YANA YOGA

Breath as Spirit 🌙⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
The Sanskrit word for breath is Prana; that which gives vitality to air and animation to all beings ~ the vital life force.

In yogic physiology, Prana moves and is distributed along 'nadis', energy channels within the body that are non-tangible - that cannot be seen. The practice of channelling the flow and movement of the breath is called Pranayama, in which we are working with this part of the subtle body that sustains our physical and energetic systems.

The practice of Pranayama expands and directs this energy, integrating the physical body (Annamaya-kosha), the mind (Manomaya-kosha), and the spirit (Anandamaya-kosha) in a harmonious expression.

A Pranayama practice can be as simple as inhaling and exhaling for equal counts; this is called Sama Vritti. Try the little practice below - using a box as a visual guide to the breath.

Get comfy in seated position in which you can sit up straight, lengthening the spine and with room for the breath to expand through your belly, your chest and your ribcage. Allow the eyes to close.

Take the image of the box in your minds eye. Starting at one corner, inhale for a count of four, tracing along one side; pause for a count of four on the next side, exhale for another four along the third side of the box, and then hold for four at the bottom of the exhale. In this way we create spaciousness between the inhale and the exhale, and we can expand that to the spaciousness between our thoughts as the busyness of the mind is gently settled into stillness by the breath.

Continue for ten rounds of breath, and then release to breathe freely and naturally, observing and absorbing the effects of the practice. Once you are familiar with the practice, you can explore increasing the count to 6 or however long suits you.

Autumn is my favourite season, for its stillness and calm, the brewing of gentle storms and the warm balmy nights. The cycle of growth comes to a completion and seeds are ripe to the potential of new life. The trees are ready to let go of endeavours of giving and growing outwards, the leaves turn yellow and fall to enrich the soil and nurture the new cycle of life.

This same process can be perceived on an individual level too. It is the ‘moving inward’ energy of this season that enables us to look at and know our selves in a more profound way. Autumn energy returns us to our true essence, moves us to eliminate what we no longer need, and enables us to recognise yet again what is most precious in our lives.

The analogy of purifying and refining goes further to encompass organs in the body which perform this action.
Lungs and large intestine, as well as skin, all have a function of gathering what is essential and letting go of what is not needed.

Grief and melancholy are the autumnal emotions and these affect, and are experienced by, the lungs and the quality of our breath.

In Chinese medicine, grief corresponds with autumn. In the falling leaves and the movement into longer nights, a natural sadness occurs. We are sad for the fading light, the exuberance of summer passing out of season. This sadness is to be embraced, for it is part of the healthy cycle inherent to Yin-Yang wholeness. Chinese medicine tells us that the appropriate response to the autumn is to still our hearts and minds to gather and collect the spirit and the qi (energy).

Here is a little breathing exercise you might like to practice before bed:

Inhale with awareness, the mind focused on the breath moving in and moving out. Allow your belly to move out with the breath, relaxing back in on the exhale. Steady the breathing, not by forcing but by allowing it to be steady.

Allow yourself to soften. Begin to follow each breath into the next, and moving with the ebb and flow, continue to follow your breath. Spend as much time as you like in the practice, and when you are ready, resume the normal flow.
Namaste.
Laura x

On dharma ○ Musings from class planning for this month.
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The word dharma is closely associated with “truth”—a truth that one knows for oneself. In common parlance it conveys a "right way of living”, a universal principle of order, harmony, and truth.

Witnessing is the key to allowing ourselves to let go of the judgements, desires and attachments that we carry, and just to note our experience, allowing our dharma to come into play.

In Hinduism, it is the dharma of the bee to make honey, of the cow to give milk, of sun to radiate sunshine, of the river to flow.

The more that we allow ourselves to be the witness, to flow with our karmic circumstances, the less struggle we find in our actions.

Witnessing is ultimately a loving practice that is free of clinging attachment, which moves us outside of the dramas of our lives and into trusting the inner intuitive sense of who we are. This allows us to be more loving and intuitive partners, family members and community members.

In thinking about how our actions affect others and ourselves, we cultivate connection with those around us, helping us to recognise the interconnectedness of all beings.

