Growing Up and Dealing with Change......

As we slip into September, I can already taste a bit of Autumn in the air!  I know everyone will be blogging about the change of season and I dare say I am bit early with this observation but I can definitely feel a change in the atmosphere.  I have always loved the transition from summer to autumn, it always signifies change.....going back to school, summer holidays just a distant memory, time to get the woolly jumpers out - I do love a snuggly jumper!  For me this year it seems altogether more significant, my youngest son starting school, my eldest son moving into the juniors and I am adding a parent and toddler yoga class to my schedule. 

It will be so strange with both boys at school, more time to plan my classes, more time to study, more time for my own yoga practice.  I am also feeling the need to de-clutter the house, I tend to feel I can think more clearly when the house is clutter free and my desk is not hidden amongst papers.  I don't know a great deal about Feng Shui but I know the basic rules are if something is broken either mend it or throw it away, and if you haven't used something in a long while then get rid of it.  This is fine for things like an unused fondue set or an old sandwich toaster but I struggle a little with things like baby blankets and toys that the boys have played with a lot.  I realise that I need to practice some 'non-attachment' to these items, but I am a sentimental old soul!!  I have done really well getting rid of our wheelie bug bee toy which my eldest had since he was one and then my youngest used too.  My other half convinced me to put it on eBay and sell it.  It was quite difficult for me to do this but the lady who bought it seemed so delighted that I felt really good about some other kids getting as much joy out of it as my children had  (but I still miss that little bee sometimes, he had been around us for 7 years!)

I do have a box of treasures, things which I cannot throw away, the little cards from the hospital from when the boys were born, their first sleep-suits, many books and photos.   In my opinion it is ok to keep these things so we can look at them when the boys are all grown up and remember all those special times.

Being human involves times of change, nothing stays the same and for the most-part I do love the excitement and challenge of change.  As human beings I think we need it for our spiritual growth and development.  That said, this particular period of change seems very significant for me and a little sad as my babies are now not babies any more and are growing up fast, so my mission now is to do my best to help them to cope with the challenges of change in their own lives so they can welcome it and not fear it........and perhaps not be as sentimental as their silly old Mum!!!

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Ashtanga Workshop on a Rainy Tuesday.....

A rainy Tuesday in Manchester - a day I have waited for since May when I booked myself on the Ashtanga workshop in Manchester with Kino MacGregor.  It seemed like fate that she should come and run a workshop 10 minutes away from my home!

My first knowledge of Kino was when I embarked on my Ashtanga practice about 3 years ago - having practiced Hatha Yoga since being a child and consequently training as a Hatha Yoga teacher I gravitated towards Ashtanga as a way of challenging my self practice.  I bought the Kino DVD and also did a course to learn the history of this particular discipline.

I realised that what I really needed to do was to get to a regular Ashtanga class but with teaching Hatha yoga and being a full time Mum - there just wasn't the time, so self practice was my best option at this point in my life.

My self practice was very sporadic but I made some progress and complimented the Ashtanga style with regular Hatha practice and also further study and work on my meditation as well as my own teaching.

So yesterday came the day of the workshop, during the lead up, I had many self doubts about whether the workshop was really for someone like me......in one of my classes I teach chair yoga to seniors, my other classes are a gentle, slow approach to yoga, but Ashtanga a very strong practice!  I have attended a few Ashtanga classes, but was I deluding myself that I could fit in with the Ashtanga yoga crowd?

The Hindu temple in Whalley Range is a lovely building, I immediately felt relaxed as I entered, I noticed many people had come to the workshop in groups, but I was attending alone.....however there were lots of smiles and I felt the buzz of how excited people were to be attending the class.  I suspect  most of the people there were like me and had watched Kino many times on her You Tube channel to learn new techniques and deepen their practice further.  For some people who find it difficult to get to classes this is a good resource, but it is so important to try to get to classes and workshops whenever you can to experience the energy and challenge of a live class and have an experienced Ashtanga yoga teacher to guide you.

The workshop was geared towards strength, an area that I really need to work on in my practice, so was perfect for me.  I have reasonable flexibility and part of me (probably my ego) missed doing some deep hip opening work, but that is not the area that needs quite as much attention (I need to work on some 'non-attachment' to those hip openers too!!)

