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

108 blog posts

108 is a symbolic number to some. So this could be a beautiful point in my blogging journey. I wish! Instead it's a moment that finds me bogged down in probably all the kleshas (the obstacles to the state of yoga) at once. I had a little abhinivesa moment (fear of death, or clinging to life) in class at the... Continue Reading →

September 17, 2015 2

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

Dying for the yoga class to finish

Hot tears leak unwanted from my eyes. They trickle down the side of my face and into my ears making the teacher's voice a little distorted. I'm lying in savasana, corpse pose. Some say it's their favourite yoga pose. How can that be? What do they find there that eludes me? Some say it's the... Continue Reading →

September 12, 2015 6

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

It’s not about me, it’s all about him

I got home from work yesterday and Hubby decided he'd like me to lead him through a yoga practice at home. No prep time, let's just do it! All things considered I think it went rather well! I've never tried to teach a vinyasa practice before (I've barely tried to teach anything before!) but I... Continue Reading →

September 8, 2015 1

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 →

September 6, 2015 8

Losing control

It was one of those magical practices when the yoga happens and all you can do is let it. Let the breath come in and go out, let my limbs find their shape in each asana, let my body feel where to go -- bodily sensations only, no brain involved. The teacher's words resolved themselves in my movements.... Continue Reading →