 The sunshine is looking promising for next weekend's yoga at Stone Mill Retreat.
We did have one retreat where the weather was drizzly but even then, the joy of immersing fully into a slower pace where you can side-step the usual daily routine and rediscover yourself through moving, breathing and becoming still is a wonderful thing to make time for. The process of slowing down fully takes time Our first practice next weekend meets us from our travels and helps begin the process of unwinding. Like tightly coiled springs, we arrive busy, daily life breathing down our necks, hoping to enjoy, expectations and uncertainty of what it will be like. The weekend is a process of deepening the immersion.
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 Finding joy in the (very) small stuff ~
My dog walk this morning was in a mist of soft rain. My gaze was downwards and then unexpectedly met with the delight of little red dots in the hedgerow - nearly ripe wild strawberries. Tiny bursts of joy If you've never had them, they are TINY. About the size of a small pea, bright red, and like little jewels in the hedgerow. One was ready, it was fabulous, the remaining treasures are yet to be discovered but if timing is right, the upcoming yoga retreat, week after next, they might still around... Unlike commercial strawberries they are sparse and intense which makes them all the more special. You might get one, or two if you are lucky, but they are a wonderful explosion of joy to taste that is sweeter and more flavourful than anything you can buy. Sharing joy in the upcoming yoga retreat The timing might just be perfect for sharing this joy on the upcoming yoga weekend which is only two weeks away. Part of the weekend, besides the beautiful countryside setting and slow, immersive yoga, is a lovely afternoon walk. Hedgerows everywhere, with the possibility of a discovery of strawberry treasure. Immersion into your yoga I'm looking forward to hosting everyone with yoga in the barn where we can sink further and further into our yoga over the weekend and steep in the glow of it. All in the wonderful setting of the Little Dart Valley with the woodlands, birdsong and river banks at the end of the garden to accompany the weekend. Hugely excited and hoping to announce another at some point as this one is fully booked. The yoga hangover that can sustain you The immersion in to your yoga is greatly benefitted by sustained time in a deeper immersion like this. The hangover of a retreat can feed and inspire your yoga for weeks and months afterwards or set you on the path to your own home yoga practice. Weekly classes are essential maintenance The continuous weekly class is the mainstay to keep up with your practice and avoid the slide that is inevitable if you neglect it. It doesn't have to be at the studio, it can of course be at home, and more regular. It all counts, but you do need to get to your mat. . Try these if you are struggling to get to class. Hope to see yousoon! Free yoga recordings > Enjoy your yoga.  I’ve been doing my morning yoga at the studio sometimes lately as I leave home early to get here and it means I beat a bit of traffic.
Carpet vs. Yoga Mat At home typically I do my practice on the carpet. My studio mat is grippier and in turn makes my practice feel different - much easier. I stick to the mat more, my feet and hands don’t move as much, it feels different and some of the postures are easier to do, requiring less effort from me. This is nice in one way but...  Consistency in the midst of change ~
Even the roads are unpredictable in my new commute. I got stuck in a cow jam the other day while I was on my way to the studio. The cows couldn't be rushed, they moo'd their way along the road at their own pace towards the dairy.  We are one month in and the wall of jobs is still a mile high. It is easy to get lost looking at them. But equally, it is worth taking a moment to celebrate the wins.
1 month - hurrah! We have met lovely neighbours, figured out lots of gorgeous walks, have fresh eggs delivered regularly by a local farmer who breeds pedigree cows that are cute as a button, love many many things about the place and I've learned how to light a woodburner with success usually first time. I've made  We have many, many eggs at the moment. Our new neighbours are very welcoming and we love that eggs are the currency for helping newcomers settle in.
In the midst of learning how to live in our new place, eggs are a quick and easy way to keep us sustained. By the time the retreat comes around in June, I'll have mastered frittata and quiche.  ~ It takes getting used to ~
I'm gradually realising that I've moved to a mini paradise. The garden, the birdsong, the farmhouse vibe that feels homely already, the gorgeous surroundings and dog walks that leave me needing to pinch myself. So far so good (amazing actually). Convenience is over-rated I still don't know things are much of the time. And constantly have to figure out how things work. But I've replaced traffic and sirens with birdsong and wind in the tree tops.  Life is soooooooo busy at the moment. The boxes around me as I pack up my house are looming, the monolithic kitchen cupboard remains full of stuff, and every time I open it and look up, I feel scared and close the door again and walk away.
Today is the day to empty it. But you'll notice I'm writing this instead 😉 Leaving my home of 20 years is exciting, sad, emotional, scary, fun, all at once. We wear our tension  How long can you look at this before glancing away?
Perhaps a few seconds? Blink whenever you like, but don't let the eyes wander. Notice if they do. Hold your gaze steady, then follow your breathing. This is a wonderful gateway technique helping you step aside from your busy mind and into a more attentive and present state. Apply this during your yoga postures and your whole practice will become transformed, more absorbing and more refreshing physically, mentally and emotionally. Find it impossible? You aren't alone.  And 3 ways to get better
We get plenty right in our yoga. Any practice that you show up for is a good one. If you take time out from the day, move and breathe and reconnect to your internal awareness, then it is always more than worthwhile. Ignore your harsh inner critic and give yourself some credit for showing up to your mat. Even if you just lay down and take conscious breaths and rest, that counts. The top 3 mistakes I see with people taking yoga practice, is perhaps obvious. But here goes  I'm planning a house move that means that, if it happens, I commute to the studio rather than amble down Gloucester Road.
