June Newsletter

I had a lovely holiday in May, it wasn’t the holiday I had planned with family in England but it was pretty special.
I never thought I would be fit enough to attempt the hard long parts of The Great North Walk but I am. Thanks to my yoga practice my strength and flexibility got me up and down the rock scrambles. I also did a few walks backwards when it meant a downhill walk instead of an uphill struggle!
Dave and I started the walk in Sydney last year. It starts at a monument near circular quay, a ferry ride across the harbour along the Lane Cove valley and the beautiful Blue Gum Forest to Hornsby.
This month we started again from Hornsby and along another beautiful spot Berowra Creek then past Jerusalem Bay and up and down to Brooklyn.
I think we have completed about 12 of the 30 day walks.
We saw lots of different birds and are learning to identify them and the trees, an echidna did a terrible job at hiding from us, so we got a really close up look at him as we tip toed past.. We had to wait for a baby tree snake to find an easier climb up a rock and away from us, we paddled through creeks and admired waterfalls, sat on sandy river beaches, relaxed on warm rocks and admired wildflowers of every colour.
We sure do live in a beautiful part of the world!

BACK TO YOGA
It is 21st May and things are opening up and in my mind I had planned to return June 1st to teaching yoga. It could happen yet and hopefully it will happen before the end of June. I have my lessons planned and ready.
It always feels good to go back to basics, to the beginning. Where you learn a little more, move a little deeper; feel at home in the asana and the routine. I think of these postures as old friends I know them so well from the inside out and after such a long break you will feel the same.
This is a great time for new students to join us practicing a Traditional Hatha Yoga Class that is strengthening, warming & supportive. Feel your breath flow a little deeper, hold and stretch a little longer and relax more and more.
This is class one of the Heart of Yoga Online series and is available as a Gentle Class and a Regular Hatha Foundation Class.

ONLINE YOGA
I have a lot of new classes planned this month to add to my Strong Women Series.

Class 3 - Saraswati Wisdom. Saraswati is the goddess of wisdom, learning and creativity. Intermediate/Advanced Class
Class 4 -Power Is In your Hands. Ayurvedic Mudra or Hand Gestures Workshop and Gentle Yoga Class
Class 5- Healing Yin. A beautiful Gentle Yoga Class to rejuvenate you in lovely relaxing asana
Class 6 - Self massage equals self-love. A favourite Yin Class with marma & acupressure therapy.
Class 7 - Full Moon forgiveness meditation. Free yourself from the past & step into a happier future.

AFFIRMATIONS
Affirmations are positive messages for a positive attitude to life.
If repeated in a calm state of mind during meditation they can create powerful changes in how you feel.
My first introduction to using them was in Louise Hayes wonderful book You Can heal Your Life which I highly recommend reading.
It was the only book recommended for my Yin Teacher Training. Yin yoga postures are held for longer periods of time with the aim of relaxing the body and encouraging flexibility. The stillness helps quietens your mind. The most Yin of postures is Savasana.
We were taught to bring in other healing techniques whilst practicing yin including affirmations. This month we will be practicing some lovely affirmations. Our physical focus is strength and stability and our emotional focus using affirmations will be inner strength and stability.
For those of you familiar with the chakras you will know all ready this is The Base Chakra.
The first class of Heart of Yoga.
Physically and emotionally this foundation class encourages feelings of connection, stability, support, strength and balance.
Yoga is all these things.
It is the opposite of isolation, it is belonging.
I have been walking the Ancient Tracks feeling Yalbillinga.
Yalbillinga is an Aboriginal word for belonging.
Walk in and be a part of our beautiful bush, love and nurture all living things.
Our earth, ourselves, our world.
Namaste Julie