How are you doing? I write to you at the beginning of the UK’s third lockdown during the Covid-19 outbreak. Did you think we would still be doing this back in March? Gosh I certainly didn’t, yet here we are.
A question I have been asking myself lately is how can it feel like so much has happened when nothing at all has happened. We can’t travel (much, Neil is in Madeira though) and our social lives are non existent yet we have all been on quite a, dare I say it, “journey”. I hope that your path has not been too difficult and we can, at last, see the light at the end of a very long tunnel.
We obviously have had to close the Shala again but I wanted to let you know of our online classes. You can now sign up to a Wednesday 7pm led Primary class or a Sunday morning 7.30am led Primary Class. Book via our Classes page on our website or go straight to bookinghawk.com. As time goes on I may add a pop up Mysore or workshop to give you motivated if needs be so if you have any requests please email me.
Last week ITV West Country news showed a report on Long Covid, you may have seen it? If you did you will have seen Lyn, one of Ashtanga Yoga Exmouth’s wonderful most dedicated students who also assists us (pre Corona Virus) in our classes.
Lyn has practised Ashtanga Yoga with us for many years whilst also competing in Ironman & running events, more recently playing a huge part in the Park run every Saturday morning along Exmouth Beach. For as long as we have known Lyn her diet and lifestyle have been a priority, staying well so that she may be there for her family, enjoy her running and her Yoga practice.
For all of us life changed in March with the first UK lockdown, life as we knew it just stopped. But for Lyn and many like her the change was more dramatic. Unknowingly Lyn had contracted the Corona Virus and is still now, in November, suffering with what is now widely known as Long Covid.
“I kept pushing through, not resting when I was first ill. This was very damaging but I didn’t know that.” Lyn told me
“I needed to listen to what my body was saying, NOT, what I thought it needed”
I think we all do this don’t we? We begin to feel very slightly better so we think we need to be ‘doing’ something, we very much underestimate the power of rest. But if we don’t rest up properly our bodies may give us no choice. In an article in the Guardian on 3rd November Amelia Horgan wrote
“When people ask me about long Covid, all I want to talk about is rest. We don’t yet know everything about this disease, but if it’s symptoms overlap with post-viral illnesses and chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS/ME), which they appear to, we can assume that rest will play a significant role in its treatment”
Unfortunately not all of us will be able to access rest and recuperation, taking time off for some folks is not an option, as Amelia Horgan says ‘it depends on your safety net, your employer, people who can care for you or savings to tide you over’
Lyn is fortunate in this sense as she was able to take a break from her full time studies at Exeter University and has wonderful children and family who are supporting each other but not everyone will have this. There are so many unknowns with this virus, we do not yet know how to prevent Long Covid once you contract Corona Virus but all the evidence suggests that allowing yourself to rest as long as you can, even when you start to feel better, resisting the temptation to get straight back to work, fitness or housework, if this is possible for you, otherwise your body may just give you no choice as it has done with most Long Covid sufferers. There are many symptoms with Long Covid, including neurological, respiratory and gut problems but everyone seems to suffer with the same extreme fatigue.
Lyn is 51 and according to a study led by Dr Claire Steve’s and Prof Tim Spector this is the age group, Women 50-60, which has the greatest risk of developing Long Covid. In her article Linda Geddes writes
“Women aged 50-60 are at greatest risk of developing “long Covid”, analysis suggests. Older age and experiencing five or more symptoms within the first week of illness were also associated with a heightened risk of lasting health problems.”
The study, led by Dr Claire Steves and Prof Tim Spector at King’s College London, analysed data from 4,182 COVID Symptom Study app users who had been consistently logging their health and had tested positive for the virus. In general, women were twice as likely to suffer from Covid symptoms that lasted longer than a month, compared with men – but only until around the age of 60, when their risk level became more similar.”
Prof Tim Spector has also teamed up with the Menopause specialist Dr Louise Newson looking at Oestrogen and researching if it plays a part in the contracting and recovering from this virus. Women in peri menopause can sometimes develop an intolerance to Histamine and some research is also going on here too. Dr Peers of the Menopauseconsultancy.co.uk is helping conduct work into potential links with menopause, long Covid, Histamine intolerance and Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS)
Dr Peers talks to BBC news about this subject here
Women are also less likely to take rest as the majority of childcare and housework, still falls to them. According to the analysis conducted by University College London (UCL) and published in the journal Work, Employment and Society, “gender norms remain strong” when it comes to household chores. Women are still doing the majority of housework and childcare when living with a male partner, this study found.
