BeInspired

Om Yoga, it is good to be back in New York!

2012-01-26T12:51:00.000-08:00

So I arrived in New York yesterday afternoon, it was quite a long day with the early morning Guernsey start and the transfer on to Heathrow before flying out to JFK. It is funny, I used to get so excited about travelling on aeroplanes but these days, after 6 years of a lot of travelling, I dread the thought of being stuck on a plane in one of those small seats for longer than a few hours!

Anyhow, fortunately (thank you travel angels), the flight wasn't very busy and I had a whole row to myself to stretch my legs and spread out! Probably just as well actually, I finally succumbed to a cough and cold over the weekend, the first in ages, and I am not sure it would have been fair to inflict my sniffing and coughing over some poor stranger!

So I arrived into JFK and it felt familiar immediately, Ewan and I were only here in March last year so it has been too long between trips. I got a taxi to Hannah's apartment down near the Staten Island Ferry, a few roads away from the infamous Wall Street. So I am staying in the heart of the financial district in Hannah's incredible apartment with views of the sea in one direction and strangely, and yet interestingly, into offices straight across.

It is quite nice to be sitting here with people working across the street and knowing that I am on holiday!! What I did notice last night was that contrary to what I may have heard about New York, the offices were clear by 7pm and there weren't many people in them before 8am this morning. And what I found rather fascinating was the fact more of the lights were left on all night - presume this is security - and even television screens...perhaps a waste of energy I would have thought. But there you go, the excesses of the material world!

I got the metro up to Union Square this morning and sat in the square indulging in a Starbucks tea watching the world go by - it was so much quieter than when we were last here in March - before having a quick whirl around the wonderful and huge Wholefoods. I do get rather excited about these health stores, there is just so much choice and I particularly enjoy the massive salad bars. Thankfully I was limited by time so didn't indulge beyond the necessities.

I headed to Yoga of course, Om Yoga, founded by the inspiring Cyndi Lee. I attended classes at this centre in March and I just feel drawn to return. The centre is on Broadway next to Strands, the oldest book store in the city and right up on the 6th floor so you have to get an elevator to get to class! The centre has a fantastic energy to it, really calming with about 4 studios, a large changing room, a few seated areas and somewhere to buy books and clothes etc.

Cyndi originally trained as a dancer and offers a unique brand of Yoga instruction combining creative and invigorating flow sequences that emphasise precise alignment of the body. She does it all with a clear focus on Buddhist teachings of mindfulness and compassion. The Om Yoga teacher training program is known as the Ivy League of Yoga teacher trainings and the teachers at her centre are really inspiring.

Today, it was an intermediate/advanced class taught by Frank, whose class I have attended in the past. It was great. There is no denying the fact that I absolutely love attending Yoga classes overseas! I love the anonymity and the fact I can just stay silent the whole session and really go within. I love listening and learning from new teachers and new sequences. And I particularly love to be encouraged beyond my comfort zone and into new areas of feeling.

So it was great. Lots of vinyasas, flowing standing poses with twists and turns, handstands, backbends, lots of hip openers, a supported fish pose and a shoulderstand before final relaxation. Bliss. Note to self, prioritise attending Yoga classes overseas more often!!

After Yoga and feeling much clearer, brighter and energised, I walked down Broadway all the way back to Hannah's, right at the end. I guess it would probably take an hour, only I kept stopping to look in shops along the way, I couldn't resist, there seem to be sales on all over the place.

It is so cool to be here, especially as I am not so much a tourist this time, which creates a whole different experience and of course it helps that it is rather familiar as Ewan and I did so much when we were last here. I am amused by all the stands at the side of the pavement selling food, some of the smells are nauseating, but all add to the New York ambiance!! And then there are the sirens and all yellow cabs and all that stuff we don't get at home. It is great!

So now I have crashed on the sofa, enjoying some time out on my own with views of the sea and the ferries, and hoping that the jet lag eases so I can stay awake when we go out for dinner later to meet a friend from Guernsey!

Tomorrow, more Yoga and even a Phoenix Rising Yoga therapy session all to myself, excited? Just a bit!!

It is all about the practice.

Love and light

x

Recycle, recycle, recycle!!!

2012-01-22T08:11:00.000-08:00

Yesterday morning E and I took a truck load down to the tip at Chouet. E goes down regularly for work and sometimes I join him, this time it was to help clear some stuff for my parents and from around here - seems everyone is getting stuck into this decluttering energy!!

The tip blows my mind. Not least the number of seagulls, which is simply unbelievable, but also the thought of what on earth happens when it is filled up - and more to the point, what on earth are we filling it up with?!

I took some photos before I got told off as it is apparently a no-photo zone, understandable, but all the same, the seagulls were blowing my mind and I was ever so slightly incensed to noticing recyclable objects being buried in the earth. I mean seriously, is it so very time consuming and difficult to recycle?

If only we could all take a little more responsibility for our impact on this planet and make an effort to recycle where we can. I know there are arguments that recycling doesn't make that much difference, but I do think it makes us more conscious of our own waste and how we create this depending on what we buy and how it is packaged. I am very aware, for example, of the excessive plastic packaging on food stuffs from one retail outlet, and try and avoid that where I can, and of course recycle where I can too.

I believe it is worth everyone taking a trip to the tip and really considering what goes into the earth. One day that landfill will be filled and then what, we start sending our waste to Jersey, where it gets burnt and showers Guernsey with ash instead. you can't win, all you can do, is your little bit to reduce waste, recycle where you can, and not just food stuffs but furniture and all that stuff that gets thrown out without a thought for where it ends up in the long run.

Hmmm.

So aside from tip visiting, we managed a run on the cliffs this morning, quite an uplifting and energising way to start the morning,e specially as we didn't see a sole. I would be lying to say I found it a pleasurable experience, yes it was lovely to be on the cliffs, in the fresh air and see nature unfold around me, but it is tough running on those cliffs and I was more than happy to reach the car at the end!! I stretched out during my practice thereafter and have felt quite awake and uplifted the whole day - there is clearly much benefit to this exercise and fresh air malarkey!

Sadly I have made the decision to cancel the proposed Yoga & Wellbeing retreat on Guernsey scheduled for March. Unfortunately there was simply not enough interest to warrant a retreat, which is a real shame as it had been a dream a few years ago to hold a retreat on Guernsey, but sometimes things are just not meant to be, and I must remember that quote about trying to fix something when it isn't broken, as I do so love the Herm retreats and Herm really is the ideal location. As for dreams, well these change with time and the dreams I have now, are different to the dreams I used to have...its a funny old life...the key is knowing when to let go of a dream to make space for the new one to come in. Thank you to everyone who has supported me with the Guernsey retreat, we live and learn, and if we don't try, we never know!!

So there we go. Here I am ranting about recycling and caring for the planet when I know that I am flying out to New York on Wednesday to visit Hannah and undertake some Yoga training for a week. Just as well E and I keep planting trees, balances it all out somehow!! I bought seeds with Mum on Friday too, so all being well tomorrow we can begin the seed planting season and look forward to an abundant summer of fruits and vegetables ahead!!

Keep warm and keep recycling.

Beautiful winter days

2012-01-17T00:04:00.000-08:00

Well what wonderful weather we have experienced the last few days in Guernsey, those lovely crisp and bright winter day with colourful sunrise and sunset skies and bright stars in the evening. Love it! It has certainly been an action-packed week.

I managed my first swim in the sea of the Year last Wednesday. It was high tide and a bright and clear morning down at Petit Bot and really there was no excuse, especially as someone else turned up while I was getting changed, which was a good thing as it made me swim for longer than I would have done on my own. It was cold!!
I repeated the experience again on Sunday, down at Vazon this time, but it was really cold and I got a bit freaked out about all the sea weed and being down there on my own - ridiculous really, what on earth is there to be fearful about!!

On Wednesday evening I played my first netball game for over 7 years, it was not long after I started Yoga that I stopped playing netball, which had actually been my passion up until then. It was hard work but so much fun! I ended up playing centre in a first division game, which means I had to run around lots, and could barely move the next two days - not convinced this exercise malarkey is really that good for you!!

E bought me a House and Homes magazine, which has this section in it about decluttering. It is not that I was conscious of needing to declutter the house, but clearly a seed had already been sown, because on Saturday that is exactly what I did. The thing is, we helped someone to move house the weekend before and that made me very aware of the fact we tend to hold on to lots of stuff that just takes up space.

I finally retrieved my book cases and all my Yoga and holistic books from storage and unpacked them all in the Yoga room which I am blessed to have in the cottage. Wow, how cool to finally have access to all these books. I must admit I did something I have never done before, I actually sorted through the books I no longer reference with the idea of giving them to students who may be interested in reading them themselves - I don't see the point in storing books in a book case that you are unlikely to ever read or reference, better to let someone else benefit from their knowledge instead.

I sorted through all my old files and paperwork and threw out stuff that I no longer need, so much paper, such a waste, although I did a recycling run so hopefully that balances things out a little. We took some old furniture down to the reclamation Yard, what a cool place, I got a new lamp which someone had thrown away and yet there is nothing wrong with it. I am always amazed by the number of people rummaging around, such a great way to recycle and give others the opportunity to benefit from those things you no longer want yourself. It is refreshing to declutter, just changes the energy, not so much stuff getting in the way, letting go of the past to make more room for the present.

E and I managed a bike ride on Sunday around the lanes in St Martins and St Andrews. He took me to places I have never been before, all so cool and no one else walking about, I discovered this wonderful lane with stunning views of the Islands and some wonderful property, called Gypsy Lane. I love to get off the beaten path over here in Guernsey as we are truly blessed with some amazing views, and also it tends to be so quiet - I wonder if it is because the cliffs etc are directly on our doorstep so we don't always feel to get out on them. Such a shame as they are a gem for Guernsey - mind you the less people on them the quieter for those who do use them!

Willow is doing well out in Australia and Ross is a very proud Dad, ever so sweet and I can't wait to have a cuddle in March when we visit.

It was another busy class last night - well done to everyone for sticking with it, really good practice, lots of integrity. I look forward to seeing those who are taking their time to get going this year, it is difficult to doubt the benefit of a regular Yoga practice.

The sun enters Aquarius this week, see this link for further information http://realastrologers.com/weekly-forecast-january-16-sun-enters-aquarius?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Realastrologerscom+%28realastrologers.com%29

Happy week!

xx

Full moon, full moon

2012-01-10T00:28:00.001-08:00

It was the full moon yesterday and what a joy it was to watch it rising before I taught the first evening Yoga class of the Year.

Thank you to all of you who made the class, I believe we had a record number in the room, so much so that we had the windows and door open, unheard of in January usually, what with all this mild weather.

After class I joined Chris and Hayley for a full moon get together, lovely food, great company and the full moon energy, I slept better than I have done all week last night...phew, I hadn't quite appreciated what an "up in the air" start it has been to the new year, everything getting jumbled up and now coming down to land again!

Back at home I stood in the garden under the moon's rays, a wolfing moon last night, and enjoyed the clear skies and the stars shining over head. You can't help but feel the "pick up" of energy and delight in the wonder of nature's creation.

This weather continues to fascinate me. There are primroses growing on the hedgerow on the walk into town from here. And the daffodils are coming out in the front garden, and still there are holly berries on the holly tree. It is all a reminder to go with the flow and adapt to the conditions presented.

Anyhow enough of my waffle, happy practising everyone.

xx

Welcome Willow, my beautiful niece xxxxxx

2012-01-06T10:33:00.000-08:00

What a way to start the New Year, all those winds and in the midst of the chaos becoming an auntie! A massive congratulations to my brother, Ross, and his partner, Star, who have brought my beautiful niece, Willow Ash, into the world on 5th January in the utopia that is Byron Bay, Australia.

It is funny how life works. I first visited Byron in my mid twenties on my first trip to Australia, a trip that I had dreamt about since I was 10 years old. I didn't know it at that time, when I was 10 that is, but Australia has played such a pivotal role in my life...I guess on some level the calling was there.

So my friend Hayley and I went out to Australia for 2.5 weeks and for some reason or another noticed Byron in the Lonely Planet and made a trip from Sydney. I was a finance girl back then but was blown away by the alternative and hippy side to life in Byron. We indulged in tarot card readings and made the most of the sunshine. Back then I was not really aware of Yoga.

I became aware a few years later when I was working in Auckland and came across a Yoga studio and got as far as the front door before I got scared away thinking I wasn't flexible enough to attend the class. A year later and I found myself in Freemantle near Perth, Australia, with my brother, and I came across an alternative shop and brought my first meditation book.

Roll on a year later and after running the London Marathon, I knew I needed to do something to release my aching body and someone mentioned Yoga and so with my brother making sure I went in the door this time, the two of us began our Yoga journey together in St Martins hall here in Guernsey with the wonderful Ness. I was hooked immediately and started enticing friends along with me so that Vicki started attending (and has since gone on to train as a yoga teacher) and Claire and a plethora of other friends.

A year later, when I was 29 and frustrated by my finance life, I decided all I wanted to do was take time out to travel, practice Yoga and write about it. This timing coincided with Ross deciding he too wanted to take a break from his pressured IT job on Guernsey so we sold our house and while he went off to Australia with his girlfriend at that time, I decided to go out to Australia on my own. And strangely while I didn't really appreciate that Byron was a bit of a Yoga utopia at that time, I knew I needed to go there and the Yoga presented itself.

Ross joined me and while I immersed myself in the Yoga scene (strangely with John Ogilvie who was married to a Guernsey lady (and more strangely I now live next to her brother here in Guernsey!) at a studio right next to the hostel I was staying) while Ross immersed himself in the wonderful surf that Byron offers. We both started surfing when I was 14 and he was 12, our Dad has been a keen surfer in his earlier years and for his 40th Mum had bought him a longboard and as he got back into surfing both Ross and I got into it too.

A year later and I found myself back in Byron, for 5 months this time, undertaking my Yoga teacher training with the wonderfully inspiring Lance Schuler and doing a brief apprenticeship with John. By this time Ross was living with one of our mutual friends (whose Mum was my Mum's best friend at University and who is one of my best friends as life happens) and working in London completely at a loose end having broken up with his girlfriend and not really knowing what to do next.

I will never forget the conversation I had with him one day, telling him to just come out and join me in Byron. Of course he was resistant at the time, couldn't see the wood through the trees but I was in that world where everything is possible. As it happened our surrogate little sister, Claire, (also a surfer who grew up with us in the same clos here in Guernsey) was coming out to join me for 6 weeks over Christmas in between jobs and I suspect this swung it for Ross.

So the three of us lived together in a room in the hostel at Belongil on the beach in Byron enjoying the Yoga, the surfing and the alternative life generally. My best friend, Lou, and her husband Dave were travelling around the world at that time and joined us in Byron for a few weeks. What utter bliss, my most favourite people in the world (bar my folks) all together in Byron enjoying its energy.

However all good things must come to an end. By this time I was cleaning in the hostel to cover my accommodation costs and while a part of me wanted to stay in Byron another part was homesick for Guernsey. A combination of the wake-up call of Lance telling me to go home and start teaching and my Dad also saying the same thing made me realise it was time to move on.

So I followed Claire back to Guernsey and while she married her South African husband I started Be inspired and began my Yoga teaching journey. Ross stayed in Byron and got back into Yoga. In fact so much so that he signed up for a Yoga teacher training course with John, which Star had also signed up to!

I went to visit him for 6 weeks after his course and stayed with him in the hostel where he was still living and now working himself. I met Star that trip too. Little did I know that they would end up getting together and while he did come home for a few months and worked with Dad and I setting up Spearpoint Limited, an investment and wealth management company where I am currently working again (plus my friend and fellow Yoga teacher Vicki, too, many coincidences!), he returned to Byron and spent a few years teaching Yoga and working in a cafe.

I actually went out again two and a half years ago to visit Ross and meet my friend Hayley, with whom I had initially visited Byron before we travelled onto Hawaii and from there San Francisco with Hannah, my best friend with whom Ross had lived in London. Far too many connections and coincidences!) In any event Ross and Star were very settled by then, both teaching Yoga at John's centre and enjoying their life in Byron together. Very much together and how lovely for me to have a connection with an Australian kindred spirit, wiccan, yogic, female and my brother...

A year later they both came to Guernsey with Star's daughter, Adena, after travelling through Asia and visiting all the friends I have made in Nepal (where I have spent many months, my parents visiting too) and now here they are back in Byron, Ross now working back in IT in Brisbane and Star teaching pregnancy Yoga and trained as a doula, and creating the wonderful Willow.

I am not sure the reason I feel to write all this, other than to put in words how life is full of such incredible connections. Plus of course how Yoga has shaped my life and that of Star and Ross both on and indeed off the mat in many places around the world. I believe the incredible healing energy of Byron plays a role in all of this - I was once told that Byron (the most easterly point in mainland Australia) was the place that many women went to give birth...it has that energy of healing and creation, which perhaps is the reason so many people feel drawn to visit. It is a bubble, but I just wish it wasn't so far away!

Still one adjusts to life lived beyond time and space. My best friends are currently spread all over the world. Hayley is now living in Perth, Australia, Hannah in New York, Lou in Edinburgh and my other lovely friend, Sam, is in Canada. So it means I have many opportunities to travel the world to see those I love.

So while I am going to New York to visit Hannah later in the month and indulge in some wonderful New York yoga (second time in a year, how lucky am I?!) I have to wait until March to cuddle Willow when my parents get to visit Byron for the first time and I take Ewan with me, his second visit as it strangely happens!

So you see Yoga offers so much potential beyond one's daily asana practise on the mat. It shapes our lives. It provides us with the ability to cope with so much change. I am forever indebted for the divine guidance that has shaped, and continues to shape, my life and the lives of those around me. We have all been touched by its magic and that of Reiki too of course.

And onto Reiki. Over the last few days with the winds blowing madly outside I have channelled Reiki to a few clients and whether it is complete coincidence or not (not that I believe in coincidences, they are perhaps nudges from the Universe)every client has bee totally ungrounded. It feels to me like the wind has uprooted all of us, a little like so many trees, so that we are all hanging in the air. And now it is calming we are all coming back to land with all the cobwebs blown away - I see it in the events of people's lives around me, mine included, it has been so unsettling and yet so cleansing...in the long run, believe me. This is the year of reckoning, the year of change...we have been told this for a few years now, now we have to accept the changes...

But I have to say I find this whole weather thing fascinating. A French student was telling me how the French Mistral sends people mad so that suicide rates increase and another told me how you have dog days in New York where it gets so hot and the beer can't quite quench the thirst and the wife is waffling on in your ear and the domestic violence rates increase...Little do we realise how the elements are affecting our behaviour...

So it is the first full moon of the year on Monday. I am praying for clear weather to embrace her energy and be mesmerised by her glory and cleanse my crystals! It is also an ormer tide here on Guernsey too, but I can't bring myself to get involved in that, love the concept of being in the elements but I get bored of the cold easily and can't kill the poor things in any event. Still I am looking forward to celebrating the full moon with Chris and Hayley after Yoga that evening.

So sit tight everyone, enjoy the moment, be kind to yourself and the world, pray, live presently and enjoy what you have without worrying about what you don't have.

As Snowpatrol sing, "we are the light, we are the light, we are the light, we are the light...".

I love you Ross. And I am so incredibly honoured to be Willow's Godmother, I shall do all I can to support her spiritual development. Love to you too Star, for making my brother so happy and spreading the light a little further. xx

So let's all keep practicing and dreaming and letting the Yogic and Reiki energy flow.

xxxx

A storming way to start the New Year!

2012-01-03T10:08:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year to everyone, I hope this year continues to bring much joy, peace, laughter, love and light!

Ewan and I celebrated the New Year in France with our friends Tessa and Carl, their children and a few of their friends on their farm in Normandy.

It was a wonderful way to end 2011 and begin 2012. Admittedly the ferry crossings were not their best, delayed on the way there so we didn't arrive into the farm until a couple of minutes before midnight (just in time to spend the last few minutes of Carl's birthday with him!) and delayed significantly on the way home so that we actually had a few unexpected hours in Jersey!

Still all good fun and an incredibly relaxing and laid back way to start what I hope will be a relaxing year ahead. While everyone went off to visit puppies on the morning of New Year's Eve, I was fortunate to enjoy an hour or so in the farmhouse on my own where it was just so beautifully quiet, practicing Yoga on my mat in front of wonderful views of the farm land and the rolling green landscape punctuated with trees in the distance. Bliss.

I meditated on those aspects of 2011 I wanted to leave behind as well as considering my intentions for the year ahead. I did my own Reiki burning bowl ceremony, improvised of course, the paper went up in the log burning fire rather than a bowl itself, but the intention and energy was still there and I look forward to manifesting those intetions during the New Year. They say this is the Year of reckoning after all.

Not that this means the end of the world per se, more so the end of the world as it is currently lived - a shift in attitude threfore, which will make life feel different, but not in a fearful way. I mean we have started to see this already with the whole financial crisis and our attitude to debt changing. Plus of course the fact so many of us are going back to basics, and not just us alternative hippy yogi types, but society generally. So many now grow their own veg and recycle in their homes, let alone have some consideration to how they spend their money these days. I guess it is simply a paradigm shift in our perception of life...I find it very exciting and shall be monitoring it closely over the year ahead.

So we celebrated New Year in the farmhouse, both the French New Year and the British one too! We had brought lobsters, crab and some Guernsey bread with us and Tessa had arranged a huge seafood platter plus her homemade goat's cheese with caviar and smoked salmon and then others brought food too, so it was one big fest washed down with lots of bubbles. Bliss!! I thoroughly enjoyed muyself, despite feeling a little tired the next day!!

New Year's Day and it was still raining. Talk about cleansing!! We managed a walk during a brief break from the rain and went to visit one of the river's near to where Tessa and Carl live - wow, it was certainly flowing with some power and actually the next day when we were driving back to St Malo, we noticed quite a bit of flooding around the river in Ducey. Seems like the heavens have opened the way into New Year.

We managed to fit in some reading time, which I love, a couple of inspiring Yoga magazines and this great book Carl has on Yoga so that I was able to be led by anopther during my New Year self practice. I am reading a Yoga therapy book in the Desikachar tradition, fascinating stuff, very inspiring, as I love to try new approaches to my practice but am limited somewhat in access to teachers living on an Island, so I am always delighted to find books which become my teacher.

So now here we are back at home and now of course the winds, blowing away all those cobwebs and blowing us into the New Year!!

So a huge thank you to Tessa, Carl, Evie and Ollie for having us to stay and also to Ewan for looking after me on those stormy seas.

Happy New Year, may it be full of love, light, magic and miracles for all of us this year.

xxxxI

Our Lihou Christmas outing!

2011-12-28T04:49:00.001-08:00

I hope you all enjoyed a wonderful Christmas. Mine was certainly special, spending it with family and enjoying a freezing cold swim at blustery Vazon on Christmas Day morning and then repeating the whole experience again at Cobo on Boxing Day with hundreds of other crazy Guerns!! You have to love the Guernsey winter swimming spirit - well done to my parents who ventured in on Christmas morning, the first time they have swam in the sea since Christmas last year!

It never ceases to amaze me that while I always think Christmas will be a restful break, it is far from restful making sure to spend time with as many family members as possible. Still that said, I very much enjoy the energy of Christmas, not so much the materialism, but the fact that it does encourage family to get together ans enjoy some quality family time. Not that that doesn't come with its issues, of course, there are always many needs to consider, but it can be a time of much joy and blessings.

Yesterday Ewan and I managed to make the most of the beautifully calm, crisp and bright day by cycling down to Lihou as the causeway closed and the sun set behind the Hanois lighthouse. Ewan loves to watch the tide closing the causeway, which always makes me a little nervous, because he insists on standing as far along it as he can and moving back towards Guernsey with the running tide. And my gosh, that tide certainly moves quickly! I don't know that I have ever watched it as closely as I did yesterday, with Ewan timing the movement of water.

I got scared eventually and started walking back towards L'Eree, stopping every so often to witness Ewan's movement along the causeway and also take in the incredible skies, with the moon rising, the sky a sun burnt amber and the stars starting to shine. Back at L'Eree I stopped and sat on the rocks and just listened to the elements, the sound of the sea and the birds as nightfall descended. Bliss. I haven't been able to do that for ages.

Ewan made it back safely, his feet a little wet, and we tested my new bike lights as we headed off in darkness along to Grandes Rocque to visit friends and then back towards home stopping at Le Fleur de Jardin to meet other friends visiting from Australia before heading uphill all the way home. Boy was I pleased to get into the house and give my poor body a break from all that cycling!!

So New Year is a matter of days away. All being well we should be in France enjoying nature on our friends' farm in Normandy. I can't wait. Let's just hope the weather is kind and the boat runs on time. This will be the first time for ages I haven't spent the New Year with Hayley in London doing our burning bowl ceremony, I might have to do it on my own this year!!! See http://www.reikiwebstore.com/ProductPage.cfm?ProductID=377&CategoryID=16 for more info.

Happy holidays!

xx

Happy Winter Solstice!

2011-12-21T23:53:00.001-08:00

Today is Yule, a pre-Christian holiday celebrated on the winter solstice, which falls today this year. It is the true new year both astronomically and spiritually, where we see both the death and rebirth of the Sun God represented in the shortest day and longest night of the year. From this time on the sun grows in strength and power and changes direction (as seen from Earth) to move north again.

It actually occurred at 5.30am GMT. Apparently after dark, if you look toward the west you'll see Venus in the sign of Aquarius, and if you look toward the east you will see Jupiter in Taurus. Both are bright in the sky.

At this Solstice the Sun forms an exact trine (or flow of energy) with Jupiter, which is quite rare and is very good news! Jupiter is the planet of faith, of hope and abundance. It is the archetype of Father Christmas and gives blessings and grace to whatever it touches.

