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Message from the Director
Kathryn Downton
Hi Folks,
Spring is very close and we feel ourselves responding... taking off layers, dusting off shoes (not boots!), eying emerging gardens and watching in wonder as the first buds and green shoots shyly venture forth. Yes, we're being helped along by patio furniture already on sale, but then again, in our times, the marketplace also sets our rhythms.
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Traditionally, people harvested the first green shoots and buds for spring teas - these dandelions and nettles and plantains full of rich vitamins and minerals that helped to cleanse a sluggish post-winter liver. Warm sun makes us want to stretch, to move, to breath deeply, and maybe also makes us aware of winter excess. Time to clean up! we declare, looking into storage places, outer and inner...
This winter in the Intermediate classes, we've been working with the idea of a "Rakshana" practice, recognizing that for many of us, the most practical and useful yoga is that of our everyday practice, which helps us to meet life's challenges with dignity, grace, energy, strength, courage and faith.
This spring, we take this one step further with consideration of the 5 principles of practice for "positive personal action" (YS !!.32) beginning with the idea of "purification" The sanskrit word is "sauca" (so-sha), and implies inner and outer cleansing in all senses. In particular, we will focus on mental housecleaning, dabbling a bit in Western brain science and crossing over to Eastern thinking on Mind ...and of course, it's never separate, these disciplines of mind, body AND spirit... The practice is a special "Claude Marechal" series to take you into summer - very practical, focused sessions. The yoga equivalent of dandelion!
This idea of choosing the most effective techniques, practices, & approaches of this vast tradition and adapting them to a specific purpose, is also the stuff of "Yoga Basics". And for that matter, Yoga for Pregnancy, and YogaBaby. It's what makes Viniyoga different from going to the gym or any other piecemeal approach to life. Start from where you are and slowly, gradually, intelligently, practically - work towards your goals. That's "Vini".
Happy Spring!
Namaste,
Kathryn Downton
Lifesong Yoga |
