2008 Schedule

For details on all classes and courses visit www.yogatrinity.com, write to heather@yogatrinity.com or call 0406 784 878.

February-March:

Yoga Teacher Training - Blue Mountains

Level I (250+ hours) Residential Retreat

Registered Yoga Alliance, YTAA

March-April:

Self Mastery I

Personal Development Program with Chris Lipscomb - Cairns and Townsville

Yoga Classes Canberra - Mar 11

Stay tuned for dates and venues for our Ashtanga and Core Yoga classes.

August/September:

Yoga Teacher Training - Canberra

Level I (200 hours) 13 weekend part-time non-residential program

Thai Yoga Massage - Canberra

Our first 5-day Thai Yoga Massage Practitioners Program will be held in Canberra. If you are interested in becoming a Thai Yoga Massage Practitioner, get on our list for updates and details.

November-December:

Yoga Teacher Training - Blue Mountains

Level I (200 hours) 30 day Residential Retreat

Free Meditation Downloads

Thank you all for your feedback and support in our new program to bring free audio programs to our community. The guided relaxations are available to anyone, download, copy, share and enjoy.

You can download your free audio relaxations from our Meditation Room at:

www.yogatrinity.com/meditation

Thoughts On...Mindful Eating

When I was four years old, my mother used to bring me a cookie every time she came home from the market. I always went to the front yard and took my time eating it, sometimes half an hour or forty-five minutes for one cookie. I would take a small bite and look up at the sky. Then I would touch the dog with my feet and take another small bite. I just enjoyed being there, with the sky, the earth, the bamboo thickets, the cat, the dog, the flowers. I was able to do that because I did not have much to worry about. I did not think of the future, I did not regret the past. I was entirely in the present moment, with my cookie, the dog, the bamboo thickets, the cat, and everything. It is possible to eat our meals as slowly and joyfully as I ate the cookie of my childhood. Maybe you have the impression that you have lost the cookie of your childhood, but I am sure it is still there, somewhere in your heart. Everything is still there, and if you really want it, you can find it. Eating mindfully is a most important practice of meditation. - Thich Nhat Hanh, Peace Is Every Step from Everyday Mind, edited by Jean Smith, a Tricycle book

Trinity Yoga Classes

Upon our return to Canberra after our next Teacher Training retreat we will be offering Ashtanga, Pilates and Hatha classes again, and hope to hear from you on your preferred times and locations for classes. Northside, Southside, mornings or evenings...if you are looking for classes we would like to hear from you on how we can meet your needs with our classes. Write to heather@yogatrinity.com or call 0406 784 878 to let us know how we can bring you Yoga and Pilates classes!

Yoga Classes with Trinity Grads

Catherine Potter has established her new Yoga business in Broulee and Moruya on the South Coast of NSW. Waliryuna Yoga has classes starting soon. Call 0421 728 980

Danielle Jolly's "Jolly Frog Yoga" offers classes in Hughes and Hackett, and Dani is also a distributer of Yoga books and props, including David Swenson's Ashtanga Yoga Practice Manual. Visit www.jollyfrogyoga.com for details.

Lou Nulley's Hatha and Restorative classes in Tuggeranong, ACT start in early February. Call 0412 271 497.

For a listing of our grads please visit www.yogatrinity/instructors for a teacher in your area.

February 2008 – Issue 56

Keeping Up With Heather: Yoga Celebrations
Article: Why Do We Eat?
Pass It On: You Are What You Eat
Thoughts On...Mindful Eating
Updates: YTAA, Yoga Teacher Training Australia, Self Mastery I, Thai Yoga Massage.

Keeping up with Heather

Hello Friends,

We are about to embark on another Yoga Teacher Training in the Blue Mountains of Australia. We look forward to joining a group of teacher trainees for a month of Yoga, friendship, nature, and personal growth. But, before we go a few tidbits of information:

Congratulations to our first class of Trinity Advanced Teacher Training who have completed the contact portion of their program. It was a fantastic two weeks of study and practice together, where they all have demonstrated their commitment to their personal and professional growth, and have so much knowledge, skill and wisdom to share with their students (and their teacher!) I will keep you posted on their progress as they continue their journey.

