Good Tidings to You!

Over the years I have come to recognise the difference between aloneness and loneliness.  I am happy in my own company but I do like now and then to be with friends and family.  Of course, Christmas is renowned for being the time when we get together and show our love for our fellow human beings.  So I wish you, my Yoga friends, all the joys of shared love but if that is not possible for you, then I hope somehow the joy of being part of the human race, and all the possibilities that brings, will be with you.

Coventry Patmore said:-

"I, singularly moved
 To love the lonely that are not beloved,
  Of all the seasons most
 Love winter. "

You may not love it most of all, but there are lots of singular winter pleasures waiting to cheer you - a warm fire, a good book, listening to Christmas Carols - with a glass of wine, maybe, as well.  Don't forget to do some Yoga stretches now and then, and maybe ten minutes or a bit more of meditation to settle mind and body.  I wish you peace and goodwill.

Namaste!   Brenda.

The end of the month!

"November comes
And November goes,
With the last red berries
And the first white snows.

With Night coming early,
And dawn coming late
And ice in the bucket
And frost by the gate.

The fires burn
And the kettles sing.
And earth sinks to rest
Until next Spring."

This is by Elizabeth Coatsworth, born May 31, 1893, in Buffalo, New York - but it still strikes a chord in me today.  Perhaps it does in you?  However, my message to you is still the same as well.  If you feel jaded and in need of spiritual refreshment,  join a Yoga class where you will find refreshment for the body as well as the soul.  Good friends and fun are usually on the menu as well!

If you need help, my message is the same:  contact me.  I'd like to hear from you anyway!  (See CONTACT on right hand side of page.)

Turning the clocks back!

We all had to do that this weekend - just by one hour.  It also made me look further back to Thursday, 15th July 2010, when I opened this blogsite with the intention of giving what Yoga help I could to those who asked for it.  I hope those who have asked me for help are now settled in Yoga classes and regular Yoga practice.  Many others have visited my site and I hope they have gained something in passing.

Today, we seem to be closer to the darker days of winter, so I chose this quote from Helen Keller:-

"Everything has its wonders even darkness and silence.  I learn that whatever state I may be in therein to be content"

I will do my best to help you if you like to contact me.  (See the box on the righthand side of this page.)

Peace and Blessings,

Brenda..

A Celtic blessing for October!

From Anam Cara by John O'Donohue:-

On the day when the weight deadens on your shoulders and you stumble, may the clay dance to balance you.

And when your eyes freeze behind the grey window and the ghost of loss gets in to you, may a flock of colours, indigo, red, green and azure blue come to awaken in you a meadow of delight.

May the nourishment of the earth be yours,
may the clarity of light be yours,
may the fluency of the ocean be yours,
may the protection of the ancestors be yours,


And so may a slow wind work these words of love around you, an invisible cloak to mind your life.
                                            
                                                                   oOo

I have quoted this to remind you of the inner world which is there to support you.  If you have difficulty in contacting your inner self, or simply feel the need of support from other like-minded people, then seek out a Yoga class in your area.  Some concentrate almost entirely on the health of the physical body, but go on looking for one that will sustain your spiritual needs as well.

If you live within a ten-mile radius of St. Neots, then contact me and I will do my best to help you.  (See the box on the right hand side of this page.)

Namaste!

Brenda

AUTUMN EQUINOX!

The Autumn Equinox was on September 23rd.  It is when the sun is once more directly over the Equator, and the days and nights are of equal length;  after that the days are continually shortening and the nights lengthening.  The sun enters the zodiacal sign of Libra.  This is a time of autumnal harvest and thanksgiving for summer crops and fruit, a time to turn our attention away from the warm, light days of summer in preparation for the winter months ahead.

"To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
A time to be born, and a time to die;  a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;
A time to weep, and a time to laugh;  a time to mourn and a time to dance ".

                         (Bible,  Ecclesiastes  3:i)
If you need help, I am here to give what help I can.  See right-hand side of the page:  Contact me.

Autumn's blessings.

"Autumn .... asks that we prepare for the future - that we be wise in the ways of garnering and keeping.  But it also asks that we learn to let go - to acknowledge the beauty of sparseness."

I'm afraid I don't know who wrote this, but it makes the right point about the new season.  The days now seem to have a pause, a stillness, a mature quality - a new shape to our day.  So let us make time to silently reflect on the glories of summer, allow ourselves to release them, and to enjoy the tranquillity of the new season.

If you don't know it already, let me give you the short Serenity Prayer:-

     "God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the
       things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference."

Om Shanti,

Brenda Brain.

Stress Relief for Everyone!

