The Life we Lead

The Shedders and the Power of Vision Planning

The Shedders and the Power of Vision Planning

Are you good at vision planning?
I think that I’m pretty good at planning for the future. Perhaps planning is an inherited trait. Either you are or you aren’t. There are those of us who plan from when we open our eyes in the morning to when we close them at night. (It’s possible that planning is going on even in our dreams.)
For me, the bad thing about planning is when I overdo it. It can squeeze the life out of any spontaneity and fun.
The good thing is that planning can lead to getting what you want. […]

When the Temperature is Hot, Do Cool Yoga

When the Temperature is Hot, Do Cool Yoga

Regarding yoga practice, when the temperature is hot in the extreme, do you go to ground? I’ve learned that you don’t necessarily need to skip your yoga practice. Just do cool yoga.
In Australia now, we are experiencing a summer where the atmosphere is heavy with humidity and heat. It’s not as humid here in NSW as it is in the buildup to ‘The Wet’ of our tropical north. […]

That Wise Old Guy: Leonard Cohen

That Wise Old Guy: Leonard Cohen

Several years ago I saw Leonard in concert in the Hunter Valley. He must have done similar performances countless times around the world. And, his audiences would have known almost every word of his songs. Yet, when I saw him, he and his musicians performed in a manner utterly fresh. All of the music to the highest standard.
But what stood out for me were Leonard’s humility and his presence.
He frequently and warmly acknowledged his band and backing singers. We came for him, but by the end, we loved them, too.
Well into seventies, Leonard seemed as flexible as a young yogi. He got down on his knees to defer to his old guitarist. He skipped on and off stage. He bowed often and reverently.

2016: An Astonishing Array of Desert Flowers

2016: An Astonishing Array of Desert Flowers

We didn’t plan it. Actually, we’ve done remarkably little planning on this our 4-month odyssey around the eastern half of Australia.
But we lucked out!
Apparently the central and southern desert regions of the Northern Territory have had more than their fair share of rain this year–i.e., the whole year’s precipitation to date.
So almost everywhere you look there are sprays and bouquets and even meadows of flowers. […]

Mother Love: Let Me Count the Ways

Mother Love: Let Me Count the Ways

My Women’s GroupOn Mother’s Day, as I write this post, I’m full of happy memories from the reunion that I shared with my women’s group last week.Let me tell you a little about us.Everyone of our group is a mother and some are grandmothers. Everyone loves their progeny fiercely and has been through all the ups and downs that come with being a mother.We get together once a year and come from all over the place–Broome, Canberra, Sydney, Melbourne, Mitchells Island and Adelaide. We value this time together that we carve out of our busy lives. […]

A New Sangha of Yoga Teachers

A New Sangha of Yoga Teachers

A bright ideaOne thing I thought of earlier this year was getting local yoga teachers together for a once-a-month practice. The idea I had was that we teachers would come together with one individual leading a yoga practice, and that that person would nominate the venue. Well, it’s happened. So far, we’ve met three times with an average of six of us at each practice. It’s been a great success, not the least seeing each others’ yoga studios. We meet early…7:30 am for an hour and a half practice and afterwards go out for breakfast. […]

Balance and Sustainability: Yoga Helps

Balance and Sustainability: Yoga Helps

A human body cannot continually be pushed, with the pendulum swinging widely between extreme behaviours. Maintaining a sense of well-being for as long as possible is only really likely if we can opt as much as possible for the middle ground during our lives and seek balance in all things.

Is There a Fountain of Youth? Yoga and Longevity

Is There a Fountain of Youth? Yoga and Longevity

When I was 27, I discovered yoga. I thought that this ancient system would help me defeat disease and old age. Of course, I now know this view was terribly naive and ultimately fallacious. But because both of my parents had died young from heart problems, I wanted to find a guaranteed way to live a long, healthy life.

Summer Solstice Yoga: A Specialised Practice

Summer Solstice Yoga: A Specialised Practice

Chill out at the Summer SolsticeBecause the solstice occurs just twice a year, it is a special event. That means it deserves a specialised yoga practice.In the southern hemisphere, we’re approaching the summer solstice. The living is easy, breezy and expansive. You just naturally want to be out of doors. Even better if you can have an ocean dip.The other night the prospect of a beach picnic called to us. […]

Eveyoga: Yesteryear and Today

Eveyoga: Yesteryear and Today

Celebrate a birthday or two with meEve yoga is where you’ll find the Yoga Suits Her blog; on January 1st 2016, she will enjoy her sixth birthday. I want to share with you another birthday. Saturday I turned 71 years old. To celebrate, I thought I’d show you a few yoga pics from the distant past, not-so-distant past, and the present. I dug through stacks of old photos from 1980 to present day to find this selection. My albums include pics of some of my old students, as well. […]

Hot Weather Yoga: Do Flop-asanas!

Hot Weather Yoga: Do Flop-asanas!

In the heat, keep your brain cool
One of the definitions of the word ‘flop’ is to fail at an endeavour. Another meaning for the word is to crumble or collapse. Flop-asanas are not poses that you do and then you fail; nor are they done simple by flopping over soft props. Rather, they are supported poses that help you open up your chest and your breathing when the hot weather becomes stifling. […]

Too Many Yoga Teacher Trainings?

Too Many Yoga Teacher Trainings?

There’s a lot of controversy in the yoga world about the quality of yoga teacher trainings right now. It was inevitable. The explosion in the popularity of yoga has meant that not only do more people want to do yoga but more want to teach it. So, we see the proliferation of yoga brands with the various ‘styles’ offering their own spin on yoga teacher training. There are short courses, long courses, on-line courses, part-time, diplomas, advanced diplomas, and I don’t know what-all.For my part, I have a teaching certificate from Martyn Jackson (1980), another from B.K.S. […]

The Gallery Door Closes on Yoga

The Gallery Door Closes on Yoga

Yoga is an art. As art belongs in a gallery, so does Yoga!I wrote the above candid caption as part of a promotion for the exciting new yoga classes I’d been invited to teach at the Manning Regional Art Gallery in Taree. I love this special gallery, a community resource for countless people, and I adore yoga. What could be better than putting the two together? Over these last two years, the classes proved to be popular. […]

What are Shedders and What do They Do?

What are Shedders and What do They Do?

For the seventh time this year, and over past years, too, I’ve been featured in the media.
Is this because I’m a celebrity yoga teacher? Not at all… Even though one of these media exposures was a full page interview of me in Focus Magazine to promote the upcoming Ekam Yoga Festival.
Most of my renown has happened because my housemates and I have become the darlings of how-to-do-retirement-better media coverage.

Professional Development for Yogis

Professional Development for Yogis

Professional Development for Yoga TeachersLast week I submitted details and documents to Yoga Australia (association) that support the professional development I’ve completed in the period July 1, 2014 till now. This is the method whereby I maintain my status as a senior yoga teacher in this organisation.You can’t get away from P.D. No matter what field you are in these days, you must keep up with your profession. […]

Chase the Rain Blues Away with Yoga

Chase the Rain Blues Away with Yoga

Enough Already!Extropical cyclones, low pressure troughs, East Coast lows, whatever you call them, they all have the potential for giving us the rain blues. On the eastern seaboard of Australia, and even inland, we’ve had record-breaking rainfalls this autumn. What’s a yogi to do to keep his or her spirits up? A specialised yoga practice, of course! You want to do a sequence to balance your energy and dispel any negative moods. When the humidity has been high for a period of time, it creates excess dampness. […]

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