This is the first time we have held an accessories exhibition, and we were unsure how it would work in the space. However, I’m pleased to say everything looks fantastic! The necklaces are absolutely beautiful; so original and unique. Each one tells a story and has a meaning attached, so they’re more than just ‘accessories’. We were happy the artist, Marisa Zenone, could attend before she went home to Italy. It was also lovely to see many imagine* members and their friends. With a mixture of Japanese, English and Italian being spoken, it made for a truly international party with a very lively atmosphere. Check this website for information about our next exhibition, and its launch party, which will be held in March 2011.

Reading

Hey yoginis,

Can you believe that 2010 has come to its end? This year flew by, and many different things happened. 2010 is the year that imagine* Yoga started, and we’ve slowly but surely been building our community of weekly yoga practitioners. Just seeing the improvement in everyone’s practice has been impressive already! I trust that 2011 will be an even more successful year, and that more people will be exposed to, and fall in love with, the practice of yoga.

Seeing as we have a long break at the end of December and beginning of January for the winter holidays, we will continue the same sequence for both December and January.

For these two months, we’re going to move away from the vinyasa flow a bit, and follow the hatha road. December/January’s series of asana will be based on the now well-known Bikram series, which is a series of 26 postures which are said to target every part of your body, from the skin to the internal organs. This series is usually done in heated rooms for the very popular Bikram yoga (or hot yoga), but the effects are just as evident when practiced under normal conditions. It will give us a new challenge for the new year. I hope you enjoy them!

Asana

The postures are:

We will end our lessons around the turn of the year with a short but sweet Apache blessing:

May the sun bring you new energy by day,
May the moon softly restore you by night,
May the rain wash away your worries,
May the breeze blow new strength into your being,
May you walk gently through the world and know its beauty all the days of your life.

To all: May you have a Merry Christmas and a Happy 2011. Best of luck and love.

Namaste!

Marilu

月毎に行うポーズ名をご紹介します。レッスンの状況により多少変更することがあります。

It isn’t often the case, but at the moment there are a lot of very interesting films coming from the UK. Due to the global recession and a new government, Britain is experiencing a period of significant social change, which might explain why so many recent British films seem to either focus on an uncertain and worrying future or to look nostalgically at the past.

The late-fifties and early-sixties, a time of recovery and optimism in the UK, is the setting for three new films.

‘Nowhere Boy’ tells the story of John Lennon’s life in Liverpool before he became famous as one of The Beatles. It is directed by the well-known visual artist Sam Taylor-Wood.

Nowhere Boy – Official UK Trailer (2009)

‘An Education’ is a wonderful film about a teenage girl’s relationship with an older man and her troubled attempts to get a place at Oxford University.

Based on Graham Greene’s classic story, ‘Brighton Rock’ is about a young criminal in a seaside town. Originally set in the 1930s this adaptation moves the action forward to the early-sixties.

Brighton Rock (2011) Official HD Trailer
Brighton Rock (1947) – Pinkie’s first appearance

For more forward looking films, two of the most interesting ask serious questions about how we value human life when confronted with the possibilities of genetic engineering.

‘Moon’ is a science fiction psychological drama starring the American actor Sam Rockwell, and directed by David Bowie’s son, Duncan Jones.

Moon | Official Trailer (2009)

‘Never Let Me Go’ is based on Kazuo Ishiguro’s thought-provoking novel. It is set in the near future, or perhaps an alternative present, and depicts a disturbing vision of society.

Kazuo Ishiguro on The Remains of the Day and Never Let Me Go

At the time of writing, in Japan, ‘Nowhere Boy’ has been shown in cinemas in recently. ‘Moon’ and ‘An Education’ are available to rent, and ‘Never Let Me Go’ and ‘Brighton Rock’ are due to be released next year.

Reading

In November, our reading will be the second part of the timeless poem by Max Ehrmann called ‘Desiderata’.

Be yourself. Especially, do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love, for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment it is perennial as the grass. Take kindly to the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth. Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.

Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be, and whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life, keep peace in your soul.

With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world.

Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.

Asana

As for the vinyasa (flow) part of the class, November gives us another opportunity to practice and grow better at doing the Sun Salutation. We will use this sequence of 12 poses as the basic flow for our yoga practice. Some other poses we will be doing this month are:

I’m looking forward to doing yoga with everyone as we move into the colder months. It’s a fantastic way to keep the heart pumping, the blood flowing and prevent the winter blues!

Namaste!

