An unforgettable day for us!

International Free Yoga Day on Saturday, March 14, was an unforgettable day for us. The day was a huge success on the Gold Coast. 2009 is the third year that the Australian School of Meditation and Yoga has participated in Free Yoga Day. It has grown from just our regular classes being offered for free to a full day of free yoga and meditation classes from 7am to 5pm.

We knew that the day was off to a great start when we had over 30 people arrive for our 7am Energy Yoga class. The weather was beautiful and sunny and people kept on rolling up with many new faces trying yoga for the first time and many regulars passionate about exploring their practice further. Highlights on the day include; 110 students participating in a mid morning ‘pick me up’ Energy Yoga class; over 150 yoga enthusiasts partnering up to learn how to give an Indian Head Massage; a tasty and sumptuous lunch and refreshments served throughout the day; inspirational and beautiful yoga chanting meditation that left everyone feeling like that had stepped under a clean mountain waterfall and the amazing teamwork of all the ASMY teachers and volunteers who made such a successful day possible. More than 200 people joined us on Saturday at the Albert Waterways Community Centre to celebrate all things yoga.

Free Yoga Day is an international event aimed at promoting the physical, mental and spiritual benefits of the time tested yoga tradition. Some feedback from students on the day included; “I wish that I could do this everyday”, “I feel great, so relaxed and peaceful”, “I am so glad that I made the time to come” and “There is no better way to spend a day”. If you missed out on Saturday be sure to mark March 14 in your diary for next year. We hope to make next year even bigger and better.

A big thank you to all the people who came, without your support the day wouldn’t have been such fun and a big thank you to all the helpers on the day, without you it would not have been possible! A special mention must be made to the amazing kitchen crew who served out over 180 plates of Indian Dahl, rice, salad and pappadams for lunch and over 400 baked items such as Pina Colada Muffins, Pumpkin Scones and Vanilla Cookies throughout the day.

We hope that you continue to enjoy and pursue your passion for yoga.

Namaste

Amara

Another successful Clean Up Australia Day!

In the mid morning sun we gathered to contribute our part in keeping our beautiful country clean and green. On behalf of Clean Up Australia and the Australian School of Meditation and Yoga I would like to thank all the volunteers who gave up their Sunday morning to lend a helping hand.

I remember back to when I did my first Clean Up Australia Day, when I was 7, around the Tallebudgera Creek. This year I was fortunate enough to be supervising the Nobby Beach Clean Up Site. Having only registered the site 2 weeks ago I honestly thought that I would be one of only a few people at our site. I was over the moon when people kept on rolling up to help out. With 23 online registrations and 23 registrations on the day, I was very excited to see everyone’s community spirit.

We cleaned along the Nobby/Miami Beach foreshore and coast, Lions Head Park and the bushland edging on Miami State High School. In total we collected 3 ½ wheelie bins full of rubbish. Our most interesting and unique finds that I thought would be worth sharing with you were; a Buddha with only half a head, a one wheeled pink girls bicycle (later on we found the other wheel) and a wheelless skateboard. The amount of empty bottles, cans and cigarette butts that we found was a shock to everyone. Members of the public joined in helping us to pick up rubbish as they saw us passing by with our Clean Up Australia Day bags.

After all the hard work and heat we headed back to the studio and had some much needed refreshments. Everyone received a certificate of appreciation from Clean Up Australia for their participation. All in all in was a very successful morning and yes, this little part of Australia is a little cleaner because of it! Why not try to make everyday a Clean Up Australia Day? It doesn’t take much effort to pick up some litter when you see it, or at the least put your own rubbish in the bin.

Here's to keeping Australia clean and green!

Amara

National Free Yoga Day March 14 2009

The Australian School of Meditation & Yoga (ASMY) will again be participating in the National Free Yoga Day by having a whole day of free classes and workshops. The day was so successful in March 2008 that in 2009 we are holding the day at Albert Waterways Community Centre, a large community hall behind Pacific Fair. In the spirit of generosity and love, ASMY, along with many other participating yoga schools would like to promote the wonderful gift of yoga.