In the earthy sign of Taurus it wants to give us pleasure and beauty ans can offer a sense of sheer joy and gratitude of being alive. Apparently the Sun is also close to Pluto- God of the Underworld, which has been happening since 2008 when Pluto moved into Capricorn. Pluto is the Transformer, it destroys only to rebuild, just like the phoenix.

The Moon is in the sign of Scorpio, emphasizing this theme of deep transformation. So often this week I have heard the word "transformation" spoken by many.

The Sun is square to Uranus, which could lead to an overload of nervous energy-take time to slow down and meditate. I have noticed this in my own life today, so much mania. Thus it is essential to try and stay grounded - walk on the earth, practise some standing and balancing Yoga poses, eat some grounding food and breathe some fresh air!

Essentially Yule is the time to begin to think about what you want to accomplish in the months ahead. It is a time to outline the goals you wish to work toward. So now is a time to focus attention inward to allow your higher self, or spiritual side, time to clarify what needs to be done and which goals should be set.

I was fortunate to witness the light of the sun brightening the horizon as I began my morning Yoga practice, soon of course the clouds set in, but it was lovely to have the reminder that it is there...the light following the darkness again.

It was a joy to teach this morning - thank you to all of you who made this final class of the Year so special, on the Solstice with a practice intended to help us ground our energy, connect with the breath to turn inwards and a chakra balancing meditation to encourage balance on all levels.

Of course it has been a manic day. The excitement of Christmas, last minute pressured jobs in the office and that general sense of tiredness as the clock ticks closer to a much needed break.

I was fortunate to have the space to join my wonderful friend Christine for a simple winter solstice ritual, lighting 13 candles together to represent each planet and the nodes of the Moon, and speaking affirmations in the process. Wonderful spine shivering music played in the background as we sat in front of the glow of the 13 tealights set on the windowsill, a view of the trees and what would have been the setting sun, if it wasn't for the clouds (!) in the background. We read a reading each from Benedictus, so relevant and so touching that it made us both very present. It does indeed feel like it is transition time into new beginnings. Thank you Chris, I'll always remember our Solstice celebration, truly beautiful x

So happy solstice everyone. Enjoy the lighter days ahead!

xxxxxxx

I have given them to you in the order that they rise above the horizon at 5.30am on December 22nd.

Winter weather!

2011-12-15T13:34:00.000-08:00

This weather is crazy! It feels like all the rain we haven't had this year has come this last week or so. Yuck! Mind you, on a more positive note, at least the ducks are happy, plus of course the reservoir over here in Guernsey should be getting full!!

Often I am away at this time of year, last year we were in Nepal, so it has been a bit of a shock to the system to witness the incredible darkness of the last week. I was practicing Yoga yesterday morning in the Yoga space and it felt like 4pm in the afternoon, I had to have the light on to be able to see my mat! Mind you all is not lost, it is the winter solstice next week and we should start to see a marginal increase in light again, hoorah!!

Sitting here in front of the lovely warm fire, I can hear the rain falling and the wind whipping around the outside of the house. There are severe weather warnings in place for the English Channel tonight, so it looks like we may be in for a bumpy night ahead. I find the storms rather exciting because they have so much energy and can create so much chaos and yet you get this incredible peace afterwards...like the old is blown away to make way for the new.

Talking of being blown away, E and I spent last weekend pine cone collecting. Not to be outdone by my parents who have found this great secret spot, E chanced on a spot somewhere else on the Island, which has now become our secret spot. It was so exciting to find all these pine cones, in fact I am excited about going again this weekend. We love burning pine cones on the fire, they have a lovely smell and really help to warm the room and there is something really satisfying about foraging in the wild!!

There was a beautiful full moon on Saturday and I managed to cleanse all my crystals under its shine. We went for a magical walk at Jerbourg on Sunday with Charles and Jane and E's Mum, all the way down to Divette (I think) next to Marble Bay, such lovely cute little bays, we were lucky to avoid the rain showers! I guess it is due to the weather, but I am always surprised how few people are on the cliffs on a Sunday, great for us as we get them to ourselves!

So time to count down to the winter solstice and all that offers by way of celebration.

xxxxxxx

The joy of London

2011-12-07T23:38:00.001-08:00

E and I went to London to celebrate his birthday last weekend. We managed a quick swim in the sea at Petit Bot before we flew out...it was cold, it is certainly going to be a challenge to continue this swimming malarkey all through the winter months!

London was as wonderful as ever - incredibly hectic, noisy and busy so that I couldn't live there, but fun to visit for a weekend. On Friday the weather was bright and clear, albeit a touch cold, and we enjoyed fabulous views of the entire city from the London Eye - there are so many cranes in the city!! From there we walked all the way along South Bank to Tower Bridge. We actually walked along the side of the Thames for a bit, down on the "beach" with all its stones, pebbles and sea glass! Pretty grim water, but I must admit it does provide another experience of the city - I have never walked down there before.

We visited the Tower of London, not cheap but a first for both of us. I must admit I wasn't really that interested in the whole prisoner torturing stuff (pretty sick what they did to people, incredible that people can cause so much pain to others) but loved seeing the jewels, albeit that someone told me they are not the real ones - certainly looked real to me, so special all those crown jewels, lots of sparkles. We walked all the way back from the Tower, through Somerset House and along Pall Mall all the way back to Green Park and caught a tube onwards to Ealing where we were staying.

On Saturday E, our friend Charles with whom we were staying, and I, walked along to a Yoga class I had found in Ealing, not far from Charles' flat. It was actually held in the home of a lovely lady called Teresa, who is fortunate to have her own studio in a massive room in her house. I had emailed prior to our trip to check we could attend, yes no problem, mixed ability and mats available, but it is still always interesting turning up to classes for the first time, as you don't know the protocol - we could not locate the Yoga space initially, it was the smell of incense that finally gave it away!! I love that smell, feels like coming home.

It was one of the funniest and most inspiring and uplifting classes I have attended for some time. Teresa is wonderful - anyone living in Ealing please seek her out. E and I don't practice Yoga together that regularly now due to other commitments, so it is always quite a treat when we do get the opportunity, generally off-Island. Charles used to go to Bikram classes on a semi-regular basis but is not so aware of the flow of a vinyasa class and I must admit I did get the giggles as Teresa rushed over to help on a number of occasions.

She has a wonderful space, the incense, the music, her energy, I don't know, it just created a lovely ambiance. The class was strong in places and I learnt some new movements, which is always a joy as it means I have been able to share them with students in my own classes this week. E was very happy because at the end of the class Teresa asked him if he teaches Yoga! Clearly he has been taught well over the years, he is more than able with his own practice at home, occasionally I find him in the Yoga room releasing his piriformis in pigeon, or enjoying a headstand.

So the class put me on a big high, reminding me of the joy of practicing in a classroom environment and being led through a sequence without having to think what to practice next. I just wish I could do this more often in Guernsey but sadly, despite the number of teachers practicing on the Island, classes are not held 24-7 like they are - comparatively - in London or any other big cities in the world.

The rest of the weekend was fun. We drove through Richmond Park and delighted in the seeing the wild deer. We drove around a few little towns in Surrey looking at property. We went dancing, which was such great fun, hugely liberating and uplifting, energising too. We even managed a spot of shopping, Ealing has some great charity shops and E and I came away with a number of books and trinkets.

So all in all a fabulous trip away. Thank you to Teresa for her inspiration and to Charles for putting us up all weekend.

xxx

A weekend of nature!

2011-11-29T00:05:00.000-08:00

What another stunning weekend on Guernsey and indeed Herm, it is weekends like these that make me feel so gracious for living in such a wonderful place - one overlooks all the traffic!!

E had a friend visiting from the UK so we decided to make the most of the free boats to Herm, plus the wonderfully mild and bright weather, to visit Herm with Hayley and Mike. We walked from Rosaire where the boat docked, all the way around the Southern cliffs of the Island to Belvoir Bay, as beautiful as ever.

In fact it was fantastic as the tide was particularly low, the lowest I have ever seen it on Herm and while it may not have been ideal for our annual November Herm swim, it did mean that we got to walk all the way from Belvoir to Shell Beach on the beach itself, which was a first for all of us.

E, his friend Nige, and I went for the swim, no easy feat as we had to walk some distance over the sand banks to get wet beyond our waist. Meanwhile on the beach, Hayley and Mike were indulging in some Tai Chi. I was aware that a few passing visitors were taking photos - clearly amused by people swimming in the sea in November and practicing Tai Chi along the shoreline!!

I can't quite believe it is almost the beginning of December and here we were swimming in the sea without it feeling absolutely freezing. The weather is so strange this year, well in comparison to last year when it was almost snowing by now. I still see people wearing shorts and flipflops and there are still flowers everywhere.

My lovely farmer friend in France mentioned that she had been talking to other farmers, one who does the seaweed test and this shows it is going to be a very cold winter, and another who does the onion test, and this shows that it is going to be a very mild winter. So I guess even Nature is confused. You can certainly see this in the garden at the moment, what with dandelions and daffodil bulbs shooting. It will be interesting to see what happens over the next few months.

It really is beautiful over there on Herm. I just love the peace and quiet and the lack of traffic, plus all the wildlife and bird life surrounding you. You can't help but leave Herm feeling a little more refreshed and grounded than when you arrived. It just slows you down somehow, plus I love the fact you have to walk everywhere...you can only hurry that so much!!

Sunday and we spent some of the morning wandering around Earlswood gardening centre looking at all the trees and plants and flowers. I love smelling all the herbs and E loves checking out the "sick bay" where they put any trees of plants that are suffering in some way. I bought E a sickly pine tree as an early birthday present together with an indoor gardenia, which should continue to emit a rather pleasant smell. It has this wonderful energy in the nursery and every time I visit I can't help thinking that, like my parents' greenhouse, it would be a calming and uplifting environment for a Yoga class. We'll see...

In the afternoon we walked from Petit Bot down to Portelet, that lovely sandy beach only accessible at low tide on foot. There is this crack in the cliff face that E has managed to walk through previously and was keen to show Nige. There was a fisherman down on the rocks but other than that we did not pass a sole on the whole walk. I wonder if people realise how invigorated and uplifted it makes you feel going for a walk on the cliffs.

Mind you I shouldn't complain, the less people enjoying the cliffs, the more peaceful it is when we do exactly that. However it is a shame because they are stunning and such good exercise, you couldn't help but get fit if you walked, and certainly ran, on those cliffs a few times a week. You just need to make sure to practice some Yoga thereafter, to stretch out the legs and rest a while!!

So another lovely weekend courtesy of Mother Nature, E and friends. Thank you.

With love

xxx

Stunning Edinburgh

2011-11-27T03:06:00.000-08:00

Last weekend I was in Edinburgh visiting Lou who has been my best friend since we met at school almost 20 years ago now - how time flies! It is funny how you have these close friends, who you don't necessarily see from one year until the next, but when you do finally meet up again, it feels like you only saw them the day before.

So it is with Lou and I, from the moment she picked me up from the airport we were back into that familiar and comforting territory of being with someone who knows you so well! Life has moved on since those school days and now Lou has a husband and two beautiful children, Ronan and Matilda.

We had fun. I was slightly shocked by the exhausting nature of young children and have a renewed respect for anyone with children. I guess it is a little like anything, the more you do it, the more you adapt to it. Still when you lead a busy life without children, you wonder how on earth people cope being busy and looking after children. Much respect!

We went into Edinburgh city centre a few times. It is a stunning city steeped in history, with this incredible sense of space. Edinburgh castle affords a fantastic position, and adds a wonderful energy and grounding nature to the city. I love it. Especially as the weather was incredibly bright and mild on this trip, quite unlike my previous November trips when it has been freezing cold, wet and windy.

We visited the museum and I got to visit the Tibetan section and turn the prayer wheels, sending the energy of "Om Mani Padme Hum" into the air. I always feel a sense of homesickness when I am in such an environment with pictures of the Himalayas reminding me Nepal and the wonderful Tibetan Buddhists. There is just such a calming energy about the Tibetan Buddhist culture with all those prayer flags brightening and indeed defining any landscape.

What particularly blew me away on this trip was visiting East and North Berwick. Again the weather was in our favour, but this part of Scotland is absolutely stunning. We went down to the beach and watched a massive heron sitting on a rock. There were lots of people walking their dogs and making the most of the views of all the small Islands in the distance, one of which was apparently the inspiration for "Treasure Island" written by the Scottish author, Robert Louis Stevenson.

North Berwick is a fantastic little coastal town. We visited the bird sanctuary and I took great delight in finding the remains of this chapel, which had been home to many a pilgrim on a pilgrimage to and from St Andrews. I just adore all that old "spiritual" energy, the fact that the stone in the buildings is still filled with the energy of all those pilgrims and their prayers. I can't help but press the palms of my hands against the stone walls and just feel the vibration. It is incredibly subtle, but I have no doubt that that energy exists.

We visited Lou's parents, who were like my second parents all those years ago, and her sister, Rachel, with whom I went travelling around the world for the first time all those years ago. We managed dinner in Edinburgh one night with a couple of Lou's friends and Rachel, which was lovely as I do enjoy spending time with other women, discussing life through our different eyes and sharing and discussing experiences, so that you can gain a renewed perspective on life.

On my last day we drove out into the countryside from North Berwick so the children could sleep in the car. What a joy. We passed a wonderful castle where Lou and Dave got married, and then this incredible rambling castle on the cliffs around from the town,and these beautiful churches and ruined chapels. And then out into the land, there was just this feeling of expanse and nature all around you, so many birds and even deer and this wonderful Autumnal golden light softening and yet brightening the entire landscape so that I was rather awestruck by the whole experience! I can't wait to visit more of the country!

A huge thank you to Lou, Dave, Ronan and Matilda for making my time with them so special.

xxxx

The wonderful Autumnal yoga & wellbeing retreat on Herm.

2011-11-13T10:08:00.000-08:00

What an incredible weekend we have just enjoyed on Herm on the Beinspired Autumnal Yoga & Wellbeing retreat.

Truly we have been blessed with the most incredibly mild, calm and bright November weather, which showed Herm at its very best. Not only was the sun shining all weekend confusing the fauna and flora, which believe Spring has arrived again but we were also fortunate to enjoy a bright moon waning from full on Thursday, quite a joy to witness it rising as I was walking with the girls from the Yoga hall to the restaurant in flip flops after our evening session and then seeing it setting in the morning, on our way back to the Yoga hall for our morning session with Guernsey in the background.

Unbelievable.

On Friday Mum (my incredible assistant!) and I travelled over on the first Trident boat of the day at 8.15am with the Herm teacher and a father and son going fishing on the Island for the the weekend. We were laden with bags of props and blankets and food and all the other paraphernalia that a retreat on Herm involves.

It was wonderful to be there so early on a Friday out of season, clear skies and the Island so quiet of visitors. Linda, the Mermaid hotel manager, was incredibly welcoming and helped us as we set up for the weekend. Needless to say it was quite a joy to walk into the conservatory of the White House Hotel and know that would be our Yoga space for the whole weekend, with those wonderful views of Guernsey in the background and Jethou off to the side. There are very few other places in the world I would rather teach, and indeed practice, Yoga.

After setting up and making sure the heating was on - although it has to be said that this has been the warmest retreat we have ever held, in fact I actually had to turn the radiators off on Sunday, it got that warm - Mum and I headed off for a much needed walk through and around the Island. How amazing to have it to ourselves, and the time to enjoy the scenery - the view of Sark on one side and Guernsey and Jethou on the other, let alone the opportunity for a bit of cow gazing and an opportunity to collect 3 whole bags of pine combs...a joy of mine, I love to collect pine combs!!

By the time the Trident arrived from Guernsey at 4.20pm, the light was decreasing and I was more than ready to get on with some introductions and teaching! What a delight to see all those people coming off the boat, so many familiar faces from classes back home and previous retreats, and also a few new faces who had google-searched Yoga retreats on Guernsey and decided to come and embrace the unknown in Herm for the weekend with Beinspired - thank you hugely to everyone.

After dropping bags off at rooms we met in the front lounge of the White House Hotel for cups of tea in front of the roaring fire, courtesy of my Mum's fire-making skills and of course the collected pinecombs! From there into the warm and cedar-smelling Yoga hall with the lights of Guernsey shining in the background and the candles burning on the window ledges, for our introductions before our first Yoga asana class began.

With a focus on trying to bring balance to the chakras (the 7 main energy centres of the body) throughout the weekend, the first evening class centered (quite literally!) on our root and sacral chakras with lots of grounding and hip opening postures, and finishing with a nourishing and indeed embodying Yoga Nidra. Yum.

This year, with my Mum on the case, the vegetarian food prepared by the Mermaid was great. Anyone coming on the retreat and hoping to eat less than normal would have struggled, the Mermaid staff did themselves proud this year. Throughout the weekend the food was nourishing and healthy as we were accommodating a variety of dietary requirements, including those lactose, glucose, dairy and wheat intolerant.

That first night the choice was vegetarian cottage pie with a sweet potato mash topping or a chickpea, tomato and onion curry with brown rice plus 3 different types of salads, a large bowl of home-made coleslaw and a choice of breads including gluten free. And for those with a sweet tooth, homemade chocolate brownies and fruits salad for desert. Yum!!!

An early bedtime was taken by many, 9.30pm seemed to be the average light's off time, Herm has that habit you see, of calming you down from the fast paced lives we tend to live very quickly. I guess it is the general energy of the place and the fact you have to walk everywhere and there is no rush about anything, it is just a very restorative and peaceful experience, well worth a trip for anyone who needs to simply calm down and come back to earth a little. Not having televisions in the rooms helps too, it kind of encourages you to let go.

Saturday morning and Mum was up before dawn making a fire in the hotel in preparation for those wanting a cup of tea and some fruit or biscuits in front of the fire before the early morning class. Christine and Hayley, my wonderful earth angel friends as well as being the retreats reflexologist and massage therapists respectively, met me at the harbour for an early morning swim under the moonlight. Unbelievable with this weather and relatively warm seas!!

Joining together in the Yoga hall with the moon setting in the sky, we started the morning with some pranayama and silent meditation before an asana class focusing on the navel and heart centres so lots of core strengthening work, twisting, hip flexor opening, heart opening and backbending poses. The energy was high and we finished off with a relaxation to set everyone up for an active, or indeed inactive day ahead.

The class was followed by breakfast in the Mermaid, your choice of eggs, vegan porridge, muesli, juices, teas and coffees and morning banter. Thereafter - and actually like the whole weekend there were no rules so everyone could do as much or as little as they liked - there was the option to do your own thing, enjoy a reflexology, massage or Reiki session, join my Mum for one of her led walks, or simply chill in your room with a book or the opportunity for a warming bath.

Herm was indeed at its best and while I spent the time offering Reiki treatments and enjoying the opportunity to practice on my own in that wonderful Yoga space with the sun setting in the distance, I know everyone made the most of the opportunity to get some fresh air and truly connect with nature. And actually this is the joy of these weekends on Herm. While I don't doubt the healing benefits of the asana, pranayama, meditation and Yoga Nidra sessions, the true joy is the fact you have this wonderful opportunity to embrace the grounding, tranquil and healing energy of Herm Island.

The evening class was gentle in approach. Moving slowly from one asana to the next with complete awareness on the breath, resting often so the body could integrate the effects, we ended with a lovely nourishing Yoga Nidra, which is an incredibly healing and restorative practice of its own. From there, with the moon rising behind the trees on the top of the Island we walked to the Mermaid for another wonderful meal of vegan pumpkin risotto, courgette lasagna and an array of salads and bread and an opportunity for wine for those who fancied it, followed by a fruit crumble, custard and fruit salad.

That evening was another relatively early night for most of us. Mum and I were staying in harbour cottage near the harbour itself and the others were in various other cottages near to us. As I lay in bed that night I was very aware of not only the gentle sound of the lapping sea but also the rather noisy birds that become active after 10pm. And then in the morning waking and hearing the sea and the birds again. There is nothing quite like it, to be that aware of the flow of nature again.

On Sunday Mum was up before dawn again to light the fire before joining me, JP, Debbie and Christine for another early morning swim at 6.55am under the setting moon off the harbour in Herm. It was great fun, thank you to Debbie and JP for joining us - quite a feat considering they have been swimming in the warm Egyptian seas recently!! There is nothing quite like a morning swim to set one up for the day ahead and a shame to waste the opportunity - high morning tides, bright moons, mild temperatures, laughter with friends, you can't beat it!

Setting up for Yoga that morning I couldn't help thinking how blessed I felt in that moment. Again the moon, always the moon, setting in the distance, Ben Lienbach filling the air with his calming and awe-creating sounds, the incense burning and the chatter of the attendees drinking tea in front of the fire, the high tide visible through the windows...when those moments arrive, it is a wonderful feeling.

So onwards and another morning pranayama and meditation session with some Kriya Yoga to move awareness, from the body to the environment with the sound of the sea lapping the shore in the background. Thereafter we embraced a full chakra balancing asana practice with clear views of Guernsey in the background before ending with a chakra balancing meditation.

It was a joy to witness people's practice over the weekend. There were some who attended every class and others who honoured their bodies and took a much needed time out. Well done to Michelle who hobbled off the boat with a leg injury on Friday and also to Lise who came with a kidney issue, and of course Jessica who is 33weeks pregnant and found the relaxation challenging simply because the baby would start to kick too much!!

Throughout the weekend I shared a number of quotes with those present at the end of the classes, and this I would like to share as it is truly a beautiful poem to end the retreat:-

"The choice for Love"

What does the voice of fear
whisper to you?

Fear speaks to you
in logic and reason.
It assumes the language
of love itself.

Fear tells you,
"I want to make you safe".
Love says
"You are safe"

Fear says,
"Give me symbols.
Give me frozen images.
Give me something
I can rely on".

Loving truth says
"Only give me
this moment".

fear would walk you
on a narrow path
promising to take you
where you want to go.

Love says
"Open your arms
and fly with me"

Every moment of your life
you are offered the opportunity
to choose -
love or fear,
to tread the earth
or to soar to the heavens.(Emmanuel's Book II)

After the class, Mum and I rushed around packing up the hall with lots of help from everyone else, collecting all the bags together at the roundabout for the Herm guys to collect. Thereafter we all congregated together in the Mermaid one more time for a final egg and laughter-fuelled breakfast before heading to Rosaire steps for the boat back home, the sun still - incredibly - shining overhead.

Call it what you like, but the Divine, that something that is both within and around each and every one of us was ever present this weekend, pervading every moment, and it would have been a challenge to ignore its very existence - we were all such a reflection of that essence. Indeed the stars were shining brightly overhead. And now here we were, with smiles on our faces, sitting in the fresh air on the top deck of the Mermaid being rocked gently by the sea all the way back to Guernsey.

Thank you especially to my Mum for all her wonderful organising and support, to Christine and Hayley for their energy work, but also to all the 19 attendees who helped to make this weekend so special. It was after all what it was - and what it was, was whatever we wanted it to be and for me it was incredibly uplifting, inspiring, grounding, calming and centering. Thank you again, with gratitude.

Om Namah Shivaya.

xxx

November sunshine

2011-11-08T13:52:00.000-08:00

I can't believe that it is already the 8th of November...where has this month gone, it seemed only yesterday it was Halloween and now we have had bonfire night and it is the full moon again on Thursday!!

Bonfire night was fun. We had a party at our house for E's family and while the boys enjoyed the fireworks I stayed inside enjoying preparing the food for everyone! Mind you I did enjoy an obligatory sparkler, I love the bright light, a reminder of our own essence after all.

Sunday was my Dad's birthday so we enjoyed some family time together, lunch and a walk through the lanes and up to the Guet near our home, lovely to get some much needed fresh air and enjoy seeing the sea so rough and the wonderful afternoon November sunlight shining through the clouds. It was noticeably colder than it has been recently, all wrapped up and that winter feeling in the air reminding me that Christmas is not so far away now. We celebrated over fresh Chinese food in the evening, happy birthday Dad, moments with my family are precious.

It has gotten milder this last few days, and the sea has become calmer again. I managed a proper swim in the sea again yesterday at Petit Bot - so lovely to have that time out as life has been rather busy recently and it is easy to forget to make time for things that bring you back to earth. It is wonderful on the beach at this time of year, not only because you have the whole place to yourself, but because the bird life is so noticeable, and it rather uplifting to sit on the rocks and just watch and listen to all the sounds of nature...a relief after all the sounds of the office and traffic in and out of town.

This weekend we have the Autumnal Yoga & Wellbeing retreat on Herm, which should be a wonderful opportunity to get away from it all and immerse in Yoga and nature, no laptop or Internet, no television and no traffic!

As for this week. Well there are a few exciting days ahead. Not only the full moon on Thursday but 11th day of the 11th month of the 11th year on Friday, now that is certainly auspicious. Just catching the clock at 11.11 has some significance, so you'll be very lucky if you catch the clock at that time on Friday in particular.

Happy full moon and 11th tidings!

xxxx

Celebration of Samhain

2011-10-31T02:09:00.000-07:00

I have just returned from a meditative weekend of Yoga in Jersey with Godfrey Devereux, staying with my wonderful friend, Alyssa Burns-Hill.

Godfrey's approach seems to have changes since I last had any involvement with his teachings. then it was reading one of his books and watching a DVD, where he appeared to be very much focused on the strength of the physicality. Since then he has clearly found meditation, and the weekend was far from physical, concentrating instead on the breath, with gentle movement to release and lengthen the lower back, and lots of sitting in silence, and lying in Savasana. One "posture practice" as he calls it, asana, the rest of us may say, lasted a whole 2 hours and 20 minutes, of just moving through a sun salutation broken down into bits. Phew. The class yesterday was a full on 4.5 hours without a break. I felt I had run a Marathon, and actually, I probably could have done in that time.

