With all this new Freedom isn't it great to just release? To kick off your shoes and run bare foot? There's something incredibly liberating not just in the letting go, but in finding the confidence to do just that! It's like the feeling of stepping nervously onto a dance floor, beginning to move self consciously to the rhythm of the music. Slowly it builds up through you and you find you can't reign the energy in any longer...and off you go, arms, legs and body apparently no

So, the 'chattering monkeys' as they are known! Even in the days of Pattanjali writing the Yoga Sutras over 2000 years ago, the problems of the mind were evident. Flip forward 2000 years to what we live like today and I think Pattanjali and the ancient Gurus might have spontaneously combusted at the stress we put ourselves under! In Pattanjali's texts these interrupting thoughts were called 'fluctuations of the mind', appearing like gentle ripples on a calm, flat pool. Nowada

Hard to stop sometimes in these busy, modern lives of ours, isn't it? This on its own brings guilt trips and stress...but are we just making excuses to keep the momentum going? Maybe we're a little afraid of stopping for fear of what might be waiting there? Are you already considering moving on from this Blog (please don't yet!), other things invading your thoughts with 'URGENT' written boldly above them? They may be needing your attention, but so do You! So, if you can... st

This last week in our June Yoga Pop Up we worked on our Chakras. Before you switch off at the mention of Yoga and Chakras ( if you're not an MBY Yogi !), take a second to answer this simple question, "How is your energy today?" Feeling lethargic or maybe wired? 'On a High' or feeling low? We all already recognise the energies within us. Usually this relates to a positive or negative impact they are having on our daily routines. The words we choose every day to describe our p

I came across this little guy in my garden today and stood to watch him for a few moments. He flew from one flower to the next and back again, as if he couldn't make up his mind, a little like a kid in a sweet shop! The choice seemed too much almost for him and he was definitely looking tipsy as he flew away - I should think he went straight home to sleep it off! The sound of all the bees buzzing in their happy state was quite mesmeric and drew me in, making me feel almost dr

So there we were for months in Lockdown twiddling our thumbs, waiting for the day when the boredom would subside...We were all so used to choices - where we could go, when we could go there and who we could go with! Generally, we don't like to have these choices taken from us. Understandably, we go a bit stir crazy when faced with 4 walls for any length of time - after all that's seen as a punishment in our society isn't it? I remember reading that horses use enforced separat

Like many of you, I was very excited last week to see Rachel, Ross, Monica, Chandler, Joey and Phoebe back together...long lost 'Friends' returning to our living rooms! They seemed to just slip naturally back into place on the couch, all the years just fading away. Yes sure, after 17 years there was a slight difference in appearances, but it was actually quite comforting to see! It made me think of anxiously preparing for a school reunion not long ago. The thought of walking

Well, I thought that would grab some of your attention, haha! It took me slightly by surprise to find that this really was the modern name for a Yoga Asana.... and yes, the name does give a visual aid to practicing it! Thankfully, this below, was not the book I found it in ( though of course, I do have it being a true Scot!) Rather than either asking you to Google the phrase 'Kinky Cobbler' ( which could go horribly wrong!) or even worse giving a personal demonstration, here'

I'm sure we all begin our week with the best of intentions! Sankalpa is the Sanskrit word for 'Intention'. Normally a Sankalpa is personal, your choice, relating to what you yourself need or want to find from your Yoga practice. It is a vow to yourself or perhaps a call to action! However, as our sense of being a community at MBY is strong, I adopted the Musketeers motto 'All for One and One for All' and decided we could voice some common intentions in our Pop Up classes this

So which one are you ?.... No,not which gnome! That's Ted & Fred (or is it Fred & Ted ?!) The question to finish our week on Friday was are you an 'Inside Out' or an 'Outside In' type of person ? Both look very similar, just like Ted & Fred, at first glance almost mirror images. The question though wasn't about physical appearance so much as how you relate to the world. Do you normally 'see and feel' from the outside or from the inside your body? Here's a little test to try..

