Dying a little

I think a little about dying these days. I’m sure I’m not the only one. I think about my own death, how I would prepare if I knew it was imminent; I even dare to think about the deaths of my loved ones, wondering how I might ready myself for the inescapable pain I will... Continue Reading →

May 29, 2020 2

New trust

In these strange socially-distant times, where I haven’t physically interacted with anyone other than my husband for nearly eight weeks, I could easily regress into full on privacy mode, hiding myself at home away from the world. I’m deliberately not doing that. I was working quite hard on my ‘trust issues’ (horrible phrase, I know)... Continue Reading →

April 27, 2020 1

Virtually enough

I was having a bit of a teaching wobble earlier this week. One of those periodic crises of confidence. I’ve been teaching long enough now that I expect it and am usually content to allow the waves of uncertainty to wash over me a while, knowing it’ll pass. But this episode was magnified by the... Continue Reading →

April 24, 2020 1

Self-isolation, self-sufficiency

I haven’t written much during the covid-19 situation. I guess my feelings vacillate from feeling that the situation is too huge to comprehend, the global scale of it, to my own personal experience of it being on such a small, domestic scale as to feel insignificant on this international canvas. What can I add? Much... Continue Reading →

April 18, 2020 2

Zooming in

I am missing my teachers. When life is chugging along just fine and my practice is flowing and groovy, I can almost convince myself I’m OK alone, that I don’t need a teacher, that I know all I need to already. My teachers would tell me that’s exactly how it is! But back on Planet... Continue Reading →

March 21, 2020 3

On being a quitter

Aside from whatever asanas I’m interested in, my teacher often gives me some creative ‘homeworks’, encouraging me to explore my practice from a whole range of perspectives. Current assignment is to consider ‘what is real?’ Answers on a postcard please! Everything feels distinctly unreal right now, but not in any interesting philosophical way...! Another recent... Continue Reading →

March 20, 2020 2

Keep calm and keep clean

I’m on the mailing list for a few studios where I’ve taken class. So in the past couple of weeks I’ve read a bunch of different emails and newsletters as they reach out to their students in the face of the corona virus pandemic. As a teacher I also got sent advice from YAP about... Continue Reading →

March 13, 2020 1

Choose life

I was with my bodyworker on Monday. As always deep, deep work. She sure likes to give me my money's worth! 75 minutes gets right into the very fibres of my body -- the work on my fascia is just the superficial layer compared to what lies within and beneath. I had wanted to address... Continue Reading →

February 15, 2020 4

Year of Tāḍāsana

On one side of me, my neighbour blundered across my mat to get to her place. She's regular at the studio, regular enough to know better. I suppressed my sigh and my frown and tried to let go of the judgments and the irritation. On the other side of me was a girl who was... Continue Reading →

January 26, 2020 1

Beach style

Since being in Australia I've watched the beach culture in action, observed little kids being schooled by their parents or grand parents, taken in the water etiquette of surfers vs swimmers, admired those on boards or body surfing. I spent the first few days wondering how I could fit in here. In my imagination I... Continue Reading →