Wild and precious life

"Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?" I remember a teacher reading this Mary Oliver poem in class. It was years ago when all the physical movements and big ideas in yoga class were fresh and new to me -- it was exhilarating and it was terrifying.... Continue Reading →

April 13, 2025 0

My dream run

I’m having a lot of dreams at the moment, bad dreams (nightmares even) from which I wake up in a sweat with my heart beating hard, sometimes just a sense of unease or sometimes full-on panic. My first moments of consciousness swirl me back into reality, pulling me out of some strange situation or emotional... Continue Reading →

February 4, 2024 6

Postal vote

This past week seems to have been a week of difficult communications. My day job involves firing off emails in all directions and although I pride myself on taking care with the clarity of my communication, it's still very functional stuff. I'm just doing a job, trying to be efficient and effective. In my personal... Continue Reading →

August 30, 2019

First and Last

One first time and one last time today — and I’m pretty happy with both. Maybe I’m getting the hang of this non-perfectionism thing. Or maybe the doubting voices in my head haven’t woken up yet! Whatever... So it was the first time teaching in my workplace gym. A lunchtime session which is now mine... Continue Reading →

October 11, 2017 2

Yoga training

I'm sitting my favourite way on the train -- facing backwards. I like to watch the landscape unfold in front of my eyes rather than seeking it out, craning forwards. It's like what one of my teachers says about receiving an asana rather than grasping for it. If there's a yoga of train journeys this... Continue Reading →

July 22, 2017 3

Forceful yoga

I was listening to a senior teacher talking recently about her background in dance and music and performance and wondering how to relate to that. I am not an exhibitionist or a performer. I write an anonymous blog. I prefer to be a silent witness in the back corner. Barely seen, not heard. My social interactions... Continue Reading →

July 8, 2017 2

Me as myself

I've been writing here for more than a year now and it still feels like a wonderful thing to share thoughts in progress, record aspects of my practice, and connect with others on similar-but-different explorations of their own. (Thank you all who follow and comment). But at the beginning of the year I also started writing... Continue Reading →

April 16, 2016 7

Blogging and practicing yoga — more similar than you think

My domain renewal came round today reminding me that it's been about a year since I set up my blog. In my little life this is quite a big deal! So I'm celebrating what this means to me. Blogging would be nothing but an online journal if it were not for you reading. Nothing wrong... Continue Reading →

January 6, 2016 4

Getting back to basics — it’s in my hands

After being rocketed into reading Sanskrit and finding the pace of my class too much, I've gone back to basics. Something my āsana practice has taught me: when in doubt go back to the simplest thing. Find stability before you move on; seek joy in the small details and linger there a while before your ego speeds... Continue Reading →

October 26, 2015 5

babycrowyoga hits the newsstands!

I am super-excited to have a small piece in omyoga magazine this month! Brace yourself, regular readers -- it's about my hamstring! It's a bit of a whimsical piece written in the style of a love letter, but there's an underlying serious message about how we treat our bodies (or how our ego perceives our... Continue Reading →