Namaste yogi/nis, This time of year can be strange for many of us. We can enjoy longer evenings, the occasional day of warmth and sunshine and for some of us we get to take time away from our busy lives to travel, but we must also contend with the uncertainty of the British weather; friends, family and work colleagues being away and now, the uncertainty of the British political and economic situation. In times of uncertainty, yoga can provide us with support. What we know is so small in comparison to what we don’t. The unknown surrounds us. It’s in the face of every person we walk past, it is present in each bus, car, train, and plane we get on, and it accompanies us every night as we fall asleep. It’s there when we start a new relationship, job or project. It’s certainly there when we start a family, and when we lose those we love. There’s no escape because it’s part of human existence and as such we can either resist, learn to tolerate, or welcome it completely. In yoga we try to embrace the latter by trying to foster a sense of inner trust, and so it allows the unknown, through resilience and practice, to become known. How can yoga do this? How can we learn to embrace what we don’t know, to trust what we can’t yet perceive, and truly be at ease with that uncertainty? Each time we step on our mat, there’s no definition, no script for how we should feel or what we should experience. I’ve found that coming to the mat with as little expectation as possible and trying to be present to whatever occurs emotionally and physically is so important. In this way yoga guides us to trust our instincts, to breathe and be part of an evolving process. Once we are used to this, at co-creating our experience but not controlling it, then the practice becomes one continuous meditation. A meditation that allows us to gradually build resources of security, strength, faith, resilience, clarity and hope. The point of all of this is not to do yoga “better” or finally achieve that handstand. The point is to get better at living your life with bravery, grace and skill. By practicing this yoga of uncertainty and joining in with commitment and curiosity, we slowly learn to navigate a sea of change, eventually swimming our way to the safe shore of self-knowledge. Over the last term we have expanded in our work. The Monday Vinyasa flow class has gone from strength to strength with so many of us, from a variety of ages committing to such a rejuvenating time on the mat. Our Hatha yoga class continues on Thursday morning and we have started a Restorative Yoga class on Wednesday evenings to offer a more gentle, relaxing opportunity to engage in yoga. I have also put up some information on Kundalini Yoga which we offer in private classes. My article explains how Kundalini differs from other variations of yoga and can be found here:http://aquariusyoga.co.uk/kundalini-yoga-what-is-it/ Perhaps more interestingly, there has been scientific research that has shown this form of yoga to be beneficial in treatment of memory loss related to Alzheimer’s Disease; you may have seen articles in the press. Here is a link to one of the articles which you may find interesting: www.telegraph.co.uk/science/2016/05/10/yoga-better-than-crosswords-for-preventing-pre-alzheimers-memory/ This term will end on the following dates: Monday for Vinyasa Flow classes – 18th July 2016 Wednesday for Restorative classes – 20th July 2016 Thursday for Hatha yoga classes – 21st July 2017 We will be returning on the following dates for the start of the autumn term: Monday for Vinyasa Flow classes from 5th September until 12th December (with half term from 24th October until Thursday 3rd November) Wednesday for Restorative classes from 7th September until 14th December (with half term from 24th October until Thursday 3rd November) Thursday for Hatha yoga classes from 8th September until 15th December (with half term from 24th October until Thursday 3rd November) I will leave you with this beautiful meditation by Ekhart Tolle on acceptance: https://youtu.be/y9JgLgBtV-M I wish you a restful and enjoyable time over the summer and look forward to seeing you all in September. Om Shanti, Sima