The sweetness of nāda yoga

Recently I haven't felt much like moving. It's the time of year maybe. English winters are so terribly dreary; not cold enough, not dark enough, just endless grey days of mild drizzle or dampness. Everything stagnates. For a while I tried fighting through which resulted in some very messy classes where I just upset myself... Continue Reading →

December 15, 2016 0

Physio for the brain

I was back with my physio this weekend, checking progress with the exercises I have for the pain in my right tricep. Initial diagnosis was that this was related to stiffness in my neck. She had expected it to resolve in a week. Three weeks on and my neck and scapulae seem to have increased... Continue Reading →

December 11, 2016 0

Winter break

My regular weekly semi-private has finished for the year now. The girls are busy with pre-Xmas stuff next week and then I'm travelling over the Christmas period visiting far-flung family. They were (gratifyingly!) disappointed that I wasn't around more to continue teaching them once they were done with their parties. It reminded me of years... Continue Reading →

December 8, 2016 1

On the sofa with J Brown

I spent a bit of time last week tucked up on the sofa resting. While I was lying down I listened to a couple of J Brown's recent podcasts. If you don't know them, he regularly talks with a renowned (American?) yoga teacher from across a range of traditions reviewing their life in yoga, and he offers some personal... Continue Reading →

December 8, 2016 3

Easy does it

Hubby's started practising a little at home again now. I'm so pleased for him to have got to the point where this feels like a good thing for him. He's rehabbing himself gently and I am so immensely proud of his patience and his quiet efforts. I'm learning so much from him, from hearing him... Continue Reading →

December 4, 2016 1

Offerings

Practice is feeling hard for me right now. So hard that I reached out to two of the most solid practitioners in one of the classes I go to regularly just to tell them this and to draw support from something shared. Not my usual way at all. I usually fight alone. They both offered me something, my... Continue Reading →

December 2, 2016 1

On practising when tired

Teachers often caution against practising when tired: it's when the injuries happen. Your attention lapses or you're not well set up. It's sensible advice, but sometimes it really bothers me and I hear it too personally. My inner demons wickedly translate these words into "you're sick and you have no place here and this practice is... Continue Reading →

November 30, 2016 3

Lone goose

I'm doing one of Norman Blair's Yin Yoga workshops soon so I was browsing his website and reading some of his writings. The one that struck me was his reflections on his experience of acute appendicitis and the recovery after surgery. He had difficulty allowing himself to be ill -- continuing to teach a workshop even though... Continue Reading →

November 26, 2016 1

Tuning in and reprogramming

I adjusted the hands of a student in down dog the other day; she had one much further forward than the other. She twisted to look up at me anxiously: "Are you sure? That feels really weird!" I reassured her that weird was OK. She does this every single down dog and she's been practising... Continue Reading →

November 23, 2016 0

Exploring the three corners of the world

First question of teacher training (the yoga equivalent of those terrible corporate ice-breakers you have to deal with in management seminars and what-not) - what's your favourite and least favourite yoga pose? Tricky question. So many to choose from -- in the 'least favourite' category that is! 🙂 One of them was definitely Trikoṇāsana. I... Continue Reading →