April 2014

Happy month of miracles! From April fool’s day to Easter, April allows you to start the month with a hoax, mourn loss and injustice, and celebrate the phenomena of regeneration… All in one month! So get busy, stay grounded and rekindle the wonder of being alive!

Contents:
Asanas of the Month – Adho Mukha Vrksasana
Article of the Month – Ayurveda & Yoga: A Complete System of Health Care
Question of the Month – What are the specific roles of Yoga and Ayurveda?
Patanjali Yoga Sutra of the month
Quote of the Month
Upcoming Events: Peter Scott Workshop, Tuscany Retreat, Bali Yoga Retreat, Gold Coast Yoga Lifestyle Retreat.
Previous newsletters

Asana of the month – Adho Mukha Vrksasana

“These asanas access different centres in the
brain and body helping the immune system.” BKS Iyengar.

Peter Scott is running a weekend workshop at the Yoga Room late next month. See the events page for details. This month’s asana of the month was written by Peter and published in Australian Yoga Life in 2010.

For an amazing in-depth explination of Adho Mukha Vrksasana click here.

Article of the Month – Ayurveda & Yoga: A Complete System of Health Care

Jade Ragunathan, Ayurvedic Practitioner

Classical Ayurveda expands and compliments the practice of yoga, they are sister sciences. Together they provide a complete system of health care. This is done by guiding the body’s biochemistry toward optimum homeostasis (a dynamic state of equilibrium) using diet and lifestyle techniques and by practicing Patanjali’s 8 limbs of yoga, which includes asana (postures).

Ayurveda
Ayurveda literally means the science, or study, of all the facets of life, and the art of living healthily. The ancient wisdom has been handed down, in a non-broken lineage from guru (teacher) to disciple (student), for thousands of years from the spiritual heart of the world, India. Now many western countries around the world are experiencing its wonders.
Ayurveda and Yoga are from the Indian orthodox (Vedic) schools of philosophy and provide a path to liberation from suffering (enlightenment). The 8 limbs of yoga move us towards this goal. Ayurveda supports this process through detailed knowledge of diet and lifestyle practices and by providing knowledge of the true nature of the universe.
Practically speaking, what you can expect from Ayurveda and through an Ayurvedic health consultation is:

an understanding of your own unique body & mind constitution and any imbalances

detailed dietary advice which heals and nourishes the body and aides contentment of mind

lifestyle and therapy recommendations which will support your healing process

a thorough understanding of traditional herbal medicine and prescription of herbal medicines to assist in repair if required

seasonal cleansing procedures that prevent the build up of toxins, ward off disease and foster rejuvenation of vitiated bodily tissues.

An Ayurvedic Morning
A fresh start to the day is vital for good health and prepares the body and mind for the challenges that lie in the day ahead in harmony. Waking up just before the sunrise is the perfect time to work in with the circadian rhythms and allow you to make time to enjoy this time.

Meditation– A simple concentration on the breath or the space between your eyebrows while sitting up/spine straight for 20 minutes in the morning. Just be a silent observer of your thoughts, train your mind not to attach or get caught up in your thoughts.

Asana– A few simple asanas which loosen up your neck and back will assist energy flowing through the body and a relaxed body for the sedentary or strenuous day ahead.

Self massage– Sit down with organic Ayurvedic body oils and massage your body in small clockwise circular motions from your feet to your head, focussing more time on the tight spots and feeling the body. The best oil for the nourishing, detoxifying and relaxing the body is organic black sesame oil.

Tea– Sipping ginger tea or chai made from fresh spices and ginger (recipe on www.ayurvedasantosha.com) will stimulate your metabolism, burn residual toxins and help you have a regular morning bowel movement. This is an excellent simple way to detoxify the body naturally on a daily basis.

Tongue Scraper– Scraping the tongue of toxic residual matter removes the toxins that would of been absorbed into the body, assisting in refining your taste buds and ridding bad breath.

Bath– Warm bath’s purify and relax the energies in the body. Use organic purely natural soaps good for the health of your skin such as turmeric, neem and amalaki.

Light wholesome breakfast– We need a substantial breakfast of fruit or cooked fruit, oats, bran, boiled organic milk, dates and nuts, which will satisfy the stomach, nourish your body and allow you to feel light and fresh.

