Yoga in the closet

I'm just back from a weekend visiting my family. A time for deep connection with those who know me most intimately, back in the house I grew up in. A time for reminiscing and replaying familiar jokes. A time for easy company, and well-established roles. In some senses a total reconnection with where I came from.... Continue Reading →

May 15, 2016 8

How does Yoga work?

I've just finished reading How Yoga Works. I'll say it's not a book I would have chosen to read and I did have to dig in a bit to see it through to the end, but it was loaned to me by my teacher and so I took the recommendation seriously and gratefully. I can't remember... Continue Reading →

May 11, 2016 2

More joy, less effort

A coincidence of reading a (highly controversial!) research paper about the personality type most often associated with ME/CFS and the associated habitual swinging pattern of activity levels (overdo it then need to rest, then get bored/frustrated so overdo it again...) plus advice from my teacher on handling my current emotional reactions to backbends (even out the... Continue Reading →

May 8, 2016 2

In the driving seat

I learned to drive in a manual car, and I remember when the synchronisation of changing gear, steering, and keeping track of what's going on around the car seemed like an impossible challenge. Did I have to become an octopus -- and one with eyes in the back of its head -- in order to do this?... Continue Reading →

May 7, 2016 7

Feedback along the way

In Sanskrit class I'm noticing less feedback from my teacher. He used to be quick to correct mistakes or offer help. Now he gives me longer to figure it out myself, and he no longer offers any encouraging noises while I'm puzzling through the words in a sentence out loud. I'm to assume that silence is good.... Continue Reading →

May 6, 2016 3

Chacun à son goût

"Best class ever!" A yogi friend enjoyed a recent class so much she has been in touch with the teacher meantime to urge him to run every class like that. I agreed. "It was magic. Everything about my practice felt magic. That is surely Yoga" Only of course it turned out we were talking about different classes! For her... Continue Reading →

May 3, 2016 2

Today we have naming of parts

I am a big, big fan of the English Patient, the film and the book. I would want them on my desert island. One of the many, many things I love about it is the mingling of scientific brain with emotional brain in the figure of Almásy, the geographer and lover. I love the exploration of territory... Continue Reading →

April 30, 2016 9

Now I’m a pro (just kidding!)

So now that I've spent a whole two hours teaching my friend yoga during these past two weeks, I'm practically a professional! Oh yeah! 🙂 Seriously, this teaching thing is hard, and mixing it with a friendship brings its own challenges. As well as making some parts of it much easier, I guess. So here's a... Continue Reading →

April 28, 2016 0

Where do I want to be

Do you have a favourite place in class? Mine changes all the time. Back, front, middle, near the radiator, near the door, next to the really good person, next to the most friendly person... Last night I did back to back classes -- a small challenge to myself or a little exploration of myself. How... Continue Reading →

April 27, 2016 1

Yoga practice as a band aid

I have been touched by some expressions of care from readers following some recent posts where I've been confronting the fact that practice isn't always an uplifting experience and can be downright troubling. Blogging about personal experiences -- like yoga itself -- is a bit of a leap of faith. But if I'm finding something... Continue Reading →