We all know that our health is indeed our wealth. Yet it is still the most taken for granted of all things in our lives. Only when we have a sore throat, toothache, belly upset or something, are we aware of just how much pain we could be in, day in and day out if we were to succumb to some dis "ease." Our health is so effected by what we eat, breathe, think and do, yet even this we are mostly unaware of. Lets make a conscious effort, from right here, right now, to live in our physical bodies, aware of the energy body as well as the mental and spiritual bodies. These 4 bodies live together, are an integral part of each other and so influence one another, we cannot treat them as if they are separate. From this moment, take charge, breathe with awareness, shop with awareness, eat with awareness and then, most difficult of all, think with awareness. I will write more next time on the actual different layers of these bodies to help you understand them better.

In closing, please support our WELLNESS FAIR in KZN at Umhlali primary school, sat 8th June 9am to 5.30pm . You can view the events timetable on www.wellnessfairkzn.com Lots of activities for the whole family with healthy foods and stalls of interest.

All living creatures depend on the breath

For it is the sustaining force of life itself,

Which determines how long we may live

Those who revere breath as a gift from the Universe

Shall live to complete their full span of life.

Upanishad.

So here we move into a new section of breath awareness for the next few days of practice.

Once again, sit comfortably, spine erect and shoulders relaxed. Try to balance each vertebra gently and naturally above the other. (Allowing  the natural curvatures of the spine without hyper extending them.) Take a few moments to still your physical body as well as the mind. Breathe in deeply and fully with absolute awareness. Imagine a candle being held in front of your nostrils, on your exhalation blow a short and sudden blast of air out of both nostrils trying to snuff out the imaginary flame. Once again breathe in with both nostrils and then puff the air out and blow the candle out. You keep repeating this action with awareness to the out breath not on the in breath. You will automatically breathe in, so focus on sharp out breath. The abdominals will contract on the sharp exhalation. Make sure your shoulders and the rest of your body remains as still as possible. You will be aiming at 2 out breaths per second and to be able to continue for at least 300 repetitions. Build up to this slowly and be sure to keep it relaxed and without any strain at all. Start with a few rounds of say 30, followed by a deep full inhalation and exhalation, repeat 30 again and so on. Repeat this for a week and then increase the repetitions to 60 or 100 in a round. Eventually graduate  to 300 without stopping.

This is a cleansing breathing technique and will maybe make you feel like coughing a little, it is very effective in cleansing the lungs and oxygenating the blood.

It is very important to master this technique before moving on to any of the others.

I hope you enjoy it and do not hesitate to mail for more information if it is not clearly explained for you.

Ahimsa

Cheryl

Energise your entire body by breathing consciously and with awareness. Each and every moment of the day we are taking in oxygen and breathing out carbon dioxide, it is involuntary and is a matter of life or death. Yet most of us are not even aware of this simple gaseous exchange taking place throughout our lives. We are breathing in around 600cc with each breath.The tidal capacity of our lungs is around 6000cc Our lungs are capable of much greater efficiency than what we are experiencing "unconsciously" . Keeping in mind that the oxygen is held in the lungs while it is transferred into the bloodstream, it makes sense that the longer it's held in the lungs the more oxygen will be absorbed and transferred. Meaning that more oxygenated blood will flow around to all the cells of each and every organ in the body. So it's then reasonable to assume that the deeper we breathe, the more efficient this gaseous exchange. I have described a basic deep breathing technique for you to start practicing daily :

Sit in a comfortable position with the spine erect and head balancing comfortably on top of the spine with chin paralel to the floor. Relax shoulders, soften the eyes and start to breath with awareness. Be aware of each breath in, follow it as it flows in the nostrils, down the throat and into the lungs.Visualise the oxygen being transferred into the blood cells, then follow the carbon dioxide flowing backup and out nostrils on the exhalation. Be aware of the cooler air going in the nostrils and the slightly warmer air coming back out. Follow your breath for about 6-8 rounds. Now try to lengthen this  inhalation and exhalation.  Without taking tension into the body aim at 4 seconds in and 8 seconds out. Keep trying until you feel comfortable with this. 3/6 is also okay. See if you can practice deep breathing for 5 minutes x 2 each day. This is the introduction to Pranayama, where eventually we will be holding the breath and increasing gaseous exchange even further. It is most important to take this step by step and to practice daily before progressing to the next level.

The key to safe and effective breathing is to stay relaxed in body, as well as in mind and for regular practice.

Stand Tall

Drink lots of water

Go out on a limb

Branch out

Remember your roots

Enjoy the view

 Suddenly the cooler weather is upon us here in KZN but I just love the warm days we still experience right through  the winter months. It will be my 2^nd winter here on East coast and I am loving it !  While taking a dip in the ocean last Tuesday it occurred to me that here in Ballito we have no excuse for depression, lethargy, negative thoughts etc. as all you need to do is take a plunge ! The warm Indian ocean is so healing, the salt content alone will change your mental state and the “fizz” of the white water is so energizing that it leaves you feeling ready to take on the world.  That is the “stoke”  surfers take with them  into their day , after they have their morning surf.  Only grumpy surfer I know of is the one who is unable to be in the water for reasons such as injury or other commitments.  Try it out for yourselves, it’s on your doorstep and it’s free !

Last week we discussed how we literally are what we eat. Staying with this vein of thought, here is another reason or two to be more aware of what we place in our mouths. Every 35 days our skin is replaced. Our liver is replaced about every month. These cells necessary for this rejuvenation are made up from the food we eat. So it is only logical that the quality of our nutritional intake is directly responsible for the types of cells which will be formed. What you eat, literally becomes you. You have a choice of what you wish to be made of. So remembering what we have discussed previously, try to eat as many of your “greens” as raw, fresh and organic as possible !  If you try to follow this rule, your physical body will remain energized and in a state of homeostasis (well-balanced). Capable of allowing you to concentrate more fully on the other all important bodies we are made up of.