National Free Yoga Day gives the community an opportunity to enjoy some gentle stretching, breathing and relaxing, whilst accessing the many benefits of Yoga for the mind, body and soul. This is a chance for many in the community to try Yoga for the first time, for others to return to Yoga and for regular practitioners to try a different style of Yoga.

Find out what Australian School of Meditation and Yoga is doing for Free Yoga Day 2009.

We are looking forward to a great day and hope that you can make it!

Namaste,

Amara

Clean Up Australia Day 2009

Namaste,

Clean Up Australia Day is coming up on March 1 and the Australian School of Meditation and Yoga have registered the Nobby Beach area as a Clean Up Site. Every year hundreds of thousands of Australians get stuck in and clean up their local environment by collecting and removing rubbish on Clean Up Australia Day. It is fun, easy and everyone can get involved.

This is how you can help:

1) Register to volunteer for Clean Up Australia Day

If you would like to volunteer at our Clean Up site, you can register as a volunteer here.

Or you can meet us on the day and fill out a volunteer registration form.

2) Volunteers can make a donation to Clean Up Australia Environment Fund

On the right click on the ‘Donate Now’ link and follow the prompts.

Or you can make a donation at one of our yoga or meditation programs.

Donations will assist Clean Up Australia to continue to work and foster relationships between the community, business and government to address critical issues of waste, water and climate change.

3) Support us by making a donation to our fundraising target of $800

Those you can not be involved on the day can visit our fundraising page and make a donation to help us reach our fundraising target. If you are volunteering and would like to get more involved with fundraising you can register your own fundraising page. Just click the 'Sign Up & Join this team' button.

When: 1 March 2009 8-10am
Where: Nobby Beach area. Meeting at the ASMY for an 8am start.
What to bring: Gloves, sturdy shoes, sunglasses, sun protection and water.
Questions: amara@asm.org.au or (07) 5554 5440

Great saints, sages and yogi’s understand that cleanliness and hygiene are important elements to a healthy, balanced life. A peaceful and tranquil environment is much more conducive to a meditative state and self realisation.

We hope to see you at the centre on March 1.

All the best,

Amara

Come and celebrate Christmas with us

We would love to have you come and celebrate Christmas with us. We believe that Christmas is best when shared with friends and family.

The festivities will include:

Meeting old friends and new

Beautiful chanting

Songs of Praise

Video presentation of the teachings of Jesus

Sumptuous vegetarian feast

A joyous mantra rock dance

When: Sunday 21st December

Where: Albert Waterways Community Centre

Cnr Hooker and Sunshine Blvd, Mermaid Waters (Behind Pacfic Fair)

To help us with meal preparations, please RSVP by Sunday 14th of December

Phone: 5554 5440
E-mail: asm@onthenet.com.au

This year we have hired a much larger hall to comfortably accommodate everyone who would like to come so please invite all your family and friends.

Hope to see you there.

Namaste,

Amara and all the teachers and crew at the Australian School of Meditation and Yoga.

Discover Meditation Courses

The year has flown by and there are only three more Discover Meditation courses left to run in 2008. Time seems to be flying by far too quickly, so make sure you mark the dates in your diary early as Christmas is just around the corner and social calendars will be booking up. At this time of year, people really need meditation and relaxation in their lives as it is a very stressful time of the year and extremely busy for most of us.

Meditation calms the mind, nourishes us spiritually and gives us inner resources to deal with the busy-ness of life. Unfortunately if we don’t make the time to meditate a priority in our lives, time will pass us by, and before we know it, another year is over and we still haven’t put any time aside to meditate and relax. People who make the effort to maintain a regular meditation practice right through the Christmas period always comment on how much more relaxed they felt and how much better they were able to cope with the stresses of life.

