Another year rolls round

What's another birthday between blogging friends? As always it's a time to reflect a little on another year past. But I'm choosing this year mostly to be in the now, rather than in the might-have-been past. Life feels good overall and I'm immensely grateful for that. So by way of a celebration of life, I... Continue Reading →

April 20, 2016 6

Trying on a teacher’s shoes

Now that I'm definitely signed up for teacher training, I'm trying hard to get on quietly with the pre-course reading, but otherwise just keep on with doing my practice as well as I can and not start second-guessing what preparations I might otherwise do before the course. I'm trying to trust my teacher: if he... Continue Reading →

April 10, 2016 8

Too soon to celebrate (much!)

I've been congratulated three times this past week! What have I done to merit this? Nothing at all! Yet. All I've done is pay the deposit for a teacher training course. But actually this does strangely feel like something worth celebrating! For me it's a big step in itself. Finances aside, it's a definite commitment to whatever... Continue Reading →

March 26, 2016 12

Turning my practice upside-down

Class the other day was all about change -- making changes oneself and accepting changes that occur. Some amusing thoughts, as always, from my teacher on his experiences of yoga. I liked his consideration of how many friends you might lose through yoga because you become apparently boring -- finding more pleasure in the emerging spring flowers... Continue Reading →

March 13, 2016 3

Do I care to share?

I try not to be evangelical about yoga, despite how passionately I feel about it. It's too easy to assume you know best what might help other people -- or indeed that they want any kind of help or relief. Suffering of all sorts is complex. And there's some martyr tendency in all of us... Continue Reading →

February 27, 2016 2

The Upward Spiral

There was a bit of reporting earlier in the year on the inter web (like this article) summarising some recent research by Alex Korb which -- as I understand it (I've not actually read it) -- he published in book form as The Upward Spiral. The book is marketed as the neuroscience of depression, but the popular reportage was entitled... Continue Reading →

October 8, 2015 4

Cleaning, sharing, and still smiling

Up early. Time for cleaning: hot shower, hot water and lemon to drink, floor to sweep. My friend comes over for yoga. Can I guide her in practice? I somehow do, though the words come out wrong and I don't know how to read another's body. Am I teaching or are we just practicing together? I... Continue Reading →

August 31, 2015 2

Taking a beginner’s brain to yoga class

I was talking over dinner last week with a friend who's new to yoga. I rather provocatively asked her what yoga was for her right now. I was curious to know. I've been trying to define my yoga for myself since I started and some of my earlier notions now strike me as surprisingly naive.... Continue Reading →

August 26, 2015 2

Sharing my practice: yoga with a friend

Two mats are better than one! A good friend of mine is becoming increasingly interested in yoga -- probably because it features in almost every conversation we have despite my best intentions not to inflict yoga on all those around me. She should stop asking me what I'm doing at the weekend/evening/lunchtime... It always involves something yoga-related. She's... Continue Reading →

June 27, 2015 3

Philosophy and Prosecco — the bookends of my week

It’s been a bit of a week of gritty conversations. Not bad conversations necessarily. Just some big ideas, some open questions, and maybe there’s a radical solution kicking about somewhere. In all cases only time will be the judge. These conversations have had a philosophical, even existential, quality: - what is the relationship between meditation... Continue Reading →