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“May you experience each day as a sacred gift woven around the heart of wonder. ” 
― John O'Donohue
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pic courtesy of Emily W Photography
WELCOME 2016

Happy New Year and season's blessings to you.

The question that invariably pops up at this time of year is:

What are your new year's resolutions?

My answer is:

To not make any.

That's not to say I don't use this change of the calendar to refresh my focus. I set myself a sankalpa (a clear positive intention) at the Autumn equinox and it's wonderful to use this time to reflect on my progress and reaffirm it.

And as I meditate on my sankalpa I can see coming into clarity what really serves my heart. The things I would like to do more of in my life, the things that make me happy.

So instead of resolving not to do things that don't serve me I intend to crowd them out with myriad other heart nourishing activities. Rather like this line from the old Bing Crosby song Busy Doing Nothing:

"We'd like to be unhappy, but
We never do have the time"
 

One of the more simple heart nourishing activities that make me happy is being out of doors. Back when we lived in London I found winter a real struggle. There was far too much grey sky meets grey building and far too little raw wild nature.

I now understand that it is the on the wettest, greyest, most miserable days that it is most important to get out. Winter may lack the obvious beauty of summer but I take great solace in seeing bright green moss, silvery lichen & fabulous mushrooms, in feeling the squelchy mud and rotten leaves under my feet, touching damp bark and maybe even get soaked to the skin and freezing cold. It makes me feel so wonderfully human and alive!

The picture below is of one of our favourite Surrey spots - the boardwalk at Elstead Moat - taken on the last day of 2015 where we spent the fading daylight hours sploshing through boggy paths, laughing, getting wet and fueling our hearts.

It's free, it's far from complicated and it works for me.
DUKHA

Of course life's not all a walk in the park (or woods) - just before Christmas I had a proper 'meh' day...which was one in a long string of 'meh' days. So in the way of modern life I made myself some jam on toast and a cuppa, took a picture of it and poured my heart out over Instagram. 

So the saying goes, a problem shared etc etc...well it just works doesn't it? Supportive words, compassion and common experiences made me feel so much less alone. Then came this one comment from the awesome Andy:
 
  • "tangyandySending you love and more jammy goodness Dear Charlieji. Let all that dukha out. Xxx ❤️❤️❤️🙏🙏🙏✨✨✨🍰☕️🎄ૐ💫"
Dukha.

Of course dukha.

Dukha is a word that crops up in many ancient yogic (among others) texts. It is often translated as simply 'suffering' but as TKV Desikachar points out in The Heart of Yoga, it is more than simply suffering:
 

Sometimes terms such as “suffering”, “troubles”, or “sickness” are used to explain the meaning of dukha, but it is best described as a feeling of being restricted.
Dukha is a quality of mind that gives us the feeling of being squeezed.
There does not need to be any physical pain to experience a feeling of great dukha.
The level on which dukha works is the mind.
Dukha is nothing but a certain state of mind in which we experience a limitation of our possibilities to act and understand. Even if we do not have the need to express our feelings in tears, somehow we feel disturbed deep within ourselves, painfully bound and restricted.


To receive a 'diagnosis', no matter good or bad, can ease the mind. And this is exactly what happened to me when Andy reminded me of dukha. 

What I was feeling wasn't as specific as to be named sad, or angry, or depressed - what I was feeling limited & restricted, I had boxed myself inside my perceived problems and lost all sense of perspective.

The opposite of dukha is sukha - a sense of great ease, a sense of lightness and openness that comes from within.

Once again I am humbly reminded that yoga is the art of bringing into balance what has been thrown off...the art of being at home with yourself.

This play of opposites - of dukha and sukha - and the healing nature of the earth is beautifully portrayed in the below blessing by one of my favourite writers, John O'Donohue. I hope you enjoy it...
“Beannacht / Blessing

On the day when
the weight deadens
on your shoulders
and you stumble,
may the clay dance
to balance you.
And when your eyes
freeze behind
the grey window
and the ghost of loss
gets in to you,
may a flock of colours,
indigo, red, green,
and azure blue
come to awaken in you
a meadow of delight.

