Step inside my mind

Today I am sharing with you some of my recent ponderings.

  1. We could learn a lot from bats

Hanging around at In Sabina, Italy, on the recent ashtanga/yin holiday
Hanging around on an Iyengar swing on the recent ashtanga/yin holiday at In Sabina, Italy

I like being upside down. And I would love an Iyengar swing at home. It could be the norm. We could all hang upside down and natter about our days. We could even sleep upside down! This would avoid duvet wars and accidental encroachment onto the wrong side of the bed (yes, I am settling into a life of co-habitation).

I appreciate that eating meals upside down would be a challenge but our spines would be so long! All that space between vertebrae! I really do love creating space.

  1. Just say no

Those Grange Hill kids were onto something (watch their video). As well as space in our bodies, let’s try and create space in our diaries. It’s easy to fill our time with things that aren’t necessary and don’t serve us. Let’s take a step back and think about our priorities. Who do I really want to spend time with? Will this conversation/coffee/day trip/film about strippers* make me happy?

  1. There’s a time and a place for song lyrics

From an early age I’ve loved music. I never missed Bruno Brooks and his mullet on Radio 1 and I’m one of those people that has a song for everything. I grew up with lots of music in the house and it doesn’t take much for me to burst into song.

A yoga class is not the time for singing pop. But I find it so hard to resist! When I ask students, “how deep is your breath?” I hear the Bee Gees (or Take That) asking about love. When there’s talk of letting go, I’m transported to Disney’s land of ice and Elsa.

 

I say no to singing in class and filling diaries. But I say yes to bats and making space.

What will you say yes to?

 

*Magic Mike XXL is on general release at cinemas across the country. I said no.

YouTube yoga schmoga

hqdefaultNow don’t take this the wrong way but I’m bored.

This week I’ve seen a YouTube film shared on Facebook by a number of people and it just hasn’t inspired me. You know the kind of thing I’m talking about:

Young, fit, athletic, woman in skimpy clothing doing advanced asana in a stunning location accompanied by suitably calm yet inspiring music.

Meh.

There’s no end of debate about the commercialisation of yoga, the sexualisation of yoga and a focus on beauty and the aestheticism of the practice.

“Wow, isn’t she amazing. I wish I had a practice like that. I wish I had a body like that. I like her top…” These films may be viewed by some as inspirational – or indeed aspirational – but I feel they take us away from accepting what is. What is possible in this body today?

Yes, the woman in the film has a stunning practice and it’s obviously taken her many years of dedication and hard work to reach this point. I’m sure she’s faced many hurdles along the way too. And I’ll put my hands up – I’m no stranger to watching yoga porn on YouTube. But give me something I This Girl Canhaven’t seen before. I’m getting so bored.

Give me guys in prison learning how yoga can help them find peace. Give me African kids giving Bikram a run for his money. Give me yoga for people with cancer.

For this reason, the thing I’m choosing to share is This Girl Can: an amazing government advert showing how, in a nutshell, this girl can. It’s honest, refreshing and shows what the average woman looks like when she exercises.

Watch This Girl Can and then watch the YouTube clip I’ve seen on Facebook this week. Then tell me which one makes you feel better.

Alternatively, you could come along to February’s yin yang workshop at All Saints Studios this Saturday. The theme for this month is celebrating imperfection. Visit the workshops page for more details.