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Yoga meaning yoke, union, wholeness, integrated, upright, sound, truth, consistent, perseverance, complete.

‘The state of being whole and undivided’. We can practise yoga with integrity when we enhance awareness, self discovery, vitality giving a free flow of subtle energy,of prana.

 

The whole Body and Being

The whole person, allowing all the Koshas / layers – physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, and not necessarily in that order. So, not just the tight or weaker part that dominates our feeling, but being aware of the breath linking the body and mind and the whole body, one area of the body in relation to other parts. And knowing yourself as part of the greater whole.

‘Integrity of Movement is more important than range of movement’

We learn to add subtle stabilising deep strength to stretch. We become aware of alignment, postural position in space, the stacking of joints, the ease and balance of neural systems, aligning with the present! Balance is yoga -of muscles on the sides of the body, balance of energy at seasons, today, balance of body and being. Ease, even, sustainable, enduring, steady.Breath leading the movement. Engaging the Bandhas, energy locks. Sequencing, timing, focus, free flowing, feeling, releasing.

Above all allowing Yourself, letting go, a gentle intention, enjoyment, gratitude for being able to practise the gift of yoga, for your dedication to being there on your mat!

Exploring your Comfort Zone, finding your edge / threshold

Feeling, sensation or pain. Bringing compassion/ ahimsa to your practice, allowing so that change can happen. Know that our edge changes, that pain becomes an emotion, a memory, and if we can just have faith in our inherent ability to heal from within, if we allow time and practice, if we can breathe and move more freely, relaxing our neural systems, we are practising yoga.

We each have certain asanas, poses where we feel our edge more so. One of the most challenging and revealing can be Sukhasana / sit well pose for pranayama and meditation, here you can feel physical, mental, emotional resistance – time in stillness allows you to see yourself more clearly, becoming conscious of previously unconscious patterns and beliefs.

Mindful Yoga will resume after April School holidays on Tuesday May 2nd for a 9 week term.

There has been a 3 week break due to Easter and Anzac Day amongst the school holidays so I can imagine that resuming the anchor of yoga again will be much appreciated.

We will continue with Autumn themes, celebrating abundance, finding Faith in your body, a time for Your Self, being aware of the changing seasons, allowing both the light and dark within, so often we adore only the light.

Mindful Yoga is a comprehensive class, it is active awareness , softening gives space, joy and an opening to change. We have the opportunity to both accept, release and be with what is, and yet to reach to our Higher Selves. During the term our focus will turn to building our immunity and this will lead onto Warming Winter practices. The body is indeed a tool for the mind, yoga gives time to become aware of our energy levels, overall wellness and balance on all levels, enhancing our ability to transform amongst the journey of life.

Please come and join our lovely yoga community here at the Ngunguru Community Hall, Tutukaka Coast!

General Class: Tuesdays 9.30am and 5.30pm

Beginner Class: Thursdays 9.30am.  For more information and to attend a class, contact Robyn 021 784653

Faith at Easter

The week before Easter, we had the theme of Faith for our yoga classes. It seems timely at Easter and as we have battled Cyclones, major slips, flooding, Covid is still around, a recession hovering, it is understandable if we sense a loss of Faith in the Earth and Life, and Fear within.

Ishvara Pranidhana/ Surrendering to God or a Higher Power, is one of  Patanjali’s Sutras, the Fifth  Niyama /Observance, whether God, Buddha, trusting in the unfolding of the Universe, aligning with our most authentic selves through our own Faith. Yoga is not a religion, it is a spiritual practice, yet Easter gives an opportunity to connect to one’s spirit, soul as I think it does help in life to have Faith in a Higher Power, supporting a path to one’s Higher Self.

Shraddha is the Sanskrit word for Faith or Trust, trusting in something we cannot see, the unknown, trusting our life’s journey. Faith in the belief that something good is going to happen or Fear that something bad will happen, our worries seem so real but mostly they don’t happen and things change and pass. Trust and Faith require us to pause, to be present with our own shifting energies, to feel, so we strengthen our optimism through awareness and transformation, then we are strong enough to handle what comes up, we are!   Choose Faith above Fear.

