Yoga to Health OM Bytes from the past....
30; February 2010 from Louise Wiggins
Namaste dear friends in yoga,
and wishing you peace
and wishing you stillness.
Shanti... means Peace
"We don't come to yoga
to become perfect.
We come to yoga
to make peace
with our imperfections."
I came across this from one of Baron Baptiste's classes.
What a wonderful to way to come to yoga.
Because isn't peace what we really want?
In his Four Noble Truths, the Buddha reminds us that
1. Life is suffering
2. Suffering is due to attachment
3. Attachment can be overcome
4. There is a path for accomplishing this
So we know that life will most probably not be perfect !!!!
But how wonderful that our yoga practice will help us to make peace
...with ourselves,
...our world,
...our imperfections!
And at a deep level thereby finding peace.....
.... and in peace, finding stillness.
.... finding the stillness that lies beneath all our busy-ness.
So as we practice yoga and the art of letting go,
we naturally move within
and come home to ourselves in peace and stillness.
In silence, nature grows.
In stillness, we heal.
As a German proverb says:
"Silence is the fence around wisdom."
.....How noisy is war
.....How silent is love
With warmest wishes,
Yours in yoga,
and knowing what peace there may be in silence
Louise
Yoga to Health OM Byte 28; December 2009
Dear friends in yoga,
The Art of Giving
There is a saying that says:
Happiness is the hunger to give
Unhappiness is the hunger to get.
At this festive time of the year, isn't it wonderful to focus on the art of giving.
And how wonderful to have found something someone would really like and
to see their joy in receiving your gift.
We spend so much of our time satisfying the hunger to get, gather and accumulate.
Now we find a natural balance as we satisfy our hunger to give.
And what joy to receive from another....a gift of some time, presence and attention,
a phone call, a card, a compliment, a gift, a smile, a hug.
There are so many ways to give without needing to spend a lot of money.
There is a delightful story from my "Growing Younger with Yoga" book,
that tells of something much more valuable than expensive gifts.
The Wise Woman's Precious Stone
One day while travelling through the mountains,
the wise woman found a precious stone in a stream.
She put it in her bag and continued on her journey.
The next day she met a man who said he was hungry
and asked to share her food.
When she opened her bag, the man saw the precious stone
and asked her to give it to him.
To his surprise she did, without any hesitation at all.
The man left, rejoicing in his good fortune.
This precious stone would give him security for the rest of his life.
However, on the next day, he returned looking for the woman.
When he found her, he said,
" I know how valuable this stone is, but I would like to give it back to you
in the hope that you can give me something much more precious.
Please share with me that which is within you, that empowered you
to give me this precious stone in the first place".
It is intersting that at the heart chakra we find that we already have within us
the inherent wisdom to give and receive in perfect balance.
Throughout our whole life the heart continues to teach us that through the art
of giving and receiving we allow life's energy to circulate with unconditional love.
On that joyous note, may Geoff and I wish you a wonderful festive season
filled with love, light, giving and peace.
With warmest wishes,
Yours in yoga,
Louise
www.yogatohealth.com.au
http://www.yogatohealth.com.au/P,OmBites.html
Experience the oneness of yoga, in harmony with nature.
Yoga to Health OM Byte November 2009
Namaste, dear friends in yoga,
During class this term, we've been working with the colours of yoga and their relationship to the elements and the chakra system.
Whilst scouring the wardrobe for "colour of the week" clothes, we have all found it interesting how some colours simply aren't there!
Do you have a favourite colour in your wardrobe, cupboards, furnishings etc?
Below, are some ideas that may shed some light on the psychology of colour in our lives.
Hoping you find it as fascinating as I did!
Enjoy!
The Colours of Yoga
.......red
Red, with its long wavelength is associated with physical earth bound concerns.
It is the colour of the muladhara chakra, the base centre.... our connection to the element earth.
So in our language we often associate red with basic concerns...with passion, blood, celebration, fury and anger!
and being finacially in the red!
I am settled.
I am content
I live.
.......orange
Orange reminds us of the warmth and beauty of a sunset
It is a colour of warmth, sensuality, puberty, passion and comfort.
It is the colour of the svadhisthana chakra and connects us to the the element water and the art of flow.
I flow.
I flow with life easily and effortlessly.
I find the path of least resistance.
.......yellow
Yellow, the colour of fire and sun is our connection to transformation and change.
