I had a great group come along for class yesterday afternoon. We did a practice designed for the legs and the âpana. We all had a good go at some standing balances, with a transition between two postures. And mostly everyone fell out of the poses at least once. Teaching a class is a dynamic,
I read this article today in The Independent: Americans who practice yoga ‘contribute to white supremacy’, claims Michigan State University professor The professor says that the way that yoga is practised in America today amounts to culture appropriation and an offshoot of colonial culture. Ouch. I don’t live in North America, but I have read a lot
Up in the early morning on Saturday, I chanced to spy the alignment of the heavenly bodies. Sun, moon and star traced a straight line in the dawn sky, casting their reflections on the calm surface of the sea. As the heavens sang their coloured glory and the birds their joyful chorus, I was given
Yesterday morning dawned rainy and grey. Around these parts, precipitation is a present, a gift. The chill in the air was invigorating, and the light reflecting on the wet cobblestones a portend of danger, for they are slippery when wet. Sophie and Laurence and I warmed up with a white tea before class, then ventured
The first time I ever practised yoga was in January, 1999. That is 19 years ago. How time flies. I knew from the very first class that I wanted to teach yoga, that it was my path. So, why did it take me so long to start teaching? One word: Authenticity. I had for the
Every day I wake up thinking about yoga. It has been like this for as long as I can remember. It is my deepest passion, my guiding light, the shining star in my sky. Yoga teachers are bound to one fundamental rule: you can only teach what you know. And knowing yoga is about doing
Yoga teaches me that the body has needs, wants and desires. These are communicated to the mind through pain, pleasure and longing. Yoga teaches me that male and female – and everything in between – practitioners can come to respect the needs and signals of their bodies, overcoming the dominance of the mind. Yoga teaches
Yoga teaches me that the process of purification – tapas – is necessary and useful. Yoga teaches me that the time for tapas arrives just when it should. Yoga teaches me to recognise the disordered perceptions handed down by our families and to modify them as needed. My parents were both hoarders. Not hard to
Yoga teaches me that what this world needs is more love, not more flexible bodies. Yoga teaches me that postures linked to breath are part of a path, but the path leads to compassion and comprehension, not contortion or competition. Yoga teaches me that when we undo the knots and become soft, we can learn
Thoracic outlet syndrome. TMJ. Frozen shoulder. Tingling fingers. All these conditions, and many more, have to do with the shoulder joint. Yoga teaches me that using arm balances helps bring the shoulder joint into alignment. There is a group of muscles known as the rotator cuff. Put simply, these muscles stabilise the shoulder. They are