What does Christmas mean for yogis? And who am I to even answer this question? Well, first off I can only speak for myself. Other yogis are free to interpret and celebrate as they choose.

For me Christmas is all about children. Until my own little bundle of joy came into the world I had honestly lost all interest in Christmas aside from a few days off between December and the New Year. My favourite days around this time of year were the winter solstice, representing the true beginning of the New Year and the right time to start making plans, resolutions and affirmations for the following twelve months. The regular New Year as a time to, well basically do the same thing again but this time on holidays.

My family is divided about halfway on the rest of Christmas. One or two are devotees of gift buying and Christmas celebrations, the rest stoically wait for the whole season to pass by and be over with as soon as possible.

For me, the aspect of Christmas I dislike the most is the ritual around gift buying, giving, receiving and opening. Not for children, whose tastes are more simple and honest, but for adults the cost, the difficulty in choosing and shopping and then the awkwardness of giving and receiving is nothing more than a costly and time consuming chore with little redeeming value.

As far back as the age of 12 or 13 the whole ritual struck me as fundamentally misguided and being a Christian at the time (fresh from confirmation) I thought what a good idea it would be if we all in our family just made a donation to charity instead. Needless to say the idea was ridiculed and thrown out without much debate.

This year, many, many years later, I decided to go ahead and do this anyway. The Oxfam Presents Unwrapped (http://www.oxfamirelandunwrapped.com/) campaign seemed to me the ideal way to do this. Although in hindsight I would have liked to contribute something to those affected by the flood in Ireland this year, but the thought came too late. I have no idea how my family will react to the small, unasuming cards they will receive informing them that chickens or a goat has been purchased on their behalf this Christmas, but they are all good people so I presume it will go the right way.

From my point of view I can’t imagine a more holistic, yogic way of celebrating Christmas, which is, after all, the giving season. With yoga being as mainstream as it is today there are plenty of options for people to celebrate Christmas in New Age, non-Christian and possibly `yogic’ ways. Taking yoga holidays in the sun, meditation courses, angel courses etc are all fantastic (I’m not knocking any of these things in any way), but lets face it, these things are for you, giving to yourself, and yoga, for me, in essence, is about becoming more selfless, less attached to the material (while not rejecting it) and developing a more compassionate way of life. Giving a gift of a sustainable lifestyle to someone very far away who you will never meet is as yogic as it comes and will bring benefits to the giver that all the stretching on a yoga mat, no matter how beautiful the setting, will ever achieve.

My advice this year, if you want to live the ideals of yoga, is to give a gift that really matters to someone, rather than just clogging Santa’s stocking with more future landfill!

Here’s to Christmas, the giving season and may you all have a merry one whichever way you choose to celebrate!

Om Shanti,

Liam Byrne

Yoga Teacher and Director at the Gorey Yoga Studio, John St. Gorey, Co. Wexford

T: 086 408 2428

E: info@yogagorey.com

www.yogagorey.com

The next Mindfulness Meditation and Hatha Yoga Intensive will be held at Yoga Sacred Space in Wicklow Town on June 14th, 10.30am to 1.30pm. Liam will lead the yoga practice Fidelma will lead the meditation. Eur 40 for all three hours. Great way to spend a Sunday morning, finish the old week and start with the new one – true nourishment for mind, body and soul, no additives, preservatives or colourants – just pure, simple yoga and meditation grounded in moments of absolute presence!

To book just text me on 086 408 2428 or email to info@yogagorey.com

Namaste,

Liam.

How to beat Recession stress?

It’s hard to ignore it and maybe even unwise to try to shut it out

completely. So how can we deal with aspects of the current recession that go beyond our personal control?

The answer is to take a look at your personal reaction to this kind of news, because this is the only part of the news that you really can control. For some people, this is a straightforward task. Easygoing and relaxed by nature, dodging or not reacting to negative news is a cinch. But then there is the rest of us who fear the radio reports and discussions of rising dole queues and fearfully search for another channel or switch off TV or radio to block out the news.

Rather than fighting the news and the emotions that arise around it, we can take a sideways, indirect approach that makes this kind of head on approach unnecessary. With stress arising in the body, sometimes the best way to approach it is through the mind, through positive thinking. Likewise, with stress in the mind, sometimes the best approach is through the body, using the link between the two to our advantage.

Most forms of intelligent exercise use this philosophy in one form or another and yoga is one of the most sophisticated of these. Many exercises in a typical yoga class are deceptively simple and deceptively one-dimensional. Common forward bends, standing or seated, may seem like just a simple way to lengthen hamstrings and stretch the lower back (which they are), but they also work on a much deeper level than this, relaxing the mind in a way that is far from subtle or ephemeral. Forward bends have a profoundly relaxing effect on the parasympathetic nervous system and provoke the opposite of the adrenaline/noradrenaline flight or fight response in the body. Thus, pupils un-dilate, heart rate and blood-pressure go down, breathing naturally slows. There is no self-hypnosis, positive thinking or visualization (all great things and easily combined with yoga by the way!) involved. All you need to do is make a forward bend, slowly, consciously and with measured breath for this effect to take place on the body and through the body, on the mind.

