The Yoga with Eve Grzybowski Blog
I’ve been blogging for 15 years now. At first, I was quite nervous about publishing my thoughts. Because I was shy about writing, my old posts were almost exclusively photos of the view from our bedroom in our Tambourine Bay house.
Remarkably, my original Ville Blog still exists. Does anything on the internet ever go away? It ran from November 05, 2006 to January 12, 2010 and it’s still just where I left it. If you’d like to have a look, the address is http://thevilleblog.blogspot.com.au/.
These days, because there are way too many YSH posts to browse through-over 1200-I’ve put some major themes together in The Vault. I hope this makes it easier to find exactly what you want.
"Good at Any Age"
I hope you will allow me a little whinge. I’ve been keeping it to myself for a while but I think it’s about time now to vent a bit.
This is my complaint: I’m tired of the media image of yoga that shows youngish, pretty women (and sometimes attractive youthful men) doing advanced poses in designer clothing.
There. It’s out. […]
Yogis 'Commun-ifying' in The Bay
I’ve extolled the virtues of community in these blog posts over the years, and I’m sure to keep doing it, as I think that the way kindred spirits come together is a magical thing.
What is it that we humans find so enticing about the experience of joining for a common purpose? I think it is that we have an opportunity to let down our defences a little, and in the process of doing just that, we are immediately closer to others. […]
Do Your Homework and Then Let Go!
I’m looking forward to teaching a workshop in Corlette in beautiful Port Stephens (NSW) on Sunday sponsored by Nikki Schilling of Yoga Sphere.
I tend to be well-prepared for a seminar that I’m leading. […]
Yoga Prepares You for Singing Out!
I joined a choir when I moved to the country three and a half years ago. I don’t think of myself as a singer. I don’t sing in the shower. I don’t remember lyrics or which band recorded what album. However, I love music.
Now I’ve discovered that when I’m carried along on the wings of my choir, I can sing. I’m probably not going to do any solos soon, and I still don’t sing in the shower, but with our regular weekly choir practice, I’ve become better. […]
How is a Blank Page Like a Vacant Yoga Mat?
A couple of years ago, in writing about difficulties of creating a post almost daily, I said, ‘A new post is like a blank Word document or a fresh sheet of paper – a tabula rasa – exciting for its very spaciousness.’ But the vacant page is also intimidating because of its very emptiness.
I’ve learned from 7 years of blogging that, when the Muse smiles on me, there is a happy co-incidence of interesting ideas and great writing technique. […]
Mother's Day on Kangaroo Island
We’ve just celebrated Mother’s Day this last Sunday, and I believe it was for me one of the most satisfying I’ve experienced.
First of all, I was on Kangaroo Island, spending 4 days in the company of 6 other women who are known for their wisdom, spunkiness and joie de vie. Our ages range from 40’s to late 70’s, so there are grandmothers and grandmothers-to-be in the mix.
Secondly, we women like to set up meaningful rituals, and on this Mother’s Day occasion, sitting around after dinner, we each shared about our mothers. […]
Good Yoga Practice: Time Out for Renewal
One of the beautiful things about living in the country and being ‘semi-retired’ is that I have ample time to connect with people.
Sitting down with a cuppa to chat with a friend and not having time constraints – the conversation can go in unexpected directions. Instead of handling business or talking about what one of you needs from the other, you can just let content emerge organically, if you will.
Tomorrow I’m flying to South Australia, then to magnificent Kangaroo Island, to meet up with six dear women friends. […]
'Nothing Like a Deadline'
I’ve been spending time with a friend who has a rare kind of cancer. Her doctor’s prognosis is that she has 12 months to live. With that prediction in mind, she has decided to forego the recommended protocol of chemotherapy and just live her life to the utmost.
How is it possible that people I know, those who are dear to me, and those who are younger than I, can die? It seems impossible. That is because death is usually kept at arm’s length. […]
When in Doubt, Reboot
My husband and I share the same office, a rather small one at that. Our desks face in different directions, but it’s easy for me to toss questions over my shoulder at him. […]
How Old is Old?
In our household of six people, the average age is 66-2/3 yrs. […]
Yoga for a Strong Immune System (and flu shots for insurance)
zaraillustrates.tumblr.com via Pinterest
Monday I saw my doctor for a flu shot. […]
Eve’s Legs-Up-the-Wall Video
With some encouragement, I’ve dipped my toe in the water of yoga video production. Here’s the first of what will be a series of how-to-use-props for yoga poses, especially for a restorative effect.
Here at the Yoga Shed, I have the reputation for being the Prop Queen. I’ve introduced many of the locals to the wonders of being propped up in poses as diverse as shoulder stand (sarvangasana) and bridge pose (setu bandhasana).
Skeptical, Open and Receptive, or Somewhere In Between?
I caught myself eavesdropping on a compelling conversation at the hairdresser’s this afternoon. In short, a woman was talking about having held a séance at her home where a few supernatural events occurred. For one thing, the table at which the group sat moved across the room.
I think your ears would have perked up, too. These days, with the proximity of our phone cameras, skeptics can demand photo proof, and, in fact, this woman had taken a pic of the displaced table. […]
7 Habits – Just Good Yoga Practice
In 1992 I stumbled on a book called Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey. […]
We ♥ Our Yoga Bolsters
Years ago when I opened my north shore yoga studio, I ran a couple of beginners courses so I could start the slow process of developing a whole new core of students.
I’ve done this a few times, starting all over in a new location – training up a new crop. After Beginners 1, the students graduate to Beginners 2, and eventually may go on to intermediate, advanced, and even teacher training.
For some students, their first contact with yoga is a revelation. […]
Should We Be Left to Our Devices?
How much is life passing us by because of our love affair with screens and devices? Probably more than we want to know, and it’s a question that Google can’t actually answer.
The classic cartoon above, created by Micheal Leunig with great prescience, sums up the situation. And it was published even before iPads and such were a glimmer in Apple’s eye.
Here’s an interesting statistic from this week’s SMH Good Weekend Magazine: On average a US household includes five internet-connected devices (smartphones, tablets, TVs, etc.). […]
Yoga: When the Phone is Ringing, It Helps You Connect
Judy is in a rehabilitation centre at the moment ‘finding her legs’, as she is 15 days out from double hip replacement surgery. She is a veteran yogi and also trained as a yoga teacher, and probably has about 35 years of Iyengar yoga under her belt.
Judy’s doing another kind of training now with the physiotherapists at Hunters Hill Private Hospital. […]
Yoga Manifesto and Absolution
I love it when students tell me that because of attending yoga classes they’ve become inspired to do some practice on their own at home. We’ve designed the yoga anywhere practice cards for that ex press reason.
I love it when yoga clicks with people and they want to attend yoga classes regularly and often.
And I love it when a keen student decides they want to teach yoga and embarks on yoga teacher training to get qualified.
But I also don’t mind if you have no interest in any of the above. […]
Cutting Back Those Tiny Twinges
Out of all the thousands of poses in the world, how do you know which of them to practice.
Or, if you’re a yoga teacher, how do you know what to teach?
Of course, it depends on many of variables, the most important one being, read your body. Another indicator is read the seasons.
At the moment we’ve been doing summer gardening – especially cutting back weeds and hauling full wheelbarrows of them for disposal. […]
W.A.I.T. – Why Am I Talking?
Let’s talk about talking. You know the great Aussie expression, ‘he could talk under water’, or even better, ‘he could talk under wet cement.’
Loquacious individuals can be entertaining at times, but they can also be as exhausting as a spin class at the gym. […]