yoga4healthyliving

Discovering your Inner Song

In a village in Eastern Africa, when a child is born, they don't count the birthday of the child as the day it comes from its mother's body, nor when it's conceived, but from the day that it was a song in its mother's heart...let me explain.

As soon as the mother and her partner realise they would like to have a child, the mother would go off into the forest and sit under a particular tree and start to listen inwards, she waits and listens until she can hear the song of the child that wants to be born in her heart.  As she begins to become aware of the beginnings of the song, she begins to hum it to herself and as it turns into a song she sings it to herself and returns to the village to teach this song to her partner.  When they come together again in love, they sing this song and invite their child to be conceived.  Later as she become pregnant, she begins to sing this song t to the unborn child in her womb, she also teaches the song to her family so the first moment the child is born, the first sound the child hears is their own unique song.  As the child grows, all the people close to the child in the village learn the song.  If the child falls, whoever picks up the child can sing the song and soothe them.  When the child grows and marries, both songs would be sung, at the wedding.

When the child becomes an old person the song is sung by all the villagers at the funeral for the very last time, and the song dies with the person and is never sung again.

From Yoga of the Ancient Kashmir Tradition - Jay Rossi

British Wheel of Yoga Foundation Course Bedfordshire

The British Wheel of Yoga is offering a Foundation Course in Bedfordshire beginning September 2008 for those interested in a career in Yoga Teaching.  The course is being run by Rosie Wright, whom I met last year on a one day seminar.  She is a lovely lady, vibrant, open minded and easy to get along with and has been teaching yoga for 20 years.

The course is held at the lovely Tofte Manor Retreat Centre, Sharnbrook, Bedfordshire http://www.toftemanor.co.uk/.  The gardens are beautiful and you will be sure of a peaceful time there. 

An introductory date is to be held on Sat 21 June.  The course itself will run on ten Saturdays 9.30-4.30 from September with a follow up Diploma course beginning in October 2009. For more information either call Rosie on 01234 772431, email her at rosei.wright6@btopenworld.com or go to www.sourceravensden.co.uk.

Tofte Manor 

Triangle - Yoga

the Yoga Triangle posture is a really beautiful posture which is said to tone every tendon in the body.  I personally love the feeling of my lower back opening and a dynamic lengthening from the outside of my back foot all the way along the side of my body, energising my hip and shoulder through to a tingly feeling in my finger tips. 

There are a few ways you can establish yourself in Triangle.  One of my favourites is to stand at the front of my mat with feet hip width apart, hands on the chest in prayer, namaste, position.  Then I step back with my right foot, checking that my back foot is tucked round towards me at an angle of about 35 degrees.  Once I am steady, I let my arms float out so that my right arm is over my right leg and left over left.  It's good to check that the shoulders are relaxed here, and the elbows are a little soft.  I decide whether I want my palms to up or down facing.  Then I look towards my left middle finger and imagine that a very kind friend is gently drawing that finger forwards towards the wall so that my upper body moves out horizontally over my left leg.  When I feel that I have moved as far as I comfortably can, I think about my left femur (thigh bone) drawing in towards my hip, this will give me a sense of wanting to tilt down to allow my left hand to rest somewhere on my left shin for support.  At the same time I allow my right arm to be vertical, turning my head towards my right hand if it feels OK. 

So now I am in the asana fully and it feels good.  I can consciously allow my chest to look towards the wall in front of me and feel the expansion of the widest part of my rib cage; I can enjoy the sense of the connective tissue drawing away from the top of the pelvis around my right lower trunk; my back foot is well rooted into the floor and the inside of my front foot feels firm against the mat.  I sense that my right shoulder and right hip are back and open and that my head is over my left leg.

I notice my breathing....unlaboured.  I could do the 'misting the mirror' breath here - imagine that a mirror is about 12 inches in front of your mouth, and as you exhale through your open mouth you think about misting the mirror.  Stay for as long as it feels good.

To release, I turn my head down to look at my left foot, again feel my back heel and front inner foot rooted into the floor and, with ease, push myself back up. 

To continue on the other side, I twist your right foot round to point at the wall on the right and bring my left foot in to about 35 degrees.