MarilynYoga Newsletter No.6 April 2009
Hi and welcome to the sixth newsletter from marilynyoga.com.
Spring is here at last. It felt to be a long and hard winter, but beautiful now... and oh so welcome. Sunshine, and now the longer hours. It makes me feel quite giddy.

New year, new growth, fresh ideas, fresh starts.
Anything and everything seems possible.
You won’t get your computer jammed up with the regularity [or lots of?] of my newsletters,
but I hope you enjoy them, and maybe come to share your own ideas
My aim is that this site will become a place of fun, inspiration and shared ideas.

You may read any of the previous newsletters by clicking the following links:
November 2007 January 2008 March 2008 July 2008 January 2009

In this month's Newsletter:.
Real Men Don't Do Cats – But you'll be surprised at the ones that do
Flap and Forget It – Let's try to follow the duck philosophy
Meditation for Inspiration – A special one-off Friday meditation evening.
Mudra for the Month – Kubera may bring riches and ease more than the Credit Crunch.
Master Class Success – Our new, small-group, specialist classes a big hit with students.
The Upside of Upside Down – Inverted postures can change your view of the world.
Occasional 'Non-Review' Book Reviews – Some of the books I am currently reading.

What does yoga mean to you? – Is it mental, physical or is it much, much more?
It's That Boy Again – Through everyone's support Edward's message is getting through.
Poems sent in by readers – A few moving lines that were sent by one of our readers.
Next Meditation Classes – Back to more regular classes in May, check the dates.
WebsiteWatch – An interesting website and a really uplifting video.

It's a bit of a misconception that men don't do Yoga...
and it always seems a real shame that generally there are so few boys who come to yoga classes. Yoga is for everyone, and I am really impressed with the ones who do. I feel it shows incredible bravery to come into a class of mostly women. When yoga was first developed thousands of years ago, it was only men who were allowed to practise it.
My classes offer a balance of postures, breathing, relaxation and meditation and we most definitely have a substantial group of men who regularly attend. For those boys who do come, I have seen massive improvements in their grace and inner strength. I am so pleased they are there. If you need any further convincing, some famous men who have practised yoga include Yehudi Menuhin (violinist), Ralph Fiennes (actor), Sting (rockstar) & Jerry Seinfeld (comedian) as well as our own tennis player Andy Murray, who swears by it and says it is yoga that has upped his game. I am not going to promise that you will win Wimbledon but there is a very good chance that your mind and body will find a greater co-ordination and feel much more 'together'.
I was reading in ‘Yoga Journal’, a very good American Yoga magazine which has a great web site www.yogajournal.com , and is full of interesting and informative articles, The one I was reading was ‘Real Men Do Trikonasana’ by Fernando Pagés Ruiz, who said he was discovering that yoga wasn’t that ‘funny women’s exercise’ and defintely wasn’t for wimps. He told of three men from three different backgrounds who had come to yoga classes for differering reasons. One to relieve back pain after an accident, one to manage his anger, and one to gain more flexiblity.
Each one became ‘hooked’ and their comments now are “when I am doing yoga, my cares disappear.” and another, Ike Lasater, a lawyer from San Fransisco says “ being ‘open’ has allowed him to take more risks and feel more powerful”
Over recent months we have seen a few partners encouraged to 'come-along-and-see' with the result that they have become 'regulars' and are really feeling the benefits of Cats and Dogs and Warriors.
So girls, why not ask your partner if they would like to try – they may just love it!.

"I Flap my wings and am at peace with the world"
A duckily simple notion that we could well learn from.
duck