Stress is something that can get on top of us at any time in our lives, and then it is difficult to sit in silent steadiness and "breathe rhythmically through the nostrils with peaceful ebbing and flowing of the breath".  That is what it says in a classic Yoga text - Svetasvatara Upanishad.  And that is what we somehow have to do if we are to get calm again and deal with our problems sensibly.  The Upanishad text goes on to say "the chariot of the mind is drawn by wild horses, and these wild horses have to be tamed.'

Perhaps it is better to leave the calming of the mind by breathing, until we have gone through a simple, short Yoga exercise routine first.  After my first visit to The Yoga for Health Foundation, on their second ever Cancer Course, I used Bill Feeney's short tape of exercises that he made specially for us.  That is now closed, so you will have to look elsewhere for something similar.  I suggest the CD by Lilias Folan, called "The Inner Smile";  the first part of that tape is made up of simple breathing and stretching exercise.  She is an American, and she has a soothing voice and lovely personality.  And there is soothing background music

After that, I suggest that you continue with deep Yoga breathing, and repeat over in your mind this mantra:-

Om Mani Padme Hum - the literal translation is:  "I salute the gem at the heart of the Buddha", which, in a down-to-earth way, translates as "I acknowledge my true self!"  This mantra is widely used : it has the power to calm your fears, soothe your worries and answer all your fears.

As always you can contact me if you need more help.  See box on right- hand side of page.

Namaste,

Brenda.

DURUPANG, TIMAPANG

This is a cleansing meditation, which I came across in a book by Lilian Too, a dedicated Buddhist.  It means that as you dust and remove stains in the room, think of your anger, attachment and ignorance being erased, disappearing.  Stains are subtle defilements that cause that cause blocks in your life, wipe them away daily.

Yoga is not a religion, but it directs us towards a healthy way of living and so we take good advice and good practices from wherever we find them  And it has its own Kriyas, (cleansing practices) but chanting Durupang, Timapang as we do the cleaning seems a good, simple way of tackling anger, attachment and ignorance - reminding ouselves that if they are allowed to breed in us, they can do us irreparable harm  So - "Durupang, Timapang" and sweep them away.

Namaste - Brenda

High Summer!

"Summer weather, like being in love, is a philosopher's stone which turns our ordinary days to gold.  But not the whole day ... For it is never the whole day, never all our life which is transformed in any happiness, but only the exquisite moments."  (Nan Fairbrother)

I am trying to make the most of this summer, and as I have not had a proper holiday in some years, I decided to go on a weekend Yoga Retreat, and then go to a College of Continuing Education for five days' holiday sandwiched between two weekend courses.  The Yoga was difficult but, as always, an understanding tutor did her best to make it an uplifting experience for everyone, and it prepared me for some brainwork in the following ten days.  Most of all, though, it was  regenerating to meet all kinds of people - even if briefly - and to find that most of us have difficulties to cope with and do so with a good heart

So, my mantra for today and always is:  "Keep your spirit uplifted and keep trying!"   And as always, I would like to hear from you.  Om Shanti - Brenda..

Summertime!

That is my favourite song!  I'm not sure whether it is my favourite time of year ; if I am in good spirits, every season has its blessings.  But I will give you another quote :

"Summer is the time when one sheds one's tensions with one's clothes, and the right kind of day is jeweled balm for the battered spirit.  A few of those days and you can become drunk with the belief that all's right with the
world."       (Ada Louise Huxtable)

If a bright June day doesn't do it for you, then you can email me or telephone me (see Contact me on the right side of this page), and I can try and find you a good Yoga teacher to suit you.  Yoga will not fail you!!!

Om Shanti,

Brenda 

Space and Light!

In Ayurveda, which is a sister ' science' to Yoga, there are the properties and functions of the five elements to be taken account of in our general wellbeing.  These five elements are Earth, Water, Fire, Air and Space.  My ears lately have been giving me trouble with inflammation and wax, and some loss of hearing.  Hearing is one of the functions of the element of Space'  For our health and wellbeing we need a perfect balance between the five elements,, both in quantity and quality.

So, I think I need to go out more and find space and air in the countryside ..... or, the alternative, according to Thaddeus Golas, is to :-


    "Love it the way it is!
      The way you see the world
         depends entirely
            on your own vibration.
    When your vibration changes
       the whole world
        will look different."

Give serious attention to your wellbeing.  We have only one life so live it well!

Brenda          Namaste!

Divine Beauty!

I have just come from an Art Exhibition in the village next to Ickwell Bury, where I did my Yoga training and then worked as a Special Needs Yoga Teacher.  The villagers were so friendly and it took me back in time to those happy days spent with my Yoga friends.  Back at home, I reflect on the thought that some things are everlasting;  year after year they give you the inspiration you need for good living.  I am now at home, where I look across meadow and park to the river - just a glimpse of it in summer, and so I give you a quote from "Divine Beauty"  by John O'Donohue.  You, too, can seek the peace and tranquillity that nature - and Yoga - bring to me.

