mighty mosses
III 33 "Anything can be understood. With each attempt fresh and spontaneous understanding arises." (trans. TKV Desikachar)
relaxing into silence
relaxing into silence with a peaceful breath - practising the heart of yoga
early morning sounds
there is a fresh presence in the early morning - it's a good time to practise.
more… wonderful!
we have been practising warrior posture this week, experimenting with taking the head back as Mr Iyengar taught.
soft belly
"as the body yields all efforts and holdings the infinite within is revealed." YS II 47
soft breath
"breathing isn't really something that you do but something that you witness as it happens." eckhart tolle
a brave softening
here is a half term project for the faithful ujjāyī breathers amongst you.
a saturday practice
(also very suitable for sundays, mondays, tuesdays, wednesdays, thursdays and fridays...!)
over and over again
Some people think that they are in some way extra bad at meditating! “No - you don’t understand. MY mind just doesn’t settle - EVER.”
compassion
practice blossoms when it moves “from urgency to patience, from striving to being, from harshness to gentleness, and from reactivity to skilful action.” donna farhi
butterflies
the cobbler or tailor posture (baddha konāsana - bound angle posture) - is sometimes called the butterfly.
winter wellbeing
today is the shortest day of the year. we are in the very heart of winter and many people feel at a low ebb in these darkest days.
a december practice
stand - feel your feet as if they are sinking into the first snowfall - deeply
a poem for the equinox
today is the autumn equinox. here is the wonderful alice oswald reading her poem 'almost as transparent', written for today.
the light touch of yoga
a year or so ago I wrote a post entitled 'no dig' yoga, suggesting a lighter approach to practice. as the interest in ‘no dig’ gardening grows, I can’t help drawing other parallels with yoga practice.
yoga nature
ancient traditions, including the Indian traditions that gave rise to yoga, understood that there is a principle of life which drives our human and non human lives, to propagate, to grow, and to survive. yoga calls this prāṇa. a Sanskrit word meaning ‘that which goes everywhere’ it has come to mean both breath and the dynamic bio-energy of the universe.
strong and effortless
in āsana practice - if we wait, watchfully, we learn how the breath moves the body, shapes it, opens and clears it - we can be strong and effortless.
vasiṣṭhāsana – side plank
vasiṣṭhāsana is a side opening hand balance and not one of the ‘bread and butter’ postures that are central to our practice. But it can be good to challenge the body sometimes.
re-opening
the Studio re-opens today, the Spring equinox, after the birth of Grace last week.
not at all excited
recently in the late evening class on a Thursday, we have spoken about the current fashion in language for exaggerating and whitewashing experiences...
mind’s eye
coax thoughts backwards - step back - step back
drift backwards from your edges - settle centreing
posture names
yoga postures are named in the ancient language of Sanskrit. In the west we have also given them names, which are often not translations.
even if I knew…
“Even if I knew that tomorrow the world would go to pieces, I would still plant my apple tree.” Martin Luther
settling into silence
Yoga is the settling of the mind into silence.” Translation of YS C1 v 2 - Alistair Shearer
silent space
"...I increasingly realise there is an interior dimension to silence, a sort of stillness of heart and mind which is not a void but a rich space." Sara Maitland
national poetry day
here is a poem written especially for today - National poetry day. Messages by Matt Goodfellow.
everyday yoga
Pricking out seedlings in the greenhouse is a kind of heaven for me - a chance to connect with life in its most fragile form.
painting by numbers
i’m sure that there was never a work of art created through painting by numbers.
practising yoga
like combing tangled hair - yoga is delicate, personal, physical, enlivening and beautiful -
yoga teachers
one of the vital attributes for a good yoga teacher is to be awake to both the science and the art of practice.
good foundations
Last night I taught the two Monday evening groups; something I always enjoy. But last night felt special somehow.
a meditation on interconnectedness
Sit comfortably with an upright spine, chest open and free
still
We will continue to explore a stilling of our āsana practice - stilling, deepening, reconnecting whilst remaining expanded, receptive and non-resistant. The practices this term continue to be inspired by midsummer - poised, mobile, lively and balancing at the fulcrum of the year. And also by the sculpture - Anthony Gormley’s - Untitled (for Francis).
yoga – on radio 4 tomorrow
You might be interested to know that tomorrow at 11am on Radio 4 there is a programme called "The Secret History of Yoga".
a new book in the pipeline – can you help?
My dear friend Ranju Roy, with Dave Charlton, have been writing a book which reflects their own practice, understanding and studies within the Viniyoga Tradition over the years, and latterly with the late Peter Hersnack. The book entitled "Support, Direction, Space: Embodying the Yoga Sutra" is timely - as teaching in the tradition develops and expands. They are hoping to publish the book using crowd funding to help with the costs. I wonder if some of you might like to help to get the book published.