On the Road

A jolt coming into Sydney this evening in rush hour traffic. Not quite a dog day but hot and humid enough to feel your blood thicken and rise.
It was still pristine on Mitchells Island from the recent heavy rains as we left home, green everywhere you looked.
The air in Alexandria where we met Ben and Jade for a drink stung my nostrils – acrid.
Here where we’re staying tonight before pushing on south is high density living. I can hear neighbors through the walls. […]

Remote

Remote

I’m not talking about an object to control electronic equipment, I’m talking about living at a distance from amenities.
I had a terrible shock last year when I needed to travel from Mitchells Island to Byron Bay to teach in the yoga therapy course. I found out I couldn’t fly there directly. No, I needed to fly to Sydney first.
Another year has rolled around. I’m wanting to get up to Byron again for the same course and encountering similar travel difficulties. I can take the train, but that takes about four hours longer than the drive. […]

Be Careful (To Appreciate) What You Wish For

Be Careful (To Appreciate) What You Wish For

Rain. Over the weeks, I’ve been working fairly hard at attracting rain to our garden, if extreme longing works to bring on precipitation.
Apart from a little respite that opened up this arvo, we’ve been sheltering indoors, eating and drinking hot beverages. Sadly, I haven’t been able to show our visitors around the pretty spots of Mitchells Island. I’ve waited so long to show off our favourite places.
On the other hand, in that 15 minute window of abatement in the drizzle, I saw the garden looking so happy, and all of the neighbourhood sparkling in the wet. […]

Yoga Camp

Yoga Camp

One of the most important ways to cultivate a feeling of community among yogis is for them to participate in a yoga retreat, whether it’s for just a weekend or for a week. It’s a privilege and a pleasure to be able to get away from the daily grind and immerse yourself in undistracted yoga practice, preferably in a peaceful, natural setting.
A popular venue for staging yoga retreats of Sydney Yoga Centre and Simply Yoga was out west of Sydney, between Richmond and Kurrajong, a place called Camp Berringa. […]

Everyday Miraculous

Everyday Miraculous

This quote came in my email this morning, from Angelika’s North Sydney Yoga Centre newsletter.
“For a long time it had seemed to me that life was about to begin – real life. But there was always some obstacle in the way, something to be gotten through first, some unfinished business, time still to be served, a debt to be paid. Then life would begin. […]

Unwanted Fat

Unwanted Fat

Six years ago I lost five kilos. I don’t know where they went. Like yours perhaps, they were the niggley five that I had wanted to shed for years, so I didn’t miss them. Of course we never lose weight from exactly where we want. I’m sure my derriere and thighs are pretty much the same size as ever. One of the many annoying things that happens with ageing is gaunt. You happily lose weight but unexpected hollows appear, or extra skin. Gravity, too, over the years may have deleterious effects on parts of your anatomy. […]

So Many Things to Worry About

So Many Things to Worry About

Some of my friends don’t read newspapers or watch the news because it’s all bad. I wouldn’t go as far as avoidance but I do filter what I read. Hey, I used to hang out with  journalists, so I know what a beat-up is.
Gym memberships are likely to increase as a result of advice given in the Sydney Morning Herald Spectrum “Health and Well-Being” section. In a piece written on “sarcopenia” (muscle loss) resulting from ageing, we are told that a 60 year-old may have lost up to 40% of their muscle mass. […]

Puppy Training

Puppy Training

With even the best intentions, it’s hard to be a good person all the time – or even a lot of the time. Years ago when my husband Daniel and I were relatively new in our relationship, I resolved that I would clear up any bad feelings I had toward him as soon as possible and certainly not go to sleep on them. I’ve done well with that self-promise. Not necessarily because of being such a wise woman, but because it’s more painful to be out of love with him than in love. […]

Yama & Niyama

Yama & Niyama

About six years ago one of my beautiful yoga teacher trainees from Nature Care College designed these posters for me. Her name is Hui Yi and she’s from Malaysia. I thought her images were too great not to be shared with a wider audience. […]