Scars

I’m spending more time outside these days. In the past office life would have meant the whole day indoors, with just a short walking commute in my work-clothes. Lockdown means I’m working from home but relieving the intensity and stress with lunchtime walks in the nearby fields or some yoga in the park when work... Continue Reading →

June 15, 2020 1

Texture

My mum and I are in the habit now of exchanging photos from our respective self-isolations. We share some details of what we’ve seen on our daily walks, our one form of outdoor entertainment. Today she sent me pictures of some sawn tree trunks. She had found them beautiful. She commented on the shapes and... Continue Reading →

June 14, 2020 8

Screen time

I’m used to spending hours at a screen — I’m an office worker after all. Homeworking in iso times is no different. Except that it is! Screen time is more intense since it’s not leavened any longer by face to face meetings, corridor chats and all those small encounters I used to enjoy in the... Continue Reading →

June 5, 2020 0

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

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

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 →

December 28, 2019 1

Hearing voices

Hubby jokes that I'm a wannabe Ashtangi because I usually take Saturdays off physical practice. It's not actually planned, it just fits with the flow of my week and I think a day off is good for mind and body. But now I'm on holiday with family my whole routine is out the window and... Continue Reading →