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HAPPY NEW YEAR 2021! I hope, you had a peaceful and harmonious transition into the New Year! My family and a group of friends in Montreal had a great Zoom party as we transitioned into the new year with poems, personal reflections, singing, playing music, and cheering to each other. What a great occasion to connect with long time friends! I love to share with you a Poem, which my friend Fran read to us. It is so very meaningful, especially in this year! Poem by L. R. Knost: Do not be dismayed by the broken world All things break. And all things can be mended. Not with time, as they say, but with intention. So go, love intentionally, extravagantly, unconditionally. The broken world waits in darkness for the light that is you. I also like to share with you a photo, which I received from Peru, taken in Cuzco, on Jan. 6! Symbolic for this day. Let's pray for peace, as the lightning was accompanied with a rainbow, symbolic for healing and connected to the universal light. ** I just received the name of the photographer: Eleane Abarca With Love and Blessings, and I am looking forward to seeing you in our new Yoga session next week! Hannelore 
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Greetings everyone! From my heart to yours, I wish you Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, or whatever you celebrate at this time of the season. While the holidays may look quite different this year, let's hold the sentiments of peace, love, caring, and uplifting spirits that we need now more than ever. What a year we had! I hope, you are well, and you could adapt to the different way of life .... and hopefully being at ease with our online communication. I realized that many of us got used to our Zoom classes, or even enjoy connecting with me that way, since you moved far away and picked up classes again. However, it brings up a special joy when, once in a while, we run into each other during short errands or a walk. In these moments, I realize that I do miss face to face time and real hugs! Even though I shared this in my ongoing classes, but I wanted to let you all know that we lost my/our inspirational teacher and friend, Rama Jyoti Vernon. I met Rama in 1998 for a workshop at Kripalu and invited her up to NH for several workshops. Her warmth, wisdom, and the way she expressed her spiritual connection within our Yoga practice and even the mundane world with the deep aspects of universal wisdom always intrigued and inspired me. Our mutual connection to Elisabeth Haich and Selvarajan Yesudian (my teachers in Switzerland) started our developing friendship. Rama was always eager to hear from my experiences with them, while I enjoyed deepening my Yoga practice through Rama, allowing myself to taking time, lingering into the Asanas and breath, listening and opening up my senses. She has trained us well to carry on and not get lost in our journeys. Let's honor Rama and remember her saying: "Yoga is the path of remembering who we really are!" Sending you Love, Light, and Blessings, Hannelore *** Our classes continue with the same schedule through the holidays! The new session will be starting in the 2nd week of January for 9 weeks again! Here is one of my favorite recipes for the holidays! Butternut Squash Mini Pies. Enjoy! :)   Dear Friends: Happy Thanksgiving! There is a saying, which I have experienced many times: That which we bless with gratitude will increase; this grace of gratitude nurtures our body, mind, and spirit. So, today, let's find something for what we are grateful for! There are so many aspects, we can be grateful for: The Joy, Love, and Health of family and friends. The peacefulness around us, the meal of today! The sharing of our meal with others! The experiences of the past, as well as the very present moment. By becoming still and opening our senses, we become aware and can bring gratitude to our breath coming and going; the fragrance in the air; the colors around us; the sounds; the air touching the skin. We might like to go for a walk and bring thanks to the songs of the birds; the glistening water of a lake or the ocean, the sound of the leaves in the wind, the warmth of the sun on our face. Enjoy the grace of gratitude wherever it carries you today and in the future! Share the grace of gratitude with others! Much Love and Blessings, Hannelore  Hello Everybody! We'll be starting a new Yoga session this coming week! We continue with Zoom online: Free Meditation/Relaxation on Wednesdays at Noon (30 minutes) Our Mixed Level Yoga classes on Wednesdays at 5:00PM (75 minutes) Mixed Level Yoga classes on Thursdays at 9:00AM Therapeutic Gentle Yoga classes on Thursdays at 10:30AM. We have been reflecting and working on the Chakras, supporting them with Pranayama, Asanas, Mudras, and visualizations. This coming week continuing with the Heart Chakra. This year, I am offering this session through the Holiday Season. Please, let me know