In the daytime, it seems like a great idea - fun, exciting and I'm motivated to make it happen and make it work (if the house-buying gods align). In the evenings I tend towards doubting that it is a good idea at all and that I should just keep things as they are, sit in front of the TV and eat crisps. I've learned to ignore thoughts after 7pm that seem like new and worrying ideas. I remind myself that it's too late to evaluate anything constructively, and promise that I'll think about it in the morning when I've got more energy. Invariably, I wake up excited about the idea again and full of energy to do it.  Is yoga a quick fix?
The smorgasbord of health and wellbeing opportunities is vast. The gadgets and short cuts, the pills and supplements, the quick fixes and promises that feel amazing for a while, then fade into the shadow of the next great discovery. The choice and invitation to shop around is tempting. Yoga stands the test of time Yoga has developed over thousands of years as a roadmap using the tools of posture, breath, attention and meditation to help you live well and find contentment, serenity, and health. Yoga has great depth and applicability to modern life.  Until...?
I love the 'never stop pushing' slogan. It sums up an approach to life that is all around us. The poster of it caught my eye this morning in a shop on Gloucester Road. It is a common method to think you are getting the most out of life when you are busy and doing more, pushing harder, and it reflects an inherent dissatisfaction with what we currently have. If we get busy enough, if we do enough things, if we dig deeper and keep going until we get to the end of the week and collapse in a heap, did we win? What is the prize?  Breathing is curious
We do it all day every day without thinking. Sometimes we might think about it when it doesn't feel right, when we have a chest infection, or are in an unpleasant environment where the air isn't fresh. Harness your breathing in yoga In yoga, breathwork is one of the primary tools. There are a variety of ways it can be used to amplify the natural effects of breathing creating noticable effects on body, mind, energy and balance. You can try emphasising inhaling or exhaling, pausing after inhaling to stimulate your energy and vitality, you can add a gentle wait after exhaling to calm yourself and settle overactive systems and mental states. However overdo it and the opposite is true, so skilled guidance and practice is important.  One of my wonderful, long-standing students began running during lockdown and it has become a regular, daily routine. She loves it and is convinced that the regular yoga that she does helps her stay injury free.
Running is better with yoga Running is simply brilliant if you can do it. It gets you outside, promotes lots of physical benefits, boosts feel good hormones and clears your head. Accompanying it with regular yoga helps you remain injury free,  Last year was the trickiest yet. It was challenging, unpredictable, chaotic and emotional. On the days when events were heightened, I have never been more grateful for small acts of kindness. A smile in the street, and a warm conversation at the shop went a long way to helping my day feel better.
Kindness & yoga go a long way Kindness isn't enough but it goes a long, long way. Thankfully, I have yoga as my mainstay, which helps me start each day with a fresh outlook, a more relaxed body and nervous system to be able to cope as well as I can as challenges unfold. Remember knee slides?  It's been years since I was a smoker.
I really enjoyed it, but realised it wouldn't be easy to stop. Alan Carrs book, Quit Smoking offered an important stepping stone. The reframe it offers is that at first it feels like you are giving up something, that you are sacrificing your beloved cigarette and all that that comes with. But he turns it around. He invited me to see that rather giving something up, I was gaining freedom from something. I would be free from the need to have a cigarette in my hand, I would enjoy better health, fresher clothes and breath, and save money. The same net gain applies to the technique offered in this week's classes. It is a tiny yet powerful tweak to your practice that you can bring in at any time. It starts with just two breaths  I went to an EPIC 3D movie last weekend and had a blast. It was loud, the seat vibrated, the screen was huge and absorbing and the story was fun, sad, exciting, dramatic.
It was almost completely absorbing (not quite, the 3D glasses were really heavy!). I sort of disappeared and got caught up in the story and had a great time. Disconnection from ourselves Disconnection from ourselves happens more when we are engaging in lots of busy, external activities. Work, looking after family and friends, engaging in entertainment (3D movies!) that take us out of ourselves. Arguably, modern life is more disconnected ever. Our lives are more and more mediated by screens and our entertainment is more passive, less sociable and less physical.  Why being good isn't the point
Someone mentioned to me this week that they used to be better at yoga than they are now. Do you ever think that you aren't very good at yoga? Notice self-judgement Perhaps we have judged our performance in a pose, or noticed that we weren't doing a pose for as long as someone next to us or that we should be better than we are. That we didn't sweat much or that we didn't try hard enough. The real measure These aren't the measures of being good at yoga.  Yesterday as I was cycling to the studio, a motorist wound down his window and said my bike light wasn't working. I was confused. My light was sitting on the front of my bike blinking brightly, my back light was doing the same. I carried on none the wiser, heckled for not being lit up enough amongst the array of lights on Gloucester Road. I can only think that with the other 10,000 lights on the street he didn't see them. They got lost in the noise.
The sensory stimulation is at its highest at this time of year (Christmas). Filled with optimism and hoping for joy, we are bombarded with jingly music and bright blinking lights. It is wonderful, and overwhelming. Try this mini-pause Taking regular breaks from it all is never more important than now. It is a wonderful time to take 5 minutes, dim the lights, light a candle and withdraw from the noise. Set up Turn off your phone, tell folks in your house your busy for 5 minutes, close the door to you bedroom |
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The Courtyard Princes Place, Bishopston Just off Gloucester Road Bristol BS7 8NP |
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