Sparrow Yoga

12/08/2023

They shot you with 40mm rubber projectiles when you were concerned about your livelihoods and jobs, when you were worried about making ends meet for your families and couldn't work, while your businesses were forced shut and you suffered as many went under, they meanwhile continued to work and get paid very well.

After all that they are greedily asking for more and want you to support them to get even more.

Victoria police believe its worth a shot.

07/30/2023

This is Jim Thorpe, the first Native American to win an Olympic gold medal for his country. Looking closely at this photo, you can see he wear different socks and shoes. Not because of his fashion sense. This photo was taken in 1912, when Jim, a Native American from Oklahoma, represented the United States in athletics at the Olympics that summer.
On the morning of the match, his shoes were stolen. Luckily, Jim found two different shoes in a trash can. Those are the two shoes he is wearing in the photo. But one of those shoes was a little too big, so he had to put on a few more socks.
Wearing these clunky shoes, Jim won two gold medals that day. The person who stole the shoes must have not expected that instead of causing him to fail, they would bring him glory. This is a reminder to all of us that we can overcome any difficulty in life if we try.

07/30/2023

Be careful of who you leave your kids with.

Stop leaving your children with your partners you barely know.

Don't leave your children with family members you don't entirely trust to watch them just because it's free.

If you have a gut feeling about someone and something just doesn't feel right with you when it comes to your child, cut all ties with that person.

If your child comes to you and says I don't want to stay with a particular person listen to them. ALWAYS believe them.

It is better to believe them and be wrong, then call them a liar and be wrong.

07/13/2023

A must read:

Viktor Frankl, one of the great psychiatrists of the twentieth century, survived the death camps of N**i Germany. His little book, Man’s Search for Meaning, is one of those life-changing books that everyone should read.

Frankl once told the story of a woman who called him in the middle of the night to calmly inform him she was about to commit su***de. Frankl kept her on the phone and talked her through her depression, giving her reason after reason to carry on living. Finally she promised she would not take her life, and she kept her word.

When they later met, Frankl asked which reason had persuaded her to live?

"None of them", she told him.

What then influenced her to go on living, he pressed?

Her answer was simple, it was Frankl’s willingness to listen to her in the middle of the night. A world in which there was someone ready to listen to another's pain seemed to her a world in which it was worthwhile to live.

Often, it is not the brilliant argument that makes the difference. Sometimes the small act of listening is the greatest gift we can give.

◆ PS ◆

01/28/2023

Wanting to see pictures of your kids now! It's been a while for me.

When my kids were toddlers my husband and I took them on a 1.3 km loop in the lush forest on the Sunshine Coast, BC.

It didn't start well.

Tears, foot stomping, and not wanting to walk. They just wanted to be in our arms.

My heart sank a little. This being one of my favourite "short loops". I had wanted it to be more fun.

And then I remembered.

The kids were crying because something wasn't right.

On some level, they didn't feel safe.

Cajoling or convincing them otherwise wouldn't have served any of us in any way.

I had no idea what wasn't right, but as I stood there it was clear these little beings needed support.

So we held the kids in our arms, and kept walking another 10 meters into the lush trees.

Their crying calmed down, their smiles started.

I started pointing out the trees, and branches. I could feel Lewis' breath settle down. Sam started to sing.

Then I went a step further -

I saw a log and some moss - I said to the Lewis - "Look Lewis, look at the wood". I placed him on the trail and let him touch. His eyes lit up.

I saw a fern another 5 meters away, and pointing to it, said, "hey Sam and Lewis, look at the fern".

They toddled over to the fern.

I then pointed out some more moss another 5 meters. They ran over to the moss.

And so it went, I pointed out something a distance away, and off they went.

Soon enough, the two of them were running, walking, touching, pointing. We'd offer a hand to help them over bigger rocks and roots, and they said "no".

In the last 0.5 k, both were running fast down the final straightaway back to the car.

Yoga therapy principles that I have used since 1995 - to help people out of pain, to reduce auto-immune flares, to run faster, jump higher - have an organic basis throughout my life.

Principles like:
• DON'T FORCE. Forcing tends to create more tension, not less.
• HONOUR THE FEAR. If someone feels scared, or if something isn't right, no amount of convincing will help them. And worse, it could dilute their own inner authority to listen and act on what they need.
• EASE LEADS TO MORE EASE. If more ease is what is wanted, then move in a range that cultivates more ease.

08/14/2022

05/26/2020

04/29/2020

04/27/2020

Great way to start or stay.

04/24/2020

But despite all the classes you’ve been doing on YouTube (or whichever streaming service you use), you’re still feeling tension and pain in your body. 

04/21/2020

This is so right

Biomechanics of Healing: Here is an image of the diaphragm, transversus abdominus, some of the pelvic floor and the piriformis. I've included the piriformis to provide context to the whole.

The idea here is that we want our inner core to be responsive and not braced. In my book, Anatomy and Asana: Preventing Yoga Injuries I wrote,

"Having good core stability is much like a boat on water, where the body is the boat and the external stimulus is the water. Both (body and boat) are able to respond to the inevitable wobbles, turns and shifts only when they are in balance. This balance enables you to move from fast to slow and slow to fast, turn quickly, get up and down, change direction etc.

If we are braced or grippy, we can't be responsive - the "tone" from the inner won't be able to bridge to the periphery.

Function is lost, not gained, and it reduces the likelihood of sustainable symptom reduction.

So... think ease. Think lightness. Think reduced compensation. Think suppleness.

Your body and mind will love you for it.

And, if you want my help, I have one, 3 month - private client opening. Work with me to help you resolve your issues - I work with people for a minimum of 3 months to really dig in and resolve what is going on. Sessions are online. I work with people around the globe from the UK, US, Canada, Australia, South America and more. DM me if you are ready to see the link between your body and mind and you want to make the change you really want to make.