Kino was as lively, charismatic and informative as I expected her to be and I have never known 3 hours pass so quickly.  It has really encouraged me that Ashtanga yoga IS for me - even though I am 40 years old and struggle to maintain a consistent Ashtanga practice.  It has inspired me not to just concentrate on the postures and the aspects of the discipline I CAN do but to work more on the areas I am lacking - like strength and technique.

On reflection I think booking myself on the workshop was me testing myself, if I felt out of my depth, like a square peg in a round hole - then perhaps Ashtanga yoga was not for me.  But as tough and challenging as it was, I have learned I am more capable than I thought and I feel that I do not have to wake up at dawn everyday and do the full primary series, it is entirely appropriate for me to break the practice down to work certain areas and just fit the practice into my busy life as best I can, to work towards being the best person that I can be.......

www.yogiclaire.com

 

Escape to the Mountain Top.......

I used to wonder if I could be a real yogi and still live a normal busy, family life.  After all if we are to practice all the 8 limbs of yoga not just the 'asana' (posture) part then we need to be fully engaged in all those other aspects of being a yogi. (see below list)  But as time has gone on I realise it can be possible to practice all eight limbs of yoga whilst being fully engaged with young kids, parents, friends and everyone I come into contact with.  In fact yoga can enhance all those other aspects of life, and it is wonderful and sometimes very challenging to weave ALL aspects of yoga into your own busy life.

I like to think of my everyday life as a busy market place, a hustle and bustle of activity, dashing from one place to the next, preparing meals, planning classes, studying etc. But then when I am doing my own yoga practice, it feels like time out from the rat race.  It feels like a trip away from 'it all' - like a peaceful journey to the mountain top, returning fully refreshed and invigorated ready to take on the world once again.  The yoga practice also serves as a regular reminder to live a yogic lifestyle whilst in the busy market place of our lives.  To engage fully with our kids and our friends and family, to allow and cope effectively with changes and fluctuations in our lives, knowing that we have the relevant tools to deal with stressful situations.

So your little trip to the mountain top may be the sanctuary of a busy city centre yoga studio, it may be your local church hall yoga class, or maybe it is your self practice in your own garden or living room.  Wherever your yoga space is and whatever form your yoga takes, perhaps gentle pranayama and long deep postures, or invigorating and challenging dynamic yoga, it can enhance and enrich your life and shows us the importance of taking time out - even if sometimes it is only 10 minutes a day.......

The Eight Limbs of Yoga

1. yama: moral and ethical restraints - social discipline
2. niyama: observances - individual discipline
3. asana: posture, seat
4. pranayama: control of the life-energy through breath
5. pratyahara: mind withdrawal from senses
6. dharana: concentration
7. dhyana: meditation
8. Samadhi: superconciousness or union with the Divine

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Super Squidgy Super Healthy Brownies

Anyone who knows me well, knows that I love baking especially with the kids.  I am always on a quest to come up with healthy, delicious treats for the family and love to put vegetables into cake recipes!  This year has been fabulous for courgettes and I am lucky enough to have a courgette plant in my garden so here is a lovely recipe for brownies.  They are very, very moist and are sweetened with a small amount of honey and by the prunes.  You cannot taste the prunes or the courgette but they give them a lovely texture.  Also super healthy with the addition of coconut oil and seeds, they are dairy free and gluten free.  You can leave out the honey and then they are great for diabetics too!

Super Squidgy Super Healthy Brownies

100g shredded courgette

80g soaked prunes
250ml water
3 tablespoons seeds of your choice (can be milled or used whole)
115g coconut oil
50g cocoa powder
80g gluten free flour (or almond/coconut flour)
Half Teaspoon Salt
Half Teaspoon Baking Powder
Desert spoon honey

1.     Use a food processor with blade attachment to whizz up the courgettes and the prunes

2.    Add the water, process for a few seconds

3.    Add the coconut oil – I used it when slightly soft but not in liquid form

4.    Mix the flour, salt, baking powder and cocoa powder

5.    Fold the wet into the dry mixture, fold in the seeds, then the honey

6.    Pour into a greased tin (line with grease proof paper as well)

7.    Bake on about 180 degrees for about 20 minutes

8.    Enjoy – these are super squidgy but super healthy and are gluten free, dairy free and suitable for diabetics

You can make lots of substitutes in this recipe, beetroot instead of courgettes, add nuts and chocolate chips for more indulgence!  Just use your imagination....

www.yogiclaire.com

 

Combat Stress with Mindfulness

 

Understanding the theory behind breaking the stress response is great, but it doesn’t mean anything if you can’t put it into practise. Breaking the cycle of your thoughts can help you to feel less stressed and less anxious. We do have the power to get ourselves out of the cycle at any moment, without having to resort to the same old tools which are often unhealthy or counterproductive. The challenge is - it’s much easier said than done.

