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August 2018Five Years and Growing:Friday 27 July marked the 5th anniversary ofApollo Power Yoga offering yoga classes inChristchurch.Opening, as we did, in central city Christchurchin 2013 was a remarkable leap of faith and thefirst few years were extremely difficult. Margoand I drew on all our resources and expendedall our savings to make Apollo Power Yogawork.Year by year we have grown. In May this yearmore people attended our classes than inother month since we began operating. Wehave not achieved some of the targets we setwhen we embarked upon this project but havefar exceeded others. We began offering 17classes per week. We now offer 40. We beganwith just Hamish and Margo teaching. We nowhave nine other teachers who have regularspots as well as Margo and I.We resisted the temptation to change what wewere doing to try to be all things to all people.Instead we held fast to the practice of Baptistestyle power vinyasa yoga. It has worked for usand it is and will continue to work for you too.It is a practice that will transform, strengthenand mobilise your body. It is a practice taughtagainst a backdrop of philosophical principlethat will transform your spirit and appreciationof yourself.We have made a commitment to offering a fullservice studio at affordable rates. It dismays usto see the going rate for yoga classes across thecity set at 20 when most other practices donot offer a true studio, do not offer changingrooms, showers, or a heated practice room anddo not offer the quality of instruction uponwhich we insist at Apollo Power Yoga. Webelieve we excel in providing the bestenvironment and the best instruction, not justin the city but in the country!In 2016 we started our own teacher trainingschool and all our current teachers areproducts of that school. The idea of trainingteachers was not part of the original plan but,as I have said, we have far-exceeded our goalsin some areas.All along the way, the greatest reward hasbeen our connection with you as our students.It is your growth and progress as practitionersthat is our greatest motivating force. Thank
you all. We have big plans for our next fiveyears and we look forward to sharing themwith you.in asana practice and your practice will lift itselfto amazing new levels.Spring into Summer Special:This workshop will give you the basicfoundations of the Budokon Yoga practicetaught at Apollo Power Yoga on Saturdaymornings at 9:00 am. Drop what you know,embrace a powerful way of movement and liftyour practice to a new level of strength andmobility. Fee is 60 (annual members 30).From 1 September to 31 October you canpurchase a month unlimited pass for just 130(normally 170). The Student/senior discountmonth pass is reduced from 140 to 100. Youmay buy one anytime in September and oneanytime in October.Previously we have offered this special inOctober and November but we have decidedto bring the special forward by a month tomore accurately correspond with the arrival ofspring.Leap in and take advantage of this great specialto make yoga part of your daily routine. And bethe change you want to see in your life.Budokon Basics with Hamish:September, 12:00 – 2:00 pm.Sunday 9Our next iteration of 40 Days to PersonalRevolution begins on Sunday 7 October 2018and runs, with weekly Sunday eveningworkshops, through to 15 November.This is a powerful programme to spring cleanyour way of being and give you access to newvitality, presence and power in your life. Planahead and make the commitment to yourpersonal revolution now.Workshops:Thank you Margo for a great Breath of Lifeworkshop last Sunday. Pranayama is one ofthe eight limbs in the classical description ofyoga practice and an oft-neglected one.Margo’s workshop provided a powerfulreinforcement of the way breathingconsciously can transform the physical,energetic and spiritual impact of your breathupon you. Make breathing your primary focusNo Class Cancellations – An Update from ourlast NewsletterBecause of travel that Hamish has planned toteach elsewhere around the country we hadthought we would need to cancel theBudokon class for a few weekends. However,April Morel, who some of you will recall havingtaught at Apollo Power Yoga previously, hasreturned to Christchurch and will fill in for
Hamish when he is not available. This ensuresthat there will be continuity of Budokon Yogainstruction on Saturdays at 9:00 am.For more information including booking detailsgo to the Facebook event 761/ or contact Anne Brooker:yogaretreatsnz@gmail.comBook Now – The Power Within Yoga Retreat:We'relookingforwardtoworkingwith Marlborough Yoga Retreats again, thistime at beautiful Fairfield House in Nelson.There will be meditation, asana andphilosophical discussion. The weekend willalso include a 10 minute acupressure massagefor each student.Maia Pono, founder of the 'EarthboundKitchen' in Marlborough will offer a workshopshedding light on a wholefood plant-based dietand lifestyle that gives optimum health to thebody, soul and environment. Maia embodiesthis way of life with years of experience andtraining, and is passionate in enabling others todo the same.Lunches and afternoon teas/refreshments areincluded.The retreat runs from September 29 at 8:45am to September 30 at 6 pm at the beautifulFairfield House, 48 Van Diemen Street, Nelson,New Zealand 7010.How to Roll Your Yoga Mat:We regularly observe that students withLululemon mats roll their mat up after classwith the shiny side of the mat to the inside ofthe roll. This is not recommended.It is our experience and it is LululemonAthletica’s advice that you roll up these matswith the shiny side to the outside.The mats have been designed to be rolled upthis way. They dry out better this way as thesurface tension helps release moisture trappedin the upper layers of the mat. The structureof the mat is such that the shiny, firmer uppersurface does not respond well to beingshortened when these mats are rolled up withthe dull side of the mat to the outside.In a recent example, one of our students hadthe shiny surface of a relatively new mat beginto crack. This was due to the mat being rolledup with the shiny side on the inside of the roll.Roll your mats up like this:The cost of the retreat is 400 per person. Youneed to arrange your own accommodation.
