my yoga journey
I'm feeling a certain softness and tenderness towards myself these days. It's growing a little within me. My teachers are inspiring some honest self-care. Not the self-soothing warm baths and small indulgences type of nurturing that seems commonly advocated in popular media but which I suspect has little to do with yoga. Theirs is a... Continue Reading →
I used to love singing as a child. As a small child that is. I used to happily hum away to myself in the back of the car, so much so that if I was quiet my parents tell me they had to turn to look to make sure I was still there! When I... Continue Reading →
Class started in full praṇām. Prostrate, arms outstretched, palms turned upward. The ultimate giving pose. Deeply humbling, stretched out on the floor, no defense. It's impossible to transition easily out of this posture. But then this pose is not about moving on: it's about being committed here. It's not about the look of it, and... Continue Reading →
I've had a sore throat for weeks now. It started when I was on holiday in Canada and has persisted. The accompanying cold disappeared weeks ago, but I'm still croaky. "It's psychosomatic" one of my yogi friends told me rather brusquely. Yogis can be so annoying right?! My teacher joked (I think it was a... Continue Reading →
I'm the urban spaceman, baby; I've got speed I've got everything I need I'm the urban spaceman, baby; I can fly I'm a supersonic guy I don't need pleasure I don't feel pain If you were to knock me down I'd just get up again ... I wake up every morning with a smile upon... Continue Reading →
At work today I've been listening to a recording of a live kirtan hosted by a local Hindu group. I did this as a strange stress relief measure as I tackled an inbox burgeoning with technical queries that I must somehow understand and recommend solutions to. It pretty much worked -- though it didn't do wonders for... Continue Reading →
Some time ago now my teacher -- who doesn't demo much in class -- came and took side angle alongside me, exaggerating his breathing so it was audible to me; I matched my breath to his and all of a sudden he'd exhaled the front hand right down onto the ground, although mine usually mine stays in a... Continue Reading →
Recently I haven't felt much like moving. It's the time of year maybe. English winters are so terribly dreary; not cold enough, not dark enough, just endless grey days of mild drizzle or dampness. Everything stagnates. For a while I tried fighting through which resulted in some very messy classes where I just upset myself... Continue Reading →
"Best class ever!" A yogi friend enjoyed a recent class so much she has been in touch with the teacher meantime to urge him to run every class like that. I agreed. "It was magic. Everything about my practice felt magic. That is surely Yoga" Only of course it turned out we were talking about different classes! For her... Continue Reading →
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 →
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