My Peaceful Song

This is dedicated to Julia Cameron, who I spent the last twelve weeks with during her writing course, “The Artist’s Way”.
Anyone who has done this personal writing course will know she spits you at the end with you craving for self realisation, discovery and most importantly, transformation: honesty rules the roost here.
My yoga community, the ashtanga yoga community at large, and everyone I have ever taught or practiced with could do with a little sugar.
Om, Sarah x

The yogi’s attitude towards themselves and others is one of kindness and compassion; this said, it isn’t always this way. Yogis seek to be kind, compassionate, non-judgemental and by all means, non-harmful. However I’ve noticed even the most considerate and mindful people I know still rustle the feathers of at least someone. No one is perfect, this we know.

Himsa - or harm, comes in many different forms. We could hurt someone with our words, our actions, or we could tell someone to do it on our behalf. The yogi who is mindful seeks to never cause harm or hurt anyone, and this dedication to walking a clear and honest path and to be warm, kind and non-judgmental is a pillar to the daily practice we do.

We know this is the case because ahimsa - non violence is the first pillar in the eight limb rung of ashtanga yoga! Ahimsa is the first of the five Yamas, and Patajali’s Yoga Sutras tells us that this is paramount to achieving yoga. We are not going to harm ourselves or anyone else during our climb up the yoga mountain. And because it is the first pillar on the eight limbed path, this tells us that it is actually the hardest one to do.

The yogi’s way is continuity in all they do. This daily continuity to get up and practice yoga, to breathe, to watch and listen to our somatic selves is an invocation into the self. By invocation I mean there is a ritualistic serenity in doing something regular, consistent and meaningful. This respectful relationship to the breath and to our footprint on the mat means there is a daily looking inwards. This inward looking practice is in of itself dharana, concentration and dhyana, meditation. I also call this benevolence.

definition of benevolence:
the quality of being well meaning; kindness

”How am I doing today?” we may ask ourselves during our first downward dog in the practice. And, “Have I been taking care of myself? Is today’s practice done with clearly looking with well-intended meaning?”

And sure enough, do we take those first breaths and reflect upon our actions in this way as well? “Did I hurt someone today or yesterday? Could I be more patient and less judgemental?”

It may take a lifetime of personal practice to have the ability to see and witness ourselves as being harmful. It is difficult to see from another’s perspective: it doesn’t take much for someone to digest something you said (which was meant to be kind), to be harmful.

Yogis are benevolent, their actions are rooted in kindness; this is whom we want to embody. We are training for this way of life every day when we step on the mat! If the physical actions on the mat are done with a fierce breath, with wanting and craving, then we may be missing something essential to how a daily yoga practice has the ability to teach us to rid of old nasty habits (Julia Cameron calls these “critters”). If we practice a little more softly, with a little less power or force, this very well may carry into our actions and into our lives off the mat.

If our daily yogic practices left a carbon imprint on the earth, would yours be a forest fire that left a devastation with no friends and community, or would it be a garden that you grew where those around you were beautiful plants all striving and thriving in your hood?

When the ball drops and the words or actions are done, what is it you do, yogi? Do you apologise? Do you act or react? Or when you are in pain do you lash out and harm someone in a way that you were harmed as well? Tit for tat. You did this to me so I will do this to you-type of action.

The yoga way is to not react. This is much more difficult than we think. When we are harmed there is a tipping point where we have to stop and look at ourselves first before we address the problem. How am I hurt? Did they deliberately mean to harm me or hurt me? Am I the one who is in pain or is it them? How can I purposefully react to this without making the situation worse? How can I better this situation through my sustained and tried and tested yogic way rooted in the yogic eight limbs?

Truth be told, my own footprint in the soil of this earth has already taken many harmful and mistakenly careless steps. The next chapter in my yogic path is to tread much more lightly. This means the following:

I will continue to practice yoga as soulfully and mindfully as I can
I will do my pranayama practice as I was taught by my teachers
I will chant my yoga sutras and my Bhakti prayers
I will practice ahimsa, non violence in all I do
I will continue to be the yogi that I know I am
I’ll continue to be the kind person that I know I am
I will not give up on this pratice
I will not give up teaching
I will not give up on those around me who have walked before me and continue to teach with excellence and conviction
I will continue to believe in God

And above all, I will not give up on sharing and teaching yoga with you, my students and friends!

Have you made out a list of “I will’s” yogi? Curious about Julia Cameron’s work? Here it is. Go. Good luck.

August teaching schedule

All classes are online or at Little Bird Coffee and Yoga here in Dublin.

I am back teaching twice a week yogis! Plus chanting every Monday afternoon and a pop-up Primary Series here and there.

Thursday and Sunday Mysore Class: 7-9 am; Sunday Mysore class goes till 9:45 am!

Monday chanting class 4 pm online only

Led Primary Series 7 am the following select days:
18 August (yes this Friday)
8, 15 September

YogApulia 30 Sept -
7 October

There is ONE spot left for my retreat at YogApulia in Puglia, Italy. This spot is for someone wishing to share a room with another yogi; the cost of this spot is €850 excluding airfare and travel.

This retreat is unique because it is a very small group of 13 students; the small wooden shala fills with natural light early in the morning during pranayama and meditation bringing clarity and heat to our morning practice; an abundant brunch follows morning practice and afternoons are workshops and days at the pool or beach. Evenings again we share a meal together followed by early to bed to repeat the process again.

The commitment for this retreat is
€850 for a double room shared
Plan to leave and arrive at YogApulia on Saturday the 30th and leave Saturday the 7th.

Any questions? Email me seradee@sarahhatcheryoga.com or send me a message on WhatsApp for further details

Books to Read

Who’s got a great summer read to share?
Here are a few of my top picks:

”Trespasses” by Louise Kennedy, tough, yet beautiful
”The Girl from Donegal” by Carmel Harrington; great historical fiction
”The Untethered Soul” by Michael Singer; this one is legendary
”The Mirror of Yoga” by Richard Freeman, a classic yogic gem

Yep that’s me doing what I love - here I am upside down ontop of “The Priest’s Leap” in West Cork, with County Kerry on the other side of the mountain. This is where the children and I were camping for a week this August.

Thank you students and friends and I look forward to seeing you on the mat!

Sarah

My Peaceful Song

definition of benevolence: the quality of being well meaning; kindness

August teaching schedule

YogApulia 30 Sept - 7 October

Books to Read

definition of benevolence:
the quality of being well meaning; kindness

YogApulia 30 Sept -
7 October