Updating my preferences (nothing about GDPR!)

"The greatest obstacle to the practice is one’s own prejudices based on one’s own preferences" हानमेषां क्लेशवदुक्तम् ॥२८॥ hānam-eṣāṁ kleśavad-uktam ॥ PYS 4.28 I'm contemplating this sutra a lot recently; it’s the backdrop to my practice. It’s intrigued me since my teacher first introduced me to it. What are these preferences? In the physical body?... Continue Reading →

May 24, 2018 4

Waiting for the fall

The fall? Not the season, transatlantic friends. I'm waiting for the fall that follows pride. Because I'm feeling unusually proud of myself at the moment -- in the balancing acts I'm currently managing, small steps in flowing a little more gracefully along with life, floating over some old obstacles that would have tripped me up... Continue Reading →

June 2, 2017 4

Stretching into space

My teacher seems to talk to me differently now that I've done TT with him. As just a regular student he was oh-so-careful not to bring any expectations to our conversations. I can appreciate why, even if sometimes it felt a little strained. So I was highly amused by his more genuine response to what... Continue Reading →

October 19, 2016 4

Whispers of love

I'm back. I'm back in my body. And I'm back in class. Happily so. OK, so I've been here all along in this same body, but now it feels more at ease, less as though I've gone a few rounds in the ring and come off distinctly the worse. So practice in class today was less... Continue Reading →

September 6, 2016 2

Singing from the heart

I passed the Salvation Army band on my way back from yoga class. I love hearing them play. It's about the one obviously religious charity I happily give to. I find their music very heartwarming -- redolent of reassuringly old-fashioned values somehow. Maybe it's the uniforms! Today they were fronted by two young girls singing.... Continue Reading →

December 20, 2015 2

Being upfront or staying at the back — where is my place in class?

A friend was recently telling me about a novel she read where the protagonist's inner self appeared as a character, a literary device to explore how hard we are on ourselves and dramatise the effect our self-criticism has by making it visible to the character in the book. We agreed that we often say things to... Continue Reading →

May 31, 2015 3

Practicing honesty

I see a lot of dishonesty going on in yoga. I don't mean this as a big name and shame piece. So not cool, and certainly not my place. I simply mean the petty dishonesties we all entertain in asana, in yoga (in life too, perhaps, but that's a way bigger topic). In last night's... Continue Reading →