Tags
blog award, bush fires, CFA, Ganesha, Hatha yoga, Nataraj, Prayers, Yoga
Yoga…
So, last night I went to my first class at the yoga school where I’ll be studying this year.
Lovely school, got to meet the principal and one of the yoga teachers who’ll be around for parts of the training. Her class was a lovely mix of Vinyasa, Hatha and Iyengar styles and very enjoyable.
There’s beautiful art on the walls – a painted Nataraj here, a Ganesha there, a Kali yantra over the other side… books that I recognise and rate line the hallway, too.
There’s an orientation on 21st Feb, and then we commence the following Saturday. Yay! 🙂
Bloggy award goodness
Okay, so the other day, Holly from Earth to Holly gave me a blog award, which I’ve duly posted on my awards page (things were getting a little cluttered in the side bar).
As I mentioned to Holly, I’ve got a kinda ‘hybrid’ approach to these things.
Don’t wanna offend those doing the offering (so I say thanks and accept them, coz its lovely!), but also get a bit exhausted thinking of blogs I haven’t passed an award on to. Stopped doing so after my second or third one I think! So, if I’m feeling inspired I’ll give them out as and when…
Victoria’s bushfires
Last, but definitely far from least – I wanted to mention the horribleness that are the bushfires Australia is currently experiencing. Most of them are occuring in the state of Victoria (where I live) and so far, they’ve claimed at least 183 lives.
I am safe – don’t live anywhere near the regions they are occuring in. And unlike the fires that encircled Sydney some years ago, from Melbourne we can’t even smell the smoke, the sky above us isn’t red and there’s nothing other than the dreadful photos to show us how bad it really is.
Sadly, it seems that a number of fires were started by people. Deliberately lit. Then with the 46C day we had last Saturday with hellish winds, there’s so many people who just never stood a chance.
There’s an incredibly vivid piece of journalism in The Australian (a rather decent newspaper here) – written by a journalist who actually fought for his house and the lives of his family. Worth a read.
Of those who survived the fire, so many families have lost everything. These fires have wiped out whole towns in country Victoria.
If you’ve got a spare coin or two, there’s plenty of ways you can donate – such as the Australian Red Cross or the Salvation Army.
But if you can’t afford to send money, spread the word to those who can and also send your thoughts and prayers. Anything is good at a time like this.
**UPDATE** Check out these pictures, which show in graphic detail the nastiness of the fires…
~Svasti
Svasti: A Journey From Assault To Wholeness 