Blog

…..following our exploration of the kleshas in class here is an excellent article by Bo Forbes, a clinical psychologist and yoga teacher… Of the many crisis calls I’ve received, one in particular stands out. A good friend had awakened one morning to a note on her pillow: Her husband was leaving her for another woman.… Continue reading The Awakening

A little while back I published some notes on one of Brene Brown’s lectures on vulnerability, and wanted to share some more thoughts with you about another of her lectures that has helped me enormously with my own recent struggles. Brene Brown describes herself as a “Shame Researcher” and has spent many years exploring the… Continue reading Listening to Shame.

…..if you have not come across the TED talks you are missing out on a treat, they are free talks broadcast via the TED website from speakers across many disciplines….Brene Brown talks openly and passionately about her experience of exploring vulnerability, leading her to reclaim her own vulnerability after having a nervous breakdown. After I… Continue reading Brene Brown TED talk on vulnerability

Yoga and Depression By Michelle Chand “Rest in natural great peace this exhausted mind, beaten helpless by karma and neurotic thoughts, like the relentless fury of the pounding waves in the infinite ocean of samsara.” Khempo Jamyang Dorje The practice of backbends in yoga can be very uplifting, energising, challenging, exhilarating, and at times even… Continue reading The Pondering Yogini – Yoga and Depression

…following our theme of resistance, here are the words from last weeks class…….from John Kabbat Zinn… Letting go means just what it says. It is an invitation to cease clinging to anything – whether it be an idea, a thing, an event, a particular time, or view, or desire. It is a conscious decision to… Continue reading Letting Go

..over the last couple of weeks we have been looking at what happens to us when we meet with resistance both on and off the mat. Here is an article by Sally Kempton entitled “Free Yourself” which I found very helpful in my own life….. Free Yourself By Sally Kempton Giselle liked the way meditation… Continue reading Free Yourself

In class we will be exploring the balance between flexibility and strength, and why it is that both of these elements need to be present in our practice to maintain good health. Rather than bamboozle you with lots of technical jargon in class (though I will be touching on some of this stuff so read… Continue reading Why can’t we all do the box splits?

Here is an article by one of my favourite writers/yoga teachers Judith Hanson Lasater on the subject of the Yamas that we have been looking at in class over the past few weeks Beginning the Journey By Judith Hanson Lasater Patanjali, the author of the Yoga Sutra written some two centuries after the life of… Continue reading Studying The Yamas

…here are the words from last weeks classes, my thoughts on AHIMSA: to cause no harm….. Yoga is a choice: to live positively. To take care of the body, to become reacquainted with the breath to step off the merry go round of stress that is driven by our ego, our ignorance, our attachment to… Continue reading The Pondering Yogini – Ahimsa

..continuing our theme of bringing ourselves into line with the slower rhythm of nature that comes with the deepening Autumn, here is a short article by Niika Quistgard entitled “Gotta Lotta Vata”, that may be of interest to you xx Michelle As the cool chill of winter descends, do you find yourself more anxious, flighty,… Continue reading Aggravated Vata energy