There has been some amazing work on the brain changes that come along with mindfulness training, these studies suggest that the most effective way to dissociate from our anxious thoughts is to focus in on our moment-to-moment experience. Mindfulness, teaches us simply to observe our thoughts and sensations in a nonjudgmental way – but this can be difficult at first, and a little abstract.

One of my favourite Buddhist quotes is “Wash every pot like it’s a new born baby” It really encapsulates the idea that even the most ordinary, everyday task can be turned into an experience.  I used to be the queen of multitasking – almost challenging myself to do as many things as I could.  I found taking care of my babies really challenged this – if you have a new born demanding to be fed then everything else takes a backseat!  Seems we are back to baby references again! 

Now as my yoga practice deepens and I try to become more present in my yoga – so it spills out into everyday life.  When I am doing what some people would think of as boring, menial tasks like hanging out the washing, I take my time, I breathe in the air, noting the scents on the breeze, the feel of the air against my skin.  It all seems so simple but when you put it into practice – just living and experiencing each moment of your life as it arises, then it does bring a sense of stillness and calmness and will balance out those other moments of chaos which will still arise in your life. 

www.yogiclaire.com

 

 

The thrill of a good book!

I am pleased to say that now my children are a little older I now have a bit more time and inclination to read.  I feel that the world of books has opened up to me again after being closed for a while as I cared for my young family.  I always knew I would come back to this much loved pastime and during the time when my kids were very young, I was studying, so was reading text books - but that is not like proper reading is it?  For the pure pleasure of it...... 

My wish list on Amazon is so long now, I am not sure I have enough years left in me to read each book, but the interesting thing is the types of books that are on there.  I am not sure if it is my age, whether it is becoming a Mum or whether it is my deepening yoga practice.  Whereas at one time I would be found reading crime novels and thrillers, now my book collection and wish list has books on psychology, religion, history, all forms of spiritualism, reincarnation and lots of other stuff.  I think there might even be a book on Quantum Physics in there.  So I have been considering buying a Kindle (or some other electronic book reader) to try to save a bit of money in the long run, but I am wondering if the reading experience will be the same, not having a real book to hold.  The thrill of the discovery of an interesting and intriguing looking book in a charity shop or a new book being delivered by the postman, finding that the person who had it before me has left some interesting bookmark or cryptic note inside (I always buy second hand).  I will just make a few clicks and there the book will be - the whole experience may well leave me feeling cheated.  Or am I just old fashioned and nostalgic.  I remember trying to prop up a Nancy Drew book so I could read it whilst eating a packet of fruit pastilles at the age of about 10, no such problem with a Kindle!!

Well for now I'm going to wait for a little while before I invest in a Kindle, I am going to continue to indulge myself in real books, well maybe until there is no room left on the book shelf.......

Yoga Highlight of the Week!

Some would imagine that for a yoga teacher, a highlight of their classes would be getting someone into headstand for the first time, or achieving an excellent break-through in trikonasana. But for me this week, someone falling asleep in my class was my highlight.

This particular lady is a spritely octogenarian, having lived a very full life so far as a teacher and mother. She has been attending my class for about a year and does her best each week.  But she struggles as she is rather deaf and the room we use for yoga has terrible acoustics and my voice tends to echo around and become distorted.  This causes her a bit of stress as she feels she maybe missing some crucial instruction.  I have tried my best to reassure her and she stays in good humour throughout, but I still sense her frustration.  During her relaxation her head is bobbing up and she is looking at me constantly as she thinks she has missed some important part of the relaxation instruction.

However, this week, I looked over as she lay in savasana - her body completely relaxed, sweet smile on her face, but no tension, no twitching, no bobbing head.  She had managed to relax enough to fall asleep.  Yes I know one should avoid falling asleep in relaxation/yoga nidra/meditation but for my seniors I make all the allowances they need and if they feel relaxed enough to fall asleep then I feel my job is done!

www.yogiclaire.com