Marilyn
With love from Marilyn
MarilynYoga Newsletter No.1 November 2007

Hi, and welcome to our very first newsletter from
marilynyoga.com. Thank you for subscribing and I sincerely hope you will find something here to interest you each time you visit. Our new website should, in time, be a place where we can all become involved and hopefully find a tiny space on the huge internet where we can feel safe and encouraged to help each other with our large and small problems. Sharing our highs and lows with our friends everywhere.
Meanwhile, read on and enjoy.

In this month's Newsletter:
News about Workshops - What's coming and going in our Yoga circles
Working with the Rhythm of the Seasons
- Tuning ourselves in to the Planet
Meditation and Relaxation - Seasonal-Sessions,-NEW-for this time of year
Reiki News - The latest from my new Reiki students
Reiki Drop-In Clinic -NEW- Saturday morning Reiki in Uppermill
Holiday Adventure - Outdoor Yoga with a sting in the tale!
Foundation Courses - Take your Yoga further and deeper
Yoga Show - The biggest Yoga event...but, not for Manchester!
Get Involved - Your opportunity to contribute to marilynoga.com


News about Workshops
We had our chakra workshop right at the beginning of the month. It was well attended as always. Chakras are endlessly fascinating... and we all learned a bit more about them. We also of course learned a little more about ourselves, which is the whole point.

We have all felt our chakras... butterflies in the stomach, heart palpitations, loosening of the bowels, dry mouth, tenseness in the throat
They are subtle energies but nevertheless there and correspond to the hormone system.... and to the physical body, and to our emotions.
We asked ourselves “do I feel there is a balance in my life and harmony in my relationships with others? Am I happy just to be alive?” and then tried to work with that , not worrying whether anything was ‘blocked or unblocked’, but just trying to bring a bit of balance throughout.

I would welcome a review of this from anyone who attended.

There were some who experienced a Healing Reaction after the session.
Practising yoga all day, and focusing on chakra energy, can often do this. Emotions that have being lying dormant can present, or tiredness can ensue as toxins are lifted and removed. This is good news, as things are shifting about.

The next workshop to come up is November 18th and it is going a little deeper into our practice and spending more time exploring pranayama and the very real effects this can have on us, and how we can use it to our advantage.

On December 8th we are having our “Big Chill” on Saturday morning at Denshaw Village Hall.
This is a lovely hall, very easy to get to, off the main Ripponden/ Oldham Road, and opposite the Junction Pub, with it’s own car parking. If you need any directions, email me.
This is a morning of yoga and relaxation... the ultimate chill ... so we will be fully prepared and ready to handle the feasting and merriment of Christmas
All are welcome
[but it would be handy to know if you are coming for an approximation of numbers.]
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Working with the Rhythm of the Seasons
In our classes both the yoga, and the meditation and relaxation classes, we have been focusing on rest and recuperation in rhythm with the season.
It’s easy to get out of sync with the rhythm of the earth, Christmas arrives in the shops in September, strawberries can be eaten in December, central heating keeps us warm all the time... [no need any more for liberty bodices. ..now... if you know about those..!] and we ignore the cold outside and then are surprised when we leave our homes and start shivering.
So, our practice has been a quiet practice to keep our energy together, to allow for rest and recuperation after the summer, and keep us prepared for next year. Much like when you put the garden to bed in the autumn. It feels as if everything has closed down, but really there is a lot of energy coursing around in the earth.

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Meditation and Relaxation:
Sometimes it can be a bit scary to think of going to meditation classes, but let me assure you that it is not. It’s okay. We learn to begin to use the full potential of our minds, and we do this by relaxing into it.. Giving our mind a rest from the incessant chatter that goes on inside... the going backwards into the past, rehashing stuff, the endless worrying and planning. We should be the master of out thoughts, but often we are not and we let our minds take over. This takes up a huge amount of energy, and this is one of the reasons that the practice of meditation and relaxation helps to give us more energy.
We set off with a bit of a chat and then practice a short breathing exercise, and then have a relaxation. Guided relaxations are one of the healthiest things we can do. It is here that we let go of everything and our bodies are given the space they need to be able to heal themselves on a cellular level. The more we do this, the healthier and more peaceful we become.