"The grace of a river is a reminder of how nature seeks elegance and achieves immense beauty of cohesion and balance.  A river blends music of movement with an enduring and accompanying depth of stillness.  Again its journey is always out of silence, and this silence dwells deep in the river too.  If only our lives could achieve, or indeed allow, such grace and elegance.  If we could but find a rhythm of being which could balance a contemplative grace, a poetry of motion and an accompanying stillness and silence, our pilgrimage through this world would flow in beauty through the most ragged and forsaken heartlands of confusion and dishevelment."

If you are seeking a rhythm of being which escapes you at the moment, then consider Yoga.  If you contact me on this site, I will offer you what help I can to do this.  Read my Profile for my qualifications! 

Namaste!     Brenda.










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A Postscript!!!

Here in Cambridgeshire we now have the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge - William and Katherine!  Long may they reign in a happy marriage!

Greetings to you all!

Brenda

Night's candles ...

It's the Big Day for Kate and William!  So I will let Shakespeare greet it for you:-

"Night's candles are burnt out, and jocund day
  Stands tiptoe on the misty mountain tops."

 We haven't got mountain tops here in Cambridgeshire, but soon the sun will be:-

"Kissing with golden face the meadows green,
Gilding pale streams with heavenly alchemy"

I wish Kate and William - and you, my potential Yogis. a bright, sunny day, full of hope for the future!

Love, Peace and Blessings to you all,

Brenda.










 



 

Romancing the Ordinary!

These are not my words!  They are those of Sarah Ban Breathnach -the title of her book, which seeks to "romance the ordinary" month by month throughout the year.  The quote that starts April is:  "that enchantment that I took out of the lovely April is for ever."  The recent April days have been sunny and tranquil, with a feeling of new life coming into being, and these Spring days have restored to me the feeling that there is some magic left in the world.  My writer-of-the-day says, "Magic is natural.  It is a harmonious movement of energies to create needed change.  If you wish to practise magic, all thoughts of it being paranormal or supernatural must be forgotten."

Do you need change in your life?  Maybe to achieve better health or better understanding of those around you?  Yoga has been my magic and my blessing for these things.  You could consider it, too.  And I can help you make a start!

 Love, Peace and Blessings,

Brenda

SPRING FEVER!

What does Spring make me think of?  The March hare in Alice through the Looking Glass!  Daffodils in the park - and on the Market - everywhere!  And a bowl of hycinths given to me by my friends!  A pale sun in a sky trying to be blue!  All good things!

Thank you Sarah and Martin for contacting me about each of your Yoga problems.  I hope I have been able to help you - if not myself - but through my good Yoga contacts.

My quote for you this time is from Eileen Caddy: 

"Stop freewheeling, get into gear,
and do something with your life.
There are many avenues to
explore, so why not explore them?
Never be afraid to step out into
the unknown, into the new.
Do it fearlessly, always expecting
the very best as you do so."

Om Shanti,

Brenda.



 

Here we are again!

I am back again to encourage you to contact me on Yoga matters.  Yoga does matter to me a lot, particularly when things are not so good in my life.  Thank you, Sarah, for contacting me on Sunday.  Yesterday, I was in a bit of a hurry as I had to keep a hospital appointment, but I managed to send you an email with an attachment taken off the internet.  It was taken from Yoga Point, and was about Yoga and Pilates : Are they compatible?  My answer is that Pilates was developed out of Yoga so they can be done alongside one another BUT you need to master one or the other thoroughly first before you tackle the other.  I hope, Sarah, that you received the attachment with the article about this?

Do keep in touch with me!  And if anyone else likes to join in, we can start a Forum on my blogsite.

Yoga blessings to you all

Brenda.

JOIN ME !!!!

It's lonely here in Blogland without any comments or company!   I am qualified as a Yoga teacher through the Yoga for Health Foundation, which closed down in 2006, through no fault of theirs and to the sorrow of many members, here and abroad.  I would love to hear from any of you if you happen to be passing.  And for those of you who are thinking of taking up Yoga - maybe to help you cope with long-term health conditions - I am still here and available to help you get started with one-to-one tuition - tailored to suit your needs.  If you would like to talk to me about it, contact me as shown on the right-hand side of this page.  And before you do that,  check my qualifications as detailed in my Profile.

Om Shanti!   Brenda.

New Year Resolutions?

Can you remember what they were?  I don't think I made any this year.  They usually mean promising yourself great changes, and I think I have reached a stage where I can't do that any more.  If you feel this too, then the words of Stuart Wilde may be a comfort to you:-
   
       "Life was never meant
           to be a struggle
           just a gentle progression
           from one point to another,
           much like walking through
           a valley on a sunny day."

If you need company on a Yoga path, I will be there for you.  Contact me.  See the right hand boxes on this page.
          Wishing you well!   Brenda.