Williamstown Yoga Centre Newsletter - February 2010
The art of living is neither careless drifting on the one hand nor fearful clinging on the other. It consists in being sensitive to each moment, in regarding it as utterly new and unique, in having the mind open and wholly receptive- Alan Watts
Welcome to the Williamstown Yoga Centre newsletter, a quarterly publication that allows you to download our newest class schedule and informs you of what is going on within the Williamstown Yoga Centre community. We hope you enjoyed a lovely break over the Christmas period and are now feeling eager to resume your regular yoga practice. Feel free to e-mail us if you have any comments or further questions: fiona_hyde@hotmail.com.
In this newsletter, you will find information about:
- Williamstown Yoga Centre’s very own baker! - Yoga Therapy with Deb Robertson - a Women’s Yoga and Wellbeing Retreat at Mission Beach - the next Yoga for Fertility Course - a Chakra Workshop in March - our new Kinesiology practitioner - an interesting article about incense – ‘Do you know what’s burning in your incense?’ - and for a copy of our latest timetable, visit us online: www.williamstownyoga.com.au
To Believe...
To believe is to know that every day
is a new beginning.
It is to trust that miracles happen,
and dreams really do come true.
To believe is to see angels dancing among the clouds,
To know the wonder of a stardust sky
and the wisdom of the man in the moon.
and the beauty of an aging hand,
for it is through their teachings we learn to love.
To believe is to find the strength
and courage that lies within us.
When it is time to pick up the pieces and begin again.
To believe is to know we are not alone,
That life is a gift and this is our time to cherish it.
To believe is to know that wonderful surprises
are just waiting to happen,
And all our hopes and dreams are within reach.
If only we believe.
(Author unknown)
River Bakery - Naturally-leavened Artisan Sourdough
We are delighted to announce that Craig Gardiner, wonderful hatha yoga teacher and long standing practitioner at Williamstown Yoga Centre, has now commenced baking for the teachers and students at our Centre. For more information, read on…
Free from bakers yeast, added gluten, sour flavouring and the long list of ingredients found in many advertised “sourdoughs”
All loaves approximately 900g and all $5
Traditionala bubbly sourdough texture - perfect for bruschetta, sandwiches or as a “dipper,”
unbleached white flour and wholemeal rye flour, filtered water, sea salt.
Wholemealnice and wholesome - great for a salad sandwich or toasted with organic honey!
Place order by email with Craig (cgardiner2@bigpond.com) by 6pm Wednesday for pick-up at the yoga centre on Saturday morning.
Yoga Therapy with Deb Robertson
Deb Robertson is now available for Yoga Therapy appointments and private classes on Wednesdays between 1 – 5pm at Williamstown Yoga Centre.
Deb is now in her fourth year of Yoga Therapy in the tradition of Krishnamacharya, as taught by his son TKV Desikachar and grandson Kausthub Desikachar and the journey continues to be enlightening and deeply rewarding.
Yoga therapy offers a caring and holistic approach and is complimentary to western and eastern allopathic medicine and other healing modalities
Care and respect for the different needs and strengths of each individual is central to this approach. It is not a one size fits all..
“Yoga therapy has been invaluable in helping me to deal with chronic back pain. Deb coaches me in breathing and gentle yoga techniques that allow my back muscles to relax and release their spasm. I am then able to resume my day, without overwhelming pain, relaxed and feeling calmer and more positive.” Emma
Personal, one to one tuition can assist in dealing with injury or illness, and also helps us in the journey of life and is beneficial for students wishing to deepen their understanding of the many tools and possibilities of yoga
Deb also teaches chanting, meditative practices, introduction to sutra studies and yoga philosophy to individuals and small groups.
Phone to discuss your requirements or make an appointment.
Women’s Yoga and Wellbeing Retreat with Susanne Calman
Take a sabbatical from your life, travel to a sanctuary where beauty & serenity meet. Slow down, simplify & embrace time to be. Rediscover what nourishes & inspires you, step back into your life renewed & replenished.
A SLICE OF PARADISE - Sanctuary Retreat with its purpose built Yoga studio is located in the rainforest of tropical North Queensland. Set high on a hill, catching ocean breezes, this accredited Eco-lodge looks out across the forest canopy to the Coral Sea. Delicious food is available from the Sanctuary Restaurant, while self-catering facilities are available. Secluded rainforest fringed beaches, trips to the Great Barrier Reef & White Water Rafting are amongst the many temptations of this idyllic location, while a range of relaxing massage therapies are available to complete your relaxation.
DAILY PROGRAM (6 days + 1 free day)
8am – 10.00am
Restore your body & rest your mind with healing Yoga
Time to relax, time for reflection, walk in the beauty of nature, swim, have a massage
4.00pm – 5. 30pm
Self Care Practices or Guided Relaxation to enliven your heart & soul
Evening Meal
Enjoy a delicious vegetarian evening meal in the Sanctuary restaurant with Susanne and your fellow participants.
Wednesday
A free day. A mid-week break to enjoy the beauty of the surroundings and to do as much or as little as you like.
PRICES INCLUDE: 8 nights accommodation, yoga tuition, 7 vegetarian dinners & take home gift pack (value $60). Other meals choose to dine in-house (additional cost) or look after yourself in self-cater kitchen.
* Massage optional extra at $75 per hour.
EARLY BIRD SPECIAL: $100 discount if you book before 31st April 2010
RAINFOREST HUT (share bathroom)
Twin/dble share: $980.00 per person
Single: $1204.00 per person
DELUXE CANOPY CABIN (with creature comforts)
Twin/double share: $1314.00 per person
Single: $1764.00 per person
For further information, FREECALL 1800 777 012
www.sanctuaryogaretreats.com.au
Next Fertility Course with Susanne Calman
Saturday 6-27 March 2010 (4 week course), 2-4.30pm
Your Chakras Your Life: An Introduction to the Chakra System
By Rose Farrugia
Each Chakra influences you in a unique, physical, mental emotional and spiritual way.