Still, it was enjoyable to have the time and space to breathe so consciously, and also to really enjoy the benefits of lengthening one' spine and noticing the behaviour patterns and movements of one's own body - how we are so programmed to move a certain way, even if that certain way is not within our best interests. I enjoyed his ramblings, even if I did not always agree with his take on life and God and spirit, but great to have the opportunity to learn from someone who has clearly gone through some stuff.

Of course it was wonderful to spend time with Ally and chatter together as we do, sharing and inspiring and creating new ideas. Ally and her husband, Gary, have a lovely property with large Windows offering views of the sea, a lovely spot to stay and chill in the mornings and evenings before class. One can just sit on the sofa and stare at the sky and the clouds, which became clearer as the weekend progressed. Thank you to the Burns-Hill family, much appreciated.

So today is Samhain, or All Hallows' Eve. Technically it means "end of the summer", the end of the agricultural season and the beginning of the Celtic year. Samhain is the festival of the dead. The day was Christianized when the day that follows it was designated All Soul's Day, or All Saints Day. This is a time of chaos and the reversal of normal order; endings and beginnings are occurring simultaneously.

In the past, Samhain was when the majority of the herd were butchered, providing food for the winter months. Slaughter, barren earth and decreasing daylight made the concept of death an ever present reality. Because of this, Samhain has always been considered a time when the veil between the worlds was thin, a night of magick charms and divination, when the dead could be easily contacted.

On a personal basis this is now the time to rest and reevaluate your life and goals. Now is when you want to get rid of any negativity or opposition that may surround your achievements or hinder future progress. Samhain should have seen the accomplishment of your desires, and now you need to stabilise and protect what you have gained. This is important because it is impossible to concentrate, let alone put energy into new goals, if what you have is not secure.

So have a good day, enjoy the pumpkins and the energy of celebration.

xxxxx

New moon power

2011-10-26T00:53:00.001-07:00

Well today we have a powerful new moon in Scorpio and, apparently, we reach the alternative end date for the Mayan calendar, the other date being December 21, 2012, which I believe is meant to be the end of the world as we know it...

...only I can;t help thinking that there is an awful amount of fear attached to this whole concept of the world ending and us, I guess, with it. What I believe may be more likely, is that we are simply going through a shift in consciousness. With that, then yes, there will be changes to the world as we kn ow it, but, not some big bang, there we go, all in darkness, type change, but more so the way we live changes. And is changing. Already.

Big changes have been taking place. I was only thinking this the other night when I happened to catch the end of the one of the many baking programmes on the TV over here at the moment. I don't remember the name of the lady, although that is somewhat irrelevant, as it is more so what she was saying about the money we spend buying these nice cakes and yet how easy it is to bake them yourself without all the
expense and how rewarding to be able to serve a homemade cake that you have made with your very own hands, to your friends and family.

It made me think how times they are a changing. Not that long ago, well maybe a few years now, it was all the rage to buy pre-packaged food stuff because that was easy, and here we were, trying to save time. Likewise the demise of the high street and the fact all these out of town super stores started to spring up because people wanted the ease of driving to one place and being able to do all their shopping in that one place from lots of choice.

Now we are moving back to basics. Even baking cakes again. I mean there is this whole baking cakes revolution. And I think it is great. Here we are, bringing back the tea and home made cakes, so that soon it won't be about how much money you spend on a cake, but how much you enjoyed making that cake by your own hand.

On a bigger level. Nature is certainly bringing us back to base. Patterns are all over the place. And look at your financial situation these days. Yes, changes are a afoot, but actually, they are already taking place.

And within us too. Those light workers called to step up a gear, consciousness increasing and people awakening. You only have to consider how many people are offering their services as energy workers over here, not to say that means people are awake, far from it, but the probability is perhaps higher. It is all about the true purpose and the true self. Even Shameless talked about this last night.

Pat touches on all of this in her New Moon reading, where she writes, "
One of the ways you can recognize the shift is by observing how fast your thoughts manifest into reality. This happens most efficiently if you’ve found your life’s purpose and are working on how best to share your unique gift with the world. The mere fact that more people are asking about their true purpose is a big sign that a shift in consciousness is taking place. Astrology happens to be one of the best tools for discovering this critical bit of self-knowledge, so it’s also no coincidence that more and more people are turning toward this ancient discipline.
This week’s New Moon in Scorpio is brilliant for manifestation work, as it falls within two days of a trine between Jupiter and Pluto in earth signs. The earth signs, remember, represent the tangible and material – what we can see and touch on the material plane. This includes relationships. Where this New Moon falls in your chart tells you where you can best use this energy to draw a new situation or relationship into your life that serves your higher purpose.

For more from Pat about today's new moon please see http://realastrologers.com/weekly-forecast-october-24-new-moon-in-scorpio-jupiter-trine-pluto?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Realastrologerscom+%28realastrologers.com%29

Enjoy the New moon's powerful energy, hold tight!!

xxx

The winds have arrived again, just in time for the full moon!

2011-10-24T08:30:00.001-07:00

Don't you just love the changeable nature of Autumn's weather - one minute warm enough for the flipflops, the next you need to the heating on, and now mad winds to blow away all the cobwebs. There is nothing like living on an Island for the wind. And there is certainly nothing like landing an aeroplane with winds crossing the runway, as I just had to experience this afternoon!

Well I am fully entrenched back in the world of being a company secretary and even got to flit across to Jersey today for meetings in our Jersey office. It is quite a refreshing commute actually, lovely to see the rough seas from above, and be driven to the office by someone else - the decadent world we live!! I am finally accepting my reality. It may not be as I imagined my life at this stage, so much for living form the land and just teaching retreats, but one must remember the bigger picture and that while the Universe delivers our dreams, they are not always in the way we expected them to be. Plus my body is very pleased of the break from so much Yoga teaching, time and time again I am reminded of the need for balance!

Back home in Guernsey and it has been a fairly uneventful few days. E and I attended a 39th birthday party on Saturday night, which was great fun. It was particularly lovely to bump into an old friend from school days and share quite deep conversations about God, spirituality, the law of attraction and relationships. She is the first person I have met who - in need of answers at crisis points in one's life, does the same as me and asks the questions of google. It is incredible the answers you get - from hearing her story I know for sure that this is a medium within which our angels talk to us and open up doors. And how strange and yet beautiful that I got to be inspired by it all over again on a Saturday evening quite by chance - thanks Jac.

On Sunday E and I managed a walk around Jerbourg headland and sneaked into the derelict old Idlerocks site. it is a such a shame as it is an incredible location for a hotel, with views over the other Islands, and now it just has that dead and run down energy. What is interesting is the fact that within only a few years, nature has really started to exert her control again. Makes me think how much time is spent trying to control nature and yet it will always be stronger than us somehow. found a tepehone hanging in a tress, such a strange image.

Time for a poem..."Autumn Flight" by the wonderful Danna Faulds from her book, "Prayers to the Infinite":-

A lone leaf cartwheels
skyward, riding an updraft
over the house, flying like
a drunken dove to the edge
of the far woods. What a
glorious end, to be borne
aloft, the whole Autumn
landscape spread out below
in riotous gold and orange;
nature caught in a flagrant
act of transformation".

It certainly does seem to be a season of transformation. For me at least. The wind is certainly helping to blow the cobwebs away so that the new can enter where the stagnant once laid, even my allergies have improved today!!. New moon on Wednesday too.

Time for a nice and cosy Yoga practice to centre inside. If anyone is in Kathmandu and fancies some free Yoga classes with international teachers then please email val@yogi-nomad.org. I can only dream of Nepal at the moment and maintain faith that there is a reason I am not returning this year...

With love and gratitude.

Another wonderful Autumnal weekend

2011-10-17T06:47:00.000-07:00

We have now been blessed with two wonderful weekends of bright sunshine, blue skies and fresh air...I wonder if these are our weekends of grace before the particularly cold temperatures predicted this year. Someone mentioned to me that if there is a full moon in the middle of October, then you always get a good week of weather around it! Incidentlaly a friend of mine in Canada also reported lots of sleeplessness around this mornth;s full moon last week - we can only deduce that it was indeed a powerful one!!

On Saturday and Sunday mornings E and I ventured down to Petit Bot and joined a few other people swimming in the crystal clear sea at high tide with the sun shining down on us - unbelievable, we really had to catch ourselves and remember that this is the middle of October and here we are swimming in the sea with other people. Amazing.

We spent Friday and Saturday afternoons charity shopping - we just love it, there is something ever so slightly satisfying about coming across bargains, plus of course the recycling value of it all. We have quite a choice over here, although it is nothing quite like what I have come across on my travels - America has provided many a wonderful charity shop and then there are the op shops in Australia. In fact everywhere I have travelled, I have manged to find some groovy clothing from second hand stores, that keep me going for years and have the added bonus of reminding me of my travels!

Saturday evening I was blessed with the company of some of my local spirit friends. Always a pleasure to spend an evening in the company of other women who share a love of Yoga and energy work and healing. As always there was lots of laughter and some interesting conversations about enlightenment, and of course Yoga. Thank you ladies.

Sunday dawned glorious again and after our swim E and I joined family for brunch together, with lovely warm tea and croissants to refuel after our swim. My parents were in Sark so we watered their greenhouse and picked some of the amazing tomatoes and some aubergines, courgettes and raspberries. Sadly the harvest is coming to an end and due to the weather conditions this year the butternut squash have not fared so well, so I am having to stock up from the hedge stall at Vazon instead. The colours this Autumn are incredible, I came across some wonderful leaves at my parents' place.

In the afternoon we headed out to Lihou Island for the unveiling of the new solar panels, which E helped to cart back from Majorca, a very generous gift from John Hume, a Guernsey man who now lives out there. There were loads of people on the Island supporting the event and making the most of the homemade cakes for sale in the house. E and I absolutely adore Lihou Island - I would love to hold a retreat here, but I believe the shared dormitories would put people off attending and staying the night. Still, we try and get there once a year to shut off from the rest of the world.

Talking of retreats, I am very much looking forward to the forthcoming Yoga & Wellbeing retreat on Herm mid November. These weekends are always so enjoyable and while we may only be away for 2 nights, it feels like we are away for far longer - time slows down over there I guess, fascinating really, how much the pace of life can change one's experience of time...and indeed life! I hugely recommend this weekend to anyone who just wants to get away from it and restore their energy levels.

Back to Lihou, we were some of the last to leave and took great delight in walking around the back of the island on our own, checking out all the bird life and wild flowers, before heading back along the causeway and watching the tide coming in at quite a pace - you don't want to take your chances crossing that causeway! Beautiful views towards the Hanois from there too.

So I have yet another cold. This whole adrenal exhaustion thing definitely gets the body to tell me when I am overdoing it as I clearly have been recently - my new office job is going well, but it has been a challenge trying to balance that with my passion for teaching Yoga and offering the Reiki, which I love too. So I took time away from everything this weekend to reflect on the bigger picture and I am now consciously mindful of my schedule and - here comes the challenge - remembering to say no and establish clear boundaries for my own health and wellbeing - should be a more restful and fun week ahead therefore!!

With gratitude and much love

Powerful full moon

2011-10-14T00:24:00.000-07:00

Wow, that was a powerful full moon...I was certainly struggling to sleep earlier this week and could felt vibratory as the moon was rising while I was teaching Yoga the other night - there is certainly a heightened energy in that Yoga room these days.

I have noticed that people are commenting on their cats eating much more than usual. I wonder if they know too that it is going to be a cold winter, so are establishing extra fat and insulation now!!

I was sent this wonderful astrological reading from www.healingstars.com about where we are at this week:-

"Each month I absorb and integrate the astrological influences and reflect what I have experienced back to you.

I was saddened to hear of the death of Steve Jobs last week. His words in this picture are poignant and also fully sum up this Full Moon as the Sun joins Saturn. To use an old English colloquial expression it's time to 'piss or get off the pot'. Commitment and action are called for. Let go of perfectionism and allow the flow to begin in your life.

"Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma - which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary." Steve Jobs

His speech at Stanford University is powerful and very moving. He was adopted and rejected at birth because he was a boy! A college drop out, he was very poor as a young man.

An excerpt:-
"My second story is about love and loss.
I was lucky — I found what I loved to do early in life. Woz and I started Apple in my parents garage when I was 20. We worked hard, and in 10 years Apple had grown from just the two of us in a garage, into a $2 billion company with over 4000 employees. We had just released our finest creation — the Macintosh — a year earlier, and I had just turned 30.
And then I got fired. How can you get fired from a company you started?
..... What had been the focus of my entire adult life was gone, and it was devastating.
..... I had been rejected, but I was still in love. And so I decided to start over.
I didn’t see it then, but it turned out that getting fired from Apple was the best thing that could have ever happened to me. The heaviness of being successful was replaced by the lightness of being a beginner again, less sure about everything. It freed me to enter one of the most creative periods of my life.”

His inspiration and vision lives on. Listen to the whole speech on YouTube at http://youtu.be/D1R-jKKp3NA
Saturn and the Sun: Self Attack
Saturn moves to join the Sun on October 13th, and can create depression, so watch out for the blues until October 17th when this energy wanes.

This can result in feelings of failure, lack of self belief and self attack. They are all symptoms that the ego is taking over.

Illness, or an accident, is a clear message from the body that we are beating ourselves up. The Shadow of the Bully has been evident over the last few weeks.

However Saturn is also the planet of discipline and mastery.

So there we go...yet more fun and interesting times.

Enjoy the weekend.

xxxx

Full moon approaching!

2011-10-10T01:14:00.000-07:00

I cannot believe how much colder it has been this weekend compared to last weekend, Autumn is definitely here and I keep reading articles suggesting that it is going to be a particularly cold winter ahead due to the sun taking a rest, well it is perhaps not as simple as that, but there are changes due to our weather patterns in the northern hemisphere. As I have written before, nature is certainly giving this impression - not only are the hawthorn and holly trees laden with red berries, but our cats are eating tons of food to build up their fat store for the colder months ahead.

I have been suffering with a cold these last few days. Ever since I got adrenal exhaustion last year my immune system has not been working as well as it should do, and lets me know, in no uncertain terms when I am burning the candle at both ends - as I have a tendency to do. So I have been feeling rather sorry for myself, laid up at home, taking Sambucol (elderberry extract that takes the spiky bits off the cold virus so that it stops piercing the cells) and missing the Sark Folk Festival fundraiser at the Fermain Tavern on Saturday night.

Anyhow I am beginning to feel much better, but with a full class schedule and a week in the office ahead, I will certainly be getting to bed early and practicing a lovely and nourishing restorative sequence with lots of healing singing bowl music and eating more fruits and vegetables than usual!

It really has been a very testing year and a half for me health wise and I will certainly be delighted when I start to feel properly healthy again. The trouble is, when you are used to living your life a certain way, full on and without taking much of a break (!), then it is difficult to make the change - but of course the reason we often get ill is because the way we are living is not serving us anymore and we are being given the opportunity to learn another way - for me, as much as for anyone else living in this frenetic age, a much calmer and more balanced way of being.

My cousin Nick, sent me this wonderful story about the gorse on the cliffs

"You will find some gorse blooming in any month somewhere, though it is unusual to find large amounts together except in spring.
There was an old Guernsey story about a woman who died and she made her husband promise that he wouldn't take another lover in a month where the gorse bloomed. Initially he was happy thinking it was just a spring flower until he discovered that gorse blooms all year round! Or something like that anyway."

Well it is full moon on Wednesday so no doubt those of us who are emotionally sensitive will experience increased sensitivity these next few days. I just hope that the weather calms down so that we can actually see the moon - although your crystals will still get cleansed if you leave outside in the moon's energy. It will be interesting to see how everyone practices balancing poses at Yoga the next few days, it really is a good time for half moon, just to balance things off a little.

Until next time,

With love and gratitude

xx

Our Indian summer

2011-10-02T13:35:00.000-07:00

This weather is just incredible - I am loving this Indian summer! It is going to come as a bit of a shock to the system when the temperatures plummet us back into Autumn later on this week.

E and I have really tried to make the most of this weekend. The last 2 weeks have been really busy for both of us, with us working last weekend and me starting a new job at the investment company again and hitting the ground running and E having to dash off to Switzerland for a funeral, sadly.

I must admit I haven't been quite so stressed for a while now...it was a good reminder of how it can be, when you don't seem to have much time to do anything and you can't sleep because the lists are running through your mind and you suddenly remember at 3 in the morning that you haven't included so and so on the contractual agreement!! Plus of course the weather was so wonderful and like so many of us, I was stuck inside - this wasn't the flexible and balanced working lifestyle I had imagined!! (and actually that is half the problem - when our expectations are not fulfilled!).

So it was with some relief that Friday evening arrived and we were able to go and enjoy low tide at Petit Bot before meeting a friend for a drink in the lovely gardens of Les Douves, with its magnificent oak tree and get a much needed early night as we both started to unwind a little. Phew!

Saturday we were awake early so E could fill the truck with branches from a tree job the weekend previously and we could get to the dump before it closes at 10am. I find this whole experience rather entertaining because you have to wear a bright yellow reflective vest and a hard hat if you are entering the area, despite the fact I am only ever wearing flipflops on my feet. Anyhow the whole place stinks, like badly. There is the smell of methane of course, but where you dump the green waste smells of decaying green waste, which makes me feel sick and it is literally filled with sea gulls, it must be some sort of seagull heaven.

What I like is the fact it makes me think about waste and recycling. I mean seriously, there are just so many plastic bags dumped in there and yet they are going to take forever to break down. And seriously, what are we going to do when that land fill has been filled up, how can we possibly keep managing all the waste produced over here.

The thing is, it could be so easy to get slack about recycling, but it really does make a difference, as does having some thought about the packaging you are buying from the outset. We were staying with a friend in London recently who doesn't recycle for one reason and another, and it felt strange, just putting everything into the bin. And back at the dump, all those plastic bags sticking out of the mounds, not going anywhere for a very, very long time.

Anyhow after the fun of the dump, we went for a swim at Grand Havre, which is a first for both of us. It was high tide and stunning, we had to pinch ourselves - here we were swimming in the sea on 1 October in bright sunshine! From there we enjoyed the warmth of the sun in the garden of the new cafe at Earlswood garden centre - I love it there, it always makes me think how peaceful it would be to teach Yoga in that sort of environment, like the greenhouse perhaps, with all the trees and plants. The place is alive with prana and I always want to take home all the pretty flowers, the herbs and the lavender!

In the afternoon it was time for some serious garden crashing and book reading before we decided we ought to do something more active and we headed out on the bikes. of course I got a puncture within 10 minutes of being out but as luck would have it, we were only a matter of minutes away from a bike shop in St Martins and catching them just before they closed they very kindly put a new tire on my bike!

From there we headed out beyond the airport and all the way through the lanes back on ourselves a little to the Gouffe. We cycled right down to the point and carried out bikes down the path towards the launching bit for the boats. In all my years of living on Guernsey I have never been down here and it was lovely to pass a group of Latvian youngsters hanging out together enjoying the views, and just as lovely to meet two guys fishing all the way at the bottom.

So we clambered down the rocks and onto the pebble beach below, which is rather incredible with the cliffs looming above, and offers a whole different perspective on the Gouffe generally, and was novel going swimming down there at low tide with all the sea weed, which irrationally scares me sometimes!!!

The trek back up the cliff was a little testing, what with having to carry the bike, but I stopped from time to time to feast on the scrumptious and plentiful blackberries lining the path. And you know the weirdest thing. Gorse. Yes, the gorse is back again, which I am sure is not normal, not at this time of year. It seems the weather is confusing nature now too.

A stunning day and with a lovely evening - a party to wish Sally a safe bon voyage as she leaves the Island shortly to go off travelling for a year or so. Great to meet some new people and sit around the bonfire staring into the flames - I certainly didn't have any trouble sleeping with the release of all that melatonin, a little like Tratak, one of the 6 Shatkarmas, which involves staring into a candle flame, and has the effect of increasing concentration, memory and mental power, reduces stress and tension and slows the rate of breathing.

Well all that swimming in the sea, cycling and staring into a fire certainly helped me to sleep well last night!

So today dawned sunny again, how wonderful, it reminds me of living in Australia! We made the most of the morning high tide again and after a Yoga practice we headed down to Petit Bot, which was beautiful. Needless to say we weren't alone, it is great to see so many people on the beach and in the sea this weekend. I wish i could take photos while swimming, it is stunning looking up at the cliffs above, all the vibrant colours and this incredibly blue sea. I love it here in Guernsey, we are so blessed to have such beauty on our doorstep.

We bought breakfast and some take away drinks and headed out to the model yacht pond and sat in the sunshine chatting and watching all the boats heading out to Herm before I headed down to my parents' house for a long lobster lunch in the garden and a chance to lie in the sun and read books again. And to think that it is the 2nd of October!

At tea time E and I headed back out for another swim, my second of the day and E's third!! It was low tide and we settled on Cobo to enjoy the setting sun and the warmer sea - it really does feel warmer on the West coast! A perfect way to start the Sunday evening slow down, and again so many people still out and about, Guernsey really is in its element in this weather, it shines!!

So all in all it has been an incredibly uplifting weekend for so many reasons, not least the sunshine and swimming, but all that fresh air and the conversations which such a range of people. Essentially I am reminded not to take life so seriously and to lighten up!!

With love and gratitude.

xxx

Cobwebs, sunshine and reflexology

2011-09-28T15:20:00.000-07:00

The weather is simply incredible! I can't remember experiencing weather quite like this at the end of September with the leaves falling and the trees laden with berries.

On Tuesday it dawned foggy with a heavy dew in the air and I was blown away by all the cobwebs covering the trees and crossing the garden, it was mind blowing. I took a few pictures but they didn't really do justice to the whole scene.

Typically my life has been a touch busy this week as I have started a new contract with my old employees - an investment management and stock broking company - to balance my Yoga lifestyle, so I have not been able to get to the beach. I did manage a swim the other day and it was decidedly warm.

It is great to have the flexibility and I must admit that in between the office and the Yoga space, I have enjoyed a fantastic reflexology session with the lovely Christine (highly recommended) and a Reiki session too. Plus I get to swap Reiki for a massage this week too - you have to love the bartering system we have going on over here, where money doesn't change hands, only love and that wonderful healing energy.

I really excited by reflexology at the moment, it seems to be really helping with a few small health issues, quite incredible really. I have been reading this wonderful book about what the body is trying to tell you through illness, incorporating the chakras, which fascinate me. I really do find the whole healing world absolutely mind blowing, there is so much potential out there, which just goes completely beyond the logical mind. Essentially, I believe that faith plays a huge role in how we feel, our healing and how we connect with the flow of life - but that is a whole subject of its own.

Tonight we had our second power cut this week and as it was a new moon yesterday and so there is no moonlight, it was seriously dark outside, but the stars were able to shine even brighter than normal. It is funny because I am used to power cuts after spending so much time in Nepal, where they have anything from 16 to 20 hours of power cuts a day, every day of the year, so you get used to using candle light and cooking by fire. Here we are not so prepared and a power cut here makes you realise how dependant on electricity we have become in our society.

Anyhow bed time. Happy dreams.

xx

It is harvesting time!!

2011-09-25T10:45:00.000-07:00

The day of the Autumn Equinox (Friday) was simply stunning, the sun was shining brightly and it felt more like Summer than Autumn. I was fortunate to have a few free hours in the afternoon and decided to make the most of the weather and the Equinox and head out to Pleinmont and walk down to the fairy ring to give my thanks.

I haven't been to Pleinmont for some time and I was absolutely blown away not only by the views, as stunning as ever, but by the number of blackberries. I was in blackberry heaven and couldn't resist picking away! I don't know what it is, but I simply can't resist, I just love it.

Anyhow the fairy ring was as inspiring as ever. Again I don't know what it is, but I love sitting there taking it all in, the swell on the rocks, the Hanois, the pretty wildflowers, the clouds overhead, the whispering sound of the sea and the cry of the seagulls, let alone the energy of the fairy ring itself. You have to love it.

On Saturday I was blessed with 3 wonderful souls for a Level 2 Reiki attunement session. I thoroughly enjoyed the session, it is so refreshing to get the opportunity to spend time with 3 like minded women talking about all sorts of things and sharing my love of Reiki with them. Thank you ladies, may you continue to shine your light and open your hearts.

Today has been so warm for Autumn! I had to water the greenhouse for my parents and found it all a little challenging this afternoon, the sun was intense through the panes. It is so calming in there though, and I have this fascination with the tomato plants - I don't know whether it is their shiny and waxy skin, the contrast in colours or the aroma, but I just think they look amazing. It seems a shame to pick them!

In fact there was lots of to pick today. Not only the tomatoes but also some beans, mange tout, aubergines, peppers, courgettes (how does one make a courgette tasty????), asparagus (now this one blows my mind, this is totally out of season and I haven't even been watering the beds!), raspberries, strawberries and beans. My fridge is packed full of fresh veggies!

I managed a swim in the sea this afternoon, high tide at Petit Bot. It was the warmest it has been all year, I wasn't cold in the slightest, going in or coming out, amazing, I just wish it could stay like that all winter!

So now I am sitting here on the sofa, rather exhausted by all the activity of this weekend - when will I learn!!

xx

Mabon - the Autumn Equinox and the balance of light

2011-09-22T14:41:00.000-07:00

Namaste!

It is the Autumn equinox tomorrow, 23 September.

In the Wicca calender the Autumnal Equinox is known as Mabon. Like the Spring Equinox, we have a time of equal day and equal night, although after this night the days grow shorter and the sun begins to wane in power.

