The annual Yoga "class on the grass" in aid of the Priaulx Premature Baby Foundation

Sunday morning and I must admit I was awake at 4am checking out the weather through the window and was fairly appalled to see a misty start to the day.  A short while later and there was thunder and lightening and the dreaded rain too.  Ahhh, no back up plan for the annual Yoga "class on the grass", in its sixth year now (I think!).

Still it all came good in the end and by 10am the sun was shining and the grass was drying!  I must admit I was not expecting quite so many people to come along and support, so this was incredibly touching.  Joe at 7 to Val at 71, a complete range of ages and abilities and yet Yoga brought us all together for an hour of fun in the sun while raising an incredibly generous £502 for the Priaulx Premature Baby Foundation.

There is something rather special about practicing outside in the sunshine, we spent a few minutes allowing the body to soften quite literally onto the earth, muscles relaxing, spine lengthening, energy flowing, grounding, before bringing awareness to the breath, the gentle movement of prana in and out, further energising, calming and of course centring.

The practice attempted to cater for all the abilities and ages attending the class, we started gently, Apanasana the wind relieving pose and then up to hands and knees for the cat pose to encourage more connection with the breath and the movement of the spine, and from there a little more actively into dog pose and through plank, cobra and back to dog pose again.  Up to stand and time to really ground, I was incredibly impressed actually, despite us being a day away from the full moon, we had a whole class of trees swaying gently in the breeze!

We moved through Trikonasana and half moon pose, always a challenge looking up to the sky with the clouds moving overhead!  From there Warrior 2 and Utthita Parsvakonasana to lengthen the side body and further ground those feet to the earth.  Balancing a little more we did well, Natarajasana, the cosmic dancer filled with grace as we create and destroy here on our mats, before Garudasana, that wonderful mystical Tibetan bird that never lands, not that you feel always feel so light when practicing this pose and of course Warrior 3, the superman, capital "T" shaped position that really helps to strengthen the legs and buttocks!!

Hoorah for the soft grass, a chance to practice the crow pose without the fear of head butting the hard studio floor, so too Bhujapidasana, which gets us thinking how we can possibly bring our hands underneath our feet and then cross our ankles and lift them off the earth?  Well it is possible as a few clearly demonstrated! The joyful boat pose to take us to the very core of our being, so too Ubhaya Padagusthasana, as we attempted to balance on the sitting bones while also extending the feet to the sky, hoorah for soft grass again!

We attempted to truly open the heart space, this was a class all about giving after all, so we enjoyed a soft base for Dhanurasana, the bow pose, and a little later Ustrasana, the camel pose, and later still, the bridge pose and Urdhva Dhanurasana.  Those hearts were clearly shining brightly, reflecting the bright nature of the morning.

For many it was their first attempt at Yoga and I just loved the way one little girl described it to her Mum - it was a little like Twister, having to figure out where to put your right hand, your right foot, your left hand and your left foot, all the while trying to stay balanced on your mat - which admittedly is not quite so easy when the mat is on soft  grass - brilliant, such truth in those so young.

We rested and enjoyed the sensation of the warm sun, the light breeze and the sounds of the birds and the rustling of the leaves, allowing the body to integrate the effects of the practice, the mind to calm and the spirit to resonate with the energy of nature.  Wonderful!  The pose of humility and a final chant, brought the class to a close, "may all beings have happiness and the causes of happiness".

There was brunch on offer for those who chose to stay, yummy food prepared by my lovely parents, teas and coffees and juices, breads with homemade jam, croissants, fresh fruit salad, and a choice of banana, walnut and sultana loaf and the very popular carrot and sultana cake, which I admit I had helped to make the night before and was looking forward to the left overs - only there weren't any!  Recipe to follow!!!

So thank you to everyone who supported.  The money we have raised will help enormously to support a premature baby and his or her family.  With much gratitude, om shanti xx

Awakening with all beings, Lihou and lots of sunshine fun

What has happened to this month, it is literally flying back, thankfully in a haze of memories of such glorious weather.  Yes, it seems all prayers have indeed been answered and here we are, second week or so of such wonderful weather, sun still shining, temperatures higher than usual, and a blissful wind to cool things down a little.  Thank you, thank you, thank you.

I have to say that this weather does make a huge difference to one's experience of the summer. After a few weeks of feeling a little disconnected to nature with a  busy schedule and a lack of quiet time, I now feel totally back in the zone after a few weeks of outdoor living.  Last weekend we made the most of the sunshine and sat out for dinner at Vazon on Friday night before enjoying a bike ride along the West coast to Portlet on Saturday and a low tide warm swim with all small lady crabs - I had not idea this is the place you go for crabbing here in Guernsey, let alone the fact it is so much warmer to swim than on the South coast, I kid not.

