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None of us were quite sure how the workshop on 19th January would go.  As the yoga teacher involved, I aimed to prepare participants for lying down for 35 minutes  and to introduce the notion of listening, sounds and silence. The sound therapist presented a sound bath which was well received and which seemed to [...]

There is a brief calm at the beginning of a new year when all the noise has subsided and we prepare for what is to come.  We may think back and forth - from what has passed and to what will be. This blog first took shape in January 2017 when a new family member [...]

The word derives Old English ham, hom which originally referred to the back of the knee.  By the late 15th century it signified the back of the thigh - the thigh or hock of an animal - ie. he squatted down on his hams. The diagram shows the 3 hamstring muscles, that run up the [...]

Have been searching for an "old adage"  along the lines of - teachers often learn more from their students than they impart.   Came across: Docendo discimus - By teaching we learn   (attrib to Seneca the Younger 4BC-65AD) A teacher is someone who can learn from their students, who can learn with them, and learns for [...]

(with thanks to http://www.proko.com for the illustration) Mabel Todd described the spiralling of the pelvis in  "The Thinking Body". I have linked this book in a previous post -Standing and walking - free the pelvis and I have returned to it following a recent query from a student.  It is always interesting to teach a [...]

As I published the last blog Fear and fearlessness in yoga practice, Rick Hanson's newsletter  Feel Whole. Just One thing landed in my inbox .  Hanson is an American psychologist who has written extensively on inner resilience. In this latest newsletter he  includes a practice on cultivating a sense of "wholeness" and feeling at ease [...]

Fear is a potent emotion which generally manifests as a response to an immediate danger.   A sense of dread alerts us, through the amygdala that our physical selves may be harmed. The amygdala is part of the limbic system.  It is responsible for the response and memory of emotions - especially fear. We tend to [...]

...is hard.  When I posted the July blog, I signed off with reference to a "short break".  This hailed a sense of freedom from the routine of thinking about, planning and executing the fortnightly posts.  After 6 weeks - refreshed, invigorated and making my way back to the keyboard, I found that starting up again [...]

Comments following the regular posts are most welcome and the response to Anxiety and walking…..Can I link this to the World Cup??? drew attention to balanced treatment in all schools of medicine.  The reference to Ayurvedic medicine may interest some of you:  "Ayur" is a Sanskrit term meaning "life"and "Veda" refers to "knowledge".  Ayurvedic medicine [...]

The Football World Cup propels me back to the ground, gravity, feet, balance - themes that I have explored in many blogs.  Whilst engaging with Yale's Happiness online course, the set exercises have encouraged my mind to pass the ball" back and forth whilst scrutinizing habits and behaviour.  From the "sidelines" came a reference (stored in [...]