Blog

Remember the old days of essential oils? A residue-encrusted oil burner and a night light. I loved mine. What I didn’t love was the nasty smell when you left it too long and it burned dry. That acrid aroma could fill your room for days. Well, thankfully things have changed. A lot. I was re-introduced […]

So, you’re sitting. So far, so good. Body alert, senses open, mind settling on the breath, a butterfly alighting on a petal. But what do you do when a feeling arises, an emotion, a memory, some kind of shame, which rises through you like a burning wave? What do you do when every cell in […]

How to Thrive, not Survive, through Winter Long, dark days, colder, wetter weather and increased exposure to bugs, coughs and colds all mean it can be much harder to keep afloat, mentally and physically, during the winter months. Add in a global pandemic and it can suddenly seem a Herculean task to keep up our […]

Trees and leaves. As mindful awareness makes the passing of the seasons impossible to ignore, the humble tree stands to symbolise the ebb and flow, change and movement and rhythms and cycles which govern all of our lives. From my favourite yoga pose to the creation of ritual, here’s why I love trees so very […]

We all know how it goes. We find something new. Something which gives us pleasure or makes us happy or we know is going to be good for us. We go at it full throttle, throwing ourselves into our new hobby and often telling others, out loud, how great we feel and how much we […]

Do not try to save The whole world Or do anything grandiose. Instead, create a clearing in the dense forest Of your life And wait there, patiently, Until the song that is your life Falls into your own cupped hands And you recognise and greet it. Only then will you know How to give yourself […]

Growing up, new years resolutions were an unquestioned element of December 31st. Looking back, I see how harsh and critical and unattainable they always were, focusing on stupid things we wanted to stop doing for no real reason. For years I have rejected the idea of resolutions in the same way I have resisted starting […]

A few days ago, a friend asked me how I manage to stay so buoyant when I have so many challenges going on in my life right now. And I have been thinking about this question ever since. Because she is right. I am buoyant. It was a great choice of word too, conjuring a […]

  Practice and all is coming – Sri K Pattabhi Jois With every brave, bold, blind step I take into the unknown, the path unfolds before my eyes as if by magic. Where once there was confusion, a tangle of undergrowth, now there is clarity, a clear direction. There is no destination. I am not […]

So, you’ve stumbled upon a fantastic YouTube channel or been persuaded to attend a local class and you’re curious about this wonderful, mysterious thing called yoga. Or, maybe you’re totally hooked already and can’t wait to get going on your own. In this three-part blog I will help you to begin, maintain and place in […]

At the heart of yoga is connection. But in a non-religious practice such as yoga, what exactly are we connecting to? We are connecting to our breath. Without this, one could argue, we are merely stretching or exercising and while, obviously, there is nothing at all wrong with that, a yoga practice should offer something […]

It just struck me as I was writing the, Not Just For Hippies, tag-line for one of my meditation videos that the same applies for yoga and how SO many people still have total misunderstanding around what yoga is and who it is for. Yoga is for EVERYONE. And, yes, that means EVERYONE. I have […]

I have a lot on my mind at the moment. Meditating is hard. Really hard. This morning as I endured another attempt, feeling as un-mindful as it is possible to be, as I was assaulted by one harassing thought after another, I wanted so badly to give up. I felt a surge of frustration verging […]

I don’t know how many times I have told myself the following; I really need to slow down. I wish life could just slow down. I need more hours in the day. I need to simplify my life. I want to get off. This is madness. We can’t go on like this……These mantras were usually […]

Have you noticed disturbed sleep over the past couple of nights? I have woken and re-woken and woken again, restless energy surging under my skin, unable to contain the powerful yearning. There is a silver thread, gossamer and strong, and it is pulling my heart, tugging on my soul. Because there is something going on. […]

So, it’s January the 23rd. I have left the house twice, other than for medical appointments, since Boxing Day. My yoga mat remains rolled, beside the sofa. In a way, simply looking at it comforts me. Just imagining the feel of my palms against its wonderfully, worn surface fills me with calm. But don’t get […]

I’ve been thinking a lot these past weeks about what yoga is when it is not asana (postures) and I realised that while I am definitely missing moving and flowing on my mat, I certainly don’t feel as though I am not ‘doing’ yoga. So I thought I would share a few ways in which […]

Another full moon shines down on my little corner of the world. For years I have tracked its phases with love and interest – I feel a little lost, a little dislocated if I lose it for too long. If the thick, grey cloud obscures it night after night or my busyness keeps me from […]