Dear Yogis,
I hope you are having a good week and enjoying the weather. Weather in Paris is great and I finally started reading a book recommended by a dear yogi friend from Iran – Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramahansa Yogananda, (1893 -1952 ) –
One of India’s greatest saints in modern times. Yogananda introduced millions to the teachings of meditation and Kriya yoga. His book has been translated into 45 languages and has sold well over 4 million copies.
I would like to share some thoughts with you from the book on the illusive creature called happiness;

Happiness may be elusive, but it is the one thing we all want. Many notable thinkers have argued that the search for happiness is the supreme motivator of human life and all the other things humans feverishly spend their time and energy acquiring –
Money, power, possessions – are redirections of this innate happiness instinct. As it is clear to see that all the hard work put in attaining these secondary goals doesn’t guarantee happiness, so the question arises: Would less striving – i.e. more idleness – make us
happier? Does the answer to our perpetual quest lie in less doing and more just being?

Success should therefore be measured by the yardstick of happiness; by your ability to remain in peaceful harmony with cosmic laws. Success is not rightly measured by the worldly standards of wealth, prestige, and power. None of these bestow happiness
unless they are rightly used. To use them rightly, one must possess wisdom and love for god and man.
God does not reward or punish you. He has given you the power to reward or punish yourself by the use or misuse of your own reason and willpower.

Looking forward to resuming class with you from Thursday 03 March.
Warmest Namaste…….
Sima:-)

Dear yogi friends,
LET”S START WITH THE MOST IMPORTANT PERSON: YOU. Before you can love anyone or anything else fully, you have to learn to love yourself. How can we share what we don’t give ourselves?
If you increase how secure and loving you feel about yourself on the inside, you will attract more happiness and love from the outside.
To open your heart to love, you need to forgive yourself for your mistakes, for your past, for being judgemental. Then you need to forgive others. Let go of grudges, of anger, and just forgive.
Learn to appreciate others, to lavish praise on their achievements rather than constantly point out their mistakes.
We create our own reality: everything starts with our thoughts, attitudes, reactions. The more you wish others well , the more that same wish comes back to you. It takes a while to grasp this, , but once you do, it makes life so much easier and pleasurable.
Keep saying to people, and you’re also saying it to yourself: ‘You’ve no idea how beautiful you are, how wonderful. I appreciate what you do, I’m proud of you!’
Seek out the good in other people, and you’ll soon start to see it in yourself. People say, ‘I’m not going to have any relationships until I sort myself out, but the best way to sort yourself out is through relationships! So just be aware of how you react to people, what you wish for them.
The centre for love and compassion is heart. Related yoga poses to open this centre are backbends, also known as “heart openers.” They increase our sense of well-being, personal expansion, connection to the world around us and the ability to love selflessly.

‘Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it.’ RUMI
Term ends on Monday 28 Feb – Monday 07 March
Love & Light
Sima:-)

Dear yogi friends,
2021 was a challenging year for all of us but I truly believe that challenges give us the strength, compassion and wisdom to rise up to a new power and a higher state of consciousness. As we awaken, we are able to see that all that ever happens and unfolds in our lives is for our highest good.We are able to see that even though tragedy and awful things happen in this life, there’s a strong healing presence on offer too that represents the process of awakening.
Here’s hoping that 2022 will be a time of true renewal and that for all of us the best is yet to come…….
Classes will resume on Tuesday 04 January. aquariusyoga.co.uk/classes/
I hope you had a safe, happy and healthy festive season and I look forward to welcoming 2022 with you.
Warm blessings, Sima
Inspirational words of the great Sufi Poet, Jelaluddin Rumi:
‘Let what you love be what you do. There are a hundred ways to kneel and kiss the ground, There are a thousand ways to go back home again’

Dear yogi friends,
It has been so wonderful seeing you practise online through zoom and of course in person since late October this year.
I have tried to keep a variety of classes running online and in the studio, ensuring you get your even dosage of mind, body and heart in the space you feel safe in, but I couldn’t have done this without your ongoing support.
So I would like to thank you for helping me keep our yoga community alive and the yoga beat on.

Sadly, term ends with our Hatha yoga class tomorrow in Market Hall as we bid farewell to 2021. Normal schedule will resume on Monday 03 January 2022.
Wishing you all a wonderful Christmas and a joyful New Year.
Warm blessings,
Sima

My inspirational quote for this month:
“By walking it is solved” It is like a great voyage – an adventure into a great mystery, the mystery of who you are and why you are here.
Saint Augustine

Dear yogi friends,
I have been looking forward to the day I could write you this email. What a rollercoaster the past 18 months have been .
For many of us, this prolonged period of lockdown combined with a global health crisis, which was so difficult for so many, has given us space and time to go inward and reflect on our own wellbeing and consciousness.
Instead of planning ahead and being in forward thinking mode all the time, many of us have woken up each morning to a quieter diary and living on a day to day basis.
So what’s next as we see the world start to open again???
There seems to be a lot of anxiety and social fear circulating around the return back to ’normality’, it’s evident that ’normal’ needs to be redefined and our practices will need to guide us through the next stage.
I hope some in person yoga will help those who want to step back into a live practice.
I am therefore delighted to announce that Amersham market hall will be re-opening its doors to the Aquariusyoga community from Tuesday 26 October.
Hatha yoga classes suitable for all levels of practice will be held on Tuesdays from 6:30 -7:30 pm. Please pre-book and pay for this class online as only a limited number of students are permitted in class to ensure social distancing.
aquariusyoga.co.uk/classes/ <aquariusyoga.co.uk/classes/>
Meanwhile, online classes will also continue.
I hope this email finds you in good health and I look forward to seeing you again.
Love & Light
Sima:-)

