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Your own Parachute

Imagine doing something that you enjoy and the more you do it the more you get better at it, and it helps you reach heights that you never thought possible? (And no, it’s not parachuting!).

Cultivating a regular yoga and meditation practice can prepare you for anything. That sounds like quite a claim but it’s true. If you can achieve a natural resting state of equanimity and emotional resilience then you are pretty much prepared for whatever comes your way.

I know because I speak from experience. A recent example is from early 2019 where I had to have an operation and undergo surgery. It is without doubt that my yoga and meditation practice helped me physically and mentally, pre and post surgery. The many years of yoga and mindfulness helped create the resilience necessary to face difficult times. Since my operation I feel that there has been a radical shift in my nervous system and consciousness, and my body has an unprecedented degree of suppleness and energy.  This is thanks to the operation itself but also to my regular practice of meditation and breathing work, all part of yoga.

Mindfulness research is showing how meditation can benefit physical health as well as mental well being and the best way to know this is to experience it for yourself.

Yoga unites the mind and the body through the breath, and that is an almost literal translation of the word. It also helps us in times of difficulty. When I did the 8 week MBCT course some years ago, the trainer said that sustained meditation practice was like weaving your own parachute, so that when the time comes when you need all the help you can muster, your parachute is ready. As Mark Williams and Danny Penman wrote in ‘Mindfulness: Finding Peace in a Frantic World’, “there’s no point in doing this when we’re falling headlong towards destruction. We have to weave our parachute every day so that it’s always there to hold us in an emergency.”

Here are two videos, one is a short guided meditation, the other one is a body scan. Both can help you in your journey to weave your own parachute:

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We are what we repeatedly do

We all have our positive and negative habit energies, cultivated over the course of our lives, a result of conditions and circumstances over time.

If we are aware of our negative habit energies or behaviours, then we might choose to do something about them, especially if we start to become aware of the detrimental impact on ourselves and those we interact with. The start of the process is befriending the self and becoming aware of how we act in the world, getting to know who we are from the inside out, stepping back and viewing this world of I, Me and Mine.

One way to begin is by bringing attention to the breath, even for a moment, this will set the stage for facing that moment, and the next one with greater clarity. It creates a small window to tune into the body and the mind, sensing what’s going on.

It takes practice to catch our reactions as they are emerging. Through ongoing meditation and mindfulness practice we start to lessen the hold that repetitive thought patterns can have on the mind and the body. Over time, through self observation, reflection, and self understanding, we can affect change, bit by bit, until the grip of the negative habit energy starts to loosen itself. Using the breath as an anchor in difficult moments we can create space so that instead of amplifying our reaction we can pause and choose how to respond.

The negative habit energy will not disappear completely, but overtime will reduce in volume.

As Aristotle said, we are what we repeatedly do, so let’s make the time and the effort to become the better version of ourselves.

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To be or Not to be, that is the question

This is of course the start of Hamlet’s famous soliloquy, whether to continue to live his life or to end it. I use it in the context of To Be Present or Not to be Present.

To be, or Not to be, is the question, the position, or the mind state, in a moment of wanting to say or act out we have a choice, “to be or not to be.” To be, I see as resting in awareness, in presence, Not to be, is to give into chaos and habit mind, to react. It is of course a momentary fraction of a pause that will make the difference as to whether you respond or react in any given situation. It can be quite a challenge if you have reacted the same way to certain situations or triggers for most of your life.

In any given moment where you notice you are about to be triggered, pause. Make a conscious choice To Be with your breath. That is the point that allows you to choose how the next moment will unfold, it is such a small space but it becomes magnificent if we heed it. Mindfulness is awareness and the ability to observe experience. No one said it was easy, but with continued practice it does open a space to move away from your usual habitual reaction that is not helpful to you or others.

We can cause harm to our relationships and ourselves if we choose to not be present. Be aware of the energy that pushes you into doing or saying what you don’t want to say but you go ahead anyway because that is what your are used to.

To be (present) or not to be (present), you decide.

Timetable

Private classes for individuals and couples take place throughout the week from Monday to Friday, at a time that is most convenient for you. Private sessions are held in person in a spacious well ventilated room. For clients who live further afield or in another country, sessions take place on zoom.

To enquire or sign up, email satty.verbart@gmail.com or

WhatsApp +31 (0)623598162

During the pandemic group classes took place on zoom. This proved to be surprisingly convenient for reasons other than the pandemic. For those who live further afield or in an another country, it was an easy and convenient way to join a class. This also proved to be the case for those who live more locally, it fitted in better with their work schedules or child care needs. Group classes therefore continue on zoom.

