Are you a lover of books? I am and I have been forever, since I was a wee sprout. There’s nothing better than a novel that you can sink your teeth in on holidays or at bedtimes for winding down before sleep.
I went for many years reading every Self-help Book I could get my hands on, and some of them I actually did find helpful: Women Who Love Too Much, Addiction to Perfection, The Road Less Traveled, Owning Your Own Shadow, and many more. […]
I’ve been watching an amazing television series called ‘Frozen Planet’, narrated by the incomparable David Attenborough. The series in the main presents stunning film of areas that are considered the last frontiers of our planet – the Arctic and Antarctica. Wildlife and marine life are shown in all the glory of their natural habitats; as inhospitable as these climes seem to us, they are where these creatures have survived for hundreds of years. […]
I adore living in the country. There are always surprises. Things that you have never seen before. Just at this moment there’s a big galah in our bird feeder which is shaped like a wire cage and way too small for the creature to get into the seed at the bottom. Nevertheless, he’s trying, and a rather funny-looking bird seems even odder with half of him in and half out. Earlier today, I walked down to our wetland which is rapidly drying out as the La Nina pattern swings to El Nino. […]
One of the first balancing poses a beginner in yoga is introduced to is vrshkasana (tree pose). Free-standing on one leg is certainly a challenge to a beginner’s sense of balance, and that’s a useful thing to work on. Of course your teacher will say, ‘find a focal point on the floor in front of you, so that focus will help you stay steady in the pose.’ That is concentration and it will help your stability. B.K.S. […]
I wonder if you have read Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramahansa Yogananda. It was one of the books that excited me about yoga when I was just learning about the subject 40 years ago. […]
Have you ever been to the beach and taken the opportunity to ’empty out’? That’s what I call it – an exercise in Being, walking along without buying into all the comments that your mind creates, with none of the labelling you do of various phenomena you encounter.
It’s not as easy as it would seem to quiet our senses and mind.
At Mitchells Island Beach yesterday, the first internal conversation my mind came up with was, ‘Gee, I forgot it’s school holidays. Look at how many people are here. […]
In the past I was taught by my yoga teachers that the word pratyahara meant ‘withdrawal of the senses’. You might have gotten this message, too, each time your teacher leads you through the yoga relaxation and says something like, ‘Now still the mind and draw your five senses inwards so they don’t distract you.’ That’s a big ask. […]
I heard of a good reason why it’s hard for us to concentrate on breathing or to meditate. It’s because we don’t really have much experience with staying focussed on just one thing at a time.
For example, I went for a beach walk today and, at the same time, was listening through my head phones to an audiobook. As I drove to the beach, I was thinking about my shopping list. […]
Source: irest.us via Jean on Pinterest
At various junctures in my life, I’ve been ‘forced’ to do more reflective practices. Illness, medical conditions, surgery, even emotional upsets have done that to me – and I have no regrets. I seem to have to learn things the hard way.
During one of these periods in my life, I discovered the healing audio recordings of Richard C. Miller. […]
Source: goo.gl via Alfreda on Pinterest
Once a month I participate in an unusual event. My husband and the other men who belong to his men’s group invite their partners along to their meeting.
I don’t know who thought up the idea of us womenfolk coming along to join in, but I think it’s brilliant. […]
Source: flickr.com via Aaron on Pinterest
My friend Michael went back to Pune, India to do classes at the Ramamani Iyengar Institute a few years ago – his previous visit having been 30 years before.
My impression was that Michael was not overly enthusiastic about the classes he attended; he did, however, receive a great suggestion from one of his classmates. […]
Source: vi.sualize.us via Tiffany on Pinterest
Breathing is one of those things that is just there. Or, is it? Do you always remember to breathe when you’re practising yoga?
It seems to amuse my yoga students when I ask them to breathe – not because I’m trying to be funny but because they recognise it’s so easy to suppress breathing ‘when push comes to shove’. In the effort of attaining a challenging pose, relaxed breathing gets jettisoned.
There are many theories of how to breathe for best results when doing asanas or pranayama. […]