Om Mani Padme Hum

Wishing you Kindness, Love, Light & Laughter for 2015

copyright s-c peace, peace yoga 01.01.15

At the start of this new year I invite you to focus on the qualities of Ahimsa; the practice of being non-violent in feelings, thoughts, words, or actions, being compassionate to yourselves and others.
 
For the last 2.5 years I have struggled to reconnect with myself following serious traumatic injuries to my physical and psychological self and with Ahimsa in mind I am setting myself an intention to consciously be kinder to myself, to find myself again. I aim to begin by rediscovering my roots, grounding myself by reflecting on past experiences which have inspired me and by letting go of things which no longer serve me. This self care, appreciation and kindness will grow to be shared and enjoyed by others.


I encourage you not to overload yourself by setting countless resolutions which can ultimately create frustration by adding pressure for you to constantly achieve at higher levels, often resulting in failure, this is not kindness it is unkindness which spreads through you and to those who share your life. Instead I hope you can set the intention to be kind.

We all have a seed of beauty within us and this like any other seed needs to be nurtured to help it grow. Practicing meditation particularly with a mantra can help you connect to this seed and self care will guide its development. When I began to train to teach Yoga the first Mantra I discovered which resonated with me was Om Mani Padme Hum so it seems fitting for me to reflect upon its meaning now. I was unaware of its interpretation at the time but it instantly felt right for me. Chanting this Tibetan Buddhist Mantra silently or aloud brings connection to self, oneness, unity. Dependence upon this Mantra guides you to connect with your true self to cleanse your mind body and words from within, letting go of impurities as you travel towards enlightenment. This personal growth is akin to the lotus flower which steadily grows from a seed in the murky depths underwater, gradually rising upwards emerging as a beautiful flower bathing in the sun.

So this year try being kind and set yourself intentions rather than resolutions to see where your journey takes you...

Om Namaste

Further information;

Om Mani Padme Hum
"The jewel is in the lotus or praise to the jewel in the lotus

by His Holiness Tenzin Gyatso The Fourteenth Dalai Lama of Tibet"

http://www.sacred-texts.com/bud/tib/omph.htm 

Om Mani Padme Hum Mantra Audio;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=owL1HNAV8qs 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VFIQguh2yYI 

Swami Samarpanananda Saraswati

Feeling blessed after meeting Swami Samarpanananda Saraswati 

who visited our local town... 

Swami Samarpanananda Saraswati 08.11.14

Find out more about his inspirational work;
http://www.samarpanyoga.org/Sam.htm
http://samarpanyoga.weebly.com/samarpan-yoga.html

Write up to follow soon...

Om Yoga Show | Takes you Beyond Expectation

Om Yoga Show Manchester 2014


Firstly a big thank you to https://www.ommagazine.com/ for inviting me to blog about my experiences whilst visiting this amazing show. I'm so pleased the show has made it to  Manchester - long may it continue, we're already committed to attending next year.
http://www.omyogashow.com/manchester/home.php
For those lucky enough you can also catch the Om Yoga Show in London October 2014. http://www.omyogashow.com/london/home.php

OVERVIEW
You can feel the serene atmosphere as you enter the building, yes even arriving at the Om Yoga Show is a calming experience, (unlike the usual trade shows you encounter where people are moaning about the queue as soon as they enter the foyer and pushing you forwards if there's an inch to spare). Even the ushers are full of kindness, it immediately feels like a wonderful place to be. Every hint of rushing is left behind you as you enter this world of vibrancy and happiness. 

The great thing about the Om Yoga Show apart from the diversity is that although the scheduled workshops with a fee are worth every penny, there are scheduled open workshops where you can join in for free or spectate. 

Fitted with wrist bands my husband and I were all set to welcome whatever lay in store.

There's a lot of information to share with you, so much in fact that it felt right to split it into different pages to make it easier to take in; Here's a summary, please see applicable posts for further details, observations and research links.

Itinerary Day 1 
Workshop 'Mindfulness ABC - Simple Steps for Busy People with Louise Palmer'
Sun Power Yoga Yoga training school with established teacher Anne Marie-Newland
Dru Yoga Now offering a Yoga Therapy Diploma
Workshop 'Lessen the Hold of Anxiety with Yoga Therapist Lisa Kayley-Isley'
Midland Hotel It's literally on the doorstep of the show, wonderful calm place to stay

Itinerary Day 2
Workshop 'Whats IN the way IS the way! With Mike George'
Sun Power Yoga Open Class with Anne-Marie Newland the founder
Dru Dance Sound Stage presentation
Lotus Crafts Checking out meditation cushions - wide range and great colours available
Sahaja Yoga Thoughtless awareness meditation based on encouraging Kundalini flow
Om The Ball Sound Stage presentation, a strong yet delicate practice all about balance.

