It’s been almost 10 months since I offered the last meditation class.
So we’ll kick off a new series of meditation classes with a Meditation on Thursday the 17th of March 5pm – 6pm. It will be held at our home in Silkstone. You need to book and confirm your attendance.
The cost is $13.00
The topic is on the full moon. Josie who you might know from the classes, will share some of her astrological wisdom and will tell us what is signifiant about this full moon in March (moon in Virgo) and close to the Equinox. We’ll start the class with breathing exercises and meditation, then astrology on the current mood, finishing with another short meditation to reflect.
To book your space please send me an email: hathayogaipswich@gmail.com or text 0423 477 725.
Full Moon over Silkstone, February 2022
Thank You, see you soon and I look forward to some reflection & group meditation. Maria
A next 8 – weeks – meditation – course is starting soon. Monday 10th of May 2021, 5pm – 6pm, for eight consecutive weeks. The Topic of the course is on the Chakras.
The 7 main Chakra
Chakra means ‘wheel’. Chakras are energy vortices, or intersections where two or more nadis (sanskrit word) meet. Everyplace the 72,000 nadis of the astral body intersect, there is a chakra. There are an uncounted number of chakras in the body.
The chakras are the mechanisms by which the prana (lifeforce) is able to permeate the physical body from the astral body, and basically then, it is the prana that keeps the physical body alive.
Within the astral body are 7 main chakras associated with kundalini awakening. They are located within the astral body in locations that correspond with the spine in the physical body, and at the junctions where the ida and pingala, and various other nadis, meet.
These main chakras are called:
Muladhara – located near the base of the spine in the perineal space for men, at the back and top of the cervix for women; sacral plexus
Swadhishthana – located at the level of the uro-genital systems; prostatic plexus
Manipura – located at the area of the navel; solar plexus
Anahata – located at the level of the heart; cardiac plexus
Vishuddha – located in the throat region near the thyroid and adam’s apple; laryngeal plexus
Ajna – located in the space between the eyebrows; cavernous plexus
Sahasrara – located at the top of the head; pineal gland
In the first week of the course, we cover the basics and overall meaning of the Chakra. Then every week we cover, talk and meditate on one Chakra from 1 to 7. So if, you miss a week, each week is it’s own lesson.
Cost & Registration:
The upfront payment for the whole 8 weeks is $110.-, or you can pay each week $15.-.
If you have yoga class pass, you can use it of the meditation course as well.
The course is taking place at our home in Silkstone, and is limited to six participants. You need to book for the whole course, or for each week, if space is available.
Please send me an email: hathayogaipswich@gmail.com or phone/text 0423 477 725. Thank You !! Looking forward to diving into this important topic of the Yoga theory and help you with a meditation practice. It will improve my own as well. 🙂 Namaste, Maria Prema ❤
The Christmas Break for the Yoga Classes will be three weeks, from Monday 21th of December 2020 until Monday 11th of January 2021.
Even over the Holiday Season take some time out for yourself to go into stillness, take some deep breaths, calm down, meditate. Spend quiet moments in nature to ground yourself and recharge.
All the Yoga classes resume on Tuesday 12th of January 2021, as follows:
Thursdays, 6:30pm – 8:00pm (90 minutes Hatha Yoga class
These days and times are our classes for January 2021 (except Tuesday 26/1/21 Australia Day – public holiday).
If you can’t make it to the Scout Halls, you can join any of these classes online via Zoom. One thing we take with us from 2020 into 2021… is Zoom Yoga.
As of February there will be a change to the Thursday classes. I will give you the details, closer to the date.
Plus I will most likely offer a few additional Yoga days & times. Extra Zoom classes, and possibly a weekly meditation class. However we’ll start the New Year slow and steady.
Poinciana tree at Raceview Scout Hall, December 2020.
My spot for morning Sun Salutation on our recent holiday, overlooking Shark Bay, Evans Head, NSW. November 2020
Let’s finish 2020 with some good Yoga practice.
Online and in-person Yoga classes from Monday 23rd November until 17th December 2020:
Monday 10am – 11am Zoom online only
Tuesday 9am – 10:30am, at the Raceview Scout Hall, 32 Taylor Street, Eastern Heights or join online
Tuesday 6pm – 7pm Zoom online only
Wednesday 9am -10am Seniors Yoga class, at the Raceview Scout Hall, 32 Taylor Street, Eastern Heights or join online
Wednesday 4pm -5pm Zoom online only
Thursday 6am -7am early bird session Zoom online only
Thursday 5pm – 6pm Seniors Yoga class, at the Raceview Scout Hall, 32 Taylor Street, Eastern Heights or join online
Thursday 6:30pm – 8pm ,at the Raceview Scout Hall, 32 Taylor Street, Eastern Heights or join online
Cost
first trial class: free
drop-in class $15.00
5-class pass $70.00
10-class pass $120.00
Cost for Senior Classes
first class: free
single class $10.00
10-class-pass $80.00
Please contact me by email, phone or text, if you have any questions. Or would like to join any of the above Yoga classes, online or at the Scout Hall. Even if it’s your first try at Yoga ever, or the first time in a looooong time.
I look forward to seeing you all before the end of 2020. Maria Prema
Maria Steiner (Prema), February 2020, Photo Session in Cameron Park, Booval with Amanda Rossow.