Whilst discussing bias another study by – Laura Jones, Research Associate, Global Institute for Women’s Leadership at King’s College London revealed
“Men’s voices dominate in almost every category of media coverage related to the coronavirus crisis and every topic analysed in this study, with the exception of what are often seen as ‘women’s issues’, such as childcare. The imbalance is worse when it comes to those who are cited in the press as authorities on the pandemic – the more expert and well-known the voices become, the further women’s share in them decreases. While the pandemic continues to have gendered impacts, it is clear that female voices in the public debate are a minority”
Lyn and I are adding our female voices to raise awareness of Long Covid and particularly the risk for women, moreover Menopausal Women. Please don’t brush it off thinking that a healthy lifestyle and diet will give you immunity. If you do get Covid, yes if you have no underlying illness you should recover well but don’t rush back, rest, rest and even more rest. Lyn remembers,
“I tried to get fit again, very bad idea. I utterly misunderstood the concept of convalescence. The things I instinctively think will help me don’t, this makes it very hard”
Not all of us will get Corona Virus but for those that do (to date) 1 in 20 will have Long Covid (Symptoms 8 or more weeks).
Awareness is key in prevention as is lifestyle and diet but should you contract the virus resting for as long and as much as you can seems to be the simple (but not always easy) thing to do.
Lyn has her meditation practice and is experimenting with breathing practices, she can walk around the house but has to use a wheelchair on the days that she can go outside. Her Asana practice will come back but this is only one part of practicing Yoga, her awareness and presence is her Yoga practice for now and that is a good teacher for us all.
She remains very positive and has this advice;
“ If anyone catches Covid, symptoms or not, immediately go into a convalescent mind set. Don’t do any rigorous exercise for at least 12 weeks as it can affect the heart and the heart needs to recover. Just treat the body like a precious gift and listen too it”
Remember remember the 5th of November……. but for a different reason in 2020. Today England goes in to its second Lockdown, albeit not as strict as the first one but difficult for some all the same.
All our classes have been suspended and our Shala closed until Wednesday 2nd December, classes are available to book from this date up until Christmas. If you book and lockdown is prolonged you will receive a full refund or class credits back.
Neil just about got out of the country yesterday and is spending a few months in Madeira, he hopes to Zoom in to some classes when we open again.
Please prioritise some Yoga Space for yourself at home, it doesn’t need to be a long practice. Some Sun Salutations with the last three finishing postures is a perfect 10 minute practice for every day (6 days a week). Enough to help you focus, feel better, breathe better and Calm our busy monkey minds. Click Here for our video of this practice. You will not regret it. I will be posting a AYE Yoga challenge on our Social media platforms soon so look out for those if you need some motivation.
We would like to thank you all for your support over this year, we are here to support you too, either on social media, via email or messages, all our YouTube videos are free to use (subscribe and you won’t miss any, it’s free), share them with folk you know that might find it helpful. I hope to add some more over this month.
Like me, you may not want to think about it yet but Christmas will be here soon! At the end of this week I will have a small amount of Yoga stock for sale, including some great new Eco Friendly, Vegan suede microfibre Yoga Mats and Locally made (Dorset) Lavender filled Eye pillows and some AYE apparel. If you have ordered an AYE Calender they have arrived and I will message you, if you have not I have just a couple to spare. Also available to order are Giclee limited prints of my Yoga Asana drawings (one is pictured below). You can message me for details, or look on our Social media pages. It will be like a click and collect, (more like a, message me, pay via bacs and collect, but you get the gist).
We have a wonderful Yoga community here at AYE so please reach out if you are struggling, we will do our best to keep you motivated. Have you joined our private AYE Virtual Yoga group yet? Find it via our FB page.
Hello and how are you? Autumn always feels like a time of change doesn’t it? At AYE we are getting used to the changes that have had to be made because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Our booking system is working well, making it easier for you to view and book our classes online and also making sure that we don’t over book! Keeping a 2 metre distance allows enough space for a maximum of six, plus a teacher, in the Shala. Unfortunately because we cannot teach as many of you in one class it has meant that some folk cannot always get in. It is worth going on the waiting list, you will be emailed as soon as someone cancels.
In many ways this period of change has been positive. It gives us all the chance to re-evaluate where we are in our lives, personally and professionally. For Neil and I The smaller classes have enabled us to work closer (metaphorically not literally) with those that have been able to attend so that we now have more home practitioners than ever. This has always been our goal. To teach and support you so that you may find peace and sanctuary in your own practice, at home or when travelling, which if done 6 days a week can bring so much contentment to every aspect of your life.
guess who?
