New Zealand Yoga Scene - Winter 205 New Zealand Yoga Scene - Winter 205 New Zealand Yoga Scene - Winter 205 2 New Zealand Yoga Scene - Winter 205 New Zealand Yoga Scene - Winter 205 Editorial Namaste, The two months since we launched the first edition have been exciting and filled with such vibrant energy. I have met more Contents of you; some contributors, many readers and those who are just Healing Art 6 getting to hear of ‘New Zealand Natural State of Being 7 Yoga Scene Magazine’. Again we have brought you a Painting the Invisible 8 bumper issue full of interesting Thangka Painting 2 goings on involving us – New Zealanders, all in all we are a From Naked to Nepal pretty awesome bunch doing What’s in a Name? 6 some out-there stuff! Sanskrit 7 Each issue will be dedicated to one of our contributors – and Once a Great Yogi Told Me... 8 last issue (Edition Autumn) was I Don’t Ever Want to be Done with That 20 dedicated to Jason and Jane from ‘A Conversation With Jason Downward Dog 22 Napier’. The Yoga Tree 25 Winter can be gloomy however if you let it - the weather, Season’s Influence 26 the coldness, the darker days and longer nights can bring their own gifts. By being ‘present’ we see small changes in Meditation with a Bang 28 the life around us from the clarity of the cooler atmospheric Man Mats 2 temperatures which makes the stars just pop in the night sky to the invigorating freshness of our breath as we step Rediscovering Bhakti outside on a frosty morning. There is beauty in this and it Maharishi and Me 6 reminds me of the first snows in Korea (a country which ex- periences deep and prolific snowfall for about 5 -6 months) Avatar of Consciousness 8 when; in a culture known for devotion to work, everything The Dark Side of the Sun 0 would stop and just for a brief time people ran out of build- th ings, schools, offices, cars stopped and people turned their August 27 auckland asb theatre The Sad Season 2 faces upwards to the snowflakes, the smiles and laughter, Yoga is One of Those Things... 5 the sense of awe and magic was delightful. This is not a scene experienced in Northland NZ, however I shared the Embracing the Darkness 9 same delight at Waiariki in Rotorua several years ago. Yoga Fire 5 It is this ability to see some awe, be full of wonder, be Anatomy of Yoga 56 present with the frost, the rain, the wind and the mud, and What is your one true purpose for being here? Beyond the desires allow yourself the indulgence of experiencing it anew with of ego? Beyond the expectations of others? The Heart of the Garden Ilse 60 fresh eyes , and see what happens, that is a meditation in it- To Our Teacher with Love 67 self of ‘being’ and ‘accepting’ and ‘letting go’. It is so easy otherwise to get tangled in grumbling about the weather Community Connection 70 – so if you find you have the winter weather whinges go Internationally renowned author and speaker, Dr. Wayne Dyer, shares his wisdom and guidance as Chakras, Pregnancy and Intention Setting 72 jump in some puddles, paint with mud and dance with the we contemplate life’s biggest questions. You can free yourself, now and forever, from the chains of wind, then come inside have a hot shower, heat a cup of Yin and Tonic 75 homemade soup or dahl, wrap up warm and meditate to ego-dominated, self-sabotaging thinking. Change your perception of your being, and come to feel, Dairy This 76 the sounds of your fire or the rain or the silence that befalls know, and rely on your divinely-connected self the depths of winter. Only Love Remains 78 Winter can be a time of Depression and along with Sir John One Step Ahead of the Game 80 Kirwan of Depression.org, Shelley Foster and Emma-Jean His first visit to New Zealand in over 30 years, Dr. Wayne Dyer is affectionately called the "father of Skellern we bring you some tools to use or share with others, Book Reviews 8 if you or people you know are feeling down. motivation" by his fans. Despite his childhood spent in orphanages and foster homes, Dr. Dyer has Jase at Play 85 For inspiration and comfort there is healing art and a yum- overcome many obstacles to make his dreams come true. Today he spends much of his time The Oversew Fashion Awards 89 my soup recipe, some good reads and a fabulous yoga sequence by Tim Seutter of Yoga Fire. showing others how to do the same. Winter Wake Up 92 Thank you for all your very special words of enthusiasm The Joy and Benefit of Kid’s Yoga 94 about New