It’s a great start to a weekend, leaving the week behind.

The new Seasonal Sessions Meditation courses are shorter than usual, in three week terms, Friday evenings, 6.15 till 7.30 on Nov. 2nd, 9th and 16th, and then Nov. 30th, Dec. 7th and 14th. They are designed to allow us to get a fresh insight into the way we can guide our minds into a rest and recuperative state through actively helping ourself to take the time. If we start this process from a sympathetic association with the changing of the seasons it may well be a lot easier. Sounds simple doesn't it, but we don't always consider the way that the planet itself and time of year is influencing us. If we work with it rather than against it we can learn to keep our heads clearer, maintain a better balance and have more quiet energy.
In addition on the 14th there will be a seasonal get-together with minor 'feasting' after the last class, for anyone who wants to stay on.

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Reiki News
We had A Reiki Level One attunement and Brenda , Shanaz, Kathryn and Helen attained their certificates. It has been quite difficult to get Level Two attunements going, but the Masters is due to be held in December.
Don't forget that there Reiki exchanges approximately every six weeks, which are a really good method of keeping our Reiki practitioners in touch each with other and by sharing views and ideas makes sure that everyone benefits from the best that Reiki treatments can offer.
The next ones are: 12th November and 17th December. I look forward to seeing everyone then.

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Reiki Drop-In Clinic
Perhaps the most exciting thing that we have been able to start this autumn is the clinic. We opened our new Reiki Drop in Centre at the Civic Hall Uppermill. This is a pilot scheme which runs every Saturday 9.30am till 12.30, and is for anyone who would like to experience a short Reiki Session. Lots of people don’t know what it is or how it will benefit them so here is a way of taking that first step quite easily. A full Reiki treatment would normally last for up to an hour, or maybe more, but this shorter, half hour period, is still valid and gives an opportunity for the recipient to judge its effectiveness. You do not have to be ill to benefit from the Reiki energy. If you are feeling brill and full of beans, it will keep you that way. Reiki energy always works for your highest good and goes where it is needed most.
We have volunteer qualified Reiki Practicioners and you will be welcome to have a 20 to 30 minute treatment for a suggested donation of £3 which goes to charity [after paying the rent on the Hall].
Cups of tea/coffee/herbal teas and biscuits are freely available.
No need to book.
Come along... it’s nice!
Our first few weeks have been an unparalleled success, with an average of 14 people being treated each morning. The volunteers have been wonderful, and everyone agrees that the atmosphere is lovely... full of love... can’t say better than that.
Many many thanks to all the helpers.

