"Sensing the breathing process as it happens allows us to become deeply attuned to our breathing at the core level, and awakens us to the inner dynamics of our being.

This most essential movement of the body can create deep healing experiences in our physical & emotional bodies.

By tuning ourselves to our body & its breathing process, we can experience heightened awareness, & enter into the deepest of meditations." YogAlign

"Tensions are our guests; we have invited them. Relaxation is our nature, we don't have to invite it. You don't have to relax; you have to just stop inviting tensions, & relaxation will start on its own accord. In your very being, in every fiber, in every cell of your being there will be relaxation. This relaxation is the beginning of meditation." Osho

Try adding fresh ginger &/or apple as a nice variation ...

This drink is simple to make, provides an alkaline reaction in the body, and helps reduce inflammation. It's a perfect drink to add to your detox routine, especially because there are a host of health benefits that come with it!

Anti-Inflammatory Lemon-Turmeric Tonic

Serves 1

Prep time: 5 minutes

Ingredients

1 1/2 cup water
1/3 cup lemon juice
1 tsp. of turmeric, or thumb-sized portion of freshly grated turmeric
pinch of cinnamon
1 Tbsp. coconut nectar, or maple syrup
Directions

Pour water into a tall glass

Add the rest of the ingredients, and stir. Drink immediately.

The word pranayama consists of two parts: prana & ayama. Ayama means "stretch" or "extend", & describes the action of pranayama. Prana refers to "that which is infinitely everywhere."

With reference to us humans prana can be described as something that flows continuously from somewhere inside us, filling us & keeping us alive: it is vitality. In this image the prana streams out from the centre through the whole body.

We may suffer from physical ailments when prana is lacking in the body. On the other hand, the more peaceful & well-balanced we are, the less our prana is dipersed outside the body.

Because we can influence prana through the flow of our breath, the quality of our breath influences our state of mind & vice versa. In yoga we are trying to make use of these connections so that prana concentrates & can freely flow within us.

Whatever happens in the mind influences the breath, the breath becomes quicker when we are excited, & deeper & quieter when we relax.

In order to influence our prana we must be able to influence the mind. Our actions often disturb the mind, causing prana to exude from the body.

Through daily pranayama practice we reverse this process, as a change in the breathing pattern influences the mind.

The idea that yogis are people who carry all their prana within their body therefore means they are their own masters.

The link between mind & breath is most significant. The Yoga Sutra says that when we practice pranayama the veil is gradually drawn away from the mind & there is growing clarity.

It is also possible to listen to the breath, especially if you make a slight noise by gently contracting the vocal chords, a pranayama technique known as Ujjayi.

When we follow the breath, the mind will be drawn into the activities of the breath. In this way pranayama prepares us for the stillness of meditation.

Of course, our state of mind does not alter with every in-breath or out-breath; change occurs over a long period of time. If we are practicing pranayama & notice a change of mind, then prana has long before entered the body.

Changes of mind can be observed primarily in our relationships with other people. Relationships are the real test of whether we actually understand ourselves better.

It is the power of prana that can free the mind from blocks & thereby lead us to greater clarity. 

The out breath fulfills this function: it releases what is superfluous & removes what would other wise become blocks to the free flow of parna within.

Extracts from "The Heart of Yoga - Developing a Personal Practice" by TKV Desikachar

A consistent practice of deep breathing can balance, align, elongate, & tone your body. Deep breathing can correct poor posture, align the spine - our body's shock-absorbing mechanism - & eliminate pain & muscle tension.

Deep breathing can jump-start our metabolism, massage our organs & help us develop endurance.

Breathing is an exercise that is at the centre of all actions in which we engage. It is the most fundamental of our movements, bringing in oxygen & removing wastes from our body.

It is the most frequent movement that we make, & it determines our structural alignment, directs our nervous system responses, & defines our emotional wellbeing.

In YogAlign, learning to breathe from our core - using our primary breathing muscles, & balancing the muscles of respiration to free the rib cage - is the most important skill we can learn.

For optimal health & fitness, we can learn to breathe effortlessly with depth, power, & fluidity. Weakened & constricted breathing muscles prevent us from being able to function in a relaxed, efficient manner, affecting the entire body from the inside out.

Organisers have spent the last year perfecting on 2013's inaugural event & have come up with a delicious event boasting more than 160 displays!

The finest food & refreshments from throughout New Zealand.

Next weekend 28 & 29 June at ASB Baypark Arena, Mount Maunganui

Doors open @ 10am until 5pm

Adults only $10, 13 years & under $5

8. Know Your Body's Authentic Needs.

Our body performs thousands of tasks everyday without us having to consciously think about them. When we walk across the room, we don't have to think about how our body will do it, because our body has a "mind" of its own. Even while we are asleep, our cells are working, our heart beats & breathing happens without any work from our conscious mind.

Our body is a gift on loan from the Earth, working 24/7 to keep all systems & organs in-sync & on-task.  To connect to the present & to feel the flow of life, we need to take good care of our body, so that we can concentrate on the joy of the journey instead of our aches, pains & problems.

Many health issues are caused by poor alignment, diet, attitude, & lack of exercise.  We have the innate ability to be our own healer by taking personal responsibility to care for & love ourselves on all levels.  This means avoiding drugs, alcohol, & smoking - even violent movies - & giving our body healthy food, adequate sunlight, rest, & sufficient exercise.  

Cultivating a deep care for ourselves, as fierce & tender as one would care for anything having the greatest value, will assure us a longer & smoother ride on this great planet Earth.

Okareka Dance Company

An all female contemporary dance performance, Mana Wahine explores the essence of strength, power, integrity & beauty within women - a commanding work that will uplift the spiritual power & status of "the woman" within all of us.

Baycourt Community & Arts Centre

38 Durham Street, Tauranga

Tuesday 29 July 7.30pm

Adults $30 Student ID $25 telephone: 0800ticketek

'Run For Your Wife'

by Ray Cooney & directed by Denis Smith

Playing at the local 16th Avenue Repertory Theatre in Tauranga

June 4th - 21st

The Good Fairy "Sale & Release' Party

7-10pm friday 30th may @ may street scout hall

13 may street, mount maunganui

Please bring all your unwanted clothes on a hanger, bags, shoes, hats, jewels … all labelled with your name & a price by 7pm.  

Unsold items can be taken home when you go or left to be donated to Dress4Success.

Please tell all your women and teen friends & family.  $10 per person to cover costs.

Good wishes from the Good Fairy Carolyn O'Neill.

7. Practice Presence & Awareness in the Now.

By being present with the body, and focusing on the breath, one comes to a state of yoga (union) with in the body, mind, & spirit. When our body is naturally aligned & the nervous system is in a relaxed state, we are more able to live in present awareness, beyond the trappings of the mind and ego. Learning to move & breathe from the center of our body & to practice full body awareness helps release us from our mind's dominance, which controls much of our experience of life.  This mind dominance keeps many of us in a state of fear about the future & regret about the past. In these negative mental states, our body reflects the condition out our mind, & aging, depression, & disease begin to manifest on the physical level.

When our body feels light & comfortable, our natural state of joy emerges & we are able to reside in the present moment where life happens. Creativity & intuition can naturally flow as we connect to the inner force or source that guides all life.

By paying attention to how our body feels, we become more aware of who we are, & can access our deepest inner feelings without the normal layers of tension & fear which hold us in darkness. When we become more natural in our alignment & our feelings, our inner radiance can shine forth & we can live in the eternal present where life happens.