Summer Solstice

Sunrise in Orvietto on one of our Yogawise retreats in Italy.  Posting this to wish all a happy summer solstice in 2013.      

Winnie the Pooh said of the hums that came to him from time to time:

"Poetry and hums aren't things which you get. 

 They're things which get you and all you can do is to go where they can find you."

I hope today you will go somewhere peaceful and allow some 'hums' to find you!

OM shanti shanti shanti   Peace Peace Peace

Beauty in Nature

Glastonbury and Home

"The words that enlighten the soul are more precious than jewels"

Hazrat Inayat Khan

This quote resonated with me after spending a week away learning, meditating and dreaming in sacred Glastonbury.   I met some very wise women who passed on their wisdom about Birth in our culture.  

How can we help prospective mothers and fathers cope with this important rite of passage in this age of isolation.for many?  The whole minefield of expectations and conflicting advice surrounds this time of transformation for the mother predominately but also for the father and the rest of the extended family.

Words used can have a big impact at this time and therefore the ones that 'enlighten' are truly valuable.

Perhaps it is better to keep quiet and listen more if we are not sure that what we are saying will be of help to those we are seeking to aid!    Perhaps even find the words of others who speak more directly to the person if our own fails to hit the mark.   

I have often found that friends, family and students will tell me something that has made them think about a subject differently upon reading a book or hearing an inspirational speaker and they will be unaware that we have covered this ground before and they did not see what seems obvious to them now.   Sometimes it is just a matter of maturity but often it is the words that are used which turn on a light bulb.   Unfortunately the turn off switch is also there!     

Enjoy these photos from the Challice Wells Gardens, the Tor and around Glastonbury.

words of wisdom

Just reading some favourite quotes and this one stood out as so very yogic.  Do you know who wrote it? Clue: Famous woman writer with equally talented sisters who were also novelists.

I can live alone, if self-respect, and circumstances require me so to do.

 I need not sell my soul to buy bliss. 

I have an inward treasure born with me, which can keep me alive if all extraneous delights should be withheld, or offered only at a price I cannot afford to give.” 

Poem that heals the loss

February marks the anniversary of my wonderful father Neville's death and when I found this poem by Vikram Seth I felt him smiling.    What a surprise to find that Dad went to the same school as Vikram Seth in Patna, India on the banks of the sacred Ganges - St Michael's .  What a lot we can learn from Wikipedia!

 Princess Alice Hospice Yellow Rose of Remembrance

Gone though you have, I heard your voice today.

I tried to make out what the words might mean,

Like something seen half-clearly on a screen:

Each savoured reference, each laughing bark,

Sage comment, bad pun, indiscreet remark.

Gone since you have, grief too in time will go,

Or share space with old joy; it must be so.

Rest then in peace, but spare us some elation.

Death cannot put down every conversation.

Over and out, as you once used to say?

Not on your life. You're on this line to stay.

This month has had further deaths for our family and I know many friends who are also in early stages of grief so I trust you will find some comfort in reading this poem which was written to honour the passing of a dear friend.

Announcement 2013

Keep a Clear Mind!

We all need to stop and reflect in our busy lives and allow new paths to open.   My students already know that I am taking a sabbatical for 2013 to continue some studies I started last year and also to pursue some new areas to which I feel drawn and to allow me to expand my yoga offerings for the good of others.  I know a lot of students are sad at losing their classes but I am still here and newsletters will reach out each season to those who are in the yoga club.  All changes and then changes again.   Be brave warriors and know that we have everything we need already .  Be Still and Silent and the True Self will reveal how powerful we are!

winter solstice Wishes

Winter Solstice

This is the night of the solstice

The longest night of the year

Now darkness triumphs yet gives way to and changes into Light

The breath of Nature is suspended

All waits while within the Earth the dark king

 is transformed into the infant of Light

We watch for the coming of the Dawn when the great mother again gives birth to the divine child sun who is the bringer of hope and the promise of summer

This is the stillness behind motion

when time itself stops

We turn the wheel (Mantra or Prayer) to bring the Light

Peace   Peace   Peace

We gather in friendship and community at this time to affirm the sanctity of Life...All Life

In our memory we hold the ancestoral knowledge that some would not survive the rigours of winter and the possible famine it might bring.Today we may have food and shelter to physically survive but we recognise the poverty of spirit which leaves so many isolated and fearful.  Allow your true self to gain power over any negative beliefs of your little self .

 Just as the seed waiting beneath the earth will come to flower when the time is right ; 

 so too will we blossom and shine with the Light of the True Self

All is Well

  Seek out quiet spaces and people to be with and trust that others will understand .  If you cannot avoid big groups at work or play then just escape for short bursts of nature or silence and visualise your cloak of light.

We wish you all a peaceful transition into 2013 

   

LOVE