Besides being a busy time of the year with Christmas and end of 2019 approaching fast, we are all affected by the current bush fires in our wider area and all over Australia. The smoke haze, bad & dry air, the lack of rain puts extra stress on all of us and our bodies.
So it’s even more important to practice some yoga, meditation, conscious relaxation and deep breathing. Even a class or two over the next few weeks is helpful.
Below is the current timetable until Friday 20th of December 2019.
Cameron Park, Scout Hall, Easton Street, Booval:
Tuesday, 6:00pm–7:30pm (last class 17/11/19)
Raceview Scout Hall, 32 Taylor Street, Eastern Heights:
Tuesday, 9am – 10:30am (last class 17/11/19)
Thursday, 6:30pm – 8pm (last class 19/12/19)
Senior Yoga classes at the Raceview Scout Hall, Eastern Heights:
Handwritten Testimonial Essay by John Carmichael 27/8/2019.
How I got my handstand back
(A Testimonial by John Carmichael)
When I was a skinny kid I, like many other youths, used
to love doing cartwheels and handstand all over the house and out in the back
yard. I found doing them gave me a feeling of exhilaration. Fast forward some
40 years and I now weigh in at 97 kilograms. I gave up smoking seven years ago
and took up yoga three years ago under the guidance of Maria Steiner (Prema) at
Hatha Yoga Ipswich.
One of the first things Maria told me was not to compare
myself to others as I struggled to do the Asanas and found meditation difficult
to say the least. Maria delights in helping people achieve their goals and is
hearty in her approbation. She was excited when I managed to do the full wheel
pose, which I hadn’t done since attending the Y.M.C.A. where it was called a
bridge. It dawned on me that I could improve with effort and that many new
poses were attainable. I do yoga to help me become physically, emotionally and
psychologically healthy.
I was given positive reinforcement for each new Asana I
did. Maria is always looking to promote students to do their best and take on
new challenges. She uses humour to keep the class cheerful and optimistic
whilst remaining on the task at hand. I am slowly learning to meditate to
create a calm and resilient disposition. I have also found that my blood
pressure, since commencing yoga, has come down from high to high/normal. My
G.P. is impressed.
One day, a few weeks ago, Maria suggested that I try a
handstand against the wall. I think I am too old and too heavy was my response.
Maria advised me that age and weight are simply numbers and that if I had done
a handstand in the past perhaps, like the wheel, I could do it again. So I
tried. I placed my hands about 15 cm from the wall and positioned my feet as if
ready to run. Kick up two three, fall back two three. Kick up two three, fall
back two three. Kick up two three, fall back two three. Fail.
I then turned my back to the wall and slowly inched up
with my feet until my weight was almost fully on my arms and hands. I could
only step half way up the wall. Before I go on, let’s look at the health
benefits of doing a handstand. According to Google; “ As with all inversions, you get a sense of immediate clarity in your
mind when you bring yourself upside down, delivering fresh, oxygenated blood to
the brain and alleviating stress, anxiety and depression.”
These results were definitely worth striving for, especially as I am inclined to anxiety and depression. So I persisted. A week passed and at the next class I tried again, first with my back to the wall and then facing. Kick up two three, fall back two three. Kick up two three, fall back two three. Kick up two three and then, by gosh, my feet found the wall. I pointed my toes and straightened my posture. I was still heavy, but I was upside down and feeling fine. My body had remembered all those handstands of my youth.
I will mention here that it is important to warm up and
stretch before attempting a handstand, especially by doing the dolphin. As with
a headstand one should follow the Asana with child’s pose to avoid dizziness.
Maria said, good work John and my satisfaction was
immense. That is how I got my handstand back. Now I practice the handstand
twice at classes each week and nearly every day at home. It is a joy to be
coordinated, flexible, stable and strong. Now I have a new Asana in my
repertoire.
Our bodies were designed to move and exercise and yes, go
upside down. Good health makes one feel youthful and more able to cope with
stress and various life challenges. Everyone seeks praise and positive
reinforcement. Doing yoga with a competent instructor like Maria is a good way
to inoculate oneself against these stresses and strains.
Our bodies strive to be healthy and yoga, including
meditation is a good way to ward off and avoid toxic, unhealthy habits. With
every handstand I do I feel stronger and more balanced. I have also regained
that feeling of exhilaration I felt as a skinny kid. It is a wonderful way to
be in the moment and focus the mind.
I hope my story inspires you to do something healthy,
that you haven’t done for years. Or even, if you have not already, take up yoga
and/or meditation.
Namaste. John Carmichael 27/8/2019.
Following are Photos taken in the Yoga Class on Tuesday 27/8/19. John Carmichael in Handstand and Wheel.
Handwritten Testimonial Essay by John Carmichael:
Thank You very much John for your heartfelt feedback, and allowing me to share your story. May it inspire many others on their life- and yoga path. Namaste, Maria Prema .
In the Yoga tradition, that I practice and teach, we chant/sing/recite many Sanskrit Mantras. These Mantras all have different meanings: Mantra for protection, Mantra for safe travelling, opening and closing Mantra for the Yoga class…..
Every Day of the week is dedicated to a different Deity. In my own practice I observe these days with specific Mantras for the Deity of the Day.
Friday is Devi day, honoring the Divine Mother.
Please click on the link below to listen to a short recording, I’ve done this morning. This sound file is unedited….. I simply recorded myself as I play the harmonium and chant the Mantra.
Hatha Yoga Ipswich 