New Year's Resolutions

Dear Yogis.

It’s a foggy day... in London Town. As I write this I’m planning my New Year's resolutions. Yogis are very practiced in resolutions and setting intensions. There are various ways we might do this: resolving to get up for an early class, or travel great distances, or leave a busy work desk and ringing phone to practice! We’re pretty good at that! We turn up on the mat again and again, repeating the same postures, knowing that we are involved in a practice of changing ourselves for the better – whether the hamstring or the heart, we all come with our own resolution.  

Some of you may have come across the idea of a Sankalpa – the idea of creating the life we are supposed to lead and avoiding a life without authenticity. That takes a while to develop. In the meantime, a teacher might ask you to ‘set your intention’ at the beginning of a class or they might ask you to ‘dedicate your practice’ to someone. This means that we listen to the heart and meditate on ‘right motivation’ which puts us beyond the present moment into a space of focus and commitment. We practice putting our heart and our goodness in the in the centre of our regular resolutions.

Look at that! We’re masters at resolutions! I’m sure whatever your New Year’s Resolution is, you’ll be an Olympian in achieving it.

Home Studio

There are plenty of places next week. Only Wednesday is full. There will be two classes on Monday evenings – the 6.00- 7.00 Monday class is back and bookable on the website. There will be no Thursday class but, because of that, I’m putting on an extra one-off class on Friday 6th at 6.00. There are two spaces left if you would like to claim one or both.

Attachment

I might put wishes into a jar this year instead of calling them ‘resolutions’: Northern Lights. Park Runs. Yoga retreats (one booked). Karaoke. Boxing. New Studio. Travel. Applaud the sunset.

Happy 2017

Happy Vegan Detoxed Christmas!

Dear Yogis.

Twas the last email before Christmas.... Before I settle my brain for a long winter’s nap I need to say a huge thank you to the Home Studio yogis, corporate yogis, gym yogis, BJJ yogis, the Greek Retreat yogis and, of course, to all the new yogis. You are all a joy to teach, always. It is said that you never regret taking a yoga class and that you always feel better after the class than you did before the class. Teaching is the same. I owe that to you.

Detox

I’ve been thinking about useful postures for digestion this week. You really only need three or four. If your stomach feels like concrete you don’t need too much movement. Try these and don’t rush through them:

1.    Lie on the back and pull both knees into the chest. Massage the back.

2.    Pull one knee into the chest and straighten the other leg – then swap sides

3.    Pull both knees into the chest then drop the knees to the right for a twist - then swap sides.

4.    Happy Baby Posture. Pull both knees into the chest. Part the knees. Bring your elbows in-between the knees. Let the arms cross in front of the shins and take hold of the feet. Show the soles of the feet to the ceiling and pull downwards - pulling the knees towards the armpits.

5.    Happy Baby is very much like squat pose. From Downward Facing Dog, step the feet forward to come outside the hands and lower into squat. Put support under the heels if you need it or support the back against the wall. Just stay there.

6.    Finally, instead of Childs pose, try ‘Puppy Dog’. From Table Top / hands and knees on the floor, walk the hands as far forward as they’ll go and put the forehead on the floor. Feel the armpits and chest sink downwards. It’s a back stretch. Perhaps lift the gaze and put the chin on the floor. This is a great abdomen stretch.

7.    Go back to the posture that feels the best.

Also, I’ve been looking at juicing detox recipes on the website of the nation’s juicer-in-chief, Jason Vale. He offers a free download of recipes.

Home Studio

I don’t plan to do any classes here next week. I had planned to make my escape. I’ll let you know if I stay around and put on classes.

Favourite Vegan Jokes

I’ve mentioned before, I’m the total cliché of a vegan yoga teacher. I’m attaching my favourite vegan joke of yesteryear. (My contribution to the Christmas table is a ‘Chestnut Paté en Crôute´. It’s pretty easy and amazingly tasty.)

 Happy Christmas

Yoga Presents

Dear Yogis.

I can see that people are already planning their New Year Resolutions. New people are booking places in my Home Studio and I’m getting enquiries about introducing yoga at work. It’s exciting.

Talking of the New Year... Triyoga is offering its yearly New Year's Day free classes. Any donations go to local charities.

Home Studio

My lucky home studio last week welcomed new yogis, full classes, near-empty classes and total fun. (I mean enlightenment!) There are plenty of places left in my Home Studio classes next week. Book a place! (I won’t be holding classes here in between Christmas and the new year.)

