For me, Yoga is not to be tried at; Yoga is not a series of postures on a mat, a way of being holier than thou, a thing that only certain people do, a thing to feel guilty for not doing everyday at 6am, a thing to feel embarrassed about if your leg doesn’t quite go around your head, it’s not about the latest fashion or craze, or even keeping fit! My experience is that yoga is a means of being alive, greatly and consequently sometimes painfully alive! Not just on a mat but at every moment, or as many as naturally muster for us. It is a means to wake up and be there for ourselves via a gentle surrendering; to enrich you, to support you, to enliven you, to be your best friend, to be your torch when the way is not clear, to make the washing up feel fascinating (yup it’s possible)! To hold centre when it’s crazy out there, to be every breath in and every breath out, to assist in nourishing and sustaining you, to assist you to learn how to be kind and gentle to yourself, open and interested, to ground, strengthen your inner resources and self knowhow, to integrate parts of self, to further reach inside and out, to lengthen your reach, creativity, breath, those big questions….They may even get answered too………. It isn’t always comfortable-if you really want to go there (and I will not lie to you). Sometimes it is hard, because lets face it, sometimes we just want to bury ourselves under a duvet, self flagellate- often via positive thinking (yup I know it sounds like a contradiction), or lean on a non supportive habit or addiction we may have. Or to not stand out- to not shine, to try to ‘fit’, until we loose touch with the probable simplicity that we actually needed, but it’s ok, that is what it is, enjoy it, until it is done. Yes it can be challenging to turn up for yourself, like life can be, sometimes it’s extraordinarily amazing. Yoga is something that begins to happen, with you, through you but it is not precious, nor selective, it is “chopping wood and washing dishes”, it is not something you ‘do’. My teacher, whom I have the hugest respect and gratitude, named it “The Extraordinary, Ordinary”. I am a member of the Independent Yoga Network (IYN), I evolved into facilitating yoga via the life changing gentle but potent Hatha postures, life talks, experience, cups of tea, tears and laughter had at Heart Yoga, Dr. Peter Yates, Anna Ingham and fellow life voyagers. The answers, the ‘right way’, I don’t know what these are for you! I will promise to do my best to offer you a, relaxed, open, safe, peaceful, spacious and fertile ground to explore what ‘your yoga’ is to you-life, “what will you do with your one wild and precious life” (Mary Oliver). Perfectly imperfect; I would love to meet you. Contact Sasha for further information or to book a class