When the canvas frays
in the currach of thought
and a stain of ocean
blackens beneath you,
may there come across the waters
a path of yellow moonlight
to bring you safely home.

May the nourishment of the earth be yours,
may the clarity of light be yours,
may the fluency of the ocean be yours,
may the protection of the ancestors be yours.
And so may a slow
wind work these words
of love around you,
an invisible cloak
to mind your life.

 

WOMEN'S SUMMER RETREAT
10/11/12 June 2016

Yoga is not about making us better people. Yoga is about peeling back the layers to reveal the amazing people that we already are.

Yet that amazing person often gets buried and ignored. We can end up feeling like we are merely surviving, coping with life yet paying little attention to our own magnificence.

In order to thrive it is important to take time out to simply be. 

Achieving this doesn't have to be complicated - it's the opposite of complicated - it's about simplifying, stripping back and immersing in the healing qualities of nature.

This women only weekend retreat is set in ancient Surrey woodland where you sleep in luxurious shepherd's huts. There are proper hot showers, plentiful wood burning stoves and the venue is completely off-grid - no electricity, no wifi, no responsibility, no worries - a welcome release from the grips of modernity.

My intention is for you to nourish your body and mind and re-connect to your amazing self. 

You will experience dynamic and gentle yoga, meditation, yoga nidra, philosophy, a hike to the top of Leith Hill, pranayama and chanting, eat delicious vegetarian food and enjoy like-minded company.

Prices start at £270 for a shared hut.

Click here for more the full on-line brochure
SECOND HAND TREASURES

I recently purchased a second hand copy of Judith Hanson Lasater's LIVING YOUR YOGA: FINDING THE SPIRITUAL IN EVERYDAY LIFE.

For me it's always such a treat to open a second hand book and to find margin notes, personal dedications or annotations - and this tome was full of them. As I turned the pages to read I thoroughly enjoyed imagining who might have made these yellow marks.

This book is great for anyone looking to add another layer to their practice. It is rich in 'off the mat' wisdom and teaches how to integrate yoga into your life through anecdote, practical suggestions and mantras.
SEE BELOW FOR CLASS UPDATES AND 2016 START DATES
CLASS INFORMATION

I WILL BE BACK TEACHING AT CAFE MILA ON MONDAY 4TH OF JANUARY.

I AM NOT TEACHING SATURDAY 9TH OR 23RD JANUARY OR 14TH FEBRUARY - THERE WILL BE A COVER TEACHER  ON THOSE DATES SO PLEASE CHECK THE CAFE MILA ON-LINE SCHEDULE.

WEDNESDAY NIGHT CLASSES RESUME 13TH JANUARY - 6 class pass price remains the same but drop-in price is rising to £10.
 

Please join me any of my regular classes where you will experience a dynamic flowing style of Hatha yoga…if you have any questions as to the suitability of the class of you please get in touch - I am always happy to chat yoga!

If you are interested in private, small group lessons or bringing yoga into your workplace the please email me.
MONDAY
TIME: 7.30PM TO 9PM
LOCATION: Yoga Mila http://www.cafemila.co.uk, Godalming
STYLE: This is a dynamic hatha yoga (aka Vinyasa Flow).  Expect to move!
COST: £14 drop in (cheaper packages available on-line)

WEDNESDAY 
CLASS RESUMES WEDNESDAY 13TH JANUARY
TIME: 8PM to 9.30pm (term time only)
LOCATION: All Saints Church Hall, Onslow Village, Guildford
STYLE: This is a flowing hatha mixed ability class
COST: £10/class drop in or £50/6 class card

SATURDAY
TIME: 9.30am to 11am
LOCATION: Yoga Mila http://www.cafemila.co.uk, Godalming
STYLE: This is a dynamic hatha yoga (aka Vinyasa Flow).  Expect to move!
COST: £14 drop in (cheaper packages available on-line)
Thank you for reading this newsletter - click here to see my website. Namaste and well wishes, Charlie x.
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