Mind Flow Grow

02/03/2025

I’m exploring the idea of offering an extended breathwork (pranayama) class for the Mind Flow Grow community—diving deeper into breath awareness. This would be a chance to explore practices that support nervous system balance and energy flow in a longer format.

The class will be tailored to suit all levels of experience. As with all my classes, the practices are an invitation to participate, ensuring that people do the yoga that is right for them.

Before finalising the details, I’d love your input! This short survey will help shape the class to best suit those interested. It should only take a minute.

Looking forward to your thoughts, Steve 😊

https://us7.list-manage.com/survey?u=77343c93b160c166d0bcf0254&id=b536c244ac

21/02/2025

Here's the other side 🙏 Love Serve Remember. An important reminder from Neem Karoli Baba, as told by and friends.

Last year I visited Kainchi Dham, staying at the Evelyn Hotel in Nainital having great chats with the older men there. So much magic in those hills.



See previous post:

"My new handmade, hand painted sign. I didn't want to order a plastic or metal sign for yoga, and having first tried signwriting in my painting apprenticeship 35 years ago, I thought I could make my own frame and sign. This was my 3rd attempt at hand painted lettering. Happy with how it turned out 🎨 🖌

Come and join me for a class
Mondays 7am. Link in bio."

21/02/2025

I read a great article from a favourite author Oliver Burkeman on what to do when we get dragged into anxiety ridden (or rage) states, because we are obsessing about the news and living in a time of History with a capital H:

"... you should make sure your psychological centre of gravity is in your real and immediate world – the world of your family and friends and neighborhood, your work and your creative projects, as opposed to the world of presidencies and governments, social forces and global emergencies."

"....It means treating the world of national and international events as a place that you visit – to campaign or persuade, donate or volunteer, to do whatever you feel is demanded of you – and that you then return from, in order to gain perspective, and to spend time doing some of the other things a meaningful life is about."

Full article at Oliver Burkeman's email newsletter. Check it out.

19/02/2025

My new handmade, hand painted sign. I didn't want to order a plastic or metal sign for yoga, and having first tried signwriting in my painting apprenticeship 35 years ago, I thought I could make my own frame and sign. This was my 3rd attempt at hand painted lettering. Happy with how it turned out 🎨 🖌

19/02/2025

16/02/2025

What's on your book stack?

15/02/2025

Today I watched 'the subtle art of losing yourself' by the Taoist George Thompson, a lovely exploration of our place in the universe, and particularly pertinent for this time of global political instability.

From the filmmaker:
“At a time when environmental crises, mental health challenges, and a deep sense of disconnect pervades our world, 'The Subtle Art of Losing Yourself' delivers an essential message of hope. It shows how the stories we construct about ourselves not only shape our lives but the fate of our planet. And, when we connect with our true selves, balance is possible for people and planet.”

This is a beautifully shot and produced film set in the wilds of Scotland referencing the age old question of ‘Who am I?’ - linking the ancient seeker with modern humanity.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9KArWcMldPM

15/02/2025

Can you find peace even in times of turmoil? Ancient wisdom would suggest you can through practice. What's your go to practice that cultivates peace in your life?

*framed art by Georgia Woods. Sculpture unknown.

13/02/2025

So many things are difficult to accept... but it is key to choosing change. Of course, we can also choose not to engage in changemaking at any time if the changemaking becomes overwhelming. Weneed to look after ourselves, our loved ones and communities at this time ❤️

13/02/2025

When the world is seemingly falling apart, when life is overwhelming and confusing, what else to do than come home?

Sitting (or laying) and centering ourselves in the heart space, our true home, paradoxically can itself feel overwhelming, because it's here in these quiet moments that we might really feel the anxiety, feel the weight of the world.

But, if we can learn to lovingly (underlined - lovingly) acknowledge that these feelings are here, and learn to sit with them rather than distract ourselves or push them away, we begin to familiarise ourselves with uncomfortable sensations and emotions, eventually perhaps even befriending them.

It's not easy, but that's why it's called practice. Sitting in this space, there is nothing to achieve, nothing to acquire - rather, it is in the letting go that change happens.

Pic from the Reignite Retreat that I teach yoga and meditation on annually with Impact Boom and GoodNorth

06/02/2025

There appears to be a lot of weakness in the world right now.

04/02/2025

"This being human is a living classroom,
Breathing, moving, shaking,
Each moment a lesson,
Each breath a whisper of wisdom.

The body, a chalkboard etched with experience,
The heart, a compass pointing to the unknown.

Here, the ground beneath your feet
Is not solid but alive, shifting, teaching.

The joy that bursts like sunlight
Through cracks in the ordinary,
The grief that pools like rainwater
In the corners of your soul—
All are teachers in this trembling, sacred space.

