Gaining the upper hand

Some of my fellow trainee teachers have arranged to meet up today for some practice together. I'm feeling a little FOMO. Only a little -- I've never been a tribal kind of person, so I'm pretty happy walking my own path. But the path feels a little cluttered just now, as I try to negotiate a balance between teaching... Continue Reading →

July 9, 2016 4

First practice (again)

I've just done my first home practice after the initial teacher training weekend. A practice I've been looking forward to and dreading in equal measure. Of course it all feels weirdly different and I'm as self-conscious as a beginner! Now I have part of a teaching script running in my head, and the first part... Continue Reading →

July 6, 2016 0

Stick to the script?

It's been a day of scripts. Several hours in the office toiling at my day job that this afternoon meant sorting out a script for regression testing a website. It's super-boring work, I have to say. When I test I prefer to do it more intuitively starting with the most important functionality and then working my way... Continue Reading →

June 30, 2016 3

Podcast Practice

People often recommend particular online classes or youtube videos to me -- well-meaning suggestions for my home practice. Although I know these sorts of resources are very popular I've never used them. How is it even possible to practice while watching a screen? Anyway I find the value of home practice is in having to... Continue Reading →

June 29, 2016 1

The colour of judgement

I am picking up a minor theme of class recently where the teacher reminds us to observe without judgement. Since I came to yoga āsana from mindfulness practices, this notion isn't a new one to me and I often like to think that I'm getting pretty good at it, that I'm pretty aware of the... Continue Reading →

June 27, 2016 3

Brexit yoga

Yoga teaches us wise choices and less instinctual reactions. Whatever the 'union' of yoga is, my pragmatic understanding is that it's about achieving a balance of opposites to find a place of greater stability and therefore greater ease. Āsana teaches us that on a basic level in the requirement for strength with flexibility, twisting with... Continue Reading →

June 25, 2016 9

Is preparation everything?

I got home from work the other day with one thing on my mind -- that I was going to be home early enough for a totally indulgent, non-rushed, much-needed yoga practice. Time to be alone, away from any responsibilities to others, time for rebuilding myself a little after fragmenting, splintering a little, under competing... Continue Reading →

June 24, 2016 0

My annoying habit with yoga blocks

After class the other day my friend told me about the difficulty she had during the practice, when we were doing supine twists. You know the problem? Mats close together means everyone has to roll in neat synchronisation, otherwise there's just not enough room. My friend's neighbour seemed to have arms and legs everywhere meaning... Continue Reading →

June 20, 2016 2

Healing — with champagne

I usually run fast away from anything that has the word 'healing' associated with it. The mere word triggers an angry reaction in me that there's something broken that needs fixing, that I'm vulnerable or impaired, to be felt sorry for. I feel patronised. But... I ended up at a Yin workshop yesterday that was all... Continue Reading →

June 19, 2016 3

Yoga in my dreams and nightmares

My favourite daydreaming topic at the moment is my upcoming teacher training. It's never far from my thoughts, and I have been indulging in some epic fantasies about how great it's going to be: the luxury of such an exclusive focus on yoga, the effect it will have on my practice and on me as a... Continue Reading →