Category Archives: Simplify

Ordinary Sacred Moments

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Ordinary Sacred Moments 

I’ve been reflecting on the ordinary… all those little moments in life.

The stuff that life is really made of.

So how do I feel about ordinary?

When I was young I used to run away from it. I wanted big experiences, huge feelings, cathartic releases.

I wanted to achieve great things…

I wanted to be an enlightened yogini, a great writer, an amazing healer, a powerful witch.

But that was over 30 years ago…

And over the years as I learned more about life and psychology and slowly started embody my own body and being, getting grounded and mindfully within the moment – something shifted.

My relationship to ordinary changed.

 

I realised that those ordinary moments have become a real refuge for me – a moment to pause and check within what I’m really feeling and give myself space to honour it; a warm big hug with a person I love; a cup of my favourite earl grey tea early in the morning as I’m sitting in our little conservatory looking into the garden and listening to birds; a smile on a client’s face as they reconnect within and we sit in silence soaking up the moment; a walk by the sea with all those soothing sounds around.

Ordinary moments.
Fully experienced within my body.
Moments of powerful connection inside out.
Powerfully healing for me.

So…

How do you feel about ordinary?
Do you embrace it and make room for it or do you avoid it as much as you can?

I’d love to know.

And if you’d like to join a community of yoginis on #embodiedyoginipath – then come and join us in our free Facebook group: EMBODIED YOGINI Path, where at the moment I’m running a free challenge throughout the whole July.

 

Embracing Yin

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Autumn is happening all around us…

Last Saturday I was outside of Canterbury in a little village in the middle of the fields. It was raining and the hills looked misty. The leaves on the trees started turning red and yellow. It was a great Autumn day. 

And I was with a group of lovely women in a cosy yurt, with a wood burner throwing a warm and soothing light, a soft music playing and a little altar with candles, gift pouches and healing cards in the middle of the room. 

We were gathered for Sacred Pause Day Yoga Retreat. A second one I hosted at the same place. But last time it was summer time and very hot and sunny outside. A completely different experience. 

So…

> we created a circle with our mats and bolsters and got comfortable with blankets and many cushions
> we practiced gentle embodied mindful yoga in the morning and yin/restorative yoga in the afternoon
> we took time to meditate and breath deeply
> we took time to reconnect with our bodies and our inner experience
> we practiced listening deeply to our body’s wisdom 
> we practiced with curiosity and kindness 
> we connected with each other with compassion 
> we did a yin ritual 
> we had lots of warm Yogi and Pukka teas
> we had nutritious vegan lunch and chatted happily

And it was a perfect Autumn day – a day of Yin season. 
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Autumn is a perfect time to embrace more YIN 

Following our Sacred Pause Day Retreat one of the participants send me this note: 
‘Interesting Saturday made me connect with how tired I was, … then in the evening I felt really relaxed and revived! The last 2 nights I have slept really well and started the week refreshed rather than exhausted! So a good start, plus got up 10 mins earlier to do stretches!’

And that’s what Yin offers you when you embrace it..

… when you just let go of constant striving and doing….

… and you lean into the support of Mother Earth and support available around you. 

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Maybe it’s:

  • sinking into your favourite spot on your sofa or armchair, with a good book
  • a warm nourishing cup of tea
  • having a nourishing and healing Thai Yoga Massage 
  • going for a walk in a forest or woods and connecting with Autumn trees full of colour 
  • committing to a weekly nourishing yoga class 
  • taking little breaks during the day and resting more 
  • eating nourishing warm foods 
  • reflecting on how this year has been and letting go of whatever doesn’t work for you any more 

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Yin is a heart medicine 

It’s a feminine soothing energy that heals deeply. Especially in our constantly busy society. 

It allows us to re-connect deeply and find our own rhythm. And live in line with Natures’s rhythm. Just like we are build to do. 

>> SO WHAT CAN YOU DO OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS TO EMBRACE YIN IN YOUR LIFE?

I’d love to know! 

anetai lotus

The Power of Silence – and it’s not what you think

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Students often ask me how they can succeed in their meditation practice. I understand where they are coming from but it shows a simple misunderstanding of what Silence is.

Often students will say ‘I tried very hard to relax and let go but it just wasn’t happening. My mind is too restless today and I can’t settle down.’

Can you force yourself to relax and let go?

Can you push through the busy mind and make it stop or slow down?

We often approach our yoga and mindfulness practice in the same way as we approach our life – setting goals, working towards outcomes and results. We monitor the outcomes closely and track how we are progressing.

It’s great working towards clear outcomes and seeing your progress. In your yoga practice you can see and experience changes happening in your body and it feels liberating and fun. You might be able to touch your toes after practicing for some time, or strengthen your core muscles and sit in Boat pose for 10 breaths, or walk up the stairs without loosing your breath. It feels great to see the results of your work.

But when it comes to mindfulness or meditation practice and being in Silence this approach can cause you a lot of frustration and confusion.

When you practice yoga or meditation you never start where you left off the last time. You experience changes within your body and mind from moment to moment. Some are very obvious, some are much more subtle. You arrive on your mat or cushion afresh every time – it’s a new day, a new moment, and a new experience.

