Breaking down my defences – with a bolster (and some Bollinger!)

I did my first restorative yoga class this evening. It's a new offering at my studio that has focused up to now largely on more dynamic flowing practices plus hot yoga. I'm keen to explore new ways of practicing and my hamstring is hopeful that I'll lighten up on the surya namaskars, so this is a... Continue Reading →

April 24, 2015 2

Mindfulness in my workplace

Mindfulness in the workplace is a topic I feel a little ambivalent about -- sure, I feel strongly that such techniques can help our professional (corporate) lives as much they can support our personal lives, but I am concerned about why and how mindfulness is taught within a business. There's a lot of pressure for ROI (return on investment) and some... Continue Reading →

April 23, 2015 2

Happy Birthday!

Happy birthday me! I'm 40 today. I thought I'd get the number out of the way up front. If I say it quickly enough, maybe we won't any of us notice it... My day started beautifully across town in my home yoga studio. My first two-hour class in a long while. Perhaps even the first of... Continue Reading →

April 19, 2015 3

Why I love it when my muscles ache

Nearly 48 hours after my last class. I didn't think I'd been working my body too hard. I kept very firmly within my (new) limits - ahimsa to the hamstring! I'm loving being able to practice sun salutations now, though I suspect they are the least graceful ever executed and must be excruciating to behold -- but... Continue Reading →

April 16, 2015 2

Flying carpets and the weight of expectation

I've heard people describe their yoga mat as a flying carpet, alluding presumably to the places it transports them in their practice. Having been on the road with my mat for a month in Greece I'm just back at home for a day before I head back to Heathrow for another trip. So I also am feeling... Continue Reading →

March 28, 2015 4

On my mat with the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe

I love audiobooks. They are terrific for me when I'm too tired to read and want some easy entertainment. Recently I've been revisiting my childhood and listening to an audiobook of the Narnia stories by C.S. Lewis. One of the plot devices in the stories is that Narnia time is different, and that however long... Continue Reading →

March 21, 2015 4

Come rain or shine

The view from my temporary home in Laconia in Greece today offers me a palette of grey as alternating rain, mist, and hail rolls past my window. Each of these weather phenomena has been thick enough to virtually obscure the surroundings. It's not a day to be out and about it. So we're taking a... Continue Reading →

March 13, 2015 0

Is drinking alcohol incompatible with yoga?

Wine is a wonderful thing! And since I started practicing mindfulness meditation I find I enjoy a glass even more. I now drink more 'mindfully', taking time to savour the flavours in the wine, wonder at the alchemical process of winemaking, imagine the sunnier climes the grapes were grown in, and enjoy the company I'm keeping.... Continue Reading →

February 23, 2015 3

Simplicity

I've been struggling to write something about bhakti yoga, about devotional practice, about letting go of the small self and all one's quotidian concerns, the trivialities that make the world go round and make my head spin. I just let all that go for today at least. Instead I lit a candle, rolled out my... Continue Reading →

February 16, 2015 0

Thinking on my feet

Since seeing a physio about my hamstring, I've been following her advice: conscientiously doing my exercises patiently resting from asana practice and awkwardly attempting to minimize time spent sitting. I thought stopping asana practice for a while would have the greatest impact on my life. Actually I'm surprised by how cheerfully I've been able to comply... Continue Reading →