Just as fire can transform wood into ashes; ice into water and water into steam, so it can transform us using our inner fire, intention and desire.
It is the colour of emotional strength and feeling good about ourselves.
It is the colour of the muladhara chakra (solar plexux) to connect us to our own power of transformation.
Is our lack of self confidence expressed as being yellow!?
I connect to my intentions and desires.
I let them manifest
.......green
As the colour of love and abundance, green is nature's favourite colour!
As it is all around us, and as it lies in the centre of the spectrum, it is a very balancing, harmonising and restful colour.
It is the colour of the heart centre, the anahata chakra to connect us to the love and abundance of mother nature.
It's the colour of the US dollar, a 'go' at the traffic lights and the luck of the Irish!
Is our perception of a lack in abundance making us green with envy?
I connect to the abundance of the universe.
I love my body, my mind, my life, myself.
.......blue & indigo blue
With the colour blue, we move into the cooler colours.
The colour of the sky, space and growth.
As a deep blue, it connects us to the colour of our inner space, the intellect, reflection and inner calmness.
It is the colour of the vishuddha chakra at the throat and ajna chakra at the eyebrow centre.
As an outer and inner space colour, it is essentially soothing and calming to the mind.
The colour of expansion, serenity, authority and wisdom, it is often seen as our favourite colour and the colour of our boys in blue!
I give myself space to grow.
I connect to my infinite growth.
My mind is crystal clear.
.......violet/purple
As the shortest wavelength violet and takes us into higher levels of thought and spirituality.
It is the colour of the highest chakra, the sahasrara chakra to connect us to greater spiritual awareness.
It is the colour of royalty, majesty and vision.
I am aware.
I listen to my inner voice.
I understand
.......white
White reflects all the colours and unites them in perfect balance.
It is the colour of purity, goodness, hygiene, sterility, reverence, cleanliness, virginity, peaceful radiance and weddings!
It is even used as the colour of "I surrender" !
I am peaceful and calm.
I have plenty of time for everything
.......black
Whereas white reflect all colours, black absorbs all colours.
As the colour of darkness it is associated with death, darkness, funerals, evil and coldness.
As an absence of light is is often associated with fear and evil.
However black is also considered to be a colour of academic graduation and sophistication perhaps because all colours are absorbed to enhance our personality.
I am comfortable in the dark.
As I lose my eyes and go within, I relax into my own soft warm friendly darkness.
.......brown
Do you love brown?
The colour of the earth, heaviness, support, gardening, groundedness and the root of abundance.
It is the colour of the natural world, solid, reliable and ever productive.
Brown supports us in our furniture, our window frames, timber and under our feet!
I am grounded.
I am supported in softness and in strength.
If you would like to find out a little more about Louise click on Meet Louise
..... and may we never forget..... that....
Life is like a grindstone.
Whether it grinds you down....
Or polishes you up....
Depends on the material
You’re made from.
So let’s shine!
Radiant...
Strong....
and at peace with the world...
reflecting ourselves in all that we experience.
with love in yoga
Louise
Yoga to Health Om Byte October 2009
Dear Friends in yoga,
Aloka .....
Aloka is a beautiful word in Sankrit (the ancient language of yoga)
As with all of our Sanskrit words it has many meanings.
It's like diving into a treasure chest of wisdom!
Not only does it mean refers to vision, sight, seeing, lustre, light and vision,
it also means ... a ray of light and hope.
Aloka teaches us about opening our eyes and beholding what we perceive in a positive llight.
Ghandi once said that:
the way you see people
is the way you treat them.
the way you treat them
is the way they become!
In fact, the way we see anything, is the way we will treat it.
And the way we treat it is the way it becomes.
Whether it's a book, a piece of jewellry, a loved one, a child or anything we perceive,
it will become how we treat it and we treat it as a result of how we have perceived it.
What power we have to create our own world!
And what power we have to create ourselves!
Let's affirm:
The way I see myself
is the way I treat myself.
The way I treat myself,
is the way I become.
Louise
May your troubles be less
May your blessings be more
And may nothing but happiness
come through your door
www.yogatohealth.com.au <http://www.yogatohealth.com.au/>
Yoga to Health Om Byte July 2009
Dear friends in yoga,
There is a old Zen story that has always fascinated me.
It tells of a lion living among sheep. Since it was a little cub, it had been reared by sheep, so believing itself to be a sheep, it lived and behaved as if it was indeed a sheep.