and ensure they remain in as good a conditionas possible for as long as possible.PLEASE run only cold water through the filter.Many thanks.Children's Yoga During School Holidays:We have a limited supply of clean, recycledbottles and cups for you to use if you do nothave your own. Once used, please returnthese so that we may clean them again and reuse them.We've been asked to offer, through the studio,yoga lessons for children during the schoolholidays. If there's sufficient interest, we'rehappy to do so.Head, Heart, Being:The classes will be suitable for ages 712. Parents are welcome to practice alongwith their children.We'll schedule 45 minute lessons at 1:30pm onTuesdays and Thursdays October 2, 4, 9 and11. The cost will be 10/lesson per child. If wehave at least 10 children per lesson registeredand paid for by 28 September, we'll go aheadwith the lessons.To register your children for the lessons,contact margo@apollopoweryoga.co.nzWe Are Not Stocking Bottled Water AnyMore:Apollo Power Yoga will not be stocking plasticbottles of water any longer. We are on the lastfew bottles of our current supply and whenthey are gone there will be no more.Instead, we have purchased a Kangen waterfilter. You are most welcome to help yourselfto water from the filter in the room behind thereception desk.It does not make sense for Margo and I to bedoing what we are doing. To have had careersin a profession that, in general, is respectedand to have attained a level of seniority withinour respective firms and, in Margo’s case, inher field of expertise, it is illogical for us to haveturned our backs on that profession.Logic and reason, the functions of mind, of thehead, would say that we have acted illadvisedly to let go our careers, the income wewere making in those careers and to risk whatwe had created for the course we now arepursuing as yoga teachers.It is true that many things are different as aresult of our change in career path. Being ayoga teacher does not carry the samerespectability as being a lawyer does and wehave let that go. Our financial position hasaltered tremendously and the commitmentswe entered into when supported by Margo’searnings as a partner her law firm havebecome onerous as we generate a muchsmaller income from our current work.As yoga teachers we have a different group ofconnections from those we had as lawyers. Iused to enjoy the idea of being connected withsenior members of the legal profession andwith judges. I felt like I was part of the cursushonorum of the legal profession. In the yogaroom, however, there is no hierarchy. Yes, theteacher directs the practice, but from a place
of connection with the students. It is a verylevelling and humbling environment.The head would say that, having forged careersfor ourselves in a profession the sensible,rational and logical course would be tocontinue with that, to accumulate materialwealth and to not give up ground gained in onearea for a speculation upon a completelydifferent path.And yet here we are. We are not fools. Wehave good powers of reasoning. Logic was oneof our tools as lawyers and we used that toolwell in our professional capacity. We couldperceive all the benefits of holding fast to ourcareers as lawyers and following the sensiblecourse. But we chose not to.Other motivations acted to guide us in adirection that our heads would notrecommend but that we found utterlycompelling - and having made our way here wewould not have it otherwise.In part, this is the influence of heart. Heartdoes not speak in the language of pros andcons. Heart is not concerned with what looksgood or what pays the most. Heart isconcerned with emotion. For both Margo andI, yoga practice creates an emotional response.The thought of going into the law office to fightwith other people over a different set ofpeople’s problems created one set of emotionsfor us. The thought of going into the yogastudio to practice or to teach creates adifferent set of emotions.A day in the law office left us with a certainemotional state. A day at the yoga studioleaves us with a different emotional state. Thelaw was strongly outcome oriented. I could goto court and perform as best I could and comeaway elated with a win or go to court and dothe best I could only to come away defeatedand feel dejected. In the former I would gloryin what I had done and in the latter case Iwould second-guess myself, chastise myselfand wring my hands with anguish over the“failure”.Teaching yoga does not carry that outcomeoriented quality. Yoga, to a much greaterextent is a process-oriented practice. Studentswill often offer feedback describing theirenjoyment of their class and the positiveimpact it has had upon them, physically,emotionally or spiritually.Sometimes astudent will comment