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THE TEACHING & PRACTICE @ ZEN YOGA CENTRAL

Welcome to Zen Yoga Central, I hope you enjoy your classes at the studio.

I have a deep love and passion for the practise and teaching of yoga and meditation and I am
thrilled to be able to share these wonderful practises and teachings with you at Zen Yoga Central.
In addition to the weekly yoga and meditation classes we also have regular yoga chanting,
meditation movement and dance events as well as regular workshops, intensives and retreats. All
the information about what's on at the studio is on our website at www.zenyogacentral.com.au
and you can also subscribe to our email newsletter from there. In this short handout I have
included a little more information about our approach to the teaching and practise of yoga and
meditation to give new students an overview of all the practices and classes we run at the studio.

Why practise Yoga and Meditation?

There are a multitude of different schools and styles of yoga and meditation that have evolved
over the last 5000 years or more, with many different interpretations and methods of practice.
Yoga and meditation is a living practice and we believe that all of the authentic schools and
traditions of yoga and meditation have benefits to offer us in our lives, and just as some people
might prefer Thai food over Indian or Chinese food, one style of practice may suit one person and
be totally unsuitable for another, and that is absolutely fine! At Zen Yoga Central we celebrate the
diversity of practices that have evolved and developed over the millennia and continue to evolve as
humans explore their practices and share their knowledge with others.
Some of the more popular Hatha yoga styles in Australia concentrate purely on physical postures
and breathing (such as Iyengar Yoga, Ashtanga Yoga, Bikram Yoga etc) and others focus more on
meditation (zen and other buddhist schools), others do no posture practise at all but focus on
karma yoga (selfless service), or chanting (kirtan yoga) and devotion practices (bhakti yoga).
Though there are a myriad of different approaches to the practise of yoga and meditation they all
share the same motivation and goal of practise, and that goal is for us to realise and experience
more inner freedom in our lives.
At Zen Yoga Central our aim is to offer a deeply authentic transformative practice that honours the
classical yogic and Buddhist traditions with an approach and form that is suitable for our modern
21st century western lives.

About our teaching style at Zen Yoga Central

The practices within our teaching system are designed as in integrated whole with each practice
being of benefit to all the other practices, for example the physical yoga practices help to deepen
our experience in the practice of meditation and vice-versa. During intensives and retreats we have
the opportunity to offer all the practices at once, during our weekly classes though we need to
offer them separately due to time constraints.

The core practices at Zen Yoga Central are;

I) Yoga asana the physical posture practices in yoga which are


designed to bring us more freedom, strength, vitality, flexibility
and suppleness in our bodies. Yoga asana practice awakens and
cultivates the universal life-force energy within our bodies and
minds bringing a multitude of benefits to all aspects of our lives.
Through asana practice we begin to cultivate deeper awareness
of our bodies and begin to unlock any physical or
psychological/emotional restrictions or blockages on a physical
level. During asana practice we also begin to train the
concentration and focus of our mind which is a necessary
preparation for the deeper practices of pranayama (see below)
and meditation.

II) Yoga pranayama the breathing practices of yoga which are a


more subtle form of energy practise that continues to awaken
and cultivate the universal life-force energy within our bodies and
minds. Pranayama helps to develop deeper concentration and
focus of the mind which is essential for sustained meditation
practice.

III) Meditation Concentration, awareness and insight training of


the mind. The practice of meditation allows us to discover and
experience the spacious awareness within our mind that has
never been disturbed by any thoughts, emotions or physical
sensations. Just as the sun is ever-present, even in stormy
weather, so too we have within us a clear deep mind that shines
forth 24/7 in our lives, even whilst we sleep!
When we experience the true depth of our ordinary mind this
realisation naturally brings us more clarity, peace, freedom,
creativity and joy in our lives and more harmony, connection and
intimacy with others. At Zen Yoga Central we consider meditation
to be the highest practice of yoga and the quickest path to
realising our true self and experiencing inner freedom.
IV) Kirtan group mantra chanting to open the heart and energise
the body. Kirtan is a delicious practice that allows us to
experience a deeper heart connection with ourselves and others.
This is one of my most favourite practices to do and is most often
done with a live band and lots of dancing.
V) Meditative Movement and Dance a practise for our entire
being designed to awaken and cultivate our spirit and bring
expression of our creative self into the world of form.

More information about our Yoga asana classes

I have studied a wide variety of yoga traditions and you will find elements of a number of styles
woven through each class, depending on what the theme of the particular class is and what
energy I feel with those attending class.
I love the attention to detail and precision of alignment in the Iyengar Yoga system, as well as the
energetic principles and dynamic heating practises of Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga. I have also been
greatly influenced by the holistic approach of the Sivananda and Satyananda Yoga traditions which
both include elements of all the important practices mentioned above (eg asana, pranayama,
meditation, chanting, philosophy and even dietary recommendations) all in the one tradition.
From the Satyananda and Siddha yoga traditions I have developed my kirtan (chanting) practice.
It doesn't matter how fit, flexible or strong you are our yoga classes are designed to be tailored to
the current state of your body and mind. For more information about the benefits of yoga and our
teaching style see our website www.zenyogacentral.com.au

More information about our Meditation classes

Our meditation teaching is drawn primarily from my experience in the Zen Buddhist tradition, as
well as other Buddhist and Yogic practices. I began meditation as part of martial arts training in
1995 and my practise and teaching has been developing and evolving over these 16 years. The
meditation practice form we teach is a modern non-religious interpretation and adaptation of the
ancient traditions with a format that is simple, practical, effective, and of tremendous benefit in
our modern western lives. For more information about the benefits of meditation and our teaching
style see our website www.zenyogacentral.com.au

Developing a regular Yoga and Meditation practice

We recommend newcomers to the studio begin practice in our Level 1 yoga classes and/or our
Introduction to Meditation for Beginners courses. We recommend students take their time
and stay in these classes for about 3-6 months, or longer if desired, to develop a solid foundation
to their practice. When students are ready to progress to a more in-depth practice we have weekly
Level 2 yoga classes and Meditation for experienced students monthly intensives and
regular retreats.
Like a lot of worthwhile endeavours in life developing a regular practice is an ongoing journey and
takes time to evolve, and the first few months can be the most challenging. When speaking with
new students I often compare starting a yoga and meditation practice with taking up a musical
instrument or dance classes, or learning a new language. The first few months are the most
challenging and it can be difficult to stay with your practice particularly if you're feeling out of
shape physically or your life is busy and full with other commitments.

Emotions and practice

As we begin to delve deeper into our bodies and minds with yoga and meditation practice it is very
common at some point to experience unpleasant emotions and thoughts or physical states. This is
absolutely normal and considered part of the path of practice. As our practice continues and
deepens we discover we can observe all of the emotions, thoughts and sensations that arise within
our bodies and minds and no longer be disturbed by them. Please be aware that this does not
usually happen overnight! With continued practice and guidance you can develop an inner
equanimity and freedom regardless of what is going on in your life. If students continue to have
lasting psychological or emotional difficulties whilst attending classes then we can recommend a
fantastic psychologist that also practices yoga and meditation at the studio and who is more than
happy to be of assistance.

Are you interested in workshops, intensives, retreats and other special events?

If you would like to be notified of our upcoming events you can subscribe to our email newsletter
via our website at www.zenyogacentral.com.au . Every month we have various yoga,
meditation, chanting and dance events at the studio and each year we hold a number of weekend
and week long retreats in Healesville. If you have any questions or need assistance with your
practice don't hesitate to get in contact, either by email pete@zenyogacentral.com.au or ph:
0425 208 324

Deep bow,
Pete Arjuna Roberts

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