Hi there everyone,

I hope you are all keeping warm and positive.  To adapt to lockdown restrictions and to keep you all on the mat, we have taken all our classes online.  This went into effect on Wednesday and will continue until the lockdown finishes (whenever that might be).  Fortunately, we have been conducting all our classes both in the studio and online for over 12 months now, so the transition has been seamless.  

Booking Online

If you haven't already cancelled your studio classes for the next week, please do so and rebook online.  If you haven't yet accessed classes on line, it's actually really simple.  

• First, book your online class.  You can use your term pass or purchase a casual pass.  You can book from the timetable page of the website as usual or from the punchpass link:  https://orangeyogaroom.punchpass.com/classes?jw=undefined&as=client.
• If you plan to do the classes from your phone, you will need to download the zoom app to your iPhone or smart phone.
• If you're on a desktop or laptop, simply click on the link that is emailed to you 15-20 mins before the class starts, and it will automatically bring you into the class.
• Please make sure you book your online class 1hr before the start time to receive the link.  The link is automatically generated and sent to your email. 

EASY AS!!!

When you come into the class, please mute yourself so that we can't hear what's going on in your lounge room.  It's the button showing a microphone.  After the class you may wish to have a chat to everyone else in the class.

Thank you for your support in this crazy time!  We really appreciate it.

Yoga Props

I have the following props for sale at the moment if it helps you get set up at home.  (You really only need a mat and a block and perhaps a belt).  Any blankets will suffice.

3 x How to Use Yoga books - $30 each

2 x blocks - $18 each

2 x half blocks - $15 each

1 x belt - $16 each

3 x mats - $23 each

4 x prs of shoulder stand supports with covers - $82 pr

10 x eye pillows with silk covers - $20 each

Contact me if you would like to purchase of of these.

Steph, Fiona, Sharon and myself look forward to seeing you in class online next week.  I will keep you informed via email of any changes to restrictions.

Hello there everyone!

A note to let you know that Term 3 bookings will open in the next few days.  I am proceeding as usual and will put in place any further COVID measures if advised by NSW Government.  We are all set up and have our systems in place should we need to go online at any time in the near future.  I am hoping that will not be the case but will keep you informed if anything changes.  

The holiday timetable for next week is as follows:

Wednesday 7 July 6-7.30pm - General Open Class with Tricia

Thursday 8 July 9.30-11.00am - General Open Class with Tricia.

I feel very strongly that the practice of Yoga is a comprehensive and simple way to stay calm and steady in the midst of the current uncertainty.  I encourage you all to keep up your yoga by attending studio classes (wearing a mask at present), attending online classes or doing your own practice at home.

I will soon send around an email with a sequence that is restorative, calming and supports the immune system.  I hope you will use this sequence to practice at home.

In the meantime, be positive, be kind to yourself and others and I will see you on the mat soon.

Tricia

Obstacles

Life is never predictable, and sometimes not easy.  I really feel that having a regular yoga practice helps us to keep a healthy perspective on our place in the world.  It is said that 'yoga cleanses the lenses of perception'.  How we perceive or see the world, our reality, has an effect on how we react, what actions we take, and the consequences of those actions.  Obstacles are a breeding ground for tendencies, but they are also an opportunity for reflection and change.  Below you can read about the Klesas, which are often translated as afflictions or personal obstacles.

The Klesas

Each term we teach an aspect of Yoga philisophy.  This is integrated into the classes and it may involve a quote, explanation from the teacher or instruction.  This term we are looking at The Klesas.  The Klesas are translated as afflictions, pain, obstacles, distress or disturbances.  They are internal objects that arise in our minds and cause us suffering.  The five Klesas are:

Avidya -  Lack of knowledge or insight, or ignorance
Asmita - selfishness, or over-identifying with the ego
Raga - attachment
Dvesha - aversion or avoidance
Abhinivesha - fear.

Patanjali writes about the Klesas in the second chapter of the Yoga Sutras.  

'Obstacles (Klesas) are the breeding ground for tendencies (samskaras) that give rise to actions and the consequences (karma) thereof.  Such obstacles are experienced as visible or invisible obstacles'.
Yoga Sutra 2.12

In our western culture, the Klesas can seem a little moralistic but the principles are very useful.  I think a productive way to approach the Klesas is to think of them as obstacles that give rise to traits or tendencies to examine within ourselves.  The Klesas require self-examination, or self-study (Svadhaya).  If you have a regular yoga practice you will already be working closely with Svadhaya, but most people only start to look deeper into themselves when things go wrong in life.  For example, the break up of a relationship, loss of employment, or financial devastation forces us to stop and take stock.  These obstacles that we inevitably encounter in life, present the opportunity to look at our actions, habits, ideas of ourselves, and how we move through the world.  As Marcus Aurelius pointed out, the obstacle becomes the way.  It is the catalyst for a journey from the self to the true Self.  In this sense, the Klesas are opportunities as much as obstacles.  When we are aware, we realise that change is part of life and fighting it is where suffering arises.

