DAVID SWENSON ASHTANGA TEACHER TRAINING INTENSIVE

We are day 2 into the 7 day David Swenson Ashtanga teacher training intensive, and so far so good. Ashtanga was the first style of Yoga I practised and while I have since ventured off down the Dynamic-Vinyasa style and more recently traditional Hatha, I am still fascinated by the Ashtanga series, in particular the choice of poses and sequencing and the effect this has on physical, mental, emotional and spiritual levels over the course of time.

So on the one hand it can be physically demanding, pose after pose, breath after breath, never enough time (or so it sometimes feels) to really "get" into poses, feel them perhaps in the same way that I may do in a more floaty-hanging out style of class, but today, it felt different. Perhaps becasue my mental attitude has changed - less is more, lightness, finding the most energy-efficient way to hold a pose, or at least, to play around with entering and exiting a pose to find that lightness within a pose (a map of the body to find that lightness and energy).

We have run through Surya Namaskar's and also the standing poses, taking it in turns to talk and adjust a partner through the sequence, all good fun, I am enjoying the adjustments even if many of them are too strong for a general non-Ashtanga class, but great to have the awareness in any case - especially in my own practice (I always feel it helps our empathy as teachers, and indeed guides our teaching if we have personal experience).

I stayed after the intensive today to attend a general open class at the TriYoga Centre in Soho. The class was beautiful, so soft and nurturing, incredibly feminine, all about lightness again, but working from inside out, less effort, more lightness, I could certainly feel the energy today, and left the class feeling incredibly chilled out - no mean feat in central London on the build up to Christmas, it is crazy!!!

More later.

until then, Namaste!

606 Club

My friend Charles took me on a surprise outing on my first night in London to the 606 Club, which, according to the Sunday Times is,

“A (late night) basement club hidden behind an elusive doorway...Here young up- and coming musicians are encouraged to play alongside more established names. The good food is a must at this relaxed and informal club where musicians come to eat, drink and join in the impromptu sessions”.

I have to say it is a great place, such a cosy venue with fabulous energy and friendly staff who really went out of their way to make this such a special night out. We were blessed with Manteca Feat and Martha Acosta on vocals, a 7 piece Salsa band which is rumoured to be one of the best Salsa bands on the scene with some of the most famed Latin musicians.

Needless to say there was lots of toe tapping, clapping and smiling faces, we even managed a little Salsa dancing even if I did struggle to remember the steps. Martha was wearing this wonderfully glittering sequined top which danced rays of mutil-coloured light around the stage and was enchanting in its simplicity and served to encapsulate the energy and feeling of the whole evening. Well done guys and girls, you have something special going on with the collection of your creative energies.

It was a fantastic night, truly inspiring, so lovely to do something so completely different, so thank you to Charles for going with your intuition on this one. x

THAI SOCIAL NIGHT - THURSDAY 26TH NOVEMBER

Unfortunately I forgot to take any photos of our first Yoga social night, which is a shame as it was a great night with lots of laughter and chatter.

It was lovely to see so many from class in a non-class environment and only a shame that the cushion room is no longer, as it makes it easier to talk to everyone when you are down on the floor somehow. Nonetheless, proper seating and table aside, it was great to bring like minded people together in this manner and I look forward to the next one in the new year.

xx

Namaste!

I usually try and visit Nepal twice a year to help my friend Devika teach Yoga to visiting Westerners during the high seasons at the Nepali Yoga Centre in Pokhara as well as check in with the Nepali Women's Yoga Project we support together. Unfortunately I have not been able to visit this season and I have missed it hugely, there is nothing quite like arriving into the chaos of Kathmandu with its sensory overload to bring you back to earth a little, nor the awe inspiring feeling I get when I arrive in Pokhara and see the peak of Fish tail mountain standing tall in the distance.

I miss my local friends too who are so comparatively poor in material terms and yet so incredibly rich in love, kindness and compassion. They teach me so much about the humility of life, about the things that really matter, about family and helping one another, about having enough food to eat, clothes to wear, a roof over their heads, and taking each day as it comes with smiles, laughter and gratitude. My concerns and worries back here in Guernsey seem so utterly inconsequential in the greater scheme of things - they have so little and yet give so much more. It reminds me of something my cousin Yo has wisely taught me this year, "less is more".

For those who don't know, Nepal is landlocked in the Himalayas bordering China, India, Bangladesh, and Bhutan. With an estimated 35 - 45 percent of its population living below the poverty line, Nepal is classified as one of the least developed and poorest countries in the world. Despite the obvious poverty (how can we have such a massive divide between rich and poor on this planet), Nepal is also one of the world’s greatest tourist sites for mountain climbing and hiking. Eight of the world’s ten highest peaks, including Mt. Everest, sit in Nepal and thankfully (or not, when you consider the ecological damage from tourism) this has been an attraction for westerners on a regular basis and helped to provide many Nepalis with an income (the positive bit).

"Namaste" is a form of greeting in Nepal, like saying hello, goodbye and thank you in one go, all the time people say "Namaste, Namaste" so that when I leave I still find myself saying it without even realising, it becomes second nature. We tend to say "Namaste" at the end of Yoga classes here in the West and I always wonder how many Yoga practitioners actually know what it means, not that it matters, the fact it is being said is good enough for me, a respectful way to end a class, but for those who don't know then here is a lovely translation:

"I honour the place in you in which the entire Universe dwells, I honour the place in you which is of Love, of Light and of Peace, when you are in that place in you and I am in that place in me, then we are one"......or quite simply...

"The love and light in me meets the same love and light in you".

A bit like the U2 song - "One".

