The Yoga Suits Her 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.
iPad-masana: An Apple A Day
If you happen to have an iPad, or get to a chance to look at Yoga Suits Her on one, you might just like it. Because it looks fab. I take no credit. […]
The Art of Yoga Adjustments
A couple of years ago, I wrote an e-book with accompanied with an audio c.d. called The Art of Adjustment. It’s basically a manual for yoga teachers, trainees and keen students. I’m sorry to say the book has languished on the Live Yoga Life site where it is for sale, possibly because I retired from teaching in Sydney not long after it was launched. Well, launched is a rather grand word for what happened. Appeared might better describe its debut. […]
Refreshing Your Savasana
When I teach the yoga relaxation in winter’s chilly temperatures, I see students getting into their lying down positions, pulling socks and jumpers on, and wrapping themselves up in blankets as tight as mummies. Of course we want to keep warm but not at the risk of creating a tense and resistant position.
Here’s some guidelines for teachers to follow in giving their students the optimum set-up for a deep relaxation:
1. Use a folded blanket like a pillow to support the neck and head. Especially with lower backache or sciatica, use a bolster under the knees.
2. […]
Steering by Starlight
The idea of creating our Mitchells Island community of three couples, living in a beautiful home of our design, was hatched about 7-1/2 yrs. ago. The six of us were fairly accomplished at creating a vision and then fulfilling it. I think our project was successful, in some measure, because we harnessed the powerful synergistic energy of the group.
I taught vision-making as part of The Professional Yoga Teacher course at Nature Care College for 10 years. I still hear from trainees who created their 5 year plan and then manifested it. […]
Food for Thought
While in Sydney I came across some useful reading I wanted to share with anyone who is interested in healthy habits , and specifically around eating.
“The Seven Kinds of Hunger” is a chapter from the excellent book Mindful Eating by Jan Chozen Bays, M.D.
In it the author describes why we feel like eating and suggests that if we can tune into the kind of hunger we are experiencing, we can approach eating in an appropriate, mindful way.
Here are the seven:
* Eye hunger – I had an experience of this type of hunger last night when we went […]
The Purpose of Yama and Niyama
When I first learned yoga and for many years, I knew nothing of the yama and niyama. I didn’t know that they are actually stepping stones in the practice of yoga.
With the popularity of hatha yoga these days, it’s common for students to do asanas hoping to make their bodies strong. However, hatha yoga is just one of the eight limbs of the tree, which includes yama and niyama.
The point I made in yesterday’s post is that progress is futile if one’s inner life isn’t evolving. […]
In Good Conscience
Oh, how I hate to bust myself. Not as difficult as standing still in a fire ant hill, but still awfully uncomfortable.
Without going into a lot of detail, today I felt some strong emotions and spoke them, tinged as they were with just a smattering of blame. Almost immediately I regretted what I’d said and then had a job to mop up. […]
Out of Your Head
One of the really good reasons to get out of your head and into your body is that is where all your senses are. There are so many things in the world to appreciate through sense of smell, taste, hearing, sight and touch if only we’re awake in our senses to enjoy them.
Today I went to the beach for a walk, even though there was a mean westerly wind blowing and the chill factor was high. […]
Kid's Yoga
Back when I was a girl – 27 yrs. old – I was lucky to find a yoga class of any kind. Yoga was a very fringe happening in those days of hootenannies and the Beatles’ magical tour with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi.
These days we can find a yoga program for every season and reason – one of the most popular niches being yoga for children.
At a recent yoga conference I attended, a panelist whose topic was “Yoga of the Future” brought out a group of kids to do a demonstration of their poses for us. […]
Lullaby Land
The other night I woke up at 3 in the morning and couldn’t get back to sleep, a relatively rare occurrence for me. My mind started firing, after having been in lullaby land, and didn’t want to shut up.
Have you noticed how time expands when you’re awake in the middle of the night? It’s said: A sleepless night is as long as a year. The mind keeps buzzing as sleep recedes more and more.
If sleeplessness is a regular event in your world, there are some sensible routines called “sleep hygiene” you might put in place. […]
Letter to a Hip Arthritis Sufferer Who Does Yoga
Today I received an email from a correspondent facing the prospect of hip surgery after many years of managing his symptoms with yoga. I thought that since many who read this blog are yoga teachers and trainees, or maybe have osteoarthritis themselves, they might benefit from my publishing the letter here.
Dear Joe,
Where do you live? Hopefully somewhere where you can find a good orthopaedic surgeon, hospital and rehab centre – all of which you’ll need for a successful hip replacement. […]
Back Saver
So great to be home again….We encountered no less than 5 rainbows on the journey back as we were showered on intermittently. At this moment, our property is green as springtime and as wet as the washing on the line – beautiful!
The following maybe not be exactly a lifesaver, but is certainly a back saver, after 8 hours in the car over a two day period…. […]
Sydney Shock
A four hour drive from Mitchells Island to the Sydney CBD. In the rain. The last 30 minutes of which we were navigating one-way streets and bus/taxi lanes in the city, unable to negotiate a turn into the Jamison Street location of our lodging.
How one deals with the strangle of city traffic is the true test of whether one has polished one’s character enough not to snarl at one’s partner who is flummoxed by high-rise interference with the usually reliable TomTom and iPhone GPS.
Testing one’s spiritual capital with sharp words and raised voices, admittedly on both sides. […]
Good Bearing
One of the things yogis can congratulate themselves on is good posture. I’ve been singled out in crowds because of my straight back – a good signature for a yoga teacher….
No matter how hard you’ve worked your forward and backward bends, there comes a time when you have to work that much harder just because of advancing years. […]
The "D" Word
Doing yoga practice is one of the most beautiful activities I do. […]
Yogini Gallery
Mandy Geddes
Marian McNaught
Angelika Knorzer […]
Connections
This weekend I have a Sydney visitor, Lesley, staying with us. She and I go way back to the mid-nineties days of Sydney Yoga Centre. I learned something about living in community from seeing how Lesley enjoyed being part of a communal household with Sue Biggs and Alan Lovell. I taught all of them, plus a few others, at their home for several years. […]
Easter Renewal
Here’s a relaxation for your Easter break, a time when you hopefully
have a little more time to renew yourself. You might want to record this “script” for your iPod or iPhone so you can make the words your own.
Relax your eyes and forehead. Allow the skin on your forehead to drop towards your eyes, your eyebrows release out to your temples, and the skin on your temples drop to the back of your skull. […]
Stop and Smell….
I have such a privileged life. On this day in April 2011 at 10 pm on Mitchells Island, NSW, it is quiet, the weather is temperate and autumnal, and we have a houseful of dear friends.
Things can change in a flash, and they certainly do. […]
Not Sitting, Moving
I’ve discovered I spend way too much time at the computer. This might surprise you, as I am a yoga teacher. I should know better and do better.
It takes me 30-60 minutes to compose a post for this blog. Snappy and short as they are, they take some crafting. […]