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Holiday Adventure
AllInSunglasses
It feels a long time ago now, but this was our summer adventure. Yoga, as always, was evident in every aspect our daily lives. The dogs were particularly into the relaxation aspect when they immediately 'took the lead' by donning their sunglasses for the official holiday snap.
We went away to our caravan in the middle of France beautifully positioned in a friend’s field, grass, trees and open space with nothing else there... water is to hand and we have bottled gas, but the real joy was seeing if we could run the caravan by a solar panel. We found we could. Up in the morning to check the volts. It was not always brilliant sunshine, indeed not very often, but it was light and enough to fill our four battery bank for every mod con you could want.
The holiday was a delight. `Yoga asanas outside in the sunshine. As the sun fell warm upon my practice, my muscles soaked up the rays and I found I could go deeper and deeper into poses. Although blissfully quiet, distractions were still here in other ways. The ground was uneven, creating a different feel to the postures. Sometimes a lump of grass would present itself and send me off balance if I was not fully immersed in what I was doing. Sometimes a lump would appear and give me stability and a false sense of achievement. Meditation and relaxation was shared with insects and flies, who taught me to be still.
And ahimsa. Ahimsa means non violence and is one of the yamas, the codes of conduct set down for yogis by the great sage Patanjali. The practice of non violence in yogic terms stretches much further than “thou shalt not kill’ It reaches to your own self, being kind and non violent to yourself, and others, in thought word and deed. Working with ahimsa,means having peaceful thoughts as well as actions. Thoughts are energy, and as such violent thoughts produce violent energies. And we can be violent by proxy.
In our caravan Alan discovered a wasps’ nest in the air vent of the shower. Not a big one, but potentially it soon could be. Wasps are not easy creatures to deal with, and they do not like being disturbed and rendered homeless. They are not so mild as bees and can be quite aggressive even when they aren't being evicted! “I could get some fly spray and squirt some of that up the vent, but it would probably kill most of them" said Alan, "and we don't know how far into the roof they have gone." It was all very well for me to adopt the virtuous ahimsa attitude when I did not know how to deal with them at all. I could say “okay. It’s your karma,” but I was being complicit in this, and really, it just would not do.
Being a Reiki practitioner I had heard of asking unwanted guests to leave with the help of Reiki. (does this apply to wasps, ants and also to unwanted house guests, I wonder?)
I sat and meditated, asked Reiki to help and asked if the wasps would please leave .
The wasps were still in the vent. Alan was strolling about thinking, and I was meditating. I remembered Dr Usui’s teaching of Reiki and when he first began and he was with the poor in Japan. The poor took the Reiki and remained the same beggars and in the same state, as they did not help themselves. So I thought I had better be pro active in this asking the wasps to leave.
Alan said we could smoke them out, which was a plan. But this involved getting something smoking in the tiny bathroom, not ruining the bathroom with smoke, and not setting fire to the caravan. But I knew this was going to work. This was asking the wasps to leave, and simply helping them on their way by simulating the smoke warning effects of a fire. Almost natural I thought.
Water and fire extinguisher at the ready. Alan made a ‘smoker’ by lining a small frying pan with tin foil and scrunching up some dry grass in it. I was up a ladder on the outside watching the vent and the exodus. Bathroom window open in case the frying pan needed to be ejected instantly. The smoke began to puther through the vent, ever so gently. This is going to work I knew it. I started to chant the Reiki mantras and the wasps flew up and out and off with no aggression. I counted them out. There were only fourteen. Two remained on the outside looking to get back in, or not knowing where to go. “How are we doing?” came the cry from the bathroom. “I think we are clear here now.”
“Two on the vent , Al, and now some are coming back to see if they can get back in”
“We need a brush to gently sweep them off so as not to aggravate them” said the voice from the bathroom.
“Bring one with a long handle” I say, knowing full well we didn’t have one.
Grumpy noises off and then Alan appears with a short brush hurriedly taped to a caravan stabiliser handle. The wasps were starting to return. Al, quick as a flash, up the ladders, brushed the wasps away ever so gently, and up-ended an orange B&Q bucket over the vent. Next day a mesh pan-splatter protector was coaxed into place to prevent our 'guests' returning to finish their holiday.
Ahimsa was maintained and the wasps had left us peacefully.
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Foundation Courses
Foundation Course Level One is due to begin on November 11th
This is always a lovely course, enjoyed by everyone and I am excited about the new one starting. We always say at the beginning that “This is the start of the most tremendous, exciting adventure.” It most certainly is, not always as you may imagine, but always thought provoking and always exciting. These courses are for people who want to go deeper into their practice than general classes allow. Although, when you have gone to a deeper understanding, this becomes apparent in the general classes that you attend. This is how the classes, as ‘drop-ins' and ‘suitable for all abilities‘ work. You, the students, are all working on different levels, according to your own knowledge and application. You can put as much, or as little into the practice as you wish.
It is nice to go to a class and not to have to think about what to do next, or to be interrupted by the workings of your own house. As you progress on the yoga path, you will feel that it is more about what goes on in your head, than how far you can twist your leg to meet your nose. This is not to say that the asanas are not important, or stretching your body. This is a vital part of keeping yourself healthy and becoming aware of how you are.
It feels great and makes us feel good.
Letters I receive from students express how much they have gained and how it encourages a deeper exploration of the techniques of yoga, how this is applied and how it helps in daily living, taking yoga beyond the class, beyond the mat and applying it to their lives. They feel they are becoming better at handling life, managing their minds, dealing with their stress, and expressing the positive sides of their personality. They are becoming freer and more joyful.
After the Foundation Course ,which involves almost a year’s study, students have undergone a process of transformation and then begun to integrate yoga in the way they feel, think, act and react... which after all is the true purpose of yoga.
Hey, that gives me a great idea!
Why don’t some of my Foundation One students put a few words together about how the course affected them. Email me so they can be made into an article to be included in another newsletter, who knows we just might start something here!

