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ASHTANGA YOGA;
PRACTICE & PHILOSOPHY

Nea Ferrier
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Just prior menstruation (winter period) is the aut Just prior menstruation (winter period) is the autmnal phase which is when my inner critic speaks the loudest. While I've noticed a huge alleviation in physical symptoms leading up to my cycle, the inner critic for sure makes her presence known. In this case last week, practising the day before winter arrived, my body felt strong and open. It was my mind that was all over the place. From the moment I got on the mat, I was hit by a continual barrage of thoughts, that could be certainly categorised as "self-doubt" or in sanskrit (samsya). It was pretty fascinating to see how this steady artillery culminated in literally falling out of a posture, not from a physical limitation, but simply not being able to hold my mind with the steadiness required. The inner critic seems extra loud when practising in the wee hours by yourself. There's simply no avoiding it. There's no wonder Patanjali lists samsya as one of the obstacles to practice. Sometimes you just want to skip straight to savasana! The good news is that like all mental states, it is transitory and impermanent. And when you observe it within the context of menstrual cycle awareness, with non-judgement, you can honour it (as sometimes that inner critic does have some useful downloads!), and know better times are around the corner. I'm writing this in my spring and practice this morning was great again! #cycleawareness #ashtangayoga #ashtangaforwomen #ashtangini #sthirabhaga #vasisthasana #ashtangalove #ashtangayogateacher #menstrualcycle
Portrait by Husband. Saturday July 24. Just befo Portrait by Husband. Saturday July 24. Just before leaving the house for a Guru Purnima event at the shala. I love what I do. I love to teach. I love to organise events that bring like-minded people together. I love to connect with Indian culture whether it be yoga, philosophy or the arts. I feel so lucky for the opportunities Dubai has offered me to do so and the incredible people I have met and continue to meet along the way. And lucky my husband understands my work means odd hours, working on weekends and holidays! And for being my photographer 😊 Thank you @bavanipillai & @yogihearts for bringing the event together today! #yogateacher #liveyourpassion #dharma #nilayahouse #ashtangayoga #gurupurnima
I recently finished a fascinating book - Apprentic I recently finished a fascinating book - Apprenticed to a Himalayan Master, A Yogi's Autobiography by Sri M. It has all the mysticism and exoticism that we often associate with the concept of a "guru". It's a great read! However when it comes to the idea of a guru, along with these positive stereotypes also come the negative connotations of dodgy and unethical gurus that seem to be all too common.  As a consequence, understandably, the idea of guru is often rejected or considered out of date. We often hear the statements that life is the guru, the practice is the guru and finally, you are your own guru. While I definitely agree teachers can come in all forms (be it experiences, children, friends, family or animals), it is also appropriate to recognise the relationships we have with our formal teachers who have been instrumental in our growth and development, through the wisdom they have passed on through the virtue of their greater knowledge and experience.  Dr Robert Svoboda explains that “there is your most important guru, sometimes called your Diksha guru. But you may have other Shiksha Gurus. Shiksha means performing practice, attempting to achieve something. So a Shiksha guru is somone who might teach you dance or music or writing or sculpture. Anyone who takes you and puts you on the path of any form of learning is also your guru." The full moon of July is known as gurupurnima, and it's an auspicious day to honour our gurus and teachers. To all my teachers who have guided me on this path of yoga, I bow to you with deep gratitute for your generiousity and kindness. Vande gurunam #gurupurnima #vandegurunam #yogateacher #yogaphilosophy #ashtangayoga #vedanta #tantra #ayurveda
The draw of the bindu…things that catch my eye…… Laghu-Shyama yantra with a pentagram in the centre I Rajasthan, 18th century I Gouache on paper I Ajit Mookerjee Collection I National Museum “Tantric art employs several geometrical yantras to illustrate the integration of the cosmic male and female principles. This is a Laghu-Shyama Yantra. Although Shyama or Laghu-Shyama, epithets of Matangi (one of the Mahavidyas ) , are lesser-known, they occupy a prominent position in the hierarchy of goddesses associated with Lalita-Tripurasundari. Before devotees are empowered to worship Tripurasundari, Shyama’s grace is necessary to invoke, as she is a close attendant. Her yantra is composed of a square enclosure around two beautifully painted lotus rings of sixteen and eight petals in pink hues, in the pericarp of which is the central pentagon enclosing the primal triangle containing a bindu.” @nmnewdelhi #tantra #yantra #mantra #srividya #anugraha #matangi #lalitatripurasundari #yoga #yogaphilosophy #mahavidya
