breathe. feel. be. don't push. don't strain. don't let your attention wander. don't panic! breathe. feel. be. I've been following physio's orders and holding off asana practice for a couple of weeks, giving my hamstring a chance to heal itself. So first practice today. Yes, in some ways this feels like the first practice ever.... Continue Reading →
The state of the union
Eternal God (for whom who ever dare Seek new expressions, do the circle square, And thrust into strait corners of poor wit Thee, who art cornerless and infinite), I would but bless thy name, not name thee now; And thy gifts are as infinite as thou Upon the Translation of the Psalms by Sir Philip... Continue Reading →
Girl with the map — I’m sorry!
I have a short walk to work, partially along a busy main road. If I get my timing right (early enough, or simply between train arrivals/departures), the pavement isn't too crowded and I can find my own pace. I decide whether to hustle and rush into my working day, or whether to slow down and... Continue Reading →
Thinking on my feet
Since seeing a physio about my hamstring, I've been following her advice: conscientiously doing my exercises patiently resting from asana practice and awkwardly attempting to minimize time spent sitting. I thought stopping asana practice for a while would have the greatest impact on my life. Actually I'm surprised by how cheerfully I've been able to comply... Continue Reading →
What’s the point? lokah samastah sukhino bhavantu
Around Christmas I spent some time reflecting on what the point of yoga is, or rather what is the point of my yoga. To be sure when I started asana practice I had very limited ambitions, and they were all about me. Nothing wrong with that. We all start somewhere. And something I'm realizing about... Continue Reading →
From parachutes to why I started yoga
"Weave your parachute every day, don't wait until you need to jump out of the plane" -- Jon Kabat-Zinn So I jumped out of the plane this week. My hamstring niggle combined with a temporarily-absent husband, some long-running emotional family stuff, a failing project at work, plus the usual hormone cycle to create the perfect storm. I... Continue Reading →
Privacy in a public place
I've been a Facebook devotee for a good few years now. I love keeping in touch with distant friends and being able to pick up naturally with them whenever we cross paths in the physical world. But I'm careful about what I post and who I'm friends with. In particular I'm careful not to vent... Continue Reading →
Yoga practice as a ‘keystone habit’
I've been having a very gentle couple of days doing very limited asana practice at home as I nurture myself and my unhappy hamstring. This was the candlelit view from my mat today: I've been moving slowly, exploring what causes pain and investigating how to modify poses to suit my current physical state. It's humbling and... Continue Reading →
Hamstrings and humility
I've been excited about getting this blog set up for so long now. But truth be told, this is not the blog post I thought I'd be writing first up. I'd planned my blog as a tool to help me find my yoga. I needed space to process the ceaseless stream of thoughts, ideas, and... Continue Reading →
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