Thank you to all the students who joined me for Titirangi Ashtanga’s first week of Mysore-style classes!  Titirangi is such a beautiful place to wake up to the sound of the birds and the smell of the bush.  Practising in the Soul Centre’s beautiful studio in the quiet, fresh energy of the morning was a wonderful start to each day.

We are now open for practice Monday – Friday 6.30 – 8.30am.  You may start your practice anytime before 8am.  You may practice from 30 minutes up to an hour and a half depending on your time availability and what you need from the practice.  For beginners, it is best to start with a short practice, get in the habit of practising regularly and then slowly start to increase the length of your practice.  You do not need to do a long practice to get the benefits.  But you do need to practice regularly.  It is best to start with 2 – 3 times a week and slowly over time you may build up to 3 – 5 times a week if this suits you.

Anyone is welcome to come to Mysore-style classes.  It doesn’t matter if you have never practised Ashtanga yoga before.  Mysore-style is a great way to learn yoga.  You will be taught a short routine that is easy to remember and you will only be given more poses to do when you are comfortable and ready.  As you practise you will find the yoga is strenthening and cleansing and gives you energy throughout your day.

Students who have past injuries or health problems are also welcome.  Practising a gentle yoga routine regularly is a fantastic way to heal many old injuries and to support your health and wellbeing.

At Titirangi Ashtanga Yoga we follow the traditional practice of resting on the new moon and the full moon.  This helps us become aware of the earth’s natural energy cycles.  Our energy grows each month from the new moon to the full moon and then wanes back to the low energy point of the new moon.  By resting on these two days of the month we are respecting our natural energy cycle which helps us avoid injury and keeps us healthy.  I also encourage women to rest on the first three days of their own monthly cycle.  This often coincides with a new moon or full moon.  Over time, resting on the first three days of your monthly cycle helps prevent many women’s health problems.

The moon days are always listed on the classes page of the website, www.titirangiashtanga.co.nz/classes,  so you can easily check when there will be no classes.  There are three moon days left in 2009 – Tuesday 17 November (new moon), Wednesday 2 December (full moon) and Thursday 17 December (new moon).

I hope you too can enjoy the pleasure of waking up early and practising yoga in the magical energy of the morning and in such a beautiful spot in the world!  You are all welcome.  Please feel free to call or email me with any questions.

Catherine