the worst way to study

Celebration time!!! 

Over the weekend we raised another $405.60 for the Animal Welfare League with Katie and Jennifer's Restorative Aerial Yoga and Sound Healing Workshop, making 2024 grand total so far $1596.45 for local animals in need this year so far (all thanks to the teachers who donated their time and the students who carved out time, thankyou thankyou thankyou!)

Cats and dogs are not everyone cup of tea, I get that (I have two daughters, one of them is obsessed and pretends to be one most days, barking and eating straight from the bowl in all fours included, while the other specifically told me while walking to school last week that she doesn't ever want to get a dog, only chickens).

So then why does Nin Yoga constantly go back to wanting to connect with these fur babies?

Well, our dearest teacher Katie Hathaway who taught the workshop on Friday has cats of her own, and spends every weekend tending to the street cats of St Mary's, giving them food and medical attention if needed (she will also hate that I mention this in the newsletter, soz not soz Katie!)

While in India, I myself spent it with the local animals, rather than studying for my yoga teacher training (just because I own studios doesn't mean I was the brightest in class, I literally studied for philosophy exams by having a nap with "The Four Chapters of Freedom" open over my face in an effort to absorb the knowledge). I much preferred to be doing yoga with their company.

I could say that delivering water, picking ticks and rubbing turmeric creme into mange was just for the fur babies, but its was 100% for me too.

I adored them oh so very much and they were the highlight of every single day while overseas (the yoga teacher training was great too, but you know, who can turn down unconditional love and a slightly embarrassing duck lips selfie from a street animal?)

Over a decade later, and I'm a mum of two miniature versions of myself, and using the leverage of the studio to be of service, which feels so very close to the conception of all that is Nin Yoga in the first place.

And it is with that honor that Katie Rose, my own teacher and facilitator of our yoga teacher training and many others for over 30 years has asked for our help in putting an event together to raise money once again for animals and children in need that would usually be overlooked, this time for "Pasay Pups" in the Philippines.

Here is a message from Pasay Pups below:

"As the holiday season is now upon us, Pasay Pups is once again preparing Noche Buena food packs for the nearly 500 households in the cemetery, as well as toys and sweet treats for the over 400 children who live with their families amongst the graves in Pasay Public Cemetery.

I have been working in this community since 2013, and this will be our eleventh year running the Christmas program. We also supported these families through the pandemic – when lockdowns prevented them from leaving the cemetery and they received extremely little government aid. Over the years, I’ve seen some unimaginable suffering in this community. There was a rabies outbreak; several people were murdered during the former president’s “war on drugs”; there have been false imprisonments, teenage pregnancies, and domestic violence. There are cases of untreated mental illnesses and people dying of preventable and curable diseases. For most families who call the cemetery home, every single day is a fight for survival.

But despite their hardships, I’ve also been inspired by the community’s kindness in the face of so much adversity and their ability to find joy in simple things. Our end of year project is something everyone looks forward to – people have been asking me about it since August! I know that our efforts don’t solve the deep-rooted problems in this community, but I like to think that our food packs give the families here at least a few days where they don’t have to worry about where their next meal will come from.

Each family will receive rice; canned goods like fruit cocktail, cream corn, and vegetables; noodles, soy sauce, and vinegar; spaghetti and tomato sauce; snacks; hygiene items like toothpaste, toothbrushes, and soap; and dog food for families with companion animals. Sweet treats and toys will be provided to each child.

Thank you for your support, and for helping us make the holiday season for the families who call the cemetery home."

Annika, I know there are so many dang things going on in the world, too many issues for us first world folks to even fathom.

So when the opportunity comes to do something good, all we can do is our absolute best with the resources we have available to us.

Can we set our intentions for 2025 in a way that not only serves ourselves, but others too?

New Year Intention Setting at Nin Yoga Penrith has been locked in for the 2nd of January from 10am - 12pm, with Yoga Teacher of over 30 years Katie Rose guiding us all with journaling, poetry and inspiration.

Its not about new years resolutions that don't seem to ever last, but instead setting ourselves up to start 2025 enlivened and excited for what's to come.

We will use Yoga philosophy to teach us that the journey of being human is what we make of it, that our approach to life is very much within our control, and magic is a shift in perception.