We managed breakfast on the beach at Petit Bot on Sunday, tide rising, sun shining, wonderful especially with a couple of super cold swims to wake us up for the day ahead.  And then Sunday afternoon we were off to Lihou for our annual Lihou trip with E's Mum and our friends Hayley and Mike.  How wonderful, heat wave in Lihou and the Island all to ourselves, bliss, just love this little Island connected to Guernsey by a causeway at low tide.

Upon arrival we headed to the glorious Venus pool, what incredible light and healing energy, we all managed a swim, even Hayley and Val, well done ladies. That evening we enjoyed supper outside, just us and the elements, all those birds, the sun setting, the moon rising, the stars shining, wow, I thought I had died and gone to heaven.  The next morning we awoke to find the tide rising, cut off as we were from the outside world, no laptop, yet more bliss, breakfast on the decking with the sun shining and views of Guernsey in the background.  We sat on the beach and chatted and watched the birds, the oyster catchers adjusting to our presence, yet more swimming, yet more awareness of the movement of the tides, coming and going, all day long.

I went for a walk on my own and was fascinated by the way the seagulls communicate with one another to warn of potential danger, human approaching, fledglings to take cover.  We visited when the eggs were laid and then the sea gulls would dive bomb you if you got to close to the nests, things haven't changed much now, rather intimidating to find all these sea gulls going crazy simply because you are walking along the path a few metres away from their offspring who merge into the surrounding scenery, clever the way the young are given such a chance in life.

By the time we returned to Guernsey, chasing the tide and wading through a small part of the causeway to get back to Guernsey in time to teach that evening, I was feeling rather sunburnt and completely grounded to the earth, connected once more to the cycle of nature so that all week I have been rising with the sun and collapsing a little as it drops in the evening. 

There is a simplicity to the flow of nature, easy to underestimate the positive impact this can have on our souls, on our hearts, on our inner rhythm and sense of connection to the greater picture.  When I was sick with adrenal fatigue and exhaustion a few years ago now that left me depressed and anxious and taking a few months out from teaching and working, E encouraged me into the garden and out into nature and it was this, I believe, the gardening, the walking, the camping, the being with nature, that helped to heal my delicate soul, that helped to slow me down and bring me back to myself, to my heart, to the greater joy of being alive.  I recommend to others to get out there too, work with the land, get some soil in your hand, smell the roses, feel the grass, the sand beneath your feet, cleanse your aura with some sea swimming.  It does help to make one feel quite a live - as does trekking in mountains, another attraction for us in Nepal.

Jack Kornfield in his book, "After the Ecstasy, the Laundry", writes:

"The Elders of the forest tradition tell us to spend time in the natural world.  We begin to transform our spirit each time we go for a walk and smell the bay laurel after the rain, each time we pause to admire the quince in spring, the fire maple in autumn, today's certain shade of rose at twilight, the budding lily on our neighbour's porch, the last rustle of small animals into the astonishing silence at nightfall in the mountains.  We renew our spiritual life each time we walk back into the wilderness of our world and sense the beauty that has given us birth and the untameable cycles vaster than all our plans.  In this way, our care for the none human world can grow, not out of duty but out of love, out of gratitude and reverence for the web of creation, an unceasing holiness.

Tending this earth, we become part of its awakening.  As Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote, "To appreciate beauty and find the  best in others; to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, a redeemed social condition, to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived, this is to have succeeded".  Caring for the natural world is one way we also tend to the human one."

Very much looking forward to the Yoga "class on the grass" this weekend, donations only to the Priaulx Premature Baby Foundation.  Such a joy to practice Yoga in the garden, I try and take my practice into this environment when I can, makes for a blissful beginning to the day.  This Sunday should be wonderful with the sun shining and a light breeze cooling us down a little.  Brunch follows for those who fancy some nourishment, sadly the tides are wrong for a high tide swim, have to wait for later afternoon for that one.  All are welcome, send me an email for directions.

22 weeks pregnant today, bean seems to be doing well in there.  This is a lovely part of the pregnancy as there is no sickness and energy levels are not as tested as they have been, plus I can still enjoy swimming and cycling and my own Yoga practice, albeit much gentler than it may have been previously.  Long may this continue, although as ever better not to get too attached to any way of being, just means something to let go of, because as we all know, everything passes!

Enjoy the sunshine.

Love and much gratitude.

xx

New moon energy

Amazing.  Thank you dear Universe for this wonderful weather.  Hooray for the sunshine, what a difference it makes.  Makes everyone cheerier and happier somehow.  It is a new moon today too, happy new moon everyone, you can feel the energy changing, the wind has blown in to blow away the old, to make way for the new.

