Awareness in your thought, word and deed

Most of what we do, say and even think simply repeats well established patterns of reactions. That's largely how our social interaction works. We like to say and do things that we know will show us as polite, respectful, funny, sometimes assertive, sometimes compassionate, valuing family, relationships and fun. Although such cliches help us maintain self-esteem and sense of belonging, they make us run on autopilot, possibly leaving little room for nurturing self-awareness, attentiveness, self-enquiry. As we begin to live more mindfully, we may notice the astounding value in seeing things afresh, thinking, saying and doing things out of your heart's need. To do this we need to quieten the mind by meditating and bringing mindfulness into our daily life. Be aware of your thoughts and emotions. Be aware of what say and do and how you say it and do it. But first find silence and stillness.

A day of yoga: back-bends and heart opening

A workshop 29th August (Bank Holiday) in Brixton Hill , 11am-3:45pm

A day of backbending and heart opening

Friends' Meeting Hall, Redlands Way, SW2 3LU

£45 or £35 if you book by 5th Aug

Lunch provided (but you can bring something to share if you want). Hope you'll want to join me there!

Be in your element - let yourself flourish

In your yoga practice you can discover all the traditional elements:
- the earth - heaviness and solidity, e.g. in a seated position - hips and legs being your strong, solid base; this element is difficult to change but it gives us grounding and sense of support of the ground beneath us
- the water - fluidity and circulation, like the bloodstream circulating warmth and nutrition to every cell in the body; also sense of flow, acceptance, purification
- the fire - hot, fierce, transformative; centres around the middle of the body (coinciding with our core), helps us find determination and stamina; it forms hunger and thirst
- the air - prana, the life force, associated with lightness, balance, playfulness
- the space - awareness of space in and around the body and mind; creating space in your mind requires quietening our busy minds, detaching ourselves from habitual, compulsive, fixed thinking patterns and attitudes, as if suspending things for a moment of meditation; discovering the true nature of self, like a point of reference that can signpost you in the right direction.
Through our yoga practice we want to rebalance all the elements, making them work in harmony for our well-being and peace of mind.

Joy of movment

Remember how you enjoyed running, jumping, frolicking as a child? Remember what a sheer joy can be dancing to your favourite music? Remember how you hurt yourself and couldn't move your limb for a while? Let's take a moment to appreciate our ability to move. Consider how complex and sophisticated our moment is, how we walk, turn, bend, balance, grasp etc. What would we be without it? With grace, gratitude and appreciation let's move onto the New Year.