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

Cheese melt down

We've just passed the anniversary of my last proper Greek moussaka — what used to be my fave food. The dish for my last meal request, perhaps. I loved eating it, I loved making it. Three hours in the kitchen — bechamel sauce, fried aubergines, meat sauce with a hint of cinnamon (since I was taught... Continue Reading →

May 2, 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

Sunday is not the day of rest

Before Yoga found me and took a hold of me Sundays meant this: a lazy lie-in, followed by a cooked breakfast (with lots of bacon!), an afternoon nap, and then a slightly miserable evening involving alcohol in an abortive attempt to avoid thoughts of work the following morning. OK, so this is a slight exaggeration or simplification,... Continue Reading →

April 24, 2016 7

Me as myself

I've been writing here for more than a year now and it still feels like a wonderful thing to share thoughts in progress, record aspects of my practice, and connect with others on similar-but-different explorations of their own. (Thank you all who follow and comment). But at the beginning of the year I also started writing... Continue Reading →

April 16, 2016 7

Yoga at the British Museum

Last night I went to a panel discussion at the British Museum called "Yoga: austerity, passion and peace". I was encouraged to go by Jason Birch now at SOAS and working with James Mallinson and Mark Singleton on a fascinating research project documenting the history of Haṭha Yoga. I encountered Jason as the patient tutor of an... Continue Reading →

April 9, 2016 5

New nest

I've just moved into a new office at work. Still sharing -- and in a slightly cosier-sized room than previously, but the environment overall is much more babycrow-friendly, so this is very OK. For a start I've swapped a slightly uninspiring rooftop view for a beautiful tree view. And if you look closely you'll see there's even... Continue Reading →

April 4, 2016 3

Myself as a question mark

Hubby came and sat with me the other day at the end of my āsana practice. I was playing some music he liked, so we just listened, breathed, did whatever we each did for those short moments together. He's a bit cautious with physical practice at the moment which is entirely good and fine but I'm trying to... Continue Reading →

March 30, 2016 0

Springtime — the start of something

Spring is a great time of year for new beginnings. So much more so than the start of the calendar year, I think. New Year with its traditional guilt trip of resolution-making and self-improvement seems serious; springtime by contrast feels fun and optimistic. Turning over a new leaf in various ways (no pun intended) simply feels... Continue Reading →

March 27, 2016 0

Walking by myself and talking to myself

My teacher often urges us in class not to close down at the end of our practice but to arrive at a place of mental and physical resolution where we can walk out into the world carrying our yoga with us in some way. Yoga doesn't stop with the closing OM, right? Class ran over... Continue Reading →