Our Ashtanga Yoga In-Depth course of workshops has been amazing and we may never have run this type of class had it not been for the pandemic. Here is some of the feedback we have had;
‘Its been a wonderful 4 weeks. Learnt so much about yoga and myself’
S
‘A huge Thank you for running the workshops, Ive enjoyed every minute and the impact the daily practice is having on life is huge. Theworkshop created a sacred space and I think allowed a string of new patterns and intentions to my yoga practice‘
J
Our Thursday Mysore classes are now a 4 week course (3 week, leading up to Christmas) where possible and we are aiming to do this with all our classes. Presently adding dates and classes gradually, being mindful that each week could bring new challenges to our daily lives.
I am very pleased to announce a new Thursday Morning class;
The Yoga Express Yoga ‘Coorie’ Class (A hug in a class)
Thursdays 10am
60 minutes
After nearly 8 months of physical distancing a lot of us are feeling the need for a wee ‘coorie’. In case you are not familiar with coorie, it is a Scottish word which, according to Gabriella Bennett’s controversial book The art of Coorie, means ‘The Scottish art of deriving comfort, wellbeing and energy from wild landscapes and convivial interiors’ also ‘ A hug of a word’
My husband often uses it, he is Scottish and according to my ethnicity test so am I- well 17% of me is! (& so is my name if you’ve ever been curious)
But a coorie is more than a hug, it’s a feeling. A feeling of comfort, love and belonging and, Blimey, don’t most of us need a bit of this right now.
According to a well known ( & always correct 😉 online encyclopaedia, coorie also means ‘to stoop, bend and crouch for protection’ sounds like a few Yoga postures that I know.
So I will be combining Ashtanga Yoga and Restorative Yoga with some Functional movement thrown in to make a Coorie of a class for you. So that you may feel energised & strong but also nurtured and restored with a sense of belonging. This will hopefully stay with you through the weekend until you need your next wee coorie.
This will be good for beginner or an experienced practitioner.
A course of 4 Thursdays, beginning Thursday 29th October, Available to book from 17th October,
Price – 4 class pass credits or £8 per class. if you like them we will do another course. For continuity I would prefer you to book all four but understand this is not always possible.
Our class passes now have over 6 month validity because you may not always be able to get into the class of your choice. By gradually adding more classes we hope to overcome this eventually.
A Tuesday led class, taught by Sylvia, will also be coming in November.
Neil still hopes to go somewhere warm for the Winter so will be leaving us at the end of October as usual. We cant get rid of him that easily though as, due to the success of zoom during lockdown, we have learned what a great tool this can be. So expect him to be zooming in to the Shala every now and then.
I also have some good Menopause Yoga ideas brewing for November, so keep an eye out for updates on that and please share with any women you know this may help.
Stay safe and keep everything crossed that we can stay open all winter, but at least if things change again a lot more of you now know what a home practice looks like.
Heading in to Autumn like ‘what the heck happened to Spring and Summer?’ How are things with you?
Autumn is a time of change and as the children go back to school and University they will notice this change more than In previous years. And so will we as we start to get back into clubs, groups or work that were once our familiar routine. We may be nervous, we might be full of enthusiasm or we may have decided to make significant changes to our old routines. All of those choices are okay. I think it is important to follow what you are comfortable with (as long as it does not effect negatively those around you) without judgment of others that you may feel are either too lapse or too careful.
This is why we are taking our classes from month to month, adding and taking away where there is demand. For now we have dropped the Friday morning Zoom class and added a Wednesday Evening Guided Primary in the Shala. We have also added a Saturday 4 week course, Ashtanga In-Depth which is now full (waiting list available) and a Menopause Yoga Workshop /Retreat which is also full.
We are also adding 4 Mysore classes every Thursday From 1st October, 7pm. This will be available to book soon and we would prefer folk to book all four classes for consistency but understand this may be difficult for some of you so they are all available to book separately.
We also hope to add a ‘Not Ashtanga’ class soon. This class will give you a chance to unwind and soften your practice (if you already have more of a yang type practice like Ashtanga). Suitable for beginners to Yoga and Pregnant women too.
Present timetable;
Monday’s 7pm Guided Primary
Wednesday’s 7pm Guided Primary
Sunday’s 7am Mysore
From 19th September Ashtanga In-depth course (4 Saturday mornings)
Sunday 27th September MY workshop 1-4,30pm
From 1st October Thursday 7pm Mysore (4 classes)
starting soon – Not Ashtanga class
Thank you for your continued support whether via the Shala classes or videos, we hope to see you all soon.
