Back to school

My Facebook feed recently abounds with proud pictures of friends' kids in their new uniforms all ready for the start of the school year. It gives me the heeby-jeebies. School definitely wasn't the happiest days of my life. Hubby confesses that he still has anxiety dreams about school exams, and once I got through uni finals... Continue Reading →

October 1, 2015 6

Fitting in

A weekend with family. And with a cold. Difficult while I was away to find time, space, or inclination for asana practice. But I did because it's now weird not to (when did that happen, I wonder?). Physically I really needed a stretch for aching limbs, but more than that I wanted a bit of stillness and... Continue Reading →

September 28, 2015 4

Asking for help

I think a lot of us struggle to ask for help. It's difficult to admit you can't handle something. This is definitely true for me. I like to think I have an inner superhero who can rise to anything. But if asking for help is a common difficulty (among certain personality types at least), I wonder... Continue Reading →

September 25, 2015 4

Hooded crow

Today I've mostly encountered the world from under a deep black hood. It's been raining on and off all day and it seemed to be bucketing down each time I needed to be on the move, by foot. And the grey skies and bleak weather suited my mood, creating this sense of justified misery. See... Continue Reading →

September 22, 2015 4

Snakes alive!

So on the news there was a story about a lost boa constrictor that escaped from its owner's bath -- perhaps down the toilet. The general public are warned not to approach! I'm listening to the news on the radio as I spend recovery time in bed, feeling ill. But despite (or because of...) how ill... Continue Reading →

September 20, 2015 5

Corporate yoga — it’s not what you think!

"What did you do to him while I was away?" My boss has just come back from holiday and was asking me about the change he could see in a team member I've just taken line-management responsibility for. He's like a different person: more engaged, volunteering information in meetings, and quick to propose solutions to the day-to-day challenges... Continue Reading →

September 14, 2015 2

Practising yoga as “swimming in a culture of advancement”

I enjoy reading Christina Sell's blog, though I've never met her. She has an openness, almost rawness in her writing that I personally find very appealing and engaging. She wrote recently a couple of blog posts (first this and then a follow up here) about -- amongst many things -- the performance of yoga compared... Continue Reading →

September 11, 2015 4

The upside of power cuts

When I woke up this morning and looked at the alarm clock I smiled. As I turned on the lamp in the semi-darkness I grinned. I padded off to the shower where I positively gurgled in pleasure at the feeling of the hot water on my skin. Why so exuberantly happy? Because all these things depend... Continue Reading →

September 10, 2015 2

Zero Waste Week starts at lunchtime!

So I just found out it's zero waste week in UK, and some other European countries, starting tomorrow. The website calls for pledges -- so sign up here if you're game! I'd not heard of Zero Waste Week until recently, and I was initially a little put off by the name. Zero Waste? How can... Continue Reading →

September 6, 2015 5

“You are not a patient”

I saw my GP last week. I wanted some advice about muscles aches -- not the regular over-asana'ed ones. The bone-pulling, dead-weight, so stiff you feel about to snap ME-style ones that make any travel further than the bathroom seem like an impossibility and holding arms up long enough to shampoo hair takes serious effort.... Continue Reading →