Christmas

‘Tis the season to be jolly. Here are some present ideas for the yogi in your life! A perennial favourite is the ‘I’m Only Here For The Savasana’ T shirt. Although I’ve never actually seen it in class, I know that's what you're thinking! I have it on good authority that Ohmme yoga pants for guys is a great gift. If you are thinking of getting a mat, or asking for one, take a look at the Friday Emails I have written on the subject here and also here. I know how some of you slip slide away in your Downward Facing Dog and it’s not all that conducive to meditation! Kino MacGregor’s chanting CD is gorgeous. I noticed that TK Maxx has yoga Dharma Wheels and Manuka mat cleaner for a stocking filler. I also noticed some Calmia Ultra Grip Vinyasa mats too for around £30. People who come to my Home Studio love the Feet Up Stool to help with no-pressure headstands/inversions. And here are some ideas about yoga jewellery. If it tickles you to see cats in yoga postures, see here. Finally, expensively, a ticket for Yoga at The Shard would be a real treat.

Yoga in the News

50 Cent tried yoga for the first time. It’s a rapper-type reaction to yoga = all these hot chicks do it so it can’t be that difficult... Hilarious.

Have an exciting, pre-Christmas week.

Yogic cheating and enlightenment

Dear Yogis.

More fun with belts this week (!) but yogis can be concerned, when I offer alternatives and blocks and belts, if a ‘proper’ yogi would do it like this or if it’s cheating. May I generalise and say that people generally don’t know how fantastic they are! You already know how much you improve with every class and you can feel the body responding. Where’s the cheating in that? Also, think about what we are doing when we ‘practice’ yoga: breathing, dristi (gaze point), and postures, all with the hope and intention of stilling the fluctuations of the mind. Ashtanga yoga has ‘eight limbs’ which include Dharana (concentration), Dhyana (meditation) and enlightenment... which doesn’t care if we’ve used a belt or not! 

Also, I get asked about yoga music often. Given that Christmas is coming, a really nice present is the CD I play in my Home Studio all the time: Kino MacGregor, ‘The Mantra Collection’. She has the most beautiful temple-like voice. 

Home Studio

Given the usual rush of New Year resolutions that take people to the gym, running clubs and Military Fitness groups, I will reintroduce the early Monday class from 6.00-7.00pm. If there is demand, I can also introduce an earlier class on Thursdays. Let me know what would suit you. There are plenty of places left in my Home Studio classes next week. Book a place!  

Hit & Run

It’s been a year since I was knocked off my bike in Shepherds Bush. It’s been a year since I was surrounded by massive Shepherds Bush-ian kindness while traffic had to creep around me sharing one lane. A year since the driver drove around me and apparently barely missed my feet. I spent weeks really loving having feet. The settlement agreement has just come through bringing up memories... mostly of the lovely people who came to cover me with their jackets, hold my hand and stay with me till the ambulance came. I’ll never forget their love and care. 

Writing from the Heart

I’ve been watching my dying Uncle Bill over the last few months and often found myself reflecting on his best qualities and, by extension, the best qualities we should practice in preparation for the end; kindness and manners; generosity and appreciation of others; helping whenever opportunity arises. Even when there was barely any life left in him, he rustled up a smile and a ‘thank you’. A nurse asked (insensitively) why he never married. He answered that ‘when they dropped a bomb on our house and killed 6 people, all I wanted to do after that was put a roof over people’s heads’. He showed that the qualities you have at the end are the qualities you practice all your life.  

New Year Resolutions

Sort it out now. Don’t wait for midnight on the 31st... plan something interesting.

Second Series? Third? Fourth? More?

Dear Yogis.

I get the loveliest feedback to my Friday emails. Thank you very, very much.

I have a question... Did you know that many of my group classes are based in some way on the Ashtanga ‘Primary Series’? There’s a second and an unreachable third... all the way up to totally impossible, don’t-even-think-about-it sixth. Last week I taught Second Series from the chart of prescribed postures in many group classes and it seems to be going down well; just the change some people needed. Take a look at the chart and I’m sure you’ll recognise a few of the postures. 

Home Studio

In yesterday’s class we all tied ourselves up in knots with yoga belts. I attach a picture I found on Google but I must ask your permission to take a photo next time. You don’t need the blocks. There are plenty of places left in my Home Studio classes next week. Book a place!  

Yoga in the News

The Guardian tells us that: ‘Yoga joins Unesco world heritage list’. India’s soft diplomacy with yoga as its main weapon continues. If the article last week about manning the barricades gave you pause for thought, here is the answer. The Indian Foreign Ministry said this would help India to: ‘which would enable it to 'potentially foment a dialogue of ideas of peace and tolerance with other countries' and play a leading role in the global dialogue of inter-cultural relations’.

Favourite Vegan Jokes

If you didn’t know, I’m the total cliché of a vegan yoga teacher. I’m attaching my favourite vegan joke of the moment.