Penny Mckay

Our breath is something we are rarely consciously engaged with. The continuous motion of breathing out followed by breathing in that just seems to happen, leaves very little need for our conscious involvement and it would be relatively easy to miss “the pause” that is pure potentiality, in amongst all this breathing. But we could choose to bring our awareness to this incredible friend that emerges from within us so instinctively and so naturally and seek to discover the peace that surely resides in the space that is “the pause”.

Breathe in, breathe out, pause…. breathe in, breathe out, pause…. breathe in, breathe out, pause….

The ”pause” emerges from the release (death) of the out breath.

Within it you wait effortlessly, gently and softly until….

The beginning(birth) of the in breath emerges from the “pause”.

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The return of Yoga on the Beach from Tuesday 4th May

   Tuesday & Fridays    7am - 8am                      

                 Tuesday, Wednesday & Fridays   9.30am - 10.30am 

 Tuesday, Wednesday, & Thursdays   6pm - 7pm

£5.00. Mats supplied though you are welcome to bring your own.
Remember to wrap up and remove layers as you warm up,(bring a top for the meditation cool-down at end).
Same venue - opposite Surf Steps Surf School.  At Boscombe pier roundabout, turn right and follow the sea 300m. Or for those of you that come in from Bournemouth - turn left at Bournemouth pier and walk/jog/cycle/hop/skip along the beach approx 1400m 

 www.HolisticBodyTraining.co.uk 

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The Conscious Breath - Explore the potential of your breath - our greatest tool for well-being and self-awareness.

Saturday 8th May 11am-1pm

Enjoy a blissful morning of gentle breath-based stretches, 9 breath cleansing technique, breath awareness, guided meditation with mudra and relax with Yoga Nidra. 

Wessex Therapy Centre, Christchurch - Cost £10

Please e-mail juliehand63@btinternet.com or call 01202 429300 to reserve a space

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Avalon Circles : Raising Avalon with David Hand

The quest to raise and reconnect to the energies of  these ancient sites continues…..

Hengistbury Head, Christchurch, Dorset

Sunday 23rd May - meet at 2pm outside the Hungry Hiker Cafe.

Wear your walking boots and be prepared for the elements!

www.mysticklight.com or 01202 429300

There is an incredible book by Wayne Dyer called Inspiration, which I highly recommend if yours is the journey in to spirit. At the end of the book he recounts an incredible and inspiring afternoon when a butterfly landed on his finger and remained there for a number of hours. He was actually able to return to his hotel with the butterfly which stayed on his finger the whole time, pop it on to his desk when he got in to his room so he could take a shower. He then called his agent, who came over to the hotel and took a photograph of him with this butterfly that had obligingly got back on Wayne’s finger, to do so! Throughout this whole encounter Wayne was clearly filled with a sense of wander and awe at what was unfolding in front of him and he was able to really connect with what was happening to him every moment that that butterfly kept him present. Throughout he remained totally committed to the power of inspiration that was being presented to him. Incredible.

A while ago I too had a butterfly encounter but it didn’t quite unfold in the way that Wayne Dyer’s did. 

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Huh? WDDTY? - Yes it stands for “What Doctors Don’t Tell You”

What’s that all about? - ”WDDTY” is a journal that uncovers the hard-to-get facts about health and the causes of illness.

What sort of facts are those then? - “Real” information on conditions such as diabetes, asthma, colitis, cancer and arthritis plus loads upon loads of health advice. Check out the section on drugs and side effects.

How do I find out more? www.wddty.com - Challenging convention - Empowering Health Decisions. It sure sounds good to me!

Breathe in; breathe out; breathe in; breathe out; breathe in; breathe out……. 

Just take a moment, here, to check in with your breath and to ask yourself two things in particular. 

How am I breathing?

How do I feel? 

If you feel tense your breathing can become tight and restricted. If you are relaxed, your breathing will flow comfortably and easily. There is a direct correlation between how you feel and the response of your breathing. How your breathing is and how you feel.

Your breath and your breathing is the reflection of your ability to access the life giving force that is prana, and perhaps by paying just a little more attention to it you could harness an invaluable tool to continual wellness.

Breathing is not a one muscle experience, it involves a group of muscles that work in unison, if we can let them. Breathing also, does not just happen in the lungs, it is a front, back and sides experience and ultimately a whole body experience.

The primary muscles involved in breathing are the diaphragm, the abdominals, intercostals(between the ribs), the trapezius, the scalenes and the sternocliedomastoid (the neck muscles).

Just try it, put your hands on your ribcage and breathe. Now put your hands on your tummy and breathe. Now put your hands on your lower back and breathe. Notice and feel where the movement of your breath goes.

The breath signifies the continual cycle of life and death that we are intrinsically connected to and are a part of. Our very existence depends upon it whatever shape or form that existence may take. Without our breath we do not exist.

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Huh? What’s that about? It’s all about “wild food” and making the most of what nature provides through the seasons.

Wild food? Yes edible wild food, found in the woodlands and hedgerows in your local area.

What else do I need to know? Plant identification, what plants to avoid and what tastes good. Sustainable harvesting and how to prepare what you have foraged.

Sounds yum! How do I find out more? Get on a course run by Lucie Cowles. Summer, Autumn and Winter courses remaining.

