January 2019: On Being Ready

Today, 7am from 18 January 2019

Happy New Year! After a restful break, I am happy to be back teaching. It is wonderful to welcome new students and continue supporting those who have been on the path of yoga for a while.

January is often a time of rushed resolutions and forced goals. At this time of year, I need time to reflect, to find out where I am, what I need to change, what I need to let go of. I have been asking: Am I ready for this? Am I being cautious and fearful, or do I really need more time? What does it mean to be ready, and how do I know? Just posing these questions, irrespective of the answer, has been enlightening.

Being ready means meeting whatever one wants to encounter in its full expression and with consideration, understanding it. Being ready does not mean succeeding, being able to do something. It has to do with taking that first step, and hearing yourself say: I am ready for this.

Laura x
https://www.lauragonzalez.co.uk/yoga

What I have been reading
I was introduced to the Ashtanga Intermediate series in April 2015, a fair few months before I began practicing it. Yet, I was ready to receive the teachings from Kia and Rosina. That workshop changed my primary practice and it was the very first step towards a journey that I find so fascinating. Many practitioners, however, resist what this series has to offer, perhaps because of how it looks, but it is so much more than that … Like Primary, it has its own purpose, it does its own therapy. Ty Landrum’s article on this topic is particularly eloquent. If you have been practicing full Primary for a while, and are established it it, ask yourself whether you are ready. Whatever the answer, the question is worth it.*

What I have been listening to
I really like Jack Kornfield’s voice and is teachings. In this podcast, he explores the concept of seeing anew, of always adopting the beginners mind. It is possible to let go, to renew, to start again, he says. We can forgive, even ourselves.*

What I have been eating
Asking Am I ready for this? is a matter of self-care and it needs to be supported, if one is to do the work properly, with respect and compassion. Healthy, balanced food is a wonderful way to encourage lasting change.I have been exploring Ayurveda in my breathing practice and in my lifestyle. At this time of year, dals are one of my go-to dishes: tasty, warming, nourishing and relatively simple to do. Here’s one of the lovely recipes in my favourite book ‘The Ayurvedic Cookbook’ by Amadea Morningstar.

Sutra inspiration
1.1 Atha Yoganusasanam—Now the teachings of yoga begin.Am I ready for the teachings of yoga? If I am I must engage with nowness, for there is where they can be found. Nowness, seeing things as they are, is not easy. It is as if our asana practice was restricted to samastitih, equal standing. This might look static, boring even but if you look closely, really listen to samastitih, you realise there is a world happening. Nowness is like that. When fully experienced, it reveals yoga. But it requires listening, tuning into, constantly, fully, devotedly.

Arlington Baths open classes
61 Arlington St, Glasgow G3 6DT
Rosina Bonsu’s programmeFrom January 2019

Tuesdays 6.15–20.30 Assisted Self-Practice (Mysore)
Thursdays 7.45–9.30 Assisted Self-Practice (Mysore)

£11 | £9, included all class cards

Royal Conservatoire of Scotland
for staff and students only
Join the RCS Sport Facebook pageFrom January 2019

Wednesdays 18.00–19.00: Ashtanga Yoga

Fridays 13.00–14.00: Ashtanga Yoga

£3 per class | £10 for 4 classes

MONTHLY PRANAYAMA CLASSES
at the Arlington BathsTuesday 29 January
Tuesday 26 February 2019
Tuesday 26 March 201917.00–18.15, £11 | £9, included in all class cards
These classes are for those who are complete pranayama beginners, practitioners who have done pranayama but don’t have a regular practice, or for those who have a yoga or meditation practice and want to delve deeper – all are welcome.

The breath is key to Ashtanga yoga practice. It allows for the deepening of postures and enhances their benefits. During the course, each session will build on what you know and will develop the tools and techniques required to help you set, refine and sustain an individual pranayama practice.

During these sessions you will:

• Learn about the breath – to observe it, to follow it and to enhance it
• Learn to deepen your breath, allowing you to become more aware and mindful, calm and focused
• Learn preparations and purification techniques that will help to boost the benefits of pranayama
• Learn more about how this practice relates to the Ashtanga yoga system.

SHORT COURSE: THE YOGA SUTRAS

Tuesdays 5, 12, 19 February 2019
17.00 – 18.15
£48/£43 Arlington members, concession

If you practice any form of yoga, you probably have been wondering how it works, why it works, maybe even what is this thing we do. Yoga is a tradition, it has a lineage that goes back to ancient texts that used to be discussed in groups, in satsang, a group that meets to discuss being-ness.

This course might just answer your questions or may perhaps spark further explorations on and off the mat. We will explore Books 1 and 2 of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras. They outline what yoga really is about, on the mat, the cushion and life. They also offer a practical guide on how to do it! Laura will provide copies of the Sutras or you can also bring your own if you have it.

Yoga philosophy is very inclusive: there is no right or wrong. Come, deepen your knowledge and be inspired by this ancient text.