Teaching honestly

I have a new regular student in class. She used to study with the Iyengar family in London -- and now she comes to me. Yikes! I was a bit freaked out at first, wondering what she would make of my lunchtime vinyasa flow class. But she keeps coming back, she seems content with what... Continue Reading →

October 27, 2019 2

Silence in class

I'm sitting on my own in a library café idly listening to the conversations around me, since I have no-one to talk to. Most people are studying something together. There are some young adults doing university work, something sciency, and a couple nearest me are learning a language and I notice the intricate script (Chinese?)... Continue Reading →

October 16, 2019 2

Knotty thoughts

I tied my first mala recently. I was feeling fragile. I didn't want to move, but I also didn't want to sit silently with my thoughts. What could I do to soothe myself? Somehow making a mala seemed like a good answer. Yoga practice is weird that way. Unexpected answers to questions I never used... Continue Reading →

October 13, 2019 2

Holidaying at home

I was talking with my teacher recently about how wonderful I felt when I was on holiday. I felt physically much freer, more flexible and more confident in my energy and strength. I loved the fact that I went off for a morning run by the sea before it got too hot -- and before... Continue Reading →

September 25, 2019 1

Angel face

"Practise with the face of an angel". Advice recently given to me, and slightly reluctantly received. What is an angel to me? I'm a good student, I try to see how I can follow the words of my teachers. But this? What business do I have seeking to present an angelic face to the world?... Continue Reading →

September 6, 2019 4

Invisible handstand

Some months ago I remember playing a private game in class, seeing if I could remain invisible to the teacher. I remember feeling smug that I'd got through the standing sequence without attracting any attention, while the students around me were given hands on assists or specific instruction. At the very moment when I was... Continue Reading →

July 27, 2019 0

Yoga everywhere

I recently got caught up in a discussion about 'Egyptian Yoga' and whether ancient representations of the human body in various shapes depict yoga asana. I know this is a fashionable idea in some circles as yogis seem to desperately seek some ancient validation of modern postural yoga. It's a nice idea, but intellectually dishonest,... Continue Reading →

July 17, 2019 3

Mini me

I spent time this weekend playing in my parents' garden with my little niece. She's four and a half, full of energy and apparently fearless. She loved rolling down the slope where my brother and I used to do the same thing several decades ago. She revelled in doing a run-up to perform multiple forward... Continue Reading →

June 16, 2019 2

Old ways, new ways

I got out of town this bank holiday weekend for a workshop plus kirtan. I've kept my yoga experiences pretty close to home for some time now, since my last visit to a new teacher was a bit more than I bargained for. Long story short: it's made me reluctant to leave the safety bubble... Continue Reading →

May 27, 2019 0

Keeping score

My teacher very rarely offers any comment on the quality (or qualities) of my yoga practice. I am never sure how to read this, never really sure how to read him as a teacher. Is he paying me a massive implicit compliment not imposing his perspective on me, trusting that I'll figure it all out... Continue Reading →