Thankfully the theme this week is much simpler than last! We are working with Opposites, something everyone understands..... In Monday morning's practice we started with 'Left versus Right - or do They ?'. So, we definitely all know our left from right, don't we? Admittedly, I am one of those folks who shouts 'Go Left!" as I put up my right hand and quite often get confused whilst teaching, causing a bit of a game of Twister to occur! I find closing my eyes helps to focus. It

Hands up who loves a Core class.... honestly?!.... Hands up who would always try to avoid them... In our last two morning classes of this week's theme (see previous 2 Blogs!), we were left looking at the 4th and 5th of the Kleshas, Dvesha and Abinivesha. Dvesha is again about attaching ourselves to things that make us 'suffer', this time it's to our dislikes. This covers many aversions you may have; activities, people, beliefs - from big emotive subjects right down through to

It turns out my my mum was a Yogi, who knew?! Some of you may recognise these wise words from your childhood and may even have used them speaking to your own children. Unfortunately, they were lost on 8 year old me, whose petulant answer would have probably been"Why not?", or words to that affect! Now I 'get it' thanks to Yoga.... Though I'm pretty certain my mum never read it, The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali points to the Kleshas as being the reason for unnecessary unhappiness

As I decided on this week's theme for our Charity Pop Up classes, it became a self-fulfilling prophesy, in causing me Angst! Yogis amongst you will know of the Kleshas, the 5 elements of personality that cause us all Dukha = to suffer. For those who don't know them they are; 1. Avidya = Misconception, which stops us seeing clearly 2. Asmita = Ego, which causes us to make wrong judgements. 3. Raga = Desires and habitual patterns of self indulgence. 4. Dvesha = Avoidance of or

Today we began our May Pop Up classes. Sadly, no llamas were involved ( see the earlier Blog!), but we did have some new friends from the UK, France and the USA join in! I decided to make the theme for the week this little mnemonic (what a very weird word that is!), which I made up a while ago. There are only 4 classes due to our Bank Holiday, so Y.O.G.A fitted in perfectly and we started with the 'Y'... My first question was 'Why are you here?' I didn't ask this huge questio

Friday found us yet again at our finale of another Pop Up for Charity. This week has been all about Forces of Nature which brought to mind one of the most powerful experiences I have had - the day we went out on an ethereally beautiful grey, misty morning on a little boat off Vancouver Island and this happened...... Apologies for the dodgy camera work, my hands were shaking from the adrenalin of seeing these wonderful creatures just a few yards away! We counted 21 Orcas! Natu

For the 4th and last week of our April Charity Pop Up I've decided on the theme of 'Forces of Nature'. I am by no reckoning a Philosopher and I bow at the feet of ancient Gurus and Masters of Yoga, so I therefore like to find a modern take on the story and thoughts behind the classes. This isn't easy by the way - those Ancients had it all tied up and wrapped in a big ribbon as far as theming Yoga practices went! So I hedged my bets and worked our first class this morning arou

This may seem an odd title for our Yin Yoga class on Wednesday evening! I was expanding on the week's 'Recipes for Yoga' themed practices, one of the main inspirations being my Aga oven and another, of course, this well known Yoga quote from Mr Iyengar! A couple of weeks ago there was a blockage in the system and our Aga flame went out! The engineer came and blew out the debris causing the issue. I then had to relight it....this is a tricky situation, where you have to watch

So, today saw us starting week 3 of our Early Bird in April Charity Pop Up and I meant to begin here with our new theme, but then this happened (watch closely!).... Some unexpected participants and lots of giggling resulted! 4 Llamas walking behind you as you try to cue Janu Sirsasana is difficult to recover from and the class have high expectations for tomorrow morning's entertainment now! Anyway Thelma, Louise ( yes really!) and the two others, all of whom belong to a neigh