if you can attend at those times. The 9-week is $96, and you may pay either over PayPal or with a check. Thank you! Hannelore  Dear Yoga friends! Today, I am reflecting on how we are all connected in the choices we make for ourselves and the world around us. Instead of falling into the mass-market crowd, we are making thoughtful choices that hold our values, sustain the environment, support our climate, our healthcare, our mindful lifestyle, and so much more.... Thank you for taking action and getting out your VOTE! With deep breaths and Love, Hannelore * An inspiration from Sadhguru: "Democracy is not a spectator sport. We have to participate." So true for today! :)  Hello Everybody! I hope, you had a wonderful Summer and are still enjoying sunshine and warmth these next days! My gardens are thriving while putting lots of love and effort into them. There were moments of magic in between, of which I share one with you! We all enjoyed our Summer Yoga, and we'll start a new 9-week Yoga session with the focus on the elements and Chakras this coming week! All classes will stay online with Zoom: Wednesdays at Noon for our free half-hour meditation, Wednesday nights at 5:00PM, Thursday mornings at 9:00AM for mixed level Yoga, and Thursday mornings 10:30AM for therapeutic gentle Yoga. Please let me know your preference, if you like to attend or not receive any mailings! Stay well! Love, Hannelore  Hello Everyone! It seems that our country is split in viewing the Pandemic. Of course, it is uncomfortable wearing a mask in the heat of the summer, but it is mindful toward the community in order to help suppress spreading of the Corona virus! However, to protect yourself it is then important to disinfect the mask using UV light or washing it in soapy water in between! Please, watch this short movie! Let's work all together as a community! Dear Yoga friends! Currently, we are using Selvarajan Yesudian's affirmations during meditation. Several Yoga students asked me how I met this Master. So, I'll share with you! (I wrote this nearly 30 years ago for English 401 at UNH) :) CONNECTING WITH A MASTER: Switzerland, summer 1988: I am standing in the front room of the Yoga school. I feel my heart beating in the sudden quiet of the room. The smell of incense calms me after my fast walk. I hear the whisper of people in the huge classroom as I peek through the door. How will I ever find a place to sit with Bianca and Daniela, my daughters? It is so crowded here, Yoga mat beside Yoga mat, the distance of a hand width apart. As I hear light footsteps approaching, I turn around. An Indian man with white hair and dark skin enters the room. He is dressed in white, and wears a large shawl embroidered with Indian ornaments draped over his shoulders. His fine and majestic movements make his appearance charismatic. His eyes are soft and sparkling, as a gentle smile lights up his face. And, as if he has read my mind, he waves with his hand, telling me to come with him into the room. "Kommen Sie! Kommen Sie!" (Come, come) ... "But where?" I think. He whispers to two ladies in the first row to move their mats and make some space for me and invites Bianca and Daniela to sit right in front of him. I feel embarrassed, because I have heard that nobody is allowed to sit right in front, but now we do and a whisper travels through the room. As soon as I have arranged my mat, the chimes sound with a high pitch. Selvarajan Yesudian starts his class: "Gerade sitzen!" (sit straight). I feel my spine lengthening. "Kurze Selbstversenkung!" (go inward). I draw my attention inward. "Bewusst Ruhe erleben!" (experience calmness). His strong but warm voice vibrates in me. A wave of stillness and peacefulness spreads through the room. As we feel the quiet entering our hearts, he delivers a short lecture: "Correct breathing is most important for life! With conscious yogic breathing we let go of anger and tensions, physically, mentally, and emotionally, in our family, and in our professional life. We exhale any negativity!" As he talks, the rays of the sun falling through the branches of a huge beech tree create bright shifting patterns on his shawl. I feel myself and hear my classmates breathing deeper. From now on, we receive the teachings of Selvarajan Yesudian every morning in his Yoga school in Ponte Tresa at Lake Logano. After his morning lecture, he continues each day with Pranayama (breathing techniques), after which I feel refreshed. Asanas (Yoga poses) follow, which are simple but sometimes challenging. After or in each Asana he says - or rather he sings an affirmation: "I am flexible in body and spirit." "My power of resistance is growing from moment to moment." "I manifest strength in my body and spirit." "I emanate peace here and now." There is a melody in his voice which brings a warm and intense vibration into our bodies. His presence seems to make everybody awake but at the same time soft, relaxed, and concentrated. In a balancing pose