Eid Muburak! It’s Eid Al Adha here in Dubai an Eid Muburak! It’s Eid Al Adha here in Dubai and a whole week of holidays! Wishing everyone a peaceful and restful period of connection and harmony with all. Photo taken a few years ago at my favorite Delhi hotel The Leela Palace. Til we meet again….. #eidmuburak #dubaisummer #travelmemories #india #delhi #leelapalace #travelphotography #resttime #yogateacher #tajmahal #indiatravel
The Ashtanga yoga sequence starts with surya namas The Ashtanga yoga sequence starts with surya namaskar which is a wonderful way to warm up the body and circulate breath and prana, and set the meditative tone of the yoga practice.  However, it does involve the use of the upper body which sometimes is not available for many different reasons, such as injuries to the joints including fingers, thumbs, wrists, elbows and in my case today, a sore shoulder from the vaccination yesterday. But none of these injuries should be reason to miss out on the benefits of surya namaskar, or even miss out on practising altogether. Don't throw the baby out with the bathwater!  This is my go-to-modification for surya namsarkar when needing to limit weight bearing in the upper body. I practised like this for a couple of months through a shoulder injury a few years ago. This morning. the first few I actually just raised one arm, but gradually the sore arm felt good to lift, but I decided to still take it very easy. I did these modified surya namsakars, the standing posture sequence, legs up the wall instead of shoulder stand/headstands, finishing with padmasana and some pranayama. Perfect! Finished feeling great and ready to teach.  There's very few conditions and injuries that can't be accommodated in your practice with the right modifications. Enjoy being creative and making the practice truly your own. #suryanamaskar #ashtangayoga #ashtangayogadubai #dubaiashtanga #ashtangayogateacher
Otherwise known as the art of letting yourself get Otherwise known as the art of letting yourself get bored.  When I was a child, I spent a lot of time on my own. I didn't have any siblings until I was seven. I did have ballet lessons and a cat to play with, but sometimes I would whine to my mum....I'm bored.  To which she would respond, read a book, clean your room, play your flute, or the most annoying of all, "how wonderful, lucky you."  Now in older years (i.e. being an adult not a child) I can understand the wisdom in my mother's approach, to not treat boredom as a problem, but instead a necessary and essential part of life.  I'm now able to observe my mind, and see that a period of not doing much, which can be viewed as boredom, or just a period of not doing much, is in fact a wonderful fertile ground for planting seeds of creativity, inspiration and future action.  My top recommendations for cultivating downtime are:  - taking savasana at the end of a yoga practice - what goes up, must come down  - taking a 20-30 minute nap during the day. Listen to a guided yoga nidra  - consider regularly having a day or half day with literally nothing to do  - definitely cancelling social appointments during menstruation - embrace hibernation If during these moments, the tricky mind starts complaining about being bored, simply respond with "how wonderful, lucky you! #downtime #savasana #yoganidra #justbe #artofbeingbored #takenaps #cycleawareness #mindwork #selfcare #noschedule #mentalrest #introvert
bījaṁ māṁ sarva-bhūtānāṁ viddhi pārtha bījaṁ māṁ sarva-bhūtānāṁ viddhi pārtha sanātanam buddhir buddhimatām asmi tejas tejasvinām aham O Arjun, know that I am the eternal seed of all beings. I am the intellect of the intelligent, and the splendor of the glorious. Bhagavad Gita 7.10 19th-century Chamba rumal (a special type of embroidery on cotton) from Himachal Pradesh. It shows Krishna seated on a lotus flower playing the flute at the centre. Krishna the multiples himself in the surrounding circle to dance with each of gopis in a dance called Raslila. 📷 @ursulaweekes @jossgrahamgallery #krishna #bhagavadgita #gita #indiantextiles #yogaphilosophy #samkhya #vedanta #tantra #ashtangayoga #yogateacher #bhakti
