September moon with the yogateacher Ganesh Mohan

I just realized that more than two weeks have passed since I last posted something! Five days ago was another Fullmoon. Oh, time really flies! In Japan they say that the most beautiful moon in a year is the september moon. It is is called "chu-shu no meigetsu". It is said to be in the middle of the autumn and it is the harvest time of the year so it is an important moon.

Some part of me really wanted to celebrate this special moon from my sacred place in the japanese mountains but instead I was in Sweden joining a wonderful Yogaworkshop for the great teacher Ganesh Mohan. Of course, I don't regret that at all.

Most of the lectures were based on discussions and philosophy covering some parts of the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. It made me  feel certain of that we need to have a core in the practice- something to hold on to. We need be clear about why we are practicing yoga. Sometimes yogaclasses in the west can be really "fluffy and flowery" without any  real direction or just far away from the source.  There is nothing wrong with that, it might still benefit many people,  but for me I need to stay in touch with the basic concept of Yoga and stay to the teachings that are firmly rooted and have been supported and paved out by the people that have walked the path before me.

Three days filled with yogaphilosophy and therapeutic yoga leaves me with more confidence to what is true to me. I am so happy for having received this chance. Namaste.

New Moon-welcome once again

Today is the day of a new beginning. It is the dark moon or new moon of august 2011. Even though the time of the new moon can make me feel physically heavy, as oppose to Full moon when my energy is all over the place and I experience this extreme sense of Lightness,  I like the new moon in the way that it is a new beginning. 

Every month we are naturally given this chance to set out a new beginning within ourselves. Of course we can change our mind, life-intention and begin something anytime, but having this regular rhythm makes it feel more supported. More grounded. It is a reminder to clear and reset the mind. Just by sitting down and taking a couple of minutes to focus on the coming month we can with very small actions honor the rhythms of  Nature and with awareness create a difference in our life. Lets welcome the new moon and this coming month!

Silence by the beach

Yesterday I had some time off. It was a wonderful day with plenty of sunshine and it felt like a day in the middle of the summer! I took my bicycle and went on a small excursion. 

This is where I ended up! I must say it was truly magical. After spending more than five years high up in the mountains it was so refreshing being by the sea, listening to sound of the waves and feeling the breeze. From rock solid Earth-element to fluid   changeable Water-element.

After all, yoga and ayurveda is about finding ways to harmonize and balance the five elements within oneself. Once we have done that we can  begin to experience  the reality beyond the elements. Something which is not dependent on that constantly changing nature of our material world. 

To be able to do so we also have to harmonize with our external environment and with the surrounding elements. We have to realize that we are all co-dependent. What happens on our inside can be a reflection of what happens outside of our body. What happens outside of our physical appearance can be a reflection of what happens on our inside. This way the border between our in- and -outside becomes very vague and begins to fade... 

Being all alone on this wonderful beach made me feel like I lost my "I" for a moment and became one with the nature. It was so peaceful that I lost sense of time and space! Spending time in nature is definitely the greatest healer of all.

Namaste, to you all beautiful Beings!

Roses

When it is rainy and you just can't get yourself out of the house, it can be really nice to cheer up oneself by taking a look at old photos.

I found these wonderful flowers in a park a week or two ago. Aren't they lovely? Just looking at them makes me smile and feel energized! You can almost sense the sweet scent...

Yoga by the Sea

I found this wonderful jetty by the sea. Suddenly it was as if it was calling me; Please come and do Yoga here! I can provide the best space for you! 

What could I do? Yoga of course!

Walking out on the wind- and -weathered jetty with the water clear as crystal, I must say it was very tempting to take a swim! Instead I followed the previous call and dived into my Yoga practice. 

I didn't feel like following any particular system but instead just listen to my inner voice. It all ended up in a blend of Surya Namaskar, Yin-poses, standing asanas- in general it was just a long meditation... 

I love Yoga-improvisation!

Take your practice to a Natural place!

Bring your Heart into your practice...

Do your practice from the Heart!

Bunge Museum- turning back the clock 400 years

Yesterday I decided that I wanted to do something cultural.

The sudden urge to reconnect with the past gave me one easy option- pay a visit at Bunge Museum outside of Fårösund where I am currently residing. I took my bicycle and like all the other days I could never tell if it was going to be sunny and summery-kind-of feeling or if it would begin to rain heavily. Prepared for both I left the fortress where I stay and left for the museum.

The museum is situated along the country-road and consists of collected buildings from 17th and 18th century. They show how people used to live 400 years back and I must say it was impressive. There were so many small houses, all for different purposes. 

This stone house is an old wood-fire Sauna where they used to dry Linen. It was also used as a place for the women to give birth. Maybe this is where the idea of giving birth in a warm bath originates from?

I managed to come just on time for the guided tour. It was only one more couple and me. The guide was very well informed and made the tour fun, interesting and personal. 

We were shown some clocks that they used 400 years ago. Those clocks had only one indicator. Of course that one indicator showed only every hour. The guide made a joke about our time were minutes and seconds are so important. We all laughed and said it would be kind of nice to have only one indicator and that it would feel more relaxed in that way. 

Have you ever heard of Instant karma? That is the Karma that comes back to you immediately after you have thought, said or done something.

Well, I was totally struck by instant karma that same evening!

After finishing a massage-treatment I walked back to my room with my hands filled with things. Suddenly my alarmclock dropped to  the floor . The battery went out and the sound of the crash was pretty bad. Total suicide I thought as I picked up the clock and took a look at it. I was wrong. You can see for yourself:

My clock had lost its minutes-and- seconds indicators. Now it only indicates every hour, just like the clocks used to 400 years ago (the yellow indicator is just for the time to set the alarm).

I have decided to continue using this clock and I must say it works very well in private but still not so well while giving a massage  treatment where the minutes actually do count... 

But honestly, isn't this little happening or coincidence quite weird?

Shalom Hutte

Don't we all need more of this?

Love all - Serve all

  

Written on the wall at Shalom Hutte in Azumino, Nagano- Japan.

Shalom Hutte is a cosy place offering accommodation,  a cafe and a shop all based on an ecological concept. They focus on Natural food and organic farming. For us vegetarians it is a great choice! They sell plenty of Macrobiotic food in the shop and they also have a place for making wood-fire baked bread.

If you have any time off while visiting Nagano it is definitely worth a visit! Enjoy a graincoffe and okara-chocolatecake while reading a book or simply just look out over the rice paddies and listen to the sounds of all the Semi, although they are highly seasonal insects! 
Otherwise there is time and space to contemplate the meaning of Love all, Serve all...