On a final note the word Nepal is often defined as Never Ending Love And Peace (N.E.P.A.L.), how true, I believe there is something in the energy of the country that gets into your heart so that when you leave, a little of your heart stays there, waiting until you return again, and you take with you a little of the heart of the people instead. I hope it is not too long before I return, one day Devika and I intend to teach Yoga retreats out there together, perhaps with a spot of trekking to energise in the mountains, so maybe you can join us, Nepal should certainly be on everyone's travelling wish lists Yoga aside!

Namaste. xxx

REIKI 1 ATTUNEMENT DAY

Well I hope that those of you who joined me for your Reiki 1 attunement today are feeling as inspired and energised as me right now. What a great day, such a lovely group energy with lots of laughter, chatter and rainbows - 2 in one afternoon, lucky us, especially as were working with the colours of the rainbow in our guided chakra balancing meditation, and rainbows are a sign of good luck.

Talking of signs, did you know that seeing a white feather means an angel is nearby, and that a Butterfly brings a spiritual affirmation of growth, transformation and deeper understanding. The key is to pay attention to the things you notice as they may well be signs to guide you and the more you recognise them the more they will help you understand things more quickly in the future.




As for Reiki, what a wonderful energy, it refers to an ancient hands on healing art developed by Dr Usui in Japan in the early 1900s for personal development and the passing of healing energy onto others. Reiki can help a person to discover their true purpose in life, dynamically aids in the production and achievement of all goals, heals past traumas which may be hindering growth and leads, ultimately, to contentment and the understanding that we are all one (a little like the U2 song).


Thank you lovely ladies (and rainbows) for a fabulous day. x

The Soul's Dilemma

Lovely to see so many of you at Yoga tonight, while I am not a fan of winter over here, it is rather cosy in the St Peter's hall with its red light heaters and I tend to feel refreshingly shut off and protected from the rest of the world - plus the Tibetan singing bowl is creating some wonderful vibrations these days (must be combined good energy in the room perhaps).

It has been a reflective, philosophical and at times confronting week, filtering the many lessons learned during Bright Ideas, particularly the reminder to stay true to the self, even if that means going against the grain (think Jonathan Livingstone's book, "The Seagull"). And to stop, truly, go with the flow, adopt a non-doing approach to life, present moment, try not to regret the past or worry about the future, appreciate what you have rather than what you don't have and don't berate yourself for forgetting sometimes, love, just love instead, heart and soul, body and mind.

I rediscovered this fabulous poem by Attar (a Sufi mystical poet) today, "The Soul's Dilemma", may it provide you with comfort and inspiration too. xx


"Once again, each day,
I travel the path of your love.

Every night, without fail,
I mourn your absence anew.

My soul lacks the courage
to love one
such as you -
and my heart lacks the strength to abandon you too".

Getting away from it all

I have just returned from a 3 night break with friends in the UK, I realised it has been almost 8 weeks since I last left Guernsey, a long time for me and no wonder I felt drawn to get away. I stayed with Charles for a couple of nights, enjoying many philosophical conversations about love and life, we discovered a Nepali restaurant, not quite the same as being in Nepal but still, made me feel a little at home. We also drove up to Buckingham shire and into the country to take a walk through these enormous fields, was wonderful to experience that sense of space, beautiful clouds, sunshine, trees, just us, surrounded by nature, shame I wore completely the wrong shoes, my feet were rather soggy by the end of it.

I spent a night with Hayley too, Lebanese food in Camden this time, humus, yum, and yet more philosophical conversations about life, got to love it, I have been reading a few fantastic books by Oriah Mountain Dreamer, the latest one "The Call" all about discovering why we are here. Great stuff, reminding me that all we have is the "here and now" so best just "to be". Easier said than done of course, especially living in a society where we are conditioned to always be doing more, and forgetting that we already have everything we need, within us if nothing else.

Anyhow. I managed a Yoga class up at TriYoga in Primrose Hill too, with Olof a German guy who flies in each week especially. It was fairly hardcore, all about strength as much as anything else, made me realise how much my own practice has changed, preferring that more introverted and gentle practice these days. All good fun though, great studio space up at TriYoga, would highly recommend it if you are in the area, Yoga is not cheap in London though, maybe £14 a class, rather a commercial affair, we are much luckier over here, there must be a degree of soul in the air!!

Life Coaching with Michelle is inspiring stuff

I had a life coaching session with my good friend Michelle Johansen yesterday afternoon and while I am slightly biased (Michelle is also a Yoga practitioner and Reiki Master) I can highly recommend. Unfortunately, much like counselling, there is still a degree of stigma attached to Life Coaching, it is something you don't necessarily feel you can admit to others for fear that they will see you as weak or incapable of sorting out your life for yourself. RUBBISH.

Life Coaching is fantastic, everyone should try a session, even if you don't think that you need any life coaching you will be amazed how much you can learn about yourself in one session and - much like Yoga and Reiki - I truly believe that it can help you live a more fulfilled and wholehearted life, more in line with your own soul and heart's yearnings than society's expectations, even if that can be confronting at times.

And if you do go for Life Coaching, make sure to tell everyone about it, be proud that you have made the decision to bring out the best in yourself and in your own experience of life.

Thank you Michelle, inspiring as ever! For more information go to Michelle's website at http://www.johansenexecutivecoaching.com/

Ross is leaving the rain behind him today.

Ross is leaving Guernsey today to return to sunny Byron Bay (I am not jealous, honestly). I hope that those of you who attended his classes and workshops enjoyed the experience of Iyengar Yoga, it certainly helps to improve posture, strength and indeed flexibility, plus is incredibly calming to the mind as it helps to keep you very present in the posture. So thank you to Ross, it was lovely to have you home and you will certainly be missed - looking forward to your next visit, no doubt inspired by India, and introducing your girlfriend and fellow Yoga teacher, Star, to the Guernsey Yoga scene. Safe travels. xx