FRIENDS OF MARRICKVILLE YOGA
Wild flowers. Open windows. Hot streaks of sun across the wooden floorboards. September brings Spring to the studio and other things: a workshop or two, guest teachers, and plenty of excellent yoga classes to help us welcome the warmer weather.
This month we hear from Hugh (who attended the recent Mira Mehta workshop), we talk to Jen about her in-depth study of yoga, and Chrissy invites us into her studio full of bright and brilliant designs.
Here’s hoping you have a happy start to September. Fingers crossed Hasu and Simon get to enjoy a much deserved break in the coming weeks – meaning we’ll get the pleasure of being taught by visiting Senior Iyengar yoga teacher, Darrin McNally from the Kensington School of Yoga in Adelaide.
Oh, and keep an eye out for Hasu’s menstruation workshop this month and Simon’s Backbend Intensive in early October – sure to be a treat.
Happy practice.
The Team at Friends of Marrickville Yoga
Student Life – Chrissy
I’ve always had a passion for textiles and pattern. I’m a creative who works with textiles and clay and I kinda run 2 businesses, because I’m nuts.
I’ve been running my fashion print studio Christina McLean design since 2009. I design prints for fashion labels. Most people don’t know it but behind all fashion designers are textile designers who create the prints & pattern you see on fabrics. I work from my own photographs, hand drawings and vintage pieces I’ve collected over the years. I travel annually and get inspiration from the places and people I meet and visit. A lot of this work has to be made digital so I sit at my large mac for many hours a day working my magic.
Yoga is essential for me to keep my body from seizing up. It’s truly the one form of exercise that I have done solidly throughout my life. I say exercise but I think Yoga encapsulates the mind and body. I do meditation as well and they cross over on so many levels. I started my yoga practice at a little church in Newtown back in the early 90’s. I moved to Marrickville and the MYC opened and I was in heaven as it was 2 streets away from my home. I’ve been going ever since it opened. I’m a Monday night yoga girl and I feel this sets me up for my working week. I can truly say that I learn something new every lesson. I’m constantly being challenged; this is what I LOVE about Iyenger yoga. Back bends are my fav.
My other business and my real passion is Trade the Mark. I launched this at the beginning of the year. I hand paint textiles and ceramics for the home and one-off bespoke artworks. There’s no computer involved with creating the work for Trade the Mark. I’ve gone back to my roots, working with my hands and I love it. I truly love and collect anything born out of slow craftsmanship.
Meet the Student – Hugh
Like many people I came to regular practice following an injury – acute sciatica in April last year. It was the most painful thing I have ever experienced, and provided the impetus to take yoga seriously.
It was very difficult to do the most elementary poses for many months and I kept going on sheer willpower. After all, pain is a powerful motivator. But slowly the shift happened and I came to enjoy practice. The standing poses especially.
In early April I was walking home from class through the wild storm that swept over Sydney. I thought about the fact that a year earlier I was in so much pain I couldn’t walk, but was now doing most poses including inversions. Somehow I had always assumed that daily yoga was a good life reserved for other people, and for the first time realised that I could make practice the centre of a very happy existence. Aside from sleeping and eating, it is the most elemental pleasure I have ever known.
I understand little of Iyengar philosophy but do not feel this is important: at this stage I am still learning the basics. I do know it makes me lighter and more serene, while being less inclined to anger and resentment. By nature I think too much and am constantly analytical, so I enjoy going to class and being told what to do. In my experience there is much freedom in conformity.
This weekend I attended the Mira Mehta workshop and the whole experience vastly exceded my expectations. Mira’s clarity of expression was extraordinary, and I was impressed by the fidelity of the Iyengar tradition and the effort that goes into keeping it pure.
My only question with yoga is ‘why isn’t everybody doing this all the time’? Such a perfect antidote to the high-stress materially orientated society in which we exist. I feel enormously lucky to have found this path, and am so grateful to all the fine people who have taught me (especially Rod!). Regeneration is eternal.
Jen K. on Studying Yoga
What brought you to the In-Depth Yoga Course at MYC?
I have been practicing Iyengar yoga for about 10 years. I find Iyengar challenging as every time I step onto the mat it’s always a different experience. After a year at MYC I felt like it was time to further explore and learn how to teach myself, rather than always being a student.
The In-Depth Yoga Course with Simon has been fun but definately challenging. The biggest challenge I’ve encountered has been having to go back to the basics. All the ‘simple’ things have become automatic. So to bring it back to basics has been difficult but I’ve enjoyed it a lot. It’s tough work but fun at the same time.
Are there links between Yoga and your work as a Physiotherapist?
The way I work is based on a whole-body system. It is often thought that the body is very segmented but in reality the body works as a whole. Having practiced yoga, and through the study course, I have been able to develop a more focussed understanding of the biomechanics of the body. I have also found a lot of links between yoga a physiotherapy technique – if you’re interested, feel free to ask!
It’s definitely been an incredible blessing to have been able to practice at this school. In the future I hope to not only teach yoga but to merge yoga and Physiotherapy together.
Thanks to Hugh, Chrissy and Jen for contributing this month. If you are keen to feature in our next newsletter please email us at info@marrickvilleyoga.com.au
Check out Chrissy’s Studio!
Open Day
Saturday 12th of September
10am – 4pm
23 May Street, St Peters
www.tradethemark.com
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