Happy solstice!
Happy solstice everyone! This is indeed cause for celebration, much merriment as the light increases over the months ahead. It is also the much talked about end of the world. I like to think it is actually all about new beginnings. Let us bring more love, joy, happiness and peace into the world ahead. Let us dance with joy and encourage harmony. Let us be true to ourselves, be ourselves, love ourselves and fulfill our true potential as light beings.
Have a good day.
xxx
Winter solstice: Yule!
Wow isn't it dark this morning. Hardly surprising seeing as it is the winter solstice tomorrow morning, 11.12am in the northern hemisphere. Sadly this wonderful shift in the positioning of the sun, meaning that the days get longer once again, is over shadowed a little by all the talk of the end of the world.
As I have commented time and time again, we have experienced the end of the world (as we know it) this year. To buy in to all these tales of fear is quite incredible, but a good money spin for all those "end of the world" parties tomorrow evening.
As for the solstice. Yule. The two most popular Christian holidays - Easter and Christmas - are also the two most pagan. This is a celebration of the birth of God - at Yule, the new God comes to earth, bringing hope and light. This is of course the shortest and darkest day of the year (ideal to stay tucked up in bed or beside the fire!), but it is also the day when the shift towards light and warmth begins - hoorah!!!
In the pagan tradition, Yule is celebrated by bringing holly or evergreen boughs into the house to encourage the growth of life and return of warmth. This may include a Christmas tree - a Yule tree I am told - decorated with symbols of the sun among other things. Celebrations include lots of candles to emphasise the return of light.
It is an incredibly exciting time, a real shift in energy and an increasing return of the light as slowly the days lengthen and the gardens begin changing as Spring approaches.
I shall be celebrating in my own way: a candle and meditation, giving thanks and welcoming the sun again.
As for the end of the world, well we are being washed away, it has not stopped raining for hours, cleansing, more cleaning, see the world is changing.
As for us, well today I have my last Yoga class of the year, which gives me the opportunity to study and focus on my own practice. I came across Katy Appleton's DVDs in a charity shop recently, wow what a find, her book was the first I ever read and it truly inspired me to practice at home on my own. her DVD is equally inspiring and is a joy for me to be led by someone else for a change. Thank you angels for answering my prayers, another teacher has arrived in my life.
So with thanks and much gratitude. Happy winter solstice everyone, enjoy the shift in energy and the build up to Christmas in the days ahead.
With love,
xxxxx
The end of the world as we know it.
So the end of the world is nigh, or so everyone keeps telling me. I don't take this literally, this is the end of the world as we know it as there has been so much change this year that more will manifest in the next. You have only to consider the recent awful, awful tragedy in America with all those poor children and adults killed at the hand of yet another confused man armed with guns.
There has to be change, otherwise this is just going to keep on happening. Rather ridiculous perhaps that the news reported that the number of guns purchased in America has increased significantly since the tragedy - I am guessing people are getting worried that they may have lose their rights to buy guns legally. Unbelievable really. What kind of world are we living in.
So really the end of the world happened already for those parents and family members last week. It happens every day to someone. But for us as a society, this could indeed be the year. Nature is certainly letting us know who is in control, many people have remarked to me how the weather has made them realise how insignificant they are in the grand scheme of things.
I have to say the weather really pushed the boundaries this weekend with all the wind and rain and thunder and lightening. Saturday the sea was incredible down at Vazon, E and I managed a quick dip and the currents were strong enough in the shallows, would have been a bit of a challenge for the many surfers enjoying the low pressure over the weekend.
But gosh didn't it rain. It reminds me of the monsoon rain in Nepal, where the heaven's open and within a minute or two you are soaked to the bone.
Sunday we decided to venture over to Lihou with E's friend and mum. Half way across the causeway and the wind became really gusty and the heaven's opened and the hail came and we were stuck between a rock and a hard place, go back or continue, so we trekked on the house and the prospect of warm tea and mince pies, but my gosh we got wet! On a positive note it did make the log burning stove on Lihou all the more incredible!! Plus the view of the lightening was pretty good!!
