There are lots of messages out there about how to make the most of the pandemic-induced lockdown. You might feel pressure to do all those things you’ve always wished you had time to do…and then berate yourself for not doing them. Continue reading
You’re feeling tired but wired, and all you can think about is sleeping, mindlessly watching TV, scrolling through your social media feeds, or stocking up on chocolate, caffeine, or a nice glass or two of wine. Sound familiar? It does to me. Continue reading
I’ve never been a fan of prescriptive diets, but now that we’ve turned the corner into spring, my body is starting to crave fresh raw foods and tasty salads, so I’ve decided to go on a spring detox of sorts. I’m listening to my body to inform my eating choices, cutting out caffeine and alcohol, and throwing in a few cleansing rituals into my routine.
One of the Niyamas in yoga philosophy is ‘Sauca’, or purity/cleanliness. And spring feels like a natural time to bring in these practices. I invite you to listen in to what your body is telling you this season. And here are a few ideas for things to try.
I’ve been thinking a lot about balance lately, perhaps because I’m in the process of figuring out how to balance yoga teaching with my other work, personal yoga practice, and life in general.
But I’m not the only one – everywhere we look there is advice about how to find work-life balance, or what constitutes a balanced diet or a balanced approach to managing money and so on. So what does balance actually mean? Continue reading
My mum and I are 30 years apart in age. Over the years we have both developed a love of yoga, so when we reached the milestone ages of 60 and 30 we decided to celebrate by spending a weekend together at a yoga retreat. We had a wonderful time and this quickly became an annual event. It’s now 4 years later and we have just returned from a blissful week-long yoga holiday on the Greek island of Paros with inspiring teacher Oona Giesen. Continue reading
Transitions can be hard. Those times where beginnings and endings exist simultaneously. It’s hard to know what to do with yourself. What to think. What to feel. I suppose that’s why humans developed ceremonies and why they persist today.
I have been thinking about the role of ceremonies and transition a lot this month. In the space of three days I attended my grandma’s funeral and completed the final yoga teacher training weekend before our assessments happen. These were two very different occasions but their transitional nature gave them something in common. Continue reading
A ritual, according to Wikipedia, is ‘a sequence of activities involving gestures, words, or objects, performed in a sequestered place, and according to a set sequence’. This definition refers mainly to religious rituals, but I’ve noticed I use self-care rituals to help me feel happy and well. Continue reading
There’s a myth that yoga is all about being ‘Zen’, allowing everything to wash over you as you remain unperturbed by the surrounding chaos. But that’s not it at all. It’s much harder than that. Yoga is about learning to be with those painful feelings, and then to respond rather than react to them. Continue reading
Do you ever feel anxious and agitated but don’t know where to start to find calm? Or tired and depressed to the point of not feeling able to move? Here’s how exploring Doshas (Ayurvedic constitutions) and Gunas (subtle energies) can help you balance your energy levels with self-compassion rather than through forcing a change. Continue reading
Confession time. As I write this, I’m going through a phase where I have only managed to get myself on my mat at home once a week. This is a hard thing to admit as a yoga teacher in training…especially since I put forward some pretty sound top tips for getting on your mat just a few months ago! Continue reading
