Yoga with Norma

14/11/2022

Restarting my yoga journey
Loved this course and amazing fellow yoga teachers

05/10/2021

As the brisk air of autumn arrives, we are reminded that vata season is approaching. The cycles of nature move in different forms and at different times depending on where you are located. Vata season is present during the time of year that most embodies the qualities of the vata dosha: dry, airy,.....

28/09/2021

✨Yoga isn’t about advanced physical postures. You don’t have to be flexible or be able to touch your toes to practice. Yoga at it’s roots is an internal practice, going within and reconnecting to yourself. Yoga is about increased focus and awareness, in mind and body, both on and off the mat.

🌿 You can join me every Wednesday from 2pm-3pm in st Mirin’s Cathedral Hall, Paisley for chair yoga classes where we will explore gentle movements and breath awareness. We use the chair for support and to assist with balance whilst exploring key foundational yoga postures.

🕉 Please get in touch if you are interested in this practice or spread the word to anyone you know who may benefit from it. £6 for a drop in or £25 for a 5 class pass (2 month expiry and can be used across all classes). Please bring your own mat, chairs will be provided.

🙏Thank you
💚Namaste
Carla x

10/09/2021

01/09/2021

It's been a while since we shared breath practice
Hopefully we can soon again 🙏

GOD, THIS IS BEAUTIFUL! TAKE THE TIME TO READ IT ❤️
As someone who writes often, I naturally appreciate epic writing when I see it. This morning, I came across this written piece of art and it moved me deeply, so I had to share it with all of you! Not only are these words true theatre, they also act as sound advice ❤️

my brain and
heart divorced

a decade ago

over who was
to blame about
how big of a mess
I have become

eventually,
they couldn't be
in the same room
with each other

now my head and heart
share custody of me

I stay with my brain
during the week

and my heart
gets me on weekends

they never speak to one another

- instead, they give me
the same note to pass
to each other every week

and their notes they
send to one another always
says the same thing:

"This is all your fault"

on Sundays
my heart complains
about how my
head has let me down
in the past

and on Wednesday
my head lists all
of the times my
heart has screwed
things up for me
in the future

they blame each
other for the
state of my life

there's been a lot
of yelling - and crying

so,

lately, I've been
spending a lot of
time with my gut

who serves as my
unofficial therapist

most nights, I sneak out of the
window in my ribcage

and slide down my spine
and collapse on my
gut's plush leather chair
that's always open for me

~ and I just sit sit sit sit
until the sun comes up

last evening,
my gut asked me
if I was having a hard
time being caught
between my heart
and my head

I nodded

I said I didn't know
if I could live with
either of them anymore

"my heart is always sad about
something that happened yesterday
while my head is always worried
about something that may happen tomorrow,"
I lamented

my gut squeezed my hand

"I just can't live with
my mistakes of the past
or my anxiety about the future,"
I sighed

my gut smiled and said:

"in that case,
you should
go stay with your
lungs for a while,"

I was confused
- the look on my face gave it away

"if you are exhausted about
your heart's obsession with
the fixed past and your mind's focus
on the uncertain future

your lungs are the perfect place for you

there is no yesterday in your lungs
there is no tomorrow there either

there is only now
there is only inhale
there is only exhale
there is only this moment

there is only breath

and in that breath
you can rest while your
heart and head work
their relationship out."

this morning,
while my brain
was busy reading
tea leaves

and while my
heart was staring
at old photographs

I packed a little
bag and walked
to the door of
my lungs

before I could even knock
she opened the door
with a smile and as
a gust of air embraced me
she said

"what took you so long?"

~ John Roedel (johnroedel.com)

15/05/2021

The Art Of Ancient Wisdom

18/04/2021

While attempting some garden yoga....
Its not an up or a down dog ...😂😂🙏

13/02/2021

😂🙏

every.time. 😴

01/02/2021

27/01/2021

And breath 🙏

21/12/2020

Art: Stephanie Winters

13/12/2020

The winter solstice time is no longer celebrated as it once was, with the understanding that this is a period of descent and rest, of going within our homes, within ourselves and taking in all that we have been through, all that has passed in this full year which is coming to a close... like nature and the animal kingdom around us, this time of hibernation is so necessary for our tired limbs, our burdened minds.

Our modern culture teaches avoidance at a max at this time; alcohol, lights, shopping, overworking, over spending, comfort food and consumerism.
And yet the natural tug to go inwards as nearly all creatures are doing is strong and the weather so bitter that people are left feeling that winter is hard, because for those of us without burning fires and big festive families, it can be lonely and isolating. Whereas in actual fact winter is kind, she points us in her quiet soft way towards our inner self, towards this annual time of peace and reflection, embracing the darkness and forgiving, accepting and loving embracing goodbye the past year.

"Winter takes away the distractions, the buzz, and presents us with the perfect time to rest and withdraw into a womb like love, bringing fire & light to our hearth".
. and then, just around the corner the new year will begin again, and like a seed planted deep in the earth, we will all rise with renewed energy once again to dance in the sunlight

Life is a gift ❤ a Happy winter to you all...

Artwork by Jessica Boehman

06/12/2020

Mindfulness - The Chinese character 念 is composed of two parts, the top 今 meaning "now; this" and bottom 心 signifying "heart; mind."

"Mindfulness is the quality and power of mind that is aware of what's happening — without judgment and without interference. It is like a mirror that simply reflects whatever comes before it. It serves us in the humblest ways, keeping us connected to brushing our teeth or having a cup of tea. It keeps us connected to the people around us, so that we're not simply rushing by them in the busyness of our lives.

We can start the practice of mindfulness meditation with the simple observation and feeling of each breath. Breathing in, we know we're breathing in; breathing out, we know we're breathing out. It's very simple, although not easy. After just a few breaths, we hop on trains of association, getting lost in plans, memories, judgments and fantasies.

This habit of wandering mind is very strong, even though our reveries are often not pleasant and sometimes not even true. As Mark Twain so aptly put it, "Some of the worst things in my life never happened." So we need to train our minds, coming back again and again to the breath, simply beginning again.

Slowly, though, our minds steady and we begin to experience some space of inner calm and peace. This environment of inner stillness makes possible a deeper investigation of our thoughts and emotions. What is a thought— that strange, ephemeral phenomenon that can so dominate our lives? When we look directly at a thought, we see that it is little more than nothing. Yet when it is unnoticed, it wields tremendous power.

Notice the difference between being lost in a thought and being mindful that we're thinking. Becoming aware of the thought is like waking up from a dream or coming out of a movie theater after being absorbed in the story. Through mindfulness, we gradually awaken from the movies of our minds."

~ Joseph Goldstein ~

12/11/2020

Just stopping by to say hi
Had a little zoom fatigue
Hope you are all well and safe
Hopefully soon we can restart classes in person
Love and light to you all
Om shanti 🙏

08/11/2020

Increasingly difficult just now
But oh so important for our own self 🙏

☮❤🕉

20/10/2020

🤔🙏