A safe space. a held space 💕
Hello,
"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times,
it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness,
it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity,
it was the season of light, it was the season of darkness,
it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair."
- Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities
I read the above and it makes me think a lot about what's going on at the moment.
I was not sure how to share my thoughts on this matter, as it's so present and huge and feels almost out of body to consider it with my privilege.
I am thankful for all the best of times in my own personal life, but sometimes I lay in bed and wonder, why me?
What is going on for humans who are also mothers, fathers, sisters, and brothers, sounds too horrendous, almost fiction, when we read about it on our smartphones...
What makes these innocent lives so different from ours?
And how do we now have the privilege to be here now, to be in this safe space, simply reading emails?
For a moment I wasn't sure even how to continue holding space for this community when there is so much grief to be felt.
But I am coming to realize that we can still hold grief, while at the same time continue to what we love.
That there is no need to hold our breath and deprive ourselves of all the good stuff we have so readily available all around us.
Let us be thankful for our own safety, while we hold empathy for all those who have been hurt by this conflict during an exceptionally heartbreaking time in human history.
If you yourself need some time to rest the nervous system with what is, there are two restorative yoga offerings coming up:
Restorative Yoga & Sound Healing
Saturday the 17th of November, 7 pm - 9 pm at the Penrith Studio with Katie and Vanessa
Friday, December 1st - Sunday, December 3rd at Happy Buddha Retreats with Idit.
What is Restorative yoga you ask?
Well, there is no stretching, no engaged muscles, no final destination.
Just a whole lot of props to support the body, so much so that we aim to feel like we are somewhat floating and completely grounded and held.
We then hold that shape for 10-20 minutes, to soothe our nervous system and give our bodies deep rest and deep nourishment.
If taking some time to just be as you are, to really feel into everything that's going on around us and within us sounds like something that needs to be more consistent for you, we have a few new classes coming your way also.
FREE YOGA THIS SATURDAY at our St Marys Studio
9 am Vinyasa with Larissa Little, a recent Teacher Training Graduate (who is just amazing btw! A natural poet and teacher)
Starting NEXT Wednesday
7:15 pm Gentle Vinyasa with Alaina Scutts at Nin Yoga Penrith
This is our most popular class on the schedule, so we have literally carbon-copied it (same teacher, same style) and put another one of them at our Penrith Studio.
Last Sunday of Each Month
8 am Meditation (next one is the 26th of November) with Karen Gruber at the Penrith Studio
This offering is FREE, just save your spot on the Mindbody App or our website.
6:30 am Classes
A lil further away but we will start offering 6:30 am classes at our Penrith Studio at the start of next year. Our first ones will be Tuesday Pilates and Thursday Vinyasa. More info and reminders coming your way in a few weeks.
Anyway, that's my share for you this week. We will continue to show up here with the musings.
If something ever resonates, or you have feedback, always feel free to reply to this email.
Thank you for your love and support always, may you continue to feel safe, and see you on the mat 
Annika xx
