Yoga poses in sync

I just realised that what I spell as 'synch' most of the rest of the world writes as 'sync'. Hubby things I'm being pretentious in my spelling, but honestly this is how I hear the word. "In Greek it would be spelt with a chi not a kappa," I plaintively assert! He knows this is true,... Continue Reading →

November 3, 2016 10

Continuing with Iyengar?

So I've completed my baby Iyengar course now (6 introductory sessions at the Iyengar Institute in London). I was sad to miss the final class with the usual teacher since I was (ahem) teaching a class myself. So I hauled myself down one evening after work to catch a session with another teacher. It was interesting to... Continue Reading →

October 29, 2016 10

Come on, ego!

My teacher's theme in class at the moment is driving me a bit mad. It's a good theme -- of course! -- but I'm finding it too hard to process; I don't want to hear it. He circles round the idea of ego and effort and honesty. Today was about 'unveiling', letting go all the accumulated cr*p from... Continue Reading →

October 18, 2016 0

Opening up

I taught a community/charity class at my studio recently. I got some wonderful emails of support beforehand from fellow new graduates. One of them told me that I'd be great provided that I taught from my heart. She's a wise one. She sought me out afterwards: "So how did it go? Did you open your... Continue Reading →

October 16, 2016 4

Flirting with Iyengar

Since TT I've been reflecting simultaneously on how I proudly recognise how much I have learned and understood about yoga as well as humbly how little I know and how limited my experience is. If I want to teach, this will limit what I can offer. And as I try to explore the limits of my own... Continue Reading →

October 4, 2016 6

Meditating on teaching

I went round to my new yoga-friend last night to practise teaching. She'd done a day's work, taught a yoga class at work, and now it was her turn for some time on the mat. So there we were in a corner of her home (which made for some fun cues involving directions like 'stretching... Continue Reading →

September 8, 2016 0

Wants and needs

I want to be in class right now, to be listening to what my teacher is sharing today, to be sweating along with my yoga crew, synchronising my breath and my movements with them in an expression of belonging and togetherness. But wants and needs aren't the same thing. And for more than one reason... Continue Reading →

May 31, 2016 2

Is yoga ‘creative’ — and should it be?

We had a chat the other night at the beginning of class about whether yoga is creative or not. It sprang from someone asking my teacher if his classes were creative. He then got thinking about what that actually meant and brought the question to class for a little discussion. Immediate reaction from the class... Continue Reading →

April 6, 2016 10

head vs heart

the head tells me it has true understanding. it offers up endless sequences of thoughts, seductive in their logic. they fit together, they sound good and neat, so they must be true. they cohere. they adhere, sticking to me through the years. through thick and thin. the characterisation they offer must be how things really are.... Continue Reading →

February 11, 2016 0

Being dim

"Do you think I'm really dim?" I asked Hubby. "Uh... yeah!" he told me. Mock incredulity. Did I really need to ask!! We were talking about yoga. Of course. Specifically we were talking about breath leading the movement. Clearly pretty important in yoga. Clearly very important in vinyasa style. But hard, right? Or is it? Am... Continue Reading →