Zealand Yoga Scene Magazine, keep sending Don’t miss this intimate and life changing evening. Falling in Love with Yoga 95 emails and messages – they are so appreciated… Spicy Pumpkin Coconut Soup 96 Miracles Come In Moments. Be Ready and Willing. Classified Advertising 98 Blessings, Yoga Directory 99 Om shanti shanti shanti, About New Zealand Yoga Scene 02 Susan Book now at ticketmaster.co.nz 5 New Zealand Yoga Scene - Winter 205 New Zealand Yoga Scene - Winter 205 Healing Art Natural State of Being By: Ella Francesca Lawrence-Donaldson A ‘symbol’ is a term or image that may be fa- miliar in everyday life, which also possesses spe- By: Jeanette Pleijte The series ‘Natural State of Being’ explores sym- cific connotations in addition to its convention- I only started painting about 5 bolism and sacred geometry as tools used to un- al meaning. Symbols can be found in nature, years ago during a visit to my derstand our complex cosmic environment. in dreams, in the stars, and in a contemporary home country. A good friend sense, in advertising and media. of mine took me along to her art class with fabulous Dutch Sacred geometry is the study of repetitious pat- artist Kathe Ruyssenaars. That terns and structures found in nature, linking eve- one lesson changed my life rything. and was all it took to ignite an I have chosen to study how we, through the use uncontrollable desire to create of symbolic image, continue to decipher the en- more. Kathe literally opened vironment and the conscious body we inhabit. I up a whole new world to me. have been influenced by the symbolic quality of Instead of working with a fixed early Japanese and Chinese painting; the ges- idea she taught me to focus on ture and simple form of which create an evoca- colours and use my imagina- tive image, suggesting something beyond what tion. we see. I took my finished painting ‘Earth Mother’ back with me to NZ and asked a friend if she could Bio: Ella lives in Northland, is a trainee yoga frame it. She happened to love Bio: Jeanette Pleijte is a Dutch-born it and asked me if I could paint New Zealander who believed she teacher and models asana- you can see her on one for her too, which I did. had no ‘artistic ability’ at all after the pages of New Zealand Yoga Scene. First and her high school art teacher criti- foremost Ella is an artist, a yogi and a lover of all More paintings followed and, cized her portrait of an elephant, life. This love motivates Ella to spread happiness encouraged by another friend, likening it to a ‘freaking teapot’; wherever I go, to move through time and space I entered an amateur art com- please visit herwebsite www.jean- with the best of intentions and manifesting her petition in 202 and won 2nd ettepleijte.com for more informa- dreams. All Ella wants out of this life is to learn prize with ‘Renaissance’, and tion. All paintings are also avail- every day, and to so my artistic journey began. able as prints and cards,postcards give others the gifts and giftcards. If you would be in- of knowledge and I’m an intuitive painter. I let terested in any of her work, or to myself be guided by the col- learn more about her and her art compassion. ours that appeal to me at that process, please contactj eanetje@ particular moment in time and windowslive.com I like to discover what the paint- ing tells me. People who have bought my paintings tell me that they have healing qualities. They do. It’s because Reiki allows me to transfer energy onto canvas. The results are healing paintings that will find their way to those who need them or have wished for them. It’s my way of making our world a bit more beautiful. Namaste, Jeanette. Photo Credits: Jeanette Pleijte Photo of Jeanette by: Fee de Looff (artist’s daughter) 6 7 New Zealand Yoga Scene - Winter 205 New Zealand Yoga Scene - Winter 205 Painting the Invisible…? By Wendy Laurenson “If I could say it in words, there would be no rea- son to paint.” Edward Hopper. That says it really. For years I was a word-smith. I wrote hundreds of articles for magazines and words were my lan- guage. I listened to people’s projects and stories then distilled the essence of them into articles for magazine readers. Some stories were informa- tive. Some were heart breaking. All of them were inspirational. But after more than a decade of working with words, something else was seeking expression. Something was stirring - and it was outside the language of words.