In this workshop we will gain an understanding about:
- The key energy centers, the 7 major chakras
- Their function and how they affect your life
- We will discover the physical mental and emotional aspect of each chakra
- How our chakras become unbalanced
- Why our chakras need to be balanced
- We will take a journey through our own chakra system and map the state of our OWN chakras.
By gaining understanding and working with your chakras and energy system you will gain insight as to what you need to gain more health and balance in your life.
When: Sunday 28th March
Time: 11.15am – 5pm
Venue: Williamstown Yoga Center 109 Douglas Pde Williamstown
With a special interest in women’s health, learning & development
What is Kinesiology? A blend of Eastern Medicine & Western Science, Kinesiology is a form of Complementary Medicine that is highly effective in its own right, yet also beneficial in conjunction with other therapies to provide additional support.
It is a gentle and non invasive treatment which stimulates your body’s innate ability to heal, restoring balance and wellbeing.
The Benefits of Kinesiology When you feel discomfort or experience trauma, your body stores stress patterns in its subconscious. This disrupts the flow of energy within your body, leaving your energetic systems out of balance. If stored for too long, this can manifest physically, emotionally or mentally and lead to states of dis-ease.
The aim within any Kinesiology balance is to correct the flow of energy (qi), by looking past the presenting symptoms & going to the core of the stress - enabling transformational self healing for the mind, body & spirit.
What to Expect…During the balance, muscle monitoring is used to receive feedback from your body. By doing so, this technique identifies imbalances within the structural, chemical, mental and emotional energy systems, allowing the session to be guided in a way that is unique to each individual.
Various techniques are utilised throughout the balance, such as; muscle monitoring, acupressure, therapeutic touch, visualisation, affirmations, vibrational therapies such as crystal, colour and sound, breath work, and flower essences.
Utilising these tools alleviates stresses at physical & energetic levels, bringing about positive change. The body is then restored to a state of harmony and inner peace. Once the balance is complete, you will leave with support (in the form of an affirmation or creative exercise) to assist your development.
Session Price $75.00
Allow up to 1.5 hours for an initial balance. Follow up sessions will last up to an hour.
The amount of balances required will vary depending on the clients’ needs.
Appointment times available most Saturdays.
For more information or to schedule your appointment, contact;
Nothing adds to the ambience of your home like a beautiful fragrance filling the air. Since time immemorial, people have used incense to uplift themselves, as a spiritual offering, to create a welcoming environment for friends and family, and just for enjoyment. Fine incense can also be a wonderful and enjoyable way of experiencing the benefits of Aromatherapy…quality incense smells good and makes you feel good too. The daunting task for many is finding an incense suited to their needs from amongst the countless brands, types and price ranges.
If you have ever met someone who said they were allergic to incense or that incense gave them a headache, odds are it was a synthetic incense and the chemicals it contains. Most people would be surprised to learn of the inferior materials used in the majority of cheaper modern incense. It has become custom for incense manufacturers to use ingredients such as coal powder, washing soda ash, foam paste, grease and used motor oils, rubber solutions such as melted old tyres, along with albumen powder, which is derived from the blood of slaughtered animals and used as a binding agent. These inferior incense sticks also use synthetic perfumes and fragrances, and are known to produce harmful carbon dioxide gas when burnt.
Saltpeter, the chemical potassium (or sodium) nitrate, is a very combustible ingredient manufactured for use in gunpowder which many incense makers add to their incense to make sure it burns. From my point of view, it's not natural, and doesn't belong in premium (or any !) incense. It adds a strange scent, it makes the incense burn faster, it can be dangerous if used incorrectly and it's difficult to ship legally. Incense makers who appreciate the finer qualities of Aromatherapy (and value their customers’ health !) prefer to use the art of blending gentler combustible materials, like sandalwood, cedar, or clove, rather than using saltpeter as a crutch.
Joss or stick incense is one of the most universally thought of types when it comes to incense in general. With countless burner types, joss sticks offer an easy way to burn incense in your home or outdoors. The most commonly seen incense type, the chemical dipped punk stick, is definitely not suitable for Aromatherapy. Even ones that are soaked in pure essential oils should only be considered for burning outdoors as the *punk* used is once again generally a byproduct of firecracker manufacture. Inherent glues, wood powder, and other nasties (which some have claimed included animal dung) may ruin any beneficial effect the essential oil could provide. Punk joss stick incense can fool the untrained eye as being hand rolled incense, the wood stick size is the best marker. True hand rolled incense uses very thin, irregular sticks of wood. Punk sticks are a little larger and usually all uniform in size.
Hand rolled joss sticks use a mixture of fragrant botanicals rolled onto a thin stick of fragrant wood, with the mixture held together with a natural binder such as gum tragacanth or even honey. (Tragacanth is a thickening ingredient used in many foods). Unlike punk sticks, most hand rolled incenses are complex blends of many ingredients (herbs, spices, essential oils, floral water) and have a full bodied scent when burned.
Home fragrance is trendy and current right now, but as you can see all incense is not created equal. Only the finest incense carries a strong and beautiful fragrance, smells good in the package as well as when lit, and emits very little smoke. I’m looking forward to sharing with you some other incense pointers in future newsletters, as well as a recipe or two if you would like to try your hand at making your own. In the meantime, be sure to research your incense brand thoroughly if you are concerned for your health…or otherwise buy from a reputable supplier who stocks handmade incense. You can always drop us an email or visit our website to find out more www.nurtureyoga.com.au
Namaste
Fiona, Susanne & the team at Williamstown Yoga Centre
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