First and Last

One first time and one last time today — and I’m pretty happy with both. Maybe I’m getting the hang of this non-perfectionism thing. Or maybe the doubting voices in my head haven’t woken up yet! Whatever... So it was the first time teaching in my workplace gym. A lunchtime session which is now mine... Continue Reading →

October 11, 2017 2

Shift it

I’ve had some amazing moments with my students this week. A bit of Sanskrit punning after class from one, some good questions from another who is usually very self-contained (with a good line in sceptical faces!), and the one is who usually very physically cautious and always takes the lighter options was asking about how... Continue Reading →

October 8, 2017 2

Upside down sharing

At the weekend I crept away to work on a teaching sequence while Hubby was calling home. He finished more quickly than I expected and popped his head round the door to ask if he could bring his breakfast in and watch me. Why not! It turned into a really lovely shared experience that just... Continue Reading →

October 3, 2017 2

Defining practice

One of my yoga friends asked me recently if she could take me out for coffee: she had something she wanted to ask me. I assumed it would be a request for a favour of some kind. But no, it was advice she wanted. She started off the conversation a little shyly, then launched into... Continue Reading →

October 2, 2017 5

Rat catcher

The ethical dilemmas presented by my yoga practice never end. Recently it’s been the expected stuff about material choices and diet, with a bit of concern about cultural appropriation thrown in. It is the latest western yoga craze after all. 😉 And then a phone call today took me by surprise. It was one of... Continue Reading →

October 1, 2017 1

Time flies

So I’ve been teaching around a year now. Time flies when you’re: having fun helping people sharing what you’re learning amazing yourself by how much you know (yes, I do this sometimes!) Time also flies when you’re: beating yourself up about about how little you know asking yourself whether you have your s**t together enough... Continue Reading →

September 26, 2017 3

Making room for yoga

This is how our dining table looks. On a good day! It's pretty neat and organised, right? I mean you can see we have a table underneath the spread of books and laptop! Each evening I clear a thin slice free of books at one end so we can eat. Except, that is, on evenings... Continue Reading →

September 22, 2017 6

Getting a handle on yoga

We've just got new internal door handles at home! Not big news in the grand scheme, but curiously significant in my small domestic world. We'd just been putting up with the style that existed when we moved in quite a few years ago now. Neither of us liked them one bit, but they were serviceable.... Continue Reading →

September 18, 2017 1

Far perception

Homework from my teacher this month has been to think about proprioception: how my body feels in space and how it makes me feel. I've just written him some rather convoluted reflections based on observations in recent practices. Such a range of feelings in my mind and my body, impossible to summarise. I'm sure he... Continue Reading →

September 17, 2017 2

What goes around, comes around

When I was a doctoral student, I heard someone's supervisor say that they were deliberately tough with their students because that's how it'd been for them when they were a postgrad themselves. It's the idea of what goes around, comes around -- but in a very negative way. Do unto others as has been done... Continue Reading →