The forward bend is only one exercise in a complete yoga routine so you have to imagine that this remarkably easy (and yet elusive for many) effect to produce is only one small part of the results you can achieve from a regular yoga routine with a trained teacher. Of course you can practice from a book, DVD or a Nintendo Wii. These are all great ways to do yoga for those who for whatever reason cannot find the right teacher, but we guarantee you that there is absolutely no substitute for joining a class of real people, practicing yoga together, breathing and moving in harmony to the rhythm and pace of a class.

If you live in Wexford or Wicklow then check out our home page at www.yogagorey.com and www.therapyandyoga.com. We run yoga classes 6 days a week. You can join anytime and you will feel better from the first session. Affordable payment options available.

Contact us on 086 408 2428 or info@yogagorey.com.

Meditation is essentially a simple practice accessible to the vast majority of people, and one that is enhanced by the community of others. It can help with stress, solving problems, pain managment, can stimulate creativity and boost the immune system. Practiced with the right intention, it can make you a kinder, more balanced and compassionate human being.

Informal, donation based meditation groups are now held on the second Monday of every month at the Gorey Yoga Studio at 7.35pm after the 6.30 to 7.30 Hatha Yoga class. After a short reading we sit for two sessions of 20 minutes each (broken by a short interval to stretch the legs), in conscious, intentional meditation. There are no goals, just to be present, observe your thoughts without identification and experience the moment.

All are welcome. Payment is not required although any donation towards, time, electricity etc, is appreciated.

Namaste,

Liam Byrne

Teacher/Director                                                                                                                                         Gorey YOGA Studio

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The first donation based meditation group will take place this Monday evening at the Gorey Yoga Studio at 7.35pm. We will have a short reading and then sit for two twenty minute sessions with a short break to stretch the legs in between. We have one or two chairs so if numbers are more than this then some of you will have to be content to sit cross-legged on yoga mats or yoga blocks (or bring your own chair?)

This is not a taught meditation class but simply an opportunity to meditate in the company of others in a space dedicated to yoga, meditation and holistic therapy. All are welcome, please pass on the word to any friend or relative who you think might benefit from time taken out for themselves spent in silent contemplation.

Any donation is welcome but is not obligatory.

Call, text or email if you have any questions

Liam: 086 408 2428 – info@yogagorey.com

Hope to see you there!

Yoga and Meditation

Sunday November 9th, 2008.

It is no secret that for many, Yoga is as much a way to manage and deal with the stress of everyday life as it is to gain flexibility, strength and the other physical benefits of asana practice. The origins of Yoga as practiced in India are inextricably linked with the practice of meditation which has been shown to be a highly effective tool in reducing stress and beating the symptoms of stress at their point of origin, deep within ourselves.

The Goal of Yoga

Today, the link between yoga and meditation is often lost sight of in the enthusiasm students and many teachers have for the, very satisfying and rewarding, practice of physical yoga. The goal of yoga was originally to quiet the body and still the mind in preparation for the practice of meditation – the ultimate inner journey which leads ultimately to a more fulfilling life and engagement with the outside and every day world.

Mindfulness

This workshop in November will allow you to experience the effects of a full Hatha Yoga session upon a guided meditation practice. Following a Hatha Yoga class of 90 minutes, with myself (Liam Byrne) you will led by mindfulness trainer, Fidelma Farley, into two basic meditation practices that will enhance physical and mental stillness, and enable you to live more fully in the present.

Regular Breaks

This promises to be a very interesting workshop and I, for one, am looking forward very much to the extended mindfulness meditation after the yoga session. No need to worry about tortured legs either, this is a workshop (not a sweatshop!) and there will be no prizes awarded to those who can sit cross-legged the longest. There will be regular breaks to stretch the legs and opportunities to ask questions and discuss. Personally I can’t think of any better way (well, not many anyway) of spending a Sunday afternoon.

Cost and Duration

The duration of this workshop will be three hours with a cost of Eur 40.

To register your interest contact us at events@yogagorey.com or give me (Liam) a call on 086 408 2428. You can reserve a place on the workshop by sending a Eur 20 deposit to myself – just ask for details when you contact me.

PS Best to reserve early as places are limited to maximum 12 people.

Meditation

Some of us sit cross legged in the Lotus position to meditate. Others relax in a chair with a cup of tea.

Here at the Studio, we would like to encourage you to do both. While the original goal of Yoga was to achieve stillness of body with a view to cultivating stillness of the mind, this goal is often lost sight of during the daily or weekly practice of yoga which then becomes a mere stretching exercise. Not that stretching is bad, but to an extent it is selling yoga short not to enjoy the real fruit of ones efforts with asana (yoga postures) practice. This is a bit like having an aeroplane at home and then using it only to nip down to the local shop for a pound of butter now and again.

The Ideal Yogi – Asana vs. Meditation

Ideally, a yogi should be spending at least as much time in meditation as they are in asana (yoga postures) practice. If the balance tips the other way, as it does for the vast majority of us, then something is amiss. To help redress this balance we now offer a donation based class which will consist of one half hour of yoga followed by two 15 minute meditation sessions with a small break to stretch the legs in between. Afterwards, all are welcome to join us in a cup of tea, either at the Studio or around the corner in one of Gorey’s many boutique cafes.

Yoga Community

These combination classes (Yoga and a Cuppa) will be scheduled for weekends, one per month and are a priceless opportunity for people to come together in a true community of yoga, going beyond the atmosphere of the routine yoga class.

Please register your interest by phone or email. Liam can be reached at 086 408 2428 or emailed at info@yogagorey.com

See you all soon,

Liam and Anthony.