21-24 January

The New year provides a clean slate, which I just love, and the opportunity to start  with a fresh attitude, new goals and a clear path forward.  Each year I hold the January Intensive with the intention of offering students a format which allows us to explore and study our yoga in more depth, to create some new ways of looking at our practice and to set some goals for the coming year.  Please join me on the following dates for the 2022 January Intensive:

Setting Goals Workshop - Saturday 22 January 10.30-11.30am.

Cost

8 sessions - $200
6 sessions - $165

 

I'm so happy to be offering the Intensive again to push through old habits and start with a fresh and positive mindset for 2022.  I hope you will join me.

 

https://orangeyogaroom.punchpass.com/passes/135461?check=1638681870

At the Self Care Class tomorrow we will practice asana and pranayama to stimulate the vagus nerve.  This neural pathway facilitates your ability to find calm.  The asanas and pranayama we will practice tomorrow will be carefully chosen to activate the relaxation response.  It will be nurturing, relaxing and done with a view to cultivating awareness.  Here is some interesting information about the Vagus nerve to give you some context before the class.

The Vagus nerve is the 10^th cranial nerve.  It’s known as the ‘wandering nerve’ because of it’s wide distribution within the body.   

The Vagus nerve is the largest cranial nerve that relays messages between the brain and the respiratory, digestive and nervous systems.  Your breathing, digestion and heart rate are all directly connected to the Vagus nerve.  It influences many things including facial expression, brain hormones, the gut and all the other organs in the abdomen e.g. the liver, kidney and spleen. 

This neural pathway facilitates your ability to find calm. It does this by activating the relaxation response of the para sympathetic nervous system.

The para sympathetic nervous system (PNS) is one of the two antagonistic systems making up the autonomic nervous system (ANS).  The parasympathetic nervous system promotes the ‘rest and digest’ response, and corresponds with calming the body and enhances digestion.

The sympathetic nervous system (SNS) promotes the ‘fight and flight’ response and corresponds with arousel and energy generation.  It alerts us to stressful situations and activates our body's response mechanisms.  

 ‘The system primes the body to deal with emergencies.  The vast majority of people are stressed and live in environments of stress.  In this state, the sympathetic nervous system is constantly switched on.  This results in increased levels of the hormone cortisol.  The consequences of this include high blood pressure, increased risk of infection, weight gain, and heart rhythm irregularities.  It also increases the sensitivity to pain, aggravates the symptoms of fibromyalgia and insomnia, and in those generally predisposed, can increase the incidence of auto immune disease.’[1]

 When we stimulate the Vagus nerve, we help the body come into it’s ‘relaxation response’, which decreases inflammation, anxiety and stress. 

The response to vagal nerve stimulation can be measure in a number of ways including an increase in lung capacity and an increase in heart rate variability.

The Vagus nerve is also called the nerve of emotion says Ashtanga teacher and scholar Eddie Stone.  “It impacts whether you feel safe and protected in a secure grounded place. This is why practices that tap into this nerve can improve one’s state of mind and overall sense of comfort while reducing stress and inflammation.”[2]

 Low ‘vagal tone’ indicates stress and is characterised by anxiety, negativity, weak digestion, depression, and inflammation.  Optimal ‘vagal tone’ is illustrated by our ability to manage stress denoted by a balanced disposition and psychological well-being.   Yoga has a lot to offer in this area.  Asana, meditation and pranayama can help build resilience and adaptability which allows you to minimise anxiety and move through daily life with ease.

The asanas we practice at the Self Care Saturday Class stimulate and tone the vagus nerve.

Breathing is one of the fastest ways to stimulate the vagus nerve.  The Pranayama we will do in the Self Care class, called Brahmari, is very specific to vagal stimulation.

I hope you will join me to devote some time for self care tomorrow.  All levels welcome in the studio, or online.  You will be very welcome.

Use this link to book:   https://orangeyogaroom.punchpass.com/ 

 

[1] Vegus Nerve – Dr Daniel Lewis

[2] The Vagus Nerve and Why it Matters in Yoga – Yoga for Modern Life.

 

 

Pranayama - the art of directing and channelling the breath

Pranayama is a very subtle and specific way of working in our yoga practice.  It requires that we are sensitive, observant and patient.  We may not yet have these qualities, and we may not yet fully understand the breathing exercises practised in Pranayama, but Pranayama is a great teacher.  

 

We grow when we learn.  During lockdown our living rooms can be transformed into areas of great learning and growth.  We don't even have to leave home to learn new things!  Things move and grow when we direct our focus and attention on them.  The Yoga Room is committed to providing opportunities for learning.  But learning also requires focus and action.  Action to step onto the mat and actually DO the practice.  It doesn't have to be perfect, it doesn't even have to be pleasant.  The effects of practising Pranayama will be there anyway.  If you wish to join Fiona's workshop, the link is below - click on the pranayama class in the schedule.  I encourage you to take that action and seep yourself in what Pranayama has to offer.

Namaste,

Tricia

https://orangeyogaroom.com.au/pages/timetable

Why Do Yoga?  For me, the purpose of getting on the mat each day is to remain curious and open.  Open to learn, to observe and to sit with my expectations, judgements and dreams in a way that is honest and accountable.  Showing up and being consistent is the most challenging part of a Yoga Practice.

Read the entire article....

Self Care Saturday:  a class at 4.00pm Saturday 7 August to unwind, re-set and get grounded.  All levels welcome.

Read the entire article....

A quick post to confirm that all our classes are being taught in the studio, as well as online.  As students, you have great flexibility to choose how you wish to attend your classes.  Having online and studio options set up, allows us to keep classes running during lockdowns.  If you wish to attend online, please book via punchpass with the link below.  If attending in the studio, please use punchpass if possible, or email me to signal your attendance and I will reserve a place for you.

I know it's been a tough time for some of our yoga community and I know that it's tempting to let your yoga practice take a back seat.  Dust yourself off, move it to the front, and keep yourself calm and grounded as life continues to dip up and down.  

A regular class provides a stable point amongst the uncertainty we are experiencing.  Should you be experiencing hardship, please email me for assistance to attend your regular classes.

See you on the mat!

Tricia

 Link to Book:  

 https://orangeyogaroom.punchpass.com/ 

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.

Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Saturday
		6.30am Led Practice 60mins		8.30am Self-Care Saturday Tricia 75mins
9.30am General Steph 90mins		9.30am Gentle Sharon 90mins	9.30am General Tricia 90mins
6.00pm Experienced Tricia 90mins	6.00pm Beginner Tricia 60mins	5.30pm Beginner Fiona 60mins	5.30pm Developing/Gen Tricia 75mins	3.30pm 10 April Self-Care Saturday students  parents
		6.45pm Developing/Gen Fiona 90mins	6.00pm Beginner Streamed Tricia 60mins	3.30pm 17 & 18 April Yoga Basics

 

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

See you on the mat!
Tricia