This is the year, 2021, is the year to either try a class, come back to class, make room in your life for an extra class, develop your home practice or allow the Yoga to permeate your daily life. After everything we have been through over the past 12 months it is time that we all make some shift or change in how we go about things in our day to day lives to accommodate the huge changes that are happening all around us. At Yoga Yamabushi you will find classes that teach a practice that is physically demanding, will focus and calm the mind and is spiritually grounding, supported by a small community of caring, welcoming and kind humans. What we learn in class manifests in every part of our lives on so many different levels. So join me this year and make some space for something positive. You might have to give up something to come to class, rearrange some things in your life or ask someone to help you get there, but that is part of the process of Yoga becoming something that is integral to who you are and how you live in this world.

What times we live in! I am pleased to announce that I will start back with real life, face to face, in person group classes on Tuesday 10 November! Woo hoo, we did it, we got through what is hopefully the most restricted we will have to be with this pandemic. Although we don’t know what the future holds or really what this new Covid normal feels like all we can do is put one foot in front of the other and keep going on. But let us keep going on with attention and clarity, without losing sight of the things we have gained and without ruminating over the things we have lost. A Yoga practice can help you attain this.

Being aware of the subtle signs of the changing Seasons is one way to dissipate that feeling of time soup and settle your senses on the circle of life. Here in Melbourne the burgeoning Spring is ever present. Many of you have been posting pictures of abundant Magnolias, glorious full bloom wattle and colour saturated sunsets. In our Zoom classes we had a very special New Moon restorative practice that was serenaded by the abundant frogs in my frog pond. Their soothing chirping was broadcast via my microphone into the ether and into your homes, lulling us into a deep rest. The bird life in my garden has also been exuberant. Without any background hum of traffic their songs have been ever present and sweet.

How many days, weeks, months has it been? I’ve lost count. Time seemed both to stand still and unravel at full velocity. We had some spectacular Autumn weather with crisp clear mornings and sunny afternoons. We walked our streets and noticed the silence. Food was home made and shared. For some life was busier than ever, for some time opened up like a vortex. We muddled our way through some Zoom classes grateful for the technology that allowed us to connect and keep us on this path. Our troubles aren’t over yet but slowly and gently we are able to come back to the things we know and love.

I have been going back and forth as to whether to run our classes next week but I woke up this morning with some clarity.  Maybe it was the good, even energy of the Autumn Equinox.  Today the earth’s axis is inclined neither away from nor towards the sun and the duration of night and day are almost equal.  This balance, this evenness, this measure is something we work on and try to find in ourselves with our yoga practice.

2020 begins on the back of the worst fires in living memory and a feeling that the climate catastrophe is upon us and not a thing of the future.

Move with the rhythm of Spring, the birds are singing, my frogs are chirruping, the blossoms are out, it’s time to get moving.

Autumn is harvest time and what works in Nature so too works in ourselves. As I'm pulling out all the old growth from Summer in my veggie garden I'm also thinking of what I can let go of in my personal life; what is no longer serving me.  This may be a food that is disagreeable, an activity that is unnecessary or a relationship that needs a bit of a clean out.  Our immediate environment can also be considered.  You might not need to do a full Marie Condo but it's a good time of year to do a little culling of unnecessary things.

Just as everything in nature is starting to move, sprout and grow, so too it is good for us to spend time in meaningful activity.  It is easy at this time to be a buzz, to let ourselves get carried away with energy that we see and feel all around us, but we need to keep in mind that in nature nothing is hurried and everything is grounded in the earth.

As we pass through the Winter Solstice we have made space for quietude and reflection in class and cherished this time of respite.  Hopefully, seeds have been planted that if nurtured will grow abundant, and feed us through the coming, spring and summer months.  Just like the studio garlic that was sown on the equinox.  If the earth is well tilled, much will grow with ease. 

Join us for an evening of yoga, sound and chanting, to open your hearts, clear your minds and experience the sublime.  Rebecca of Yoga Yamabushi will lead you through some gentle yoga rooted in the Shadow Yoga tradition, while the mesmerising voice of Aarti Jadu and her guest Seth Rees on guitar will provide you with the musical vibrations to go deeper into your practice.  This will be followed by some uplifting chanting led by Aarti Jadu.

 https://www.eventbrite.com/e/yogasoundlive-tickets-45501339732

This is an exciting term for our small yoga community.  The new classes have been going well with quite a few new students and some regulars making the most of the flexibility.  Both classes will continue next term.  Please feel free to attend any of the classes on offer to make up any classes you have missed or just to try out a different time.  The morning and the night classes have quite a different feel and sometimes it might be just what you need.  The early morning 6am classes might seem a little daunting to some of you but believe me you will really benefit from practising at this hour.  These classes also help for those wishing to further develop a home practice.

Happy New Year from Yoga Yamabushi, community Yoga in Camberwell, Melbourne.  We have already had some scorching hot days with more to come and there is no better way to sustain yourself through this time than with some grounding Yoga.  When the things around us can seem all over the place, effecting our moods and emotions having a regular Yoga practice can help keep everything in check.  Sign up to a class this term and start 2018 with a positive, calm, centred space in your life.  Something that you can fall back on when things go awry or can support you when life is racing ahead.

Slowly but surely we have moved into Spring after a particularly heavy winter.  So now is the time to embrace some change in your life, start something new or give up something you don’t really need.  A great time to start some yoga, so welcome to our new students, we hope you get much out of this inspiring practice.