Throughout its whole life, it had followed the sheep every where and ate, drank and behaved as they did.
One day, an old lion saw the lion who thought he was a sheep living among the sheep and asked him why he ran, ate and bleated like a sheep.
Terrified and trembling at the sight of a lion, it said, “I am a sheep.” “But you are not a sheep, you are a lion. Can’t you see that?” said the lion.
So the lion took him to a pond where he could see his own reflection.
When he saw who he really was, he let out a mighty roar and was completely and forever transformed.
And so it seems that we are, who we believe we are; or who we have been brought up to believe we are!
Perhaps we have been conditioned by the people around us, telling us how to think, eat and be.
Our self image has come from the opinion of others rather than from our own direct experience of who we are.
And so we follow our own flock like sheep in a herd.
As we deepen our yoga practice and enter higher levels of awareness, we discover who we really are.
We find that we are a centre of consciousness; a unique individual with infinite potential and infinite possibilities.
So let's allow our yoga practice to reveal our true selves and feeling grateful for who we are and what we may be!
Meister Eckhart said: If the only prayer you say in your whole life is “thank you”, that would suffice.
With love in yoga and roaring with gratitude!
Louise
perceive believe achieve
happiness is gratitude
love is acceptance
Yoga to Health Om Byte June 2009
Namaste, dear friends in yoga,
Yoga teaches:
....Where the mind goes
Energy flows
....Where the mind touches the body
The body responds
....If you want to know
what your thoughts were like yesterday
Look at your body today.
If you want to know
what your body will be like tomorrow,
Look at your thoughts today
All around us we can see that
....happy people live in a happy world
....sad people live in a sad world
....violent people live in a violent world
....peaceful people live in a peaceful world
and so on!
So obviously we create for ourselves, how we experience the world around us.
It seems that we don't see things as THEY ARE, we see things as WE ARE !!
Here are some other thoughts........
And don't forget to read the story of the 2 wolves on the PDF below!
Enjoy!
with love in yoga, Louise
"What we THINK about
and THANK about,
we BRING about."
(from The Secret)
We are what we think
All that we are arises with out thoughts.
With our thoughts we create our world.
Speak or act with an impure mind
And trouble will follow you
As the wheel follows the ox that draws the cart.
We are what we think
All that we are arises with out thoughts.
With our thoughts we create our world.
Speak with a pure mind
And happiness will follow you
As your shadow, unshakable.
(from the Dhammapada, the sayings of the Buddha)
If you can imagine it
You can achieve it
If you can dream it
You can become it
(William Arthur Ward)
Whether you think you CAN
Or think you CAN'T
You're right!
(Henry Ford)
Imagination is more important
Than knowledge
(Albert Einstein)
With warmest wishes,
Yours in yoga,
Louise
perceive believe achieve
happiness is gratitude
www.yogatohealth.com.au
May 2009 OM Bytes
As the leaves fall from our trees in colourful splendour,
what a wonderful time of the year it is for us too, to let go.
To clear away clutter from our house, our cupboards, our sheds, our body ....
and our mind!
Once clear, we create space to be.
It's interesting to ask yourself, as you clear out your life, "What do I really want?"
So inspired by my own recent clearing of "stuff", let's contemplate together, ......
What do we REALLY REALLY want ??????
Let's imagine this conversation between 2 friends or even a conversation with yourself!
What do you want?
I want lots of money.
What do you want the money for?
I want to buy a fancy house; a prestige car and expensive luxuries
Why do you want these things?
I want to show that I'm successful.
Why do you want to show that you're successful?
I believe that it will make me feel good.
What do you want to feel good about?
I want to feel good about myself and who i am.
So what do you REALLY want?
I want to feel fulfilled, satisfied and at peace with myself.
Affirmation:
My work is my spiritual classroom.
My everyday work is my highest yoga.
I love my work
At the age of 83, Bette Calman still loves her work!
For all those who know Bette, please find below some inspirational pictures of this inspirational teacher, remembered and loved by us all.
.... and just as I was about to send this Om Byte, A friend sent me this timely reminder
So let's drink our water WARM!
with love in yoga,
Louise
the best time is now
the best place is here
happiness is gratitude.
www.yogatohealth.com.au
OM BYTE 20 April 2009
Hello every dear friends in yoga, Namaste.
I hope you enjoy these thoughts on ego.
You'll LOVE the yogin animation found on youtube.
