Alice Hird Yoga

15/03/2024

One of my lovely friends saw this beautiful poem and sent it to me, saying she immediately thought of me.
What can I say, she knows me too well 🤷
I'm powerless in the face of all of the world's natural beauty and wonder, it calls to me and my soul follows...

12/03/2024

01/03/2024

Happy St David's Day 🤗

Happy heavenly birthday to my papa 💌

Happy birthday to our nephew

Happy Day xx

27/02/2024

27/02/2024

The moon rising last night, and the sun rising this morning.
Breathtakingly beautiful 🤗

02/02/2024

Another ball mad spaniel

14/01/2024

.co thank you for such a lovely yoga practice and workshop today, and for the delicious smoothie and lunch. Not to mention the perfect little gift at the end of the session.
Sally, thank you for nurturing space for thoughts and ideas to flow, it was a beautiful session. I hope to be back in your gorgeous studio on the 17th March 🙏🧘🪷

22/12/2023

Slow down, notice, love ❤️

15/11/2023

Absolutely, I still chuckle when I see this.....all part of my "is there really any urgency or rush, or am I making it up and creating unnecessary stress for myself" ethos 🤣🧘

19/10/2023

This made me laugh a lot 🤣
It's so true though isn't it

29/09/2023

A snuggle on the sofa with this beautiful girl, yes please 💕

17/09/2023

When your lovely little boy, out of the blue, sits you down to do this with him for a moment 🥰🧘 ,

03/09/2023

Hello misty September morning walks 😌
Perfect, peaceful start to the day with our Shady Lady 🐾

20/08/2023

So very true, sometimes we are capable of rekindling our own light, sometimes we just cannot do that and it takes the love and care of another to nurture the flame 🔥

14/07/2023

This did make me chuckle 🤭
I'm still in super quiet mode with regard to any social media postings or musings, I'm not sure why, it's just the way I'm feeling so I am honouring this.
It's good to listen to your own needs, right ☺️
I'm sure I'll be back in chatterbox mode in due course.
Enjoy your rainy wet Friday all ☔💗

17/06/2023

Messy, colourful, silly fun with Arthur and friends today, raising money for in Hereford. Completely exhausted now!

20/05/2023

I'm rather quiet at the moment, that's because I'm still recovering from being so poorly earlier this year.
It's going to take time, therefore (as one of my fab friends says) I'm being a hedgehog for as long as I need to, a semi-hibernation where I'm as quiet as I need to be for as long as I need to be.
As always, being in nature is very healing.
I'm still teaching my Castlemorton yoga classes, which is always such a pleasure.
Isn't it funny how difficult it can be to listen to the needs of the body rather than prioritise the egotistical demands of the mind.

13/05/2023

A cheerier note today....summer is trying to shine its light and warmth on us, days of play with family and friends are coming. Little dog walks with Shadow are lots of sniffy fun, and I got me some summery fun hair colour....which I LOVE. Also, tulips 🌷🌷🌷

12/05/2023

It's World ME Day today...

It's ME Day every day for anyone unlucky enough to suffer with ME, and the same feeling applies for anyone who is suffering from a chronic illness and/or an invisible disease.

This year it feels particularly relevant, personally because I am working on trying to recover from a nasty flare, but also generally as we think of those struck with Long Covid (as many of the same symptoms of ME are shared with the symptoms of Long Covid).

Living with such a condition is life changing, and different for each individual who experiences it.
I have to plan and consider what I'm going to use my physical and mental energy for on a daily basis, and if I use too much of any kind of energy it makes me ill. I'm lucky though, as my ME is moderate and so far I can recover quite well from a flare if I rest a lot and look to good nutrition and self care.

The hardest part for me is the every day work it takes not to let it get me down, I have to work at that. I also have to work at not feeling guilty at so often not being able to say yes to things I want to do. I love to be active, socialise, play and party, and I like to work too.....but it's tough, I cannot always do a lot of the things I want to do as my health is limiting. My yoga helps enormously, mentally and physically, I also find it best to look at all the good things and not dwell on what I have lost in losing my good health. Finally, being in nature and wondering at it is eternally healing and nurturing.

My thoughts... Be kind, be compassionate, slow down the world, health is wealth.

30/04/2023

I LOVE this picture of Poppy and I from 2016. It was after a full day of walking in the Peak District (with too of course), and we'd just arrived in the village at the end of our epic walk and were eagerly heading to the pub. We were camping in Daisy (our old VW who is currently awaiting some tlc from us) and walking every day. Hills, cider, a million steps taken every day, cups of tea, Poppy, hubby, crisps....and I was in great health (no mecfs flare in sight).
This is always my idea of heaven. Now of course we have our beautiful Arthur 🌈 👶and gorgeous Shadow (Poppy's niece spaniel, as Poppy has of course crossed the rainbow bridge) 🐾 to enjoy such adventures with us.