Image from Yoga - The New Definitive Illustrated Guide, 1990:
The triangle embodies the structure of strength & stability, with points of contact with the ground firmly rooting and grounding us in a posture like Trikonasana. The embodiment of this form in our body translates into the canvas of our mind, cultivating those values of stability & strength.

Starting next week I'll be guiding a 6 week beginners Yoga series in Denham, at 6.30pm on Thursdays.

If you are new to yoga, or already practicing and would like a more in-depth grounding in the practices, come and join us. These sessions welcome all bodies and all experiences.

Each week we'll explore a new aspect of Yoga, a pranayama (breathing practice) and move through gentle asana (physical postures).

*Please bring your own mat. If you need one, I have a couple of spares so reach out.
Any questions are welcome.

See you on the mat x

📌 Shark Bay Recreation Center
Francis Rd, Denham WA 6537
(Please arrive 10 minutes before we start)

Soft
Graceful
Loving
Tenacious
Courageous
Tranquil
Fluid
Candid
Compassionate
Strong
Emotional
Intimate
Rhythmic
Calm
Trusting
Stormy
Insecure
Irrepressible
Private
Evolving
Cyclical
Open
Desirous
Expansive
Nurturing
Powerful
○
WOMAN

I was Googling inspiring photos from 2020 for a work wellbeing share last week, and examples were indeed really tricky to find.
When we reflect, our perception is affected by selective factors in our attention, such as over exposure to 'bad news'. If our minds are occupied consistently by a certain train of thought, or thought pattern, it limits our capacity to perceive outside of it. This can sometimes present as hyperattention to threatening material, which may have characterised the year that was 2020 for many of us.
Fortunately, our biases can be modified. When you reflect, are you writing off 2020 with a melancholic sigh, or are you focusing on things that made you happy, or that you learnt, or that made you grateful; ways that you found connection in spite of everything?
Can you bring more mindfulness to the media that you consume? It is a powerful resource, just like the choices we make around food and physical nourishment.
We are still creating our realities, even though it feels like so much of it is out of our control, and life is full of joy if we choose to see it.
With love,
Laura

#2020

A little Panda yoga to brighten your day 🌈

A gentle reminder to find the childish playfulness within you, a place of innocence and acceptance and kindness. Breathe into uncertainty and notice that you can also find comfort in that space.

L x @ Scarborough, Western Australia

Ahimsa ~~~⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Ahimsa means non-violence and compassion, and refers to a key virtue in Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism, and one of the ethical notions in Patanjali's 8 Fold Path. The word is derived from the Sanskrit root hiṃs – to strike; hiṃsā is injury or harm, a-hiṃsā is the opposite of this. Ahimsa can be applied to all living things, our surroundings and ourselves in both thought and action, within and outside of our practice. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
When bringing ahimsa to our Yoga practice, we can consider the following:⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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- Accept where you are at this point in time with your yoga. Embrace falling out of a pose with a smile - enjoy testing your balance and strength. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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- Know where you are at in your development. Don’t over extend yourself where you’re not ready for it. Enjoy the challenges, where you find them in your practice, without pushing yourself too far.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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- Acknowledge when your body needs rest or is unwell. While regular practice is wonderful for the mind and body, sometimes taking the day off and stepping back into stillness is what is needed.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Enjoy the space between where you are and where you want to be.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
L x⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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CO-EXISTENCE⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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What does it mean to exist in this paradigm?⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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My feeling is that it presents a great opportunity for us to examine our sense of connection - with our homes, our pets, our partners, neighbours, communites, with the natural world, and with our bodies (physical / mental / esoteric).⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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By examining the ways in which we are extrinsically connected to the world around and within us, we can come to view our existence from a more holistic perspective; which is really what we all need right now.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Go within, and take it lightly. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Happy Mothers Day to all the Mamas out there, past, present, and future.

For all the women in my life who have mothered me, my Ma and Gma especially, I hold immense gratitude.

Thank you for your love and nourishment, your wisdom, and your divine devotion.

When I remember my Self, I remember you.

♡