Great timing too.  Sometimes life has a habit of getting a bit out of balance and my soul has been crying out for some down time in the sunshine surrounded by nature.  All prayers have indeed been answered these last 3 days.  Friday afternoon I was fortunate to lie in the garden for at least an hour before meeting E and his friend at Vazon for a high tide swim and a lie down in yet more sunshine hearing the sound of the sea and feeling the sensation of all those warm pebbles under my back.

On Saturday we went to Jersey with the folks for this most magnificent party.  Wow.  A 15th wedding anniversary with absolutely no expense spared.  E joked at me before we went about the prospect of dancing girls.  Well how funny then to arrive and find exactly that!  So too fire throwers, hoola hoopers, music, yet more dancing and indeed signing ladies, a comedian from the UK, a beautiful buffet, fireworks, endless champagne, the most marvellous marquee, wow, this was certainly well worth the short journey from Guernsey!

Sunday with the folks, we all went down to a beach on Jersey's north coast, lovely, a couple of hours of sunshine, sea air, sand and a couple of dips in the freezing cold sea was indeed very good for the soul!

I have been reading this wonderful book by Jack Kornfield called "After the Ecstasy, the Laundry", which resonates hugely with my experience of spirituality and its ups and downs.  To me the experiential nature of one's spirituality is paramount, it is all very well intellectualising, but at the end of the day it is all about the hear and now and living it, being conscious and awake to each moment.  This in itself is indeed an on going process, for it is all too easy to fall asleep again, so too is it necessary to go allow for integration and moments of down time to absorb, reflect and of course let go to make room for the new.

This whole concept of letting go has sprung itself back in my face again.  I would like to think that by now I am able to read the signs, but of course I am only human and it takes me almost to crash and burn to realise that it is time to re-balance and retire to that quiet place where one can let go and sit quietly.  There is this beautiful angel card called "Surrender & Release", which reads,

"Let go, and allow God and the angels to help you.  Everything that you release will either be replaced by something better or will be returned to you healed.  When you hold on tightly to a part of your life that's not working, it has no room to heal.  Whether you're unhappy with your love life, finances, career, home, or health, this card asks you to let go.  If you hang on to these aspects of your life because of fears such as "What if I can't find someone or something better?" then the situation will only worsen.  However if you're willing to open your hands and allow the situation to be freed, one of two situations will occur: Either it will be washed away from you and replaced by a better situation, or the situation will heal in a miraculous way. By drawing this card, the angels ask you to try not to control the outcome of your troubling situation.  Let go, and let God help you!".

It is so true, that often we need to get out of our own way.  Meditation helps enormously, what a joy to be able to sit outside quietly in the morning sunshine too, nature certainly helps to ground us in the moment.  In this way the mind calms a little so that clarity can be experienced, so too the quiet moments of gentle sitting allow the whisperings of the heart to be heard above the normal chaos of the mental chatter.  One can then write a list of all those aspects of one's life that are no longer working and offer it to the Universe, in your own little ceremony, for there is much power in ritual, just search the internet for "burning bowl ceremonies" for example.

The key as always, is loving kindness, to the self, to others, to the process of unfolding and letting go however challenging this may appear and indeed feel in the moment.  Allow tears to fall as one weeps away the old, creating a wonderfully fresh and vibrant environment for the new to enter - it is like they say, when one door closes, another opens.

Here is wishing you all a sun filled happy day, enjoy the fresh air, the sensation of the sun on the skin and the experience of spending time in nature - if you can!

Happy birthday to my Mum too, what a wonderful day for a birthday!

Love and much gratitude

xxxxx

Shine brightly from deep inside

I am now almost 20 weeks pregnant, which means I am half way through the pregnancy.  Wow, how time does indeed fly, before we know it we will have the bean here in our arms, all rather exciting, we can't wait to introduce him/her to this wonderful world in which we live.

My stomach is having quite a hard time dealing with its expansion as bean continues to grow inside.  I guess that is the trouble with having practiced so much Yoga these last 10 years, the muscles are strong and have a hard time expanding!  Still it could be worse and the upside is I get a baby at the end of all this.  It still blows my mind to think that there is a little being growing inside me and now I can feel him/her moving it makes it all that more real.

All sickness has now passed and I have forgotten already how awful it felt - amazing how we adapt.  I can also wear crystals again now, which is interesting how the energy has shifted over the last few months.  Treatments however still throw me and I guess bean is happy with our own energy field, which is fine by me.

