Recently, I spent 10 days studying Buddhist meditation with nuns from the Tibetan tradition in a monastery just outside Kathmandu. Yes, I was also confused about the fact there are nuns in a monastery but it is the 21st Century after all. These wonderful women taught me many things, not just through their words but... Continue Reading →
Yin Yoga: Can you bear your own silence?
Sweat trickles down the back of my neck in the midday sun. My leg starts to tremble. I can't have been here for more than 2 minutes but it feels like an eternity. The sensation in the front of my right thigh has grown from small ember to throbbing blaze and my mind is screaming... Continue Reading →
Everyday Mindfulness: A Month of Zen
What image springs to mind when you think of yoga? Probably a young, skinny woman contorting into strange shapes suspended in Lycra, right? It's moved on from the wacky new-age hippy stereotype and now it's totally cool for ‘regular’ and ‘respectable’ people to sport power suit by day and Lululemon by night. Personally, I think... Continue Reading →
Why do we practice yoga? A modern take on the eight limbs
My first yoga class was at a gym when I was 15. I’ll be honest, I came out thinking ‘well, that wasn’t really exercise and that lady was a bit too hippy-dippy for my liking. Maybe I’ll try pilates. Or Kickboxing.’ When I was at university a friend invited me along to another class -... Continue Reading →