Mind Body Soul Experience Running alongside the Om Yoga Show in a separate room containing a mystical selection of natural sciences and age old wisdom's, more info here;
http://www.mbsevents.co.uk/Manchester/about/about-the-show/index.asp

We hope these posts give you a taste of the show & we really do recommend you go!

Om Namaste

Om Yoga Show | Workshop 'Mindfulness ABC - Simple Steps for Busy People with Louise Palmer'

Day 1 Workshop 1 | Mindfulness
 
Mindfulness ABC Simple Steps for Busy People with Louise Palmer, Founder of Camyoga

 breathe > notice > be

This was the perfect way to start the day. Louise Palmer had a life of various roles with Yoga in the background and then as she grew Yoga took over becoming her main focus. She founded Camyoga and works with Transformational Breathing, Yoga Barre and  Mindfulness.

Mindfulness is born from Buddhist tradition, it is the art of being present, accepting, none judgment and none attachment. John Kabbatt Zinn is referenced as the person who transformed this Buddhist practice into understandable digestible chunks for all to ingest in our modern world. Louise explained how we get stuck in a groove in our life and the longer we continue in that groove the further we become entrenched, we need intervention we need mindfulness to help us get out, we need to; 

stop > observe > proceed 

Otherwise we simply dig ourselves deeper and deeper into that very same groove. Just think about your daily routine, how blinkered are you when you are in this invisible daily groove? For example do you remember washing your face, were you actually present when you ate your breakfast, where was your mind when you were getting dressed, do you think you noticed your journey to work and how much of your day do you consciously experience? Do you often have knee jerk reactions taking everything personally? Mindful intervention can help you learn to pause before responding hastily and therefore you respond from a much calmer place and with interest to what has been said. Consider this situation; if someone says something to you about you that you don't like, rather than offering a knee jerk reaction, don't take it personally but pause and react calmly wondering why they have said that to you. We as a species project ourselves onto others, so what people are saying about you is actually about themselves and it works both ways of course so for example next time you give someone some advice, just notice that the advice you are giving is actually for yourself! Mind blowing isn't it, really makes you consider a new perspective.

Louise went on to highlight how we should set an intention each day, be it for short or long term achievement, it could be something we need to achieve or a behavior we wish to convey for example; today I will be kind in all my actions, I will listen to my bodies needs, I will forgive etc. This intention brings focus and can help reduce our 'should' lists that breed guilt within us and resentment of others. We were reminded that we live in a society where doing right brings praise, we forget it is absolutely fine to make mistakes yet interestingly the most common thread between highly successful people is that they openly admit they don't know everything and are not afraid to make mistakes, we do after all learn from our mistakes.

"You lose if you argue with reality, only 100% of the time"
(Byron Katie)

Being mindful means you are living in the moment, not judging but experiencing the present moment. When we become judgmental we raise our emotions and expectations we enter into 'fight or flight', this is a primal state from our caveman days designed to protect us when feeling threatened/frightened, it gets us ready to flee, our resources become limited, our digestion shuts down and our adrenalin kicks into action as we prepare to defend ourselves or escape. This primal response is proven to be calmed by bringing your attention to your breath. When you are in a stressful situation or indeed know you are going to be entering one remember to breathe...its your saving grace, it is always with you from the moment you are born, it always brings you back to your true self, to calmness. 

The really brilliant thing is that it takes seconds to breath and you can spare a few seconds or even minutes every single day. If you have been breathing shallow for some time taking full breaths can make you a little light headed, do not worry this is normal as your oxygen intake increases and the feeling will soon pass.

