Often you can teach for quite a while before you begin to hear what students really think of your classes. Obviously, if people keep turning up to class, you’re probably doing something right! But you can never really be sure that you’re inspiring your students to truly live the yogic path.

With this in mind, it was wonderful to hear a comment via Liz who asked me to join Flow Studio Belfast. A friend of her’s had attended a class I was covering. She said I took her on a yogic journey! How wonderful! I must admit I have been riding the high of this for days!

This brought me to the question “What inspires you?” Is it how your teacher expresses the practice? Or is it the tone of their voice? Asking yourself this question may help to invigorate your practice!

Blessings,

Rain

om shanti

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My new yoga classes in Belfast are Wednesdays and Thursday 5-6.15pm. A great time to go to a class as you miss the peak hour traffic and still have time in the evening to do things!

My classes started this week so there will be a growth period with classes being small. That’s ok because the space, Blick Shared Galleries, is totally lush! Big high ceilings, lovely white walls and art that changes on a regular basis. I feel truly honoured to be asked to join this space and these teachers. Please come along and join us!

If you’re looking for Yoga classes Belfast Flow Studios is the place to go, classes are from Sunday – Friday with a great variety of teachers. Go to flowstudiobelfast.com for the new spring schedule.

Blessings,

Rain

om shanti

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We had to rescue two lambs that had managed to separate themselves from their mums by entering the putting green! Needless to say, all were very happy to be reunited!

We saw the Grouse that lives near us for the first time this year. Spring must be on it’s way!

And we saw a badger on the way home the other evening.

Whenever i encounter nature in this way, it has a way of reminding me that we are simply a small part of this big world we live in, that everything has a time and place, and for us to feel fulfilled, we need to remember and contribute in some way to the bigger picture. So, this year, so far, mine has been reuniting babes with their mums. A fitting way for me as I am a keen knitter. Take some time out today to think how you may be able to give back…

Blessings,

Rain

om shanti

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How do I create a home practice?

Do I need to recreate what I’ve done in class?

How do I remember what I’ve done in class?

What if I get a pose wrong?

How can I practice without the guiding instructions of my teacher?

There are a lot of differing views on this very dilemma that all yogis and yoginis come to. My opinion is this:

Quality not quantity is the important thing here. It’s not about how long you practice. Rather it’s about the regularity of your practice. So whether you have 5 minutes or 2 hours to practice in, it’s not important. Simply continuing to come back to your practice is.

So, with this in mind, start simple. Practice poses you know well, yes, even if that is only Savasana! As your discipline of a home practice grows, so will your enthusiasm. There are plenty of books, dvds, youtube videos and podcasts out there to give you ideas or a structure if that is what you want.

A home practice is really about you. It’s the ultimate yoga, you listening to your body and doing whatever your body wants for however long. By creating and maintaining a home practice, you’ll always have that post yoga bliss at your fingertips and your enjoyment of class will grow. Use your home practice as an opportunity to explore and your class practice to ask your teacher questions that have come up on your mat. The best of both worlds!

So, try it! Start simple and let it grow!

Blessings,

Rain

om shanti

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So, toe socks are a great piece of equipment to help fight the cold and hidden dirt on floors. But you need to have grip for Adho Mukkha Svanasana (Downward-Facing Dog) and other poses. So the search was on to buy toe socks with grippy soles.

Surprisingly, there are many on the market so off I went in search of the perfect pair for yoga. They needed to be well made, preferably in organic cotton, fit extremely well as you don’t want them to begin to slip as regular socks do and have a range of colour choices. Of all of the different brands of toe socks available, by far the best I have found is Toe Sox made in the U.S. Not only are they made from organic cotton, are ergnomically designed and come in a large variety of colours, they have the best choice of sizes to fit even my small feet! They also have what they call Half-toe sox which are great in warmer weather.

When I find something that I really love, I’m happy to talk about it til I’m out of breath. That’s how I feel about Toe Sox! If you would like further information, click on the link below. Enjoy having happy healthy feet!

Blessings,

Rain

om shanti

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Many of the reasons there is opposition is in relation to the atmosphere: harsh lighting, tannoys, noisy rooms next door and continual problems with temperature control. This is what you expect in a gym environment. Yet I feel you can use these issues in a positive way. Taking a leaf out of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, look at everything from a different angle: Pratipaksha Bhavanum.

I teach in a gym, Traditional and Vinyasa Flow Yoga at Queens P.E.C. here in Belfast, and yes, I have all of these issues to deal with. However, I use them to teach my students to be accepting of where they are right now, even using the vibrations of the music from the room downstairs to help release tension in the body.

