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Seven years ago my physiotherapist suggested that yoga might be a good alternative. After thirty years of gym workouts, I was carrying a few chronic injuries. My body was unhappy.
I’ll never forget my first class at the Tauranga Yoga Centre. We were seated in a simple cross-legged ‘asana’ (pose). The Sanskrit word ‘asana’ translates as “a position of comfort”, the teacher told us, which was one of the goals of yoga. We had to find that point between comfort and discomfort - the ‘Goldilocks point’, she called it. We were not to go beyond the Goldilocks point into pain.
Hmm…. What was I meant to make of this? I wondered, after so many years of exercise based on the principle of “no pain, no gain”.
We ended the class with ten minutes of ‘shavasana’ or ‘corpse pose’, all of us lying quietly on our yoga mats. “Allow yourself to sink into the Earth,” the teacher said. “Allow the ground beneath you to carry you and take your weight. Surrender yourself to the ground.”
I think it was the word “surrender” that was my undoing. Tears welled up – a few spilled over – and I was grateful for those few minutes of relaxation in a darkened room while I pulled myself together and tried to figure out what on Earth was going on for me.
One thing was clear though. My body (and my mind) had a lot of unlearning to do, and seven years later, I’m still on my journey with yoga. For me, it has been a journey of transformation- physically, emotionally and spiritually.
From the outset, I was amazed (and delighted) to discover that yoga principles resonate very closely with the principles and practices of my Courage & Renewal® work. Both practices encourage mindfulness, being fully present, listening within, and connecting with oneself. Both are rooted in paradox, inviting us to recognise and hold opposing forces to help us find balance and wholeness. Both emphasise the mind, body and spirit connection. Both invite us to come home to ourselves.
Because of this complementary nature, I’ve been wanting to weave yoga practice into a Circle of Trust® format for a few years now. So I’m delighted to announce that on Sunday 31st May, together with my friend and yoga teacher, Louise Thompson, we’re offering a half-day Circle of Trust® retreat at the Tauranga Yoga Centre. We’ll be drawing on the seasonal metaphor of autumn with the theme of Holding On, Letting Go & Navigating Change.
I always love to try new things in my Courage work and I’m excited to see where this experiment might lead. If you’re interested to know more, you’ll find the details at the link above.
With love & courage
Mennie
I’ll never forget my first class at the Tauranga Yoga Centre. We were seated in a simple cross-legged ‘asana’ (pose). The Sanskrit word ‘asana’ translates as “a position of comfort”, the teacher told us, which was one of the goals of yoga. We had to find that point between comfort and discomfort - the ‘Goldilocks point’, she called it. We were not to go beyond the Goldilocks point into pain.
Hmm…. What was I meant to make of this? I wondered, after so many years of exercise based on the principle of “no pain, no gain”.
We ended the class with ten minutes of ‘shavasana’ or ‘corpse pose’, all of us lying quietly on our yoga mats. “Allow yourself to sink into the Earth,” the teacher said. “Allow the ground beneath you to carry you and take your weight. Surrender yourself to the ground.”
I think it was the word “surrender” that was my undoing. Tears welled up – a few spilled over – and I was grateful for those few minutes of relaxation in a darkened room while I pulled myself together and tried to figure out what on Earth was going on for me.
One thing was clear though. My body (and my mind) had a lot of unlearning to do, and seven years later, I’m still on my journey with yoga. For me, it has been a journey of transformation- physically, emotionally and spiritually.
From the outset, I was amazed (and delighted) to discover that yoga principles resonate very closely with the principles and practices of my Courage & Renewal® work. Both practices encourage mindfulness, being fully present, listening within, and connecting with oneself. Both are rooted in paradox, inviting us to recognise and hold opposing forces to help us find balance and wholeness. Both emphasise the mind, body and spirit connection. Both invite us to come home to ourselves.
Because of this complementary nature, I’ve been wanting to weave yoga practice into a Circle of Trust® format for a few years now. So I’m delighted to announce that on Sunday 31st May, together with my friend and yoga teacher, Louise Thompson, we’re offering a half-day Circle of Trust® retreat at the Tauranga Yoga Centre. We’ll be drawing on the seasonal metaphor of autumn with the theme of Holding On, Letting Go & Navigating Change.
I always love to try new things in my Courage work and I’m excited to see where this experiment might lead. If you’re interested to know more, you’ll find the details at the link above.
With love & courage
Mennie
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