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Hello everyone, Thank you so much to those of you who completed the online survey and to those of you who have been in touch. I do hope everyone is well. We have all been through such a whirlwind of a year so far. I wanted to send you all an update after spending a lot of time working on whether it is feasible to start our indoor classes up again. Whilst the indoor class guidelines are achievable, this would mean dropping the class number down to 6 due to the requirement to have 2 meters between each person’s 2m mat space/bubble (as you will see from the diagram).  I am sad to say that this means indoor classes will not be viable due to the costs of the hall and cleaning equipment now required for before and after each session. I am also very cautious of the concern regarding a second wave of infection, so wonder whether it is also more sensible to postpone face to face teaching until we know a little more. I know this will be disappointing for some of you, as it is for me. I so miss seeing you all in person and connecting with you all. However…. I will not be disheartened! Until indoor classes can restart, I will be teaching a Zoom live weekly class and also record sessions for those who wish to purchase and practice on another day. I have spoken with many other teachers and students who have found that zoom classes have proven to be great and would prefer to keep doing them for the time being. There is also the bonus of being super comfortable in your own home – or maybe even practice in your PJ’s! Zoom classes will commence from Tuesday 15th September 7.30pm Booking and payment will continue to be online via: https://bookwhen.com/aeronyoga I will require a NEW Student Health Form from everyone who wishes to attend online classes. I have attached this to the email for those of you who want to get this done ahead of our first class. I cannot admit you to class unless this is completed and signed/emailed back. If you are totally new to class I will set up a phone call or zoom call to have a chat with you before your first session and so we can make sure that appropriate modifications are in place for any injuries or conditions. Also coming in October 2020: Online Chair Yoga For those who are totally new to the world of online classes – please do not worry, I am more than happy to help you get set up in any way I can. If you have any questions at all, please get in touch. With love, light, and all things bright, Aeron
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As we enter March, we start to see the first flowers opening, the trees starting to blossom. We’re not quite there yet, but the seasons are on the shift again. Gradually there is more light stretching out our days, and a sense of renewal as the earth begins to thaw and shoots start appearing.
Change… *holds breath* Notice how the word makes you feel. The one thing we know about change is that it is happening to all of us, all of the time. There are definitely some of us out the who crave change and thrive off the excitement of doing things differently. Some of us would rather pretend we were an ostrich and hope it all goes away by the time we dare to take a peep. A lot of us are somewhere between the two… depending on the context. “The only contact in life is change” - Heraclitus The concept of change being “constant” can be pretty scary and this is because change is associated with risk. Sometimes even loss or endings. And even when change is perceived as exciting and positive, we can still find the transition away from what is comfortable and familiar to be highly unnerving. The thing that change creates within us is a sense of uncertainty; a not-knowingness. And whether we realise it or not, we have a choice within this not-knowingness. We can approach change with our heckles raised and our walls up, only to be left feeling dragged along or completely bulldozed. Or we can approach it with an openness or heart and curiosity of spirit, a willingness to learn and continue our evolution. When you embrace change you allow yourself to cooperate with the natural evolution that is the reality of existence on earth. - Jack Canfield Even when the change is highly uncomfortable, maybe even excruciatingly painful, we have the opportunity to observe this within ourselves, to watch the rise and fall of our internal tides of sensation. But by no means is this always easy! To have the ability to allow and welcome change gracefully requires a firm sense of our stability, a known and felt base of support to keep us safe in the midst of the unknown and flux. This month our intention is to embrace change. On the mat, we will observe our internal reactions with a willingness to explore and be curious; a practice of keeping the channels open. Our physical postures will encourage rooting down in order to welcome flow.  https://allevents.in/london/mindfulness-and-self-care/1000091115812849 The longest relationship we will ever have in life, is the one we have with ourselves. This is the most important, the most intimate relationship we will ever know. Yet it can very often be the relationship we neglect the most. Many of us find this relationship the most difficult to nurture. We become so accustomed to giving out our care and compassion, our energy, that we subconsciously give ourselves the message that we don’t matter as much as everyone else.  Hasta Mudra of the Month https://www.yogiapproved.com/om/heart-chakra-mudras/ Hridaya Mudra is the gesture of the compassionate heart; ‘hri’ means heart and ‘daya’ means compassion. This mudra directs prana (energy) to the heart, freeing up any blockages. On a physical level, this mudra stimulates and balances the respiratory and circulatory systems. Sit with this mudra for 5-30 mintutes. How to practice:
Benefits of this mudra:
