Season's greetings,
Hom,
Hom, Hom!
Welcome
to our Christmas newsletter. What an eventful November - both Nazma and Alana gave birth to baby girls! Congratulations ladies!
Nick Evans will be wrapping up his teaching at BNHC after a rather inspired and inspiring 3 months. Come say goodbye to him on Saturday 19th December at the Sanctuary from 3.00pm.
The BNHC is kindly allowing us to continue morning Mysore self practice (without a teacher) after the centre closes. The details are posted on the website.
Wishing you all peace and harmony over the festive season. May all beings be free from suffering!
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In This Issue:
News In Brief- Forthcoming Workshops
- Workshop Reviews
- Patanjali's Yoga Sutras
- Jargon Corner - Asana
- Coming Soon!
News in Brief
There have been two recent little bundles of joy in the shala. Nazma gave birth to a beautiful little girl in the early hours of Fri 13th Nov (lucky for some). She was born at home after 8 hours of labour with no pain relief! Alana also had a baby girl called Noam on 27th Nov, weighing in at 6lbs 5oz.
The BNHC will be closed for Christmas from Sun 20th Dec to Fri 1st Jan inclusive. Morning Mysore classes will resume on Mon 4th Jan (but please see below for new starting times). There will be a limited number of evening classes that week, as follows: Mon 4th Jan 6.30-8.00pm with Sarah; Thurs 7th Jan 6.30-8.00pm with Josetta. The full schedule will resume w/c Mon 11th Jan.
New start times for Mysore self-practice: As of Jan there will be two time slots in the morning and you must arrive for practice at either 6.30 or 7.30am. If you arrive late by more than 15 minutes, i.e. after 6.45am, then you'll have to go and have a coffee and wait for the 7.30am slot. This is a new initiative proposed by Sarah. As she is now the only one giving adjustments it will enable her to better manage students who are at a similar stage in the sequence. The end result is more/better adjustments for everyone! This will initially be run on a trial basis.
Nick Evans will be teaching his last classes on Fri 18th Dec and we're sure, like us, you'll be very sorry to see him go. As you know, there'll be an opportunity to say goodbye on Sat 19th Dec from 3.00pm at The Sanctuary Cafe in Hove.
Of course we're also looking forward to seeing Sarah again in the New Year. As well as her usual programme of classes, Sarah will also be holding a monthly Ashtanga Clinic on the last Sun of the month from 10.00-11.30am. This will be an opportunity to explore your practice in detail and, with only 4 students per session, it will be similar to a private class and tailored to your individual needs. See the BNHC website or new programme for more info.
Forthcoming Workshops
Pranayama in Perspective with Philip Xerri, East Grinstead, Jan 16th. Click here for more info.- Ashtanga Clinic with Sarah Miles, BNHC, Brighton, last Sun of every month (Jan 24th, Feb 28th). Click here for more info.
- Yoga and The Spine with Chris Swain, BNHC, Brighton, Jan 30th. Click here for more info.
Workshop Reviews
Bhavani Maki in Brighton
16th-18th Oct
I have been practicing astanga yoga for a little over 3 months now. As my work involves sitting at a desk for most of the day, the practice is serving a physical as well as a spiritual purpose. On the Friday evening, the first of Bhavani Maki's masterclasses in Patanjalim's Yoga Sutras at the BNHC, I arrived a little nervous as I didn't really know what to expect, this being my first taste of anything like this. As it turned out, the whole weekend was wonderful from start to finish. The workshops consisted mainly of asanas which were complemented by informative interactive lectures. The asanas were challenging, but for me this was great: I was looking for something physically demanding, which was exactly what I got. For example, in the latter stages of holding downward dog for 5 minutes (yes, 5 minutes), I felt as though my shoulders were being stabbed repetitively only to hear we ‘just’ had a minute to go. When time was eventually called, I collapsed with a heroic sense of achievement.
The interactive lectures proved to be awesome, and Bhavani communicated her knowledge of yoga philosophy clearly and often with subtle humour. I liked her style of teaching: articulate and encouraging questions throughout. It was no surprise to learn she has been teaching yoga for over 16 years. There were many one-liners that seemed to capture the subject perfectly. At the time I thought they were far too good to forget, and of course have subsequently forgotten most of them, although a few have stuck: ‘a journey into yourself’, ‘being present in the moment’, ‘the internal observer’. But the spiritual gem I now carry in my head is ‘attachment is fine, it is the need to repeat it that is the problem’. This one line, more than anything else, has already been of great benefit to me. Overall the workshop was inspiring and, in terms of what I learnt, it was worth every penny. I can’t wait for the next one.
For more information on Bhavani Maki visit Ashtanga Yoga Kauai or Yoga Hanalei.
- Chris Wyatt
Lino Miele in Bath
25th-27th Sep
Lino is one of the original Astanga teachers who had the good fortune to study in small groups over many years with Guruji. He did a great service some years back by recording in book form the precise vinyasa ‘breath-with-movement’ system, thus making Astanga far more widely available than was previously possible.
The venue was packed, with over 60 practitioners in each session. Lino took us through much of the primary series on Saturday in a very light-hearted way with lots of banter, and taught some interesting adjustments for the main poses along the way.
On the Sunday we turned up with enthusiasm and some apprehension for the classic counting class of full primary with full vinyasa – in other words, returning to samasthiti between each asana and each side of the asana – a potentially challenging prospect! However, Lino’s skilled management of the large group, his commanding count and encouragement helped us to fly through the practice, with many of us eager for more at the end. Interestingly, Lino taught that pranayama should only ever be done before the practice, which is contrary to Manju Jois’s instruction, but this just goes to show that all teachers have their own ideas, experience and point of view to help us develop our own understanding of this wonderful form of yoga. A great workshop – highly recommended.
- Jane Sleven (www.yogatree.uk.com)
Rishikesh - City of Sages
Nov 09
After leaving the UK I spent a few days in Delhi before heading to a Yoga ashram in Rishikesh with my travelling companions. The ashram schedule was a far cry from the craziness of Delhi: 5.00-6.00am meditation, 6.00-7.45am Yoga (asana, pranayama, mudra, bandha, chanting), 8.00am breakfast in silence, 12 noon lunch, 4.00pm Yoga (as before), 6.00pm supper, 9.00pm main gates closed and mouna (silence) maintained until after breakfast the following day. The beautiful panoramic Yoga studio was spacious and serene. All teachers taught an interesting style of strong Hatha Yoga to a high standard; lots of energising pranayamas, preparatory postures, chanting and flow, leading on to intermediate postures with variations and modifications, and ending with a guided savasana.
It was suggested we avoid the nearby Ganges riverside villages of Lakshman Jhulla or Ram Jhula - both bustling, vibrant, hustling places with many distractions - as this would take us away from the inner journey we were being encouraged to take.
On our last night, Swamiji led us all (40-50 students and teachers) on a long walk through the hills, along the river, to a sacred spot of the Ganges, where evening chanting, prayers, and devotional practices were made to honour Mother Ganges and Shiva, giving thanks for blessing us through the countless energy currents running through the body. This was a truly memorable, authentic ashram experience; the swami/director was very warm, friendly, and approachable, although his (mainly western) students are clearly devoted to him and hold him in some awe. The whole environment soothed our jangled western nerves beautifully and we were sad to leave after just one week, but Rajasthan beckoned.
- Jane Sleven (www.yogatree.uk.com)
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