I am fortunate enough to live by a pond. It is right outside my back door... you may have to be a Pisces [or a water sign] to fully appreciate the joy of this. It is beautiful and we have ducks. Some are ours, a gift – [be careful what you wish for, but that is another story] and we get some visiting mallards, diving ducks, and canada geese. They are endless fun to watch and to learn from. Ours are Indian Runners and they are called Darcy and Elizabeth and we also have Kevin, who is half Runner and half Mallard... and she is a girl.
Sometimes when mallards arrive, Darcy gets himself into a real state. He paddles up and down with a very important look on his face, rounds up his girls, eyes up the Mrs Mallards and really doesn’t know what to do for the best.
Occasionally there is an altercation between two ducks. This never lasts long, then off they drift in opposite directions. Each duck then flaps its wings vigorously a few times, thereby releasing the surplus energy that built up during the kerfuffle and off to do more patrolling. There's just a flap and a flitter, then they float peacefully away as if nothing happened. (except, perhaps, too much use of alliteration)
If the duck had a human mind it would keep the fight alive by thinking -by story making - like; “I don’t believe what he just did. He came within inches of me. He thinks he owns this pond. He has no consideration for my private space. I will never trust him again. Next time he’ll try something just to annoy me. I bet he’s plotting something now. But I will be ready. I will get my own back and make him suffer” and on and on. Our mind spins its tales still thinking, still talking about it, days, months, years later, keeping the energy of the fight alive so that no situation is ever really finished. The mind and the story, keep it going.
Why? Why do we do this. Do we not have much more interesting, exciting, lovable things to do with our energy?
I love this and am reminded of it constantly as I watch our ducks flap their wings and get on, sailing about peacefully, even passing the time of day with the offending matelot.
So when I find myself living and reliving an event, I try to flap my wings and get on. It feels much better.

Meditation – Sometimes it can be used to inspire and motivate us.
Meditation helps us to come to know and understand our own mind. Then when we start to learn to steer it in the way in which WE want it to go, our lives can take on a whole new meaning and direction We have in built conditioning, preconceived ideas and mindsets about what exactly we can or cannot achieve. This has been built into us from childhood, by social conditioning, peer pressure, the media and we are expected to conform, fit in, to follow.
When we take charge, we begin to take over the driving seat and steer our own ship. Our dreams, often buried deep inside ourselves, start to become our reality. It is up to us to get a grip and not lose sight of our goals. Getting there may not be that easy, but if we prepare our minds for the PROBABILITY of success, we have started to construct a new path, going the way we want it to go. We can use the enormous power of the mind to support this aim, and with the tools of meditation make our longings become reality.
April 24th will be our special motivational meditation evening
It’s theme will be about doing things in your life that make your heart sing, creating for yourself an inspiring life... to go where you want to go and do what you really want to do... getting the mindset that will make it happen through the tools of our meditation.
This will be the usual time 6.15 till 7.30pm
After a short break, and there will be a snack to keep us going because then we have a very special guest Dominic Gill to talk to us and give us a video presentation. DominicGill

Dominic has travelled 20,000 miles from Alaska to Argentina on a tandem!
To make an adventure like this happen at all is a huge feat of positive mental attitude, but to keep going for over two years and complete the trip, filming and photographing on the way, is nothing short of astounding. His story will both inspire and entertain us. He will be telling of some of his adventures on the way, the highs, the lows and what it takes to keep focused, not to mention the many cures for saddle sores he has been offered [all suggestions written on a tube of savlon please]
Through his trip Dominic has collected over £6000.00 for his favourite charity Hope and Homes for Children. If you want to see more of this amazing trip, take a look at his website: www.takeaseat.org You may come for the first part only if you wish, or just come for Dominic’s talk.
Meditation only. 6.15 till 7.30 £5.00
Dominic 8pm till 9.30 (ish) £5.00 including snack
Both £8.00
Places will be allocated on a first come first served basis. Booking is essential.

The mudra this month is to help bring many 'riches' into our life.

