My practice goes viral

Despite an insane hand-washing routine from both parties, Hubby has bequeathed a mild version of his flu to me this week. I have a rather exciting cough to prove it. So even without the laryngeal irritation of ujjayi breath, physical practice hasn't been much of an option for me. Or has it? I haven't actually... Continue Reading →

January 22, 2016 2

Gratitude in the dark

Gratitude has become one of those fashionable things. We're all at it. My Facebook feed is full of people listing stuff they're grateful for. I guess it's great that they're practicing this and taking the time to think. Except that cynically I'm not sure it isn't all a bit superficial. Most of the things people express... Continue Reading →

December 18, 2015 6

Transports of delight

Hubby's thinking about buying a car. We've never owned one, and on a practical level we mostly get by without. Plus it allows me to feel slightly smug about my (otherwise lamentable) eco-credentials! But ever since we guzzumped Eric Catona in a hire car office in the south of France and were freely upgraded to the... Continue Reading →

November 25, 2015 1

Aquaphobic yogini

I'm a bit scared of water, I'll admit it. And I'm very scared of deep water. I guess it's a rational enough fear, though I also intellectually know that if I give myself up to the water it will hold me up. The likelihood of drowning only becomes a real problem if I tense up and... Continue Reading →

November 23, 2015 1

Being and laughing — good in any language

In the next thrilling instalment following my farewell to the Sanskrit professor and his super-fast class, I'm happy to report I've already found myself a new teacher! He teaches an adult group for just one hour a week, and it slots in perfectly right before my favourite yoga class of the week. Wow! Now Sanskrit feels like... Continue Reading →

November 10, 2015 6

Mantra calling

I'm feeling a bit physically wrecked this week (just a a cold, but oh! that little virus certainly packs a punch!) so I haven't been up to much asana practice. I've been weak and a bit feverish. It makes for 'hot yoga' but not in a nice way... So asana practice is clearly not what my body... Continue Reading →

September 30, 2015 7

Dying for the yoga class to finish

Hot tears leak unwanted from my eyes. They trickle down the side of my face and into my ears making the teacher's voice a little distorted. I'm lying in savasana, corpse pose. Some say it's their favourite yoga pose. How can that be? What do they find there that eludes me? Some say it's the... Continue Reading →

September 12, 2015 6

Well, hello aching muscles! You haven’t been around for a while!

I totally surprised Hubby the other day (and I mean surprised to the point of speechlessness) when I ventured that I don’t really think of myself as ‘sick’ anymore, more as someone pretty well, but just being careful. [If not you’re not a regular reader, I was diagnosed with ME (aka Chronic Fatigue Syndrome more... Continue Reading →

August 21, 2015 5

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 →

June 7, 2015 0

“God be in my understanding” — a yogi’s perspective

Just because I can't define it or describe it doesn't mean it doesn't exist. I'm talking about spirituality and yoga. Or rather spirituality and my yoga. It's something I feel very uncomfortable about as a lifelong atheist. And yet my yoga practice was never a purely physical practice; it sprang from my meditation. But increasingly I... Continue Reading →