World Yoga Day will be celebrated on Sunday February 3. For those of you who are so inclined, there will be events like free classes, Kirtan (chanting) and sun-salutation-athons at studios around the world. Or, you might like to celebrate World Yoga Day on your mat at home...however you celebrate, we look forward to hearing about it. For details visit www.world-yoga-day.net

Karmapalooza invites you to "be part of something special" on March 1, where again studios and teachers around the world will be offering classes, Kirtan and special events to "help change the world through Yoga and service". More more information visit www.karmapalooza.com

Yoga 08 is a Yoga conference that will be held alongside the annual Filex fitness conference in Sydney April 18-20. It sounds like it will be a worthwhile event with retailers, information booths, heaps of Yoga classes to attend, and like-minded people to connect with, so for once I am breaking my "no tradeshow" rule and hosting a booth there. For more info visit www.yoga08.com.au

With so much to be grateful for in our lives, with so much more work to do to bring peace, awareness and tolerance to our world, I hope that you can find a way to celebrate these next few weeks of Yoga, seva (service), and that you enjoy the friendship and camaraderie of your Yoga community wherever you are in the world.

Namaste,

Heather

Why Do We Eat?

Why do we eat? Well, after 34 years in this human body, and 12 years in the fitness industry I am afraid that I know less now then I ever did about why we humans eat what we eat. As a fitness and lifestyle consultant, myself and my peers attempt to draw very specific conclusions and offer sound scientific advice about exactly what to eat, and how each type of food, quantity, quality and combination will affect our bodies. And, to a certain degree we can exercise intelligent control over our bodies and minds through the foods we eat. But, are we really in dominion of our food choices and how our bodies receive the foods we eat? Our new and not-so-simple food labels tells us how many calories, how much fibre, how many vitamins are in our foods. But, does that mean that our bodies are absorbing these nutrients; metabolising and digesting as the package suggests? And, is focusing this much attention on food really healthy?

Most of us have difficulty maintaining nutritional habits to begin with. With hectic schedules, overly accessible convenience foods, and wills weakened by stressors, it is no wonder that good nutrition falls by the wayside for many of us. But, on the flip side, is it really healthy to control the foods we eat based on what we "think" we "should" eat rather then what our bodies request? And, on that note, how to know the difference between what the body needs, and what the mind wants?

So, to begin this dialog, I'll offer you a few of my own perceptions on the reasons we eat, and I would love to hear your own thoughts on this juicy subject.

Primitive reasons: Food is necessary for the survival of our physical bodies, and along with procreation and safety it is of primary importance to every animal on our planet. The "food chain" is designed so that everyone gets something to eat, and in eating that "something" we are also contributing to the natural balance. For instance, bees take pollen which helps crops to grow and multiply. Birds eat seeds and deposit their remains in the grass to grow new plants. Lions eat the sick and old antelopes to help maintain healthy populations. And, humans...well...humans eat everything. But, have you ever thought about what part you play in the food chain? And, how the food chain is "playing" you? Why is an orange so vibrantly coloured, so sweet and so juicy? Because it is tempting you to eat it, so that you will deposit it's seed (pre-fertilized) down the road a bit so that another orange tree can grow. It's colour, taste, texture and odour are purposefully designed to get you to eat them, so that you will help to propagate their species. In fact, the orange is "using" you as a vehicle for their own procreation. Interesting isn't it? We all play a part in the cycle of nature. But, a good question to ask is, are you still playing your part?

Emotional Reason: Watching my new nephew eating is a very entertaining and enlightening exercise. He is totally absorbed in eating, all his senses are fully occupied, and his whole body responds to the act of nourishment. His hands clench and unclench, he extends his legs into the air at odd (and often amusing) angles, and the expression on his face of rapture reminds us that eating truly is an emotional experience. In Yoga we hope to overcome our attachment to food, our constant cravings and strivings for taste and texture and experience. But, we must remember our very earthly beginnings, and that is that food is an emotional experience and especially in the case of breastfeeding. To most people food equates to being nourished, nurtured, loved, protected, and held in sanctuary. Many foods, like alcohol, chocolate and caffeine, also have the ability to alter our emotions and our consciousness. How many other foods have the same effect, albeit more subtle then a double espresso, that we are not yet attuned to?

Social Reasons: I come from a family where some of my strongest memories are of my family sitting around our great big dining table and sharing a meal together. In fact, now that I am across the planet from my family, I notice that often what comes to mind when I think of "back home" is that table, set for dinner with our family favourites, and everyone sitting down to share a meal and a laugh together. When we get together with friends, have a romantic evening with a partner, or celebrate the special days in our lives, these social occasions most often centre around food and drink. From the traditional Christmas dinner to a quick coffee and cake with a friend, our social lives seem to revolve around food - and not necessarily nutrition. How is your social life influenced by food, and vice versa?

