January 2014 Winter Newsletter I go among the trees and sit still All my stirring becomes quiet around me like circles on water. My tasks lie in their places Where I left them, asleep like cattle. Then what I am afraid of comes. I live for a while in its sight. What I fear in it leaves it. And the fear of it leaves me. It sings and I hear its song Wendell Berry When life hurts, yoga can help. As the last year fades from view and I step into 2014, I feel very fortunate and grateful for what I have in this life. This past year, my fiftieth, was not an easy ride by any means, but certainly a good deal better than the lives of so many I see around me. Although much of this could be attributed to what some would call luck, fate or the hand you are dealt, I believe that there is more to it than just chance. When I try my best to practice patience, compassion and peacefulness with those around me (including cold callers!!) I find that my days feel different, lighter, more pleasant, and all those I come into contact with respond to this. Life can be painful, the body can let us down, other people can act thoughtlessly, nature is ruthless we have no control over any of these things, but the one thing we do have the potential to control is our mind. We can change the way we react, our thinking behaviour and eventually root out the destructive habits that keep us bound in a cycle of suffering. If we keep returning to our practice.. even if only the breathing,we will feel better,and the more we practice the better we will feel!! It is almost too simple to be true but it works. Don t take my word for it..try it out for a week and see the difference!
[Issue] :: [Date] Teaching schedule 2014 2013 was a wonderful year of teaching classes old and new,meeting many new students both in the general yoga classes and through my therapeutic work. It has been a real pleasure to share what I have learned and Louise and I are off to India again on the 24 th January to complete the next part of our Yoga Therapy training(mental health) with Ganesh Mohan. Classes will be covered where possible and a schedule for these 3 weeks will be posted on my website. On our return Louise and I will be concentrating on Svastha Yoga Manchester, developing therapeutic programmes and short courses to deliver in various locations.the success of the Chronic fatigue and other therapetic groups has shown us that there is a real need for specialized classes. I will also be moving my Wednesday night class from St Clements in Chorlton over to Salford(Chapel Street) on my return from India, as my loyal students have put up with cold and discomfort for too long and I want all my students to benefit from practicing in a warm and pleasant environment. I will be resuming restorative workshops in February, and will post dates on my website once I have booked them with the Yoga Rooms.I also hope to bring back the Ayurveda workshops this year,maybe one for spring and one for Autumn, the junction of the seasons. Louise and I will also be concentrating our attention on teaching philosophy. We already ran a very successful workshop at Yoga Kula Leeds last year and hope to return and deliver these in Manchester too.
Issue [#] :: [Date] Retreats 2014 Retreats 2014 May 2014 Weekend retreat at Hollowford Centre Castleton with Jane and Lou 230 August 16 th -23 rd 2014 Yoga week at Les Passeroses, Charente, France with Jane and Lou. From 645 November 1st-14 th 2014 Holy Himalayan Retreat at Dunagiri, Uttarakhand. 1300 Last year was an amazing year for retreats, even though most of them happened in the second part of the year!! We had two wonderful weeks at Les Passeroses..one with myself and Louise and the other just me, it was really wonderful to meet lovely yoga seekers from all parts of the world and both weeks were a real delight to teach. Lou and I will be returning there for a week in August and already have some bookings so do get in touch to confirm a place. I travelled to Morocco last year with a very small group and we had an amazing adventure snakes and all! This year I am returning to breathtaking Dunagiri for two weeks at the beginning of November. I need to have 9 students to make this viable, so please if you are interested, please contact me as soon as possible..i will require a returnable deposit of 250 to confirm your commitment..this wil be returned if the trip doesn t happen. It is an amazing experience. The picture above is the group planting an orange tree on our last morning, which you will see when we go there!! Louise and I are hoping to return to Hollowford in Castleton sometime in May but are currently waiting to confirm dates,