EGO
LET GO
EGO
“If you want to reach a state of bliss,
then go beyond your ego and the internal dialogue.
Make a decision to relinquish
the need to control,
the need to be approved,
and the need to judge.
Those are the three things the ego is doing all the time.
It's very important to be aware of them every time they come up.”
(Deepak Chopra)
I let go my need to control
I let go my need for approval
I let go my need to judge
I let go my need to be right
I let go my need to be negative
I let go my need to criticise
I let go my need to be different
I let go
I let be
I let God
I let go.... I let go.... I let go....
AND....
Please have a look at this wonderful animation of what happens when the ego takes over!!!!!
Enjoy! .......as the EGO buns to ashes!!!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4T36fLKbXYQ
(or type "yogin" into youtube search)
With warmest wishes,
Yours in yoga,
Louise
www.yogatohealth.com.au
A 'Yoga to Health' Om Byte to brighten your day.
You are on this mailing list because you have been in touch with "Yoga to Health"
regarding, class bookings, messages or orders.
If you do not wish to receive our monthly Om Bytes,
please send a return email to request, "unsubscribe".
"Yoga to Health" Om Bytes
as sent to those on the emailing list
Please scroll down for previous Om Bytes
Enjoy!
Yoga to Health Om Byte 19
March 2009
Now that our hot summer is coming to a close,
we can return to the joy and satisfaction of watching our garden
grow.... recover.... and produce.
It feels so good to get grounded and reconnected to nature.
The ancients found yoga in nature.
We can too...
The Yoga of Gardening
kneeling to the earth
touching the dirt
soiling hands
digging deep
putting in effort
working with love
dropping a seed
moving into darkness
watering to nurture
tendering to care
waiting in patience
taking the time
seeing the miracle
emerging new life
growing and maturing
absorbing the light
revealing its essence
standing tall
being still
listening
having patience
bearing fruit
enclosing seed
beholding wisdom
letting go
moving into stillness
being reborn
and completely satisfied.
With warmest wishes,
Yours in yoga,
Louise Wiggins
reaping what we sow
www.yogatohealth.com.au
A 'Yoga to Health' Om Byte to brighten your day.
You are on this mailing list because you have been in touch with "Yoga to Health"
regarding, class bookings, messages or orders.
If you do not wish to receive our monthly Om Bytes,
please send a return email to request, "unsubscribe".
'Yoga to Health' OM BYTE 18
February 2009
~ OMBAMA ! ~
Hasn't it been interesting to find so much yoga philosophy in the recent American Elections !
It seems to me, that perhaps we should rename Obama and call him OMbama!
What exciting and optimistic times we live in!
Here in the depths of world financial crises, we come back to each other.
YOGA means uniting, wholeness, oneness, connecting, union.
And right here in the heart of the American elections we find:
YES WE CAN
UNITED WE CAN
WE ARE ONE
The oneness of yoga is everywhere.
We find it at all levels of being.
So let’s re-phrase the sloguns and say to ourselves...
YES I CAN
UNITED IN YOGA I CAN
I AM ONE
THERE’S ONLY ONE OF US
And may the oneness of yoga
be awakened in us all.
NAMASTE
A 'Yoga to Health' Om Byte to brighten your day.
You are on this mailing list because you have been in touch with "Yoga to Health"
regarding, class bookings, messages or orders.
If you do not wish to receive our monthly Om Bytes,
please send a return email to request, "unsubscribe".
With warmest wishes,
Yours in yoga,
Louise
www.yogatohealth.com.au
Yoga to Health Om Byte 17
January 2009
Dear Friends in yoga,
May Geoff and I take this opportunity
to wish you a wonderful and joyous year of yoga in 2009.
and .....
may MOTHER NATURE
continue to be our greatest inspiration
..... let's stop
and listen to her wisdom
may our LIFE
be our greatest teacher
.... let's stop
and appreciate its lessons
may YOGA
be our favourite teaching
..... let's stop
and become more aware
may our BODY
be our best friend
.... let's stop
and love it as it is
may our ATTITUDE
be of gratitude
..... let's stop
and notice how much we have to be grateful for
may we LIVE
in this moment
..... let's stop
and savour the breath
and
may our COMPANY together
be our greatest joy and inspiration
..... let’s stop
and seek good company
let's stop
and observe
stillness
S O S
With warmest wishes,
Yours in yoga,
Louise
I surrender to stillness
www.yogatohealth.com.au
"Yoga to Health" OM BYTE 14,
14th October 2008
G F C Yoga
What a wonderful time to reflect on the essential teachings of yoga.
