Hi,

Universal energy is known as many things – Prana, Chi, Ki, Ru, to mention a few, it is something we all have access to, but sometimes we are not open to receive it.  Here are a few very basic ways to soak up that energy and regenerate yourself:

1. The Earth – We come from the Earth and it contains a lot of energy, one of the ways to access Earth energy is to take your shoes and socks off and walk the Earth (grass or soil) with the intention of taking in the energy.  Walk with consciousness, telling your self as you place your feet on the ground you are soaking up the goodness and life energy. 

2. Natural body of water – A lake, a stream, a river, the ocean.  Bathing in a natural body of water is a refreshing way of taking in the energy.

3. Eat water rich foods – these include fruits and vegetables that are fresh and full of life energy.

4. Sunlight – A little bit of exposure to sunlight everyday or even to sit under full spectrum light from an artificial source is very energising.

5. Starlight and moonlight – Go out into the night and gaze at infinity, look at the stars and let that Prana soak your physiology.

6. Air – The trees are the lungs of the Eatth, the Earth is our extended body, so the trees are our extended lungs.  What the trees give out as prana, we take in and what we give out the trees takes in.  “When the tree breathes out, we breathe in, when we breathe out, the tree breathes in”.

In the light of this it is easy to see how the people of India are so happy and full of life even if they have very little and why sometimes we (in England) can feel sad and lethargic even though we have all the material things we needs.  I know that doing some of these things is difficult living where we live, but can you believe that some people will go a whole life time without ever putting their bare feet on the ground?!  Ggo on, get outside and rub your feet in the muddy wet grass, you know you want to!!!

With love to you all,

Lulu

Stage one: Standing

Stand with your feet under your hip bones
Weight even down through both of the legs and even across the area of the foot
Soften your knees
Pelvis is neutral
Back of the neck long, feeling like the space in between each vertebra is increasing
Shoulders soft away from the ears or arms raised in ‘Namaste’ as shown

Stage two: Rolling down

Breathe in to prepare
Drop the chin to the chest
Breathe out, navel to spine and allow the weight of the head to lead the movement of the spine rolling down
Roll the spine vertebra by vertebra
Let the head and arms be heavy and relaxed

Stage three: High plank to low plank, hold and hover

From rolling down, step back with the right foot then the left
Hold the body parallel to the mat
Navel to spine, feel like you are supported from your belly button to the ceiling
Slowly lower yourself to the mat, navel hollowed & elbows into the sides, hover above the mat for a few seconds

Stage four: Half swan dive

Fully rest the body on the mat placing the feet flat, hands underneath the shoulders
Breathe in, navel to spine, looking up to the ceiling allow the body to peel off the mat by straightening the arms
Keep hips on the mat, shoulders away from the ears and elbows in
Roll the body back down to the mat

Stage five: Downwards dog

Push up into box position and straighten the legs
Feet are hip width apart
Feel like the shoulders are moving away from each other and down the ribcage away from the ears
Eye gaze looks up towards the belly button
Hold for five lateral breaths (navel to spine, breathing sides and back of ribcage)
Don’t worry about your heels touching the mat, we are trying to get a straight spine, so your heels may lift

Stage six: Rolling up

Look towards the hands, navel to spine, step right foot in between hands followed by the left
Straighten the legs leaving the knees slightly soft
Breathe in, navel to spine, tuck the tailbone under and roll back up to standing vertebra by vertebra
Shoulders resting, chin parallel to the mat

Stage seven: Standing

Either stand as detailed in one or as detailed in the photo
Repeat steps one to six three times remembering lateral breathing and navel to spine

Hello all,

So, I finished my last Pilates class last night before I have my break– I nearly cried!!  I’m going to miss you all loads.

Thank you so much for all your well wishes and kind words (I don’t think you’ll be so kind when I get back with some new hard exercises!!!).