So the folks have flown to Australia now to visit my brother and his daughter, leaving E and I to cat sit down at Vazon. it feels like a bit of a break for us too with work and Yoga calming down towards the Christmas break. In fact it is all too easy to retreat down here on the west coast and never leave the house with the heating and the sound of the sea in the distance to soothe the soul and all that comes with housesitting for one's parents (the cleaner, the newspapers delivered, the freezer full of food, the satsuma tree in the greenhouse etc etc!!).
I have been studying a little recently for the Yoga therapy courses, and giving thought to how I can help those with injuries within a general class. Not ideal as often they require one-to-one attention, and even then it can be a slow process. Still, the opportunity for healing is always there and transformation on all levels too. Very exciting.
So let us hope it doesn't rain today, I have chanced the washing on the line and would like to make the most of the warmer temperatures to walk into work in a few hours.
Not long to go until Christmas, exciting week ahead!
Om shanti.
xxxx
Swimming in the sea: good for the soul!
We actually swam in the sea at Belvoir on Herm on Saturday, and I have to admit that it was not as painful as I was expecting. It was the annual E's birthday trip to Herm, where each year we make the most of the free Christmas boats to Herm and traipse around to Belvoir for the obligatory swim in the sea before heading to the Mermaid for a warming cup of tea in front of the fire.
Hayley and Mike came with us again this year and while the rest of us were swimming (only 4 this year, the rest joined us in the Mermaid instead!!) they practiced Tai Chi on the beach, made for a wonderful background while we were flapping around in the freezing cold sea. It was refreshing to say the least - and yes, I am perhaps a little envious that Mum and Dad will soon be with Ross in Byron where the sea will feel like a bath in comparison! Oh well, the Atlantic ocean is indeed good for the soul and left me feeling invigorated all day long!!
Herm was at its winter best, clear skies and that wonderful winter light. We were joined at the Mermaid by a few of E's friends, while Hayley and I shopped, well had a look around the shops, before we all headed back to Guernsey for a quick wander through the French markets and onwards home. I do love spending time on Herm, slows life down a bit - I can't wait for the next Spring Yoga & Wellbeing retreat, should be lots of fun.
Sunday dawned a little grey, perhaps perfect for the Solar Flow Yoga class out at St Peter's. It was a busy class, full capacity - good to see so many wanting to continue and enhance their practice so close to Christmas - and we certainly created some heat with a combination of sun salutations, standing, balancing, back bending, forward bending, twisting and inverted poses, I was impressed.
The emphasis was on light and that was certainly in evidence in the room in St Peter's yesterday morning. We are all of course a source of light, although it is so easy to forget, and to find ourselves in the darkness from time to time. Still we should always remember that we do have that light shining inside and Yoga can really help it to shine that little brighter, especially throughout these cold and dark winter months. I know it helps balance the ying with the yang.
I was buzzing afterwards and set to on all the household chores, more moving of furniture and preparing bedrooms for the arrival of two of E's best friends this week. I did manage to clean the car too and walk up to the organic veggie store in the lanes near where we live, oh and a swim at the Grande Mare before an early Christmas dinner at my folks.
So with the light decreasing and the temperatures due to drop, I suspect the next few weeks will incorporate a degree of hibernation in front of the fire, or under the heaters at class! We have 12.12.12 to celebrate on Wednesday - I look forward to joining Caroline Wickham for her 12.12.12 Yoga class. And then the end of the world is due on 21 December, with the 22 December bringing the winter solstice and the beginning of winter. And then Christmas and the full moon on the 28th. Wow, what an end to the year!
With love and gratitude.
xx
All the way to Edinburgh and back again
Well it seems the Gods were indeed shining on us the last week as we have been blessed with a wonderful time in London and Edinburgh.
We left the Island last Friday, E's birthday, and spent much of the day walking around the Shoreditch area of London searching for original Banksy art work. E is really passionate about Bansky and some of this has rubbed off on me, so I too was rather excited when we finally found some original art work, protected behind a plastic covering, unlike most of the other art, that has been rubbed off and painted over. It was also really fascinating to walk around another area of London and really take an interest in your surroundings.