Students of yoga will know that the first word, of the first Patanjali Yoga sutra,
is ATHA,
which quite simply means “now”.
In the “Power of Now”
Eckhart Tolle puts it this way:
Anxiety, tension, stress and all forms of fear
are caused by too much future
and not enough presence.
Guilt, sadness, bitterness and all forms of non-forgiveness
are caused by too much past
and not enough presence.
Whenever we return to the present,
and listen to the birds,
feel our breath,
smell a rose,
quench a thirst,
stop and stare,
or go within,
we connect to stillness.
The stillness, that lies behind all our busy-ness and worldly concerns
and return us to our essential “being-ness”;
being in balance, harmony and peace.
Being in yoga. Simply being.
And as Deepak Chopra says:
“Wherever you go in the midst of movement and activity,
carry your stillness with you.
Then the chaotic movement around you
will never overshadow your access to the reservoir of creativity;
the field of pure potentiality.”
So, dear yoga friends, in any time of crisis, be it a FGC or any other,
feel confident that as yogis and yoginis,
we have the ability to move into stillness
and in stillness being present to the beauty around and within us.
It may even be a catalyst to reviewing our attachment to financial concerns
and taking the opportunity to focus on being grateful for what we have
and enjoying the simple joys of this moment
and finding it every time we step into the Now.
So enjoy this moment....
this gift;
this present of presence
until next time!
With warmest wishes,
Yours in yoga,
Louise
"I carry my stillness with me"
Yoga to Health Om Byte 13,
September 17th 2008
Hello dear yoga friends,
S T I L L N E S S
A dear yogini friend recently sent me a beautiful card containing a message of stillness:
Surrender to stillness
the truth you seek
is already there
I hope you find those words as calming as I found them to be!
Eckhard Tolle reminds us that:
a great silence space
holds all of creation
in its embrace,
it holds you too.
From the Bhagavad Gita:
Still your mind
still yourself
and without doubt
you shall be united
with the love
that dwells in your heart
My wishes for you:
May your breath flow like a gentle stream.
May your mind rest like a peaceful lake.
May your life be filled with stillness and joy,
and affirming....I am too blessed to be stressed !
In silence I grow.
In stillness I heal.
With warmest wishes,
Yours in yoga,
Louise
too blessed to be stressed
www.yogatohealth.com.au
Yoga to Health Om Byte 16
December 2008
Dear Friends in yoga,
May Geoff and I take this opportunity
to wish you joy, love, and stillness
in a world of peace and friendship.
Let us celebrate the wonderful story of a new birth,
infinite potential and hope for the world,
and the peace and stillness that may emerge from the darkness
~ silent night ~
~ holy night ~
~ all is calm ~
~ all is bright ~
Don't you find it interesting that there are so many wonderful teachings,
just within the beautiful carol, "Silent Night" ?
It is such an inspiring story of a journey into darkness,
silent night.....
following intuitive wisdom,
holy night....
seeing the light and allowing the light
all is calm, all is bright.....
to be the guide out of the darkness into all the infinite possibilities and hope
of new birth and the joy and promise that it brings.
all is bright.....
.
May you too, experience the blessings of light,
calm and stillness in a new year of happiness,
in a world of peace.
And PS..... thank you ......!
for the wonderful response to our GFCs!!!
Not for us a GLOBAL FINANCIAL CRISIS!
For us.... a GLOBAL FINANCIAL CONSCIOUSNESS!
Below please find the final contributions .....
a glorious outpouring of your creative genius !
( for previous Om Bytes, please view “Newsletter” and follow the guides to “Om Bytes”!)
Gorgeous Friends Club
Gorgeously Fulfilling Cobra.
Giant Frizzby Challenge
Gratitude Friendship Clarity
Glamorous Feline Cats
Gardening Feels Calming
Great Fishing Cairns
Greatly Freed Creativity
Good Fortune Cometh
Great Free Country
Give Feel Coalesce
Garlic Fried Chicken
Gratitude Freedom Commitment
Growing From Consciousness
Give Fifty Cuddles
Great Fruit Cakes
Gathering From Creativity
Generating Future Consciousness
Experience the oneness of yoga, in harmony with nature.
|