Breathing Techniques 
These can be practiced sitting upright, lying or standing. It can help to guide your breath if you rest one hand below your naval and think about breathing in from your tail bone all the way up to your collar bones. Gently letting the breath go as you exhale. Your mind focuses on following the breath and counting the duration of each stage of the breath.
1 Breath Count
Inhale from tailbone upwards for 4 seconds > retain 4 seconds > exhale 4 seconds >  breath 4 second

4 Breaths Counts
Inhale from tailbone upwards for 4 seconds > retain 4 seconds > exhale 4 seconds >  breath 4 seconds
Repeat 4 times

Intervention Toolkit
To get you out of your groove and prevent being triggered into reaction

• single present focus; 1 thing at a time
• pure perception; none judgmental
• beginners mind; treat even repetitive things as if they are brand new
• mindful breath; imagine breathing from your tailbone upwards
• anchor your body in the present; ground through your feet/body with the ground/floor
• following your breath; counting silently as you follow your breath cycle

It's easy to find opportunities and reminders to apply mindful breathing in every day situations

• 1 breath
  When the phone rings, when the traffic lights are on red, before texting, before driving, before a meeting
  
• 4 Breaths
  When the alarm goes off and you hit snooze, before eating, before sleeping

Further info;
Camyoga runs a ‘gold standard’ 8 week Mindfulness course, as developed by Jon Kabat-Zinn. It has been described as life-transforming by those who undertake it.
http://www.camyoga.co.uk/
https://www.facebook.com/Camyoga
https://twitter.com/CamYogaStudio
https://www.youtube.com/user/CamyogaStudio

John Kabat-Zinn
Professor and creator of the Stress Reduction Clinic and the Center for Mindfulness in Medicine. Developer of Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction. Creator of Guided Mindfulness Meditation Practices
http://www.mindfullivingprograms.com/whatMBSR.php
http://www.mindfulnesscds.com/ 
https://twitter.com/JonKabatZinn 
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiXin0FNEmFAcl_QEfrPBkA

Byron Katie
Author and speaker who encourages self inquiry through a system she calls 'The Work'.
http://www.thework.com/index.php
http://www.byronkatie.com/
https://twitter.com/ByronKatie
https://www.youtube.com/user/TheWorkofBK

Chad-Meng Tan
Author of 'Search Inside Yourself' a book which offers you a whistle stop tour of Mindfulness.
http://www.chademeng.com/meng_bio.html
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Search-Inside-Yourself-Concentration-Self-Control/dp/0007467168/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1399978369&sr=8-2&keywords=book+search+inside+yourself+chade-meng+tan

Om Yoga Show | Sun Power Yoga | Teacher Training School

Sun Power Yoga - Excellence in Yoga Teacher Training

 
Visiting the Sun Power Yoga stand was a real treat for me as this is the incredible training school where I began my Yoga career some years ago. It felt like coming home...  

If you are considering a career as a Yoga Teacher you should check out this vibrant Teacher Training School, established since 2003 with intensive courses in the UK and abroad:

UK; North England, South England, Midlands, London, Glasgow, North Cornwall, Leicester, Leeds, Manchester, 
Abroad; Greece, Italy, Spain and Turkey.

Sun Power Yoga is an innovative contemporary form of Yoga offering an eclectic mix of styles interlaced with traditional roots. The founder Anne-Marie Newland holds a wealth of knowledge to share with Sun Power Yoga students with over 30 years experience as a Yoga Teacher and Teacher Trainer, whilst also being the UK Representative of the European Yoga Alliance. The School is accredited meeting the National Occupational Standards of Great Britain. The 200hr Diploma is a REPs (Register of Exercise Professionals) Level 3. There is also a 500hr Diploma. Regular CPDs are run throughout the year. With this highly accredited school and once qualified you can teach anywhere in the world.

The training course is thorough, intensive and highly rewarding. You will learn a lot about Yoga and a lot about yourself at this renowned school. You will be amazed at what you can achieve as you deepen your Yoga knowledge and be very well prepared to teach this all-encompassing form of Yoga to your clients.

Going beyond the mat Sun Power Yoga also offers teacher training in Sun Aqua Yoga, an inspiring blend of Yoga having the added holistic benefit of being taken into the water. It can suit a range of clients including those seeking remedial work and the super-fit. You can also learn Aqua Yoga for Pregnancy specifically for working with Pre and Post Natal clients. The Sun Power Yoga Training School doesn't stop there, it also brings you Om The Ball http://peace-yoga.blogspot.co.uk/2014/05/om-yoga-show-om-ball.html an amazing combination of Yoga and a Pilates Ball. 
 

"BREATHE DEEP. TAKE THE CHALLENGE. CHANGE YOUR LIFE. TEACH." 

Anne-Marie Newland

 

Sun Power Yoga Excellence in Yoga Teacher Training

Check out the links to find out more.

