embodied health
yvonne cattermole
Guided Meditation for Monday
Good afternoon!
Before I sign off for the weekend, I thought I would let you know that Monday evening’s online guided meditation (at 2000) will be based on the image and symbolism of Willow. A tree associated with inspiration, healing, flexibility and wisdom. These qualities bring strength and endurance with an ability to work with the environment. You can book online or send me a message and I will book for you: Contact
- For more information: Meditation
With warm wishes for a good weekend – have you noticed the daylight hours increasing?
Yvonne x
Coffee Pot Philosophy News
Tomorrow is the first informal meeting of the new year to discuss Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras. This text was written over 2000 years ago and explores the nature of our minds and how to practise yoga in order to bring stability and clarity. When I hear or read excerpts from books connected to meditation, psychology or talking therapies, I hear the words of the yoga sutras.
The physical practice of yoga is important to us. It counteracts postural habits and the effects of a more desk based working life or sedentary lifestyle. It connects us to our breath; the quality of our breath affects us systemically. Yoga allows us to listen to our internal landscape and bring understanding to our patterns of habitual behaviour.
Most people access yoga to focus on the body but as practice develops, you begin to notice the more subtle effects of yoga. Most people notice that their mind feels more spacious and quieter by the end of practice which is a huge benefit and one that brings them back to their mats for regular classes sometimes leading to individual lessons and a more regular home practice. For some, their interest is piqued and they being to ask questions about yoga practice and philosophy. This is the aim of these Friday afternoon meetings. A space to introduce the yoga sutras.
There are online meetings for one hour every three weeks. So far we have looked at what drew us to our practice and the definition of yoga in the yoga sutras: yogaḥ citta vṛtti nirodhaḥ. This is the second sutra of the first chapter it says: Yoga is the ability to direct the mind exclusively toward an object & sustain that direction without any distractions. We then talked about purusa and prakrti: the subtle and gross aspects of the universe. We never quite got to the five activities of the mind, the panca vrtti. Tomorrow, this is our starting point and as serendipity would have it, my philosophy chat with my teachers last week was this exact subject. What a bonus, you’re in for a treat!
When we begin to understand the nature of mind, we begin to understand our motivations and our interactions with others. In yoga philosophy, the mind or citta is linked to the process of perception. It includes thoughts, feelings, emotions and experiences. Tomorrow will just be the start and I am sure there will be plenty of discussion. If you would like to join us please book online or send me a message. Here is some more information: Coffee Pot Philosophy
I had the idea for our philosophy discussions when I attended Gail and Dave’s group chats. Dave was one of my teachers for my yoga teacher and yoga therapy qualification. If you would like to join Gail and Dave for their discussions (between them they have more than 60 years experience), you can contact them via: Living Yoga Malvern
Yvonne x
New Dates & Ideas
Thank you for responding to the Positive Spin post, good to know I’m not alone!
As requested, I’ve added some additional dates to the online Reiki Shares and Guided Meditations. When we get to March I will review the dates:
Online Reiki Shares are on Monday mornings, 1000- 1115
- 25 January
- 8 February
- 22 February
- 8 March
Online Guided Meditations are on Monday evenings, 2000-2045:
- 18 January
- 1 February
- 22 February
- 22 March
IDEA NUMBER ONE:
Before Christmas and last week I chanted during yoga lessons. I enjoy chanting. It shines a light on how I am feeling. How my energy is. It can seem complicated and scary but it doesn’t have to be. When we were able to meet in person, we had a period of time where we would chant in class.
I have been asked if I would consider running online chanting sessions. Of course I would if there is the demand. I am not sure of the practicalities of this. If you have any experience of sharing singing or chanting spaces online, let me know how you work it as a group.
And, please let me know if this appeals to you. I am not sure what time of day or evening would appeal. If you live with other people, you might feel uncomfortable chanting if they can hear you but if you can overcome that, it’s a fantastic practice to develop. It would help me to develop too!
IDEA NUMBER TWO:
Over Christmas I made a thirty minute practice available in lieu of live lessons. Would you be interested in having this provision on a regular basis? Some of you cannot make a regular evening due to homes being busy and cannot make regular mornings due to work and homes being busy. I thought of creating two practices on Vimeo to be accessed by a password. These would be similar to the Morning Dailies and Friday Early Bird practices which also mirror the Wednesday Term Yoga:
- 45 minute practice to include asana, pranayama and meditation
- 25 minute practice focusing on asana with short breathing practice and reflection
- Available for a two week period. They will not be available for download but accessible via the website/vimeo. This can be done via your web browser, you do not need any special equipment or apps
If this appeals, I would like guidance for a pricing strategy. For example:
- A set one-off payment for both practices (how much?)
- A set one-off payment for either practice (how much?)
- A suggested donation based on the amount of times you access the practice(s)
- Have all these options available
I look forward to hearing from you, Yvonne x
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