“Life  is a balanced system of learning and evolution. Whether pleasure or  pain; every situation in your life serves a purpose. It is up to us to  recognize what that purpose could be.”

So yesterday morning I volunteered to help teach at the Township Yogi Project. This took place at Ohlange school, where  Madiba (Nelson Mandela) cast his first ever vote in 1994. The hall is full of photos and plaques as well as a larger than life statue of Nelson Mandela himself. This project was starte by Elle Mathews from Green shoot Films an she is making a documentary about Yoga changing the lives of HIV and Aids sufferers in KZN. Here in KZN we have 40% of the  Aids population living in our townships. That leaves a lot of children with one or no parents, an even lower income, very little support if any, lots of fear, insecurity and coupled with the usual township violence there is major trauma. So by taking an hour together to learn how to breathe with awareness, to stand tall, firm  and strong, to be gentle, to find an inner softness and peace, we hope to provide some tools to make life a little less stressful and a lot more joyful.

21 participants arrived just before the class. The ages ranged from 4 -60. They moved onto their mats, started the class with great focus and enthusiasm. The 4 year old did not leave his mat the entire class ! His focus and concentration was humbling, I have never seen such centreness by such a young man ever before. Georgie led the class through a “not so easy” session and they soldiered on, following each instruction with care and great  thought. There were 3 of us teachers walking around to corresct, help with alignment and provide encouragement where necessary. This certainly makes it easier to teach a large group of beginners and the risk of any injuries is decreased tenfold. One of the participants was shot in the knee and has difficulty walking properly. He decided he was not going to be a victim and walk with a limp like an “old man” as he explains it, so here he was, pushing his boundaries determined to fix and heal the damage caused by senseless violence. The great courage and love I felt in this room was indeed humbling. The deep state of relaxation they entered into at the end of the class was wonderful to see. Their  taut , tense little bodies were relaxed, their facial muscles soft, their eyes resting peacefully. I was honored to have been able to participate and I will certainly be back to join them all as they soldier on their journey towards love, light and peace.

If anyone wishes to help with the financing of this documentary please mail me for Elle Mathews details.

Ahimsa

Cheryl

Namaste, you know the old agage  “You are what you eat” ?  Well I have known it for many years and still I find myself being surprised when I literally run out of fuel. This past week I have been very busy with the planning stages of a wellness fair for KZN, here in Umlali. This led to many meetings, mostly in restaurants. I tried as much as humanly possible to choose the healthiest option off the menu, eg. a salad with nuts and no creamy dressing as opposed to say fries and starch. Even with doing that, I fell absolutely flat yesterday afternoon. It is very rare that I take an afternoon lie down, never mind a nap.  Yesterday I volunteered at the litchi market for primates Africa and went home to find myself fast asleep for about 2 hours of my afternoon !  I was puzzled at first and then put 2 and 2 together. With 2 of my meals a day for the last 5 days, mostly been at restaurants, I was depleted of the “normal” nutritional food my body is used to! I am sure if everyone took  the time to monitor their eating behaviour, you will soon start to see and feel the effects of just how your food does influence both your energy levels and your moods. Luckily for us here in Ballito we have “Home Grown” where you can collect a bag of organically grown, farm fresh produce every Friday afternoon. I got a beautiful bag this week with the following in : 1 pineapple, 7 bananas, 7 sweet potatoes, 4 potatoes, green beans, cherry tomatoes(about 1kg) 3 different color peppers, 1 very large cucumber(I haven’t eaten this for the longest time as they are sprayed the MOST), mint, chillies and lettuce (3 different) . All of these fresh nutrient full and chemical free heavenly produce ! I named their bag, orgasmically organic ! I promptly made myself the hugest salad with ALL of the ingredients bar the potatoes and bananas. I added a handful of roasted almonds, tossed in a teaspoon of flaxseed oil, herbal salt and splash of balsamic ! My energy levels were back to normal in about 45 minutes ! Try it for yourself, you will not regret it. If you still need convincing, google chemicals  or pesticides and their affects on the central nervous system. The e mail address for orders from home grown is This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.   Lets please support this very resourceful young lady so we don’t lose her , she is offering us a lifeline !

So its full steam ahead with the planning for the first wellness fair here in Umhlali, KZN. I have been busy securing the venue, setting up the website and arranging demonstations and classes for the enjoyment of the whole family. Please feel free to send in requests and/or suggestions as to what you would like to participate in or watch etc. It is your fair, please contribute with ideas for us. That way we can try to give you as much as possible and collectively enjoy a great day of fun, health and play !The website is still very new, i will start adding to it shortly.

www.wellnessfairkzn.com

as always

Ahimsa

cheryl

It is with great joy I announce the upcoming YOGA FESTIVAL in Kwazulu Natal. Being new in the area, it has been a frustrating journey trying to find  a suitable venue for both our requirements and our pockets. After much searching I came across the perfect venue at Umhlali Primary School. Our yoga classes will be held both indoors and outdoors, in the very large hall and under cover outside. There is plenty of space under cover for stall holders and for our treatment centre. If there is anyone wishing to host a stall with yoga related merchandise please contact me as soon as possible as space is limited.( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. )If anyone from surrounding areas would like to be part of this Yoga Love and lead a class/workshop, mail me asap as well.

This is to be the start of an annual event, so please pass along the information to studios, friends and business' you think might contribute to the collective Yogic energy.

Lets make  this Saturday the 8th June, an unforgettable day of family fun, yoga, meditation, healthy food and loads of laughter .

Ahimsa

Cheryl Lancellas