Matariki - A new year begins...
Matariki for me is a time to reflect, look back to look ahead, and be grateful for all I have in the present.
This time the blog is a little different, as it is a little more personal, and is a look back on the year that has passed and some changes that are on the horizon!
So to recap here's some of the topics from the last year on the blog -
- Tips for practicing yoga online
- Rest is rongoā - rest is medicine.
- Wish upon a star - Hiwa- i- te- rangi - the wishing star
- Fall in love with your breath - yoga for stress
- He iti noa ana, he pito mata- From the withered tree a flower blooms - finding the right teacher for you.
For a big chunk of last year we were in lockdown, and all classes were held online with the studio closed. So the blogs on tips for practicing online, and the benefits, were needed. I hope you found some of the tips useful.
We all adapted, and some even discovered they were completely happy with this new way of accessing the classes, and have stayed online ever since!
In saying that some students could not wait to get back into the studio!
This is understandable for those who find there are too many distractions at home, and enjoy the sanctuary of the studio.
Especially as this is no ordinary studio, it is a beautiful space and has a very peaceful energy. I have been lucky enough to have been able to keep it running, even with all the closures and lockdowns.
This is really a privilege for which I am grateful, and I hope our local community and yoga students have appreciated this, and made the most of it- I know that many students have.
A few years back my teacher of over 10 years visited the studio, and said that it was one of the most beautiful studios he'd ever been in. He had travelled around the world to teach so I must admit to feeling a little poho kereru 😆 - proud.
But ultimately it is your practice that is the sanctuary, not the studio.
The studio has now reopened and mostly we have been able to continue classes, with a few adjustments, and kept the option to do online too! So something positive has come out of all the changes of the last two years.
The last year for me has also enabled me to work on new ideas, new online courses, and refine my online teaching and offerings.
One of the highlights was being asked to teach for NZ Māori Tourism and offering online sessions twice a week for four weeks during lockdown. I learnt alot from this experience, and was very honoured to have been asked and be amongst a group of amazing māori yoga teachers.
On a personal level, learning has been a big part of the year, with Te Reo classes weekly. It has been fantastic to be able to attend day time classes locally - rather than driving for at least an hour at night and then home again.
And to attend classes with such a kaiako rangatira! One of the wonderful things I enjoyed about these classes was the wānanga and korero on the history of the rohe I have lived in for almost three decades, and am only now truly learning about. Some of the pain that has been endured by the people of Ngati Whatua o Kaipara due to loss of their lands, with dignity and tenacity, is inspirational, and I feel honoured to have been included in these classes.
I am also connected to the Kaipara, the river that flows past my door connects me to my tupuna on the Kaipara further north, where my tupuna wahine ( female ancestor ) lived and now rests.
I have been blessed to have such a magnificent view of the awa from my studio/ home, as this whakapapa link flows through my toto/blood, and like the river, has many twists and turns.
I've also been studying yoga - The neuroscience of Yoga and how yoga affects our nervous system.
That is one thing I love about yoga - the learning never ends. It has also been affirming for me. As the style of yoga I have trained and taught for many years, is a way to balance our nervous system and bring us back to balance/ homeostasis, something that the yogis of old knew, and science now confirms.
And that's not all, it's been a busy year ! Amongst all of this and the lockdowns we have renovated the property.
Alongside many improvements, we plastered and painted the yoga studio kitchen and back wall, and put in a new ventilation system in the studio. We were able to do this during lockdown so no one had any interruption to their classes!
However, this meant quite a lot of time spent living amongst half finished projects, and to be honest, it was a pretty miserable time! But, we made it through, and love the results.
The end of the projects meant we could put the studio and property on the market to sell, or lease, which we have done....with the goal being to return home to my true home.
And so, one day soon, there will come and end to regular weekly classes in this studio...
...this does not mean and end to Aroha Nui Yoga !
The online studio will continue.
Aroha Nui Yoga is more than just bricks and mortar or a location.
I have found the current offerings - online and in studio - very well received. And I think it offers great options and even better value. There's time to catch up on classes you may have missed, or revisit a favourite practice.
If you are happy to stay home over winter you still get your yoga fix, and if you are lucky enough to be travelling once more you can continue the classes from any location in the world.
We have learnt that 'Whakawhanuatanga / connecting', is still possible online.
Plus you save time and energy, by not having to travel to a class, and for those who have responsibilities at home, it offers a way to stay close, and still get your time out.
Extra bonus- you can practice in your pajamas if you want to …😆
How will you be acknowledging Matariki this year?
This Matariki when I look up to the stars I will remember those who have passed, be thankful for those I have, say goodbye to things I no longer need, and look forward to a plentiful year ahead.
And further opportunities to share my mahi with my people, to increase our sense of well-being, wherever we may be under the stars.
Mānawatia a Matariki! ✨✨✨
Arohanui,
Linsey x