I’ll post up a programme next week so you can keep up your practice, but in the mean time how about refreshing your memory on the eight principles of Pilates:

1. Relaxation
2. Concentration
3. Alignment
4. Breathing
5. Centring
6. Co-Ordination
7. Flowing movements
8. Stamina

Click the link for more info:

http://pilatesbirmingham.wordpress.com/category/principles-of-pilates/

Just one more silly thing before I go…………..I got my group to this last night –

Lie down on your mat and spread out your arms and legs like star, close your eyes, first of all pretend that you are holding on to the corners of a square, just lie in the experience of holding on to the square and being in the square, then let go.  Keeping your eyes closed now pretend that you are in a circle and your hands and feet are on the circumference of the circle (a bit like Leonardo Da Vinci’s famous drawing on the Da Vinci code), just lie in  the experience of being in the circle.

How did it feel?  Was the square different to the circle?

I’ve been doing a bit of research on Sacred Geometry and find that the square is very still and strong and almost feels restrictive.  The circle on the other hand allows me to feel quite free, flowing and connected.  My experience of this makes me think about why people that work in offices and other square buildings day in day out feel themselves to be restricted, and why a lot of garden arrangements and common areas are usually round – giving a sense of freedom and connection……………….well, food for thought anyway!!

I do hope you all enjoy your time off in December, or if your class is covered I hope you carry on enjoying your practice.

Much love and light, I’ll be in touch soon.

Lulu

x

Hello all,

Just letting you know that I am still teaching an advanced class on Wednesdays 8.15pm-9.15pm at Quinborne Community Centre.  We are in one of the little rooms NOT IN THE HALL.  As you walk in through the main doors walk straight ahead and instead of going left to the hall turn right down a little corridor and we will be in the room at the end.  If you can’t find us just ask Jeff the care taker who is usually drifting around!

If you have any questions about the advanced class please ask.

Big Love

Lulu

x

Thank you to my photographer and his beautiful assistant for taking photo’s of me this weekend to make my site and business cards look extra professional.

Thank you God for the weather brightening up out of blue and providing us with a lush beach and blue sky.

I’m a very lucky lady!!

The Saturday morning class is cancelled permanently Due to unforeseen circumstances at the venue ‘Unique Physique’ in Halesowen.

I have no plans to find a new venue, as the numbers on Saturday morning have been low.  If I get more interest in starting a Saturday morning class I shall look for another hall and recommence, but until then I shall stay with the weeknight classes.

My apologies to the regular Saturday morning students, I hope to see you at my other classes.

Big Love

Lulu

x

This is beautiful:

“I will gain more understanding when I realise…….a teacher is not one with many students but one who creates many teachers.

A teacher, a true teacher is not one who gives you anything.  A true teacher is one who makes you aware of what you already have and encourages you to use it.  A teacher is not one who tells you anything.  A true teacher listens to you, learns from you and uses what you have to inspire other students.  A true teacher recognises your brilliance and supports you in learning how to nurture it.  Seeing your dilemmas, a true teacher walks through them with you.  A true teacher will look you dead in the eye, call you out of hiding and celebrate with you in the joy of standing in your truth.  A true teacher will not do it for you.  Instead, they will sit with you as you figure out how to do it for yourself.  A true teacher will not keep score for you.  They will support you in moving beyond the need to know the score.  If you are really lucky, you will happen upon the greatest teacher of all:  The student who brings you to the realisation that you are your own greatest teacher.

Honour yourself for all the lessons you have taught yourself.”

I thank all my students for being my teachers because I am still learning everyday.

Hello All,

I am going on retreat again next week; I am away from Wednesday 15^th July to Sunday 19^th July.

All classes on the following days will not be running:

Wednesday 15^th July

Friday 17^th July

Saturday 18^th July

I apologise for any inconvenience caused but assure you that I will have more inspiring routines for you when I’m back.

Classes on Monday 13^th and Tuesday 14^th July are still running and all classes will be back to normal on Monday 20^th July.

See you then,

Big Love

Lulu

x

NEW ADVANCED CLASS

Starts Wednesday 1^st July 2009

Time:

8.15pm – 9.15pm

Venue:

Quinborne Community Centre

Ridgacre Road

B32 2TW

This will be a challenging class, please let me know if you wish to attend so I can approve and get an idea of numbers.

Thank you so much

Lulu

x

HAPPY SOLSTICE

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend and enjoyed the longest day of the year.

I went to Stonehenge as usual, there were record numbers of people there, some papers say 36000 some say 86000.  I’m not sure I just know that it was busy down there!!