This festival is also known as the Harvest Home as it makes the end of the agricultural year. By now all the crops have been gathered and harvested for the winter months ahead. It is a time to get stuck into the chutneys with that glut of tomatoes and all those other wonderful autumnal vegetables - our fridge is full of aubergines, courgettes, beans, courgettes and tomatoes at the moment and I recently made a batch of chili jam with my Mum - yummy!

So Harvest Home also incorporates the leaves turning colour, the birds migrating (all the swifts have now left the lane near our house, up high by the airport, where they spent the summer swiftly flying above the rising heat from the road chasing all the bugs that filled the warm air, the berries appearing on the trees (we are seriously in for a cold winter with all those berries out there), corn harvesting 9there is still some corn in the fields up by the airport so all is not lost yet!) and bonfires...

I have to say that I felt very autumnal today. There was that smell in the air and the light is really rather special so that the seagulls resting on the rocks down at Vazon this afternoon looked really rather special. The clouds looked incredible too, mind blowing in fact, especially over Lihou Island. The heathers are all out and the seagulls were all sitting on the rocks down at Vazon making quite a contrast for the eye. I love Autumn, everything just has a different energy to it.

So the purpose of celebrating the Autumnal Equinox is twofold. First to give thanks for our blessings and achievements but also to project for the ability to maintain that which we possess. It does no good to manifest a goal if you cannot hold on to it. So we give thanks for what we have received, and request for the ability to keep what we have created. Technically this is a time to give thanks for all the blessings you have received throughout the year.

I was sent a link to a wonderful summary of the autumnal equinox and its impact on us. As far as I can see it is all about letting go, stepping into our balanced and creative (and indeed feminine) power and allowing our own inner transformation. Change the mindset. Let go of behaviour patterns that no longer serve you. Embrace grace. Dance joyfully and take time to smell the roses.

Happy Mabon!!
xxxxxx

Changes in season and getting away from it all!

2011-09-21T00:54:00.001-07:00

So, after finishing my contract in the office on Friday, I decided to treat us both to a trip to London to celebrate. One of my best friend's is moving from London to New York to work and I wanted to catch her before she left. One of Ewan's best friend's is, fingers crossed, about to sell his flat soon, so in many respects it is the end of an era for all of us, there have been so many happy times and memories in both our friend's flats in London.

It was a fantastic weekend, really easy going, lots and lots of walking so that my feet are covered in blisters - although that could have been from wearing high heels and dancing for hours one evening (!)- a night out in town visiting the free festival in Brick Lane and supporting a "trees for cities" event somewhere else along the way, going to a couple of Yoga classes at TriYoga in Primrose Hill and the new studio in Chelsea - we went to a particularly inspiring class on Saturday, Anusara-Inspired, and thankfully E loved the experience.

Anyhow so here I am back on Guernsey, the weather is not so good, lots of rain and drizzle, but not to worry, I have a few precious days to myself to catch up from the last few months before I begin as company secretary with Spearpoint Limited again and start to replenish the travel fund - there is a whole world out there, and so much Yoga to experience!

In the meantime there is so much to celebrate - Mabon and the Autumn Equinox is approaching on Friday and Autumn is certainly upon us again. A friend sent me a link
to this week's astrology forecast, which makes for an interesting read...
http://realastrologers.com/weekly-forecast-september-19-sun-enters-libra-fall-equinox?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Realastrologerscom+%28realastrologers.com%29

More soon.

xxxx

Autumn ramblings

2011-09-11T23:17:00.000-07:00

Well the storm has arrived, later and not as strong as expected and coinciding beautifully with the full moon this morning - it always seems to be the way, so rarely do we get to see a perfectly shining full moon these days. I learnt a few years ago, with my Herm Yoga & Wellbeing retreat, never to organise a fair weather event on the full moon - the weather is simply too volatile.

My crystals are in the garden cleansing all the same, and I did struggle to sleep last night with the full moon's heightened energy and the brightness, despite the rain clouds and the stormy winds.

I am surprised I struggled to sleep as E and I had such an action packed weekend, all things considered. That is the joy of Autumn - well that and all those red berries!

I managed to get to Sheila's gentle/beginner's Yoga Flow class on Saturday morning - it is such a joy for me to be able to attend a class these days over here in Guernsey. It was lovely, thank you Sheila, just what I needed with my adrenal glands still recovering from exhaustion. Ironic really, that one can get exhausted from teaching so much Yoga, but that is what happened last year and it is a long and slow road to recovery. But more about that another time.

In the afternoon I worked and visited a friend. There is always so much to be organising for Yoga retreats and classes and trips away. At the last minute, E and I have booked flights to London next weekend to celebrate the end of my contract in the Bank, visit friends and for me to attend as many Yoga classes as I can...I can't wait!!

At high tide - 6.30pm - we headed down to Vazon and took great joy messing around in the shore break. So much fun. A quite night followed, well for me at least, hearing the rain outside was enough to keep me inside reading a fabulous book.

Sunday dawned bright and we walked into town to sit and drink tea and read the papers in Costa...we weren't the only ones, seems this is a popular Sunday pastime! E then went to visit his Mum while I stayed at home and practiced on my own before working some more, Reiki attunement manuals to edit this time and catching up on emails.

By the time E came home the wind had picked up and we decided to go out on our bikes and make the most of the wind pushing us along the coast road! So we headed out to the West coast, stopping at this view point I never knew existed, with fabulous views over the West coast and all the stormy seas, before heading down to Vazon and watching the surfers - wow so many in the sea - and me wishing I still had a surfboard I could use, but sadly they all have dings.

We flew with the wind to the Guet, which was incredibly calm, in between all the trees, and we searched for pine combs, but cheated a bit as E is a tree surgeon and likes to climb trees, so he climbed a tree and got some more pine combs for us that way instead!!! I love pine combs, they are super cool, I like to have them in the house, like an offering to the Moon and Nature, I guess it is all a bit earthy really. It is a bit like blackberrying. I just love it. But you don't see so many people doing it these days. Another week and the hedgerows will be purple rather than red, so many blackberries ripening but not just there yet.

We cycled home and got back in the car down to Vazon with the boogie boards for a play in the crazy shore break. Wow, the waves were strong and the undercurrent noticeable. Like Saturday, there were quite a few others in the water, just by the slipway. It is great to see, all ages, some in wetsuits and others like us, just enjoying the fact the sea is at its warmest all year, swimming as we do in our bathers. I had forgotten how exhausting it can be, battling the waves, but also how much fun, we laughed and laughed. I remember now, the reason I loved surfing so much.

Back home it was crash out time. Walking, cycling, swimming and Yoga ll in one day. I finished my book lying on the sofa before watching a TV programme about driving in Nepal, which made me laugh out loud, and reminisce about the beauty of the country and its people. Oh well. We'll see what happens next on the river of life.

With love, gratitude and thanks to the Goddess of the Moon.

xxxx

The calm before the storm to blow away the cobwebs!

2011-09-10T14:16:00.000-07:00

It feels like the calm before the storm here in Guernsey. Not that it has been calm all day. In fact it has been rather odd, bits of light rain here and there, then the sun shone for a while this afternoon, rather brightly too, and there was a definite swell on the rocks on the West coast as I was driving to a friend's house and I was aware of flocks of birds flying together, and then a few hours later the wind picked up and the sea became choppy and rough, and then as the moon rose this evening, it all became rather calm again.

E and I managed a swim at Vazon at high tide this evening. It was windy and a little rough at the time and I was amazed how many other people were down there swimming and messing around in the waves. Great to see and so worth the effort - the sea is warm at the moment.

I am looking forward to the storm as we need one to blow away all the cobwebs from the summer (and we literally have tons of cobwebs around the cottage and garden at the moment, E tells me it is spider season and he's not joking, there is something about older cottages that really attracts them too) and just clear the energy. I always think storms help to release all that pent up energy and cleanse us somehow. Plus we have the joy of the full moon on Monday, so the energy is really heightened right now.

You have to love autumn. Have you noticed how many berries there are on the trees at the moment? I am blown away by the beauty of all the red hawthorn trees everywhere, they are simply stunning. And then the leaves on the trees are changing colour too, which is really pretty, and of course many are losing their leaves too. The sycamore in our garden is almost bare already, really strange. And then of course the blackberries, love it, we are on our third apple and blackberry oat crumble now!

Happy storm!

xx

Normandy for the soul

2011-09-09T05:45:00.000-07:00

Last weekend E and I visited France with my parents so I could introduce them to the wonderful region of Normandy where I dream of one day owning my own spiritual retreat centre.

I have said it before but there is something about Normandy that I find incredibly special, uplifting and energising. It is something to do with the light and the sense of space, plus of the course the fact you are literally surrounded by nature - trees, fields, animals, flowers, plants, birds - essentially it is farming land and clearly something about farming land resonates with me.

We spent the first night in Ducey, this really pretty town about a forty five minute drive from St Malo, where there is this really pretty river and the hotel was set along its banks so after a wonderful meal at one of the local restaurants, we were soothed to sleep by the sound of a weir. I haven't slept so well in ages - in fact there is something about Normandy that just soothes all the stress away and makes me feel incredibly tired and take everything at a very slow pace and sleep, lots of sleeping!

On the Saturday the four of us went for a lovely walk along the river side and through the forest in a 6km loop. The walk was stunning. So tranquil with only us on the trail the whole time. This is nature at its best. A lovely gently flowing river, a reminder to go with the flow, and river banks laden with trees and flowers and blackberries and slow bushes. We were treated to Peacock butterflies and dragonflies, goats, cows and even an otter although Mum was the only one who saw it before it got scared away.

It was just green everywhere, and the sun would shine through the clouds from time to time brightening the whole scene, stunning absolutely stunning. We followed the path away from the river and inland in to a forest full of oak and beech trees, where there were also loads of mushrooms and slugs. There is something really uplifting about forests, I am not sure whether it is their grounding nature, or the fact they are so alive with tree energy, but I love them, so cool, and we collected some beech and oak tree cuttings to plant back at home so we will always have a reminder of the walk and our special Normandy weekend.

After a lovely picnic lunch at this wonderful spot that E found quite by chance, we drove to our Carl and Tessa's farm where E and I were staying for the night while my parents returned to Ducey and had some peace and quiet!

I love the farm. It is set in such a beautiful location, and Carl and Tessa have given it their own magical energy, living their dream with their lovely children Ollie and Evie. Some of the sheep have been sold since we last visited and now there are 5 ducklings and a wonderful goat called Deborah who provides all their milk. There are still some sheep plus lots of cows and free roaming chickens, bee hives, the cats, horses, dogs and guinea pig. There is never a dull moment on the farm, I can just sit watching it all unfold around me for hours.

That evening we sat and watched the swallows swooping around the land, and a flock of gulls flying over head, and butterflies fluttering around. The clouds finally cleared so that the stars were shining brightly over head. That is the joy of this place, there is such little light pollution so the stars can be incredibly bright.

I slept so well that I really didn't want to get up the next morning, but was encouraged to do so so I could have a try of milking Deborah. My gosh Tessa makes it look so easy but really it is quite a skill, which I don't yet have! It is actually rather mesmerising watching Tessa milk away. E had a go too, but he was equally as useless as me!!

I managed to practice before a long lazy brunch, where I took great delight in eating a couple of the eggs from the chickens on the farm, which have the most amazingly yellow yokes and now make it very difficult for me to eat any eggs, which have not been laid by such well loved and free roaming chickens. I don't care what anyone says, it really does make a difference to the taste and the energy of the egg.

Early afternoon and with my folks lazing in Ducey and rather happy about it too, the rest of us headed to Domfrom, this medieval town close to where Tessa and Carl live. It is a lovely town with the remains of this beautiful old castle on top of the hill, offering fantastic views across the lower land. I could have wandered around for a while but we were due to meet my parents at the farm and didn't have very much time, but it certainly somewhere to investigate if you are ever passing.

After saying goodbye to the Masons again - I always find it really sad leaving the farm, I just love it there, but I know we will be back again sometime this year - we headed back to Ducey where E and I pottered around the town looking at all the beautiful flowers and views of the river, before enjoying another wonderful outdoor meal with the folks - very civilised!!

After another restful night's sleep we headed back to St Malo for some last minute French shopping before getting the boat back home.

A huge thank you to Mum and Dad, we thoroughly enjoyed the weekend with you both, and a big thank you to Tessa, Carl, Ollie and Evie for putting up with us again!!

xxxxxx

Vale Earth Fair rocks!!

2011-08-29T08:38:00.001-07:00

Wow, how cool was the Vale Earth fair yesterda? We are seriously lucky here in Guernsey to have had access to such great music in such a wonderful setting in the sun yesterday.

Whoever came up with the idea of holding an Earth Fair at vale Castle, is just a genius, it really is an amazing place.

We took a picnic to the Festival, making sure we got there at 2pm in time for the wonderful Big Sheep who were as fantastic as ever - those Sark boys and girls are inspired.

The sun was shining and spirits were high as we were treated to one band after another, an eclectic mix of music, some I liked more than others. But of course there wasn't only the main stage but also a number of other stages with DJs and different scenes, some with views towards Bordeaux and others with views of Herm, Jethou, Sark, France and Jersey.

It was great to see so many people having so much fun, lovely to catch up with students and have a chat away from the studio, great to have a few drinks and let our hair down, dancing our socks off, laughing, chatting in the sun and generally absorbing the whole energy of the event.

Well done to all of those who gave their time and energy to make the Fair such a great success - a highlight not only of this weekend, but of the summer generally.

With love and gratitude

Emma

Jill's seasonal recipe - butternut squash & calabrese

2011-08-29T06:06:00.000-07:00

1 medium butternut squash, peeled, deseeded and cut into smallish cubes 1 – 2 cm
1 head of calabrese, cut into small florets (big ones will need to be at least quartered).

Vegetable or sunflower oil – about 1 tablespoon

• Fenugreek Seeds – ½ a tablespoon
• Black Mustard Seeds – 1 good tablespoon
• Curry Leaves (dried is fine) – about 12
• Garam Masala – 1 tablespoon
• Coconut milk – 1 tin
• Vegetable stock powder – approx 1 good teaspoon dissolved in a mugful of hot water
• Fresh Coriander – handful chopped
• Salt & Pepper to taste

Steam the butternut squash and calabrese until just about cooked (not too cooked). I use a two tier steamer and put the squash in the bottom for about 10 – 15 mins. This can be done in advance just don’t overcook the veg!

Put a large frying pan to heat and when hot add the oil. Once the oil is hot add the mustard seeds and, as soon as they start to pop (not long so don’t go off), add the fenugreek seeds, curry leaves, coconut milk and vegetable stock. Stir well.

Add vegetables, stir so that the veg are coated in the sauce and simmer until well heated through. Add garam masala, stir well again, taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Serve with chopped coriander on top.

You can eat this on its own, or with bread, pitta bread, rice, quinoa etc. Depending on appetites (and it is yummy) it will serve 2 – 3 as a main dish or 4- 5 as a side dish

It is an Ayurverdic recipe, so is vegan as well as vegetarian and beneficial for the digestive fire, plus of course broccoli and pumpkin are renowned as superfoods in Western nutrition.

A weekend of beautiful Herm

2011-08-22T23:00:00.000-07:00

What a wonderful weekend! Completely by luck, E and I were camping on Herm and so were able to enjoy what could very well have been the final day of the summer sunshine!!

We went over on the ferry on Friday tea time and my flipflop broke on the boat so it was barefoot walking up to the campsite, with its fabulous, fabulous views towards Alderney and the English Channel. Needless to say we chose what we felt was the best spot in the field with all those fantastic views!

I borrowed E's huge crocs that evening and felt like bit of a clown as we wandered down to the Mermaid and were surprised at the number of people frequenting the place, what with the evening boat from Guernsey full of work parties. It was rather good fun, sitting and watching everybody.

The walk back up the hill was somehow easier in the dark, probably because I was completely blown away by the stars above, and when we reached the top and started walking the path to the campsite, I was doubly blown away by the incredible rising moon. Wow, this is what camping is all about. Completely back to nature again. It was even more superb when I woke in the middle of the night and went outside to have a look. Magical evening skies.

Saturday dawned cloudy but the sun soon shone through and that was it for the rest of the day, bright summer sunshine, hoorah, finally!!!! After a potter around the shops so I could invest in some new flipflops (!), and a spot of breakfast, we headed straight to Belvoir Bay, which was already hotting up. E wisely hired an umbrella and - much to my amusement - a deckchair too. So that was us sorted for the rest of the day.

Belvoir Bay is one of the most lovely beaches in the world - the sand is always so light, full of broken shells, and the sea is always so clear and inviting, albeit often a little cold. However today, the sea was a welcome relief and I love the fact that due to the gradient of the beach, even when it is low tide, you don't have to walk too far to get in! I managed a total of 5 swims, which is pretty good, even by my standard!!

E left me on the beach early afternoon to go and meet his Mum who was joining us for the night, so I carried on reading my book and sunning myself until I started to get a litte restless of the sun, so I practiced a little Yoga in the shade of the corner of the beach, where no one else could really see me. Lovely to practice on the beach like this.

That evening we went and sat under the hall at the harbour and enjoyed the warmth of the evening sun and views of Guernsey and Jethou, before joining the crowds at the Mermaid who were enjoying a spot of line dancing - rather random and far too noisy and busy fr us in the courtyard but looked fun for everyone all the same!!

Sunday dawned overcast and while it felt warm the sun never really shone through. We managed a walk to Shell beach and past one of the old tombs, there are quite a few on the Island, steeped as it is in such history. There are also tons of blackberries out already, another week and they will all be ready to pick. We managed another swim too and I have to say that this may have been my favourite swim of the year - high tide at belvoir, clear seas, overcast and not very many people on the beach, I don't know why, but I found it blissful.

We returned to Guernsey that afternoon and had great fun later that day celebrating my friend, Sarah's birthday in her beautiful garden and house in Le Bigards, a lovely spot in the Forest, a community all of its own(thank you Sarah and Joseph, really enjoyed the celebrations!).

These past few days I can't help but noticing that Autumn has arrived early again - or is it simply that the seasons have changed and the school calendar has not adjusted yet! There is just that smell in the air and the berries are everywhere and the weather is all over the place as the shift occurs...

The sea feels rather warm however!

xxx

The calmness of the full moon!!

2011-08-14T04:14:00.000-07:00

The energy of the full moon had well and truly gotten to me by Friday so there was only one thing for it - female company and sparkles!

I met my lovely friend Nikki at Hojos and we sat and chatted in front of the high tide and the rising moon, the sun setting over the other side of the Island and providing a lovely glowing light, enjoying the excited energy of a Friday when everyone has finished work and is looking forward to the weekend ahead. Bliss. We ended up in the Fermain Tavern listening to some great music, it is brilliant that we have the opportunity to listen to and watch so much live music in Guernsey these days. I was home in bed by 11pm, i am in awe of those I know stayed up dancing until sunrise the next day:-)

So Saturday was a slow start for me. It was a busy week last week, on Wednesday i taught 5 hours of Yoga on a summer school to children ranging in age from 7 to 18, followed by an hour and a half adults class in the evening, so that is a lot of teaching and practicing in one day, and I felt it the rest of the week! I have only recently discovered that I nver had glandualr fever last year, more so adrenal fatigue, which is the reason I have been sick on and off this year.

I find it rather ironic that I managed to get sick from teaching too much Yoga and chanelling too much Reiki, but I guess it is a process some of us have to go through. Until this "wake-up" call, I am not sure it would have mattered what i was doing, my learned tendency has always been to work to an extreme regardless of what I am doing. So now, of course, my body has my full attention. It is, of course, all about balance, and for me, well for all of us, hormonal balance...which leads to chakra balancing, which leads to feeling wholesome and well in all aspects of our lives, mental, emotional, physical and indeed spiritual.

It never ceases to amaze me, how hormones play such an incredibly crucial role in how we feel, really brings us back to our roots of why we feel the way we feel, of why we are sick or miserable or depressed or anxious, or can't sleep, or can't lose weight or can't get pregnant etc etc. And yet how little attention we pay to them until something start to go wrong! Oh well, we live and learn. And I am a great believer that things happen for a reason, that everything is part of a process, be that self discovery, healing, embracing our capacity to love in its limitless manner, or just because it is something we are here to learn.

So anyhow, this whole adrenal exhaustion thing reminds me constantly if I am overdoing things and in many ways it has been a blessing in disguise because it has opened up so many new doors and ways of being to me. I wouldn't have discovered gardening or the joy of sea swimming and cooking, and I wouldn't have re-discovered my passion for reading and just being. And now I don't feel guilty for not rushing around like an idiot each day, constantly chasing my tale and working, working, working.

So Saturday. E and I went down to Soldiers Bay, which you are not really meant to do as the steps are unstable, which is such a shame as it is a lovely little bay. We went swimming, the weather was pants, autumn seems to have appeared a little easlier than normal, just as well the sea is so warm, is a joy to swim. We then went and enjoyed a hot drink and chatter at hojos, my new found favourite place on account of the fact you can sit outside, the staff are lovely and they have soya milk!!

We then pottered around a few gardening centres, such wonderful places, would be perfect to teach Yoga in such an environment, in fact I often consider teaching in my parent's greenhouse, what with all that positive and calm vibrational energy from all the much loved plants and trees, such a healing and peaceful environment but there is the health and safety issue of all the glass everywhere!!

Anyhow I bought E a tree. It really needs to be planted and has started dying so they had marked down the price and it really needed to be saved. And we got some lovely large daisies too, which will brighten the garden and remind me of our pottering day together. I could have bought so much, I juts love the beauty and the colour of all those flowers and plants.

We spent the afternoon watching a rather depressing and yet incredibly interesting film by Micheal Leigh, called "Another Year", and well worth a watch if you get the chance. Not so, perhaps, the really violent film that E chose for us to watch in the evening called London Boulevard. Oh my gosh, I am far too sensitive for that kind of viewing and it didn't make for a particularly restful night's sleep!!!

Anyhow the skies last night were incredible. Sadly no view of the full moon, but certainly a stunning sunset from up here in St Andrews. Wow. I put my crystals in the garden regardless, and they are shining brightly today, infused with the moon's wonderful energy. And actually I found the full moon was a rather calm and peaceful one for a change. Not so the week leading up to it, but when it arrived, it felt like calm descended again. Like so many other women, I am guessing those in touch with the cycle of the moon and nature, and certainly those with a regular Yoga practice, will be full moon girls too, so a calmness will have descended on every level with the hormones letting go!!!

Phew.

So here's to a continued calming waning moon, and maybe some sunshine to see us through the rest of August.

xxx

Bring on the full moon!

2011-08-12T09:25:00.000-07:00

Wow, what a rollercoaster of a week as he stock markets fell and the rioters took to the UK streets.

I really do believe that the Universe has been trying to get our attention for some time but we keep pretending not to hear and not to notice. Not all of us of course. There is an increasing wave of people coming "back to earth", and quite literally...working with the earth, growing their own vegetables, buying local produce and second hand goods, recycling, helping to create a sense of community, considering their carbon footprint, embracing holistic practices,and adjusting to a potential life without such a disposable income.

So the Universe keeps reminding us...natural disasters, stock market crashes...a paradigm shift in how we are living, back to basics, back to where we came from, back to the time wqhen a house was a home and a way to shelter, not just an investment to make us some money, and a time when vegetables tasted like vegetables and milk came from happy cows who weren't pumped full of hormones and antibiotics...and so the list goes on.

And people get angry because the world is changing...

So it is another powerful full moon tomorrow - have a google search, there is lots written about it out there. Seems we need to hang on tight for a while longer...and I for can't wait for the winds to blow in a lighter, calmer and clearer way of being.

Peaceful weekend.

xx

Peace and harmony, a waxing moon and the world in disarray

2011-08-08T13:14:00.000-07:00

With my partner away in the UK, I treated myself to a wonderfully quiet and peaceful weekend doing my own thing.

I read somewhere recently about how important it is for people in relationships to have time apart from one another so that they have time to miss each other and to appreciate each other a little bit more.

I believe this is true, but I also believe everyone can benefit from spending a little time on their own...but I do appreciate that this is not easy for everyone, some people are so used to having other people around them that the idea of spending a day, let alone an evening and indeed a night in a house on their own is really rather threatening.

Still I loved the experience - a whole weekend filled with lots of silence and pottering, self practice, administration, swimming in the sea and gardening. I manaed to mow the lawn at home all on my own and weed the front and back garden and even clear up the pigsty, which I love, it just has such a cool energy.

On a not-so-silent note I did manage to fit in a trip to the Rocquaine Regatta to watch the Space Pirates of Rocquaine, who are absolutely great - Lisa's never ending energy is amazing. Love it. Thank you for the music with the sun setting behind us, Guernsey is so magical at times.

We worked hard at my folks' place on Sunday afternoon tidying up the veggie patch, lots of weeding and rotivating, picking and sorting the crops. It is sad really that we have now pulled up the rest of the beetroot and peas and dug up the rest of our summer potatoes for another season. Mind you I shouldn't complain, we still have lots of lovely beans and aubergines, tomatoes, courgettes, sprouts (yes, summer sprouts, who would have thought?!) and blackberries.

Talking of which, has anyone else noticed how early the blackberries have come through this year, and how you can occasionally smell autumn in the air, and how some of the trees are already starting to lose their leaves...

In fact everything is rather up in the air and blowing all over the place at the moment. Not only is it literally really windy out there but the economic crisis has sent stock markets into a state of turmoil and there are riots all over the UK, and
Harvard-trained academic Lobsang Sangay has been sworn in as the Tibetan government-in-exiles' new political chief, assuming the political role of the Dalai Lama who, at 76, remains the exiles' spiritual leader. if I hadn't seen and heard all this with my own eyes and ears on the news then I would think it is all a bit of a joke.