🦦Join us for a course of four workshops where we will be taking a closer look at the Ashtanga Yoga system, and how a regular practice can support you.🦥
🔥We will practice and discuss Tristana, Ujjayi Breath, Dristi and Bandh’s, the foundation of Ashtanga Yoga, a tool to help nurture presence of mind, focus, flexibility and stability.🦩
🐌This will be a comprehensive guide to the inner (and outer) workings of this practice.🦚
🦉You will learn;
1) The fundamentals of Sun Salutations, standing, seated and supine postures.
2) How to move from a huffing, puffing work-out to a refined, rhythmic flow.
3) Specific activities to help connect with your Bandha’s and build more stability.
4) Options and modifications of postures to allow for tighter joints, muscles or injury.
5) How you can cultivate a 6 day week practice with ease (no matter how busy you are!)
6) More about yourself.
🐒Who is this course for?
🌺Anyone that already practices Ashtanga Yoga that is genuine in their wish to learn more, whether you’ve been practicing for 8 weeks or 8 years.
✌️Someone that is prepared to do 15 minutes Homework at least 3 times a week during the course.
🙏To reap the benefits of Yoga we have to practice it, talking/reading about it or wearing all the ‘right’ gear (and no idea) is not Yoga.
😊With the current COVID guidelines this is a great opportunity, we can only have a small group of up to 6 people.
👊🏻Between us we have 25 years experience in Ashtanga Yoga to share with you. 🦁We will support you and encourage you, all we ask is that you commit to turning up and doing the work……… You won’t regret it
WARNING……..THIS COURSE MAY CHANGE YOUR LIFE ❤️
Starts Saturday 19th September – 10th October Time – 10am-12 Price – £80
Are you ready to dip your toes in to a face to face Class in our Shala?
We are planning our first classes back after Lockdown;
Sunday 2nd August – 7am – Mysore
Monday 3rd August – 7pm – Guided Full or Half Primary
This is new for us all so can we work together?🙏
We will have 6 students and 1 teacher so you will feel safe and get plenty of space and attention (that’s a good thing🤪)
If the spaces get filled quickly we will put on more classes, if they are not full they will not take place.
Sorry but this the only way we can offer classes presently (without a massive price rise). It is so difficult.
Please only book via email ayexmouth@gmail.com or the booking button on our Facebook page.
Pre paid or class passes to confirm booking.
Our Classes on Zoom will remain going for now too.
We hope that you are doing well. Today is the 4th of July, the day that we are able to get our hair cut, have a meal out or go to the Pub! But we still cant practice together in the same space.
Neil and I will only open for classes when we know that we can keep it safe for everyone and that time is not now. To keep a social distance in our Shala would mean classes of 4 or 5, added to this the fact that in Ashtanga we sweat (a lot), jump around a bit (not always keeping to our mats) and Breathe.
We can offer private classes in the Shala for those in a social bubble together, and we continue our Zoom online, live weekly classes. Plus you can find free classes with us on our YouTube Channel. You can also connect with the AYE community through our Facebook page, groups and Instagram.
The online classes and social media connection has been wonderful for Neil and I and, I believe, for most of you that have tried it. Some of you have said that they have kept you going throughout lockdown. And they have inspired you to begin that home practice that has eluded you for years! Yay! No, it is not quite the same but it does have many benefits. We were been able to do the classes for free to begin with as we both felt we did not want to profit from an already difficult situation for most folks. As time has gone on you asked if you could pay and this has been very much appreciated. This also feels as it should be for now as time is moving on and folk are more aware of their financial circumstances, but we continue to keep the cost as low as we can and offer our classes completely free if you have been, or still are financially affected by the crisis.
We are also adding Pop up Classes such as Sunday 5th July, a Mysore Class from afar! Still time to register. Jinty is doing Menopause Yoga Workshops and Classes too, these may be face to face earlier than we can teach Ashtanga as we have smaller groups and we don’t move around as much. We are still optimistic that the Menopause Yoga retreat day will happen this year.
For both of us personally our Yoga and Meditation has been key to getting through this period. Like you, we have faced difficulties, situations that have tested us to the max, this is when our Yoga is needed most.
For now, our weekly classes remain the same but may change if you require them to. So please keep communicating with us. If you come to a morning class that is going to be impossible for you to get to soon, because of work or school, then please let us know, if enough folk ask we can run an evening class on zoom.