I have always been a bit of a late developer and my current love of London is perhaps indicative of this. Admittedly nature if where it is really at, but the energy of London is amazing, let alone all the opportunity for Yoga and music and the arts.
We celebrated E's birthday with some dancing, a lot of fun and a great way of letting go, feeling the music and allowing the body to move with the flow. It is like the Shamans and the Sufis, getting into that zone, a liberation of sorts, we should all be dancing, it is just another way to speak with the soul.
I spoke with my soul at Yoga too. I trekked up to Primrose Hill to TriYoga, which I just love, it has a wonderful energy from all the Yoga that has been practiced there over the years. I opted for Ashtanga as it was a level 2/3 so I could challenge my boundaries, plus have a bit of a work out in the process. I used to love Ashtanga, in fact that was my entry into Yoga, it is brilliant for "athletic" beginners as you can learn the sequence and then begin a home practice rather easily, plus it really does make you feel good as it lengthens, detoxifies, strengthens and challenges on every level.
Still, I did get rather bored of the sequence and as a girl it does over develop - in my opinion - the upper body strength. Plus it was actually designed for 26 year old boys, to increase their sexual vitality, and it is not uncommon for girls who practice every day (say on teacher training courses) to find that their menstrual cycle is adversely affected. However that aside, everything has its place and I have full respect for the system and for Pattabhi Jois who developed it.
These days I am more inclined towards Vinyasa Flow and Anusara Yoga and if I lived near Primrose Hill then I could indulge frequently. Well, relatively frequently, a 90 minute class costs £16 as a drop-in, we are clearly most spoilt here in Guernsey!
Needless to say, this class was good fun, challenging and physically demanding and leaving me feel a little wired, lighter, clearer and taller at the end of the 90 minutes.
The only problem was the fact I could barely move my arms and shoulders the next day after all the chattarangas and upward facing dog with all those jump backs and vinyasas!!
On Monday we travelled up to Edinburgh on the East Coast train. It is stunning out that way, we got to see the remains of the flooding and the beginnings of the snow showers that continued throughout the week.
It was cold in Edinburgh, really cold. Thankfully we were staying with my best friend Lou and her husband and 3 children. She has recently had a baby and hence our visit, well plus I was treating E to a trip to Edinburgh for his birthday!
We had fun. While I have stayed a number of times this was E's first visit so Lou showed us both around, we went to the Castle which is fairly stunning and the German Christmas Market, to the Museum which is very impressive, and then for a general wander around town. We had lunch one day at the Mosque Cafe, which is exactly that, a little like the whole Hare Krishnas eating places, food made with love, curries and rice £5 each.
E and I spent a day on our own in the city and traipsed up Arthur's Seat wrapped in as many clothes as I could manage for it was incredibly cold at the top with snow underfoot. The views were amazing as we had been blessed with sunshine, and could see the snow covered hills and mountains in the distance.
It really was a brilliant trip and i would just like to say a great big thank you to all our friends who made it so special.
Back here in Guernsey the wind has arrived again, yet more cobwebs being blown away in time for 12.12.12 next week and the supposed end of the world the following week....
So I guess we have to go out there and embrace life to its fullest, have fun, dance in the wind, and enjoy the festivities!
With much gratitude and love,
xxx
Full moon energy!
Things certainly were challenging on Saturday with poor Jo being sick for the Reiki tasting sessions. From the experience however I learnt to make sure to have everyone's contact details. Apologies again to those of you who has to miss out, and thank you to everyone who supported and embraced the lovely Reiki energy. It was a lovely day with all that wonderful Reiki energy in the room.
So once again the weather is a touch challenging, as I have said so many times before, nature is reminding us of our need for respect and humility, and awareness of the important things in life - like a roof over your head and warm and dry clothes to wear, fresh food on your plate and a source of fresh clean water.
It is perhaps only my perception as we see what we feel, but it does seem that life has gone very busy all of a sudden for so many people. Lots of demands on one's times, and this is only going to get worse with the festivities of Christmas encroaching on the calendar.
For me, I feel on that treadmill as work has been very demanding and so I have been spending more time in the office than I would do usually. It is a complete joy to teach most evenings and I am loving seeing so many faces in class these days, in fact last week I didn't think we could fit anymore people into the Yoga space, but last night we somehow managed it - I am truly humbled, thank you to all of you who made the effort to attend.
