this class is suitable for everyone who likes or needs an easier and shorter yoga class, this class is one hour. For the breathing and other exercises we sit on the chair, instead of floor. We do standing up exercises and on the yogmat or continue on the chair. In general we do not practice the Sun Salutation in this class.
Standing spinal twist, my mother Pia Steiner, November 2015.
6:30pm – 8pm Hatha Yoga Class (new time), cost $15.- or yoga class pass
our usual 90 minutes hatha yoga class, breathing exercises (pranayama), sun salutation, 12 basic postures, final relaxation.
Hatha Yoga class with Maria Steiner at Raceview Scout Hall, Eastern Heights, Ipswich, QLD.
#Yoga4dignity will bring thousands of women & men from Australia together to Share the Dignity whilst at the same time opening our hearts and touching our toes. In Australia we have 48,000 homeless women and it is our GOAL this year to have the same number practicing YOGA in your hometown as we share #Yoga4dignity.
Purchasing this ticket enables you to be part of this amazing event.
This is the second year of #Yoga4Dignity. Last year we had a sold out class of nearly 30 Participants and Yogis, at the Scout Hall, Booval. Let’s see if we can do this again.
Thank you for helping to Share the Dignity.
#Yoga4Dignity sold out class 2nd September 2017. Let’s do it again in 2018.
Nice article in the local paper QT Ipswich to help promote #Yoga4Dignity #ShareTheDignity
The weekly Yoga class at the PCYC Ipswich is continuing as well. Silvia will teach this class, Wednesdays 6:30pm – 8pm. Please contact the PCYC Ipswich for cost and terms. http://www.pcyc.org.au/ipswich/
Where ?: Haigslea Uniting Church Hall, 765 Thagoona-Haigslea Road, Haigslea Qld 4306 (opposite Haigslea State Primary School)
When ?: Tuesday evenings – 5pm to 6:30pm – Commencing 6/2/18
How much does it cost ?: Attendance is by donation (you contribute what it’s worth to you to participate) There is no set fee.
What do I bring ?: Essential items – yoga mat, yoga block and water bottle. Optional items – yoga strap, yoga bolster or firm cushion.
Who’s the teacher ?: Your teacher will be Ken Oldham. Ken studied with the Yoga and Integrative Medicine Institute and is a 350 hour, level 1 yoga teacher accredited through Yoga Australia.
What do I do next ?: Just turn up 10-15 minutes before the start time (no booking necessary).
FAQ Question: I’m not very flexible, can I still do yoga? Answer: Absolutely… flexibility comes with practice, and the asanas (yoga poses) can be adapted to suit your current body condition (asana modification is a fundamental concept of Viniyoga).
Question: Isn’t yoga just for girls? Answer: No way! Yoga is for EVERYBODY… any age (8 to 80 and beyond), any physical shape, any fitness level, and definitely not gender specific. As a matter of fact some very elite, high level football teams practice yoga as part of their regular fitness programmes.
A few weeks ago, in one of the yoga classes, I talked about daily healthy habits. We narrowed it down to three. Here a short summary for everyone:
I start my day with lemon or lime water. Presently I have fresh limes from my garden.
Drink plenty of water 2 – 3 litres per day.
Stretch and move daily. This can be yoga, walking, swimming, running, cycling, fitness class, dancing, a few rounds of Sun Salutations. etc. Any kind of movement and stretching you like and you will do. It does not have to be long, 15 minutes daily is good.
Breathing exercises. Focusing on deep abdominal breathing, taking time out throughout the day to make time for some conscious breathing. This can even lead to a short meditation.
Long before the invention of cars, planes, telephones, computers, social media, freeways and other modern triggers of stress, the Rishis (sages or seers) and Yogis of yore devised very powerful techniques of deep relaxation. As a matter of fact, many modern stress-management and relaxation methods borrow heavily from this tradition. By relaxing deeply all the muscles the Yogi can thoroughly rejuvenate his/her nervous system and attain a deep sense of inner peace.
When the body and the mind are constantly overworked, their natural efficiency to perform work diminishes. Modern social life, food, work and even the so-called entertainment, make it difficult for modern people to relax. Many have even forgotten that rest and relaxation are nature’s way of recharging. Even while trying to rest, the average person expends a lot of physical and mental energy through tension. Much of the body’s energy is wasted uselessly.
More of our energy is spent in keeping the muscles in continual readiness for work than in the actual useful work done. In order to regulate and balance the work of the body and mind, it is best to learn to economize the energy produced by our body. This may be done by learning to relax.
It may be remembered that in the course of one day, our body usually produce all the substances and energy necessary for the next day. But it often happens that all these substances and energy may be consumed within a few minutes by bad moods, anger, injury or intense irritation. The process of eruption and repression of violent emotions often grows into a regular habit. The result is disastrous, not only for the body, but also for the mind.
During complete relaxation, there is practically no energy or “Prana” being consumed, although a little is keeping the body in normal condition while the remaining portion is being stored and conserved.
In order to achieve perfect relaxation, three methods are used by yogis: “Physical”, “Mental”, and “Spiritual” relaxation. Relaxation is not complete until the person reaches that stage of spiritual relaxation.
1 – PHYSICAL RELAXATION
We know that every action is the result of thought. Thoughts take form in action, the body reaching to the thought. Just as the mind may send a message to the muscles ordering them to contract, the mind may also send another message to bring the relaxation to the tired muscles.
Physical relaxation first begins with the toes and then moves upward. The autosuggestion passes through the muscles and reaches the eyes and ears at the top. Then, slowly, messages are sent to the kidneys, liver and the other internal organs. This relaxation position is known as Savasana, or the Corpse Pose.
2 – MENTAL RELAXATION
When experiencing mental tension, it is advisable to breathe slowly and rhythmically for a few minutes. Soon the mind will become calm. You may experience a kind of floating sensation.
3 – SPIRITUAL RELAXATION
However one may try to relax the mind, all tensions and worries cannot be completely removed until one reaches spiritual relaxation.
As long as a person identifies with the body and the mind, there will be worries, sorrows, anxieties, fear and anger. These emotions, in turn bring tension. Yogis know that unless a person can withdraw from the body/mind idea and separate himself from the ego-consciousness, there is no way of obtaining complete relaxation.
The yogi identifies himself with the all pervading, all-powerful, all-peaceful and joyful self, or pure consciousness within. He knows that the source of all power, knowledge, peace and strength is in the self, not in the body. We tune to this by asserting the real nature, that is “I am that pure consciousness or self”. This identification with the self completes the process of relaxation.
Savasana – corpse pose – classic yoga relaxation posture.
Relaxation lying on the abdomen.
“The practice of relaxing the muscles of the body will bring rest to the body and to the mind also. The tension of the muscles will be relieved. People who know the science of relaxation do not waste any energy. They can meditate well. Take a few deep breaths and then lie down flat on your back as in Savasana. Roll on to one side and then relax as thoroughly as you can do. Do not strain the muscles. Roll on the other side and relax. This is naturally done by all during sleep. There are various exercises in relaxation, for the particular muscles of a particular part of the body. You can relax the head, the shoulders, the arms, forearms, wrist, etc. Yogins know the science of relaxation thoroughly. When you practise these various relaxation exercises, you must have the mental picture of calmness and strength.”
At the beginning of October this year, a journalist from SBS Radio in Melbourne contacted me for an interview over the phone about Yoga.
It’s for SBS Radio the German speaking program. The segment within the German program is in Swiss – German (my first language), the weekly program on a Sunday night is called Echo Helvetia: interviews, portraits, stories, etc. about Swiss immigrants in Australia.