Mark these dates in your diary and make meditation a priority in your life:

Mermaid Beach
10.30am Wednesday 3rd and 10th December
7.30pm Thursday 4th and 11th December

Nerang
11.45am Friday 12th and 19th December

“Meditation brings wisdom; lack of meditation leaves ignorance.
Know well what leads you forward and what holds you back,
and choose the path that leads to wisdom.”
Buddha

Our November Mini Yoga Retreat @ Burleigh

Sunday saw the Fradgley Library Hall at Burleigh Heads filled to the rafters with yogi’s and yogini’s for our Mini Yoga Retreat day. The regular 10:30-12:30pm yoga session overfilled with students, so a group of us went down to a shady park and enjoyed the cool ocean breezes and fresh air as we stretched. The outdoor class is so popular with the students that they are asking for it each week. Feedback that I have received is that the difference an outdoor class makes is incredible. Nothing beats the fresh energy that our body absorbs when we are outdoors in nature.

Friends of ours joined us to lead us through some kirtan, beautiful chanting of sacred mantras with musical accompaniment, a very simple and beautiful way to meditate. Kirtan relaxes the body and brings peace of mind and joy to the heart. Mantra can also be chanted on beads and added to the breath. To learn Japa and Mantra Meditation you can visit the Australian School of Meditation and Yoga website.

Margaret spoke briefly about the physical, mental and spiritual benefits of the ancient yoga system and how ultimately yoga is a spiritual quest. She explained various limbs or rungs of the yoga system and how they assist the yoga practitioner on their journey of self discovery or self realisation.

Lunch was very simple but extremely tasty, mung dhal and Turkish bread. Writing it like that just doesn’t do it justice though. Honestly, it was one of the tastiest dhals I have ever tried, and almost everyone there agreed with me. Over lunch a group of us threw around great tried and tested recipes that we have collected over the years and shared healthy cooking tips and information.

Ready for a siesta, we got something better. One of our resident massage therapists guided us through a face and scalp massage. We learnt simple and effective massage techniques that we can use on friends and family to help them de-stress and unwind. We all felt truly relaxed and uplifted afterwards.

For those who didn’t want to leave, the Sunday Spiritual Gathering at 4pm gave them an excuse to stick around a little longer. Intimate and cosy, the beautiful yoga chanting created an atmosphere of peace and tranquillity. Everyone involved had a fantastic day and look forward to the retreats starting up again in January.

Keep an eye on the website for upcoming events in 2009.

Take care,

Amara

Instructor

Australian School of Meditation and Yoga

Back by Popular Demand

Initially the easy yoga and meditation class at the Robina Library was a 12 week program from 2 September to 18 Nov. However due to popular demand, this class will continue indefinitely at the Robina Library every Tuesday at 9:15am for an hour. This class is offered by the Australian School of Meditation and Yoga’s most senior yoga instructor, Margaret, through the Gold Coast City Council’s Active and Healthy Program. It is free and as you can well imagine, very popular. Each week Margaret has been having 30 plus students to her class.
Margaret’s class features half an hour of gentle yoga stretching and half an hour of relaxation and makes it very easy to relieve tension in the body and the mind. You will leave feeling alive and with a sense of peace and inner calm. These classes run also at Southport Library and will start next year at the Nerang and Runaway Bay Libraries.

This is your chance to add yoga to your life. In addition to these library classes, we run many other Deep Peace Meditation Classes, Stretch and Relax Classes and Meditation Courses that are free or by donation. Please bring a towel or mat to all our classes.

See you at a class soon.

Amara

Instructor

Australian School of Meditation and Yoga

National Free Yoga Day MARCH 14, 2009

Yoga Centres Around Australia Throw Open Their Doors

&
Offer Yoga to Everyone Free of Charge

The Australian School of Meditation & Yoga will again be participating in the National Free Yoga Day by having a whole day of free classes and workshops. The day was so successful in March 2008 that in 2009 we will be holding the day at Fradgely Hall, a large community hall in Burleigh Heads. In the spirit of generosity and love, the Australian School of Meditation and Yoga along with many other participating yoga schools will be promoting the wonderful benefits of yoga.

