Siddhartha Gautama: A Poem About The Buddha

Siddhartha Gautama Our Buddha

Siddhartha Gautama was born around 500 BCE
To the warrior Shakya clan, a noble family
In a place called Lumbini, now in Southern Nepal
The boy who would later become Buddha, wanted for nothing and had it all.

He grew up within the palace walls, shielded from all bad
From all misery, ugliness and anything sad
He was surrounded by everything that’s beautiful in life
So there was only comfort and happiness and never any strife.

At 16 he married Yashodhara and eventually had a son
But by 29 he was fed up of luxury, ease and fun
So one day in his chariot he snuck out of the palace gate
And what he saw outside forever sealed his fate.

He saw poverty, sadness, death and dirt
He felt shocked, confused, ignorant and hurt
For being protected for so long from the truth and the real
There was suffering in the world that he wanted to heal.

He left the palace renouncing everything and everyone
And spent 6 years in discipline waiting for something to happen
There was no longer the pleasures of sensuality and food
His body battered by the elements as he was almost nude.

One day he accepted some rice from a little girl
And once he’d eaten a realization began to unfurl
He could not find the resolution to the world’s suffering this way
So everything would change from that day.

Balance not extremism in food, pleasures and all else
This balance would lead to mental, physical and spiritual health
He meditated all night under the bodhi tree
And at 35 became the Buddha, the enlightened one, the free.

He was liberated from suffering and would help others too
As he taught The Middle Way the number of disciples grew
His 1st sermon was in Benares, in a deep park in Sarnath
Where he taught the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path.

Even his family joined the sangha with followers of kings and queens
And he’d established an order of monks and nuns happy to live in simple means
All living daily for compassion, peace and joy
According to the Buddha, once a gilded princely boy.

For many years he was listened to and loved by all around
Who through his words and love, felt they had finally been found
At 80 he fell ill and passed away in Kushinagar
But his teachings will keep spreading forever, wide and far.

OM MANI PADME HUM

eight limbs of yoga patanjali

The Eight Limbs Of Yoga: Past and Present

The Eight Limbs of Yoga are sequential stages in an individual’s journey through yoga.  According to Patanjali, each step must be understood and followed in order to attain the ultimate goal of Ashtanga yoga, that of liberation of the self.  However, over the last few centuries, as yoga became available to more people, and evolved with the modern world, the strict adherence to perfecting one step before moving on to the next, disappeared.

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Charlie Stewart-Brown

Charlie Stewart-Brown

Charlie began practicing yoga over 27 years ago as a recommendation for her severe anxiety, and has been teaching for over 15 years to people of all ages and abilities. With over 1300 hrs of training and 22,500 hrs of teaching, she is also the lead trainer on the Indiv Yoga 200 hrs YTT & RCYT Kids Yoga Teacher Training Courses, having certified over 400 students worldwide.  She is the voice of the ‘Yoga and Mindfulness Program’ on British Airways long-haul flights, has spoken at many seminars and corporate workshops, and runs exclusive yoga and meditation retreats during the year.

Originally from London and having worked in New York and Lisbon after her Psychology degree, she has since settled  in Switzerland with her husband, and dedicated her life to expanding her knowledge of the science of yoga, mindful meditation and better physical and mental health.

Over the years Charlie has trained with some of the most renowned yoga teachers around the world (David Swenson, Shiva Rea, Anne-Marie Newland, Leslie Kaminoff, Sadie Nardini, Sonia Sumar etc) certifying in Hatha, Sivanada, Ashtanga, Childrens and Family Yoga, Yoga for the Special Child, & Inner Engineering with Sadhguru. She has become highly respected for her successful work in yoga therapy, especially for Autism, ADHD and other behavioural and developmental syndromes. She has also talked at some of the biggest corporations in Switzerland and the annual SGIS (Swiss Group of International Schools) Conference on implementing Mindfulness in the work place and the education system.

Charlie holds the highest yoga qualifications as an ERYT500 (Experienced Registered Yoga Teacher), RCYT (Registered Children´s Yoga Teacher), RPYT (Registered Prenatal Yoga Teacher) and YCEP (Yoga Continued Education Provider) with the Yoga Alliance, and has developed Indiv Yoga™ to bring a more physiological, therapeutic and individual approach to yoga. Indiv Yoga™ Switzerland is a RYS (registered yoga school) and RCYS (registered children’s yoga school) providing Yoga Alliance teacher training certifications of the highest professional standards.

The focus of Indiv Yoga™ is to provide the benefits of yoga to every type of individual, using its teachings to achieve physical and mental balance, and diminish the anxieties of modern life for adults and children.

Read her online testimonials and qualifications for a feel of her knowledgeable and friendly professionalism.

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