New! Yoga Chant group in Glastonbury

I invite you to join me at a new weekly session taking place in Glastonbury as follows:

Yoga Chant

Thursday 11am - 12pm

The Miracles Room, Glastonbury Experience,

High St Glastonbury

Starting 1st March

Contribution £5/£4

Chanting is a powerful way to create joy. To balance, heal and accelerate inner transformation.  As such it is a useful part of our yoga and a yoga in its own right.

For millenia, yogis and rishis of India have passed on sacred formulas through vocal repetition, aspiring to higher states of consciousness and to preserve and transmit wisdom. I have been blessed to spend extended  periods in India studying mantra and sutra and have incorporated chanting into my personal yoga. I offer these sessions so that you may benefit as I have.

Such as :

- Calmness and relaxation Standing down from the stress response, soothing the adrenals, regulating heart rate, blood pressure and hormones.

- Quiet mind Thoughts are stilled while we are chanting.

- Empowerment and confidence It  feels good to use the voice with awareness, focus and intention.

- Energizing the spiritual body Chanting clears the nadis (channels where life energy flows) and bathes the cells of the body with positive energy.

- Healing and re-balancing Mantras act as prayers; as we recite them we create a  powerful intention of healing. In ayurveda, mantra is regularly prescribed to heal physical symptoms.

- Creating and manifesting Mantra can be directed to specific areas of life where we might wish for improvement, they are the original positive affirmations!

- Inner peace  Many mantra are formulated specifically to create inner peace within the practitioner.

- A gift to humanity As we become more peaceful, we radiate peace into the fabric of the universe so assisting the whole of  humanity.

- Eternal wisdom and liberation We may not understand the subtleties of the Sanskrit, but we are imbuing ourselves with ancient yogic wisdom which percolates through to the subconscious level. Overtime, this creates conditions for moksha or enlightenment.

- The joy of sharing Positive energies generated by chanting are amplified in a group and there arises a wonderful feeling of wellbeing from sharing and belonging.

We will chant a selection of short, simple sanskrit verses that I use myself and have been authorised to teach, from the classic texts of India including the yoga sutras of Patanjali, the Vedas and the Upanishads. 

These will be relaxed, informal sessions, and all are warmly welcomed, no previous experience of yoga and/or yoga chanting is required.

I provide written sheets with the chants and meanings and we will progress at a pace that supports everyone.

The Miracles Room is a lovely venue; spacious and tranquil, flooded with natural light and conveniently located on Glastonbury High  Street, close to the Market Cross.

Sessions are drop-in, so no need to book in advance, however you are welcome to call  me on 07779 807089 or email jennifer@divine-yoga.org with any enquiries.


I look forward to chanting with you!

Om shanti, shanti, shanti

Jennifer

New! Quiet yoga class at Shekinashram, Glastonbury

I am very pleased to be offering a new yoga class in Glastonbury this spring, in one of my favourite venues: the lovely Shekinashram on the slopes of Chalice Hill.

Tuesday 2:15pm - 3:30pm £6/£5

Shekinashram, Dod Lane, Glastonbury 

All levels welcome 

Starting 21st February 2012

Drawing on my study of the Scaravelli tradition, the Quiet Yoga class will be a safe supportive space to explore the body, breath and movement from a mindfulness perspective, respecting  the needs of the body rather than imposing outcomes, a yoga of undoing rather than doing. It is a deeply restful practice, soothing the nervous system and reducing symptoms of stress and anxiety.

We will work together to become quiet and very present with ourselves, with this focussed awareness
witnessing the breath and the responses of the body to release tension and create internal space.

Relaxing progressively, allowing the breath to cleanse, purify and rejuvenate cells, tissues and organs and energising the subtle body. Areas that commonly hold tension; such as the hips, shoulders and the pelvis become lighter; and authentic joyful movement becomes possible.

This is a wonderful liberating approach and suitable for all ages and body types, over time the practitioner develops calmness, clarity and self-acceptance.