However, your mind can tell you otherwise. It can tell you stories of how everything is the same all the time, how you are not good enough in this moment, how this moment is not right. The chattering of the mind is constant.

And here is the beauty and power of Silence – it offers you an opportunity to get to know yourself better. The stories your mind is telling, your emotional reaction to those stories, the habitual behaviours in reaction to those stories and feelings. The Silence offers you a chance to listen with kindness to the person you are with 24/7 and to build a better relationship with yourself. Would it not make sense to know the person you are with every single moment of your life?

Silence can show you how hard you are on yourself, how tired you are from too much work, how achy you are in your body. It can show you how irregular and shallow your breath is, and how much you are in your head and so little in your body.

Silence can show you also how vulnerable you feel, and how unsupported and stressed you are. It can reveal to you the wisdom that lies within you, your own inner knowing of what is right for you and what you are avoiding or resisting.

Silence can also show you what brings you joy, the warm feelings towards your loved ones, the care and kindness you feel towards others, and love you experience from them. It can show you the moments of ease in body and mind.

Without allowing time for Silence we just run around being busy and focused on getting results, getting more stressed and frustrated, and feeling detached from life happening around us. We forget that we live in our bodies and in this moment.

So yes – plan and work towards clear outcomes, getting great results and creating an abundant life for yourself AND also allow time for Silence in your busy life – that time to slow down and come home into yourself, creating more ease in your mind and body. And then notice how much more connection with self and others you begin to experience in your daily life.

Namaste

Simplify Your Yoga Practice

Simplify Your Yoga Practice

I loved yoga from the first time I tried it at a studio in London 23 years ago. But for years I thought that unless I did an hours practice it was not worth doing and it would not be a ‘real practice’. Consequently due to working full-time as well as teaching at my studio on evenings and weekends, there wasn’t much time left for my yoga practice and I always felt I didn’t have enough time. I felt as though I wasn’t making enough of a commitment. I had this perception that unless I had at least 30 minute slot to practice, there wasn’t much point in rolling out my mat.

It wasn’t until I realised that I could simplify my yoga practice that I started to show up on my mat in a consistent daily way. Interestingly, it was though my deeper experience of Yin Yoga and the teachings of Sarah Powers, which changed my approach to my practice. Practicing yin yoga allowed me to feel more connected in my body, resulting in clearing my mind and settling my emotions. It enabled me to recognise my own patterns of behaviour, especially ‘all or nothing’ attitude. It’s so easy to apply the same ‘rules’ that we apply to our lives in general, with the belief that doing more is better!

My focus is always on how I can simplify what I’m doing – my practice, my life, my business – getting rid of unnecessary clutter, eliminating behaviours that drain me, and developing self-care that really works for me. I know that I needed different self-care at different stages of my life. My self-care needs were different when I worked at the crisis detox centre for drug users in London and are different now that I’m running a yoga wellness studio in Ramsgate. One thing that has remained consistent throughout is my passion for yoga.

I’d like to share some tips that really helped me with my yoga practice:

  1. Mindful check-in – always begin with acknowledging how you are in this moment. Sit down or lay down, check in how you are on the level of your body, heart (emotions) and mind, and then connect fully with your breath.

Being aware of how you are in the moment needs to inform your practice. You will know intuitively what your needs and limits are. It might feel like you want to do a lot of yang practice – strong flowing vinyasa, building the heat and strength in your body; or you might feel tired and in need to self-nourish and build up your energy, thus choosing to do more yin practice – staying in poses for up to 6 minutes, surrendering and letting go, simply experiencing your breath and the moment. Acknowledge how you feel and be gentle and kind with yourself.

  1. Follow your body’s wisdom and move with your breath – move your body, feel it from the inside out, allow yourself to fully experience your body and your breath. Enjoy your body!

Do some more yang poses and movements – sun salutations or vinyasa flow, and some yin poses – sitting or lying down and breathing deeply. More yang or yin – depending on your needs in that moment. Do some forward bends, side bends, back bends, twists and inversions. You can do them standing up, sitting down, lying down or do a combination of those. REMEMBER: practice to bring balance within your body, and move your spine in all directions:

  • Forward bends
  • Side bends
  • Back bends
  • Twists
  • Inversions

Sometimes we tend to focus on what comes easily to us such as forward bends and avoiding practicing the poses that our body would benefit from, such as backbends or inversions.

  1. Close your session with gratitude and intention – rest in Savasana for a few moments. It is the most yin pose out of all yoga poses, so take time to rest and surrender. Afterwards sit up and take a few moments to acknowledge what you are grateful for and what is meaningful in your life. Dedicate your practice to somebody you care about or a cause you strongly believe in.

Closing your practice in a purposeful way allows you to recognise that you showed up today – even if feeling tired or self-critical.

Your whole practice may take 10 minutes or it may take an hour an da half, however if you include those 3 steps – Mindful Check-in, Follow your body’s wisdom and move with your breath, and Closing – you will create your sacred space. It’s in those moments of being alone on your yoga mat that you face yourself fully and can connect deeply with yourself.

Come and join us for some workshops at Ramsgate Yoga Studio or connect with me online.

Namaste

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