Where I part company from my physio – hopefully for some time!

I didn’t sleep much last night. My mind was running round and round in circles (like a dog chasing it's tail -- you got it!). It wasn’t bad. I mean I wasn’t churning anxieties over or replaying conversations with what-ifs or thinking up belated clever ripostes. I was just too excited plain and simple. I... Continue Reading →

April 8, 2015 4

Me and my physio

It seems like a long time ago that I frantically asked my teacher for physio recommendations. Now I feel as though I practically have A on speed-dial! She's been great in helping me heal the damage to my hamstring tendons and very patient with me, despite the fact that she more often deals with proper... Continue Reading →

March 18, 2015 3

Changing my (mental) landscape

My asana practice has taken a knock of late owing to a hamstring injury and since I'm away from home for a few weeks I've been finding it difficult even to keep to my routine of physio exercises. When I rolled out my mat yesterday I was actually full of dread. That's not an emotion I... Continue Reading →

March 10, 2015 2

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

Asana as the icing on the (yoga) cake

Now that I'm currently spending very little time actually on my mat (a browse through my January archive of posts will tell the story why) I'm asking myself not just about the role of asana practice within yoga, but also how I can practice yoga without asana. Actually I think this is a pretty funny question, since it... Continue Reading →

February 4, 2015 2

breathe. feel. be.

breathe. feel. be. don't push. don't strain. don't let your attention wander. don't panic! breathe. feel. be. I've been following physio's orders and holding off asana practice for a couple of weeks, giving my hamstring a chance to heal itself. So first practice today. Yes, in some ways this feels like the first practice ever.... Continue Reading →

January 31, 2015 4

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 →

January 25, 2015 0

Hamstrings and humility

I've been excited about getting this blog set up for so long now. But truth be told, this is not the blog post I thought I'd be writing first up. I'd planned my blog as a tool to help me find my yoga. I needed space to process the ceaseless stream of thoughts, ideas, and... Continue Reading →