Wheel North Magazine
Wheel North is the magazine for the
Northern Region of the Wheel, it is published quarterly in March, June,
September and December.
The cover price is £1.00 but subscriptions are available for £5.00
details below.
Extracts from the Winter 2001 Issue of Wheel North:-
Great News
Wheel North now all pages in full colour
It is professionally produced by CP Offset Printing.
The difference is clear to see but it is still available on subscription
for £5.00 per year on from Committee members and many yoga teachers in
the area at £0.75p per copy.
First Time in Prison
Like most people, I had never been in prison in my
life. I was extremely doubtful whether I could cope with that sort of
environment and "those sort of people". But as I write this I have now
taught at Moorland for nearly three months.
What happened to bring this about? The first important
factor was attending Rupert and Roland's introductory workshop. I was
simply allowed to observe and experience the atmosphere and meet the
prisoners and staff without actually having to do anything myself. This
was extremely valuable and I would recommend this to any prospective
prison yoga teacher.
One thing that shook me was the prisoners' enthusiasm
for yoga and the number of intelligent questions that were asked about
meditation practices and the need for focus and direction.
But the outstanding thing on my mind is the
appreciation. Prisoners come up to me after the class, shake my hand and
say "Thank you for coming".
I teach prisoners for an hour in the morning and staff
for an hour at lunch time. It would be unfair to the staff to say that I
find the prisoners more interesting to teach, but perhaps this is
because I feel it is more of a challenge and so more rewarding.
They are (or at least have been so far) remarkably
well behaved and keen to learn. The new ones fidget a bit at the start
but the calm atmosphere brought about by the rest of the group soon
prevails.
Moorland is a Class C prison holding both adults and
young offenders, serving anything from 6 months to life. I often wonder
what my students are in there for but I don't really want to know. I
just prefer to know them as they are with me on a Friday morning each
week.
Last week, one of the regulars came up to me after the
class and said he wouldn't be coming any more. I was just about to
express disappointment as he was always very committed, but then he
pointed out that he was being discharged the next day! I must not forget
that there are others besides me, who are allowed out of that gate at
times!
Submitted by Susan Clarke
Journey to the centre of the earth
and also Wooler 6/7 October
"Gravity puts us in contact with the spine. All
movements we do against the flow of gravity are negative and the ones
along the pull of gravity, in which the ground receives our weight, are
positive." Vanda Scaravelli How do you relate to gravity? Give in to it?
Fight it? Acknowledge and respond to it? If you look for the ways in
which the body responds positively to gravity (which PULLS us from below
towards the centre of the earth) you begin an infinite journey of
discovery.
I began such a journey in March 1994 when I attended
John Stirk's sessions at BWY's Congress. Since this I have 'travelled'
with John on various day, weekend and week long courses the latest of
which was in Wooler at the beginning of October. At this workshop we
were invited to move from the belly of our muscles in both directions at
the same time. This prevents fixing one end of a muscle (origin or
insertion) and stretching away from this point. It ensures that all
muscles ,from the feet all the way back to the spine, become dynamic and
the spine releases. This gives a more fluid, pulsating, alive look to
postures. Asanas become strong because of alignment with gravity and
comfortable because there is no tension in the muscles.
At each workshop John uses a different approach or
emphasis to help us work in this way and it requires great effort in
concentration! It is meditative and deep. One develops a more acute
awareness of the way the body works as an integrated organism and how
the breath brings about subtle as well as gross changes in the structure
of the body.
The weekend was ably organised by Margaret Davidson
who has also arranged for John to lead a weekend next February. In order
to meet a growing need for this way of working some workshops have been
arranged for 2002 (Northern Yoga Workshops)
Val Thorman
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