Well! Strength & Conditioning on Monday lunchtimes, 1.00-2.00, is getting overbooked so it’s Almost time to start a second one. Here’s a taste of things we do: for a warm-up we do modified Sun Salutations. These are actually Fun Salutations because stay awhile in plank and do plank variations. Then arms with weights. Then legs including ‘Bulgarians’ and some knee strengthening. Core work including ‘Russians’ and, everybody’s favourite, Lying Leg Raises.

I’ve been thinking a lot about faith recently. My friend died. Often he referenced his Catholic beliefs as part of his reasoning. But that’s not what brought me to my little lightning strike of realisation. Faith, I think, is in yourself; in your inner trust and confidence that you will do the right thing. My precious friend did this with mountainous kindness and natural generosity.

I saw this quote about the meaning of Christmas from A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens.

“I will honour Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year. I will live in the Past, the Present, and the Future. The Spirits of all Three shall strive within me. I will not shut out the lessons that they teach.”

Happy December 1st. Have you thought about your New Year’s Resolution? Start early so you get a good lead-in. Be up to speed by January 1st 2024!

Happy November!

One of the classes I took at the October Yoga Show last was all about the Vagus Nerve: ‘The Vagus Nerve, Psoas, Anxiety Connection Workshop’ with Janie Larmour from The Centre of Yoga in Australia. Have a look here at the class plan of the workshop we did.

Finally, back in Blighty, The Yoga Show is the this coming weekend, October 13th, 14th and 15th. I've got tickets just for the weekend and I've paid for a workshop with David Sye and a menopause thing which is the last workshop on Sunday.

OK! Finally! The Kapsali Yoga Retreat announcement. I have my tickets! As I always say, come with me to a place where the soul can breathe! Take a look at pictures and testimonials from previous years. Our day will be a yoga sandwich, early morning and evening yoga and the filling will be lots of lovely things to do: workshops, saunas and treatments, walks… If you want to come with a non-yogi friend or partner (like me! I’m the carer of a beautiful 91-year-old) they can do the stretchy, meditative evening class and the excursions.

Well! I was listening to an interview with Canadian Physician Dr Peter Attia and I bought his book immediately. The interview is here, on Virgin Radio. Wind forward to 02:50:30. Read on for some key points:

Since the workshop with Judith Hanson Lasater, ‘Letting Go: The Heart of Yoga Practice’, there’s a question she asked that has been on my mind. I think it’s a really useful question:

“What is the one repetitive thought that once you let go of it would make the biggest difference in your life? It's there in the background like a bad song”. 

Recently I attended a workshop by Judith Hanson Lasater called ‘Letting Go: The Heart of Yoga Practice’. She said: ‘The entire history and teaching of yoga is letting go. It's not acquiring poses.  It's about recognising what is it that we are letting go? Specifically…? The ego's view of reality.