upon how they tweakedor twinged some part of their body duringclass.Whatever the individual experiences of thestudents, the process is working overall andthe trend to greater physical strength andmobility and towards a more composed andpositive state of being is unavoidable. Theemotional response Margo and I get frombeing part of that process is very rewardingand is far more consistent than was the rathermore rollercoaster-like emotional ride of legalpractice.Then there is the being. Being is concernedwith truth and with dharma or life’s purpose.Osho is clear on this distinction. He says:“The head will go round and round thinking,brooding, philosophizing; it knows only words,logic, argument. But it is very infertile; youcannot get anything out of the head as far astruth is concerned, because truth needs nologic, no argument, no philosophical research.The heart is also a mechanism - different fromthe head. You can call the head the logicalinstrument; you can call the heart theemotional instrument. Out of the head all thephilosophies, all the theologies are created; outof the heart, come all kinds of devotion, prayer,sentimentality. But the heart also goes roundand round in emotions.” (Osho, From the Falseto the Truth, Talk #31)
The poet Robinson Jeffers in Meditation onSaviors says, “Reason is never a root, neither oract nor desire”. Ultimately, being sensible andreasonable can be stifling and unfulfilling.When I ceased practicing law it was not arejection of the law. It was a rejection of whoI was as a lawyer. When Margo left the law itwas not a rejection of the law but a rejection ofthe toll practicing the law was having upon her.When we started teaching yoga and startedApollo Power Yoga it was a calling to live outwhat was in our hearts – a desire to radiate thepositive influence of yoga to the world and adesire to work together as a partnership. Ourchoices have made sense.They make sense in so far as they haveproduced rewards at the level of our being.Our consciousness, awareness, our innerPurusha, perceived the conflict between mindand reason on the one hand and heart andemotion on the other and created a way ofbeing for us that renders our minds tools at thehands of our inner truth and our hearts’desires.Here is Osho again from the same discourse:“You have to make a synthesis between thetwo. And the synthesis, I have to emphasize,should be that the heart remains the master,and the head becomes the servant. You have asa servant a great asset - your reasoning Theheart has all feminine qualities: love, beauty,grace. The head is barbarous. The heart is farmore civilized, far more innocent.A conscious man uses his head as a servant,and his heart as the master And this is so simple for the man ofconsciousness to do. Once you are unidentifiedwith head or heart, and you are simply awitness of both, you can see which qualitiesshould be higher, which qualities should be thegoal. And the head as a servant can bring thosequalities, but it needs to be commanded andordered.”The balance that Osho describes is valuable.Your teachers or parents may have told you to“be sensible” and in so doing you may havereceived the impression that you had to actaccording to the head and the dictates ofreason.You will have heard of crimes of passion wherepeople in a fit of jealous rage, for example,have lashed out. In such cases there is noreason but just the heat of emotion from theheart.Osho asserts that it is best to meditate and bepresent to both the desires and emotions ofthe heart and the wisdom and good sense ofthe head. Using the head as a tool to giveeffect to the desires and emotions of the heartwill enable you to live a fulfilling life.Right now be present to your feelings andexperience of your life. Consider what yourheart’s desire is and how the differentelements of your way of being make you feel.Use your good sense and wisdom as a tool togive effect to that which is your heart’s desire.I had the good fortune to experience that whenI left the law. I left the law to become a househusband when Margo and I began a family.I had worried about my decision to change mycareer path. One judge seemed shocked whenI told him I had resigned my partnership andwas out of the legal profession on a longerrather than short term basis. The seniorpartner of my firm with whom I had workedclosely on many cases told me my choice was“a waste”. I certainly doubted myself. Andthen our son was born and I held him in myarms and my heart welled with love and prideand my inner truth was clear: I had made theright choice and was utterly blessed to havethe chance to be a house husband.Seek your inner truth and access goodemotions in your life using your best reasoningand wisdom to make your heart’s desiremanifest.
