Upside down sharing

At the weekend I crept away to work on a teaching sequence while Hubby was calling home. He finished more quickly than I expected and popped his head round the door to ask if he could bring his breakfast in and watch me. Why not! It turned into a really lovely shared experience that just... Continue Reading →

October 3, 2017 2

Defining practice

One of my yoga friends asked me recently if she could take me out for coffee: she had something she wanted to ask me. I assumed it would be a request for a favour of some kind. But no, it was advice she wanted. She started off the conversation a little shyly, then launched into... Continue Reading →

October 2, 2017 5

Making room for yoga

This is how our dining table looks. On a good day! It's pretty neat and organised, right? I mean you can see we have a table underneath the spread of books and laptop! Each evening I clear a thin slice free of books at one end so we can eat. Except, that is, on evenings... Continue Reading →

September 22, 2017 6

Getting a handle on yoga

We've just got new internal door handles at home! Not big news in the grand scheme, but curiously significant in my small domestic world. We'd just been putting up with the style that existed when we moved in quite a few years ago now. Neither of us liked them one bit, but they were serviceable.... Continue Reading →

September 18, 2017 1

Far perception

Homework from my teacher this month has been to think about proprioception: how my body feels in space and how it makes me feel. I've just written him some rather convoluted reflections based on observations in recent practices. Such a range of feelings in my mind and my body, impossible to summarise. I'm sure he... Continue Reading →

September 17, 2017 2

(Yoga) Hall of mirrors

That metaphor about the teacher holding a mirror to your practice? I always dread that he'll do it literally one day, knowing my reluctance towards seeing myself practice. Ever since I heard Kathryn Budig talk about her teacher making her practise in shorts rather than leggings as a way of challenging her body issues, I fear... Continue Reading →

September 8, 2017 3

Physiotherapy is no joke

I knew it wasn't going to be a laugh-a-minute when the physio started off the session by insisting that I speak up when (not if) the discomfort got too much to take. Cue instant muscular tension in my whole body in anticipation! But I find I've learnt a thing or two from yoga practices about... Continue Reading →

August 31, 2017 0

Irritations in outer-space

On my way to class this morning (some yoga multi-tasking!) I listened to the recent YogaLand podcast with Kino MacGregor. She's not someone I come across very often, which I'm sure makes me quite exceptional, given how visible she is in some channels. But I'm not a big fan of either IG or YouTube. She... Continue Reading →

August 27, 2017 2

Coming home

It's funny being back at my home studio after holidays. It's a nice 'homecoming' to be with my regular teacher again, in a familiar space, and catching up with yogi friends. But the pause, the distance, changes everything. For a while at least. I'm seeing things afresh. I'm more aware of old habits as I... Continue Reading →

August 11, 2017 3

Elephants and feet

I'm increasingly realising what it means to ground oneself, in āsana practice, in life. How standing tall is a deliberate and powerful act of engagement with the world, even if its power is subtle enough to have eluded me until maybe now-ish. I find myself instructing my students to stand 'as though they really mean... Continue Reading →