Hensley, A. (2020) Mudras to Powerfully Connect to Your Heart. Retrieved from: https://www.yogiapproved.com/om/heart-chakra-mudras/ Saradananda S. (2015) Mudras for Modern Life. London: Watkins The significance of the breath is what makes yoga unique from many other practices. It is what transforms it into a holistic and mindful science. We breathe all of the time; 24 hours a day! But how often to we stop to pay attention to our breath? Yet our breath is often a complete reflection of our emotional state. When we are deeply relaxed, our breath naturally becomes slower and deeper down in the lungs. We we are stressed or anxious, we may notice our breathing become more rapid or shallow, often felt higher up into the chest area. During our yoga practice on the mat, we have the opportunity to tune into the breath; to notice its quality, pace and texture. Even the simple art of mindfully paying attention to the breath often has speedy effects. The benefits of paying attention to the breath are felt physically, physiologically and psychologically.  PHYSICAL BENEFITS
When we coordinate our movement with the breath or explore the breath in a posture, our movement and physicality becomes more productive and efficient. We have a 360° capacity to breathe; the lungs expand forwards and backwards, side-to-side, and up and down. During our practice on the mat, we work with enhancing this capacity by preparing, strengthening and stretching the muscles that support these actions. As a result, we maximise our respiration potential. PHYSIOLOGICAL BENEFITS Physiologically, the breath has a direct response on the autonomic nervous system; regulating whether we are in sympathetic (fight or flight mode) or parasympathetic (rest and digest mode). When we coordinate our movement with our breath, practice pranayama techniques, or even simply focus on slowing and deepening our breath, our respiration become for effective. This directly impacts us in myriad ways; for example, our heart rate, blood pressure, circulation, hormones and the quality of oxygen supply to the muscles. PSYCHOLOGICAL BENEFITS When we master the ability to pay attention to and manage our breath we begin to master our own ability to and manage our emotions; a natural and necessary aspect of us but also one that can sometimes feel imbalanced or outside of our influence. When we are able to manage our own breath, we have the direct ability to switch on our own relaxation response. This months sequence is focused on ‘Emodying the Breath’. We will prepare the body for optimal breathing capacity and efficiency; strengthening and stretching the muscles to create more space for the breath. We will practice paying attention to the breath, coordinating our movement with our breath, and switching on our parasympathetic response; ultimately aiding relaxation and healing. Gratitude is a powerful practice. Gratitude is defined as “the feeling or quality of being thankful”. It is the acknowledgement and appreciation for what you already have. We all experience those times when we feel anxious, overwhelmed or burnt out - right! Have you ever deliberately shifted your focus onto what you feel grateful for? And felt it immediately lift you, lighten you? Even if only a little at first.  https://www.awakenedspirityoga.com/blog/2019/2/3/gratitude-a-way-of-life There is no right or wrong thing to be grateful for, it can be the big things; love, nature, seasons, family, friends. It can be the not so obvious things; time for that coffee in the morning, that stranger who held the door for you, smiling at someone and seeing them smile back, hearing the birds in the morning. When we pause to be grateful, all of a sudden we come into a true sense of abundance.
“Studies show that gratitude not only can be deliberately cultivated but can increase levels of well-being and happiness among those who do cultivate it. In addition, grateful thinking, and especially expression of it to others, is associated with increased levels of energy, optimism, and empathy.” “Further, the beneficial effects snowball over time. Brain scans of people assigned a task that stimulates expression of gratitude show lasting changes in the prefrontal cortex that heighten sensitivity to future experiences of gratitude. The emotion literally pays itself forward.” 1 I feel truly grateful each and every time I come to class and practice with you all. I feel grateful and honoured to be sharing an ancient science that offers so many gifts. I am grateful to each and every one of you, with all my heart, just because you are you. In November classes we will be working on bringing balance to Sahasrara in our practice of asana, breath work, hasta mudra (hand gestures), meditation and relaxation.  https://www.chakras.info/crown-chakra/ Sahasrara, the 7th of the larger chakras, is the crown chakra. Here we realise our connection with the whole; our supreme unity with the universe. Sahasrara is where we find pure awareness, spiritual will, higher knowledge and our internal higher guidance. Depicted as a thousand petalled lotus, violet or sometimes white in colour, unfolding from the crown and expanding in all directions. Sahasrara is associated with the sense of thought and consciousness and the element of cosmic energy. It is boundless and unrestricted, described by those who have attained it as ecstasy and bliss.   https://i.pinimg.com/originals/9b/39/59/9b39599162070b3c372b6241ae742777.jpg It is vital to pay respect and acknowledgement to our sources:
Judith, A. (2015) Chakra Yoga. Woodbury: Llewellyn Publications. Pacheco, R. (2016) Do your Om thing. New York: HarperCollins Publishers. Saradananda, S. (2015) Mudras for Modern Life. London: Watkins Media Ltd. Saraswati, S. N. (2016) Prana and Pranayama. Bahir India: Bihar School of Yoga. Simpson, L. (2016) The Book of Chakra Healing: A Spiritual System of Cosmic Healing. London: Octopus Publishing. In October classes we will be working on bringing balance to Ajna in our practice of asana, breath work, hasta mudra (hand gestures), meditation and relaxation.  https://www.chakras.info/third-eye-chakra/ Ajna, the “third-eye” chakra, is the sixth chakra and translates as “command” or “perception”. It is located at the centre of the forehead, between the eyebrows and governs the eyes, nose, brain and pituitary gland and pineal gland. Sometimes called the guru sense, it is associated with intuition and inner wisdom, guiding us to connect to our own inner teacher. Ajna connects us to both our outward and inward perception, and is the governing force behind intuition, dreaming, imagination, visualisation and focus. Ajna is often associated with the element of light and the sense of sight and mind, however it is also called the sixth sense; that of instinct. It is depicted as an indigo/purple lotus with 2 petals and the bija mantra is Aum/Om (Saraswati, 2016)  It is vital to pay respect and acknowledgement to our sources:
