February Newsletter

Sat Naam dear all,

Spring is in the air, crocus flowers, snow bells and daffodils are out here in Leicester (the latter only just about though), and we're settling into our new yoga venues in Leicester.  

I have unfortunately not been able to find a time slot for any regular meditation classes yet - all my evenings are booked up with regular classes. If that changes, we can try to slot one in.

In this newsletter you'll find information on the upcoming Yogic Massage and Closing the Bones trainings,  some important info for the Leicester group classes this month, the Full Moon information for coming Sunday - in our group classes we've been working with the full moon energy and heart meridian all week already, and we'll do the same next week still - , some Mind & Meditation workshops that are coming up in Walsall and Derby, a fabulous Neal's Yard Remedies offer that is currently on but won't last long (only until the stock of it lasts - max. a few more days), and new rebozos and malas in the webshop. 

The newsletter is quite short this month, as I'm trying to give myself more rest - my body has been crying out for it and I'm trying to listen and observe closely, work less, rest more. For the first time since I moved here and started teaching KY in the UK 9 years ago, I'll also be taking the half-term week for myself and spend some time near Barmouth and in Snowdonia. So during Leicester half-term week I won't be doing any treatments or consultations, there will NOT be a Tuesday evening or Wednesday morning class; but the Monday evening class will be covered by Leah.

In service of the divine in All,

Japjeet Rajbir Kaur

In December I ran a workshop on Mind & Meditation at the annual Basics of Sikhi Camp, and as this was received so well, I'll be running 2 more of these workshops in the coming months.

On Saturday 22 February I'll be doing a lecture on the Mind & Meditation followed by a meditation workshop at the Basics of Sikhi "Kaur's Camp 2020 - The Soul Bride. Internal Well-Being" at Darbar Sri Guru Granth Sahib ji on Rollingmill Street in Walsall. (the Camp is fully booked).

Saturday 29 February (10.30-17.00) & Sunday 1 March 2020 (10.00-13.30)
2 SPACES LEFT!

In this yogic restorative anti-stress full-body massage (as taught by Yogi Bhajan, Master of Kundalini Yoga), twelve specific nerve plexes (five on the front of the body, seven on the back) are massaged in sequence, allowing the nervous system to deeply relax, repair and rejuvenate.

It is still very rarely practiced in the UK and Europe – I am one of the few practitioners in the UK alongside a handful of other people (several trained by myself in the past years).

The training format will be slightly different than in the past. You will have to book in at least once only to receive the massage from me before the training dates – more times is optional – and afterwards you’ll have to give me the massage at least once so I can correct your technique where necessary. During the training weekend we have 1 full day of tutoring (10.30am to 5pm) which includes practicing on each other a first time, followed by another half-day of extra supervised practice on one another (10am-1.30pm). We will practice the massage on the floor but will have a massage table present so I can show differences between the two approaches; the massages you receive from me will be done on the massage table, and for your own practice on me you can choose between floor or massage table work.

For people travelling from further afield or abroad, the massage to be received from me can be booked on the Friday preceding the training weekend, and the massage to be given to me to check your technique can be booked on the Sunday afternoon of the training weekend or the day after on Monday – I will keep those days free for that.

During the full-day training day you will be taught the purpose of this massage and how it relates to other massage forms; you’ll learn about the nervous system and the nerve plexes that this massage works on and you will be taught the massage techniques that are used, the importance of the relaxation afterwards, etc. There is no anatomy module included. You then get to practice in pairs, giving one another the massage while I assist and correct where needed. Once both partners have received the massage we will share experiences, have time for questions and will share information about energetically protecting and cleansing yourself and the massage space, how to ground yourself, how to help ground a client when needed, how to take care of your own back while massaging, etc.

All info, including price, how to register, etc. can be found in the folders on my Trainings page.

* On 15 & 16 February 2020 I'll be offering the training in Chester, UK at Greenhouse Therapies. Still last few spaces available.
* On 7 & 8 March 2020 I will be running the next Leicester, UK training, likely again at my home.
* On 21 & 22 March 2020 I'll be coming to As, Belgium, where Annelies Tavernier (Jotdev Kaur) will welcome us at Universana in her yurt! More than half of the spaces are already booked for this one!
* On 16 & 17 May 2020 I will be in Schilde, Belgium, at Karin Verbist (Ranpriya Kaur)'s Ranpriya studio.

Closing the Bones is incredibly versatile in its uses, and once you're a certified practitioner there is almost no end as to who you can serve with this work - women, men, children, in so many different stages and situations in life. It is anything but limited to postnatal work. 
Although ideally done in the ‘4^th trimester’ (and even as soon as 6 hours after birth), CtB can still be done decades after having given birth with the same extraordinary effects. Moreover, it is also deeply healing after the loss of a baby, a miscarriage, stillbirth or abortion, a hysterectomy, or where fertility problems present themselves... It can even be done while you are going through the process of miscarriage - you don't have to wait until you have stopped bleeding as this can be a process of several weeks, and Closing the Bones can be an immense support during a miscarriage. I have also found that Closing the Bones works beautifully to mark the end of a breastfeeding journey, when it can be the most powerfully nurturing ceremony to 'reclaim' your body in some ways as yours again; or to honour milestones such as little one turning e.g. 1 year old (where often all the celebrations are about the little one, just like with birth so often, and mum's well-being and care can again be overlooked while she has just been thrown into a first year of unconditional and often relentless service and sacrifice, very often at the cost of her own sleep, health, food, ...). Closing the Bones ceremonies can also help to mark major times of transition in a woman’s life (irrespective of whether she has given birth or not), such as young girls starting their period – most women indicate to feel tremendous relief from period pains when receiving the massage on the first few days of their menstruation – , marriage, divorce or the end of a relationship, moving home, transitioning between jobs, marking the (peri-)menopause, ... And its magic doesn't end there: it can also be used to support men, women and children who suffer from anxiety, shock, trauma (sexual or other), PTSD, ADD, autism, or who feel overwhelmed or over-stimulated. In case of a miscarriage, being sifted and rocked, and then wrapped in rebozos, can also be very nurturing and healing for the partner.

More info on what Closing the Bones entails can be found on my website.

At the bottom of the Trainings page you can find testimonials from recent trainings -- the workshop seems to touch everyone very deeply. 

If you in any way feel called, contact me about setting up a training near you -- for bringing a group of 7-8 women together and offering a space, I offer you 50% discount on the training fee. 

The full moon coming up next weekend on Sunday 9 February will be one in the sign of Leo, the lion, and will - as the Leo full moon always does - be governing the heart meridian. 
  
Follow the recommendations on the blog to reduce possible symptoms and balance the heart meridian for a whole-body healing effect. The Rhodonite & Clear Quartz Mala on the webshop is particularly good for healing this meridian (as are rose quartz, pink opal, red garnet and red coral).

* Shuniya Kundalini Yoga Facebook page: for class & activity announcements, special discounts, seva opportunities for workshops or retreats, posts on (kundalini) yoga, pregnancy, health, nutrition, ...

* Sikhs(') Nurturing Nature Facebook page, blog & website page: the places to be for caring for our environment and for all homemade products. On the Facebook page I share lots of posts and information on how you can reduce your carbon footprint, reduce your use of plastic, use products that are healthy for you AND Mother Earth, how you can make your own products, ... and generally try and help raise awareness on taking care of our Mother Earth and walking lightly on Her.

* Japjeet Kaur NYR Organic Independent Consultant Facebook page, Instagram japjeetkaurnyr & webshop: for information posts & special offers on any Neal's Yard Remedies Organic products.