Paula

Yoga is relationship Relationship is based on faith Faith dispels our fear Fear is the root of our obstacles Obstacles hinder our growth Growth occurs when there is clarity Clarity comes from our practice of yoga Yoga is relationship – TKV Desikachar

Week One – Start from Where You Are It’s early on Sunday morning and I am woken up by rays of sunlight beaming through my bedroom window.  For a moment I wonder where I am then I remember I am in Morocco and it’s my first day of Yoga Teacher Training.  This will be home…

In a few days I fly off for two weeks to begin yoga teacher training with my yoga home. It’s not something I’ve taken lightly.  I’ve thought about it so much.  I first started looking at teacher training courses roughly two years ago. And each time I would dismiss the idea pretty quickly.  For a…

I was messing about tap dancing around at my brother’s place the other day (trying and miserably failing to emulate The Nicholas Brothers) when he said something to me: “You’re becoming just like how you used to be when you were little”. I stopped mid-time step (triple time-step with a triple break, in fact), brow…

This time last week I was in Clapham with lots of other South London locals who had shown up with brooms and dustpans and binliners, surveying the aftermath of the events of Monday night.  Burnt out flats, trashed shops… I spoke to someone who saw their flat on fire and another person whose home had…

I’m sitting in a calming country house courtyard, reading and enjoying the warmth of the glorious Sussex sunshine on my face when Miko the cat appears and decides my lap is the perfect resting place for the afternoon.  It’s not how I usually spend my Saturdays but I could get used to this… It’s the…

That the Heat would teach me about Accepting the Things you Can’t Control… Early in my Bikram practice I was obsessed with the heat.  Constantly. “OH MY GOD!  How hot is it?!”  “Is the teacher going to open the door and let some air in???  Why aren’t they opening the door yet?!” “@*#!  Is the…

“Be present in all things and thankful in all things”      – Maya Angelou   It’s interesting how what you focus on can show up, not just once, but again and again.  In class the other day our teacher talked about the ability to see our challenges as gifts. Earlier that same day I’d been reading…

Do you sometimes forget the things you know you know?  At the end of Flow class one day my teacher pointed out to me that in Savasana I was scrunching my up forehead. “Really?!” I looked at him, perplexed, “I had no idea”.  Whatever was on my mind was etched across my forehead.  “Why don’t you…

I have been feeling a lot more anxious than usual lately.  It’s a combination of ‘stuff’, but I’m pretty certain this is mostly down to one specific thing: In less than a week I leave the place I have worked for almost ten years.  Yep. Hello Freelancing and Goodbye Regular Salary.  I know this is…

Last month I mentioned that two of my lovely yoga home teachers were climbing Mount Kilimanjaro.  Well… they did it!  And they broke through the fundraising target for their charity too so lots of children will benefit from the money raised.  I was moved reading Allie’s account of their experience.  Thinking of the mental determination,…

I was recently chatting to someone I don’t know very well.  Through our conversation they found out I practise yoga.  Their response: “Really?  But you don’t have a ‘yoga body’.  I mean, people who are into yoga are usually kind of… thin.” Woah. Some people really don’t think about the impact their words can have.  …

I recently heard about the ‘Take Back Yoga’ movement started by the Hindu American Foundation, so I was really interested to read what BKS Iyengar had to say on the issue: “Yoga is an Indian heritage, not a Hindu property.  Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra, which forms the basis of the system, addresses all humanity not just…

The Story of Yoga Just wanted to share this little 5 minute film I came across on twitter (Thanks to @Yogaholics)

That attempting to practise selflessly would lead me towards forgiveness…   In the classes at my yoga home our teachers often talk about Selfless Practice.  I always set an intention for each class and practising for someone else can feel like the best thing to do in situations where you want to help but don’t…

“There is no possibility of one’s becoming a yogi, O Arjuna, if one eats too much or eats too little…”                                                                                                                                                         –         The Bhagavad Gita I’ve been on a bit of a journey with the way I eat over the past few years.  My body has become much clearer about what it does and doesn’t…

I feel like – scratch that – I know I talk about yoga a LOT.  I will happily talk about it with anyone who will listen (or not, as the glazed-over expressions of some friends and colleagues indicate…).   I even had a conversation about yoga with a stranger at a bus stop the other day. …

Good Luck to my teachers Allie and Leon who are setting off on an incredible adventure to climb Mount Kilimanjaro, raising funds for the Village Education Project.  This is a wonderful charity working in the Kilimanjaro region of Tanzania to improve education and reduce rural poverty. Sending you both positive vibes all the way! xx

I was in Flow class the other day when just as we were moving into half-pigeon our teacher uttered the words, ”…working into the Psoas”.  My eyebrows shot up. The wha -? While I’ve become more familiar with terms like Mula Bandha (Root Lock) and Uddiyana Bandha (Upward Abdominal Lock), for instance (though I’m still…

That it would teach me about Listening… I recently went to see a friend’s Mum in hospital who has been very poorly.  I have known her practically all my life and despite numerous health troubles over the years she has remained one of the most kind-hearted, positive and brilliantly witty people I’ve ever had the…

I’ve done weights before, but not like this! Yesterday evening I tried Pulse Yoga for the first time at my yoga home. As someone with several lapsed gym memberships to my name it’s fair to say that though I’ve done weights before, I have never loved the gym.  Yoga, I love.  Yet, I understand the…