[Issue] :: [Date] Mohans Visit to the UK Finally, the dates and events for the Mohans visit to the UK are finalized!! Sadly they won t be joining us in Manchester this time as they wanted to split the pranayama workshop into two parts and deliver them both this year.so they are coming in June and October to Birmingham. Fortunately for us Alf Clibery of the Association of Yoga Studies has stepped in to organize this and Louise and I are doing our best to support him as the long weekend has turned into quite a lot of different teachings! If you are interested in joining us in Birmingham for the pranayama weekend then please contact Alf to book(details on the next page). If you would just like more information about the programme in general let me know and I will send you the online brochure. If you think that you could only commit to a day and are interested in any of the one day workshops then I can also send you some more information on this. Just to give you an idea, pranayama 3 day course is 235 but 10% discount if you pay for both in advance.(423). Day workshops are 80. Below is a brief synopsis of the pranayama module Pleasant Pranayama Module One (Module Two 3, 4, 5 October) In this program, participants will be instructed and guided in their practice by the Mohans, drawing directly from the teachings of Krishnamacharya, from the ancient yoga texts, and from four decades of their study, practice, and teaching. Hatha Yoga is Pranayama. The pleasant practice of Pranayama is achieved through mastery of breath. In this program you will learn: How to make asana practice effortless based on breath Mastery of breath to achieve mastery of asana, leading to pranayama How to bring a pleasant feeling into the practice of pranayama How to achieve steadiness of mind through pranayama Practice sessions will include relevant asanas, pranayama and meditation. The practice will be interspersed with interactive lecture sessions. This course is open to anyone interested in understanding the powerful yogic practice of breath awareness and control, and in finding effective and wise guidance in building a pranayama practice. To cure the illness of the body, use the body. For steadiness of the mind, practice pranayama. Yogacharya Sri T. Krishnamacharya
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[Issue] :: [Date] Above is a photograph taken on a winters walk near my home in Ashton Under Lyne. I love the path stretching out ahead and disappearing into the landscape. On the day this was taken I had woken up feeling fed up and jaded, tired of feeling ill, exasperated with my body not doing what I wanted it to and generally bound up with my thoughts and suffering!! A dear friend of mine was staying and we decided to go out for a walk to blow away the cobwebs. When I do this and connect to nature even in a small way it always makes me feel so much better, and yet I often feel reluctant to leave the safety and warmth of my home sanctuary. But what a difference!! As soon as I felt the openness of the land and the fresh biting air on my face I felt really alive and embodied. This wayward vessel that I had been moping about was still a miracle and everything around me too, and as we walked higher into the fading light I felt a tremendous sense of relief and a familiar knowing..that somehow everything was just fine. The stillness of nature reminds us of that steady place within that we seek in our practice. So I urge you all even in this wintry month of January, occasionally find time to go out and connect with nature..if only into your garden or local park for an hour..i guarantee it will make you feel better!!!
Issue [#] :: [Date] At the still point of the turning world. Neither flesh nor fleshless; Neither from nor towards: at the still point, there the dance is, But neither arrest nor movement. And do not call it fixity. Where past and future are gathered. Neither movement from nor towards, Neither ascent nor decline. Except for the point,the still point, There would be no dance, and there is only the dance. I can only say, there we have been: but I cannot say where, And I cannot say,how long,for that is to place it in time Excerpt from Burnt Norton by T.S.Eliot
We are what we think. All that we are arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts we make the world. Speak or act with a pure mind And happiness will follow you As your shadow, unshakeable Dhammapada Jane Craggs Therapeutic Yoga and Ayurveda janecraggs.co.uk 0044(0)7764963138 Thank you for reading this newsletter I hope you have found something to uplift you or inspire you. Please do let me know if you no longer wish to receive my updates and I will unsubscribe you. Perhaps if you ve been away from the practice for a while this might be the impetus to rejoin a class. It doesn t matter how long a gap, or if you never got around to coming along, you will be most welcome at my classes. Please check my website to see which class will be suitable, and if you are still not sure, please email or call me As always I would like to thank all of you for your continued support through 2013, it was very much appreciated, and I very much look forward to sharing the joys of the practice with you in 2014. I wish you a very healthy and peaceful New Year, may your life continue to be a blessing and remember to let go of what you can t change!! Om Namo Namaha Shanti Janexxxx