It is certainly warming to see so many people interested in Yoga these days and especially seeing some old faces returning again. This is the year of change and the year of reckoning for so many of us, our spirit yearning for more spiritual input.
The change thing is scary, each week I hear of some new momentous change occurring in some one's life. No wonder the demand for Yoga and Reiki, as everyone adjusts to their new way of living, or seeks the change in the first place.
As for E and I, well we are escaping on Friday to celebrate his birthday in London looking for Banksy originals and finding some cool charity shops (I hope), plus getting to a few Yoga classes, which is hugely exciting for me. We are training it up to Edinburgh too so I can meet my best friend's new addition and show E this wonderful city, albeit cold and dark at this time of year. The train journey should be interesting as it seems that much of the UK is under water right now, my heart goes to all those who have lost homes and possessions. It will be good to have a break to slow life down again, although I suspect this will hapepn anyway, once the full moon has passed.
On that note, enjoy the full moon and keep practicing!
Love and light and much gratitude,
Om shanti,
xxxx
Feet on the ground again!
So it seems that life is changing for so many of us this year, indeed it feels that the whole world is changing a little. I had hoped we would all wake up a little, find more inner peace and from that experience a collective outer peace but yet still there are troubles in the Middle East and children and adults being killed in the name of land and religious rights.
It is at times like these, that I am particularly grateful for my life here in Guernsey where we are so safe. It is so easy to take that fore granted, it is indeed the norm, and yet what a wonderful gift to be able to go to work and to the shops without fear of losing your life in gun battle and war.
Of course there are still irritations, the continuous road works certainly test my calmness and flexibility to change, but it is so beautiful and we are lucky, particularly with all the wonderful autumnal colours, the leaves on the trees turning orange and yellow and glowing in the evening light.
I managed a swim in the sea yesterday, I actually swam too. It made me feel hugely better, especially lying in the bath afterwards and warming myself in front of an open fire during the afternoon.
Talking of fires, the cat was in heaven last week. The underfloor heating went a bit berserk and was much hotter than it should have been. The cat was in her element, fully exposed to the floor, loving every minute of the heat warming her fur. They are incredible cats, they seem to have this incredible ability to sniff out warmth in the house. She always takes the seat closest to the fire and the stupid thing is that neither E nor I have the heart to move her so we squash up at the opposite end of the sofa. And then she has this incredible ability to make me do what she wants, I have never know a cat to be quite so manipulative. I definitely think they have sorted in life, and appreciate the simple things. I learn a lot just from watching the way she moves, let alone the way she manages her time. No wonder the Yogis learnt so much about watching animals and nature in action (and non-action).
The Company where I work as the company secretary was finally sold last week, marking the end to an intense few weeks, which saw me having to pass the Herm Yoga & Wellbeing retreat to Caroline, who enjoyed the opportunity enormously and did me a huge favour - so thank you Caroline, so much appreciated - with much love. I now have a date for the March retreat, 15-17 March and I am already very much looking forward to teaching Yoga in Herm again. By then the Spring flowers should be in abundance and the days lengthening, what a perfect way to clear away the cobwebs after a winter of hibernating.
So life as I know it has shifted a little with a change to working culture and all that entails. Plus I have finally signed up for my next Yoga therapy training, having started the process a few years ago now in Vancouver. This time, it is a less hand-on approach to therapy on the Yoga mat and I am hugely excited about sharing my new found knowledge and experience with people who have therapeutic needs. Indeed already I have a number of students in class for whom I adapt the class to suit their needs, which makes for a more interesting class ensuring everyone is ok in whatever pose or variation of a pose we are practicing.
Yoga can help enormously in so many ways, there is an article on my website about Yoga and fertility and how a regular practice can really enhance women's chances of conceiving. Furthermore, it can really help support pregnancy and I am delighted to say that little George was born to Jenny recently, who attended class throughout her pregnancy - congratulations Jenny!
