A further taste of Iyengar

Finally I got to an Iyengar class! I had attended an introductory course at the Iyengar Institute in London a couple of months back, but given the distance and awkward schedules I haven't made it back there for a 'normal' class. Meantime I was recommended a teacher locally, and although her small class is regularly... Continue Reading →

January 4, 2017 6

Gone surfing

Destination reached and now we're properly on holiday after an epic journey. So much impatience in the modern world about arriving when really the idea of travelling half way round the world for a week's holiday is on a certain level quite bizarre. Certainly an indulgence, however you look at it, but one I'm prepared... Continue Reading →

December 24, 2016 3

Tuning in and reprogramming

I adjusted the hands of a student in down dog the other day; she had one much further forward than the other. She twisted to look up at me anxiously: "Are you sure? That feels really weird!" I reassured her that weird was OK. She does this every single down dog and she's been practising... Continue Reading →

November 23, 2016 0

Hello Physio!

Ah, what a way to start the weekend -- a 9am physio appointment. At least it was softened by meeting Hubby for brunch straight afterwards -- and actually it was quite fun in its own way. Physio seemed strangely interested to see me again and quizzed me about my yoga practice and teacher training -- surely... Continue Reading →

November 19, 2016 2

Opening up

I taught a community/charity class at my studio recently. I got some wonderful emails of support beforehand from fellow new graduates. One of them told me that I'd be great provided that I taught from my heart. She's a wise one. She sought me out afterwards: "So how did it go? Did you open your... Continue Reading →

October 16, 2016 4

Flirting with Iyengar

Since TT I've been reflecting simultaneously on how I proudly recognise how much I have learned and understood about yoga as well as humbly how little I know and how limited my experience is. If I want to teach, this will limit what I can offer. And as I try to explore the limits of my own... Continue Reading →

October 4, 2016 6

Are you sitting comfortably?

During Yoga Teacher Training I have spent a lot of time sitting on the floor for morning meditation (or 'sitting practice' as my first meditation teacher called it with characteristic non-attachment to results!), listening to lectures, having discussions etc. I'm relatively comfortable here (delicate hamstring aside), but it was interesting watching bodies around me trying... Continue Reading →

July 25, 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

Today we have naming of parts

I am a big, big fan of the English Patient, the film and the book. I would want them on my desert island. One of the many, many things I love about it is the mingling of scientific brain with emotional brain in the figure of Almásy, the geographer and lover. I love the exploration of territory... Continue Reading →

April 30, 2016 9

Laughing ribs

My teacher taught me a magic trick recently -- what I think of as 'the laughing ribs'. It involves a contraction (like when you laugh) that pulls in the lower ribs. Since then I've developed a minor obsession with this, which is I hope is just starting to mature into a bit more of a stable relationship.... Continue Reading →