Krisnamurti said:
“If you begin to understand what you are, without trying to change it, then what you are undergoes a transformation.”

Foundation Level Two is due to begin early 2008.
This second level goes deeper still, into pranayama, philosophy and meditation and thereby into knowing ourselves. One of our main focuses is in developing your own, tailor made practice, spending more time on a one to one basis, taking in your own personal needs and requirements. The course is for anyone who has completed Foundation Level one, also for teachers, and serious students of yoga, who may not have done the Level One and want their own nurturing and personal development. Those who may have done this course previously and have been “wondering where to go now’ might find they want to consider visiting it again. It gives a structured time for yourself. The course has evolved, but even if it was exactly the same, it would be different as you yourself are coming from a different place. Think about when you do a yoga practice. If you do it one evening, and then do exactly the same the next day, it is different. You feel different, you have had different experiences in between... sometimes it’s better, sometimes it’s more thought provoking. One change made for this course is that we are going to take a weekend away. The subject of this 'Course-within-a-course' will be meditation and the chakras. We will further our knowledge of these elements by giving them clear definition in a refreshingly different environment. These deeper levels are about empowerment and will help you to continue on your spiritual path, develop your personality and have a steady foundation of practice around which your life will revolve. Becoming stronger, positive and more aware, you will thereby be more open to apply living yoga for the good of yourself and others.
Foundation Level Two encourages your inner journey and as we we continue this way, we begin to attract more of the things we really want in life, and less of those we don’t.

It may be of interest to note that the BWY have recently made Foundation Level Two count as “In Service Training ” for their teachers and student teachers.

If you think you may be interested, please let me know.
Phone me up, or email for a chat.

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Yoga Show
The Yoga Show is on in London on November 23rd, 24th and 25th at Olympia. We will be going down to see what is new there. Although yoga itself is 5000 years old, so really there is nothing new, but there are always different ways to present it, It’s a massive exhibition, with teachers from all traditions showing us differing ways they practice yoga, and their own interpretation on it, which you may like or not. We are all different and what suits one, does not suit another.
There is also tai chi and other related holistic stalls, stands and demonstrations.
The exhibition has been held in Manchester before, but they are now telling us that there will not be another one up here, which for us in the North, is a great shame. However for the readers of this newsletter, we will try to include a short report in the next issue.

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Get Involved
I very much hope that you enjoyed this first
newsletter from marilynyoga.com, it has been a very exciting event for me and getting my first really active website up and running was quite a drawn-out process. What it has made me realise is the huge potential of things like this to not only communicate, but to share ideas and feelings. Initially this will probably just link together many of my students locally in the Greater Manchester area, but the nature of the internet is such that, who knows where it may lead? We could be sharing our yoga experiences with people on the other side of the planet, wow! We can all contribute and your ideas will help it grow.
What about a discussion area?
How you felt after this yoga class or that particular meditation? It’s nice to know that someone else feels like you do sometimes and you are not going barmy. It’s good to talk to people who are on the same wavelength. It’s not easy to talk after a yoga class, but we may get to know each other this way.
What about different things that affect you, the weather, company, or food for instance.
How about some recipes?
There are so many pumpkins about just now [obviously at the end of October] but how much pumpkin soup can we eat? What else can we do with the flesh after carving faces in the shell? Do we have to make a face in the shell. I always cut out an ‘OM’ sign in mine, beautifully carved by the ‘carving angels’ [Alan].
Or you could send in your Mum’s favourite warming hot pot. It would be nice all eating it together, but separately, if you know what I mean.
How about a photo or two? I know Joyce will send us a brill one. She has the most beautiful yogic cats. We may even have a photo gallery.
I am also considering looking at one asana in depth each time, and making the news letter and/or the website itself a yoga resource for us all. What do you think?
What about green issues?
How about us all having a time to sit down together and send love to each other and then to the rest of the world. May only take 5 minutes. What do you think?
How powerful is that?
The world is our oyster, as they say. [I wonder why?]. I am sure you will have many more ideas.
Looking forward to hearing from you
See you next time

With love.

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