Seems like we are building up to a potentially interesting full moon this weekend especially if you have a read of this link http://realastrologers.com/weekly-forecast-august-8-mars-square-uranus-opposite-pluto?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Realastrologerscom+%28realastrologers.com%29.

It is a waxing moon at the moment, which means it is growing larger in the sky, moving from a narrow crescent just after the new moon towards the full moon.
The waxing moon grows from right to left and is called the 'right-hand moon' - the crescent is like the curve between the right-hand's index finger and thumb. Full of useful information huh!!

There is no denying the incredible influence the moon has over us and I have read that apparently the two weeks that the moon is waxing is the best time for trying to draw things to you, encourage growth, start new things or to “magnify” certain things in your life (want your hair to grow faster? then trim it during waxing moon. Want to increase your finances? Then focus your energies on improving finances during waxing moon)

When the moon is waxing, we feel more positive, more energized, more outgoing.

Well whether it is the effect of a good and long overdue chat with my Reiki Master the other day, receiving the results of a hormone test, which has thrown so much light onto why I have felt like I have felt for the last 18 months, spending the weekend being quiet with myself or spending lots of time working with the earth, I am certainly feeling very focused, positive and energised than I have felt for a while.

Happy waxing days ahead, go manifest more of what you want, and be careful not to give too much energy to what you don't want.
xx

Sunrise, sunrise!

2011-08-06T00:40:00.001-07:00

I was awake super early yesterday so I could take my beloved to the airport for the red eye - the first flight out of Guernsey at 7am. Usually I avoid such an experience, particularly in winter when it is dark and cold outside, but I must admit it was a little bit of a blessing in disguise this time as I got to see sunrise!!

I was on BBC South West on Thursday night too, from 10.30pm to just before midnight, so a late bed and an early start on Friday, but I feel strangely invigorated by it all. The radio show was fab, it was with JKT who is just wonderful, truly has the listeners engaged. Thank you Jen, I really enjoyed being able to talk about Yoga nd energy an all things spiritual with you.

I made the most of the brief sunshine yesterday afternoon and headed down to Saints Bay for a lovely swim backwards and forward across the bay, lovely, lovely, lovely - not only some exercise but also a much needed opportunity to cleanse one's aura after being sat in an office in front of a computer for a few hours surrounded by all that electrical energy; it kind of brings you down to earth and helps one to move from one state of being to another.

I love the fact you can "neti" too. This is one of the 6 "Shatkarmas", or cleansing techniques of the Hatha Yoga system an simply means taking water in and out of the nostrils to cleanse the nostrils and the sinuses. It is a technique renowned for preventing colds and helping with allergies. You can use a pot to help to pour water into one nostril and than allow it to exit from the other nostril and i have done this quite a bit in the past, but more lately I find that swimming in the sea and taking sea water in and out through the nose is much the same thing - I used to do this a lot when surfing without even realising I was cleansing myself in the process!

Anyhow, time to go practice...

xx

Happy New Moon

2011-08-01T07:38:00.000-07:00

Happy New Moon and what an exciting one too...

Found this article that says much more about it...

http://astrology.about.com/od/themoon/qt/NewMoonLeo.htm

Phew it is hot and humid over here today, and high tide not until the evening, poor cats are struggling, thoe fur coats are awfully warm!

Time to go picking...

xx

Sun, sea, swimming, summer is here!

2011-07-31T13:53:00.000-07:00

What an incredible, incredible weekend we have experienced here in Guernsey - well I guess it is subjective, but I have definitely had an incredible weekend.

It is not every weekend that the weather is so bright, sunny and warm, and the tides so high in the morning and evening, making for a wonderful opportunity to truly enjoy Guernsey at its best and get down to the beach!

I am greenhouse and cat sitting at the moment so am based down on the West coast, which I absolutely love because you can hear and smell the sea from the house and although it is only an 8 minute drive from where I currently live in the middle of the Island, I do feel like I am not only getting away from it all, but also coming "home"!!

Saturday morning was spent in the greenhouse, I just lost all track of time and while it was stupidly hot - I can totally understand why you hear of ladies wearing their bikinis when they used to work in the greenhouses in the height of the horticultural industry - I just lost all track of time. My grandfather was a tomato grower and my uncle a rose grower and now my parents grow, so I guess growing is in the blood somehow. Regardless, I got right into it and ended up weeding, picking and watering.

In fact the picking is actually the most time consuming part at the moment as there is simply so much to pick! The Mirabelle, nectarine and plum trees are laden with fruit, all ripening at the same time, and the runner beans are going slightly mad and there is tons of curly kale and even the peas, aubergines, courgettes and tomatoes are making a go of it too! So I ended up putting a lot of it in the stall at the bottom of the drive for general sale.

I have to say it is great around here at Vazon and especially along our road as you can buy all manner of organic vegetables and of course my Mum's fruit, so you don't really need to buy any fruits or vegetables from the shop at the moment, which is brilliant. Not only that but it is fresh here too, and full of all that wondering prana so it makes you feel so much better.

I was reminded about this the other day while reading one of Thich Nhat Hanh's books about anger and the Buddhist wisdom of cooling the flames. He is an incredible man and I love how he writes about "we are what we eat"...

"Eating is an aspect of civilisation. The way we grow our food, the kind of food we eat, and the way we eat it has much to do with civilisation because choices we make can bring about peace and relieve suffering...the food that we eat can play a very important role in our anger. Our food may contain anger. When we eat the flesh of an animal with mad cow disease, anger is there in the meat. But we must also look at the other kinds of food that we eat. When we eat an egg or a chicken, we know that the egg or the chicken can also contain a lot of anger. We are eating anger, and therefore we express anger...

...So be aware. Be careful what you eat. If you eat anger, you will become and express anger. If you eat despair, you will express despair. If you eat frustration, you will express frustration. We have to eat happy eggs from happy chickens. We have to drink milk that does not come from angry cows. We should drink organic milk that comes from cows that are raised naturally. We have to make an effort to support farmers to raise these animals in a more humane way. We also have to buy vegetables that are grown organically. It is more expensive, but to compensate, we can eat less. We can learn to eat less".

And it is so true. Not only should we consider where our food comes from, but how it has been treated. Plus of course how it is cooked. This is what i love about the whole Hari Krishna set-up, the whole concept of preparing food with love, of chanting while preparing food to raise the energy within the preparer and indeed the room and in fact imbuing it with the energy of love so that you eat that energy and feel better as a result.

Everything we eat has some form of vibration to it and the fresher the higher the vibration and the more healing and better for us. This is one of the reasons I love eating from the tree or plant, it doesn't get any fresher or more energised than that and the fact that my Mum and Dad grow organically and with love - my Mum talks to her plants and even uses Reiki on them sometimes too - means that they are so much tastier than anything else I have ever tasted! Ok so I am biased, but come and try some for yourself - Mum even sells them really cheaply too, it’s her bit for increased peace in the world!!!!

The afternoon was spent practicing Yoga in the garden and helping E with some chores before going down to Vazon for an hour at tea time to enjoy sitting in the sunshine under the wall and swimming in the sea. I just love it down there when the sun is shining and the tide is rising and everyone seems so happy!! In the evening we cycled all the way along the West coast cycle paths from Vazon to L'Ancresse to join a friend's 40th birthday celebrations.

If you live on, or visit Guernsey, then I can highly recommend this bike ride, in the early evening when the sun is going down and the tide is high. My gosh, it is stunning. It is times like this that I am not only o happy to be alive, but so happy to be living in Guernsey. I can't think of any other place in the world I have travelled where I would rather be on days like this. Thank you angels, I guess my karma can't be so bad to have been born here (I doubt I will be saying that in the middle of winter however!!).

Today has been pretty cool too. After watering the garden, E and I managed a quick dip at Vazon before catching the boat to Herm to meet E's Mum who had been playing the organ in the lovely little church over there. She treated us to lunch in the sun at the Ship - thank you V - before I topped up my crystal collection in the shop over there (this is the cheapest place I have ever come across to buy crystals and the shop next door has some wonderful crystal jewellery and angel related paraphernalia) before we went for a walk.

We stopped in at the church on our way to the beach. It is really rather wonderful in there. I seem to think it has been around since the 13th century (although don’t quote me on that) and if you put your hands to the stones inside you can certainly feel the heightened energy in that room. I love doing this, not only can it can tell you a lot about a place but I have no doubt that if the room has a high vibration and you put your hands to it, then you receive a healing in the process. There are some wonderful old and small and incredibly powerful churches out there.

Anyhow the church in Herm has these wonderful flowers growing outside and just has this really peaceful feel to it - I would love to re-create this in my own garden one day, it is the kind of place where you feel you could sit and meditate and just feel at peace somehow. Perfect for a spiritual retreat centre.

We sat down at Belvoir Bay, which looked magical of course as the sea is always so clear and bright and we went for a swim and were amazed to find that it didn't feel as cold as usual - well either that or we have just become immune to it after swimming on the South coast of Guernsey so much!! We walked back along the spine of the Island, past the cows and down overlooking Jethou, before catching the boatback to Guernsey. Lovely.

Back at home we decided to make the most of the sunshine and put together a picnic/bbq and the 3 of us headed down to Port Soif and set up camp with the sun dropping and the tide rising, bliss! What is so wonderful is the fact that so many other people are doing the same thing, all the way along the coast, people enjoying bbqs, picnics and fish and chips on the beach, and swimming too, so many people swimming and in fact I bumped into a lady who comes to Yoga classes and she went swimming 6 times in the sea today!!!

So while the bbq was heating, E and I went for our third swim of the day and probably the warmest too, with the sea covering the warm sands, plus the bay is like a horseshoe and I am sure this traps the heat somehow. Regardless, it is interesting to swim at all these different places on the Island and notice such a difference in the sea temperature.

After dinner V dropped us at the house in L'Ancresse where we had left the bikes the night before (new moon tomorrow mean it was really dark by the time we were ready to leave and I didn't fancy 30 minutes on a bike not being able to see properly even with bike lights) so we got to enjoy the high tide and the beautiful views a little more as we cycled back home to Vazon - there is some lovely bright purple heather on the bank at Albecq, everyone needs a little lucky heather!

So all in all a stunning weekend and I am looking forward to finishing work tomorrow and getting back to the beach, this is certainly a time to make the most of each moment and all those summer activities!

With gratitude and love.

xxxx

Sunny, happy, summer days with love

2011-07-28T13:34:00.001-07:00

Wow what an incredible few days of glorious sunshine we have been experiencing here on Guernsey, it seems that summer has finally arrived, and lucky me has been able to make the most of it!

Yes I have to admit that whilst I may have been struggling at the beginning of the week with the whole concept of working in an office, I have reflected and since realised that actually it is what you make it, and as soon as I let go of the thought that working in an office equals a loss of freedom and that whole scary soul-less existence of times long past (thankfully), I have started to appreciate the benefits of contract part-time working, which means I can walk away when the hours are done.

On Thursday I met my spirit cousin Yo, who is over from Devon for the week. We had met earlier in the week for swim in the sea, and while I was keen to take her to Petit Bot with me, she wisely suggested we go somewhere different and so we ended up at Saints Bay and what an absolute joy!

So while Petit Bot was rammed with people, and probably most of the other main beaches on Guernsey too, Saints was refreshingly quiet with only a handful of people making the most of this beautiful bay. And with the tide rising, Yo and I enjoyed a lovely swim backwards and forwards across the Bay, chatting in the process and trying to make sense of the warm and cold patches everywhere!

After a few hours,I dropped Yo off at her brother's house and carried on down to Vazon on the West coast to meet one of my lovely angel friend's, Christine, and her beautiful daughter Jasmine, for another swim. Well, I have to say I have not seen Vazon that busy for some time, it was 4.30pm by the time I got there and the tide was on its way up so people were pushed higher up the beach and onto the pebbles under the wall, so I found a spot and settled on my rug and was amazed how hot the sun still felt and by the number of people still turning up at the beach to meet family and to cool off with a swim.

Christine and I went for a lovely swim across the bay, yet more chatting in the process, before settling back on my spot under the wall to dry off with Jasmine in the warm sun. An hour later and we were still sitting there and Jasmine was inviting me to join the two of them for a spontaneous supper at Crabby Jack's over the road.

I found myself declining the invite on the basis that while E was out for the night I still needed to go home and water the garden and prepare food and catch up on emails etc, and then I caught myself...this day is never going to come again...the sun is shining, it is high tide, I am with a really good friend and her daughter, I have nowhere I need to be and nothing I really need to do and they have asked me to join them for supper at a restaurant with views over the beach. If there was ever a moment to go with the flow then this was it!!

So I went with the flow and enjoyed a lovely supper with Christine and Jasmine with lots of chatter about 2012...more about that another time...before going home and enjoying the beautifully warm, calm and peaceful energy of the garden as the sun was setting in the distance. Really, these are the best evenings.

I guess this kind of set me up for a joyful start today - Friday - knowing that it is not only the end of the working week for me, but the sun has been shining again!!

So after work - and what a jubilant day it was for everyone, it is incredible how different the energy is in the office on a Friday compared to a Monday - I dragged a hungover E to Saints Bay with me for a much needed lay on the beach and swim in the sea. Ahhh, there is nothing quite like getting down to the beach and switching off from everything.

We warmed ourselves in the sun commenting on the lack of people on the beach, which just seems so strange as it is such a beautiful bay and it used to be so popular that it even has its own kiosk and toilet, but these days I suspect people just find it too much of an effort to walk up and down the valley to access the beach - before swimming backwards and forwards across the bay. Bliss!!

Later in the afternoon I had a treatment, before moving down to my parents' house on the West coast to look after the cats while my parents are away for the weekend. I love driving down to Vazon when the sun is shining high and it is a Friday and I have the a whole evening without any commitments!!

So we decided to make the most of the wonderful combination of a Friday night, high tide and beautiful weather, by having a picnic on Vazon with E and his friend C. E and I managed another swim at high tide and I actually stayed in for 20 minutes enjoying the shore break and some body surfing, before warming myself with a cup of redbush tea and tucking into the picnic, yum!

We stayed for sunset, beautiful as ever, I just couldn't imagine wanting to be anywhere else in the world at the moment, we are just so lucky to have so much outstanding natural beauty just on our doorstep - this summer I honestly feel like I am discovering the joy of Guernsey for the first time, like I am seeing it through open eyes for a change...just goes to show what happens when we do open our eyes and go with the flow of things...

Happy swimming!!

Sweet pea season

2011-07-26T13:38:00.000-07:00

My sweet peas are a real delight at the moment - if only I hadn't planted them behind a tree in our garden then we may be able to appreciate them a little more! Not that we ever seem to spend much time in the garden much these days, the beach is just too big a draw and we have been enjoying swimming and lying on the pebbles at Petit Bot!

I have to admit that working in an office is a challenge for me, but I also appreciate that challenging ourselves is a good thing, otherwise how do we ever hope to grow and develop as people if we are always comfortable and yet perhaps limited in our comfort zone. Regardless, getting down to the beach, into the fresh air and connecting with the earth has become a necessity.

Reading one of the "A Year of Living Your Yoga" quotations recently really made me reflect:-

"Whatever I spend my time doing is what I am committed to in my life. Notice what you spend your time doing. That is what you are truly committed to. Are you happy with this commitment? Ask yourself, "what needs to change and what merits celebration about how I spend my time each day".

It really made me think about how I spend my time and really question whether the time I spend on facebook and sending emails is really such a positive commitment in my life. I often justify it as "work", but really, wouldn't it be better to spend that time working on my relationship with others, seeing friends and family in the flesh, helping my Mum in the greenhouse and doing the things I love, like reading and writing.

So I have made a conscious effort to email and use facebook less. It is liberating, giving myself permission to do something else instead. I have read a book and I have been far more helpful in the greenhouse. I also enjoyed catching up with friends and family over the weekend, got to love the opportunity at this time of year.

It makes me think how often we spend our time doing stuff we don't need to be doing, but become attached to doing, and the things we don't do instead...I guess it is a process of decluttering our lives.

Thank you to Hayley and Mike for a fabulous get together on Saturday night, it was so enjoyable to spend time with like minded friends and enjoy a vegetarian pot luck feast - the evening went so quickly and it was 1am before I even realised!

Thank you also to Sally for a lovely few hours on Sunday afternoon sitting in her lovely garden and chatting to Mike and Hayley and other friends.

It is a challenge changing one's routine, but I guess this is the benefit of Yoga - encouraging us to live in the present and approach life with a degree of flexibility and appreciate that nothing is forever...everything is transitory, and that if we are rigid in our thoughts, then life will not be so easy going.

You only have to watch nature to know this is true...would be awfully strange if the trees decided to shed their trees and get so used to being without that they never allowed them to grow again, or the flowers decided that they couldn't be bothered to blossom this year...but everything ebbs and flows, compresses and grows, going with the flow.

And the summer really does encourage us to go with the flow, all routine is out of the window, especially with this unpredictable weather!! Of course I believe this can only be a positive thing, as gets us to consider what we are really committed to!!

Enjoy the sunshine.

xx

Angels are everywhere!

2011-07-18T23:16:00.000-07:00

Well there I was on Sunday, walking along the cliff path at Icart with Ewan, thinking to myself how we usually have quite a few adventures together, unexpected happenings then, but that we hadn't gone for any ramblings for a few weeks for anything out of the ordinary to occur and it didn't look like anything was going to happen today, we were just enjoying a blustery walk on the cliffs on a blustery and overcast Sunday afternoon in July.

While I do not find the flora and fauna of the cliffs as stunningly beautiful as it was a few months ago with all the early Summer colour and that lovely bright yellow gorse, there are patches of pink heather and lovely cornflower blue flowers on the side of the path and you can't help but love the views whichever way you look. I do enjoy the walk from Icart, passing the wonderful La Jaonnet where Ewan and I went for our first walk together all those years ago (well 3 and a half actually!)and overlooking Petit Bot where we went swimming that very morning (interestingly I went swimming on the West coast over the weekend and it was so much warmer than swimming at Petit Bot!).

Anyhow so there we were, walking along the cliffs to the bit above Petit Bot and then back around along the lanes and then on to a larger road. I suspect I was dawdling, I can;t really remember, but it was one of those afternoons where I kept getting lost in thought and for some reason I was looking back he way we had come and all of a sudden this pigeon landed a few metres away from us on the road and I was immediately aware that this was a friendly pigeon because he (or indeed she) was walking towards us (I am guessing pigeon's walk right?!).

So I crouched down to get more on its level and the pigeon just kept walking right up to me and of course I noticed that it had two tags, a blue one and a yellow one. As I got a bit concerned that it was going to fly into my face, Ewan stuck his arm out and amazingly the pigeon flew up onto it as if it were his perch - which indeed it was actually and we managed to ascertain that he must be a racing pigeon from Holland, wow, poor little thing was a long way from home and clearly in need of food and water!

So this carried on for a while - the pigeon on the arm and the Ewan trying to put him back on the ground and the pigeon trying to fly back up onto him again, onto his back, onto his shoulder. Ewan got the pigeon back on his arm again and tried to put him up high on a wall with a field next door - we figured he was would find something to eat, but he was having none of it and clung to Ewan's arm. Ewan put him back down on the ground instead and we started to walk away, but he just followed us and it really reminded me of the cat, how she can follow us around, especially when she needs feeding.

But it was more than that, believe it or not the pigeon just had that look, or that energy about him that said "help", and being that Ewan and I both like to help, we couldn't just leave him there. I remembered a few years ago when a Dutch racing pigeon had ended up in my parents' garden and they contacted the local racing pigeon organisation who arranged for the pigeon to be returned to its owners in Holland. So with this in mind I tried to telephone my parents to ask them to join us with a box to collect the pigeon and take him to the local organisation.

However just as I was trying to work out how to use Ewan's telephone and Ewan was trying to direct the pigeon (who was on the road now) away from the middle of the road, a large black car approached and stopped beside us so the driver could ask if the pigeon was okay and just as we were trying to say that "no not really", he had clearly spotted the tags and jumped out of the car and explained that he was a pigeon racer and the pigeon probably needed food and water. And like that, within a matter of seconds he had picked up the pigeon and said he would look after him from here.

Wow.

You just have to love it when things like that happen. I mean what are the chances of a pigeon racer turning up at exactly the moment that he is most needed - not by us as such, but by that pigeon (and indeed the pigeon's owner, who is also affected by this moment, even though he is beyond the time and space of that moment as we lived it.

And what makes me chuckle most about all this, is not only that I have recently been thinking about synchronicity and the fact that it seems to have been absent in my life for a while (at least, I have not been conscious of it), but the reminder that the Universe is such magical place and that the angels are everywhere and if I needed a sign then there it was - and also a reminder how interconnected we all are and that even a pigeon creates his own story and is supported by the magical and indeed mystical laws of the Universe (if ever that pigeon needed some support from the universe then there it was, and if ever I needed a reminder to have faith and trust and feel supported, then there it was...). There are angels, human and ethereal all over the place.

So there was my fun Sunday adventure.

Since then life has taken on yet more change for I am back working part time in an office and really enjoying it - as much as I love teaching Yoga, I do love to use my brain in other ways too...and that has been yet another huge realisation of late. And so the journey of self-discovery continues...a reminder that life transformation continues beyond the mat.

xxx

Full moon endings

2011-07-15T00:46:00.000-07:00

Happy full moon!!

All very exciting. Like me you may have felt its incredibly unsettling and emotionally enhancing energy all week!

Apparently, while the eclipses are behind us, there are still issues left to resolve. It almost feels like a Hollywood film script with an ending that is dragged out deliberately in order to keep the suspension going as long as possible, but irritates instead.

The full moon is a potentially big date for wrapping up. Althopugh it is not an eclipse, it is near the degree of a total eclipse of the Sun in January 2010. You will likely know what your main challenge has been over the last 2 years (and if you don't, think back to January 2010, for an idea of what is going to be coming full circle).

If the "big finish" does not happen in the next week or 10 days, there will be a couple more dates coming up.

All rather exciting, as nothing more draining than having something dragging on. I can certainly relate to that and am looking forward to the endings and new beginnings ahead.

As it happens I am starting at Butterfield Trust again next week...Yoga classes calm down over the summer, and it will be refreshing to have both stucture and routine in my life for a few months - plus of course the opportunity to use different skills. All good fun!

I have been enjoying the beach the last few days, and swimming in the sea is great.

You have to enjoy the summer in Guernsey. The garden is looking beautiful, the sweet peas are so bright and colourful.

Off for a swim. Enjoy the weekend.

Love and light

xxx

Birthday celebrating with music and laughter in Sark and Guernsey

2011-07-06T01:29:00.000-07:00

It was my birthday last Thursday, the last day of June, and I was spoilt as usual - thank you to everyone for the cards, gifts, thoughts, texts and emails. I found it all a little overwhelming to be honest, never easy to be the focus of attention, even if it is only for one day!!

After a birthday Yoga practice and teaching a Yoga class, I went for a magical swim with Chris at Petit Bot. The sun was shining and it was low tide so we swam around to Portlet (the secret beach that no one ever visits as you can only access it from the cliffs at low tide) and walked up onto the sand, the only people to probably step on that beach that day, before swimming back to Petit Bot and spending the next hour trying to warm up!!

I enjoyed the sunshine weeding in the garden before Ewan came home from work and we set about preparing for our weekend trip to Sark. My parents popped around with cake before dropping us and our ridiculous amount of luggage to the boat. We were not the only ones going over a day early to the Folk Festival but we still managed to have our choice of pitch for our tent at La Valette, with views overlooking Alderney and France, bliss!! Ewan took me for a lovely meal that evening and we were treated to incredible views of the starry sky from our tent.

The Folk Festival was blessed with sunshine once again and while we spent much of your time hanging out at the festival site and chatting with friends, especially Hayley and Mike, we did make an effort to go swimming in the sea each day which, for me, was a particular highlight. Each morning we trekked down the cliff path from our campsite to the bay below, which was beautiful, high tide, clear sea, very few people, beautiful swim - in fact on our last morning we were the only people and the tide was super high and we were able to swim on our own and feel totally and utterly free.

Sark is a beautiful Island there is no doubt. Time slows down almost immediately and any cares and worries seem to slip away. Admittedly going to Sark for the Folk Festival does not mean you necessarily get away from it all as there are a thousand other people from home over there too and of course small communities being small communities,m you tend to recognise quite a few others so no chance of the anonymity I crave from time to time. It was fascinating to notice how many Yoga practitioners were also over there, I guess the energy of the Festival attracts a certain person!

I taught a Yoga class on Sark to a few of the locals - it was great to have this opportunity and hopefully means I will have an excuse to visit Sark more regularly in the future - great to meet new people who share a common interest too. One morning Ewan and I saw dolphins from our campsite, now that was fairly special, seeing them dive their way past in the sea below. I was also able to practice Yoga outside our tent with views of Alderney and France in the distance, my life is indeed blessed - with gratitude, thank you.

So on the whole our weekend was fantastic. Admittedly we preferred the festival last year, there was something novel, special and new about it then and the views from the festival ground were better and more protected from the cool wind. But it is incredible what the organisers have created over there - a chilled out weekend with lots of quality folk music and quality food too - fresh lobsters and scallops and mackerel for example, yum!!

Back in Guernsey on the Sunday we headed to the Guernsey Festival of Performing Arts to really make the most of a weekend of music. Admittedly the energy was very different to the Sark Folk Festival, with a lot of drunk people, but well done to the organisers for providing us all with the opportunity to attend a weekend music festival here on Guernsey and it is only a shame that not more people supported the event and that some got so drunk that they had little respect for others who didn't want to get trodden on or covered in beer!! Anyhow c'est la vie!!

