THERE ARE 2 SESSIONS EVERY WEEK 5pm & 7pm
28th October:
THERE IS AN EXTENDED GONG BATH on the last Sunday of each month. For those who wish to come there are details below. If you are coming to the regular gong baths, the Studio is open from 4.45pm. on these Sundays.
EXTENDED GONG BATH ON 28TH:
We will begin with a guided meditation followed by a restorative yoga session. This practice is about slowing down and opening the body through passive stretching. During the long holds of restorative yoga, muscles are allowed to relax deeply and so the props, rather than the muscles, are used to support the body.
Benefits: Enhances flexibility. Deeply relaxes the body. Stills the mind. Improves capacity for healing and balancing. Balances the nervous system. Balances the immune system. Develops qualities of compassion and understanding toward others and self. Enhances mood states.
This is an optimum state in which to enter a gong bath. It isn’t always possible to have this degree of preparation and hence the extended gong bath is offered once a month. From the previous event, it was clear that a restorative rather than a Hatha yoga practice was preferred. £20/session including gong bath and refreshments.
21st October:
This Sunday we had the intention of friendship and used softer, gentler sounds before the start f the gong. Every gong bath is different both for those who are attending and for those playing because the gongs have their own unique characters and react to the vibrations in the room. Each week is different as the make up of people changes. Autumn is a time of harvesting and storing. We are getting ready for shorter days and this affects us on all levels. It is important to encourage the body to relax and heal in the run up to winter.
October 14th:
The four nights from October 14th –up to 17th, is a time to watch for the waxing moon to move from Saturn to Mars as we can see Saturn and Mars because they are bright planets. On the night of October 14th, we can differentiate between Saturn and Mars, because the moon is much closer to Saturn on this night.
Saturn is the farthest world that you can easily see with the eye alone. Although at the moment it’s more than 10 times the sun-Earth distance away from Earth. Saturn shines brilliantly and it is amazing to think that this huge planet has the volume of more than 750 Earth’s and its reflective rings are tilting nearly maximally toward Earth.
Saturn brings structure and meaning to our world. Saturn knows the limits of time and matter and reminds us of our boundaries, our responsibilities and our commitments. It brings definition to our lives. This Sunday’s gong bath is a time ponder upon the need for self-control, of boundaries and of defining our limits.
PAST GONG BATHS IN OCTOBER:
October 7th:
This is the day before the new moon so the night sky will be dark by the time you leave the gong bath.
When the moon is most nearly between the Earth and sun for any particular month, astronomers say it is new.
We don’t see a new moon in the sky, unless there’s a solar eclipse, with the moon directly in front of the sun. Usually the new moon passes near the sun rather than in front of the sub in our sky. Either way – in front of the sun or just near it – on the day of new moon, the moon travels across the sky with the sun during the day, hidden in the sun’s glare.
In the language of astronomy – a day or two after each month’s new moon – a slim crescent moon always becomes visible in the west after sunset. Astronomers call this slim crescent a young moon.
New moons are important in many cultures and also in permaculture - those who plant by the moon. It is seen as a time of new beginnings, of discarding the old and of starting new projects with renewed enthusiasm. Having a gong bath the day before a new moon can serve to focus our intentions. As Dr Joe Dispensa writes in Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself, it is important though to have the corresponding emotions that go with that intention. It is the elevated emotions you feel when thinking about the fruition of your intention that are imperative to its manifestation. He writes: “If you ask, you are in lack because you are wanting—and wanting means you don’t have it’’. If, however, you get up as if your intention has already happened, “you’re no longer in lack because you’re feeling the emotions of your future in the present moment”. A gong Bath is a special time to do this as it is a time of relaxation where we can access a deeper consciousness.
