New Term Invitation! The Five Vayus, Sacred Winds of the Body

Hello everyone,

A massive thank you to those who made it to our second yoga term at Thrive. I absolutely loved teaching these practices and exploring the depth and grace of the pancha kosha with you. I never expected this class to evolve into what feels to me now like such a sweet and relaxed gathering of friends. Thank you all so much.

We will take a little pause for three weeks to rest and hopefully have some fun. Summer is here and there are many concerts and festivals and family events to attend! I am so excited to say that my sister is getting married in Inis Mór, where I'm from, and that I will be packing up the van with my partner and heading home for a week of summer solstice love and celebrations. The pink full moon hanging low in the sky feels like a warm invitation.  

... did someone say the heatwave is returning?!

I am also delighted to say that we will be back at Thrive for 6:30pm Sunday Hatha Yoga on July 6th, for a new five week term. I cannot wait for this one! 

There are a few spaces available for this so please do get in touch if you are interested in putting your name down :) It will be just €75 for the full five weeks, and each Sunday we will work with and learn about different functions of the body. This term will be a wealth of knowledge for how to use yogic tools to aid in digestion, immune system support, bowel movements, reproductive issues, endocrine systems, circulation, creativity, self-expression, and more.

Philosophically speaking, the term will be designed around the concept of the five vayus, which is a beautifully detailed yogic map of how energy - prana - moves through the body and how.

In Sanskrit, the word prana means life force - your life energy. Prana is like an ocean of energy that flows through all living things. Exactly like the oceans, it has channels and currents throughout the body, directions and places where it pools and swirls. 

In yoga, an energetic current is called a nadi. Hatha Yoga tradition states that there are a whopping 72,000 nadis (energy channels) in the body! Woah! You may have heard of the three major ones; Ida Nadi, Pingala Nadi, and Sushumna Nadi, as these are explored in the popular alternate nostril breathing technique 'nadi shodhana'. 

The direction and purpose of a nadi (energy current) is called a vayu. These are what we will explore during the new term. The five vayus are often translated as the 'five sacred winds', because they are defined as the intentionality of energy moving within the body. Each of the five vayus governs a different function in the body, like digestion, discernment, expression, circulation, and so on.

If you are confused (I was too!), you can think of it like this: a nadi is a current for energy in the body, like a pathway. A vayu is then the directional energy that flows through that pathway. The prana is the energy itself, but the vayu is the direction of it as it flows.

So, essentially we will be exploring the directions of energy in the body and how that energy can be tracked and released to allow physical functions like respiration, digestion, stress responses, immunity and more, to work optimally. 

Woahhhhh! Sweeeeeet! 

Again, and as always, this term will be at its heart a practice of all levels Hatha Yoga - which means breath work to start, aligned yogic shapes that will be held for short periods of time with elements of flow, and lovely relaxation to end. Most of the detail and juicy bits on yoga philosophy will be shared via the weekly email, and the rest will simply shape and inspire the sequences on Sundays, so that you can embody these ancient and wonderful ideas at your own pace and in your own way.

One last thing...I would like to share a link here for a little feedback form. If you feel at all inspired to write some words on your experiences in class with me, I would really appreciate it! 

https://forms.gle/dotJvD7Kffq3JxGb6

May this full moon wrap a little pink light of hope around your heart...

May the beauty of your life

 become more visible to you,

that you may glimpse your wild divinity.

 May the wonders of the earth call you forth

from all your small, secret prisons

and set your feet free in the pastures of possibilities.

 May the light of dawn anoint your eyes

that you may behold what a miracle a day is.

 May the liturgy of twilight shelter

all your fears and darkness within the circle of ease...

 And when love finds the path to your door

may you open like the earth to the dawn,

and trust your every hidden colour

towards its nourishment of light.

John Ó Donohue, segments from Beauty – The Invisible Embrace

Le grá,

Macha