National Free Yoga Day gives the community an opportunity to enjoy some gentle stretching, breathing and relaxing, whilst accessing the many benefits of Yoga for the mind, body and soul. This is a chance for many in the community to try Yoga for the first time, for others to return to Yoga and for regular practitioners to try a different style of Yoga.

To read about the day’s activities visit our website and/or give us a call.

The Fradgley Library Hall is on the corner of Park Avenue and Gold Coast Highway at Burleigh Heads. It is conveniently located for public transport users. Surrounded by palms and cooled by ocean breezes it is the ideal location to spend your day in a spiritually satisfying way.

Come down and join on in the fun,

Amara

Instructor

Australian School of Meditation and Yoga

A great start to the month

Our November Mantra Rock Dance was awesome. With over 100 people (adults and children) at the Fradgley Hall at Burleigh Heads, the vibe was sensational and everyone had an enjoyable night. Each month some friends of ours join us and bring with them their passion for music and meditation. It is such a perfect way to finish the week and start a new one.

The highlight of the evening is the rock part of the program when the musicians skilfully combine melody and meditation so that everyone is up dancing. Easy and enjoyable, mantra meditation is refreshing, uplifting and purifying. The program started with mellow kirtan or chanting and a guided meditation that can be practiced at home. You can now also download for free this same guided meditation from our website to listen to at home or on your MP3 player.

Ray Linsley, one of the senior teachers at the Australian School of Meditation and Yoga gave a reading from the ancient Bhagavad-Gita and spoke briefly on the yoga tradition, the workings of the mind and transcendental knowledge. The Australian School of Meditation and Yoga volunteer cooks whipped up yet another mouth watering feast. The culinary theme was ‘Tastes of Mexico’.

We invite you to join us at our Sunday Spiritual Gathering each Sunday from 4-6:30pm and our extra special spiritual event, the Mantra Rock Dance, the first Sunday of each month. Our next Mantra Rock will be 7th December. The last one for the year!

Everyone of all ages are welcome.

Amara

Instructor

Australian School of Meditation and Yoga

For the early birds

This week sees our outdoor Energy Yoga classes shift to a bright and early 5:30am start. Previously this class had been running from 6:30 – 7:30am. Now that we are heading into the summer months, you can take advantage of those extra hours of sunlight by adding an Australian School of Meditation and Yoga Energy Yoga class to your weekly list of things to do. We know that it does sound early, but keep in mind that the sun rises at 4:15am in summer. It is so refreshing to exercise when the day is still cool and tranquil. According to the science of yoga, the early morning hours are the most conducive for meditation and yoga because the atmosphere is clear and peaceful. The air is fresh and full of natural energy called prana or chi (in the Chinese tradition) and by rising early, we absorb the full benefits and feel lighter and more energetic than if we had slept in. As the old saying goes, “Early to bed, early rise…”

Some Inspiration From The Ancient Yoga Texts:

“What is night for all beings is the time of awakening for the self-controlled; and the time of awakening for all beings is night for the introspective sage.”
Bhagavad Gita

Hopefully, we don’t loose anyone due to the earlier start and possibly gain many more of you who have to squeeze your workouts in before you rush off to work early.

I’ll see you if you come along to an Energy Yoga class at Labrador or you’ll see another of our yoga teachers, Mrna, if you get along to the class at Miami.

Namaste yogis,

Amara

Instructor

Australian School of Meditation and Yoga

Add Meditation To Your Life

Our November ‘Discover Meditation’ workshops start this week at Nerang and Mermaid Beach. At this two part workshops you can learn practical tools to add meditation to your life. These workshops are perfect if you are a beginner or if you have been meditating for years. If you have been attending other classes at the Australian School of Meditation and Yoga and want to learn more formally about meditation and its benefits, you will find these workshops ideal.