Jade is a classically trained Ayurvedic practitioner soon to open a new clinic in North Burleigh. To make a consultation, book a deeply restorative therapy, purchase products or just have a question answered visit www.ayurvedasantosha.com or call 0415051478.

Question of the Month – What are the specific roles of Yoga and Ayurveda?

Daniela Casotti

Yoga and Ayurveda are closely linked, and can even be seen to overlap to some degree. In classical Vedic Science, Yoga focuses on practice, and Ayurveda focuses on therapy. Yoga in itself, did not originate as a medical system, it was created as a path of discovery, or re-discovery, of our true nature. Ayurveda was developed specifically for healing purposes. This doesn’t mean that we cannot use aspects of yoga medically; it’s just that it wasn’t specifically developed for this purpose.

Ayurveda addresses diet, herbs, drugs, surgery, and detoxification procedures. It offers lifestyle changes for health, longevity and disease prevention. It can include some yoga practices such as asana, prananyama and mantra as part of its healing tools.

Yoga means to integrate, combine and unite. In the Ancient yoga texts, disease is addressed briefly. It is regarded as one of the main obstacles to yoga practice, and recommends Ayurveda techniques to put you back on track.

Yoga can be seen as a methodology of ‘integrative’ living. The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali employs an eightfold approach. It combines lifestyle practices and values (yamas and niyamas); body posture practices (asana) to maintain strength and flexibility; energy development practices (pranayama) as a way of managing our drives; sense withdrawal practices (pratyahara) as a way of ‘taking stock’, concentration practices (dharana) as a way of getting back on target, focusing practices (dhyana) as a way of becoming more centred, the goal of which is Unity (Samadhi)

So, if in your yogic journey, you come across medical limitations that get in the way of your progress, Ayurveda can offer solutions. Combining Yoga and Ayurveda is a holistic approach to human evolution .

Patanjali Yoga Sutra of the month
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Chapter 2 verse 28
yog??g?nu??h?n?da?uddhik?aye jñ?nad?ptir?vivekakhy?te?||28||
“By dedicated practice of different aspects of yoga impurities are destroyed: the crown of wisdom radiates in glory. ”

BKS Iyengar. Light on the yoga sutras of Patanjali, Thorsons, p132

Quote of the month

“The doctor of the future will give no medication, but will interest his patients in the care of the human frame, diet and in the cause and prevention of disease. ”

Thomas Edison

Upcoming events

“Deepen your Practice” Workshop

Peter Scott – Senior Iyengar Teacher

When: 23rd to 25th May, 2014

Where: Yoga Room, Burleigh Heads

Price: Single $280

Take your yoga practice to a deeper level and take home skills and practices which can be integrated into your daily life.

To book, call us on 0438 837 244, or email

2014 2014 Tuscany Yoga Retreat

Maurice McCann and Daniela Casotti

When: 2nd to 9th June, 2014

Where: Valdinievole, Tuscany, Italy

Price: Single €1,790
Double € 1,590

Join us on our yoga retreat in Tuscany. We will be staying in a 15th Century farmhouse just 15km from the medieval city of Lucca and 30 km from Florence. This incredible oasis lies amidst open expanses of vineyards and olive trees. 7 nights’ accommodation, 6 full days of yoga- five hours a day, and 3 meals a day are just a few things that are included in the price of this retreat. Limited spaces are available. Book now! Call 0438 837 244, or email

Check out our brochure for more information.

2014 Bali Yoga Retreat

Maurice McCann

Due to time pressures the Bali Retreat has been shortened to seven nights in Ubud. Thanks to those already enrolled/interested in this Retreat for your patience and support during this change. Looking forward to an amazing retreat in Bali again this year.

When: 15th – 22nd June 2014

Where: Ubud, Bali

Price: $1,195 Single, $1,030 Shared

For more information click here.

2014 Gold Coast Yoga Retreat

Maurice McCann

When: 22nd – 31st October 2014

Where: Yoga Room, James St., Burleigh Heads, Gold Coast

Price:
Mini Retreat: $245
(full payment by 10th October)
Full Retreat: $525 early bird
(full payment by 12th September)
$590 non-early bird (full payment by 10th October)