Monday

11:00 – 12:00 Vinyasa flow class (zoom)
The class starts with tuning in and soft listening to the body through a seated body scan. Moving from a series of warm up stretches the class becomes more dynamic, it is less physically demanding than the dynamic class but the two classes follow similar postures and sequences. The seated movement leads us to the guided meditation. The final posture is the lying down relaxation. The yoga practice is working through the body to still the fluctuations of the mind, getting to know our mind and body through yoga.

Tuesday

20:00 – 21:00 Dynamic Flow (zoom)

The class starts with tuning in and listening to the body, coming into stillness. After a series of warm up stretches the class builds up to a dynamic flow practice based on Ashtanga yoga, synchronising movement with breath as we build heat in the body, working on strength and flexibility.  As with all yoga the guiding principle is the breath. The pace of the class slows down with the seated postures, meditation, and then lying down relaxation. At the end of the class the mind, the body, and the breath are in harmony and balance.

Wednesday

09:30 – 10:00 Guided Meditation (zoom)

This 30 minute guided meditation class can take place seated on your mat, on a chair, or even lying down. Meditation is an essential component of yoga, this morning session allows the time and space to build the muscle of mindfulness meditation, over time we become more settled and grounded and able to deal with even the most difficult situations that come up in life.

20:00 – 21:00 Dynamic Flow (zoom)

Friday

09:30 – 10:30 Dynamic Flow (zoom)

Cost

Attending a 1 hour group class is 13 euros, or you can purchase a class card for 6 lessons, this is 70 euros.

The meditation class is 7 euros per session, pay as you go.

Payment to be made online: NL38ABNA0254230377, via tikkie or paypal.

The payment is the same if you are paying in GBP. Please note, from the UK the class timetable is one hour earlier.

Private Lessons
A private lesson is at a date and time in the week that works for you, focusing on your needs and aspirations. Each session will work on increasing your sense of mental and physical well being and learning techniques specific to your needs. Session by session you will start to notice a difference in your body and mind, getting to know yourself at a deeper level and experiencing a greater sense of calm and centredness.

(Please note, a doctor or medical practitioner is always the first point of contact for any issues that are causing particular physical or mental distress).

A private lesson is 60 minutes and costs 45 euros.
A class card for 6 private lessons: 210 euros

For couples a 6 class card is 240 euros.

All one to one classes are given in person, in confidence at Satty Yoga premises or on zoom.

Payment to be made online: NL38ABNA0254230377

Satty VerbArt is a registered teacher with Yoga Alliance Professionals. This accreditation demonstrates excellent standards as set by Yoga Alliance Professionals.

KVK Nummer:69666830

About

Hello, my name is Satty VerbArt, I live and work in Amersfoort. My purpose is to share my passion for yoga, mindfulness and meditation with you, so that you can experience the transformational benefits for yourself.

I started practicing yoga almost 20 years ago, I wanted to become a more grounded person, not so impacted by work or family stress. I knew yoga had physical benefits and I was curious about the mental benefits.

I started my yoga experience with the Ashtanga primary series. I also explored Hatha yoga and Bikram yoga, and in the last 10 years started to cultivate my own meditation practice, this allowed me to uncover the inner body and the co-dependent relationship with the mind. My yoga evolved and so did I. I learned that the real benefits went beyond being able to do the perfect downward dog or warrior poses, that yoga is in fact more about the internal than the external.

My practice has become one of integrated yoga and mindfulness. Yoga is the union of the mind and the body through the breath. A non judging, non striving approach to yoga; a felt experience that goes beyond the work on the mat. We experience the natural energetics of the body and at the same time still the fluctuations of the mind.

The classes I give vary from dynamic ashtanga based sequences to slow flow movement. All classes embody mindfulness, meditation and movement, a process of cultivating balance and harmony so we feel more centred, grounded, and at ease.

I studied the foundations of yoga and yoga philosophy with the British Wheel of Yoga. This was a sound basis for personal development and the start of the journey towards becoming a yoga teacher.  I did the 8 week Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy Course which helped develop my mindfulness and meditation practice. This was a pre-requisite to study Integrated Yoga and Mindfulnesss with Hugh Poulton, a 200 hour yoga alliance teaching qualification. (Hugh Poulton is one of the UK’s most experienced mindfulness teachers, his work is referenced in Mark William’s bestselling book “Mindfulness: a practical guide to finding peace in a frantic world”).

Whilst the term mindfulness has become very widely used, and in many respects over simplified, it remains the cornerstone for cultivating greater awareness of the unity of the mind and body and our relationship to physical and mental tension. Through yoga and mindfulness we learn to recognise how our mental states are expressed in the body and how this impacts our moment to moment experience.

Gradually, through a continued practice, yoga will bring an inner peace. You will discover a calmer mind, a more open heart and a smile that radiates from within.

Keep Smiling! 🙂