Paula

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Originally published in OM Yoga & Lifestyle Magazine. There is no such thing as a perfect yoga pose. A mild thoracic curve means that my chaturanga can look slightly lopsided. However, I only noticed this after observation in a mirror and working one-to-one with a teacher. X-rays and scans confirmed mild scoliosis as well as…

Between teacher training, the exciting news of officially becoming certified by Judith Hanson Lasater as a Relax and Renew Trainer, teaching, writing and the usual day-to-day I barely noticed the days getting shorter this month. But I certainly noticed it getting colder! With the clocks going back in the UK this weekend we’re officially in…

This award-winning movie has been out for a year, though there are still a lot of us out there who haven’t seen it! I’ve been lucky enough to see it twice in the past month. First, during a residential teacher training week and again last night at a special screening at The Prince Charles Cinema…

“Through our yoga practice we aim to bring balance into the body so we can bring balance to the mind.” – Sally Parkes, Laxmi Yoga I love that there is always more to learn. I’ve just got back from a week in Wales with a brilliant bunch of yogis: Part One of Laxmi Yoga Teacher…

“It’s easy to get caught up in the day-to-day and forget what really matters to you…. Two of the most valuable things we have are time and our relationships with other people.” – Candy Chang If you haven’t already seen it, (or maybe even if you already have!) check out this life-affirming video of artist…

I had interesting chat at a yoga centre. A student who had just come out of a class was sent to talk to me by the teacher, who was rushing to cover the next class. I don’t teach at this place but I think the student was sent my way knowing that I do teach.…

“ Live with awareness for the sake of ourselves and others.” – Sarah Powers So far it’s been a yin yang summer. This summer marks a year of leaving the ‘security’ of my old job and beginning the journey of yoga teaching. I’d known long before that I wanted to take this leap and share…

“Everything we’re doing is planting a seed that will come to fruition at some point” – Cyndi Lee I’ve been thinking about these words ever since last month when I had the pleasure of attending a training workshop for yoga teachers with Cyndi Lee. An extra thrill for me because I am a child of…

You can tell the food is good when the dinner table falls silent. The meal is asparagus and pea risotto expertly whipped up by chef, Lucie. The dinner table is in the dining room at the beautifully cosy and charming Marsh Farm House near Arundel, West Sussex. It’s not my usual Friday evening. I am…

Repetition is important. My restorative yoga training at the beginning of March had a big impact on me, partly because it came at a point when I was giving myself a really hard time. One of the things I remember Judith talking about is how repetition is important when teaching. I am paraphrasing Judith here,…

What if we took as much care with our rest as we did with say, our diet? I’ve just completed day 1 (of 5) of the Relax and Renew restorative yoga training intensive with Judith Hanson Lasater in London. This question came up near the beginning of the day. Often, as yogis we may put…

“Life is a series of leaps” – Suzy Greaves* I had genuinely forgotten it was a leap year until I heard a conversation about it on the radio. Usually, when a leap year comes around I’m thinking I can’t believe how time has flown by. For the first time in a long while I feel…

January was a bit of a whirlwind month! One of the things that has kept me going amidst all the hustle bustle is restorative yoga – perfect for this yin time of year. Last Saturday I was fortunate enough to teach a restorative class, the first of three to raise some funds for non-profit organization…

It’s been a bit of a whirlwind start to 2012 so far. In some ways I can’t quite believe we’re only just past halfway through January.  I feel as though I’ve easily crammed at least a month’s worth of work into the last 17 days! One of my new writing experiences for 2012 is being…

Ever since confirmation of my spondy, in seeking advice on how I might work on addressing this, one word (even from some fellow yoga teachers) has repeatedly come up. Pilates. I’d wanted to do some more Pilates since Tilton House but never got round to it. Now I’m in a situation where I know that…

  December has been quite a contemplative month.  Despite it being a very yin time, it’s felt very eventful internally.  Mixed emotions. Darkness and light.  Among a number of things, during December: –   I got my official teaching certificates, registered with Yoga Alliance and got insured –   I got confirmation of my spondy and scoliosis…

While talking about food (usually one of my favourite subjects) at work the other day it became apparent just how far my eating habits had slipped when my colleague suggested I might want to have something other than cereal for dinner. And just the day before it was only when one of my teachers mentioned…

Well done if you can!  I personally still find it a bit of a tongue twister. The anatomy geeks out there will know exactly what this is, but for those of you who’ve never heard of this or are a bit rusty on the old anatomy front, to quote fellow yogi, Jennifer Aniston from her…

          “Never get tired of doing little things for others.  Sometimes those little things occupy the biggest part of their hearts” – Anon   I’ve been AWOL on the blogging front over the past four weeks. There’s been a fair bit of ‘life stuff’ going on, and it all seemed to culminate…

One year ago today, I walked into Yogahaven Clapham for their very first class at 6.45am taught by the lovely Sandra. Little did I know the impact that walking through those doors that morning would have on my life. To put things into context, I was not in a good place this time last year,…