The Buddha said, ‘There are only two mistakes one can make along the road to truth – not going all the way, and not starting.’
Some time ago, when my life was going bumpety-bump, I made a commitment to telling the truth – well, as much as I knew how at the time. In other words, ‘going all the way’. It’s not that up until that moment, I was a liar. I guess I was just like most of us. […]
Workshops on adjusting students in yoga poses are rare and especially when they are taught by an old hand 🙂 If you happen to be in the northern rivers area or Queensland over the Queen’s Birthday weekend, you might want to attend this event. […]
In my mindfulness meditation practice the other morning, I had the experience of being in the moment – for a moment. In that ten minute period of sitting, I might have had three ‘being in the here and now’ moments. […]
Oh dear!
As I edited this post, what stood out in the first paragraphs were all the I’s I used to get my thoughts across. I just don’t know how to write without being personal! It’s a style for which I can forgive myself, and hopefully you will, too.
I don’t pretend to be enlightened in any shape or form. Being a yoga teacher doesn’t mean you are immune to any of the frailties and suffering of humankind. In fact, you might just end up like me being even more sensitive to them. […]
This week I dropped my Monday night class from my timetable of teaching at The Yoga Shed. I thought long and hard about stopping a class I’d been teaching for 4 years on Mitchells Island. I can scarcely believe that I’ve taught in a Monday night time slot going back to the mid-eighties.
I began teaching this class during a dark, cold winter when there was only one other regular student besides my loyal husband. […]
What kind of person would enrol for a course called, ‘Midwifeing Death’*?
As it turns out, I am that sort of person.
Not only did I not hesitate to sign up for the course, but I did so without fully comprehending what it might involve.
I do know that death and dying are happening all around us every moment of every day, but as I live my busy life, I scarcely notice. […]
Why do I do it? Why do I watch a television series about not-so-nice people doing things that are definitely not nice. It could simply be a fascination for the shadowy, seamy part of life, but it could also be because the programming is excellent. And, sometimes the shows I watch stimulate my thinking about the way humans behave.
For instance, watching an episode of True Detective last week, I heard the cynical protagonist intone, “This is a world where nothing is solved… time is a flat circle. […]
I learned a new word recently. Well, actually an old word with a new slant. This was an exciting experience for a word collector like me.
I went to see my doctor to see about an outer ear irritation that had been troublesome for 5 or 6 days, and she told me that the problem looked like it had resolved. Apart from feeling somewhat of a hypochondriac, I was intrigued by her use of resolved. […]
Around our house we are septuagenarians and sexagenarians who love yoga and do it regularly. The five of us have also been doing yoga for a combined total of about 150 years. Because of our enthusiasm for the discipline of yoga, it doesn’t even feel like a sacrifice to get up in the morning to practice.
This week when we were all out in the Yoga Shed at 7 to 8:45 in the morning, practice was even more enjoyable. We were participating in a six-day ‘intensive’ and joined for it by nine other enthusiasts. […]
When I wake up in the morning and look out at our rural views, I automatically think, ‘Another perfect day in paradise.’ But it’s not ‘another’ day. It’s today. It’s now, and the truth is that there’s much that’s changed in the landscape if I look more closely. For instance, I see that our local king tides have filled the channel between Scotts Creek and our nest door property.
Daniel and I do our mindfulness meditation practice, much as we did yesterday and the day before. […]
A very long time ago, 44 years to be exact, I started a personal yoga practice, and pretty much since then, I’ve kept it up.
I admit that my enthusiasm for doing regular practice has ebbed and flowed along the way. Hey, I’m only human. But I can say unequivocally that I’m grateful to have made yoga my life companion.
On this brand spanking new first day of 2014, I’m wondering if perhaps you may have resolved to do more yoga, maybe even regular practice?
You know that I’m going to recommend it. […]
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Like me, you might be feeling a trifle too full in your tummy after Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day repasts of turkey, ham, seafood and pudding. Perhaps these have been washed down with beer, champagne, wine and liqueur? And, there’s still New Year’s eve and Day to face!
The stomach is a special organ. […]
“Most people could do with more relaxation, not more stimulation,” naturopath Sandra Villella is quoted as saying in the weekend Sydney Morning Herald Spectrum.
In an article about the new ‘relaxation’ drinks, Villella was addressing the issue of whether these drinks can deliver what they advertise. If you haven’t encountered these products, look for the Australian versions called “Koala Karma”, “EverydaySunday”, and “bChill”. […]
I love yoga and I love my yoga practice.
I often hear from people that they would like to be able to do home practice but somehow they never quite get there. Maybe this describes your experience. You might have bought all the yoga gear, dvd’s, YogaAnywhere practice cards, books, but ended cup only doing self-practice for a short time. […]
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If you’ve been patting yourself on the back because you are advancing so admirably in your personal development, it probably won’t be very long before you get tested. It may happen that you develop a disagreement with a friend, or, you feel hassled by your employer, or your kids throw a hissy fit. It’s often those people closest to you, and usually the ones you love the most, who will really get to you. […]
Recent studies show that one of the best ways to stay mentally fit and enjoy a long life is to exercise regularly.
Is a program of asana-based yoga enough to encourage optimum health? Well, that probably depends on whether a component of your practice is aerobic. […]
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News flash: the holidays are coming!
Whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah or just a big nosh up picnic on the beach with friends and family, the time for festive assemblages is rapidly approaching.
There will be shopping for gifts. There will be parties at work and clubs, and lunches and dinners. […]
I’ve recently been experiencing A Rough Patch.
This is the week when Roma Blair died, age 90. She was considered the mother of yoga in Australia; she taught and inspired thousands of students over the years with her verve and commitment to well-being through yoga.
Much less known than Roma, my brother-in-law Jack passed away at 75 years old in California, leaving Becca without her beloved partner. […]
The other night we were sitting around having a discussion about what it takes to be vulnerable. The guys had been at their men’s group meeting and vulnerability had been the theme of the night. We continued exploring the topic when they came home. I loved it. I felt close to these men who I know so well, as they explored the defences that keep them stitched up behind their public images.
In case you haven’t noticed, being honest and open, being intimate, being yourself, showing up warts and all, have become thrusts of the New Yoga. […]
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The definition of yoga is union. Everyone knows that. Yoga is about cultivating a feeling, a being with, all that is – sentient beings, the planet and the universe. But, let’s face it, in our busy lives, we don’t always practice this aim of yoga.
Happily, at the same time yoga popularity has swept the globe, outreach programs are proliferating, too, as a way of practising connection with others. Witness Sean Corn’s extraordinary activism work with ‘Yoga Off the Mat Into the World’ and B.K.S. […]