We clearly explain how meditation works and give you the opportunity to experience the benefits yourself. The timeless art of meditation has been practiced by saints and sages since ancient times to bring about the joyful state of self-realisation. In this consciousness a person is free from temporary worries, anxieties and concerns and is immersed in a higher spiritual happiness and inner peacefulness.

Through the practice of meditation a person can experience an actual inner spiritual fulfillment or happiness. The secret to gaining the benefits is to practice it regularly. By starting your day with 15 minutes of meditation, you will find that your whole day flows more smoothly.

To find out more or book, visit our website or call. These workshops run by donation monthly.

Namaste,

Amara

Australian School of Meditation and Yoga

Thank you to all the Yoga Aid Challengers!

(TEAM ASMY @ The Yoga Aid Challenge)

1000 people gathered across Australia to salute for charity

The Gold Coast Yoga Community united on Wednesday 22 October for the 2nd Annual Yoga Aid Challenge. The registration desk opened at 5:30am at Queen Elizabeth Park in Coolangatta for yoga enthusiasts of all ages, backgrounds and walks of life to join together to raise money for charity and promote yoga. We had over 80 people at the Gold Coast event saluting to the sun. Our challenge was to complete 108 salutes in two hours, and I am proud to announce that we did it! With the help of 9 yoga teachers from Gold Coast studios and gyms, participants got a taste of traditional and varied salutes along the way. A big thank you to Mrna, Andrew, Margaret and Candace (all the way from the Brisbane studio), teachers from the Australian School of Meditation and Yoga that volunteered their time, effort and encouragement not only on the day but along the way as well.


Leading up to the event I was busy encouraging and enthusing others to join the challenge and then days before the event it dawned on me what I had gotten myself into. 108 salutes, I was thinking to myself – that is a lot. Much to my surprise the actual salutes were not that difficult. With a one minute break between each set of ten and a half time break we saw ourselves slide over the 108 line at about 8:30am.

From all the teachers at the Australian School of Meditation and Yoga I would like to say a huge thank you to the fantastic effort from all the team members involved. We had 33 team members saluting on the day and fundraising for the event - the second largest team in Australia! We raised $1500 for Save The Children Australia. They work with children at risk, to help them reach their potential through education, health and child protection programs in Australia and around the world. The total amount raised in Australia so far for charity is $130, 643!

What a great effort everyone! We hope to make the event even bigger and better next year.

Please make a note in your diaries for next years challenge – Wednesday 25 November 2009. It is truly a great opportunity to use your love of yoga to give back to the community.

Thanks again everyone!

Namaste

Amara

Instructor

Australian School of Meditation and Yoga

Christmas Gift Ideas

Share the benefits of the healthy yoga lifestyle this Christmas.

__________________

Vegetarian
Cookbook
$15

_________________

Yoga Pass
5 Class Pass - valid 2 months
$50

__________________

Yoga Pass
10 Class Pass - valid 3 months
$85

___________________

Yoga Pass
1 Month Pass - Unlimited
$80

____________________

Balanced Life Retreat
Gift Certificate $60

____________________

Available for purchase at each class or the Sunday Spiritual Gathering.

Namaste,

Amara

Instructor

Australian School of Meditation and Yoga

Annual Christmas Celebration

Set aside Sunday, 21st of December for our annual Christmas party where we gather together to celebrate the life and teachings of Lord Jesus Christ through songs, chanting, meditation and, of course, feasting! We would love to have you come celebrate Christmas with us.

The Festivities will include:

•Meeting old friends and new
•Chanting of sacred mantras
•Songs of Praise
•Video presentation of the life and teachings of Jesus
•Sumptuous Vegetarian Feast
•A joyous Mantra Rock Dance

We believe Christmas is best when shared with family and friends

To help us with meal preparations, please RSVP by Tuesday 27th of November.
5554 5440 asm@onthenet.com.au

Please invite all your family and friends.

Namaste,

Amara

Instructor

Australian School of Meditation and Yoga