Dear Yogi friends,
Ignite your power: full moon in Pisces & autumn equinox
Tune into the power of listening to your instincts. What is your gut telling you right here, right now?
Naval chakra is where you sense your intuition – literally, your gut feelings. This Chakra affects your self esteem, power, willpower – it’s where that feeling of ‘yes, I can’ comes from.
It’s the centre for personal power.
Are you a ‘doer’, exuberant and expressive? Can you initiate and complete an action? How you project and manifest anything in your life depends on balance in this area.
The third chakra is located in the stomach area and affects the digestive system, liver, gall bladder, spleen and pancreas.
Join me this Wednesday as we honour the strength and stamina of the core body followed by turning inwards to nurture ourselves with meditation for self love and compassion.
Please click here to book this online event aquariusyoga.co.uk/full-moon-meditation/
Namaste & Love

Dear yogi friends,
This is the first Full Moon since the start of the Equinox and astrological New Year.
When we first started this zodiac cycle back in March 2020, the world was a different place. So much has changed. We have evolved and grown. We have all had new experiences that have shaped and formed us, and this Full Moon is our chance to acknowledge and release all that no longer serves us.
The presence of Chiron and Venus along with the Sun intensifies the energy of this Full Moon. Chiron is an asteroid known as the wounded healer. It represents the wounds that we come into this life with and the wounds we pick up along the way. These wounds are not the sort that ever pass, rather they are the ones that are forever stitched into the fabric of our journey. While these wounds injure us, they also serve to make us whole. It is these wounds that give us the compassion, the strength and the wisdom to rise up into a truer and more authentic version of ourselves. It is through transcending these wounds that we are able to heal ourselves, but also those around us.
This online event on Monday, March 29, 6:00-7:30pm is comprised of kundalini yoga Kriyas to awaken the energies in the body and meditation for self healing. aquariusyoga.co.uk/full-moon-meditation/ <aquariusyoga.co.uk/full-moon-meditation/>
Zoom doors open at 5:45.
Love & Light

Dear yogi friends,
The sun in Pisces forms an opposition to the Moon in Virgo, this Saturday, February 27.
It’s time to find balance between our physical identity, and the need for order ( Virgo ) – and shadow self, disorder and the infinite ( Pisces ).
As with all Full Moons, an illumination occurs in our lives during this time. We may experience a crisis of consciousness or a sudden awareness of a lack in our lives or even a new emotional feeling or revelation in our consciousness.
These awakenings provide us with an opportunity to explore our emotional needs and to express them.
The energy of this Full Moon is closely connected to the throat chakra where the thyroid gland is found. Its also connected to our metabolism and how the hormones work.
This chakra is the last to be associated with an element, and the element here is ether – a subtle, heavenly energy, said to be from beyond earth. This energy centre is all about truth, about listening to that inner voice and discovering your authentic self. It’s about the power of words, about knowledge, and the ability to communicate effectively.
This online event on Friday, February 26 at 6:00-7:30 pm is comprised of kundalini yoga kriyas to balance the energies of the throat chakra and meditation to expand your aura.
To join this event, please click the link – aquariusyoga.co.uk/full-moon-meditation/ <aquariusyoga.co.uk/full-moon-meditation/>
Zoom doors open at 5:45
Love & Light

Dear yogi friends,
Coming off a year like 2020 that brought so many rare and special alignments, it may be difficult to view anything as a positive right now, but this full moon in Leo will highlight exactly what you’ve earned since the last Leo full moon that took place last February.
The first full moon of 2021, arriving this Thursday, January 28, in the sign of Leo, ruled by the sun and the element of fire (Agni.)
Fire represents the third chakra, called Manipura, an element that’s always in motion. Fire gives us mobility, power, warmth, transformation and light. Fire is the most respected and regarded element used in Vedic practices and it has two qualities – To eliminate and to illuminate.
The associated kriyas (poses) to harness and honour the energy of this full moon are heart openers and core – from a continuous uninterrupted flow of sequences to holding the poses for longer lengths of time, as well as specific breathing techniques – Such as the breath of fire.
Join me on Wednesday, January 27, to celebrate the energy of the first full moon of the year. aquariusyoga.co.uk/full-moon-meditation/ <aquariusyoga.co.uk/full-moon-meditation/> This event is comprised of active meditation in the tradition of kundalini yoga.
Warmest Namaste
Sima:)

Dear yogi friends,
I hope you have started the new year as you mean to go on, with hope, faith and loving kindness to yourself and to all beings.
As the pandemic has become an integral part of our lives over the past ten months, the notion of connections has become present even more than it was before –
So, I would like to thank you for helping me keep our yoga community alive until it is safe for us to return back to the yoga rooms.
Norma schedule ( online ) from Monday 04 January.
Namaste and Love
Sima