So all in all a great way to start this next year and lets just pray the sun keeps shining over the next few months so we can enjoy a proper summer here on Guernsey!

xxxxx

Yoga "class on the grass" in aid of the Nepali Yoga Women's Trust

2011-06-27T02:24:00.000-07:00

Namaste!!

All our prayers were well and truly answered yesterday; not only was the weather perfect for the much revered Yoga "class on the grass" held in my parents' beautiful garden yesterday, but we also managed to raise an incredible £541 for the Nepali Yoga Women's Trust and have lots of fun in the process!

Arriving for a 10am start, the grass was soon covered with different brightly coloured mats and over 40 participants ranging in age from Ellie at 7 years old, through to Tabitha, Caitlin and Ailsa at 13 to a gentleman of 64 and a lady of 65, and there was even a pregnant lady - it really is true what they say, Yoga is for everyone!

The class began with the participants lying in Savasana (corpse pose), and becoming aware of their surroundings - the sound of the birds and the leaves rustling in the trees, the smell of the sea air and the sensation of the sun and the light wind upon their skin and the earth below them, plus of course the odd ant crawling over them, all very grounding!

Breathing in the fresh Guernsey sea air, we came up to sitting and cranked our ankles and massaged our feet, and even planted a compassionate kiss on our big toes, to really encourage a connection with the earth through the soles of our feet, before moving into Marjariasana (cat pose) to gain a greater connection with, and opening of, the heart space as well as embracing the movement of the spine, releasing tension and encouraging the energy to well and truly flow.

From here into Adho Mukha Svanasana (downward facing dog), though Santolanasana (plank pose) and down onto our stomachs, navel to earth, and inhaling into Bhujangasana (cobra pose) to further encourage that opening through the heart space and release through the lower back and sacrum, before exhaling back into downward facing dog. Walking hands to feet, the adults lengthened the back body through Uttanasana (standing forward bend) while the children/teenagers came into the Gorilla pose, upper body hanging, knees bent and swinging their arms from side to side!

We stood in Tadasana (mountain pose) connecting feet to the earth and feeling the length through the crown of the head all the way up to the sky, before balancing on one leg in Vrksansana (tree pose) - usually students have the comfort of the wall to balance against, but out here in the garden, there was no such prop, and yet incredibly (or not as the case may be what with feet on the earth), everyone managed to balance easily.

To honour and give thanks to the sun for being the provider of life and shining so brightly on us this glorious day, we practiced a few Surya Namaskar (sun salutations) before standing strong and grounded in Virabhadrasana II (Warrior 2), lengthening the side waist and encouraging the joyful opening of the chest and shoulders in Utthita Parsvakanasana (extended side angle), embracing the liberation of the heart space in the "pose of joy", Utthita Trikonasana (extended triangle pose)and radiating energy from our centre in 5 different directions, before moving gracefully into Ardha Chandrasana (half moon pose), simultaneously reaching up to the sky and down to the earth.

Calming it all down we moved into Prasarita Padottansana (wide legged forward bend) so we could see the world from a different perspective, before balancing on one leg again in the graceful Natarajasana (Lord of the Dance Pose) and crouching down in Malasana (Garland Pose) and having some fun with Bakasana (the crow pose), Bhujapidasana (the arm pressure pose), Ubhaya Padangusthasana (both big toes pose), Navasana (boat pose), Kurmasana (tortoise pose) and Table Top Pose - well done to the girls for showing us how these are practiced!

Calming it all down and encouraging the open hearted nature of the practice, raising money for the women in Nepal, we practiced Setu Bandhasana (bridge pose) while some ventured up into Urdhva Dhanurasana (upward bow pose), before lengthening the legs in Supta Padangusthasana (reclining big toe pose), opening the heart to the sky in Ustrasana (camel pose), releasing forehead to the earth and massaging the internal organs in Balasana (child's pose), nourishing the mind and spirit in Viparita Karani (upside down pose), twisting it all out in Jathara Parivartanasana (stomach revolving pose) and releasing in the very un-yoga-like "dead bug pose"!

While some sat in meditation, most lay on their mats relaxing in Savasana,feeling the sun on their faces and enjoying the opportunity to rest in nature, back of body to earth, front of body to the sky, energised and yet nurtured by the sun, what a magical way to begin a Sunday morning!!

Coming out of relaxation, we all sat together in one big circle, palm to palm - the hands being an extension of the heart space - eyes closed, and moving energy from one to the next all around the circle, before releasing hands and creating chi balls with the energy between the palms of our hands - the children/teenagers have been practicing this regularly at the end of our weekly children/teenage class and can now play with their chi balls, moving it from one hand to the next - before placing it to our heart space.

To end of the class, in honour of the women in Nepal who we are supporting, to ourselves and to our teachers for the gift of Yoga, we bowed forward in the pose of humility and chanted "Om" together to unify the energy at the end of the practice.

Most stayed to enjoy a hearty and wholesome vegetarian brunch lovingly prepared by my Mum and her helpers. In fact there was far too much food - freshly made muesli and a selection of cereals, cow's milk, rice milk and soya milk, organic natural cow's yogurt and soya yogurt, fresh organic and homegrown berries and apricots, as well as fresh pineapple and mango. And then a wide selection of breads and home-made jams and conserves, and homemade carrot and fig and almond cakes washed down with all sorts of teas, coffee and fruit juices. What a feast!!!

Of course the main intention for the class was to raise funds to support the Nepali Yoga Women's Trust, which was established by my friend and fellow Yoga teacher, Devika Gurung, and myself in 2007 in Pokhara, Nepal, to focus on overcoming the social issues women face in Nepal.

The role of Nepali women is mostly confined to their domestic obligations including cooking, cleaning, and taking care of the family. This lifestyle prevents them from maintaining a part-time job, contributing to the household income, and ultimately from living independent of male support.

The Trust provides opportunities for local women to discover and develop ways to improve their socio-economic situation. The women learn holistic therapies such as Yoga and holistic massage, self-healing techniques and handicraft skills. These activities provide them with a step towards inner-transformation and self-confidence.

Over time, the women become self-sufficient and less reliant on others and a regular income offers them economic independence. This allows the women to participate in family decisions and allocate money for personal needs and their children's education. In the future, it is hoped that these women will not only inspire other women to work for their independence, but will be in a position to train new participants in the Trust.

Please see http://www.nepaliyogawomentrust.org/home/ for further information.

I would just like to take this opportunity to say a huge, huge thank you to everyone who supported this year's Yoga "class on the grass" and donated so generously - plus of course a big thank you to my Mum and Dad, and to Nick, Gilli, Ewan and Sheila who gave so much of their time and energy to make the class and brunch such an enjoyable, nourishing and uplifting experience. Om Namah Shivaya.

Love and light.

xxxxx

The Solstice, Kings of Leon and Yoga in London and getting by with very little!

2011-06-25T13:43:00.000-07:00

Well sadly the sun spent much of the summer solstice hidden behind the clouds, not ideal when I had set my alarm for 4am to watch sunrise!

Still it was a high spirited day, for one reason or another I taught 7 classes, one of which was at sunset on the field up at WildGuernsey to celebrate the Solstice - thank you Tara for having me to teach and for all the lovely vegetarian food and the chatter and sunset views. It is a special place up at WildGuernsey and I can not wait to teach Yoga in the Tipi and sit under the oak tree meditating.

Sadly the Solstice marked the passing of Gerry, my dear cousin, Yo's, husband, from cancer. I was blessed to spend 2 wonderful months living with Yo and Gerry on their smallholding in North Devon two summers ago, helping to tend the garden with him as well as going dowsing on the burial mounds in the area - such a loss, and no coincidence that he passed on the solstice.

On Thursday I went to London with my Dad for our annual music concert and this time we got to see White Lines, Paul Weller and the Kings of Leon play in Hyde Park that evening. As always it was great fun, a completely sober event for me and we only got a little wet earlier on in the evening. Thank you Dad! A huge thank you also to Chris and Rob for letting us stay in their wonderful flat at Shad Thames, near Tower Bridge, such a treat and much appreciated.

On Friday I headed up to Primrose Hill and enjoyed a Yoga class at TriYoga - it is always such a treat to be able to get to class when I am out of Guernsey. Dad met me and we walked all the way from Primrose Hill, through the Regent's Park, around the back of Oxford Street, along Harely street and St Christopher's place, and then all the way to Hyde Park to Victoria. A great stroll, I love looking around London and imagining what it would be like to live in any of those massive houses!!

Strangely my bag never made it with me on my flight on Thursday and I was reminded again how little we need in life to survive. In fact the only thing I really missed was some leggings, which I had to buy so I could attend class, and admittedly a comb would have been handy but I got by!! Funny how the Universe likes to remind us not to get too attached to anything, nor to accumulate to much and surround ourselves with clutter. It is rather liberating not having to decide what to wear each day!

Back on Guernsey we have spent the day enjoying the sunshine and getting ourselves ready for the Yoga "class on the grass" in the morning. Very exciting! We even managed a swim in the sea, so much warmer these days.

My love, prayers and thoughts are with you Yo. Keep shining.

xx

Nourishing the heart in London, back to Guernsey and Lihou Island

2011-06-19T15:30:00.001-07:00

So, despite Hayley, Chris and I trekking out to Jerbourg for the lunar eclipse and full moon on Wednesday, the clouds were not in such a jovial mood and we were unable to see anything. Still we sat around chatting and laughing and absorbing the moon's energy as I was wired for the rest of the evening!!

Yesterday I went to London for the day with Jackie to attend Briget and Nikki's "Nourishing the heart: love, gratitude, celebration and healing session" at TriYoga in Soho. This was incredible. Led by Nikki, the Kirtan was fabulous, I could certainly feel the prana circulating, and Bridget held the space so beautifully and gently, that the heart was certainly nourished. It was wonderful to practice in the Anusara tradition again and get the blood pumping and the lungs working. Plus of course experience that deep inner peace that comes from such a heart-warming expression of the Divine.

So a huge thank you to Bridget and to Nikki, and also to the therapists whose healing hands adjusted throughout the day and whose energy permeated the studio so that I could easily have stayed if I didn't have a flight to catch...with love and grace.

The day clearly helped me to let go of something, I could feel the tiredness encroaching the deeper we travelled within. So it goes without saying that I slept for many hours last night and have felt tired all day. E and I managed a much needed swim off the slipway at Saints today and a walk over to Lihou Island where we saw some baby seagulls who are camouflaged like the rocks - very clever!!

Being Father's Day we enjoyed a lovely meal with my dad and extended family as his cousins are visiting from the UK. Families really do fascinate me and between them they have been studying our family tree and it seems us Despres' originate from Normandy, which may well explain my love of the place, before we ventured to Alderney (explains the madness perhaps!) and on to Jersey before settling here on good old Guernsey!

Let's pray for some sun this week then.

xxx

Normandy magic

2011-06-15T02:58:00.000-07:00

I absolutely love staying with our friends, Tessa and Carl and their children Ollie and Evie, on their farm in Normandy, as we have just done this weekend.

There is something about Normandy that never fails to disappoint. I don't know whether it is the light or the nature of the green and tree abundant countryside, or the fact that it is so seemingly quiet and spacious, or simply the fact that the pace of life is considerably slower than the one we try and keep up with here on Guernsey. But whatever it is, I love it, it makes me slow right down and re-connect to the earth again.

This time is slowed me down so much that I was incapable of moving beyond the house on the Sunday. Not helped by my present poorly functioning immune system with all its skin allergies and reactions to that silly Nepali tick back in December. I mean there are dark nights of the soul and there are dark nights of the soul. I hope I pass this test soon and can move right on...to my new relaxed and "go with the flow" way of being (yes, Universe, I get the message!!!).

Anyhow we had so much fun. On the Saturday we went to Festival Papillons de Nuit, which is set on this fantastic hill so that you can sit on the grass and look down on the stages(for the lightweights like me who didn't feel like dancing!) and enjoy the music. Despite forecast rain, the weather stayed dry all afternoon and evening and the clouds were just amazing. I have this thing about clouds and I always find the clouds in Normandy to be particularly special and captivating.

The music was great. We saw Kaiser Chiefs, Jeff Lang, Beady Eye (now that was a surprise, no idea that was a Gallagher band) and the Klaxons before heading back home so the children could have a well deserved rest - they were so much fun to bring to the concert, I loved seeing Ollie getting stuck into some dancing and Evie wearing her fairy wings, totally appropriate for her fairy energy.

So Sunday we chilled out all day. It was raining and cold outside (what has happened to the summer?!) and everyone was a little tired from the excitement of the festival and battling with sore throats from the onset of the French bugs! Plus there is something quite lovely and nurturing about doing very little, and sitting by the fire in the kitchen watching Madagascar 2. E and I have never watched films like these so quite a revelation for both of us, so cute and funny!

I guess it is the simplicity of life I love, and of which I can only dream right now. As much as I love living on Guernsey, life does always seem to be rather hectic. Nowhere is far and sometimes that is the problem - it is possible to do far too much stuff and see far too many people in one day. When you live in a rural location you don't have the same option. Plus of course living on farm incorporates all those wonderful things like living from the land and eating all the fresh and organic produce in season. Yum. The eggs on the farm are just incredible, I have never seen yolks quite so yellow!

Anyhow Monday we picked up the pace a little and headed to the lovely town of Dinan for lunch. The weather was not ideal and we did spend a little while standing under trees for shelter from the rain! Dinan is sweet, albeit a tourist location, and we meandered around the medieval streets, checking out the churches and all that wonderful architecture. It felt more like winter than the summer however!

Monday evening and due to a mix up with the boats, E and I got to enjoy an unplanned evening in St Malo. I have never been a fan of this place always finding it super touristy and a little tacky in the process so it came as quite a surprise to really enjoy staying in the town that night. It had stopped raining and we chanced upon a cool cafe and then a great place to eat salads and crepes so we were both content. It was a lovely end to a wonderful weekend.

Thank you Tessa, Carl, Ollie and Evie for a lovely weekend. Back to the Guernsey-reality now!!

In fact it is full moon tonight - here's hoping you can also feel the energy. A time of endings and new beginnings. Best to just let go...I have a feeling this is a rather powerful moon so close to the summer solstice next week. All rather exciting!!

xxx

xxxx

London, the wonderful Julie Gudmestad and too much heat!

2011-06-08T03:45:00.000-07:00

I have just spent a lovely inspiring and nurturing weekend in London, not only staying with one of my friend's, Hannah, but also attending Julie Gudmestad's Applied Yoga & Anatomy course at the Life Centre in Angel (www.gudmestadyoga.com).

Aside from my day trip to Redhill, I have not gotten off the Island (or rock as we tend to call it) since March, so a break was much needed - as much as I love Guernsey, one can begin to feel a little claustrophobic and trapped after a while, possibly a result of the lack of anonymity as much as anything else!

So it was fantastic to be anonymous in the big city once more (even if it was stupidly hot on the Saturday) and I managed to fit in a trip to my Ayurvedic doctor in South Croydon for a much needed catch up and advice about the ongoing saga of my skin since the tick bite in Nepal. As always Deepika was her usual lovely self, full of energy and wisdom. It is a pitta imbalance of course, makes perfect sense. Needless to say been doing/eating all the "wrong" things to promote this pitta imbalance - why does that always happen?!! Sigh!!

So no more running in the sun, no more spicy foods, no more tomatoes and carrots, no more midday sunbathing, no more chocolate and no more lettuce - argh, how will I cope, I eat lettuce with practically every meal, I love lettuce, it is one of my favourite foods. Yikes!! of course this isn't forever, just to find some sort of balance again. Phew. The worst bit is the smelly herbs I have to take for the next 2 weeks, about 6 times a day, it is awfully complicated and does encourage regular eating habits however!

Hannah is an angel and a most accommodating and welcoming host and I was spoiled rotten with lovely food, a comfortable bed, a lovely and hot shower and great company! She has gotten right into her garden recently and it is looking lovely - gone are the days where we tuck into a bottle of wine upon my arrival at her house - this time we were out watering and weeding the garden together, made me chuckle actually. She has this wonderful cherry tree overhanging into her garden, so we got to eat fresh cherries all weekend. Thank you Han, was really, really lovely to spend time with you.

The Yoga course was excellent too. I must admit that I sign up for these workshops and then I find that I get bored as the weekend progresses as I want to practice rather than simply sit there listening to the teacher. This workshop found the balance perfectly - Julie was very engaging, hugely real, truly inspirational and incredibly unassuming and humble. She is clearly a lady who not only knows her stuff, but has had lots of positive results putting her "stuff" into practice in both the physiotherapy and Yoga world. Of course I can't wait to out my new found knowledge and experience into practice.

Back on Guernsey now and the skin condition has kicked off again. I now have 2 boils...talk about excess pitta and fire in the body, no kidding. Quite unbelievable. Saw a doctor who actually made sense yesterday - thank you Dr Beverly (who also practices Yoga) - and so on yet another and final course of antibiotics to clear the infection. All from that tick bite. Not idea, the antibiotics kill all the good bacteria in the body and stress the liver, let alone all the other medication I have taken to numb the pain and the itching. And here I am trying to love a holistic life. Tested? Yes. Still all supports the idea of balance. No doubt the magical Ayurvedic herbs will kick in soon.

Of course being incapable of moving like this does have its positive side - what is it they say about blessings in disguise - means I get to lie around with hot compresses and nurture myself and try and do my bit for the healing process. Also means I have to let others help me (arggh, not so good at that one) and let go on all levels - so what is the recycling needs doing, or we need to go shopping, or the garden needs weeding, it can all wait until another day...how liberating!

Anyhow praying that everything comes to a head...and I can embrace my new relaxed and laid back attitude into my day to day life when I can move again!!

xxx

A day trip to the UK, new moon all up in the air

2011-06-01T14:47:00.001-07:00

I accompanied my Dad and our cat, Bumble, on a private plane to the UK today flown and indeed owned by Mr P, a friend of my parents.

I have never flown on a twin engine light aircraft before and I must admit that it was all a little surreal, 7.30am this morning, sitting on the plane with my Dad beside me and the cat on the seat facing me in her box, not your every day experience!

Flying at 2,000 feet on such a beautifully clear morning was a joy - we got to see the shipping lanes (I had no idea there were so many ships out there!), fly over the Isle of Wight, and take in the views of London closer up to Biggin Hill.

From there we took a taxi through the beautifully green and tree-filled Surrey countryside to the veterinary centre where Bumble was booked for an eye operation with the top cat eye specialist in the UK - honestly, my friends in Nepal would find it really difficult to understand the trouble (and indeed the expense) my parents have gone through for one of their cats!

So while we waited for the cat to have her operation, Dad and I headed into Redhill and spent a few hours bumbling around. Not the most interesting of places to find ourselves but I still managed a little shopping and then we sat and watched the world go by and it crossed my mind how much diversity there is in this world and yet here we all are, just trying to survive.

Bumble's operation went well and we managed to get back to Biggin Hill by 4pm for our flight back to Guernsey. The weather was really warm and the skies a little cloudier than the morning, so we flew lower and jumped along quite a few hot air pockets as we flew down over the Downs and onwards to the coast over Portsmouth. Being so low the views were pretty cool, especially over the shipping lanes again and coming into Guernsey. Thank you Mr P for a wonderful trip and thank you to Bumble for being such a well behaved and inspiring cat!

Back in Guernsey, I went straight to teach and taught a grounding session, not only to bring me back to earth after my "up in the air" day, but also to ground the energy of today's New Moon - all good fun, thank you to those who attended and shared their uplifting energy. I ran back home to clear my head, I am really enjoying running at the moment and especially at this time of the day when there is little traffic and the sun is setting and the honeysuckle's scent fills the air. I feel very lucky to live over here in Guernsey, it is a true blessing.

x

I made jam today and was inspired many times

2011-05-31T12:58:00.000-07:00

Today I made jam! This is the first time I have ever made jam and it is a really rather satisfying process - thank you Mum for your patience and your inspiration! Of course I had to spend an hour before making the jam, picking the berries in the greenhouse, but I rather enjoy this whole greenhouse malarkey, it is incredibly relaxing and fulfilling...nothing like growing to satisfy the soul...funny that growing is in my blood and has found me again.

I went swimming with Christine at Petit Bot this morning. It was cold! But ah, such a wonderful way to start the morning, looking up at the cliffs and watching the seagulls gracefully riding the sky, and feeling relatively insignificant and yet awe struck by the normality of it all (birds flying, clouds passing the sky, waves on the ocean...who thought of this stuff?!) and having these wonderful chats with Chris about the spirituality of life. Have to love it!

The sun was shining as we walked back up the beach and Chris decided to make the most of the opportunity to embrace its energy and give thanks with a sun salutation in her bathers. Sadly I was far too cold and could only sit and watch instead, huddled in my towel, all the time thinking that in that very moment, Chris was truly living that moment...knowing as well as I do, that that moment will never come again, and truly flowing with the grace of life and inspiring me in the process.

Only an hour later and I was inspired again, this time by an 80 year old gentleman who attends Sheila's Tuesday morning classes. Now there is an example to us all. He has hearing problems and has to wear a hearing aid, which often buzzes in the background, and he has trouble balancing, but he is always smiling and has a great sense of humour. I am truly humbled by his presence in class.

I must admit that I have had one of those days where I have found myself questioning the meaning of life. Rather strange. In the past I have enquired many times into who I am, but it has been many, many years since I have questioned the meaning of life. And now it is back again!

It is like the mist has cleared a little and the illusion has lifted. This morning all I saw was suffering and this afternoon, more so joy. Weird stuff, the extremities of our existence and mirrors of the mind. I guess my sense of meaning has shifted slightly, purpose and raison d'etre. Crazy stuff.

I saw a black bird carrying a yellow bit of plastic in its beak today. I also saw next-door-neighbour's cat, who has adopted us of late, scampering across the back lawn with a dead rabbit in its mouth.

Class was great fun tonight, thank you to all those students who shared their energy in such an uplifting way. I have been buzzing ever since.

Anyhow bed time. I am off to England tomorrow with Dad and Bumble Cat, who is booked in with a top cat eye specialist for an eye operation, poor little thing.

xx

Cool skies

2011-05-25T14:35:00.000-07:00

What a beautiful day! The sun was shining early and if you managed to get out of the wind, then it was really rather burning!

I was captivated by the sky at lunchtime - it looked as if someone had painted the sky with a brush of white paint, rather incredible.

The greenhouse is starting to go berry mad...loganberries, raspberries, tayberries, boysenberries, blueberries and strawberries. There is nothing better, and possibly more nutritious, than eating the berries straight from the bushes - yum!!

I managed a brief swim in the sea today, anything to ease the itching of my arms as the tick bite strikes back again, and it was surprisingly warm, I am intending to go in as much as I can for the rest of the summer, after my slack effort in May! It does make you feel so much better as challenging as it may be to get in the water - especially when it is cold and windy.

I was lucky to receive a Reiki treatment today - it is just so wonderful, I felt so incredibly relaxed during the session and did not want it to end, and then I just felt so much clearer afterwards somehow. I can highly recommend, hugely beneficial, regardless of whether you suffer with stress.

Bank Holiday coming up and fingers crossed we get some rain for the poor garden. I am looking forward to having the time to walk and swim and cycle and practice and catch up with friends and family. Hoorah!

Retreating at Vazon!

2011-05-23T12:56:00.000-07:00

Phew, it finally rained, well kind of rained, more like heavy drizzle really, but still, I m sure it has helped the garden a little.

I am housesitting for my parents at the moment, so I am particularly aware of the weather as they have a rather large garden and an industrial sized greenhouse where they grow an incredible assortment of vegetables and fruits, and I have the responsibility of ensuring nothing dies during their absence. Lucky me!

Actually it has been a bit of a blessing and great timing. I hadn't realised how stressed I had allowed myself to become earlier this month (I always find that rather ironic, being a Yoga teacher and all) and so being forced back to the rhythm of nature, has been brilliant. I am thoroughly enjoying watering in the greenhouse each morning, seeing how everything is growing - the asparagus seem to grow before my very eyes, the berries are ripening by the day and the lettuce is its usual crazy self!

Of course there is more on its way, lots more vegetables and tons of fruit - the trees are seriously laden at the moment, this is certainly an abundant year! There is a vegetable garden outside too with lots more growing and then the banks of flowers and shrubs lining the outside of the greenhouse and all the herbs and the incredibly aromatic lavender and jasmine on the back patio, I just love it.

I have to say there is something incredibly grounding about waking up in the house where I have lived most of my life, without the sound of the early morning paper plane, or the clicking of horse hooves, nor the hooting of car horns as people drive around a corner on a Ruette Tranquille (maximum speed limit of 15mph), which I always find rather ironic really - hooting on a quite lane that is - all of which happens every morning where we live in St Andrews!

So living down at Vazon has been a little like being on retreat. Quiet, aside from the rustling of the leaves on the trees and the wonderful sound of the sea (especially in the evening), and green, so incredibly green, and spacious and light, and just so peaceful - all those wonderful qualities of a retreat centre. plus the most amazing sunsets and it only takes me a matter of minutes to go to the beach to swim in the sea and it is much warmer on the West coast too!

Needless to say it was indeed the perfect setting for the Reiki 1 course on Saturday. Thank you ladies, as always a pleasure to spend time with you all, and to share and laugh together - truly inspiring! It always fascinates me how we all come together, whether it be through Yoga, through Reiki, through the Wellbeing retreats or through nutrition and how we always have so much in common - I guess another indication, as we learn and indeed experience through Reiki (and indeed Yoga), that we are, essentially, all one.

So its been a fab few days enjoying nature and spending time with my lovely friends and wonderful boyfriend.

And thank you, dear Universe, for the rain!

xxxx

Practice, practice, practice!!

2011-05-16T06:25:00.000-07:00

It's been a challenging week and I know I am not alone on that one. All the bank holidays have forced people to squeeze more into less working days, and this wonderful weather has put the pressure on to get out there and enjoy it. So this has disrupted every one's routine and now we have the full moon just adding to the general energy imbalance.