26/04/2023

Ooh yes, can you imagine if we were all well rested 🧘🌞 wouldn't that be a thing!
Beautifully succinct 🙏

22/04/2023

Sometimes there are no words are there; the life merry-go-round carries on a-pace whatever happens.
Sometimes there is only the beauty of our natural world, moments of wonder to keep us looking for the good and at what really matters.

17/04/2023

Yes 🙌 it's always the everyday things that fill you with joy, a Tay of sunshine, a child's giggle...a spaniel leaping through long grass, beautiful music, a flower....

JOY

Joy does not arrive with a fanfare,
on a red carpet strewn with the flowers of a perfect life.

Joy sneaks in, as you pour a cup of coffee,
watching the sun hit your favourite tree, just right.

And you usher joy away,
because you are not ready for it.
Your house is not as it must be,
for such a distinguished guest.

But joy cares nothing for your messy home,
or your bank-balance,
or your waistline, you see.

Joy is supposed to slither through the cracks of your imperfect life,
that’s how joy works.

You cannot invite her, you can only be ready when she appears.

And hug her with meaning,

because in this very moment,

joy chose you.

Donna Ashworth
adapted from my poem ‘joy’ in ‘LIFE’ https://amzn.eu/d/9Y6E6kz

Art by the astounding Lisa Aisato from her book ‘all the colours of life’

16/04/2023

How true are these words ⬆️

I have been pretty quiet for the best part of the last couple of months because I have been unwell, suffering one illness straight after another. There has been a LOT of bed rest for me, and whilst I do now feel I am on the mend I am left feeling very depleted and physically weak.

It's times like this that I really do have to dig into my resolve, and use the tools I have learned over the years to keep my mind from going into dark places.

I am a naturally positive and enthusiastic person, and my mind SOOOO wants me to be 'doing all of the things' now I feel more myself, but my body is very clearly telling me "no, not yet". It got me to thinking, do we as a society even use the term convalescence anymore? Because, that is what my body is telling me it needs, a period of time to actually recover and rebuild after being so poorly for so long.....I'm depleted, I need to rest and restore before jumping back into being fully active.

Who else has an internal battle with themselves when faced with going with what your body needs rather than going with what your mind wants to do? My wise mama reminded me that's my ego trying to bully me 🤦

Anyway, a long post(!) but I will now listen to my body and rest as needed, I will not be returning to a full schedule for a little while. This will mean I need to reduce my yoga teaching this coming half term sadly (which I will post about separately, and email the lovely people who will want to know).

It sucks having to not do things you want and love to do doesn't it! But, it's spring, I shall use her energies now to heal and also watch her unfurling beauty in gratitude and awe.

Love and peace 🕊️❣️

10/04/2023

100% agree, the speed at which so many of us 'expect' things to happen, the 'I want it and I want it right now' culture, the impatience.....it all makes me shudder. Please slow down world, it's healthier and it's more enjoyable to stop and smell the roses 🙏
(Caveat, I'm happy for my body to feel completely recovered from being ill a bit quicker though 😉🪷).
Easter Monday, a perfect day for taking things slowly and just being.

02/04/2023

"Oh good" , said no-one ever as they wake up with horrible conjunctivitis after 3 weeks of being ill already 🤷🤒🤧
I mean, seriously...enough already with the poorly!! I'm so ready to be well again 🪷🤞
Anyway, sunshine, rainbows and sparkles ✨ 🌈 to all.
And, some cute Easter Bunnies practising yoga 🐇
Peaceful wishes this Easter to all 🕊️

27/03/2023

I spoke too soon 😔
I started to feel awful again last night, and woke up in a fever this morning. I really thought I was on the mend.
I'm so sorry, but I will need to cancel my yoga classes this week too.
I will email/message all of you lovely Yogi's properly tomorrow about class cancellation, today I've been mainly sleeping.

25/03/2023

I have been really rather unwell for a couple of weeks, so my yoga practice has been only about listening to my body and accepting where I find myself....which has been utterly exhausted and feeling very rough! There's been a lot of lying down & sleeping!
This morning though, I feel like I am very much on the mend....finally 🙏
Yoga is not all love, light and good vibes only. Yoga is also putting in the work of practicing acceptance and letting go, letting go of expectations, letting go of striving to 'do it all'. Yoga is learning to practice self love.
Aaaaannnyyywaayyyyy, I think I'm gonna be back teaching next week 🥳✨🌈🔜 and I'm so looking forward to it. Happy spring by the way 💐