Texture

My mum and I are in the habit now of exchanging photos from our respective self-isolations. We share some details of what we’ve seen on our daily walks, our one form of outdoor entertainment. Today she sent me pictures of some sawn tree trunks. She had found them beautiful. She commented on the shapes and... Continue Reading →

June 14, 2020 8

Screen time

I’m used to spending hours at a screen — I’m an office worker after all. Homeworking in iso times is no different. Except that it is! Screen time is more intense since it’s not leavened any longer by face to face meetings, corridor chats and all those small encounters I used to enjoy in the... Continue Reading →

June 5, 2020 0

Movie night

How much do teachers share their own practice with their students? I find this a constant balancing act. How to root teaching in my own experiences and practice while generalizing it enough to be accessible to a group? I went to class recently where I was baffled by a lot of what was offered, not... Continue Reading →

February 24, 2019 0

Days worth celebrating

The days are busy. Sometimes it feels like crazy busy. But actually they're joyfully busy. It was my birthday last week and that's always a time for me to pause and take notice of how things are and the people I have in my life. It all feels very precious right now with much to... Continue Reading →

April 22, 2018 4

Offerings

Practice is feeling hard for me right now. So hard that I reached out to two of the most solid practitioners in one of the classes I go to regularly just to tell them this and to draw support from something shared. Not my usual way at all. I usually fight alone. They both offered me something, my... Continue Reading →

December 2, 2016 1

Teaching truths

My boss has been super-supportive since I finally fessed up to him that I'd completed yoga teacher training this summer. I'm on a bit of a satya (truth) jag at the moment. My habit is to keep my counsel, cards close to the chest, cautious testing of the waters. Now I'm trying to trust a... Continue Reading →

September 14, 2016 8

My annoying habit with yoga blocks

After class the other day my friend told me about the difficulty she had during the practice, when we were doing supine twists. You know the problem? Mats close together means everyone has to roll in neat synchronisation, otherwise there's just not enough room. My friend's neighbour seemed to have arms and legs everywhere meaning... Continue Reading →

June 20, 2016 2

Plus one

So today was another sharing day, with my friend allowing me to guide her through a practice with me. We've not managed to get together for weeks so this was a real treat for me. And it was awesome! I can only really say this from my own perspective (I had lots of fun!), but... Continue Reading →

June 6, 2016 0

Do I care to share?

I try not to be evangelical about yoga, despite how passionately I feel about it. It's too easy to assume you know best what might help other people -- or indeed that they want any kind of help or relief. Suffering of all sorts is complex. And there's some martyr tendency in all of us... Continue Reading →

February 27, 2016 2

Sharing my practice: yoga with a friend

Two mats are better than one! A good friend of mine is becoming increasingly interested in yoga -- probably because it features in almost every conversation we have despite my best intentions not to inflict yoga on all those around me. She should stop asking me what I'm doing at the weekend/evening/lunchtime... It always involves something yoga-related. She's... Continue Reading →