Still, one has to try to remain positive. The weather is stunning. Guernsey is beautiful. We are lucky to have these bank holidays (not so, perhaps, for those of us self-employed however!). I have fantastic family and friends. I have my health (tick bite aside of course). I have my practice. I have my cats. I have so much more than I realise.

And this is sometimes the problem - that we have more potential than we ever actually realise - as in transform into form, manifest then. And somewhere inside we know this. Know that there is more to us than we express, than we ever really embrace. And we put on toe in, and then pull it out again, and sometimes we stand on tiptoes to try and see further, without looking straight ahead, at what is already there facing us, if we weren't trying so hard, if we weren't doing so much about it. And then there is fear. Oh yes, big real, solar plexus churning and kidney aching fear.

And that's the reason I am so passionate about Yoga. About the fact it wakes us up, and makes us consider our potential, helps us to realise our potential. Not to say that that process is always easy, often it is incredibly challenging, because something inside us is looking for change - wants to transform, whats to break free and find expression in our selves and in our lives. And times like this, when we may often want to run away from our mat, what we actually need to do is get on our mat, be with ouselves, with our practice, day in and day out.

I am loving being able to attend Sheila's Power Yoga classes. They are challenging on both physical and mental levels, which I love because it doesn't give you too much time to think about anything else, plus you have the opportunity to totally connect with your physical body and all that it is trying to tell you. Plus the classes are fun with a healthy amount of laughter and smiling to make you feel inspired and joyous - I love these classes so much more than those that are really serious.

I also love practicing outside. I am looking after my parents greenhouse and gardens while they are away and love practicing at their place as it is so quiet and peaceful and full of trees and flowers and new life everywhere. I practiced there this morning and was joined by Alfie, my cat who now lives with my parent, and I just loved it - like old times, him rolling around on my mat in the sunshine, me trying to practice around him, just the sounds of nature and the wind blowing the trees.

I love being in tehir greenhosue too. Again it has such a peaceful energy and is full of fruit trees bearing very young fruit and all the berries starting to ripen, and the asparagus growing before your very eyes, and all the lettuse, endless amounts of fresh lettuce. The next few weeks should be fun with all the watering and the picking!

Full moon tomorrow morning so lots of energy buzzing about, lots of thoughts and lots of heightened emotional sensitivity. So let's embrace it all, let's dance with our edge, lets stand still on the earth and feel the grass beneath our feet, let's eat well and drink well and let's just be content and gracious, and joyful.

In service of light and love.

xx

The Orchid fields

2011-05-11T00:57:00.000-07:00

On Liberation Day we visited the Orchid fields down on the West coast. They are amazing!! Someone was heard saying that they are the best this year, a little like the bluebells and all the other wonderful wild flowers.

If you live in Guernsey and have never visited, then please do take a wonder down there.

We are really rather lucky to live on this beautiful Island - I was saying to Ewan that if we were backpacking here, we would be blown away by the cliff walking and all the activities on offer at the moment - Walking week, the Literary week, let alone all the live music. Mum was saying that Castle Cornet is open this Friday evening for people to go and investigate. Great fun!!

Slowing down

2011-05-11T00:34:00.000-07:00

All these bank holidays have been wonderful but they have thrown everyone out of their routine and I have noticed a drop in the number of students attending the evening classes the last few weeks, which is a shame as I feel the energy is heightened when there are more of us in the room.

Still it has given us lots of time to socialise with family and friends and catch up in the garden. I have even started decorating in the house, which has been fun, even if it does seem like a lot of hard work sometimes!

Being a little off colour has made me a little slower than normal - probably a good thing, lots of time for inward reflection (although taken to excess and this is not a good thing!), and letting the body heal.

I guess something that has been running through my mind since the Yoga therapy course is the fact that the body knows how to heal...if we only allow it to do its thing. The trouble is that we are bombarded by all sorts of information about how others think we should heal, of what we should do be doing and eating, so that often there is no space for us to hear our own body's wisdom. Plus the mind is a powerful thing and will easily overrule the body in decision making.

Still the Universe is full of signs and prompts, if only we can see and indeed understand them. And let's face it, it is all about just getting on with it and living.

Talking of which, I have just read a fantastic book called "The Little Princes" by an American guy, Conor, who went out to Nepal to volunteer in a children's orphanage and ended up setting up his own organisation - Next Generation Nepal (NGN)- and children's home. Very inspiring and made me yearn for Nepal again (it was only a matter of time). There is just something incredibly wonderful and indeed powerful about this poor and complicated country.

Yoga is a fantastic modality for transformation. Trouble is, the periods of transformation, when you start to see everything differently, can be a touch testing, as you have to let go of all ideas of how you think things should be, and accept that everything is different to how you thought it was! It is difficult to explain, but a joyous process in the end...and a never ending one too!

There is just so much diversity in this world, so much to see, feel and experience, so many different cultures and ways of being. And we are just one tiny part of that massive whole - and yet an important part of that whole too.

Mind blowing!

Insect bites!

2011-05-11T00:16:00.000-07:00

Well it has been an interesting week. When I was leaving Nepal, I noticed a scab on my right forearm, which I thought was a little strange, so I pulled it off (as you do), only to discover that it was actually a small, hard, red insect - a bit like a tick - attached to my skin.

Over the next week my arm bruised. Over the next month the wound refused to heal and started to become really itchy and raised. So I finally went to the doctor who wanted to do a biopsy but there was no time before my trip to Vancouver. In Vancouver it got much worse and I started to get itchy bits all over both arms and over my legs and back, so that I would wake in the middle of the night scratching without even being aware.

So I went to the doctor in Vancouver but there was no time to do anything before my trip to New York. Finally back home in Guernsey I returned to the doctor who put me on antibiotics and steroid cream while I waited to have the lump removed. By then the itchiness had spread to various patches all over my body and I had grown accustomed to waking up from scratching during the night!

Finally the lump was cut out and sent for analysis. But still the ithciness continued, although with less intensity. The results came back showing a chronic reaction to an insect bite - no joking!! During this time I was doing lots of swimming in the sea and bathing in salts and oils, to ease the itching and to help to heal all the scars.

Then last week the scar from the source of the insect bite started to get really swollen and itchy again. I also started to feel sick and just not myself. Another trip to the doctor and stronger antibiotics - which seemed to make my stomach feel really raw - and soaking my arm in hot salted water. Finally the skin broke and the infection oozed forth, revealing a lost stitch still in the wound!

A week on and my arm is much better. So too the general itchiness. Let us hope this continues after I have finished the course of antibiotics. I joke that it would have been cheaper to fly back to Nepal and see someone who is familiar with the particular insect bite and have sorted it out straight away - understandably we are not familiar with tropical related insects!

So all in all a testing 5 months on the health front. Until this time last year I had managed to avoid going to the doctor for some time and it seems that with the glandular fever and the resulting depression last year, and then the insect bite this year that I have gone to the doctor too regularly and the Universe is clearly trying to tell me something!

Being ill does make one review one's life. I am not a good patient and loathe not being able to do any exercise or practice asana. Of course it has been a lesson in letting go and relaxing, and also makes one re-consider diet and nutrition. Plus of course the logistics of being sick and teaching Yoga. I can't help thinking that the Universe has been trying to tell me something. It's time for a change.

Happy days!

Cliff walking!

2011-04-30T14:40:00.000-07:00

It has been a rather hectic week with all this bank holiday fun so that the days seem to roll into one! Lots of meals with family and friends, lots of gardening and spending time outside, lots of cycling and swimming, and lots of laughter and good fun.

Today my partner and I decided to get away from it all and make the most of the afternoon sunshine. So we cycled out to La Corbiere, locked up our bikes and walked all the way along the cliffs to town.

Of course the cliffs are stunning at the moment, the pink campion is lovely and bright, the bluebells are still out in force and compliment the white of the wild garlic. And then there are lots of large, bright yellow and white daisies, beautiful blue cornflowers, and these fantastic little pink flowers at the side of the path. Plus, I was delighted to see the beginning of the delightful honey suckle!

We were amazed how many people were out on the cliffs this afternoon, mainly visitors, but all the same it was rather incredible. Mind you I am not surprised, as I keep saying to anyone who will listen to me - the cliffs are stunning at the moment. I mean they have probably always been stunning but I have never paid much attention - that's often the trouble when something is on one's doorstep - it is easy to take it fore granted.

It took us about 4 hours, which is pretty good going, although I must admit that we ran up and down some of the steps, especially nearer the end as we kind of got to the point where we just wanted to get the steps over with as quickly as possible as they can be so exhausting! I have to say, at times, walking on the cliffs in Guernsey is not dissimilar to trekking in Nepal with all the ups and downs, we are just spared the altitude and don't get to see he stunning mountain views.

Still the views are always stunning out on the cliffs. Today the sea was looking so enticing, a bright, bright blue and clear enough to see the rocks below. There were moments where we wished we had brought our bathers with us, especially as the tide was rising!

We took the bus back home from town, which was rather a novelty, and collected our bikes from la Corbiere. I then managed a quick dip in the cold sea to ease my aching muscles and enjoyed a relaxing bath to warm myself up afterwards!

I really enjoyed watching the Royal Wedding yesterday, they really seem to love one another and I love the fact they kept it as real as they could - the maple trees were great, so were the looks they kept sharing with one another. I am keen to ignore the cynics and am happy to go along with this being a real fairy tale!

It is like they say - we always get what we pray for, just not always in the way we expect it! So keep praying, fairy tales do exist and dreams do come true.

xxx

The magic of bluebell woods

2011-04-25T02:58:00.000-07:00

I met Nick and his lovely family one morning last week at Bluebell woods to take some photos in the early morning light.

I love the whole area; it just has such a special energy with the sun trickling through the trees and the carpet of bluebells giving the whole area a purpley-bluey glow.

Of course we were very conscious of not trampling on any of the bluebells so we made the most of the little paths in between them. It was a relatively straightforward location for a photo shoot, doesn't get more grounded than that, with bare feet on the earth, surrounded by trees, a very different experience to the one at Vazon!

Fern joined me for a few photos. We happened to be wearing similar coloured tops and I love the fact that she can get involved - maybe one day she will practice Yoga herself.

So another huge thank you to Nick for his creativity and incredible ability to capture the essence and spirit through a camera lens. You can see more of what he does at www.nickdespres.com (and my brother designed his website too!).

xx

The red full moon!!

2011-04-19T05:07:00.000-07:00

Hayley and I went out to Jerbourg to watch the rising moon last night. We couldn't see it for a while and wondered what was going on, and then I caught it out of the corner of my eye, all red and rising, and Hayley literally shrieked with joy - believe me it was well worth a shriek.

Stunning. That's her photo above.

I was having some kind of strange camera thing going on, because here are mine!

Apparently this full moon emphasises the signs of Aries and its opposite sign of Libra. This is 'me' versus 'you' - the relationships axis - which may have been strained over the last month.

This full moon is the third in a series of Super Moons when the Moon is closest to the earth and appears larger. Full Moons bring out emotions and this one has been powerful, lots of fire of action and yet opposition - I have heard it described a little like having one foot on the accelerator and the other on the brake pedal.

Thankfully we are set for a change on the 20th, signalling a far steadier and grounded end to the month!

Anyhow Hayley and I were blown away by the experience and I must admit I found it difficult to sleep last night. In fact at 3.30am I decided to go outside and have a peak at it setting...what I wasn't expecting was to see a shooting star. Wow, that was pretty cool!

Thankfully I did go back to sleep but was wired awake at 7am in time for an early morning practice, before meeting Chris at Petit Bot for a high tide swim - absolutely freezing of course but we must have managed at least 7 or so. Such a fabulous way to start the day, certainly woke me up a little.

I then met my cousin Nick and his family for some photos in blue bell woods. Now this was an even more perfect way o start the morning, it is just so peaceful in there, especially before the hoards of walkers descend! Thank you Nick, Karen and the girls, another fun, peaceful and grounding time!

We are so blessed with this weather, it is simply unbelievable. Thank you!!

xx

Sunday adventures on Guernsey

2011-04-17T23:37:00.000-07:00

I keep saying it, but the cliffs are absolutely stunning in Guernsey at the moment, I never realised quite how blessed we are to have this kind of beauty on our doorstep.

On Thursday I went Nordic walking with the rest of the group out at Fort George and through Bluebell woods to Village de Putron. The bluebells are out in force, much earlier than usual, and the woods are stunning, albeit full of people enjoying the scene - lovely to see the painters however! Walking back along the cliff path we saw incredible views of Fermain, the sea just looks so temptingly blue in comparison to the brown granite above, and all the greens and purples and yellows. Heaven.

Yesterday my partner and I decided to go for an adventure at Portlet out on the South Coast. My cousin, Yo, had put us on to it, to be honest I didn't even know it existed - she has an incredible knowledge of the cliffs over here. So we parked at Petit Bot and wandered through the lanes and out onto the cliff path and followed the signs down to Portlet, set between Petit Bot and the Gouffe.

As Yo had said, the walk down was its usual stunning self, lots and lots of bluebells and still the primroses. It really is like a fairy wonderland around there, especially as the path is so ancient, it just has that feeling somehow. We had unintentionally timed it rather well...low tide meant we could access the beach itself. Usually to do this you have to clamber through a small slither of space in the cliff face itself for about 40 metres, which of course my partner did all the same. I was impressed to say the least, I got claustrophobic just stepping a metre into that small space.

The beach is heavenly. It is not often, when the sun is shining so strongly over head on a Sunday, that you can find yourself the only people on a Guernsey beach, but alas we did, so cool. We walked across the beach and started clambering over the rocks figuring we could probably make it all the way around to Petit Bot, but alas not. We hit a crevasse in the rocks and with us both wearing flipflops, there was no way I was attempting any risk-it-all cliff rock jumping.

My partner thought it may be a good idea to attempt to climb the cliffs themselves, up onto the elevation above, nothing like getting the adrenaline going. Thankfully he soon realised that this was not going to be possible, flipflops or not, there were quite a few overhangs and all I could think about - check out the fear - was him falling and us being stuck on the beach as the tide started rising and having to call out the emergency services to come and collect us. I was struggling to simply navigate myself off the rocks, again the worst case scenario running through my mind...talk about mind over matter!

So we took the conventional route back onto the cliff path and back around to Petit Bot, where lots of people were making the most of the weather and chilling out on the beach. You kind of have to pinch yourself to remind yourself that it is only April, this weather is simply glorious.

A few hours later I went for a swim at high tide at Vazon. It is funny, the West coast used to be my favourite side of the island, and Vazon my chosen beach, but these days, thanks to my partner, I am much fonder of the South Coast and the cliffs - certainly for swimming as the beach has a steeper gradient so it is much easier to get into the cold water, plus the south coast beaches have pebbles and so you don't get covered in sand when you are changing! The sea is only about 10 degrees at the moment, I can't wait for it to warm up over the next few months.

After dinner at my folks later that evening I was fortunate to drive home when the moon was rising. Stunning. It was not quite full - that happens today - but all the same I can feel the heightened energy in the air as it kind of makes me feel both extra sensitive and a little wired. So tonight should be lots of fun!

Happy April days, so much for April showers...although the garden could certainly do with some of those!

With gratitude and in peace.

x

Trying to balance on one leg!

2011-04-11T22:45:00.000-07:00

Nick and I had fun over the weekend taking some more Yoga in nature shots. We seem to have developed a hand theme! i guess this is rather appropriate, not least the mudras themselves, but also the hand being an extension of the heart space, and the conduit for the Reiki energy.

The blossom is incredible at the moment, I am rather awe struck by it all, the bright whites and the intense pinks, and yet so easy to disregard or overlook in our busy day to day lives. Nick's garden is particularly blessed, not least all the flowers and vegetation but the general energy, it is just so incredibly relaxing and uplifting, so quiet aside from the sounds of nature - the ducks and chickens, the wind rustling through the trees and just the general hum of the land.

We met at Vazon on Saturday evening and while it looked like the sun was going to set behind a bank of cloud, it turned out to be a very worthwhile trip. We tried something new - I was standing on one leg on an upside down plastic beer crate in the rising water! This was no mean feat. In fact it was incredibly difficult.

The crate itself was really painful on my feet, not only the sharp plastic but the fact it is uneven so that it was difficult to get my grounding. Coupled with that the fact that the waves were often breaking against the back of my ankles, plus moving water all around me, cold too! It took me a good few minutes to figure out how I could possibly balance on one leg with all this distraction - in the end I focused every bit of my attention on Nick's red plastic tub further up the beach (my drushti then) and just breathed! Never have I found balancing on one leg quite so challenging!

The great thing about all these photos in nature is the fact I sleep so well, it is clearly a grounding and relaxing experience! Coupled with that the fact I have been swimming in the sea every day this month and getting out on the bike and even running again, well it seems to make a difference to one's overall sense of wellbeing. Long may it last, this time last year was an entirely different story so I am very grateful for all the healing.

A huge thank you to Nick, more of his images can be viewed at www.nickdespres.com, he is an incredible professional photographer.

xx

The sun sets and then it rises again...

2011-04-11T22:24:00.001-07:00

When I got home from Yoga last night I could not help but notice the incredible sunset, wonderful how the sky can produce such colour.

And while the cat may have woken me really early this morning, in many ways it was a blessing as I got to see the incredible sunrising sky too! Nature certainly has a joy about her these days, not only the reminder that the sun rises and the sun sets and thus the continuity of life, but also the amazingly colourful display of life generally. I feel very lucky and blessed to live on Guernsey, very spoilt! Thank you nature.

Early summer fun!

2011-04-10T13:53:00.000-07:00

Wow I can't believe it has been two weeks since I last wrote anything here; how time flies!

Actually it was a period of retreat for me; after spending so much time on my own in Vancouver, and then back to the familiarity of Guernsey, I was craving a bit of silent time to turn inwards and get away from the laptop for a while! Plus of course the weather has been absolutely stunning and encouraged much outdoor living.

It has, of course, caught us all unaware and I am amazed the number of people at Yoga this week who have gardening related aches and pains! Seems as if everyone has been spending time in the garden.

I must admit I have sensed a minor panic in the air, that summer has arrived early and we are all unprepared - garden in a mess, house hasn't yet been spring cleaned, can't find the summer clothes and haven't yet had a chance to buy a new summer wardrobe, let alone sorting out the bike, start pre-summer exercising, cleaning the bbq and finding the time to get to the beach and do a spot of sunbathing!

You have to love it however, longer evenings, beautiful sunsets, and the sheer beauty of the Island at the moment - the trees with all their bright white and pink blossom, the hedgerows coloured with pink, yellow and purple flowers, the wonderful yellow gorse out on the cliffs (Icart especially) and the start of the bluebells as the daffodils sadly die away. Maybe my awareness has shifted but I can not remember the landscape looking so incredibly bright and colourful as it does at the moment, new life everywhere...long may it continue, I love Spring!

xx

Spring Sunday

2011-03-27T12:40:00.000-07:00

Another glorious day! Okay so we lost an hour in time but we have gained an extra hour of light in the evening, and with this current weather, this is simply perfect.

I taught a class, which explored the chakras this morning. It was a really well attended class, everyone who booked a place remembered the time change, which I must admit I wasn't expecting, so a huge thank you for your interest and commitment - great group energy! I do love the chakras and the fact that we have the opportunity to explore and experience them through our Yoga practice - yet alone help to energise and balance them, and thus helping to tranform us in the process.

After class I got to potter at home, I do love pottering, cleaning (a fantastic way to shift energy), washing, all that wonderful root chakra stuff, and then a walk with my parents through the lanes of St Andrews and St Martins and down to Petit Bot and along the cliffs - stunning, what with the bright sunshine and the daffodils, bluebells, buttercups and violets lining the cliff paths, let alone the swell and waves breaking on the bright granite rocks below, and not another soul about (well human soul in any event!). We have the solar plexus, heart and third eye chakras shining their colours!

We then entertained my parents to dinner...a first, a red Thai currey and my first attempt at Pad Thai...all went well, phew!! And how lovely to have that extra hour of sunlight. It really is a beautiful Spring over here at the moment.

Happy times - with non attachment of course (apparently the weather is due to change this week).

xx

A Saturday of nature and photography!

2011-03-27T05:56:00.000-07:00

Saturday morning, 7.30am, after an early morning yoga practice at home, I met Nick (my cousin, the professional photographer) at Petit Bot for some early morning yoga shots by the waterfall.

While it was rather misty with lots of sea fog, it was still a stunning way to begin the morning - barefoot and feeling the damp earth under my feet was grounding to say the least, let alone sitting by the waterfall, hearing the sound of the water falling onto the ledge below, and feeling the splash of water on my body. Wow!!

Nature is powerful, have no doubt, and it was wonderful to spend this time with Nick, noticing the budding trees and the daffodils and primroses growing around us. I had brought along my bathers with the idea of going for a morning swim, but my feet were soon chilled and it all of a sudden didn't seem as appealing as it had when I had awoken hours earlier! Mind you there were quite a number of people going early morning kayaking, so at least someone was making the most of the empty sea.

I joined Nick again in the afternoon, this time at his house, which is fairly much "the good life" way of living. You have to love it - there I was sitting surrounded by daffodils, the sound of the birds and Nick's youngest daughter practising her tapping on a piece of wood in the garden, and there behind me a mother duck and her 7 ducklings (1 of the initial 8 died unfortunately!), while in front of me the chickens laying eggs. Brilliant!

Nick's eye for capturing the spirit of nature and indeed the spirit of Yoga is incredible and he took some fantastic shots and we even managed to get two of his daughters involved - thank you girls, and a huge thank you to Nick, a wonderful way to start the day and indeed wind down at the end.

A couple of hours later and when I really did think I was winding down for the day, having sat down and watched Oxford win the boat race, my partner decided we should go for a run. Admittedly I had mentioned to him a few weeks ago that I was considering starting running again, and would he like to train me so I could fulfil a yet unfulfilled ambition of running the Guernsey half marathon. But still...I had kind have started to forget about that back home and in the swing of things!

So anyway, what was meant to be a gentle run around the block, turned into a half an hour full on run with 4 lots of 20 second sprints, which made me feel so sick that I really wanted to stop but Ewan wouldn't let me and so we gently ran it through instead - evil at the time, but empowering all the same!

It is incredible what running does to the body, mine was certainly thrown into shock, it has been almost 8 years since I ran the London marathon and soon after hung up my running shoes and discovered Yoga to help me sort my body out after all those months of pounding the tarmac and the cliffs so I guess I have running to thank for bringing Yoga into my life!

Still my joints felt fine and while I collapsed onto the sofa after some gentle stretching when I got home, and while my face may have been bright red for a full hour afterwards, I remembered why I enjoyed running in the first place - it does make you feel great, not least the fresh air and the sense of achievement that you have gone out in the first place, but the fact you get to witness nature, for us the sun setting and the changing skies - it is certainly a lovely distraction from the pain you feel inside!!

So all in all an energetic and nature based day!

xx

March sea swimming!

2011-03-23T07:14:00.001-07:00

Chris and I managed to swim for about 8 minutes at Petit Bot for high tide this morning. It was seriously cold and I would not have been able to do it on my own - it helps that Chris and I chat to one another, distracts me from the numbness in my body! I was shivering for an hour or so afterwards.

Still, it was well worth the effort, nothing quite like a morning swim when no one else is around and the sun is shining over head.

xx

Spring is here!!

2011-03-22T00:53:00.000-07:00

What a stunning few days. Yesterday I was fortunate to get out and about around the Island, and took the opportunity to visit Tara at Wild Guernsey - wow, how stunning is the setting for their wonderful project.

Essentially Wild Guernsey is a growing educational and sustainable agricultural land project, run by Tara and D’Arcy. They are living a low-impact lifestyle adopting a land-based, simple, localised lifestyle that works with the land and with natural cycles. They want to re-connect to the land & share this knowledge with those who wish to join them (see http://wildguernsey.wordpress.com/ for more.

I am truly inspired by what they are creating, plus of course their approach to living generally. It resonates hugely with me and I hope that we get the opportunity to run a few land-based Yoga classes up there one day. You can't help but smile when you meet the ducks and they have this incredible Turkish Oak tree, perfect for sitting under and meditating. Magical.

I also took the opportunity to walk around Pleinmont and visit the fairy ring with my partner - we were out for just over an hour and only saw one other person walking with her two dogs - this is pretty cool on such a small Island. To say the area is stunning is actually an understatement, the flowers are so colourful and beautiful at the moment, they make me smile, and bar the sound of the aeroplanes, all we could hear was the sea and the seagulls and other birds singing. Magic.

Simply driving around the Island is sensory overload at the moment, I have never seen so many daffodils and primroses, and there are beautiful pink and purple flwers too so that it can feel like we are in some wonderland, a little like Charlie andthe Chocolate Factory, just that this is real!

We managed another dip in the sea on Sunday evening, sunset at Vazon, very, very cold, but well worth any initial discomfort and with the tides being so high it would be a shame to miss the opportunity!

It seems Spring has officially arrived with the equinox on Sunday - hoorah - a time to give birth to new ideas and an opportunity for new beginnings too. I love it!

Om Shanti x

Yoga and Wellbeing retreat on Herm in the sunshine!

2011-03-22T00:32:00.000-07:00

Wow, how lucky were we for the Yoga & Wellbeing retreat in Herm last weekend? It was absolutely stunning, incredible sunshine, a massive full moon, extreme tides, the Spring equinox and a wonderful group of participants.

We practised lots of Yoga in the conservatory of the White House Hotel with lovely views of the sea and Guernsey in the background - both flowing classes in the mornings and a gentle class to restore on the Saturday evening. We breathed and sat in silence, enjoying the sounds of the sea and the singing of the birds and we lay and relaxed and let go in Yoga Nidra.

