Brexit yoga

Yoga teaches us wise choices and less instinctual reactions. Whatever the 'union' of yoga is, my pragmatic understanding is that it's about achieving a balance of opposites to find a place of greater stability and therefore greater ease. Āsana teaches us that on a basic level in the requirement for strength with flexibility, twisting with... Continue Reading →

June 25, 2016 9

Catharsis

A wound that was left untended for years festers out of sight, pus-filled and infected. One day you unwittingly prod at it and find you take some strange pleasure in the discomfort, in really feeling the hurt as you probe how deep it runs. It opens up, spills out a little -- and it's messy. But there's... Continue Reading →

April 21, 2016 2

Alive today

I don't think I've ever opened my eyes in śavāsana before. I did today. I suddenly realised I was looking at the ceiling and the dimmed lights above me. A weird out of body experience where I was acutely aware of my body lying there, vulnerable and open, melting into the mat, taking up the space... Continue Reading →

April 17, 2016 0

Sleeping my way to enlightenment

Physical practice this week has been a bit of a bust. I accompanied Hubby to a Hot Power class at the weekend, because he wanted company. But the teacher came and asked me if I was OK during the class and again after the class because I spent so much time lying down! It made... Continue Reading →

April 14, 2016 5

Love and acceptance on Mother’s Day

It was Mother's Day in UK yesterday. Yes, we like to do things differently! My parents stayed for the weekend and I took my mum out for dinner -- and we graciously let our husbands come along too! I confess I'm a bit ambivalent about Mother's Day. I put it in the same category as... Continue Reading →

March 7, 2016 2

Why I love the cold virus

"Having a cold is really funny!" I told Hubby. He begged to differ. "Not if you've had as many as I have" was his grumpy reply. But seriously, it's no biggie really, even if temporarily it saw me in bed for a few days and has kept me away from the yoga studio for more than... Continue Reading →

January 28, 2016 2

My practice goes viral

Despite an insane hand-washing routine from both parties, Hubby has bequeathed a mild version of his flu to me this week. I have a rather exciting cough to prove it. So even without the laryngeal irritation of ujjayi breath, physical practice hasn't been much of an option for me. Or has it? I haven't actually... Continue Reading →

January 22, 2016 2

Toe-curling and squirming in yoga

When I was taught Mindfulness techniques, one of the practices we did was with a partner. We would take take turns to talk and to listen, within strict time limits, on a particular theme or experience. During this alternation of speaking and listening, I always experienced the same thing — at some point during the... Continue Reading →

November 18, 2015 5

Métro, boulot, dodo — just add yoga!

I love the French expression "métro, boulot, dodo". There's no good English equivalent. It means "work, work, work", or more literally "commuting, working, sleeping", summing up the treadmill where work seems to dominate your existence. Life feels a little like this at the moment, but (here's the silver lining) with little in the way of commuting... Continue Reading →

October 30, 2015 0

Jelly-asana

I went to class last night feeling like a jelly. Muscles felt non-existent. I was weak, devoid of energy. How would it be to practice like that? I'm slowly, slowly learning to ask the question genuinely without fearing the answer. If I am well enough to get there, I go to class and let the... Continue Reading →