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When I finished my practice this afternoon, I spent a while crouching with one knee pulled up trying to massage my hamstring while the muscle was warm. I pulled it a bit recently (my tip: go super gently if you're cold, dehydrated and jet lagged and feeling impatient to get over the tightness of long-haul-hips!),... Continue Reading →

January 11, 2017 2

Body of peace

My teacher came to check on me (or rather my hamstring) before class and offered some words of wisdom for my practice -- to observe, not to go deep, just to feel and explore. To this I mentally added my own intention to cultivate joy and compassion. I really appreciated his care. I felt well-looked... Continue Reading →

June 7, 2016 0

Warrior 3 with a coffee

I sometimes wonder if I should give up coffee. Not because I'm a yoga fundamentalist who thinks that this kind of drug is incompatible with a dedicated yoga practice (please no!), but simply because I'm now more aware of how it makes my body feel and the aftermath of a strong coffee isn't so great: it... Continue Reading →

June 4, 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

Painful steps

When I wrote about my hamstring injury last year, I was totally self-absorbed. Of course! It was my first yoga injury and I had a lot to learn about all aspects of handling it. A voyage of discovery into working with a physio, starting to understand some anatomy (what are the hamstrings anyway?) and how muscles... Continue Reading →

March 8, 2016 2

Practicing with a blank page

I wrote a bit earlier this week about how I'm finding practice really difficult at the moment. I currently have little patience or mental focus and attempts at home practice have been tough -- or totally abortive. Today I was booked onto an evening class and looking forward to it. Ah, a chance just to be told... Continue Reading →

March 3, 2016 2

Ostrich yoga

First yoga class after the Christmas hiatus was not on the face of it very much fun. My tricky hamstring is not at all happy right now and after a fraught Christmas I was in a very emotional place too. The opening chant lokāḥ samastāḥ sukhino bhavantu reduced me to tears before we'd even done a single... Continue Reading →

December 30, 2015 3

The injury count

I'm now more than 48 hours after my immersion finished, so I reckon I can tally up the damage without anything further coming unpleasantly to my attention: my physio tells me that tendons have a latent period, meaning that you can't tell if you've upset them until two days after practice. While some friends were really... Continue Reading →

July 8, 2015 0

babycrowyoga hits the newsstands!

I am super-excited to have a small piece in omyoga magazine this month! Brace yourself, regular readers -- it's about my hamstring! It's a bit of a whimsical piece written in the style of a love letter, but there's an underlying serious message about how we treat our bodies (or how our ego perceives our... Continue Reading →

May 28, 2015 10

I put the garbage out last night

I put the garbage out last night. No big deal, right? Well, it was for me. I realise that I haven't put the garbage out for months! Not (I hasten to say) because I live in filth -- I've relied on Hubby and neighbours to take up my slack. But I've consciously avoided this task since I hurt my hamstring. Let's be... Continue Reading →