Puja and pranayama

Today, the yoga bungalow where we’re staying was decked out in its finery ready for puja, which is a kind of Hindu offering ceremony, and we were all invited. The offering was made to the Hindu gods Lakshi (goddess of wealth and good fortune) and Ganesh (remover of obstacles) in order to help bring successContinue reading "Puja and pranayama"

And so it begins…

This morning we attended our first class with Vijay Kumar. We were in the second batch at 6:30am - the first one begins at 4:45am. Obviously the second session is heaving as, for most people, 4:45am is not a time that exists, except for back in the day when we could still party all night.Continue reading "And so it begins…"

Wussy westerners

We seem to have fallen on our feet with our accommodation.  The owner, Prashanth, is a yoga student of BNS Iyengar - not to be confused with the recently deceased legend that is BKS Iyengar. Both BNS and BKS Iyengar were students of Krishnamacharya (that must have made for confusement in class) and BNS IyengarContinue reading "Wussy westerners"

Frond yoga arrives in Mysore

So, I am finally in Mysore, after the surreal experience of spending eleven hours in a weird artificial limbo in the sky then being plonked down unceremoniously somewhere utterly different from when I was last on solid ground. To me, flying long-haul really is a strange form of travel, almost like some kind of darkContinue reading "Frond yoga arrives in Mysore"

It starts with a dream…

"We are what we think. All that we are arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts we make the world." Buddha So, it's almost here. It began with what felt like an impossible, whimsical dream, then it became something I dared to talk about to people and, a few years on, finally it's happening.  In justContinue reading "It starts with a dream…"

Natural lunar cycles

With tomorrow being a full moon, I feel compelled to share a recent lunar-based discovery that I made. I recently finished a book called Wildwood, A Journey Through Trees by Roger Deakin, who is probably my favourite nature-writer. His love of and attunement to British wildlife comes through strongly in his books and I relate toContinue reading "Natural lunar cycles"

Autumn clear-out

For as long as I can remember, I have loved having a good old sort-out, especially of my wardrobe. When my three sisters and I were little, around once a year my mum would herd us into a bedroom, at the centre of which would be a huge mountain of all of our combined clothes.Continue reading "Autumn clear-out"

Jumping-through negativity

Last Saturday I ran my first jump-through workshop. For those who don't know, the jump-through is a dynamic linking sequence that is used between postures in ashtanga and vinyasa krama yoga. I had deliberated for a long time about whether it was a good idea or not to run the workshop.  I wanted to pass onContinue reading "Jumping-through negativity"

It’s all in the balance…

This Thursday sees me running the first of my monthly 'yin' style yoga classes, with long-held, supported postures and a slow, meditative pace. This might seem a strange thing for a die-hard ashtangi to be doing, but I suppose that is the point of this post. We need both the yin and the yang. TheContinue reading "It’s all in the balance…"

The most expensive algae in the world

Can anyone help me out here? Having finally turned veggie this year, I have now become one of those tiresome health-conscious people who 'worry about their protein intake'. So, after months of various people banging on to me about the wonders of spirulina and its supremacy in the world of protein provision, I decided to joinContinue reading "The most expensive algae in the world"