I would love to say I am sleeping soundly and making the most of the opportunity but as anyone who has been pregnant will know, half of the night is spent going backwards and forwards to the toilet, how is it possible to have consumed so much fluid?!!  Still I guess it does prepare you.  Energy levels are a little challenged with all the teaching and working, but this will ease as we move towards the summer holidays when I intend to make the most of the summer, which I am hoping is on its way!

It was my birthday on Sunday and sadly while the sun did not shine, we did manage to make it to Herm and enjoyed a picnic on Shell beach.  I just love Herm, it is so healing and peaceful over there, you can't help but switch off from the rest of the world.  We are hoping to camp over there a few times over the summer, nothing quite like waking up on Moss field with those views towards Alderney and the north of Guernsey. It is times like this when I am particularly grateful to live on such a beautiful Island.

Needless to say I was spoilt rotten and all of a sudden the living room I had envisaged for months took shape in the course of a weekend with the arrival of a new book case - I can't believe how excited we were to be able to finally put all out books in a book shelf again - a massive porcelain pot courtesy of my generous parents for the indoor tree I have grown since I was 21, and the most beautiful Buddha I have ever seen, kindly gifted to me by my beloved.  Even though I know it is true, "The Secret" and the whole concept of vision boards and creating what your heart desires and indeed feels, it still blows my mind when it happens, it is like thing shifts and the rest slots into place and there we are, your wish granted, thank you wonderful Universe.

Still there are times when it is easy to forget that the Universe and the angels are working away in the background helping to manifest your dreams, because it is all a matter of timing and faith, and getting your self out of the way so that you let the change take place.  Often, and I am very good at this, we cling on for fear of losing what we have, when really we don't have actually have anything, and often what comes next, is far more in tune with the self, than our current circumstances.  This is what people mean by blessings in disguise, even if we do not realise it until much later in life.

Of course life is full of blessings, if only we have the time to notice them.  I have noticed recently that my own life has been a bit too busy, out of balance, too many thoughts, too much rushing.  It is not healthy because it is almost as if you miss life, it happens when you are busy planning for the future without making the most of what is here right in front of you.  The key is to catch yourself.  Usually the body makes you realise that all is not well, aches and pains and tensions, body-mind-spirit no longer unified in whole.  Time to slow down, take stock, let go of that which is not working and create space for being, in hat moment, with the flowers and the trees and the bumble bees.

I never cease to be amazed by the complexity of our mind, the way it works, the way it tries to control everything, ourselves, our lives, how it beats us up, puts us down, makes us think that we are not good enough, that we must do this or do that, have this treatment, that treatment, do this diet, that diet, rather than just realising that we are already quite enough, perfect in fact, and that incessant thinking and planning and controlling actually works against all that to keep us trapped in the prison of the mind.  What will be will be.  Everything comes to pass.  Make peace with yourself, accept yourself, love yourself, for we are all children of God.

This is the reason Yoga is so invaluable, the positive effect it has on the mind, so too of course meditation and Yoga Nidra, how they help the thinking to ease so that we are not so imprisoned by our thoughts, there is more freedom and we are much more accepting of ourselves.  I read entries on facebook from people updating others on this diet or that diet, on this new fitness regime or that one, and I can't help wondering how people don't realise that there is no quick fix, and really do they need to fix themselves in any event. What is wrong with how they are in that moment.  And changing a diet and adopting a new fitness regime will not change the underlying issue, which is generally a lack of love for the self.

Yoga is a life long process.  Change does not necessarily happen over night.  Yoga requires commitment and practice.  You can't just talk about it, you have to get on your mat and sit still in meditation, breathe consciously and/or move your body into positions that affect the way you feel,  that change the grooves in your mind and release those emotions trapped in the physical body, that connects you once again to that soul, that whispering voice deep inside, that help you come to face to face with the self, warts and all.  It is often at this point that people stop attending class, better to put the head back down in the sand and go to sleep again, sometimes facing ourselves is not easy, but it can make us feel so much more alive.  Liberate the soul, make peace with the self, find time for the self, shine brightly, how wonderful the world would be if we all did that.

There is this lovely poem by Danna Faulds called "I am already", which reads like this:

One flow of
Energy and breath
Connects the full
Depth and breadth]Of consciousness.
There is nowhere to
Go but here, no time
But now, no why or
How or maybe...just
This knowing, simple
And complete, that I
Am already what I
Thought I had to seek.

And this beautiful quote by anonymous, "All you need for doing Yoga is your body the way it is and your mind to say: "You're fine.  There's nothing that needs fixing before you can begin".

So with that in mind I am off to enjoy a morning practice with Buddha, and shall embrace each moment, even when it rains!  On the positive side I hear good summer weather is indeed on its way - hoorah!

With much gratitude, love and light

Emma xx