Kubera Mudra.
Mudra

Kubera is the god of wealth...
Wealth doesn’t always mean money, maybe a wealth of possibilities, of new ideas, plans or friendships.
The tips of your thumb, index and middle finger come together, with the other two fingers curling into your palm.
Your thumb is represented by Mars [forcefulness], index finger by Jupiter [resplendence and exuberant joy] and Saturn middle finger [fixation on the essential and passing through new gateways.] So when these 3 fingers join forces it is obvious something is going to happen.
It is also known as the 3 finger technique from Alpha Training and can be used when looking for a free parking place, a certain book or information, a certain dress. It’s quite fun to put this mudra to specific use in everyday life. Some use it when they want to put force behind their plans for the future.
In your mind, formulate your wish or goal very clearly into words. But, ask your heart whether this is good for you and enriches your surrounding world. Press your fingers together as you do this. Whatever you want, the mental preparation is important. It should be done two or three or even more times a day, for several days or weeks.
Visualize your goal, your future, your wish, as you employ this mudra. see your goal, your vision, in all its colours. Develop the feeling as if it were already happening. Enjoy this part.
Larger plans will need more time, and it is obvious that we have to make our own contribution to them. We can’t just sit on the sofa watching TV and expect everything to come to us. We have to put in our own bit. So give it a try. Kubera mudra.
It also gives us inner repose, confidence and serenity... well it would wouldn’t it when we are getting our own way.
The Kubera mudra can be used in other ways too. It opens and decongests the front sinuses, especially if you draw your breath upwards as you practise, as if you were smelling a flower. Take your time with this if you want to clear your head. Sit for a while comfortably. Apply Kubera mudra pressing your fingers in the position so that you can feel it. Allow your arms and your face to relax. Just be there for a moment or two. Then imagine you are smelling your favourite flower. Draw the scent in through your nose. Enjoy the smell. Then let your breath out easily. Do this for five minutes, [or as long as you wish], and then simply relax your breathing and feel the free flow of breath in your nostrils. How does your head feel now? Take your time and ask yourself these questions. Has anything happened?
Maybe the wealth that Kubera is bringing is a wealth of new breath and a clear head.
This mudra can work wonders, or it has for me.

A really good reference is: Mudras by Gertrud Hirschi

Master Classes...a way to increase the benefits of our usual weekly class.
These are going so well and are so much fun. Very small, sometimes only eight or ten people, we have a great time. They really make sense of what yoga is and what it means to us. There is plenty of time for chatting, asking questions and giving feedback. and we all are experiencing different kinds of yoga.
In the first series we did the basics, where we experienced our usual postures, but through partner work and use of equipment, we took the postures to another dimension, moving out of our comfortable position and realising there is still movement, still adjustment, still something exciting in there.
The following series was Yin Yoga, a very soft , meditative and yielding style, which stretches and lengthens our connective tissue, slowly and safely making for much more flexibilty, It opens our joints in a very gentle yet progressive way. Often there are ‘road blocks’ in our circulation, or prana flow, and these blocks are very often at the joints. So by carefully opening the joints as we do in the Yin style, blockages are smoothed out and we have more energy.

“Practising Yin Yoga is an attempt to reach down into one’s own body and gently stimulate the flow of energy through the meridians of the connective tissue”

Paul Grilley

Yin yoga is a very quiet, deep and meditative style and reaches right down inside us.
Practising yin for an hour or so can be very revealing, and the three week practise brings a greater awareness, mindfullness and peace to our general yoga.

We currently, (April) are having a four week series exploring inverted postures.
Here are some pictures from the first class,everyone is at their own level and the small group allows us to progress at our own rate with individual attention and teaching.
This situation also generates group support and confidence together:
MasterClassPic

I love being upside down. (see the 'Inverting' article below)
It 's not all headstands. it is about being inverted safely, experiencing and enjoying all the benefits that being upside down brings to us. It’s about shoulder stands and halasana, the plough too, and getting there comfortably. I know for some these are not comfortable postures, but they have such huge benefits to us that it is worth spending some time getting them right, or adapting them so they are right for you.
A lot of the reason we don’t like being upside down, is the fear of falling over, so we will get over that fear and go back to that joyous feeling when we were young and feared nothing. Sometimes we don’t like it because of neck injuries, well we can get over that too. Inverteds, doing them comfortably and safely, gives enormous confidence to our psyche.
June Master Classes offer us a journey into back bends. Practised safely and sometimes with lots of equipment, which we can do in these small groups. We can then experience the beauty and joy and opening of a back bend with total comfort, and often hold and let go into the posture and really feel into what they mean. Back bends are also for anyone who has any sort of breathing problem. As we learn to back bend easily, safely and comfortably, we will feel what it is like to be open, and feel our breathing literally open up and be free.
July is ‘the more unusual’. Here we will be looking at things we don’t get to do in a general class, not necessarily more difficult, or more advanced, just.. well.. out of the norm. This again leads us to the edge of our boundaries, and maybe beyond. As we do on our mat, so it is in our world, who knows where this might lead...
Lots of stuff here for teachers too.
Have a look at the leaflet for dates and phone or email for availablity.
Future Master Classes will bring in the Chakras, breathing techniques. Revisiting the basics and inverteds has been suggested for those who missed out last time.