Eating On Time: Our lives are so overly scheduled these days, and one result of this is that we can sometimes fall into habits of eating based on our life schedule rather then when the body needs to be refuelled. So, rather then tune into the body's needs, we watch the clock to determine when to eat, and this can result in disruptions to the digestive system and the metabolism. Many healthy nutritional systems depend on a clock to tell you when to eat, and this can be helpful when reprogramming your metabolism and your eating habits. However, the body has its own clock which can vary depending on your levels of activity, the season, and your body's unique needs. Learning to listen to your body as to when to eat is an essential step in releasing old and unhealthy eating patterns. Watching the body for signs of hunger and thirst, rather then watching the clock or following old patterns (ie: that 3 o'clock cappuccino and biscotti) can assist you in creating new and healthy patterns for eating. Are you eating for fuel, or just eating on time?

These are just a few of the myriad reasons why we eat...and the purpose of this article is to get us all thinking about why we do what we do. Self-observation is the key to understand and overcoming any behaviour pattern, and so I encourage you to use your self-observation skills to become a witness to the many reasons why you eat what you eat. It is timing? Is it stress? Or is it simply the natural function of keeping the human body alive? You won't know until you know. So, you might try this age-old technique of tracking your diet for a few days, and along with recording what you eat, record why. For instance:

8:00 2 pieces of toast with butter - time to go to work
10:30 grande latte - thirsty, felt like I needed something
1:30 salad with tuna, carrot sticks - absolutely starving, would have eaten pencils otherwise.

This type of food log helps you to see where extras can be cut from your diet, where essential nutrients might be missing, and helps to give you an insight into why you eat. A food journal has helped so many of my clients improve their health, understand their patterns, and overcome any behaviours that might be sabotaging their efforts to achieve their fitness, wellness and lifestyle goals. Jot it down on a pad near the phone, or create an excel spreadsheet, however you do it, it's the observing that really counts.

So, I hope you enjoy this technique, and the empowerment that self-observation and self-knowledge brings. I look forward to hearing your results!

Heather.

You are What You Eat

This is interesting info passed on via an "email forward". The "Doctrine of Signatures" is a fascinating study in itself. If this piece has piqued your interest, you might investigate the work of Paracelsus, as well as Jacob Boehme's Book "Signatura Rerum; The Signature of all Things"

The Signature of Food

You are what you eat, so eat well. A stupendous insight of civilizations past has now been confirmed by today's investigative, nutritional sciences. They have shown that what was once called 'The Doctrine of Signatures' was astoundingly correct. It now contends that every whole food has a pattern that resembles a body organ or physiological function and that this pattern acts as a signal or sign as to the benefit the food provides the eater. Here is just a short list of examples of Whole Food Signatures.

	A sliced Carrot looks like the human eye. The pupil, iris and radiating lines look just like the human eye...and science shows that carrots greatly enhance blood flow to and function of the eyes
	A Tomato has four chambers and is red. The heart is red and has four chambers. All of the research shows tomatoes are indeed pure heart and blood food.
	Grapes hang in a cluster that has the shape of the heart. Each grape looks like a blood cell and all of the research today shows that grapes are also profound heart and blood vitalizing food.
	A Walnut looks like a little brain, a left and right hemisphere, upper cerebrums and lower cerebellums. Even the wrinkles or folds are on the nut just like the neo-cortex. We now know that walnuts help develop over 3 dozen neuron-transmitters for brain function.
	Kidney Beans actually heal and help maintain kidney function and yes, they look exactly like the human kidneys.
	Celery, Bok Choy, Rhubarb and more look just like bones. These foods specifically target bone strength. Bones are 23% sodium and these foods are 23% sodium. If you don't have enough sodium in your diet the body pulls it from the bones, making them weak. These foods replenish the skeletal needs of the body.
	Eggplant, Avocados and Pears target the health and function of the womb and cervix of the female - they look just like these organs. Today's research shows that when a woman eats 1 avocado a week, it balances hormones, sheds unwanted birth weigh t and prevents cervical cancers. And how profound is this? .... It takes exactly 9 months to grow an avocado from blossom to ripened fruit. There are over 14,000 photolytic chemical constituents of nutrition in each one of these foods (modern science has only studied and named about 141 of them).
	Figs are full of seeds and hang in twos when they grow. Figs increase the motility of male sperm and increase the numbers of sperm as well to overcome male sterility.
	Sweet Potatoes look like the pancreas and actually balance the glycemic index of diabetics.
	Olives assist the health and function of the ovaries.
	Grapefruits, Oranges , and other citrus fruits look just like the mammary glands of the female and actually assist the health of the breasts and the movement of lymph in and out of the breasts.
	Onions look like body cells. Today's research shows that on ions help clear waste materials from all of the body cells. They even produce tears which wash the epithelial layers of the eyes.

This article was reprinted without permission. Apologies to the author, your name was not quoted. Much gratitude though, this piece has been read with much interest and appreciation.