Poop, Pray, Move [Part 1] – with apologies to Elizabeth Gilbert
This is my secret recipe for inner peace and outward calm, the kind I felt during my yoga stay in India last year. I've summarized the most important things I learnt at Kailash Tribal School of Yoga into five essentials. Yes, we studied yoga philosophy and yoga psychology and Vedic wisdom and ancient Sanskrit and sequencing of yoga asanas –...
Make Your Home An Ashram
Desperate for a weekend break, a getaway, an escape from it all? Here's how to go on a yoga retreat while you're at home. When we asked Yogi Sivadas how to package up the peace of our yoga school and take it with us, one of his suggestions was, "Make your home an ashram." Excellent idea! Create peace in your home and make it the sort...
Yoga to the Rescue on New Year’s Day
New Year's Eve started off perfectly, with a pre-midnight prosecco toast at home, giving us time to then join a group of yoga friends and chant a continuous Om again and again, as a beautiful way to herald in 2015. (Thank you, Simply Yoga, Andi and Karen). The next treat was a walk on the beach with my husband, watching...
Winter Solstice and Yoga
The spectacular solstice sunrise I watched this week, jumped the queue and interrupted my intended “crucial ingredients for a more balanced life” blog post. (Perhaps that's better suited to the New Year anyway, when we're all determined and motivated, making resolutions for the year ahead...
Where Are The Goats?
Yes, I’ll admit it. It’s been difficult to adjust to “normal life” after months of yoga bliss in the Himalayas. I’ve been back home now for over two months and apart from the happiness at seeing my husband, family and friends again, the re-entry into Western life has been challenging. During the last few days of our yoga program, Yogi Sivadas...
Book Packing In McLeod Ganj
[caption id="attachment_542" align="aligncenter" width="640"] How can FedEx compete against this charming setup?[/caption] Yes, that’s Book Packing in McLeod Ganj, not Backpacking. The latter being a travel adventure for those exploring the Himalayas in (most likely) scruffy-baggy-unisex trousers and cotton rasta-colored friendship bracelets; seeking budget accommodation, ethnic meals and meaningful inter-cultural connections with locals and likeminded international explorers. The former being an...
Meeting The Dalai Lama at 36,000 Feet
I met His Holiness the Dalai Lama on my flight to Delhi today...
Goodbye, McLeod Ganj
It's our last day in McLeod Ganj and my sunrise walk took me through the peaceful woods on the way to the Buddhist temple - a kaleidoscope of Tibetan prayer flags flapping in the breeze, prayer wheels spinning to the hum of Om Mani Padme Hum, stray dogs lazing in the early sunlight. I realize how little quiet time we've...
Yes, I Have a Yoga Name
I've always thought it was faintly ridiculous when I'd hear someone in the US use their "yoga name", especially when clad from head to toe in Lululemon lycra. I had cynically joked about how my chosen yoga name would be Yogini Sri Shakti Jai Murphananda. [caption id="attachment_1384" align="alignright" width="200"] Yogi Sivadas on Sitar[/caption] But, here in India, after several weeks of advanced...
Mcleod Ganj Moonrise
I was going to write a post about Half Moon Pose (Ardha Chandrasana) and the Moon Salutations (Chandra Namaskar), to accompany photos of the magnificent moonrise last night and then I thought all that really mattered was to share the moon's magic with you. Every morning and evening, the view from my balcony here in McLeod Ganj is different, as the...