Inverting your view of the world can be surprising...
and practising inverted postures can turn everything upside down. On an emotional and psycholgical level inverteds throw new light on old patterns of behaviour.
They lift your energy, alleviate fatigue, create a feeling of lightness, increase mental power, stamina and self confidence.
They will tone your upper body and Improve digestion by increasing gastric fire. They also aid and improve the quality of concentration and meditation.
More than all this, being upside down deepens our understanding of ourself - a mirror for personal transformation
It has been written that the nectar of immortality [amrita] is held within the cranial vault at the seventh chakra. It is believed that over time this nectar drops down into the body and is burned by the fire of the solar plexus... however if you turn yourself upside down regularly, your amrita is retained, thus prolonging life and preserving your prana.. a regenerative elixir of sorts.. creating vibrant health.
Inverting encourages venous return and so helps blood, fluids, oxygen etc. to return to your heart effortlessly. It gives your heart a rest from working so hard to get fresh oxygenated blood to the brain and areas above your heart when in an upright position.
Your lymphatic system is responsible for waste removal, fluid balance and immune system response. Like venous return, the lymph system is also dependent on muscular movement and gravity to keep things moving efficiently. When you invert, you stimulate the lymphatic system which in turn strengthens your immune system, drains tissue fluids of the lower extremeties, clears congestion and improves circulation thus aiding tissue regeneration. It is clear then why inverting is great for colds, flu or sinus symptoms.
As David Coulter Ph.D [anatomy teacher, University of Minnesota] states in reference to inverting and the circulatory system “If you can remain in an inverted posture for just 3 to 5 minutes, your blood will not only drain quickly to your heart, but tissue fluid will flow more efficiently into your veins and lymph channels of the lower extremities and of the abdominal and pelvic organs, facilitating a healthier exchange of nutrients and wastes between cells and capillaries.”
People often comment how calm they feel after practicing headstand. So we may expect that there is more going on in the brain than simply being flushed with fresh oxygenated blood. Headstands have been linked with positive effects on the cerebrospinal fluid which is the fluid of the central nervous system that flows from the brain to the spinal cord increasing the supply of blood to the brain and also nourishes the neurones helping to flush out any toxins.
Shoulderstand also has a dramatic calming effect as it sedates and neutralizes the nervous system, and it is said to stimulate the thyroid and parathyroid glands that secrete hormones regulating metabolism.. which is why it is recommended for menopausal women.
The pineal and pituiatry glands which sit behind the eyes in the centre of the skull are responsible for growth and sex hormones. By inverting, we slowly release these valuable hormones, thus promoting vitality and possibly impending aging?
Standing on your head makes a difference and it’s fun. Inverted positions really make you feel good about yourself. You may be surprised.
If you catagorically don’t like or want to be upside down, ask yourself “Why?”
And if you just want to feel safe about it, we can look at ways which suit you to get your head lower than your heart. You don’t have to free stand on your head.
Perception
Perception may be distorted in many ways. One such distortion results from what is known as selective perception. This is the result of the influence of personal factors on perception. What we perceive reflects our past learning and present state of mind, as well as what is actually ‘out there’.
Being aware of these various types of perceptual distortions should make us less willing to believe our eyes - or any of our other senses.
What we perceive does not always correspond to reality [wrong knowledge]
Factors such as prior learning and the total visual context, in addition to the object or emotion on which we focus,the extent to which we receive specific information, all pay important roles in our interpretation.
Take a look at these images and don't believe your eyes right away ...

What do you see in the face of this woman?

Is this really the face of an honest man?

NOW FOR A DIFFERENT IMPRESSION TRY STANDING ON YOUR HEAD!

...Did you see someone else below the surface?

...Did you trust your first impression?

Which way up you look...
...can make an amazing difference!

Books I am reading
I appreciate that I have an opportunity to recommend the work of other authors- so here, by request, is the current reading list... some of the titles I've either just read, am reading or am about to read. Please feel free to send in your own recommended read.