Yes, a gym is not the perfect place to practice yoga but who lives in a perfect world? So choosing a yoga class is more than simply is the style and teacher a good fit, the venue is important too. So, if you have an issue with noise when you practice, then choose somewhere other than a gym. If you do choose to practice in a gym, expect there to be some noise. And if you are able to feel and create peace in yourself in this type of environment, then you’ll be able to do it anywhere!

What’s your opinion?

Peace, love, joy, bliss,

Namaste,

Rain

om shanti

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Eat Pray Love is Elizabeth Gilbert’s experiences over a year. She spent 4 months in each country, embracing the lifestyle. So, she eats her way around Italy, prays her way through India and loves life in many ways in Bali. It was the journey of “I”, the looking for yourself that many of us wish to do.

Now, reading someone’s experiences allows for you to use your imagination, to visualise colours and scenes through your ideas of what they saw. Film, on the other hand, is someone else’s visual interpretation of yet someone else’s experience.

Often, when you love a book, there tends to be a disappointment when you see that book put to film as it never quite meets your expectations and imagination. To this, I ask “Does the film still have the essence of what you loved about the book?”

For Eat Pray Love I say “Yes!” Now, I know there were characters and events cut or condensed for artistic license which may annoy some people. Yet for me, the joy and wonder still remained, particularly in the scene in India with the elephant. I giggled a lot and wept a few tears along the way. I feel Julia Roberts was great casting, the cinematography was wonderful and, overall, the love of living was expressed well. And, from a yogic perspective, I was impressed with Julia’s Padmasana (lotus pose)!

So, for anyone who has read the book and is wondering if they should see the film, then wonder no more. I think you will enjoy it.

Blessings,

Rain

om shanti

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Sibylle had a lovely timbre to her voice, a lilt that was easy to listen to and gently encouraged you in the asana practice.

We began the workshop with a little talk from Sibylle about her practice and about Jivamukti before leading us in some pranayama and chanting of Om. She set up an intention and the sutra Sthira sukham asanam (steadiness and ease in the pose) as the focus of the practice. Then the asana practice began!

In my experience, the flow of the class was quite similar to classes I have done with other flow teachers like Shiva Rea so I didn’t feel it was too difficult to follow. Doesn’t mean I didn’t start to sweat! I was sweating so much that I couldn’t hold my ankles in Dhanurasana (Bow Pose) as I was too slippery!

The class was great fun and I enjoyed myself very much. My only disappointment was how little we chanted. What little I had read had spoken of how chanting and music flowed through Jivamukti classes and how vital they were as another tool to help us gain understanding and enlightenment. For me, this seems to be the one thing missing from classes and workshops I usually attend, including those I teach myself. My way around this is to have a spoken kirtan (call and response) at the end of class. Sibylle managed to get us to follow her in kirtan at the beginning and end of the workshop, which I take my hat off to her for! I just wish we had done more. Ironically, the two chants we did sing are my favourite two, both of which I have taught in class:

Asaatomaa Sad Gamaya (Take me from the unreal to the real)

Tamaso Maa Jyotir Gamaya (From the darkness to the light)

Mrityor Maa Amritam Gamaya (From death to immortality)

and

Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bhavantu (May my thoughts, words and actions contribute to the health, well being and freedom of all beings everywhere)

These also happen to be the two chants I end my daily practice with.

The workshop has given me an urge to explore this style a bit more. And I’m grateful for the opportunity to meet a wonderful person in Sibylle. If anybody gets the opportunity to attend a class with Sibylle, take it! She is a lovely teacher! And for anybody wanting to bring another dimension to their yoga practice, explore Jivamukti.

If anyone has any experience of Jivamukti they would like to share, I would love to hear from them!

Below you will find a video of Jivamukti founders Sharon Gannon and David Life with musician Michael Franti moving through their versions of Surya Namaskar A and B (Sun Salutations A and B). I hope this may help give you a glimpse of the possibilities that are out there.

Namaste,

Rain

om shanti

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Welcome to my blog!

My name is Rain and I am a yoga teacher in N. Ireland. Well, I’m not too keen on the term teacher. I’d rather think of myself as a yogasmith, weaving all that I have learnt so far on my spiritual and yogic path into the classes that I lead, shining a light on the path of others.

What I love about yoga is there is always something else to learn, always something new to explore! So my classes are continually evolving just as I am!

For my , check out my website shantishaktiyoga.com

I hope you will join me on this journey to discovery and enlightenment!

Namaste,

Rain

om shanti

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