wakes up and they say they feel so much calmer throughout the day having had that one hour for themselves and their spiritual care-taking. Tapas - committing to something that might be difficult because you know you’ll reap the rewards of it.
What can you commit to doing this week because you know it will be good for your physical, mental or emotional health?
Pose of the Week
Boat. Whenever I tell people we’re going to do a Boat in a yoga class, people groan. But Boat is great for cultivating Tapas! And it’s great for building core strength - not to get abs but because core strength is actually really important for your whole body as it strengthens your back and hips, improves balance and improves digestion. There are variations of the Boat pose - choose whichever feels good for you right now. Bent or straight legs, arms straight out or on the floor to help you balance, a cat on your legs or not - all good. Just make sure your back or chest doesn’t sag and it’s more important to keep your spine straight than to have straight legs. Happy Boating!