“Yoga poems” a book of poems by Leza Lowitz (generously shared with me by Karma)
It’s fabulous. Leza talks you through the postures and these poems really give some meaning and depth to the poses. This is something I am always trying to impart. The postures we do are far far more than simply stretching. They go deeper and deeper into our psyche.
Here is an example, which is much more enlightening than any review I could write.
Baddha Konasana
[bound angle pose]

If you could call it perfection
what would it look like?
How would you know it, feel it, be it?

Wherever you are now
call it perfection
and know
that in this moment
it is really enough.

“A New Earth” by Eckhart Tolle (author of “The Power of Now”)
The crits said
“prepare for an amazing journey, where life gets better and better”
and it does
This book talks about, not the collective consciousness, but the collective unconsciousness. How the world [or us] is not really conscious at all. It gives you the confidence to let go of fear, anxiety and the eternal quest for more. It helps us to understand other people, their reactions, but more importantly our own.
About the eternal quest for more
You know when you have no food in the house to speak of, and you have to be creative...”all around the fridge soup” I call it... when you are eating up.
Well I have decided to do that with clothes. I have wardrobe full, so I am not going to buy any more for a year!
I have FOUR saris in my wardrobe, which I bought when I was in India. Now beautiful though they are, who needs four saris when you live in Denshaw.?.. well I might. as my jeans start to wear out. I also have some very very peculiar silk, mustard coloured trousery type things.. I can’t imagine what I was thinking or how I imagined my lifestyle to be when I bought them.. burt you’ll know when things start to get desperate when these appear on the scene.
So, by Christmas, I too may be looking very creative. Isn’t it funny when you decide something like that, emails from clothes companies, which I normally delete anyway, suddenly have the most gorgeous looking things in... in just my colour. I’ll let you know if or when I lapse.
ps do pyjamas count as clothes?
It brings to light, for me, one of the yamas [restraints] of yoga practise
Aparigraha
Non collecting – a letting go and development of feelings of non possessiveness. Not getting attached to material things. Not thinking “it’s mine”.
Whatever we may have, don’t think of it as a possession. That way it becomes a burden. When we collect things at a material level, they hold us like a ball and chain. We can have things without them becoming a bondage – do not identify yourself with the things.

Aparigraha means not having or taking more than you need. Do I really need three pairs of shoes... one in EACH colour? Do I really need ANOTHER book?

Do you have any books that have touched you that you want to tell us about?

What does yoga mean to you?

What is your interpretation of yoga?
It would be really interesting to find out.
Would you like to write and tell us and we can get lots of different ideas from all of you and what yoga means to YOU

Here are some people’s ideas:
Yoga is a toolkit for living.
Some days yoga is loafing on the couch with a good book.
Some days yoga is running a marathon.
Some days yoga is practicing asana (postures) at a yoga class.
Yoga is observing what our body, mind and spirit require at this moment.
...And respecting what we need at each moment.

     ...And sometimes this means being more disciplined other times this means not being so hard on ourselves.
Yoga is:
     My sanity
     My friend
     My own peace
     My feeling of lightness and well-being

Pause over each one and see how it affects you.
Is this what it means to you, or is it a possiblity
Yoga is not just about stretching.
     ...Or about being a vegetarian.
     ...Or about being flexible.
     ...Or about wearing cool yoga clothes.
Yoga CAN encompass these characteristics.....but it is much more.
What does yoga mean to you?
                             ...answers on a post card or by email please

Don’t forget Edward...He may not feature in every newsletter, but he's still there.
Edward

The www.sayhellotoedward.com website has been updated by the author, a lovely chap, (very unassuming but quite an influential person, who has got to know the family through a chance meeting), there are now some very impressive people who have agreed to put their names to the website as 'champions' for Edward.
Sir Cliff Richard, Sir Richard Branson and the pop group Take That head the list of personalities and I know some of our Yoga students have contributed to the cause so let's say a big thank you to everyone who is helping in whatever way they can.

Poems sent in by readers:
Every so often I am sent some lines that are moving or entertaining.
The following were sent in by Karen Halliwell and I think that they do both.

IF I HAD MY LIFE TO LIVE OVER - by Erma Bombeck
(written after she found out she was dying from cancer).

I would have gone to bed when I was sick instead of pretending
the earth would go into a holding pattern if I weren't there
for the day.

