When the mind settles, it becomes a mirror and reflects our own true nature. This clarity fosters healthy relationships with ourselves and the world around us.
Finding Stillness: A weekend exploring the first chapter of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras
June 22nd-24th 2018
Friday 6-8pm | Saturday 9.30-4pm | Sunday 9.30-4pm
LOCATION | Wellness Movement, 121 Trafalgar St, Nelson
INVESTMENT $225 (earlybird $200 if booking before May 21st)
The workshop takes place over the Winter Solstice weekend. It’s the perfect opportunity and time of year to feel into stillness. Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras offers us practical wisdom. It describes how we can use our yoga practice to calm and focus our minds, allowing us to see ourselves more clearly. In this way we become aware of our habits, and the ways in which we contribute to our suffering. Then we are offered the tools to help us change these habits.
Exploring the Sutras together.
In this weekend workshop entitled Finding Stillness, we will focus on key sutras from chapter one. It describes the goal of yoga, and the obstacles we will encounter on our way towards that goal. It makes clear from the very start that yoga is about the mind, and that the mind is our biggest hurdle and at the same time our greatest ally in our pursuit of the goal.
In line with tradition, we will begin our explorations through chanting in a call and response fashion. This practice, which we call adhyayanam, encourages us to listen closely, so that we can repeat the sounds to the best of our ability. First we listen to the teacher, then we listen to ourselves. Self observation and reflection is the central theme of the sutras, and this chanting practice provides a wonderful mirror. The Sanskrit sounds and syllables carry strong connections to the elements in nature, and can therefore impact us on all of our layers. It is good to ‘feel’ the sutras through the practice of adhyayanam before we satisfy the mind by deciphering their meaning.
After the chanting practice, we will look at the meaning of the sutras, and we will see how this ancient wisdom can support us in our modern world. There will be time for discussion and questions as well, so that you can connect to the philosophy of yoga in a personal way.
In order to take the learning deeper, we will also do some simple movement practices, incorporating the chanting of key words or phrases. Then you will be offered a delicious restorative pose by Sam Loe, so that you can let go of thinking and allow the experience to settle in your body.
Lynda Miers-Henneveld is a yoga teacher and yoga therapist who lives in Wellington, NZ. She has been teaching yoga for more than 20 years. For the last 7 years, she has delved fully into the Krishnamacharya lineage gaining great insight into the traditional Yoga teachings. Studying the Yoga Sutras in depth has inspired her to find deep healing and purpose. She loves to share the wisdom of the Yoga Sutras and the joys of yoga with students of all lineages and practice levels.
The weekend is hosted by Sam Loe. For more info email samloe@mac.com or call 021 524 9595