月毎に行うポーズ名をご紹介します。レッスンの状況により多少変更することがあります。

夏の猛暑が過ぎて急に涼しくなりましたね。涼しくなった季節にあわせ、ヨガレッスンでは身体を温めるアーサナ（ポーズ）が、この10月より加わりました。

イマジン語学スタジオ（芦屋市大原町）にて「英語でヨガレッスン」を始めて4ヵ月が経ちました。月ごとに新しいアーサナをご紹介し、その度に新鮮さを感じています。ヨガインストラクターの Marilu がおこなうビンヤサヨガとは、流れるようにポーズをおこなうもの、と説明していますが、はじめはその意味がいまひとつ私は理解できていませんでした。私も続けてレッスンを受講するうちに、この「流れる」の意味が、ようやく分かってきたように思います。Marilu はレッスンの中で、呼吸のタイミングが狂わないよう毎回、「inhale（息を吸う）」「exhale（息を吐く）」を掛け声で示してくれるので、ヨガ初心者にも安心です。

よくヨーガの話をすると、「私は身体が固いからできません」とお話される方がいらっしゃいます。でも、そういう方にこそはじめて欲しいとお勧めしています。身体が固く血液の流れが少し悪くなっている方にこそ、ヨガをすることで、身体が柔らかくなっていきます。呼吸とポーズが上手く合うと、さらにスムーズに身体は動きます。初めはできなくてもいいのです。できなかったポーズが段々とできるようになり、さらに心地よさは倍増します。カラダ全体を使うヨガの後は、全身に血液が流れている実感が増し、それによって身体も温まりとても心地よくなります。

私自身他のヨーガを（当たり前ですが）日本語で習ったこともありますが、英語を聞きながら進行する「英語でヨガ」だと、集中力も高まる気がします。ご興味ある方はぜひ体験レッスンを経てご参加いただければと思います。イマジン語学スタジオのヨガレッスンは、こちらのページをご覧ください。

Reading

For October and November, we will be listening to a poem called ‘Desiderata’ by Max Ehrmann. Desiderata is a Latin word and it means ‘the things that we desire’. The poem was written in the early 1900′s, and has been seen as an inspirational guide to living a good life.

Because the poem is rather long, we will listen to half of it in October, and half in November. Here it is, in full:

Asana

As the weather is cooling down, we will move into a time where our bodies need some extra movement to warm up. For October, we will continue with the Sun Salutations, as in September, using it as a base for our sequences.

Some of the poses we will be going through this month are:

October’s sequence looks exciting, and is the perfect way to keep the body warm and the metabolism going, especially as we are entering a cooler time!

月毎に行うポーズ名をご紹介します。レッスンの状況により多少変更することがあります。

I have heard it said that autumn is the ideal season for reading books. In that case, I can readily recommend ‘The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet’. It is the latest novel by David Mitchell, and tells the story of a Dutch clerk working on Dejima, the man-made island in the bay of Nagasaki which functioned as Japan’s only contact with the outside world during the Edo era.

David Mitchell is widely regarding as one of Britain’s best young novelists. He started to write while working as an English teacher in Hiroshima in the nineties, and many of his works are set in, or have connections with, Japan. He is best known for ‘Cloud Atlas’, an incredible book which compromises various interconnected stories from different times and settings. ‘The Thousand Autumns…’ is just as ambitious, and is recommended for an advanced English learner, with an interest in how foreign writers interpret Japan and its history.

Coincidentally, one of David Mitchell’s key influences is Italo Calvino, an Italian writer whose ‘If on a winter’s night a traveler’ is also the inspiration for our current exhibition of photographs by Seiko Oka.

It was a hot, summer’s day and I made my way to the Foreign Buyer’s Club on Rokko Island. My job was to tell stories to children using books produced by Oxford University Press. I wasn’t sure what to expect so felt a little bit nervous. However, as soon as I arrived I was made to feel very welcome by the OUP and FBC staff. There were some other teachers from another school who were really friendly too – I began to relax! Then the children arrived – about 30 I think. We had fun looking through the story books and speaking lots of English together. I was worried the children might be really shy and quiet but if anything, it was the complete opposite – they were so energetic and confident! Children don’t worry about making mistakes so much. They become so involved in the story, they seem to forget they are speaking a different language – great eh? Anyway, it was a lovely day and I hope I can do it again sometime in the future. Forget computer games and iPhone Apps, story time is the best!

Last Sunday was the latest party at imagine* – this time to celebrate the launch of Seiko Oka’s new exhibition ‘If on a winter’s night a traveler’. It was great to see so many imagine* members there, from some of our longest serving to a few of our youngest! There was lots of praise for the artworks on display and the delicious food, once again provided by Itsuki Bakery.

We hold parties like these every three months to mark the launch of each new exhibition at imagine*. They are great way to meet like-minded people and to meet our teachers, as well as see some interesting contemporary art. If you are in the area, feel free to drop in next time we hold a party. Details will be available on this website.

Reading

For a long time it seemed to me that real life was about to begin, but there was always some obstacle in the way. Something had to be got through first, some unfinished business; time still to be served, a debt to be paid. Then life would begin. At last it dawned on me that these obstacles were my life.

The perspective helped me to see that there is no way to happiness.
Happiness IS the way.
So treasure every moment you have and remember that time waits for no one.
Happiness is a journey, not a destination.

Dance as though no one is watching you.
Love as though you’ve never been hurt before.
Sing as though no one can hear you.
Live as though heaven is on earth.

Asana

In September we will be doing poses around the Sun Salutation (surya namaskar), which will be the basis for this month’s vinyasa (flow).

Other poses include:

月毎に行うポーズ名をご紹介します。レッスンの状況により多少変更することがあります。