Faith is a positive flow, Yoga giving Faith in your body

Yoga gives us a conscious opportunity to embody Faith. You can begin seated in Sukhasana, taking time to tune inward, to bring awareness to the body, to feel its structure, the bones, joints, muscles, balancing each side, the skeleton, the skin, what you feel familiar with in your body, the stability and structure of the back body, the more changing energies and vulnerability of your front body, developing trust in stillness and your calm strong centre.

Shraddha gives us Trust in the Pauses with awareness to the Khumbha Breath, pausing at the top of the inhale and bottom of the exhale, trusting the inhale to come of its own accord. Adding Sama Vritti, the 4 count Breath, 4 equal sides to the breath, the pauses giving us the spaces between the thoughts.

Adding movement to the breath now, leading with the breath always, releasing the body, observing tension and tightness, letting go of fear, adding awareness, strength and stability for Faith in your body.

Perhaps some self discovering poses, then Faith to flow, transitioning, transforming, allowing change.

Savasana, surrendering now, coming down to an open receptive replenishing space, quiet, nuturing, grounding the back body to the simple guidance of Papatuanuku/ Mother Earth and the front body light and open to Ranginui/ Father Sky, listening inward, allowing an unfolding of Faith in the process of transformation. Observing the journey of the breath, following it in, quiet, calm now, pause and receive it, no strain, follow it out, emptying, Faith and respect for the cycle of breath, the cycle of life.

After a long break from Mindful Yoga due to extensive renovations in Ngunguru Hall, we are super excited to be able to resume soon.

In the meantime, make time for your own Sadhana, keep up your yoga, it is a real taonga for your life’s journey.

Summer / Raumati  energy is light, warm, high vibration, involving the Fire Element and targeting the meridians of the yin Heart and Pericardium, the yang Small Intestine and Triple Energiser. Try tapping, opening and gently stretching these meridians and the Heart space.
Manipura at the navel centre is the Sun Chakra, a time to connect with your inner sun and the core of your body, supporting the spine and the Diaphragm, actually the true ‘Core of our Being’.
Slow opening sun salutations will balance Pitta Dosha heat in the body,  take your time to open and cool, to be mindful when you practise for the Summer Solstice soon on December 22, set your Sankulpa / Intention to honour the ‘Standing of the Sun’ – we need it!

Then it is New Year, a time to look back on our own unique journey – what we can let go of  to make space, and which seeds have germinated , what can we nuture, develop, take with us through to the future – what lights our inner sun.

Mindful Yoga Hatha classes provide a steady yet dynamic practice, slower than Vinyasa with longer holds, focusing on the breath and movement of prana (energy). Traditional Hatha asanas, Pranayama and Meditation provide a complete whole yoga class. Hatha encompasses many styles of physical yoga, creating balance and uniting opposites. Ha (Sun, hot, active, yang, masculine), tha (Moon, cool, receptive, yin, feminine).

Over the busy Holiday time, enjoy some new Tutukaka Classes offering Community connection,  Tutukaka Coast Yoga Connection…

Sadly, we are unable to hold yoga classes again in Ngunguru Hall, renovations were supposedly completed during winter and we were all set to go for Term 4  with spaces booked by members of the Ngunguru Community keen to resume yoga. However, unexpectedly and again sadly, we are still unable to hold yoga here due to additional renovations, this time exterior water blasting, painting and interior wall renovations.

I know that Spring is indeed a time to open up and renew, that having been encouraged to explore your own winter Sadhana/ Home practice, you are now keen to connect with others and share your energy!

In the meantime, you may like to read more about yoga for the Spring season….

Enjoy some new Tutukaka Classes offering Community connection,  Tutukaka Coast Yoga Connection…

We are planning, and determined to resume Mindful Yoga in Ngunguru Hall in 2023.