I look forward to sharing yoga with you, you are welcome to call ahead of class  07779 807089 or email me with any questions.


Jennifer

- Mats, blankets and cushions are provided at this venue.

- Wear loose comfortable clothing, we will be barefoot.

- Please arrive on time for a prompt start.

- Contact me before class if you have an active medical condition that you are receiving treatment for.

The streets of Glastonbury are paved with Love

Snowdrops in Glastonbury Abbey

Early spring in Glastonbury; I have flown back from India but return nightly in my dreams to Auroville and Tiruvannamalai.

A close friend shared a confidence, that upon her return from an extended visit to south Africa, she asked Glastonbury to show her whether or not she still belonged in the town. A good question, and although I didnt consciously voice it, it was seeded within.



The wintry weather of recent days has been a challenge, a snow storm greeted me at Heathrow, I understand that I was fortunate to have travelled home smoothly and safely with no delay or inconvenience - an act of grace that I give gratitude for.

Mornings are sharp and cold, with the sun sometimes breaking through for an hour or so and temperatures resolutely sub-zero.

I've been taking the cue from Kitty, who seems permanently welded to the duvet and giving myself all the sleep and rest my body is asking for. So when I received a facebook message yesterday suggesting a 9:30am walk,at first it seemed quite unreasonable.
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Healing sound circle

I swiftly reconsidered, it was after all St Valentine's day and I had been invited to spend time with a fabulous friend.

We meandered around the Tor and made our way slowly into town, stopping at the wholefoods store for carrots, kombucha and raw chocolate, which we shared contentedly on a bench in the Abbey grounds, facing the ruins with the sun in our faces, surrounded by snowdrops.



I took a full hit of the potent superfoods, boosted further by a generous measure of Horny Goat Weed elixir. I was feeling elated, giggly and excitable and so as midday chimed we scrambled back into town and gathered outside St John's Church on the High St as part of a sonic love circle; uttering the cosmic sound ahhh in unison. It was perfect, our individual voices blending and merging, an expression of harmony and oneness.

We hung around afterwards chatting with friends and catching up, it was great to be welcomed back on such an auspicious day. More elixir was administered and someone produced a batch of  funky homemade hats that were passed around and tried on, it was a very Glastonbury moment.

The hemp master adoring his creation

In the afternoon I visited Free Love Cannabis who was handing out cake and truffles from Hemp in Avalon, his Valentine offering. Free loves an audience and with a full shop he felt inspired to perform some of his poetry and speaking on the subjects of divine consciousness, Gaia, forgiveness and purification, a kind of impromptu satsang.

I took my guitar along and occupied a corner of the floor beside an indoor water shrine and played a set of songs on the theme of love, mostly from the Osho ashram in Pune.

Everytime the shop door opened, more and more familiar faces would enter, I started to feel bliss rising as I acknowledged my happiness and how good it felt to be seeing so many friends in one day that was unfolding magically.

As the sky darkened and dusk arrived, the merriment in town continued with talented poets and story tellers performing during the evening. There was a clear understanding that we were celebrating St Valentines day not just on the level of romantic love between couples, but also the greater love, the divine cosmic consciousness that daily is becoming more apparant in our lives.

Walking home I basked in satisfying positive feelings and contemplated my good fortune.
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Soul family

I remembered  how Glastonbury comes to life in the spring, how there would be planned community celebrations as well as spontaneous happenings that would lead up to the crescendo of summer solstice and beyond.

Our community is powerful, connected and possibly unique. I gave myself credit and acknowledged that I too was one of the talented creative people I admire and respect and that moreover Glastonbury was clearly showing me that  I did belong - so many friends manifesting on one day to welcome me home was the proof of that.

I feel so honoured and happy to be received so lovingly in the bosom of Avalon and excited about making my contribution in service to the town in the coming weeks and months.



May we overflow with love in all forms and frequencies 

Jennifer