Soul Food

Soul Food

The Divine Feminine Conference November 26 & 27 was a source of joy to me and, I would say, to many of the women in attendance.
The first presentation on the first day was a slow simmer even though Diane Riley was speaking passionately about her area of expertise – Tantra. […]

Soul Food

Attraction

What is it about yoga that attracts so many people to it?
When I moved to the country, I wasn’t sure if I would garner an audience for the  kind of yoga I teach. Building up class numbers has taken time, but now students are coming from far distances to the humble Yoga Shed.
I don’t take all the credit. I think people want to learn yoga for a variety of reasons, some of which are:
1. Physical well-being. This is a biggie. Dynamic yoga can get you into a pretty buffed condition, with more-than-inner glow. […]

Unity in Everything

Unity in Everything

I’m going to be in Sydney for the next 4 days, mainly to present at and participate in the Divine Feminine Conference.
More and more I now find it difficult to leave the beauty and peace of our country place for the city. […]

Soul Food

"My Life is My Message"

I’ve never read a biography about Mahatma Gandhi, nor any of his many published works, so I’m hoping that the above quote is really accredited to him. Wrongful attribution is a problem these days, as evidenced by this message we often see on bumper stickers and gift shop coffee mugs:
Be the change you want to see in the world.
That expression, usually associated with the great man, is probably a paraphrase of words paraphrased in an interview with Gandhi’s son years ago.*
I digress though. […]

Soul Food

One Potato, Two Potato, Three Potato….

I was so excited today by the output of our potato patch that I wanted to write something about it on this blog. However I couldn’t think of any relationship between growing potatoes and yoga.
So now, we’re going to make a leap and talk about couch potatoes.
Some people are attracted to yoga because they are not particularly athletic. They believe that yoga is an activity that will give them a soft landing when they finally get off the couch and onto the mat.
Don’t be fooled, though. […]

Soul Food

Rx for Low Backache

For many years in Sydney, I trained yoga teachers to teach. One of the trainees’ assignments would be to design a sequence for a particular problem, apply it to a student, and assess the results.
Daniel, my husband, was a good guinea pig for the trainees because he had periodic back pain. (Interestingly, after nearly 19 years of doing yoga, he seems to have transcended this particular condition.)
Here’s a “Daniel sequence” for groins and lower back that I came across in my archives. […]

Soul Food

To Plan or Not to Plan

One of the age-old question about doing yoga practice is whether you should have a program that you strictly follow or should you just wing it and follow where your intuition leads you.
I was thinking about this very thing in my early morning practice. The advantage of following along a set sequence is that you don’t have to think too long and deeply about what will ensue. […]

Soul Food

Today

Sometimes Nature is right in your face.
This morning at seven o’clock, the forest, meadows and garden were all saturated wet earth.
Visually lush green growing before your very eyes. Viscerally the atmosphere heavy, thickened , where you can only breath in so much richness before getting overwhelmed. […]

Soul Food

Limping Along

Have you ever torn a hamstring or suffered an inflamed tendon? Then you would know the feeling of limping along, having to do just half-speed yoga poses.
I feel like that today after having had a little mishap with my computer keyboard. A portion of my morning coffee, so much anticipated after my yoga practice, spilled over the board. […]

Good Bearing

Good Bearing

Years ago, I saw Robert Redford in a film playing the role of a middle-aged man. In real life he was much older, but somehow he was debonair and good-looking enough to look like a good match for his younger female lead. That is, until he moved; he was rather stiff in his body, but it really showed up when he couldn’t turn his neck.
Yogis often will look younger than their years because their posture is naturally upright and their movements are fluid. […]

A Walk on the Wild Side

A Walk on the Wild Side

If you read “Yoga Suits Her” for inspiration, I hope I’m not letting you down by saying there was no yoga practice happening for me today.
This is because yesterday Daniel and I headed off for Barrington Tops National Park and here I am – with miracle of WiFi in our lodging – still connected to you.
I’ve heard about this part of the world ever since I moved to Australia from the US 35 years ago, so it’s a thrill to be here for the first time. […]