Asana Spotlight: Set your hips no lower than the height ofyour front knee. It may be that yourmobility necessitates your hips beinghigher than your front knee. That isacceptable and from that starting pointyou can, over time, work towardslengthening your base and deepening yourlunge. It is not helpful, however, to have such along base that your hips sag below theheight of your front knee. In this situationstability in your pose will come simply fromyour muscles being stretched to their limit.If you have your hips at or above the heightof your front knee you will create stabilityfrom eccentrically engaging the muscles ofyour legs – that is contracting your legmuscles even as they are stretched by thelunge you are in.Align your spine straight up and down overyour hips. Many students tend to leantheir torso forward towards the front ofthe room in Warrior 2. Do not do this.Stack your spine straight over your hips forbalance and vitality.Draw your shoulder blades away from yourears and your shoulder blades in towardsyour spine.Reverse Warrior is our focus pose for thismonth. We take this pose occasionally as partof the Vitality series once we have beenwarmed by a strong flow of sun salutations. Itis a powerful lateral stretch and creates strong,positive energy. Start in downward facing dog and stepyour right foot forward to take Warrior 1.Critically in Warrior 1, rotate your left innerthigh inwards towards the back of theroom. Draw the whole right side of yourbody towards the back of the room and thewhole outer left side of your body forwardtowards the front of the room. Reach yourarms up to the sky.For Warrior 2, rotate your left legoutwards, open your hips towards the leftside of the room and turn your chest toface the left side of the room. Extend yourarms in one line at shoulder height straightup and down the length of your mat.In Warrior 2 set your front foot on 12o’clock such that it points straight forwardalong your mat. Stack your right knee at aright angle straight over your right ankle.Draw your right thigh bone in towards yourspine and core to create stability,integration and power in your Warrior 2pose.Lift the inner arch of your back footupwards and press the outer edge of yourback foot to the mat. Engage and tone themuscles of your back leg all the way up toyour hip.Create a neutral pelvis. A commontendency in many students is to drop thefront of their pelvis forward and sway theirlow back. Instead, lift the front of yourpelvis up towards your navel to neutral.Engage uddiyana bandha by drawing thepit of your belly in towards your spine.
Firm the muscles of your arms to theirbones and hold your arms steady atshoulder height.Turn your chin towards your right shoulderand set your drishti gaze straight over yourright middle finger towards the horizon.Now, rotate the palm of your right handoutwards to face the ceiling. Turn thethumb of your right hand upwards first andthem outwards towards the right side ofthe room.Now, reach your right arm straight uptowards the sky and rest your left armsoftly at your left thigh or fold your left armbehind your back. Do not collapse anyweight into your left hand. You may beable to tuck the fingers of your left hand toyour right inner thigh.Follow your right hand with your drishtiand take your gaze up to the sky. If this isa strain on your neck adopt a position withyour head that is free of strain or pain. Formost people, neck pain in reverse warrioris removed by turning their chin away fromtheir right shoulder towards the left side ofthe room (or, with the left foot forward,turn your chin away from your leftshoulder towards the right side of theroom).In reaching your right arm up to the skyresist any temptation to lift your hipsupwards and to lift out of the depth oflunge your created. Notice in the picturethe excellent square angle Baron Baptistehas created in his front knee. Emulatethat!Stretch your right arm powerfully to thesky. Many students buckle their right armat the elbow and reach their upper armover their head in a bent position. Do notdo this. Make your right arm straight andstretch upwards. The upward stretch is themost important element of this pose andwill generate a strong lateral stretchwithout you trying to contrive a lateral stretch by crumpling into your left waist orcollapsing your upper arm over your headtowards the back of the room.Once you have reached as high to the skyas you can you may begin to laterallyextend your spine. Shorten the left side ofyour torso and reach your upper armtowards the back of the room. Theessence of this pose is a lateral stretch.Hold your torso side on to the front of theroom and avoid turning the pose into abackward bend – make reverse warrior aside bend.Breathe strong, powerful ujjayi breath.Side body stretches are very challenging to me.Create a strong lateral stretch and then stay.You have options to run away from the powerof the pose or to resist and fight with yourselfand the pose. However, your greatest power,the power of the warrior within you, will shineforth if you stay, relax with the challenge andbreathe.From Baron Baptiste:Let the past be the past and create a freshpath authoring a whole new way.Namaste Hamish Kenworthy and Margo Perpick 2018
bottles of water any longer. We are on the last few bottles of our current supply and when they are gone there will be no more. Instead, we have purchased a Kangen water filter. You are most welcome to help yourself to water from the filter in the room behind the reception desk. PLEASE run only cold water through the filter. Many thanks.
