Sound Bathing and The Milk of Human Kindness
Spring brings new life, fresh starts and the transformative power of compassion
DIDGERIDOO SOUND BATH
March 15th, 7pm - 8.30pm ~ £20 per person
Yoga Junction, 93a Weston Park, N8 9PR
Craig Dickson joins us from Inverness in Scotland to share the ancient and healing magic of the Didgeridoo. Alongside native flute and other instruments, he will take us on a deep healing journey, bathing us in sound and vibration.
Craig says: "Every sound bath is different due to the uniqueness of the individuals present and the mix of energies participants bring in any given moment. The sound and vibration received during a sound bath is a direct reflection and response to the energy of the individual and the group. This interplay is what allows each person to unfold and connect with their potential for deep transformation and wellbeing."
Dear Yoga Practitioner,
Early Spring Blossoms
In the Northern Hemisphere, the first cross-quarter festival Imbolc, which happened on the 2nd of February, is now behind us. In the Pagan traditions, Imbolc (which means lamb’s milk, pronounced Immolc) heralded the beginning of spring. The lambing season would begin around this time, which gives the festival its name. It is good to remember this, as we witness the early Spring blossoms on the trees, the snowdrops and crocuses, and the daffodil leaves growing steadily upwards to create the support for their golden blooms. Spring can make itself known even when, in terms of the Gregorian calendar, we’re in the depths of winter.
A Fresh Start
Time is a funny thing… For who is to say, we can’t add an extra day to the year, or choose to celebrate New Year on various different days? There are so many chances to create a new beginning: the shifts of the seasons, the changing moon’s cycles, our own life cycles… Our closest star, the powerful life-giving Sun, encourages us to see each new day as a fresh start. The dawn air so dewy, vital and alive, lets us know we can leave the past behind us and step forward in life, with renewed energy and purpose.
Antidote to Sitting
I’m feeling a strong sense of new beginnings, as my yoga therapy diploma is nearing the end. I hoped to finish earlier this month, but it’s taking an extra month to finish my long essay on Yoga Therapy for the Hypermobile Sacroiliac Joint. I’m immersed in the research on fascia, the extracellular matrix, hypermobility spectrum disorder, interoception, proprioception, chronic pain, anxiety, mast cell activation syndrome and dysautonomia. All the desk work has got me learning into my asana and meditation even more avidly. My hips and lower back end me to the yoga mat, protesting with discomfort and stiffness due to being stuck in the same desk-bound position for so long.
Kindness and Commitment
One way we can make a new start is to recommit ourselves to tending to the needs of our body, our mind and our spirit. Not in a punishing, rules-based “should do this and shouldn’t do that” kind of way. Instead, being kind to ourselves, getting to know, love and accept ourselves is the way forward. Sack your nagging, Inner Critic, who has been whining on for years and dampening your spirit and scuppering your capacity for positive change. Instead, consider employing an Inner Coach who is there to support and encourage you towards tending to your needs in ways that feel empowering, fun and enjoyable.
Consciousness and Mind
There is a story of two birds, that appears in both the Mandukya Upanishad and the Bhagavad Gita 2.22. One bird is busy eating the fruit of the tree, pecking at the branches, building the nest, tending to the chicks, defending territory, chatting with other birds…. The other bird is silently witnessing all of this, without any judgment. Our mind is like the busy bird, and our consciousness is like the quiet one. Our mind is constantly problem-solving, avoiding, distracting, judging, planning, comparing, organising and doing all those things that make us human. Our consciousness simply watches all that unfolds. The more we can step into this unjudgemental witness state, the more we have access to those wiser parts of our mind that enable us to practice discernment in the choices we make; to be kind to ourselves and others.
Milk of Human Kindness
Kindness (ahimsa) or non-harming, is a quality I’ve been thinking about a lot recently. It is the principle yama (ethical precept) in yoga. We could transform ourselves and the world if we aimed to practice just this single observance. This yama will feature in the upcoming Day Retreat on the 24th of February. A day of immersing ourselves in kindness, is surely what we need in these troubled times. There are still places left, if you are free on that day, it’s running a little earlier than usual from 11am - 4:30pm.
New In-Person Yoga Classes in London N8
I’ll also start my Thursday 10am class at Shiva-Shakti Studios, with this theme. My intention for these Thursday sessions is to go through the whole of the Eight Limbs outlined in the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, over the course of a year. We’ll explore the ten yama and niyama and immerse ourselves in the other limbs of pranayama practice, asana (chakra based), pratyahara (kosha based). We’ll try out different ways of cultivating awareness, the witness consciousness of the calm bird. The aim is to embody these philosophical concepts through movement, breath and various meditation practices. As with the existing Monday 1:30pm, and new Tuesday 7pm class, participants are invited to bring along what needs attending to on the day. You can share this with me privately before the class, or with the class as a whole as we check in together.
For those of you missing the Tuesday Zooms, the in-person replacement classes begin on Tuesday 5th March. We’ll work with movement which unwinds stiffness and tension. We’ll cultivate restful breathing and deep relaxation, which eases pain, and connects us to our natural state of being. We’ll enhance our connection to the Earth, enabling us to feel grounded and safe in the here and now. These classes are ideal for those who are completely new to yoga, and for those who feel a bit overwhelmed by, or put off by, an ordinary yoga class.
Cultivating Grounded Well-being
If you are further afield in the world, I urge you to use this time this new day, this new week, this new Chinese Year of the Dragon, to reconnect with what brings you a sense of grounded well-being. Yoga for me, is the ultimate holistic practice, but whatever cultivates calm, focused embodiment will be healing and nourishing as a practice. This might be arts, crafting, cooking, dancing, singing, playing an instrument or spending time with nature. The main thing is to be in your body, to pay attention to your breath and allow things to be as they are, watching life unfold as it will, without trying to control or contain it.
Sensory Immersion
Embodied practices involve paying attention to the subtle details of your experience: the colours and light; the smells and flavours; the experience of texture, touch and sound. Take time to listen to the different melodies and rhythms in the birdsong or rainfall; wonder at the vibrant green velvety mosses and lichens; float your gaze amongst the clouds travelling across the sky. Simply be the witness, like the quiet bird. This practice of reverence and attention to this precious present moment can allow space for your mind to settle. This cultivates a sense of being comfortable in your own skin, just as you are.
And if, in any way, you struggle with dropping into this kind of awareness, then certainly get yourself to your local yoga class, or the free HY Monday morning Zoom meditation and enjoy being guided back to your breath, your body, your true self.
With love and good wishes,
Julia xx