I would have burned the pink candle sculpted like a rose
before it melted in storage.

I would have talked less and listened more.

I would have invited friends over to dinner even if the carpet
was stained, or the sofa faded.

I would have eaten the popcorn in the 'good' living room and
worried much less about the dirt when someone wanted to light
a fire in the fireplace
! !
I would have taken the time to listen to my grandfather ramble
about his youth.

I would have shared more of the responsibility carried by my
husband.

I would never have insisted the car windows be rolled up on a
summer day because my hair had just been teased and sprayed.

I would have sat on the lawn with my grass stains.

I would have cried and laughed less while watching television
and more while watching life.

I would never have bought anything just because it was
practical, wouldn't show soil, or was guaranteed to last a
lifetime.

Instead of wishing away nine months of pregnancy, I'd have
cherished every moment and realized that the wonderment
growing inside me was the only chance in life to assist God in
a miracle.

When my kids kissed me impetuously, I would never have said,
"Later. Now go get washed up for dinner." There would have
been more "I love you's." More "I'm sorry's."

But mostly, given another shot at life, I would seize every
minute...look at it and really see it. live it. and never give
it back. Stop sweating the small stuff.

Don't worry about who doesn't like you, who has more, or who's
doing what.

Instead, let's cherish the relationships we have with those
who do love us.

Let's think about what God HAS blessed us with. And what we
are doing each day to promote ourselves mentally, physically,
emotionally. I hope you all have a blessed day.

Beautiful Women's Month
Age 3: She looks at herself and sees a Queen.

Age 8: She looks at herself and sees Cinderella.

Age 15: She looks at herself and sees an Ugly Sister (Mum I
can't go to school looking like this!)

Age 20: She looks at herself and sees "too fat/too thin, too
short/too tall, too straight/too curly"- but decides she's
going out anyway.

Age 30: She looks at herself and sees "too fat/too thin, too
short/too tall, too straight/too curly" - but decides she
doesn't have time to fix it, so she's going out anyway.

Age 40: She looks at herself and sees "clean" and goes out
anyway.

Age 50: She looks at herself and sees "I am" and goes wherever
she wants to go.

Age 60: She looks at herself and reminds herself of all the
people who can't even see themselves in the mirror anymore.
Goes out and conquers the world.

Age 70: She looks at herself and sees wisdom, laughter and
ability, goes out and enjoys life.

Age 80: Doesn't bother to look Just puts on a purple hat and
goes out to have fun with the world.

(I have to say, my ‘purple hat time’ is a lot closer than 80, and I love it. After all do you really love someone more because they have thin thighs, or for what they are wearing?)

Next Meditation Classes
Discovering the reasons why mediation works.
Join us on a trip through our feelings and senses. Explore the opportunities of making the peaceful seconds into minutes, and the peaceful minutes into always.
Together we will provide a relaxing atmosphere in which to learn and discuss the simplest of techniques, and on the last date there will be a light meal for those who wish to stay.
This is a really good reason to meditate.... Kay’s pies will be there [to live for] and super organic, energy-giving salads.
For the new or the experienced meditator.
Friday evenings 6.15 till 7.30 with optional time afterwards for a cup of tea and a chat
Dates: May 1st, 8th, 22nd and 29th
June 5th, 12th and 26th
July 3rd, 10th and 31st
Individual classes that can be combined as a group, or taken selectively as ‘drop ins’.
Cost: £5.00 per session
Numbers are limited so please make sure if you put your name down you will be able to come. Calling at the last minute does not give time for people on the waiting list to rearrange their lives.
They are held at Denshaw...very easy. Please ask for directions.

WebsiteWatch – last-minute addition!
Thanks to my son Ian for sending a link to Matt Harding's video.
This young man has filmed himself 'dancing' all over the world. To see the happy and sometimes bewildered locals joining in is one of the most heartwarming clips you can imagine, I hope you like it.
http://vimeo.com/1211060?pg=share_email&sec=http://vimeo.com/1211060
(You may need to let it partly download first if you have a slow connection)
His website, explaining everything, is here:
http://www.wherethehellismatt.com

For more details about any of the above
Telephone: 01457 870453
or Email: enquiries@marilynyoga.com

In the meantime - thank you for visiting.
With Love