Hi !
Long time no see! Well we took a couple of months off over the summer, but now we're back to bring you the August issue. We hope you've been enjoying the (mostly) lovely weather. It seems the air has been permanently filled with the smell of BBQs lately and if you head down to Hove Lawns on an early weekend evening you'll find you can hardly see through all the smoke!
This month we bring you tales of practising at the Buddhafield Festival, details of exciting forthcoming workshops and an exclusive 15% discount offer for an online shop selling gorgeous yoga mat bags and greeting cards.
Please let us know if you have any reviews, stories or experiences you'd like to share with us - we'd love to hear from you. Email us at news@ashtangabrighton.com
Don't forget, the BNHC will be closed over the August Bank Holiday, on Sunday 29th and Monday 30th.
Namaste!
In This Issue:
News In Brief- Forthcoming Workshops
- Workshop Reviews
- Jargon Corner - Prana
- Off The Mat
- Patanjali's Yoga Sutras
News In Brief
The lovely people at Devon Red make beautiful handmade mat bags and charming yoga-inspired greeting cards. We're currently negotiating a 15% discount for all our readers and will publish this on the Ashtanga Brighton blog so watch this space!
Members of the University of Glasgow are conducting a research project in urban spirituality to find out more about contemporary spiritual or lifestyle practices, such as yoga and meditation, and the significance they may hold for individuals living in Brighton and Hove. Participants are asked to keep a diary of their practice(s) and then partake in an interview to explore further some of the issues raised in the diary. The researchers are keen to interview teachers as well as practitioners. All materials are provided and all costs, such as travel, food and drink, will be covered. To find out more or to participate in the project, contact Louisa Cadman at lcadman@ges.gla.ac.uk or on 07816 429909. Guy and Hannah have both signed up already!
We've now re-started our Sunday self-practice group in Brighton. Find out more and sign up here. It's a great way to start the week and the coffee afterwards always goes down a treat too!
Forthcoming Workshops
Ashtanga Clinic with Sarah Miles, BNHC, Brighton, last Sun of every month (Sep 5th, Oct 31st). Click here for more info.- Ashtanga Yoga from the Inside Out with Kino MacGregor, Triyoga, Soho (Sep 3rd-5th). Click here for more info.
- Manju Jois Masterclasses, including self-practice, led classes, pranayama, chanting & philosophy, BNHC, Brighton (Sep 24th-26th). Click here for more info.
- Ashtanga Vinyasa workshop with Lino Miele, Oxford (Sep 24th-26th). Click here for more info.
- Union Yoga Teacher Training with Brian Cooper, BNHC, Brighton (Sep 2010-Sep 2011). Click here for more info.
- Workshop with Nancy Gilgoff, Wiltshire (Oct 8th-10th). Click here for more info.
Workshop Reviews
Back on Solid Ground: Practising at Buddhafield Festival, Somerset
Jul 14th-18th
The Buddhafield Festival has always been somewhat of a milestone for me; an annual measure of how I'm doing. I don't know if that's down to the act of transporting myself from my routine, urban life into a field full of nature, blissful joy and hippies; or down to the ritual of settling in and finding my feet for a few hours, or even days, upon arrival; or even down to the fact that I feel a certain expectation to follow in my mother's footsteps, seeing as she's one of the organisers, cafe managers and an order member of the FWBO (now FTBO). But whatever the reason, Buddhafield for me is always, without a doubt, an emotional rollercoaster.
Every festival I have a totally unique experience and this year was no exception. Arriving a couple of days early (daughter's privileges), having lots of relatives there including my sister and 2 little nephews over from New Zealand, and being part of a communal family camp all added to the uniqueness. But after a few days I realised there was something else I was experiencing that had nothing to do with any of that. It was like a subtle undercurrent of solidity and groundedness that has become a part of me over the last year and is growing every day. And I know, without a doubt, that it comes from practising Ashtanga.
Last year at Buddhafield I had only just started practising and, although I felt very drawn to it and knew it was the ultimate yoga for me, I was still a bit wobbly and didn't yet consider it a spiritual practice. But what a difference a year makes! Being at the festival again in July, practising in the yoga tent on very bumpy ground on a hill (great challenge!) and being taught by Joey Miles and Norman Blair, I felt like a completely different person. I realised that, whereas previously I had often felt like I didn't fit in at Buddhafield because I wasn't Buddhist, didn't meditate and indeed didn't have a spiritual practice of any kind, this year I felt so much more complete and, I'd even go so far as to say, at home.
I also realised that having a spiritual practice doesn't have to mean praying 5 times a day, doing 2 hours of meditation, or even getting up at 5.30am to practice Ashtanga. It can simply mean practising mindfulness and compassion within your own values and beliefs, whatever they may be. For me, being dedicated to Ashtanga has given me a more grounded sense of self, a more positive and confident outlook on life and increased faith. Not to mention a stronger immune system, improved digestion, healthier skin and a better night's sleep! So I'm eternally grateful to my partner Guy for introducing me to the practie, to Guruji for passing on his teachings down the generations, to my teacher Sarah for being as solid as a rock, to the uneven ground of the field for reminding me that nothing's perfect and to the Buddhafield Festival for revealing a little more of me to myself year after year. Namaste!
- Hannah Moss
Jargon Corner
This month's jargon is:
Prana
Origin: Sanskrit
Pronounced: "prah-na"
Prana is a Sanskrit word literally meaning "life-force", the invisible bio-energy or vital energy that keeps the body alive and maintains a state of good health. In Hindu tradition, prana is the life sustaining force which pervades all living organisms and the universe. It is comparable to Chinese Qi/Chi or Japanese Ki.
Prana is a central concept in Ayurveda and Yoga where it is believed to flow through a network of fine subtle channels called nadis. Its most subtle material form is the breath, but it is also to be found in the blood, and its most concentrated form is semen in men and vaginal fluid in women.
A big part of yogic traditions includes focusing and strengthening the prana through physical and spiritual exercises. For example, yogis may use the breathing technique of pranayama to control their prana in the hopes of reaching a sustained period of powerful, uplifting energy. Various yoga postures are also designed to promote the flow of prana.
This newsletter is lovingly prepared by Ashtangis for Ashtangis. But we need your help! If you have any information about forthcoming workshops, a review or article you have written or anything you would like to see in the next issue, please