Body of peace

My teacher came to check on me (or rather my hamstring) before class and offered some words of wisdom for my practice -- to observe, not to go deep, just to feel and explore. To this I mentally added my own intention to cultivate joy and compassion. I really appreciated his care. I felt well-looked... Continue Reading →

June 7, 2016 0

Plus one

So today was another sharing day, with my friend allowing me to guide her through a practice with me. We've not managed to get together for weeks so this was a real treat for me. And it was awesome! I can only really say this from my own perspective (I had lots of fun!), but... Continue Reading →

June 6, 2016 0

Warrior 3 with a coffee

I sometimes wonder if I should give up coffee. Not because I'm a yoga fundamentalist who thinks that this kind of drug is incompatible with a dedicated yoga practice (please no!), but simply because I'm now more aware of how it makes my body feel and the aftermath of a strong coffee isn't so great: it... Continue Reading →

June 4, 2016 5

Beloved hamstring

My hamstring is grumbling again at the moment. I can't deny I'm a bit scared by this: I start TT in less than a month and I can't help wondering what that would be like with an injury. But if it is, it is. I'll just have to figure it out. My classmates will also... Continue Reading →

June 3, 2016 10

Wants and needs

I want to be in class right now, to be listening to what my teacher is sharing today, to be sweating along with my yoga crew, synchronising my breath and my movements with them in an expression of belonging and togetherness. But wants and needs aren't the same thing. And for more than one reason... Continue Reading →

May 31, 2016 2

Talking-to-the-plants-yoga

I've been trying to have a day or two without yoga. It's been a bit intense recently and I'm feeling a bit wary. Or do I mean chary? Either way, I thought consciously stepping back for a short time might be no bad thing. It's weirdly harder than you think! Yoga seems to have permeated my... Continue Reading →

May 29, 2016 4

Finding the right direction

I walked home from restorative yoga class this evening feeling ... well... restored. A little restored at least. A little more at peace with the world, a little more sure of my steps within it. I was amusing myself singing along to KD's Rama Bolo as I walked along. Everything felt OK. So when I encountered... Continue Reading →

May 27, 2016 3

Terrible yoga, amazing yoga

"That was a terrible, terrible, terrible class" I told my teacher as I sat in his office afterwards trying to stop the tears running down my face, waiting for my heart to stop thumping, and slowly allowing the tremors of emotion to ease and resolve into something of a smile. He took it well, concentrating on... Continue Reading →

May 25, 2016 6

Lost for words

My teacher's just come back after some time off sick. He'd lost his voice. I asked him if he'd meditated on the ill-health and learned anything from that! I was being ironic or teasing a little: he asked me to do just this after an injury many months ago, and it was simultaneously the most... Continue Reading →

May 23, 2016 4

The art of simplifying

Hubby overheard me the other weekend fielding my mum's questions about my yoga. I was frustrated that she just asked one new question after another without following up on anything I said. Did she actually hear? Was she listening? It felt as though she was just going through a questionnaire, where the act of asking was... Continue Reading →