You stumble, and the earth whispers, “Rise.”
You ache, and the stars murmur, “Feel.”
You love, and the winds roar, “Keep going.”

This is no ordinary classroom;
There are no walls, no desks, no grades.

Only the raw, pulsing truth of your existence,
Inviting you to lean in, to listen deeply.

Mistakes are not failures here,
But bold strokes on the canvas of becoming.

Pain is not punishment,
But the cracking open of new doors.

Be the student who marvels,
Who dares to ask questions of the wind,
Who lets the sun teach them warmth
And the shadows teach them depth.

This being human is a living classroom,
Breathing, moving, shaking.

And every moment is a lesson
In how to be fully awake in this body."

Words by Dr Laura Patryas
Pic at Reignite Retreat.

02/02/2025

Read my latest blog on how to deal with your internal critic.

“Were we to meet this figure socially, this accusatory character, this internal critic, this unrelenting fault-finder, We would think there was something wrong with him. He would just be boring and cruel. We might think that something terrible had happened to him, that he was living in the aftermath, the fallout, of some catastrophe. And we would be right.”

Adam Phillips - Psychoanalyst and writer.

https://open.substack.com/pub/mindflowgrow/p/your-internal-critic?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=48udmz

30/01/2025

We are living, seemingly in dark times, oligarchs abound, buffoons parade as leaders. Things may in all likelihood get darker. But we are reminded that beautiful things do grow in, and out of darkness. Hold on to that thought, that feeling, perhaps buried deep within our ancestral bones that there is always beauty in the world, we just need to find a way to connect with it, in whatever way is meaningful for each of us.

*Artwork by Georgia Woods at Creating Our Path

29/01/2025

With adult anxiety and depression on the rise, medications commonly used, and mental health firmly in the news cycle, the search for mental wellness can lead people to activities like running or lifting weights at the gym. While these pursuits have their merits, they often overlook a fundamental aspect of deep healing: self-enquiry…. Read more: https://mindflowgrow.substack.com/p/self-enquiry?r=48udmz&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&triedRedirect=true

Pic: Nisargadatta Maharaj

26/01/2025

"The thought manifests the word

The word manifests the deed

The deed develops into habit

Habit hardens into character

And character into destiny

So watch your thoughts with care

And let them spring forth from love

Born out of compassion for all beings”

Tara Brach

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Thoughts are powerful, shaping our words and actions, a reaction to our previous experiences. As Tara Brach reminds us, “The thought manifests the word; the word manifests the deed; the deed develops into habit; habit hardens into character; and character into destiny.”

It’s a reminder of how much influence our inner world has on our lives. And yet, while thoughts hold this potential, they are also incredibly fleeting. Like bubbles in a glass of water, they arise, float to the surface, and disappear.

The challenge, of course, is that our minds don’t always treat thoughts like passing bubbles. Instead, they latch on, spinning stories and judgments that pull us into worry for the future or regrets about the past. This tendency is natural; our brains are wired to focus on problems and threats as a survival mechanism. But when we spend too much time trapped in these cycles, our thoughts can begin to harden into habits that don’t serve us.

So how do we loosen the grip of repetitive, unhelpful thought patterns? The answer isn’t to control or suppress our thinking—that only feeds the cycle. Instead, the practice is one of awareness, compassion, and gentle observation.

I invite you to try the following simple exercise:

1. ‘Step-back’ from your thoughts: if you feel comfortable, gently close your eyes, imagine you are a witness to your thoughts, as if they are bubbles in a glass of water, rising, then disappearing

2. Perhaps feel into the body, noticing what you are feeling, without letting the mind create a story about the feelings

3. See if you can relax into the awareness of what is happening, in the present moment, observing without judgement everything that rises and disappears.

The beauty of this practice is its simplicity. Each time you bring your attention back to the present moment, you are creating space—space for compassion, for curiosity, and for choice. Over time, this gentle awareness can help soften old habits of thought and open the door to new possibilities.

The truth is, thoughts will always come and go, just like the beating of your heart or the rhythm of your breath. But when we meet them with care and love, they become less of a force pulling us away and more of a guide leading us toward the life we want to create.

Let your thoughts spring forth from love, as Tara Brach says, “born out of compassion for all beings”, not forgetting to include yourself in that compassion.

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Read more on my blog https://open.substack.com/pub/mindflowgrow/p/thinking-influences-how-we-experience?r=48udmz&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

19/01/2025

I very rarely sequence a class anymore, instead feeling the energy in the room and having a knowing of the regulars that attend each week (and making adaptations for new people). But, after being with Clive Sherian recently at .ashtangayoga and also in a couple of weeks time, and having practiced with him many, many times I've felt moved to design a Clivie Baba inspired (but different) sunrise practice for my 7am Monday classes. As is my personality, though, I will likely ignore 90% off the 'rules' I've written as a sequence within a few weeks 😄