My Mum offered participants the option of some led walks around and through the Island, Hayley offered her wonderful massage, Christine her lovely reflexology, Michelle her inspiring life coaching and there was Reiki on offer from me too.

We ate nourishing vegetarian food in the Mermaid where we had the opportunity to chat to one another, and a few glasses of wine were drank by some in the evening before a hardy bunch followed Michelle's lead with some 5 rhythms dancing in the Conservatory, while others of us got a much needed early night.

I was awake super early on the Sunday and made the most of the stillness and indeed the super high tide to take a quick dip in the sea - very quick as I find it rather disconcerting swimming on my own these days! I was able to fit in a practice on my own in the conservatory before the first session of the day, and this was fairly special, having that space and the views all to myself for an hour.

I know I am not alone in arriving back in Guernsey feeling as if I had been away for a week rather than one night - energised, rested and inspired. Needless to say I can't wait to do it all over again in November - we'll just have to hope the weather is as kind then too!

Thank you to everyone who made this retreat so special and thank you, particularly to Hayley, Christine and Michelle for facilitating and, especially, to my Mum for all her incredible organising, so much appreciated.

Om Namah Shivaya. xxx

Beautiful Guernsey

2011-03-18T14:35:00.001-07:00

Wow, how beautiful is Guernsey these days?! There are daffodils everywhere, it is like some surreal wonderland - well it is after living in a city for 5 weeks and then you come back here and there are flowers growing all over the place!

I went for a long walk on the cliffs with my parents last weekend and it was stunning; lots of primroses, yet more daffodils, and lots of pretty little purple flowers. To say nothing, of course, of the stunning views of the waves breaking onto the bright granite rocks below and the sounds of the seagulls and smell of the sea air.

The weather has not been brilliant this week - fog, damp, rain and now cold - but there have been glimpses of the sun and with that summer ahead. I went Nordic walking with the group on a sunny afternoon through the lanes around L'Eree and it made me feel that I wasn't in Guernsey at all - I mean the landscape was the same, all green and yellow and full of violets too, but there were no cars and no noise, no other people, sheer bliss, if only I could live down there myself, such a joy if one craves silence and anonymity.

Still, Guernsey is not so bad, I amanged a swim in the sea the other lunchtime. My gosh it is cold, really, really cold, but Chris was going in and so I figured I should join her and give it a try. We were in for 5 whole minutes and actually properly swam...made me feel great afterwards, but I could not warm up the rest of the day - I was totally chilled to the bone! I am in awe of Chris and her friends who go in every day of the year!

I am in awe of the Talbot Valley at the moment - there are sheep in the fields and they remind me of Nepal - that whole Spring time thing. It is quite an idyllic scene.

I started teaching again this week and am thoroughly enjoying the classes and seeing everyone again. Having attended classes in Vancouver and New York, I am now very aware how cold and dated St Peter's appears. I am keen to find somewhere more central and warmer to teach, but it is so difficult to find such a place over here. if anyone is reading this and knows of anywhere, then please let me know as I am open to suggestions.

We are off to Herm tomorrow for the Yoga & Wellbeing retreat - I am hoping the sun will be shining, but regardless it should be a lovely weekend of Yoga and relaxation...a perfect way to embrace the Full Moon tomorrow night and the Spring Equinox on Monday, all rather exciting, I absolutely love this time of year with all its new beginnings and hope for the future.

Anyhow time to get to bed, early start tomorrow.

Going with the flow in New York

2011-03-12T08:37:00.000-08:00

New York is an incredible city. We had an amazing time, so much fun. We didn't take a guidebook, nor have a plan so we just went with the flow - lots and lots and lots of walking, from one end of Manhattan to the other, lots of spontaneity and random encounters. Lovely Italian food.

A bit of sight seeing - the World Trade Centre was well worth the emotional energy, not so the time spent visiting the Statue of Liberty in freezing cold winds with all the queuing. Lovely diamonds in Tiffany's, amazing sensory overload at Times Square, albeit it a tourist honeypot, market at Union Square, chancing a dance in a gay club, good vibe pubs around Washington Square and cool hippy shops, lovely night views of the city from Brooklyn, a black squirrel in Central Park and all those mad people running in the bitterly cold conditions.

Wonderfully uplifting and energising classes at Om Yoga on Broadway off Union Square, the fantastic 8 mile bookshop called The Strand, night-time wanderings around the Meatmarket District, lots of fast walking in the cold rain, enjoying the ease of the subway and the friendly people, live music, wonderful coffee shops, modern art at the Guggenheim museum.

Hilarious tour guides on the bus loops (it was only us who were humoured by their sarcasm, which made it even funnier), witnessing a girl getting hit by a taxi and Ewan being a good citizen and forgoing his coat in the process, bagels for breakfast and fruit smoothies, a man who claimed to be trisexual (go figure), ...and on and on, so much fun, so much diversity, so many good experiences and fond memories.

Yoga in New York!

2011-03-05T10:24:00.000-08:00

Wow, once again, lots of choice for Yoga in this city.

Luckily - or coincidentally (not that there is perhaps such a thing!), I have chosen to stay in a hotel in Union Square right near a plethora of Yoga studios, notably Om Yoga, headed by Cyndi Lee, an internationally reputable Yoga teacher, who has certainly established a lovely ambient Yoga studio on Broadway.

So I went to my first class this morning with a teacher named Frank, in this bright and tranquil studio, with lots of space and fresh air (so slightly refreshing after YYoga where space is non-existent and the rooms are heated and one of the studios lacks a window) and only a handful of other students.

It was a lovely class, great background music, gentle instruction, lots of room to play with some more physically challenging poses, lots of heart opening and inversions, plus a few arm balances and the legendary Hanumansasa (splits)! I left feeling nourished, energised and relaxed, all at the same time. Thank you Frank for facilitating that experience.

As always - now I have taken the time to check in - the body came through with its daily message, no surprise there then, given my outer circumstances.

Arriving into New York last night after a 3.30am start was a little challenging. It was rush hour on a Friday and he place was packed with people, cars and taxis. If anything, it was a little overwhelming after the spacious nature (in comparison) of Vancouver. Still within an hour of being here I had located the train station, Om Yoga studios and Wholefoods, so I felt a little more grounded and focused.

Wholefoods was an unbelievable experience. I have been to a number of these during my travels in N America the last few years, but this one is HUGE. I have never seen so many organic and health relate products under one roof. Plus it was absolutely packed with people, and the queues were extensive. Whoever established Wholefoods must be rubbing their hands with glee - mind you, there is an ethic side to the whole establishment too.

Anyhow all very exciting. Ewan arrives today so that we can truly have fun and see what this city has to offer. Clearly time for me to come out of my 2.5 week retreat!!

Love and light.

Om Namah Shivaya, with love

2011-03-05T09:33:00.000-08:00

Well I enjoyed a lovely last few days in Vancouver, practising lots of Anusara Yoga with some seriously inspiring teachers in YYoga in Yaletown. I happened to attend a class on the the Mahashivaratri festival, so we practised strong, a dance of grace perhaps, in honour of Shiva, On Namah Shivaya.

What I loved about these classes was not only their honouring of Shiva, their strong and heart opening emphasis with precise principles of alignment to keep you conscious of every movement and feeling in you body, but also their infusion of a philosophy that celebrate life. Om Namah Shivaya.

It never ceased to amaze me - a little like on my Yoga therapy course - that after I had sat in silence for a few moment, centering myself, connecting with the breath and the body, awareness of life that day, that my arising intention would be neatly reflected in the philosophy of the class for that day. So that at the end of the class, sitting in integration, I would notice what had stood out for me from the class, and the wisdom would enthuse that understanding...in a real and grounded way. Heaven and Earth, in spirit and in matter.

Here's the invocation that we chant at the beginning of the class, which I learned from listening to Deva Premel's CDs some time ago:-

Om Namah Shivaya Gurave: I offer myself to Lord Shiva,the Auspiscious One, who is the true teacher Within and Without.

Saccidananda Murtaye: Who Assumes the forms of Reality, Consciousness and Bliss.

Nishprapanchaya Shantaya: Who is never absent and is full of peace.

Niralambaya Tejase: Independent existence, the vital essence of illumination.

Got to love it!

So I guess - in a non-attached way and open hearted way - I was a little sad to leave YYoga after my final class knowing it would be some time until I return again. While the rooms may have been warm and we may have been spaced about 10cm apart from each other, I am thankful to the teachers and thankful to the other students, who kept the energy heightened so that I would often leave the class on a real natural high - amazing how much the energy of the class is affected by those present and how the teacher almost glides on that current. I learned loads about myself and about life generally, on and off the mat. Om Namah Shivaya.

In light.

xx

Snow and more Yoga!

2011-02-28T19:50:00.000-08:00

Well I am having a fab time.

Admittedly it has been quite an emotionally and mentally draining week what with all the self enquiry on my course, but like with everything, when you make it through to the other side, you feel so much lighter again.

The course was incredible, inspiring and enlightening, lots of letting go, realisations and acceptance of things. Divine timing.

It snowed on Saturday, quite a treat, and quite a relief after the ongoing bright and cold weather, which was putting me on edge, what with its vata nature...it's actually quite funny as the weather reflected the shift in my being, from one of being on that edge on Friday, to one of grounding on Saturday as the snow fell and coated the roads and pavements.

The Yoga classes here have been amazing, a true gift, I just stumbled upon this studio (YYoga) as it is close to my hotel, and managed to get a 2 week pass to as many classes as I like for a mere $33 (what a gift!) so I have been making the most of it and getting to class as much as I can, alternating Anusara with a trio of teachers and Ying Yoga too - a bit of Ying and Yang, one strong and the other relatively passive (but deep though!).

Class this afternoon was truly inspiring, the teacher is a true gem, 7 months pregnant with twins, totally down to earth, totally does not look like the stereotypical Yoga teacher, totally funny,and totally accepting of herself. I loved it and have been on a high ever since. Trouble is this feeling is addictive...and it comes naturally through Yoga, plus its free!!

I have 3 more days here to immerse myself in yoga before moving on to New York and getting stuck into a few studios over there!

xxx

Yoga and Stanley Park

2011-02-23T07:45:00.000-08:00

I finished Level 1 on Sunday and celebrated by attending a 2 hour Yin Yoga class, only that it wasn't Yin, but restorative, which would have been wonderful, if we weren't in a windowless and very warm room, literally mat to mat and no fresh air to breathe and relax. Plus, after spending so much time in silence this last week or so, I found the sound of crystal singing bowls being played at full volume on the stereo a little stressful.

Don't get me wrong, I am all up for the healing (and relaxing) benefits of singing bowls, but I thought my ear drums may burst and my body felt really stressed by the whole experience. Plus I found it really difficult to go inwards as there was just too much external noise stimulation during the whole session. Oh well, just goes to show what happens when you spend so much time in silence - you simply can't cope with too much noise!!

On my day off I went to an Anusara Yoga class, which was super strong in terms of developing one's upper body strength, all good fun, and learning lots from these sessions.

I walked through town to Stanley Park to reconnect with nature and see some green after being stuck downtown all week. It is really rather beautiful in the Park, lots and lots of trees and great views of the mountains, plus an opportunity to smell sea air. It started sleeting however, quite a different experience to the last time I visited in June and was able to sunbathe on the beach!

I am now on day 2 of Level 2 and still really enjoying the training, it rally is eye opening in so many ways, long may it continue to inspire like this!

xx

Phoenix Yoga therapy training is great!

2011-02-19T20:51:00.000-08:00

I am absolutely loving the Phoenix Rising Level 1 Yoga therapy course - it resonates with me on every level and I just wonder why it took me so long to find it (although of course I know the answer to that!).

Based on Carl Rogers, "becoming a human" and experiential approach it works on the basis that we already know how to heal ourselves - our body has been with us since we were conceived and it has lived with us through all our life experiences and holds everything at a cellular level, all tensions and unexpressed emotions, all that stuff that sometimes gets in the way of us living life fully, of being all that we truly are, and of loving ourselves unconditionally.

It is big stuff and has the potential to facilitate big shifts and lots of inner and outer change and transformation. Day 3 in, and I have already experience some of this for myself. I mean I have always known on an intellectual level that for change to happen we need to change ourselves on the inside rather than making tangible changes on the outside (those follow to reflect the inner change), but I have never experienced this with such awareness and such speed as I have these last 3 days. Phew.

Not to say it is without its challenges - any kind of inner work is hard going, but you only go as deep as you want to go - you are responsible for your own experience and the practitioner merely facilitates the process. I am also having to unlearn a lot of what I have learned about Yoga asana and the way it has been taught to me, what with its often black/white approach to satisfy our often dominant logical minds...that actually every body is different and every body needs to be where it needs to be in a posture. Fascinating and insightful and indeed liberating stuff.

Anyhow there have been far too many realisations to waffle on now...and this is only my experience and we are all entitled to our own...and I a very much looking forward to starting Level 2 on Monday...and fingers crossed for Level 3 in the summer.

On the other side, I am still getting to Anusara classes and enjoying the opportunity, although not so keen on practicing in warm and windowless rooms.

Anyhow 9pm means bed time for me this week.

x

Yoga in Vancouver

2011-02-16T19:37:00.000-08:00

Well it didn't take me too long to unpack and settle into my room - I am such a true cancerian as I like to have a "home" regardless of where that is, somewhere to come "home" to each evening!

Within a few hours of arriving (in the rain, apparently it always rains here!) I had navigated my way to the grocery store to stock up on supplies before heading to the health and fitness centre affiliated to the hotel I am staying - and what a stroke of luck as I get to use it for free so I enjoyed a much needed steam, swim and jacuzzi, before attending a Power Yoga class - all good fun, power it was and I was fairly wired for a few hours afterwards!

Today I was delighted to find the "Y" Yoga centre a mere 10 minute walk from my hotel in Yaletown. This is a trendy place with an emphasis on Hot Yoga and Power Yoga (both are really popular over here)but also - thankfully - Anusara and Yin Yoga too. I tried Anusara about 6 months ago in London and loved it, so was keen to give it another go and was not disappointed, it is a fantastic approach to Yoga. Plus I get a 2 week pass for a mere $33 - the cheapest thing in this city! - so I can go to classes whenever I like for free now!

Anusara Yoga weaves clear, precise principles of alignment with energetic movement while honoring the deep connection of body, mind and spirit. Yo are asked to challenge yourself with this rich, detailed practice, infused with a philosophy that celebrates life. An invocation is chanted to open the class and partner work is often instructed.

We sat and listened to the teacher talking about self-acceptance before moving straight into a challenging practice with lots of heart and hamstring opening poses and strengthening movements. We used the walls to ground the feet and we partnered up to practice handstands, we had the opportunity to practice headstand and we certainly twisted it all out. The room was annoyingly warm (the hot yoga and power yoga heat the room) and the relaxation far too short, but I left feeling much clearer and calmer than when I arrived.

I spent the afternoon wandering downtown in awe of the number of Starbucks in this city, it seems like they are on every block and they are always busy so people in this city must drink a lot of Starbucks - let alone all the other choices in coffee shops and fast food joints, quite unbelievable! I finally locating a wonderful (and yet rather expensive) Wholefoods shop where you can buy all manner of healthy things! I managed another free swim, steam and jacuzzi before resting my aching limbs and calling it an early night in preparation for my course, which starts tomorrow. So exciting!

x

Skiing at Mount Washington

2011-02-15T21:23:00.000-08:00

Skiing was amazing, I loved it!

We drove up to Campbell River, our base for the weekend, on Saturday afternoon and despite the rain, it was lovely to get a little further up-Island - the Campbell River region is alive with beaches, luxuriant forests, crystal clear lakes and lots of streams teeming with trout. Simply put, the further we travelled, the more rural and beautiful it became and the more excited I felt!

We were fortunate to be staying with one of Sami's friend's, Deanne, at her parents house while they are away and Deanne being such a generous lady made sure we were comfortable and ate well all weekend. I was doubly fortunate to be able to borrow Sami's sister's ski wear and Deanne's ski boots and skis. Lucky me, a relatively stress free ski trip!

So on Sunday morning Derek, Sami and I headed out at 8.30am and drove the 40 minutes or so up to Mount Washington - the small ski resort with silly amounts of snow, something like 479cm this year or something like that, regardless I have never seen such thick snow so that often all you could see of a tree was its top poking through the snow!! You have to love the mountains, such an incredible energy and especially with all that snow!

After kitting up and paying for our passes we headed out to the nursery slope and Derek and Sami explained to me how to ski and - more importantly - how to stop skiing!! And then we were off...and after 2 runs on the nursery slopes we decided to embrace the green runs and built up to the main one, lovely and long.

Of course I fell over lots and I experienced moments of huge fear - not so much about hurting myself (although admittedly I was not to excited about the whole twisting knee thing when falling over) but more so about hurting someone else. I guess I didn't feel in total control and if the slope was clear ahead of me then hat was fine, I went for it, but if there were other beginners falling around then it made me really uneasy in case I happened to inadvertently run into them! Plus sometimes the slopes can seem really steep!

Anyhow Sami and Derek were really patient and great teachers - introducing me to the lifts and just talking me through everything. It was seriously so much fun - especially when I happened to career off the path and ended up sinking in really deep snow by one of the lift pylons and spent 5 minutes trying to ease my skis out, thankfully only Sami and Derek seemed to notice and even they didn't have a clue what I was doing!

After lunch the weather really deteriorated, lots of snow and poor visibility and it was so cold. I was tired too - I had been unintentionally using my poles quite a bit and putting too much energy into the whole experience - so we only lasted one more run. Derek went off to do a blue run and said there were people falling over all over the place as the snow was all messed up and it was difficult to see clearly - amazing how quickly the weather can change in the mountains.

Back at the car it was a relief to remove my ski boots, I am not used to having my ankles contained like this, let alone carrying around that extra weight - such an incredible feeling, the feet all light like that! So all in all a fantastic experience although I think I would opt to snowboard next time as I was once a very committed surfer and the idea of being on one board seems much more natural to me than being on two skis. In fact I can't wait to give it a try!

Anyhow after a lovely dinner that evening and a game of cards I was in bed by my usual 9pm - honestly I have no idea what has happened to me recently, I am barely able to keep my eyes open beyond 8.30pm - and up by 6.30am on Monday morning so that we could drive back to Victoria in time for Derek to get to work by 11am. Yet more rain but we did get to see some eagles and lots more trees and even a rainbow - hoorah!!

Back at Sami's we spent the next day or so chilling out with Rosie at home and after bath time I got to give her her evening bottle and read her bedtime story before Sami and I collapsed on the sofa with rubbish American television and salad!! I am so sad to be leaving them - Sami is a great mother and Rosie is such a good little girl with a lovely temperament so that she is constantly smiling and giggling and is interested in everything - especially my crystal pendulum and hair!! She is trying to stand at the moment, and crawls really fast so that you can't afford to turn your back - especially as she is teething and tries to chew her way through her books!!

So I would just like to say a huge thank you to Sami for such a great trip - you are indeed an angel and I love and miss you guys already!!! Hope to see you al again soon.

xxxxx

Vancouver Island!

2011-02-12T11:12:00.000-08:00

Well I have only been here in Canada for 5 nights but it feels much longer as it has been so relaxing.

I am having a blast - as they would say out here! After a night at a hotel near the airport, I took the ferry over to Vancouver Island, an hour and a half journey from Vancouver itself, to meet my best friend Sami, and her 10 month old daughter Rosie, and her partner Derek.

I have been sleeping lots and lots - I had not realised how busy and hectic life had become back home and how inherently tired I have been these past few weeks. I have also read a couple of books, which is such a treat, as I love reading but never seem to have time to indulge back home.

We have been out walking along the beautiful Gorge and into downtown Victoria (the capital of Vancouver Island), plus of course shopping at a mall. There has been a lot of playing too, Rosie is simply delightful, there is no other word for it, and such a joy to be around, she has such a wonderful temperament, lots of smiles, giggles and chatter.

Sami and I met a few of her friends for dinner at this super lovely restaurant last night with yummy healthy food - there is certainly the choice for lots of healthy food out here, I love going to the supermarket and just looking at all the organic choice,even if it does all seem very expensive to me right now. We chatted and laughed lots and I feel like I have made new and inspiring friends, always a joy.

Sami, Derek and I are off to Mount Washington, a 3.5 hour drive up Island today to go skiing for the weekend. I can't wait - not only is this an unfulfilled ambition but I simply adore the mountains. HOORAH!!

xxxx

Resting in London!

2011-02-06T12:37:00.001-08:00

The words "resting" and "London" don't always go hand in hand but I am certainly resting with Hannah at her lovely comfortable and warm house, chatting, putting the world to rights and taking time out to read the Kite Runner while lying on the sofa.

Utter bliss and a much needed transition from Guernsey before my trip to Vancouver tomorrow. I am very excited. Finally the chance to focus on my own practice and learn from more experienced teachers and further my knowledge of this wonderful science in the process - well that's my intention in any event.

Wonderful. Many blessings.

Em xx

Off to Vancouver to indulge in Yoga

2011-02-01T15:02:00.000-08:00

I am off to London on Sunday and Canada on Monday and I am so excited. I am spending the first week on Vancouver Island staying with my best friend, Sam, and her lovely little girl, Rosie (plus Derek may I add), where we are booked to go off skiing for a weekend - this will be my first attempt at skiing and is even more exciting as it will be my first time and it has been an ambition for a long, long time.

Then I spend almost 3 weeks in Vancouver on my own undertaking a Level 1 and 2 Yoga therapy course with Phoenix Rising, who have been leading the way with Yoga therapy training for many years. I am flying back via New York so I can have the opportunity to check out some New York Yoga studios and enjoy some classes, New York style.

I was in Vancouver in June 2009 and had such a fantastic time with my friend Hayley, before visiting Sam. There is so much Yoga in Vancouver and lots of lovely health food shops and salad bars and I can't wait to really embrace it all this time.

It's a new moon this Thursday, so yet more new beginnings - quite a relief after the intense - and rather unsettling - energy of the recent full moon.

Happy times.

xxx

Wassailing fun!

2011-02-01T14:39:00.000-08:00

I was delighted to be invited to the 2011 Wassail last Saturday courtesy of James of Rocquettes Cider. The ancient art of wassailing involved us all coming together to celebrate the coming year and wish for plenty of long hot summer days and a plentiful crop of apples and...yes...some great cider.

Not that I am a cider drinker, but it was fantastic to be involved in this event. I took my friends Jo and Sam along with me and we met everyone else at the Last Post for some hot cider before walking down the road making lots and lots of noise (children shouting, me banging a spoon against a saucepan, Jo hitting the maracas so hard one of them broke, Sam banging a baking tray, someone blowing into a bugle, James humming his harmonica, more people banging singing bowls and saucepans and everyone making stupid amounts of headache-inducing noise) all the way to the orchard.

Once at the orchard the noise continued to wake the orchard (last year was apparently good and it worked because they had much more apples than usual) as we stood around an apple tree glowing in candlelight, before James read his Pagan rhyme and blessed the tree with what I assume to be cider, and people hung medallions of toast from the branches to feed the Robin who is guardian of the orchard!

So much fun!

Back at the Last post we were treated to the sounds of "the John Welsey Stone" who played a lively set of "Raw humped up sounds in the Wassail tradition". Plus there were hotdogs if you were so inclined - no vegetarian this year though!

It was a night of coincidences and I had a thoroughly enjoyable time meeting up with old friends and making new ones in the process.

So let's hope for lots of apples this year and more wassailing fun next year!

xxx

Full moon delight!

2011-01-20T14:04:00.000-08:00

Wow, what a full moon day!

I was very fortunate (thank you Universe) to start my day teaching an 8am Yoga session at someones house with stunning views over Pleinmont, Rocquaine and Lihou Island, (my favourite part of the island something to do with the Wicca energy perhaps!) so we practised while seeing the light of the rising sun reflecting off the clouds, lots of pinks and oranges, with the lovely sea below.

I was also fortunate to have time in the afternoon to take a walk out at Pleinmont on my own and visit the fairy ring and optimise the full moon energy with my own little celebration until I was joined by a young family on their walk, who must have thought me most weird with my pendulum spinning around! Strangest thing too, a helicopter landing on the Hanois lighthouse - I have never seen that in all my years of living on Guernsey, very surreal!

Beautiful afternoon of walking through the Pleinmont pine forest all on my own, listening to Deva Premal's new album, which is simply sublime, what an inspired and enlightened soul...

"lokah Samasta
Sukhino bhavantu
om shanti, shanti, shanti"

(May all beings be happy, and may all thoughts, words and deeds contribute in some way to the happiness of all beings).

I have been chanting this endlessly and feeling rather uplifted by the potential of life. There is a lot to be said about the energy of chanting such Sanskrit chants.

I popped to Vazon for a moment of quiet time, sitting on the steps watching a lone surfer in the waves, and I am sure he felt the same joy as we witnessed the moon rising beyond La Grande Mare hotel...WOW. I took a few photos and drove to Yoga rather jubilant, wondering if all the other drivers had noticed this incredible - totally incredible - play of nature. Insane.

I was out for dinner in the evening otherwise I would have been tempted by another trip to the fairy ring but decided I can wait until summer - the question is, am I, and other moon and Wicca lovers, liberated enough to really take our clothes off and get wired dancing around the fairy ring...I am putting it out there girlies!!

I missed the moon setting this morning, I didn't even think, I was up and everything, but sat in relative stillness instead...hoorah, the energy has grounded, because that was a full on full moon and I hope you all enjoyed it.

Happy letting goes and new beginnings - and hopefully those with bad backs this last week will feel them improving now!

xxxx