Àspire Yoga & Qigong
Hello and welcome to Aspire Yoga and Qigong!
My name is Jonathon Wilton and here is some information about my background and experience in yoga and qigong.
I moved to Auckland from Dunedin at the beginning of 2013 to study Traditional Chinese Medicine. My roots are in the South Island, I grew up between a rural community south of Dunedin called Milton, living on a rolling hill country farm and Dunedin city where I went to school and university. I graduated with a Bachelor of Physed and BCom in Marketing and Finance. I have been practicing yoga for 14 years and qigong for 7 years.
BEGINNINGS
In the summer of 1999 I was on a climbing trip when I was stopped close to the summit due to a severe head ache. I realized at that point that I was not in a healthy state and I needed to take better care of myself. At that time inwardly I had been asking myself what is yoga? So on returning to London I began to try yoga.
I was working inside an investment bank in a finance job that was somewhat stressful and sitting at a desk in front of a computer all day with a dull ache in my lower back. A friend mentioned this hot yoga class which was supposedly good so we went along to the studio in Kentish Town to check it out. It was a Bikram Yoga class and I couldn’t believe the effect it had on a stressed mind and stiff body. I went along once a week for the next 2 years.
LOCAL CLASSES
From 2001-2006 I went to the Wanaka Yoga Studio. I practiced there with an Iyenga Teacher Swenja Stelfield. Here I was introduced to the use of alignment principles and using props such as bolsters and blankets to support the body during asana, initially there was no focus on any pranayama practice.
Between 2007 and 20011 I practiced at the Dunedin Yoga Studio. My main teacher was an ashtanga teacher Tiffany Brown. This was a stronger more dynamic more challenging practice.
DEVELOPMENT & INFLUENCES
Swami Muktidharma, Satyananda Yoga
In 2003 I began private classes with Swami Muktidharma. Once a year I would travel to Takkaka from Wanaka and receive a yogic program of asana pranayama and meditation. Swami Mukti originally from Columbia, had lived in India with his Guru Paramahansa Satyananda for 16 years before coming to NZ to create Anahata. He has a deep authentic knowledge of yoga and had specialized in yoga therapy so instead of a general class he was able to give me specific postures and breathing practices that were suited to my needs, condition of my body, personality and lifestyle. Swami Mukti installed in me the need for regular daily practice. Through this contact with Swami Mukti I was inspired and began a daily personal practice. My morning practice was based on asana, pranayama and then meditation, later in the day I would practice Yoga Nidra. I began with the Pawan Mukta Asana Series, the visual image Swami Mukti talked of was a turtle, “slowly, slowly, gradual gradually, this was the wayâ€
Satyananda yoga had a broad focus not just asana but many different practices. Here I was introduced to Karma yoga – meditative action and selfless service, my first morning was spent cleaning the bathroom, other meditation practices such as Anta Mouna – Inner Silence, Mouna – silence practiced between 9pm and 8am Mantra and Kirtan.
Donna Farhi
Through Donna’s intensives and teachings I have learnt about universal movement principles that underlie all asana practice, to be more connected with my inner teacher, to trust this voice, to feel what is happening inside me on the mat and to honour that, to change my practice to align with what is going on in that moment, to give myself permission to drop into childs pose if I need to, regardless of what the teacher is asking you to do. To truely listen to truely feel what is happening inside your body is not a very easy thing to do when you have spent years trying to avoid feelings. Donna teachings contain intelligence, wisdom and insight and have helped progress my personal practice.
Katie Lane – Anusara Yoga
In 2011 I did two immersions with Katie Lane of Anusara Yoga. This was an opportunity to look at the fundamental principles of Anusara Yoga, Shiva-Shakti Tantric Philosophy, Universal principles of Alignment and Kula. In addition we looked at how John Friend invites students to approach practice, through the 3 A’s Attitude, Alignment and Action. Katies inspiring message of embodying your intention has helped to strengthen and deepen my practice.
Ayurvedic Medicine
Since 2007 I have been working with Kathleen Topliss Ayurvedic practitioner and Vidya Pulse Reader Dr Smita Naram. In 2009 I visited her “Ayushakti†clinic in Mumbai, India and went through a deep process known as panchakarma. I include this because although ayurveda is not yoga it is considered the sister science to yoga and really looking at the whole picture it can not be separated. Here the main focus was with food and diet including herbs, it is very much acting in a strengthening and supporting function to yoga.
TEACHER TRAINING & TEACHING EXPERIENCE
In 2011 I completed the “Purna†Byron Yoga 200 and 300 hour yoga teacher training programs.
Purna, meaning integrated or complete. Purna Yoga represents a holistic approach to yoga integrating not just the physical postures but also philosophy such as “ahimsaâ€, meditation, pranayama breath control and the yogic personal and social code of ethics. The postural instruction is alignment focused. Sequences range from gentle restorative to dynamic vinyasa. Blocks, belts and bolsters are available to be used to support and modify postures safely.
We seek to integrate all 8 limbs (Ashtanga) of yoga the way it was originally taught, more than 3000 years ago in India. Yoga asanas, or postures, are just one of these limbs. The other limbs are equally important, including meditation, pranayama breath control, and the personal and social code of ethics, the yamas and niyamas.
A unique aspect to this teacher training was that within the first days of the teacher training we were required to start teaching asana sequences in a public class.
The later part of 2011 I taught yoga classes at the Dunedin Yoga Studio, a free Sunday morning community class, ran a yoga class back in my home town of Milton, also some some relief teaching in Port Chalmers. In 2012 I did not teach but I am now relishing the chance to teach yoga again at the Parnel Primary School hall.
I am in the process of finishing my practical requirements to become a registered RYT 500 teacher.
QIGONG EXPERIENCE
I love being amongst nature and have spent time exploring the bush, rivers, valleys and mountains in the Mt Aspiring area of Central Otago. Through these experiences I began to feel and learn about the exchange of energy that occurs between us as humans and the natural environment.
In 2006 I met Yuan Tze, a qigong master from Rudong China, he was teaching about how you could access and gather this qi from the universe to strengthen your own body and increase the quality and quantity of your energy,
†if you were to go against the natural law of qi then depletion occursâ€
For two weeks each year over five years I went on retreat with Yuan Tze firstly in the mountains in the Craigieburn range and then at Kaiapoi where students were immersed within a powerful qi field, and learn about qi and its nature and how to cultivate our qi, to prevent depletion and to regenerate and strengthen our qi. A major component of the teaching is to learn how to use the conciousness in an active positive way so that you can generate qi rather than deplete qi.
In 2008 I completed the teacher training of the first level of Zhineng Qigong as taught from the Yuan Tze Centre in Wellington. I have also been to numerous seminars and healings with Yuan Tze. In Dunedin I went to classes with Sonny Chin and Ans Wilkins. After having had a daily qigong practice for a number of years and having practiced and integrated the 4 levels- basic exercises, first method, 2nd Method and organ qigong into my practice that I feel ready to teach Qigong.
If you feel curious or drawn to know more about either the qigong or a yoga class please feel free to contact me.
Other wise I invite you to come along and try a yoga or qigong class. There is a free class on Wed 1 May. The 8 week Course Begins the following week Wednesday 8 May.
“Now May the Practice of Yoga Begin â€