Contact Lucie on 07903 587376 or email  naturalpathconservation@googlemail.com

                                 BARN DANCE in aid of Julia’s House

Saturday 17th April 2010

7pm- 10.30pm

at Twynhams school, Sopers lane, Christchurch

Tickets £8.00 in advance £10 on the night

from Julia’s House Charity Shops in Bransgore & Christchurch or from the fundraising office on (01202)607400

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 AVALON CIRCLES : RAISING AVALON at Avebury, Wilts

with David Hand

SUNDAY 25TH  APRIL meet at 2pm outside the Visitor Centre in Avebury village.

Working with the Sacred energies of Avebury to bring the light back into the land

If you’d like to read more about the return of Avalon, see David’s article at www.mysticklight.com

Please e-mail or call David or Julie on 01202 429300 if you have any questions, are happy to offer car share or would like a more detailed itinerary.  We aim to finish around 5pm.

The Greener Living Show 

Sunday 25th April 9.30am - 4.30pm - Brockenhurst College

The Greener Living Show will promote greener alternatives to all aspects of everyday living.

Come along for practical advice on greener living and demonstrations of some of the latest technologies. See how you could save money and improve your health at the same time as helping the environment.

With children’s activities, New Forest Marque catering, and stalls, talks and demonstrations on everything from renewable technologies and insulation to wildlife gardening and wood turning, it promises to be a fun and vibrant day with something of interest for everyone.  Contact Amy Rawlins (01590) 646670.

I consider myself to be really lucky because most days the biggest decision I choose to make is usually whether I’ll go for a jog today or do some yoga. If I’m really blessed I get to do all of the above!

Jogging for most of us, consists of doning some form of comfortable kit and trainers and going outside (usually but not always) to move, for a slightly pro-longed amount of time, at a quicker than walking pace. This quicker than walking pace usually results in the body getting warmer and perhaps sweaty, the heart and lungs working a little harder so we get a bit puffed and endorphins being released so that we feel great whilst we’re doing it.

Yoga, however, means doning some form of comfortable clothing but not trainers. Remaining inside (usually but not always) to move in ways that we typically do not move in on a daily basis. This a-typical moving usually results in the body getting warmer, the heart and lungs working a bit harder and endorphins being released so that we feel great while we’re doing it.

These two accounts are a little simplistic, I admit and for most people going for a jog and going to a yoga class appear to be at opposite ends of the spectrum in the fitness game. But I have discovered that they are not such a world apart and, when they are combined, these two disciplines provide a powerful tool to support us in the understanding of our inner world in relation to our outer world, journey. The practise of yoga involves bringing full awareness to the moment. “Full attention without tension” as my yoga teacher would say. So in keeping with this philosophy I introduce you to “J-oga”. Sounds like yoga but with a “j” and is jogging with awareness. Awareness means noticing and being present to what is happening in this moment. So jogging with awareness means noticing what is going on whilst you are jogging and it  does require some regular practise.

How does my body feel? What do I see? What can I hear? How is my breathing? 

How am I choosing to feel? How do I perceive what I am seeing? Can I fine tune my ear to hear? Where is my breath?

“J-oga” will ask you to notice all of this whilst jogging but without judging. No,no no. No judging whilst jogging, thankyou. Just “be”ing, through moving, and that moving is jogging. Then and only then, can you move out from all those unhelpful things that that voice in your head keeps telling you, like “oh my legs ache!” or “oh I can’t get my breath!” and ultimately you allow, which prevents you from fully experiencing the moment as it really is.  You move out from focusing on your inner, not so great, experiences and you start to notice what is around you. Then you actually begin to connect with what it is you are jogging through. At this point I would strongly suggest you choose to jog through nature. When you move through nature there is an opportunity that a miracle can happen.When you start to notice the beauty that surrounds you, something very innate in you is activated and you start to fill up. You actually can’t help it it’s so instinctive. You start to breathe more deeply and as you fill up with oxygen you start to relax and enjoy the scenery. You no longer notice your aching legs because it is your heart that is aching more than anything  from witnessing the bounty of the beauty that surrounds you. You become inspired by what surrounds you, the leaf that has drifted down in front of you, the canopy of the trees that shelter you, the breeze that awakens your face and the oxygen that floods in to your lungs and just fills you up with that vital breath of life. You don’t even hear that complaining voice anymore because all you can hear is birdsong.

So if jogging aint your thang but yoga is or yoga aint your thang but jogging is, why not try a spot of ”J-oga” and experience a miracle?

By the way, another gem my yoga teacher used to say is this ”Yoga doesn’t end when you leave the mat” and neither does “J-oga” when you stop jogging.

xx

Huh? What are they? Parabens are a class of chemicals widely used as preservatives in the cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries.

Where will I find them? In cosmetics, toothpaste, moisturisers, facecreams etc

What’s your point? Parabens could be a contributory factor in breast cancer.

The lead researcher of the UK study, molecular biologist Philippa Darbre, reported that the ester-bearing form of the parabens found in the tumors indicate that they came from something applied to the skin, such as an underarm deodorant, cream or body spray, and stated that the results helped to explain why up to 60% of all breast tumors are found in just one-fifth of the breast - the upper-outer quadrant, nearest the underarm.(Wikepedia)

How do I find out more? Google it.

Anything else? Check out SLS, Sodium Laurel Sulphate another chemical used as a foaming agent in toothpaste and soap. It’s another one where more research is needed.

Explore and consider using products now being produced without any of these “uncertain” chemicals. For example www.calendula-organics.co.uk and www.pitrock.co.uk

Pitrok supply crystals that you wet a little and rub under the arm as you would a deoderant. The way it works is that you may still sweat but the bacteria that makes the sweat smell is nuetralised.