By stepping onto the mat to practice each day we encounter lack of knowledge, we get attached to ways of practising, there are poses we despise, and poses we are afraid of.  A practice can be a microcosm in which to examine ourselves and the Klesas so that we gain clarity.  If an obstacle shows up, we can look at it from different perspectives, with less fear, and move forward without being attached to the present situation or the outcome.  We can sit in the uncomfortable space of change.  Let's look at the first Klesa, Avidya.

Avidya is the source of most Klesas, which is why it's one of the most important ones we need to face.  An example of Avidya is when we think negative emotions will last forever.  We're not able to see the temporary nature of negative emotions, and we are unable to see the true nature of ourselves.  This causes pain and suffering.  When things don't go the way we expect, it causes us pain.  We are unable to see something for what it is, or what it's not.

Asmita puts the ego on a pedestal and values material possessions more than anything else.  It's when we believe our individual 'self' is separate from everything around us.  All that matters is how 'I'  perceive something or how it affects 'me'.  We may take things personally and need our ego constantly 'stroked' to be happy.

Raga is the attachment to our desires.  It often means our happiness depends on external factors.  So what happens when those external factors are taken away?  Because we are afraid of this, we create stronger attachments, which can eventually create insecurity, anxiety and fear.

Dvesa is aversion or avoiding things that cause unhappiness.  As humans we are always moving towards pleasure or away from pain.  Anything that threatens the ego, we tend to avoid.  Unfortunately, we can't avoid everything that doesn't make us happy.  Going to the dentist is usually not a particularly happy experience!

Abhinivesa is the fear or anxiety of change, and ultimately fear of death.  We fear death because we fear losing everything and not being able to control what we are facing.  We fear change because we have to let go of certainty and the old way of being.  Letting go ultimately creates the space for new things to come into our lives, but first we must let go of fear and stare uncertainty in the face.  We have to let go of everything we are attached to and live life as it unfolds. 

I hope you enjoyed a relaxing Easter and are ready to get back on the mat for some holiday classes and get organised for Term 2.  Below is the Term 2 Timetable with some changes.  

Everything is ready to book online for a fresh new Term so jump on and get organised and ready to go!  Link below to book.

Link to Book on Punchpass:  https://app.punchpass.com/passtypes.

Hi there!  

Below is the timetable for the Holiday Break.  Please join us for a class to maintain your practice and good health over Easter.  Alternatively you could stream one of our classes at a reasonable price over one week.  Kids Yoga Stories are available stream during the holidays, including Ralph the Puppy Dog, which is a free class (link below).  

The Yoga Basics classes are for anyone wanting to 'try yoga'.  If you have a friend or family member who fits this description, please ask them to contact me or book online (link below).

Term 2 starts on Monday 19 April.  Bookings for Term 2 will be open on Saturday afternoon (3 April).

I hope you have a safe and fun Easter that includes some yoga and some chocolate!!  What more could you want?

See you on the mat,

Tricia

Link to book Yoga Basics and Term 2 passes:  https://app.punchpass.com/passtypes

Link to Stream a class:  https://vimeo.com/user111945976/vod_pages.

Link to Kids Yoga Stories:  https://vimeo.com/ondemand/kidsyogastories1

• disease
• inertia
• laziness
• doubt
• heedlessness
• indiscipline of the senses
• erroneous views
• lack of perserverence
• backsliding.

Alan Goode comments:

'Through practice, we become present in our acts and reshape the way our mind absorbs experience - instead of interpreting things which happened to us through the filter of our mind (views formed from past experience) we move to experience them without the veil of thought.  An example of this is where we have an experience in the past of someone abusing our trust – this often makes us wary of future interaction with others, but in the extreme we become unable to trust anyone; our actions are limited by our beliefs.

In Tapas we experience directly.  In doing so we burn off past impressions which limit us, and our ideas of what we are capable of change.  Through action (tapas) we can refine our consciousness – change and grow.  This is the first tier and cannot be transcended.'

What does Tapas look like in your yoga practice?  For me, Tapas means stepping onto my mat each day, whether I feel like practising or not, and just doing each asana, or pose, steadily and consistently.  Of course, we can adjust our practice to respond to what is happening in our bodies, but we still have to get on the mat, get quiet, observe, listen and proceed.  This is the daily work of Tapas.

In the next blog post, I explore the second great path of Kriya Yoga, which is Svadhaya (self-study).

Until then, keep practising and learning.

Tricia