Around the time I moved to Dubai in 2012 I read a Around the time I moved to Dubai in 2012 I read a book that opened my eyes to new ways of connecting to the divine. I know it's a cliche but Awakening Shakti, by Sally Kempton, was truly life changing, as I began to get a glimpse into practices that accessed and channelled the shakti energy of the Maha Vidyas.  Fast forward to 2017 and I happened to catch a talk on youtube by Sally about the great cosmic mother of the universe, Bhuvaneshwari, who represents space and "who gives space to allow all things their place and function. She is a cosmic womb. She creates space within our own consciousness to give birth to the divine nature within us." (Frawley) Bhuvaneshwari become my guiding goddess in the creation and birth of Nilaya House. For a long time I have wanted something in the shala to represent her. I'm so happy it has finally happened. This beautiful Bhuvaneswari Yantra is now in the downsairs shala, kindly gifted by long-term student and designer Suzi of Decal Dragons. Thank you! 🙏 #awakeningshakti #bhuvaneshwari #yantra #tantra #mantra #mahavidhya #wallart #decal #yogashaladesign #ashtangayoga #shivashakti #svatantra @suzimac64 @thedecaldragons @sallykemptonofficial
Celebrating our six-year wedding anniversary tomor Celebrating our six-year wedding anniversary tomorrow! I met Mark when I was 38. We were engaged after six months, married after nine. What was meant to be a trip to Sydney for my Dad's 70th evolved from Mark meeting the family, to having an engagement party, to ok why not let's just do this thing (paperwork is much easier to do in Australia too!) Up until meeting Mark, I had very little interest in marriage. I thought the whole idea was strange. How could two people commit to life together. What if things change, what if they change, I change? It seemed very risky. Maybe I just hadn't met the right person. Things shifted when I met Mark. I felt certain of the decision. I realised that marriage is like other big life events. You don't know what the future holds, but you take a leap of faith. It's intense vulnerabilty, especially when you've become very used to enjoying life on your own. But I felt grateful to not marry until I was older, when knew myself better and felt truly ready for a very concious choice. I'm posting this photo of my gorgeous sister and my nephew and niece as I'm missing them all very much. It's been a long time since a Sydney visit. It's amazing how much they have grown up in the last six years. The blessing of personal challenges is empathy. Sending love to everyone missing their famliies! #love #marriage #consciouspartnership #empathy #weddinganniversary #sydney @marinkacecilia
"It is the maha prana that is responsible for our "It is the maha prana that is responsible for our every thought and action, while it is the prana vayus that carry them out." Swara Yoga, Swami Mutkibodhananda.  There are five main prana vayus, with each vayu (pana, apana, samana, vyana, udana) playing a different role in managing the flow of prana throughout the body, governing differnet bodily actions. The smooth flow of prana throughout our organism, (hence optimal wellbeing) is dependant on each of these vayus functioning correctly. In the recent podcast on Cycle Awareness @keen_on_yoga , I spoke about "apana" the "energy of explusion" vayu involved in menstruation. The downward action of this vayu also manages all other elimination from the body including wind, semen, excreta and childbirth. To be able to renew and rejuvenate, the action of elimination is essential.  This applies not just to the physical body, but we can also consider the role of vayus in our "citta" consciousness. We are continually taking in new experiences (prana), and these are assimilated and digested (samana). With the right digestion, we take what is healthy for us to hold onto (vyana) which then form our future actions (udana). What doesnt serve us, such as unskillful thinking, limiting beliefs, we ideally process, release and then let go (apana). Otherwise, without this apana/action of explusion, we are stuck, stagnant and not able to move on. Apana gives us the opportunity for renewal.  #pranavayus #prana #apana #tantra #ayurveda #yogaphilsophy #breath #cycleawareness #menstruation #ashtangayoga #ashtangaforwomen #ashtangini #yogini #yogateacher #tattwas #samkhya #samkhyaphilosphy #citta
Rumi’s answer to five questions What is Poison Rumi’s answer to five questions What is Poison? He replied with a beautiful answer – Anything which is more than our necessity is Poison. It may be Power, Wealth, Hunger, Ego, Greed, Laziness, Love, Ambition, Hate or anything What is fear…..? Non-acceptance of uncertainty. If we accept that uncertainty, it becomes adventure… What is envy? Non-acceptance of good in others. If we accept that good, it becomes inspiration… What is Anger? Non-acceptance of things which are beyond our control. If we accept, it becomes tolerance… What is hatred? Non-acceptance of a person as he is. If we accept person unconditionally, it becomes love… 📷 @niraamish (I adore this Instagram page featuring Indian miniatures and Mughal art ) #rumi #indianart #inspiration #yogalife #yogalove #yogateacher
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