With Christmas approaching, I notice that students tend to put their practice on hold until the New Year, when really maintaining a practice throughout this time can really help to support the stress that accompanies "silly season", helping one to keep their feet on the ground as life speeds up to the big day. I am hoping there will be more chance for people to practice in the New Year with a new Saturday morning class. I had hoped this could take place in the slightly warmer St Martin's community centre but sadly there are no regular slots available. if anyone in Guernsey knows of anywhere that is warm, central, spacious and reasonably priced then please do let me know as finding Yoga space is not an easy process on a small Island.
So life has been rather quiet this weekend, catching up with life so to speak and spending some time retreating in front of the fire and on my mat, reading books, catching up with admin, cleaning and tidying and filling the fridge with food for the week ahead, grounding then, and here we are already Monday and time to begin the week all over again.
So on that note time to take to my mat and set my intention for the week ahead.
With love to one and all.
xx
The abundance of the Universe
Well the Universe has been very abundant this weekend.
Saturday morning found E and I down at Richmond Beach with the folks in between rain showers collecting vraic for the raised beds in preparation for the next growing season. You would not have thought it could have been so lovely down there after all the torrential rain that morning, but alas lovely it was, I am always in awe of those winter clouds and sea scenes.
On the way home we were treated to the most amazing rainbow, which just went on and on and on, and at one point it felt that we really were at the end and the pot of gold was waiting around the corner for us! It crossed my mind as I stared at this fantastic light show in the air - all the colours of the chakras - that you wouldn't believe it possible unless you had grown up knowing that rainbows existed. Just makes me think how much of life we don't believe, like Reiki and complementary therapies, all that "magic" in the world going unappreciated and utilised.
I was reminded of this again yesterday when I happened to be down at Vazon again and was blown away by the clouds, which just seemed to hang in the air, as if our creator was going - look, look at what we can create, there is no end to beauty in this world, and it is free and it is here, you just to have to pay attention to the moment and notice the gifts I leave for you all over the place. Mind blowing.
We walked at Pleinmont too together with half the population of Guernsey it felt! This is a particularly special place for me, what with the fairy ring and the fact that the sea is often in its full rough glory, immense power so you are immediately reminded who is boss in the greater scheme of things and the amount of energy which exists in this world.
I feel this is one of the joys of Yoga, the ability to tap into our inherent energy, to help to free energetic blocks, physical and mental of course, which prevent us from experiencing life to its fullest, or prevent us from fulfilling our true potential. All those limiting patterns we have created, which live in our minds and in our bodies. They say the body is the unconscious mind, and so what better way to become conscious than through the body, noticing the movement patterns we have created, noticing the restrictions we feel, investigating whether those patterns and restrictions are serving us, or indeed are actually real.
When we heal, there has to be a point where we stop identifying with out "old" self. If we constantly tell ourselves we have a bad back, then when do we ever stop having a bad back? if we always say that we cannot do something, then at which point do we ever open ourselves up to the potential of doing exactly that. I was reminded of this in reading a message from my Yoga teacher, the wonderfully inspiring Lance Schuler from Byron, on facebook where he said,
"On Route To Shanghai China tomorrow....preparing for 1 month TTC.....intention # removal of limiting concepts and obstacles that create resistant patterns...Om Shanti..Namaste"
So there is always potential and for me the rainbows and the clouds and the waves all help to re-iterate this point, not least these gifts, but also the messages they contain and of course the effect they have on my soul, which positively shines in their presence. Its all about presence! of and abundance.
This was something I spent a good hour talking about with an old school friend on Friday night. The fact that the Universe is abundant and we can have anything we want, we just have to ask and open our hands and indeed our heart to receive. Not to say we receive what we want in the way we expect to receive it and the Universe works on its own time frame. But all the same if you don't believe then you don't get. And sometimes even though you think you believe, on some level there is doubt and underneath all doubt is of course fear. Fear that you may actually be worthy enough to receive, and fear that your life may change as a result of the gift.
Here is a lovely affirmation to encourage abundance, and the recognition thereof - "I accept good graciously into my life. All of my need are met abundantly for me now and always".
So on that note, happy week ahead, full of magic and joy and of course a new moon tomorrow with all its new and open beginnings...
Om shanti
xxxx