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Why do we do yoga? Do you ever ask yourself what drew you to it or why you keep coming back?
For me it was the curiousity that first drew me to a class (in a mirrored room at the then Holmes Place gym in Notting Hill). I found it a fascinating practice from the start and was pretty hooked but mainly as it allowed me to practice the more 'gymnastic' moves I had loved as a child.
That was until I came to a seated forward fold...that was abject misery from get go and I remember wanting to run screaming from the room...but I didn't.
I kept coming back, sometimes I wouldn't go for months, other times it would be obsessive...I'd switch teachers, locations, styles. Yet through all this vascilation the one thing that remained a constant was that no matter what the class I attended(or DVD - I practically wore out my copy of Geri Body Yoga) I never left feeling worse...I sometimes didn't feel better but I never ever felt worse.
Then gradually as the years passed (and with various life transitions acting as catalysts) my practice became more steady, more nourishing, a layered experience.
There are the obvious physical benefits to a yoga practice and I feel fitter and healthier now than I ever did in my youth, but as we know health and fitness are transient, they alone are not enough to rely on for mental and emotional wellbeing.
And so my yoga has led me on an Inner Journey, a spiral from my outer layers to my inner depths, lifting stones, looking to see what's lurking beneath and clearing out the debris. It has helped me conquer times of anxiety, make big positive life choices, reduce stress, be a much happier version of myself and a real biggy for me: its made me love Winter!
The season that used to fill me with dread I now take in my stride, relish it like I do the other seasons, even think of it with sweet nostalgia on hot days like today.
Which I why I am once again leading a winter retreat. A weekend to come together and use yoga to Journey inwards and do the work that is needed to make it through winter feeling nourished and laying down the fertile ground for future growth.
The retreat will be from 24th to 26th November and prices start from £365/person.
For more information see here...spark.adobe.com/page/oaVwbosiDY56B/
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On another note I have another philosophy workshop coming up next Friday evening at Cafe Mila. These workshops are an opportunity to come together to discuss and expletive the ancient wisdom that the yoga text offer. In this one we will cover the familiar chant Om and the Mandukya Upanishad; what is 'om'? why do we chant it? What does it represent? What (if anything) does it mean?...
14th July
7-9pm Mila
Booking is through their website (www.cafemila.co.uk) or the MINDBODY app.
Thank you for reading. Please feel free to get in touch if you have any questions regarding the content of this email or just yoga/life in general.
Charlie
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