Loss and gain

Am I the only healthy person who lost weight over Christmas? Not much (nothing to worry about!), but I don't ever drop weight, nor do I try to, so I'm quite surprised. It's not just the number on the scales though, my jeans don't fit any more. Actually they've started to hang so low on... Continue Reading →

December 30, 2017 11

Being at home

As assist in class today helping me move a little deeper in Agnistambhasana (Firelog pose) was offered with the words: "don't do anything, just breathe". It was undoubtedly the most reassuring instruction I'd heard in a good few days and filled me with quiet relief during those moments. After all, outside of the movies, Christmas... Continue Reading →

December 28, 2017 2

All I want for Christmas

It's funny how the build up for Christmas all too easily takes on a life of its own, even for those of us who don't feel particularly strongly about this festival. Expectations mount; things must be just so. I had been moaning a little about Christmas this year: my first vegetarian Christmas with my own... Continue Reading →

December 25, 2017 4

A little bit Christmassy

This week my yoga boss offered me a bag of Santa hats in case I wanted to give them out during the last class of the year... ...I didn't! But I did offer my class a festive treat my own way -- I taught them to chant lokah samastah sukhino bhavantu, with some of my... Continue Reading →

December 23, 2017 3

Best offering

Class started in full praṇām. Prostrate, arms outstretched, palms turned upward. The ultimate giving pose. Deeply humbling, stretched out on the floor, no defense. It's impossible to transition easily out of this posture. But then this pose is not about moving on: it's about being committed here. It's not about the look of it, and... Continue Reading →

December 18, 2017 2

Crowdpleaser

My teacher wonders if he's wasting my time in the monthly private we have. I wonder if he is trying to tell me I'm wasting his time... I'm slow to move, low in confidence, lacking the perspective to sift through my confusions. Perhaps I'm missing the point in yoga? I feel mired in all the... Continue Reading →

December 16, 2017 4

Yoga with my fitbit

I’ve started wearing a Fitbit recently. I feel bizarrely self-conscious, wondering if it labels me as aggressively sporty or something. I keep expecting people to engage me in conversation about split intervals, HIIT, Fartlek or whatnot... Actually I’m just trying to meet the advice of three health professionals who are currently helping me look after... Continue Reading →

December 11, 2017 10

Practising for life

It's not often that someone tells me repeatedly that I'm amazing, doing everything right, and they wish more people they encountered were like me! But this was the message I got yesterday -- and from a psychiatrist of all people. I was referred to him by my GP for the difficulty I've been having sleeping.... Continue Reading →

December 6, 2017 4

Not quite half a decade

Last month my local yoga studio sent me a sweet email acknowledging our anniversary! Apparently I've been going to class there for four years now. This is only a little less than the total length of time I've been practising. One of the teachers then messaged me with the breakdown of my 'stats' -- how... Continue Reading →