Musings – Yoga with Gabrielle
Category: Musings Page 1 of 2
For those who attend my regular yoga classes, you will know that my favourite poet is Danna Faulds. Her words so often marry beautifully with my intention or theme for the week’s teachings. For me, richness of experience is deepened when the many aspects or layers of who I am are touched in the practice. Movement and breath liberate held tension and energy in the body, which gives rise to feelings and emotions. When we give space for these feelings and emotions to be met and accepted as they are (without trying to fix or change anything) new levels of freedom become available to us. Listening to poetry as part of a yoga class, gives us space to simply BE, to rest quietly and listen. As the words meet us, something awakens, stirs and moves through the body and mind. This is my experience…..may it also be yours. X
Whatever Doesn’t Serve by Danna Faulds
What weight can you put down right now, willingly relinquishing the pointed quills of guilt or judgement?
What burden of the heart can lift, what dark corner can be lit, the candle flickering at first, then burning bright?
With the next breath, let it go, that old story you’ve told yourself a million times.
Whatever doesn’t serve you on this path of truth, leave it behind.
Offer this one gift: the simple sacrifice that in the giving sets you free to fully live.
I remember the exact moment that I decided to become a yoga teacher; it was late 2001. My boys were then 3 and 5 years old, both attending pre school. I had more time on my hands and was wondering how to fill it. Having left a full time job in life insurance to be at home with my boys, I did not want to return to an office environment. I was attending a wonderful yoga class weekly at the Bhava Yoga & Dance Centre which was close and worked in with the time both boys were at kindergarten.
Initially I thought the class was not physical enough, having come from an Iyengar background. The postures were gentle and there was a strong focus on visualisation and meditation. After a few weeks though, I was hooked. The classes were transforming; I began to discover the depth of yoga, the moments of stillness, of breath, of ME. It was wonderful.
It was late in the same year, that I received a newsletter from the yoga centre. There was an article about their upcoming Teacher Training program. Time stood still. I remember looking dreamily out the window wondering if this was for me. The timing was perfect; I was looking for direction and this seemed to fit. It was a wonderful opportunity to both deepen my own yoga knowledge and experience and to embark on a new career, one that could really work well with a young family. The decision was made and I enrolled for the next year.
It was perfect; imagine studying, practicing and then working in a field that you love. A job that has flexible hours and brings something positive into other peoples lives. I remember thinking, if I can help just one person feel the way I feel when I attend my weekly class, it will be worthwhile. Yoga is like that, it changes you in so many ways. It starts in class, then permeates all aspects of your life. You experience a deeper connection to yourself and others. It is so much more than a physical practice. For me, the key difference is that Yoga is a practice of Awareness. One of my teachers at Bhava, Nola Day used to say ,YOGA is Your Own Growing Awareness.
The teacher training course at Bhava was more than I could have hoped for. It was a year of learning, exploration and integration. I have now been teaching yoga since mid 2002 and my greatest joy is sharing my passion of yoga with others. I also run workshops and retreats and have recently become co-owner of Bhava Yoga & Dance Centre.
The yoga I teach is of a creative nature, using smooth transitions between postures , themes and imagery. It is a style that is gentle and nurturing, with options and modifications of postures so everyone can participate. Bhava yoga is inclusive, no exclusive; you are encouraged to move your body in a way that is ALWAYS pain free and in a comfortable range of movement. Bhava yoga is like a moving meditation (many students practice much of the class with their eyes closed), where your body, breath and awareness are moving as one – this is union, this is yoga.
Personally for me, yoga has been my rock; through the illness and death of my father, navigating teenage boys and the emotional rollercoaster of my menopause at 43. Yoga is my constant companion, my source of strength, my voice of inner wisdom and guidance. Through practice I find of clarity, stillness, patience and peace.
This spring/summer I have decided to reduce the degrees of separation between the food I eat and it’s origin. Here is my plan –
1. I have bought a couple of wooden raised garden beds (1.4 metre square) and will plant some staples: lettuce, cucumber, carrot, cherry tomato, capsicum, coriander, beetroot, basil, oregano and rocket. I plan to get busy next Sunday setting up the vegetable garden and buying the seedlings.
2. Go to farmers markets to source fresh, local produce that I don’t have in my garden.
3. Google some great recipes that includes the wonderful seasonal produce I have available.
About 3 weeks ago, I planted a few varieties of lettuce in an old wok of nanas. Here’s some I picked for dinner.
This is new territory for me, so wish me luck. I welcome any suggestions or advice from those more experienced in this area.
As an aside, as part of my Yoga Therapy certification, we were discussing nutrition last weekend. When you look up the definition of nutrition you will find a reference to food , you will also find this:
nutrition: “that which nourishes“…..Webster Dictionary 1828 and “the act or process of nourishing“…Collins English Dictionary.
I think for most of us, when we consider nutrition we think FOOD. Yes, food does nourish us, but so do many other things. Consider the affect of these ‘primary foods’ – Love, hugs, touch, kisses, warmth, massage, meditation, fun, freedom, self-expression, tears, hot baths, nature, downtime, close friends, and play . These all feed our souls and our hunger for living (according to the Institute for Integrative Nutrition).
I look forward to nourishing my body, mind and spirit with loads of ‘primary food’ and wonderful prana rich food from my own garden and local farmers.
I am grateful for all the gifts that come my way.
It is easy to become disenchanted when our sense of stability is rocked to the very core. Fire, flood, earthquakes, cyclones and tsunamis have touched us all in some way in recent times. Events such as these bring up so many emotions: sadness, fear, disbelief but also faith, humility, compassion and hope. You may find it useful to consciously connect with the Earth energy through yoga postures such as child’s pose and tadasana, through warriors and tree poses. To reconnect and find the support and stability that you need at this moment.