he says: "I am present in here and now - my presence in the body awakens beauty, strength and health. " or "I am stable in body and spirit." As he talks us through, our minds become calm and focused. There is no single thought about the outside world. He inspires every student to perform the Asanas and Pranayama with concentration physically and mentally. "Feeling connected within, you will go out into the world with inner strength and confidence!" he tells us. After each Yoga class he is available for questions from the audience for one hour. It always amazes me how often he answers my questions without being asked. He does read the mind. But how? Yesudian explains the truth of Yoga and life: "As you connect inside, you are one with your surroundings - you will deepen your awareness - and you feel, smell, and taste the slightest differences in your environment." In the following two weeks I learn about Yesudian. He had lived in the city of Madras in India. By his fifteenth birthday he had suffered almost every major disease, which had made him thin and weak. He was only skin and bones, his chest narrow and flat. Even his father, a famous and wealthy physician, tried every means known to medicine, but barely succeeded. His mother was the sweetest, gentlest mother in the world. In a sense, his parents were overprotective with him. Fortunately, he was still sent to school. However, he was excused from sports and was only allowed to observe his happy and healthy school companions. Often, he ran away, wandering through the forests in search of Yogi settlements, but his efforts were fruitless. Since he liked to read, he found books about spiritual teachings: Raja Yoga, Jnana Yoga, Karma Yoga, and Hatha Yoga. With the newly discovered books he secretly practiced everything with enthusiasm. But one time, after overexerting himself he collapsed, feeling weak and miserable. He gave up hope. On an autumn evening he ran away and came to a mango grove a few miles from the city. There he found the Hatha Yoga master he had searched for a long time. After watching the group of young men performing their exercises, he approached the master, who accepted him as a student. Two months later his father hardly recognized him. Yesudian walked straight now, his shoulders were growing broader every day. After a year his arms and legs had almost doubled in size. From then on, he was never sick again. After the death of this father, he traveled to a distant city to visit his master. Yesudian told him that he had received an inner call to prepare for a long journey to Europe. With spiritual support and encouragement, he soon came to Europe. In Budapest, where he studied sports medicine, he recognized Elisabeth Haich as his adoptive mother from a former lifetime in Egypt. They connected and from now on taught meditation and Hatha Yoga, gave lectures, and hosted spiritual retreats. In Winter 1948, Yesudian received a powerful blessing from Swami Vivikananda during an intense vision. Now he knew that he had to continue his work of service. He was able to escape from the Russian invasion of Budapest together with Elisabeth Haich. In Zuerich, Switzerland, they were invited to teach their wisdom. Soon, the Yoga classes grew so rapidly, that schools were built in Zuerich, Berne, St. Gallen, Lucerne, and Ponte Tresa. Until 1996, Selvarajan Yesudian served as a spiritual leader for thousands of people. He gave them encouragement and confidence on their path, but he always refused to be called a guru. His complete presence made him a true Master. Selvarajan Yesudian has set an example for many of us! Over the following years, I continued to visit his school in Zuerich and Ponte Tresa and could deepen my experience. In his last letter on Christmas he wrote: "Even though the doors of the Yoga school are closing, the doors of the hearts remain open, and the message continues to flow in spirit." Being an ocean away, I still feel his spirit vividly within my Yoga teaching and my daily life. As I keep the doors of my heart open, I will practice my presence and let the message continue to flow. Namaste, Hannelore   Hello Everyone! I am excited to share with you an online workshop with Rama Jyoti Vernon! Many of you have attended several workshops when I hosted Rama in my Yoga Studio. I hope you can attend to hear her great wisdom about Yoga Philosophy! I have enclosed her flyer! Enjoy! :)   Hello Everyone!
We approach the 9th week of our session, and we'll continue online with Zoom. The new session will be starting Wednesday, July 8 with our popular free Meditation on Wednesdays at Noon. Let me know by email to get on the list. Sign-up for Wednesday 5PM, Thursday 9AM, or Thursday 10:30AM Yoga classes. I am looking forward to hearing from you! :) Much Love, Hannelore |
AuthorThank you so much for your interest in learning more about the benefits of Yoga & Ayurveda. ~ Hannelore Categories
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