A lesson in simplicity — meditating with Jon Kabat-Zinn

Life can get very complicated. And I'm great at making even the simple stuff difficult. I have a PhD in it -- pretty much! So it was really refreshing last night to be reminded of how amazing the simple stuff really is. That we can hear sounds and voices and make sense of them, that we... Continue Reading →

May 3, 2015 0

Mindfulness in my workplace

Mindfulness in the workplace is a topic I feel a little ambivalent about -- sure, I feel strongly that such techniques can help our professional (corporate) lives as much they can support our personal lives, but I am concerned about why and how mindfulness is taught within a business. There's a lot of pressure for ROI (return on investment) and some... Continue Reading →

April 23, 2015 2

Flying carpets and the weight of expectation

I've heard people describe their yoga mat as a flying carpet, alluding presumably to the places it transports them in their practice. Having been on the road with my mat for a month in Greece I'm just back at home for a day before I head back to Heathrow for another trip. So I also am feeling... Continue Reading →

March 28, 2015 4

Silence is the language of God

“Silence is the language of God. All else is poor translation.” Rumi A while ago I wrote a first little something about the ineffable quality of the divine wondering what I might do with the notion of union with the divine in my own yoga practice. This is uncomfortable territory for me: I was brought up in a god-less... Continue Reading →

March 15, 2015 5

Simplicity

I've been struggling to write something about bhakti yoga, about devotional practice, about letting go of the small self and all one's quotidian concerns, the trivialities that make the world go round and make my head spin. I just let all that go for today at least. Instead I lit a candle, rolled out my... Continue Reading →

February 16, 2015 0

Walk, don’t run!

As a child I ran everywhere. And if I wasn't running, I was skipping. Not with a rope, just the basic hopping-twice-on-each-foot bouncing form of forward motion that you can only do un-selfconsciously until you're about ten years old. (Probably much earlier, in these more sophisticated days) I can still vividly recall the physical impatience I... Continue Reading →

February 13, 2015 2

Girl with the map — I’m sorry!

I have a short walk to work, partially along a busy main road. If I get my timing right (early enough, or simply between train arrivals/departures), the pavement isn't too crowded and I can find my own pace. I decide whether to hustle and rush into my working day, or whether to slow down and... Continue Reading →

January 27, 2015 0

Thinking on my feet

Since seeing a physio about my hamstring, I've been following her advice: conscientiously doing my exercises patiently resting from asana practice and awkwardly attempting to minimize time spent sitting. I thought stopping asana practice for a while would have the greatest impact on my life. Actually I'm surprised by how cheerfully I've been able to comply... Continue Reading →