We are very grateful for your support and friendship,
Is this what your Yoga mat looks like most of the time during lockdown? Rolled up, gathering dust. Do you only touch it to move it out of the way? 😱
If so You’re not on you’re own. 😀
Motivation to practice at home is not easy – it is often harder than the practice itself. But here are a few tips which may help:
1) ☀️ Plan just 15 minutes for your practice, you may feel like doing a bit more once you start but 15 minutes is a great practice. 🧘♀️
🌑 Do Not plan or try to crash out a 90 minute full practice when you haven’t been on your mat for 9weeks. You may hurt yourself and you will definitely take away any motivation to practice for the next day 😧
2) ☀️ Set a time that suits you (& family), early morning? Evening? When family go out?
🌑 Don’t think the right time will just happen, you have to make time happen. ⏰
3) ☀️ Put some motivational music on 🎶
🧘♀️ Don’t think everything has to be a certain way- it is your practice, in your home, if it helps do it 🤘
4) ☀️ Remember how good the Yoga makes you feel afterward and know that your day will be better if you practice 😊
🌑 Don’t talk yourself out of it because you stubbed your toe or got a paper cut yesterday 🤭
5)☀️ Forget about when you last practiced, today’s practice is all that matters 🧘🏻♂️
🌑 Don’t talk yourself out of a practice because you think you’ve lost your strength/flexibility/headstand- it won’t come back unless you…….practice 😏
6)☀️ Lay your mat out, sit on it with an espresso before you practice. The espresso may motivate you more to begin with! ☕️
🌑 Don’t lay your mat out, make a big pot of coffee and start reading a magazine 📖
the coffee will still be hot in 15minutes post practice 👏
We hope this helps. Don’t feel bad for not practicing but don’t let the fact that you haven’t so far stop you either. 🤨
Drop us a line if we can help support you any more 🙄🙏🏼
Jinty and Neil x
When you do get on your mat, practice so that you look forward (not dread) the next one 🙏🏼
We hope that you are alright and are managing to navigate your way to who knows where in this crazy period we are in. The only way is through as they say!
We are all ok here at AYE. Neil made it back safely from Thailand, earlier than planned before they closed borders.
We hope that you are managing to practice. It can be difficult, even if we have time on our hands, sometimes the motivation is just not there. If this is the case check out our 15 minute practice on our new YouTube channel. Trust me, you will feel so much better for it.
We have lots of practices on our channel, depending on how you are feeling.
Also new for us is our Live ZOOM classes both guided primary, you can choose to do the Full practice or half Primary. We have had great feedback, the next best thing to being together.
Schedule;
MONDAYS 8am
FRIDAYS 8am
Free for anyone that has been financially affected,
2 Virtual Classes for one of your class passes or
Donation via bac’s
email or text to book and we will send you the link
Ashtanga (meaning 8 limbs) Vinyasa Yoga is an ancient system of yoga derived from the teachings of Pattabhi Jois (1915-2009). He is the founder of the Ashtanga yoga Research Institute in Mysore, India.
After learning this dynamic method from his teacher, Krishnamacharya, he then handed it down to thousands of students around the world.
Ashtanga is based on a sequence of postures, synchronising Breath with movement (Vinyasa).
Om
Vande Gurunam charanaravinde
Sandarshita svatmasukhavabodhe
Nishreyase jangalikayamane
Samsara halahala mohashantyai
Abahu Purushakaram
Shankachkrasi Dharinam
Sahasra Sirasam Svetam
Pranamami Patanjalim
Om
TRANSLATION:
I worship the Guru's lotus feet
Awakening the happiness of the self revealed
Beyond comparison, acting like the jungle physician
To pacify delusion from Samsara (the poison of existence).
I prostrate before the sage Patanjali
who has thousands of radiant White heads, (as the divine serpant, Ananta)
who has, as far as his arms, assumed the form of a man holding a conch shell,
a wheel and a sword.
Om
Closing mantra
Svasthi Praja Bhyaha
Pari Pala Yantam
Nya Yena Margena
Mahim Mahishaha
Go Brahmanebhyaha
Shubamastu Nityam
Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bhavantu
OM Shanti Shanti Shanti
TRANSLATION:
May all be well with mankind
May all the leaders of the Earth protect in every way by keeping to the right path.
May there be goodness for those who know the Earth to be sacred.
May all the worlds be Happy
OM peace peace peace
Community
We believe it is important to give back to our community. Creating 'Charity Tuesday' gives us (& all of you) the opportunity to do just this. All money taken on the last Tuesday of every month will go straight to local charities.