Further information;

http://www.sun-power-yoga.co.uk
http://www.sun-power-yoga.co.uk/sun_aqua_yoga.php 
http://www.sun-power-yoga.co.uk/sun_om_the_ball.php
https://twitter.com/sunpoweryoga

http://www.europeanyogaalliance.org/en
http://www.exerciseregister.org/ 

Om Yoga Show | Dru Yoga | Yoga Therapy

Dru Yoga Therapy Diploma

http://vimeo.com/77527667

Dru Yoga are now offering a Yoga Therapy Diploma. It's a 500hr course spread across 2 years. More and more of the world is waking up to the wealth and power that Yoga has to offer and it's healing properties are being recognised. The amount of GPs recommending Yoga is growing and Yoga Therapists are set to grow in demand too. 

On the course you will learn how to work 1:1 with clients or in groups and design therapeutic programmes for specific conditions. Once qualified and registered with the CNHC (Complementary and Natural Healthcare Council) you will be recognised as able to work alongside other health professionals such as GP's, Osteopaths.

You will need to have 2 years post qualification Yoga teaching experience to commence this course.

Further Information
http://www.druyogatherapy.com/
http://www.druworldwide.com/
https://twitter.com/DruYoga 
http://vimeo.com/77527667 

Om Yoga Show | Workshop 'Lessen the Hold of Anxiety with Yoga Therapist Lisa Kaley-Isley'

Day 1 Workshop 2 |  Anxiety

Lessen the Hold of Anxiety with Yoga Therapist Lisa Kaley-Isley, Life Tree Yoga

This workshop focused on reducing our SAD's;

• Stress
• Anxiety
• Depression

Lisa talked about being mindful in your Yoga practice, tuning in and noticing what type of Yoga is right for you and when it is right for you. All to often we compete in this world, Lisa encourages a change of approach, being kind to yourself through your Yoga practice. This practice of mindful movement will help to be kind to your self, to practice gently and reduce your SADs.

We all know breath is important, it's what keeps us alive. But consider this, just how alive are we when we are suffering any one or all of the SADs? Short shallow breathing is present and this is feeding the SADs. Take a moment, take a few seconds right now and just breathe; breathe slowly and smoothly with both your inhalation and exhalation. Feel yourself begin to relax...

We all think we haven't got time to breathe properly but it takes seconds and It has been proven that consciously breathing boosts your immune system whilst improving your digestion and physiology.

Lisa guides us to find peace within whilst practicing mindful Yoga. Lisa also teaches us that whatever we are thinking has the same physiological effect within us as if we were actually doing whatever that thought is. The same chemical reaction takes place, for example if you think about one of your favourite things to eat your mouth starts watering, equally if you think you are in danger your body reacts as though it is - it tenses and tightens, your fight or flight reflex has been activated, your sympathetic nervous system has sprung into action. Women especially in this instance can tend to freeze, it's time to activate the parasympathetic nervous system and focus on breathing to introduce a sense of calm again.

Lisa takes you through a sequence of Asana's that move every part of your body reminding you to listen to your body and treat it gently in your practice. You are encouraged to begin the workshop with a breath count of 4 and aim to lengthen this count through this practice as you open your body to create more space and calm yourself to breathe fully. You will feel lighter and calmer leaving this session than when you entered.

The Bhagavad Gita was referred too and as with the meaning found in the book we were encouraged to 'stand up' for ourselves and for what is right in life. Navarati was also referenced.

Navarati  
Is an Indian festival celebrated over 9 nights and devoted to the Divine Mother. This festival celebrates the triumph of good over evil and encourages the removal of all negatives, to purify the mind and cultivate positivity from within. 

Lisa then reads a poem to the group which ends with these significant words of comfort;

"Never be afraid...I've always got your back"

We are then given a healing mantra which is said to grow in strength each time it is shared, so please pass this on...

From the Devi Mahatymyam 
Sarva Swarupe Sarveshe Sarva Shakti Samanvite
Bhaye Bhyastra Himo Devi Durge Devi 
Namostute

Translation
O Divine Mother, everyone and everything is your manifestation. 
All forces, physical and spiritual are under your command. 
I pray thee: may everyone in the world be free from fear.

(Can be listened to at approx 02:18 > 02:39 here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CvF8BJ4kcws )

(Can also be listened to here at approx 02:00 > 02:10 here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Y57Qjvb9aQ

Further Information; 
http://www.lifetreeyoga.co.uk/home.html
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Life-Tree-Yoga/1404207089853666 

http://www.thelifecentre.com/teachers/lisa-kaley-isley
http://www.yogacampus.com/meet/lisa-kaley-isley/
 
http://www.bhagavad-gita.org/ 
http://www.bhagavad-gita.org/index-english.html