The tree listens

I sat with someone recently and told them my pain, my grief and my confusion. We were outside, always the best place for emotions to be expressed, digested, perhaps laid to rest even. I had chosen the spot, under a tree-friend of mine, where I’d been doing my yoga practice for some days. There were... Continue Reading →

July 6, 2024 2

Love from the inside out

Until relatively recently I used to watch myself practise and not recognise myself. Who was that strong girl who moved through vinyasas with grace and ease? Where was the girl with dark rings of exhaustion under her eyes, the unwashed hair (simply too much effort), and the cautious movements that anticipated pain and weakness in... Continue Reading →

April 1, 2021 3

No feeling is final

“Go to the limits of your longing... Let everything happen to you: beauty and terror. Just keep going. No feeling is final” (Rilke) Practice at the moment is an experience of longing. I feel a deep yearning to be more fully with myself, to let go of the past, to feel the reality of the... Continue Reading →

March 18, 2019 0

A quiet revolution

I saw my physio again today for my rotator cuff injury. We've been working on this together for 5 months or so. I find these appointments really interesting. They become a ground for self-observation as much as āsana practice or meeting with my yoga teacher are. When I first needed physio appointments I was not... Continue Reading →

March 11, 2019 2

Careful

One of my teachers seems to me to be indomitable. I don't know her well personally, but from what she shares publicly I know she's been through a bunch of sh*t. Most recently she underwent pretty serious surgery and from a distance I followed her steps towards healing and mobility with a sense of awe.... Continue Reading →

September 30, 2018 0

Expect the unexpected

It's definitely the end of summer in Greece. The temperature dropped nearly 10 degrees overnight. Yoga practice is always an interesting lens through which to see what's going on more generally as I observe how my practice differs with the weather. As the temperatures varied my practice went from a joyful and adventurous exploration of... Continue Reading →

September 28, 2018 3

Back to earth

"I'd like to hold your heart; is that OK with you?" My new life-in-yoga constantly suprises me and this was certainly a question I'd not been asked before. It kind of freaked me out and I said so. "It's OK, take your time; you can tell me when you're ready". So no escaping the heart-holding... Continue Reading →

September 11, 2018 2

Resources at my feet

Hubby practised the other day with the door open. His choice, but he clearly felt self-conscious knowing I was around. I could hear him humming his 'baby elephant' song to himself with each transition in his standing sequence. I asked him about it afterwards. "I just felt so clunky and unco-ordinated", he told me. I... Continue Reading →

June 8, 2018 2

First session

My yoga teacher is master of the annoying question. They make me want to groan out loud -- but he slightly tells me off for doing that, so now I try not to react so obviously! 🙂 And secretly I love these questions! They open my eyes a little wider to the world, hinting at... Continue Reading →

May 11, 2018 1

Dormouse yoga

Many years ago my mum gave me a postcard with a picture of a dormouse on it with the message "do not disturb". It was kind of a family joke, the amount of time I spent curled up in bed. Then I was sick and just trying to rest. I couldn't face being part of... Continue Reading →