Judith, A. (2015) Chakra Yoga. Woodbury: Llewellyn Publications. Pacheco, R. (2016) Do your Om thing. New York: HarperCollins Publishers. Saradananda, S. (2015) Mudras for Modern Life. London: Watkins Media Ltd. Saraswati, S. N. (2016) Prana and Pranayama. Bahir India: Bihar School of Yoga. Simpson, L. (2016) The Book of Chakra Healing: A Spiritual System of Cosmic Healing. London: Octopus Publishing. In September classes we will be working on bringing balance to Vishuddhi (sometimes called Vishuddha) in our practice of asana, breath work, hasta mudra (hand gestures), meditation and relaxation.  https://www.chakras.info/throat-chakra/ Vishuddhi, the fifth chakra, is the energy centre of the throat, and translates to “purification”. It is the first of the higher energy centres, located behind the throat pit and related to the thyroid gland. This is the centre of communication and self-expression, the emphasis being on developing the ability to convey clear and purposeful speech and thought; expression with the value of compassion generated from the heart. It is associated with the element ether (space) and when Vishuddhi is activated, the mind becomes freed from thought and filled with space. Also governing the ears, it is the point for receiving sound vibrations and when awakened and purified, this chakra sharpens hearing through both the ears and the mind. Vishuddhi is depicted as a blue lotus with 16 petals and the bija mantra is Ham.  http://www.yogetrymats.com/yogablog/creativity-expression-and-communication-opening-the-throat-chakra  It is vital to pay respect and acknowledgement to our sources:
Judith, A. (2015) Chakra Yoga. Woodbury: Llewellyn Publications. Pacheco, R. (2016) Do your Om thing. New York: HarperCollins Publishers. Saradananda, S. (2015) Mudras for Modern Life. London: Watkins Media Ltd. Saraswati, S. N. (2016) Prana and Pranayama. Bahir India: Bihar School of Yoga. Simpson, L. (2016) The Book of Chakra Healing: A Spiritual System of Cosmic Healing. London: Octopus Publishing. In August (and a little of September) classes we will be working on bringing balance to Anahata in our practice of asana, breath work, hasta mudra (hand gestures), meditation and relaxation.  https://www.chakras.info/heart-chakra/ Anahata, meaning “unstruck”, is the heart chakra. The fourth chakras which is located at the centre of the chest at the level of the physical heart. This is the centre of love, compassion, healing and acceptance. Anahata is also the powerful junction between the lower earthly chakras and the higher spiritual chakras. Here we experience refined emotions and can also become more aware of the emotions of others. Anahata is associated with the sense of touch and its awakening enables healing of others, either via direct touch or by radiation of energy. It is the centre of divine love and the generator of emotion and devotion. Anahata is linked with the element of air and is often symbolised by a green lotus with 12 petals and the bija mantra is Yam (Saraswati, 2016). Often it is depicted with 2 triangles that form a star. The downward one symbolising spirit descending downwards through the body, whilst the upward one represents the matter rising from the root to meet the spirit. Anahata is associated with deep compassion for others and the self, and the development of self-acceptance (Simpson, 2016). I sometimes think that people’s hearts are like deep wells. Nobody knows what’s at the bottom. All you can do is imagine by what comes floating to the surface every once in a while. Haruki Murakami  It is vital to pay respect and acknowledgement to our sources:
Judith, A. (2015) Chakra Yoga. Woodbury: Llewellyn Publications. Pacheco, R. (2016) Do your Om thing. New York: HarperCollins Publishers. Saradananda, S. (2015) Mudras for Modern Life. London: Watkins Media Ltd. Saraswati, S. N. (2016) Prana and Pranayama. Bahir India: Bihar School of Yoga. Simpson, L. (2016) The Book of Chakra Healing: A Spiritual System of Cosmic Healing. London: Octopus Publishing. In July classes we will be working on bringing balance to Manipura in our practice of asana, breath work, hasta mudra (hand gestures), meditation and relaxation.  http://www.aditattva.com/manipura-chakra-psychological-attributes-of-manipura-chakra/ [27.6.19] Manipura, the solar plexus chakra, is the third chakra and is located between the navel and the lower ribs. Manipura is associated with heat, vitality, ambition, power, courage and self-will. Responsible for storing and radiating prana (energy); like the sun radiating light, Manipura diffuses the prana around the body. Associated with the element of fire, often represented as a bright yellow lotus with 10 petals. The bija matra (sound vibration) is “Ram”. When manipura is off balance, we may experience low self esteem or excess of ego. Physically, we may experience adrenal issues, intestinal disorders, arthritis or chronic fatigue. When manipura is balanced we feel energised, have a steady metabolism, good digestion, and strong will-power. “Here, you summon the power to act. You know who you are, thanks to your first chakra. You know what you feel…thanks to the second. Now you know what to do. You take action (Pacheco, 2016).  It is vital to pay respect and acknowledgement to our sources:
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