Diary of a Yogic Mummy

My girls love it - my travel to work does not ! I have done more snow clearing in the least week than I did all of last Winter - anyway at least we will have a white Christmas!!!!! see photo.... We had an amazing weekend in Lyon too last weekend catching up with family and friends, seeing the lights and a great trip to the Aquarium and Parc de la tete d'or!!!!! Christmas decorations are now up and we are starting to get into the festive spirit!!!! have a great pre Christmas weekend!

Large gaps in between entries at the moment due to a very hectic schedule and the post emotional state of my friend Lisa's death. Life though is good - the girls are well and Melodie and I even managed a yoga session together this weekend. Melodie skied and Clementine wenton the lunge... it is finally snowing here! Life over the last couple of weeks....FRANTIC! Annecy filming, London filming and web site meetings, Winter season classes starting, a workshop, life in general, help at the school, Christmas shopping and somewhere in the midst of that my own practise... long days but all is looking amazingly bright and incredibly not stressed at all! My niece Hollie is having her naming ceremony today to officially welcome her to the family - my Brother and wife adopted her earlier this year and she is gorgeous - a great cousin foor my girls and a sweet sister to Herbie. All the family are well and busy.... and did I mention its snowing! Christian celebrated his 62nd birthday on 17th an...

A beautiful weekend with the family and friends and glorious sunshine. Walks, time together, just wonderful. And I have been priviledged to have spent time with my wonderful friend Lisa fighting against cancer. We have chatted, giggled, hugged this past week. Sadly she has had to return to hospital and is under heavy morphine doses. Please prayer for her as I am and send her healing love and peace......

So it has rained pretty much constantly here the last few days and we are getting cabin fever! Off to the pool this afternoon after a yoga session whilst I still have papa as the babysitter in tow. The week ahead is looking full with lots of work going on on www.yogachezmoi.com which will launch very soon so keep your eyes peeled! Thankfully the girls are happily installed in their school in Tignes so all is well there. On Tuesday my group class starts in Ste Foy village at 10h00 and then on Friday 11th November we will be celebrating the auspicious date of 11/11/11 and practise a mala for peace offering our gratitude and thanks to the universe. Practise if you can where you are and enjoy the full moon energy .... have an amazing week! Namaste

Well the momeht of October has been a full one both in terms of work but thankfully in terms of yoga, play and rest too.... finally we have enjoyed our first family holiday since the birth of Clementine (who is now 3!) in Morocco and work on the yoga web site has reached the point of almost ready to get everything together and online. A trip to the London Yoga Show and a night out at Mama Mia with my Mum and Melodie and a weekend in Paris for Ron and Marla Meenakshi's yoga workshop finished the 2 weeks of holiday and we have now packed our bags and headed for savoie. It has rained constantly since we have been here but we are least in and sorted and ready to face the Winter......more entries to follow as I get more organised! namaste

So being a Mum is very special and naturally our children are important as we guide and nurture them through life. I am not a Mum however who relishes in the mundane toddler bit nor do I support kindly the winging phase - nor do I feel that is my role as a Mum to sacrifice my all for my kids - by that I mean I try and be the best Mum I can possibly be but never do I sacrifice what I need to feel is still essential to me - my own essence. My yoga practise is such an integral part of my day and I would encourage each and every one to practise as much as you can as it is only through practise, meditation and loving from within that you will be better Mums and Dads. You can make an amazingly big difference to your own life and to that of your children just by spening some time on yourself - don't let that go and love what is within you. Deep felt gratitude to my family for allowing me to do just that! Namaste

The day after the White Yoga Event in Paris - leaving my little ones behind with Clementine's godmother and escaped to Paris for a yoga day to remember - an amazing morning with yoga by the Eiffel Tower and a beautiful message from Elena on the birthday of Gandhi - be the change you want to see and start from your family and home.....yogafrika with Cecile and Valentine afterwards at rasa again in Paris and an amazing scooter ride through the streets of Paris to get my late train back to Valence - one tired Mama today but with a huge banana smile! So this week promises to be just as full if not as exotic with friends over from New Zealand, stunning sunshine, yoga practises outside and lots of hugs for my bunnies! Oh and Papa is coming home soon - thank the Lord!!!!!

So last night melodie aged 8 asked me what I though God was and what he looked like! Big questions....I replied that I thought that God was everywhere and most especially in our hearts and he can look like anything you want him to as long as it feels right to you. I explained that I give thanks to everything each day but that most people find it helpful to have an image of someone to offer gratitude to.... " so does he live in the sky?" she said.... well he lives everywhere I replied....hmmmm so that means he can see everything can;t he even when I'm not being good. yes I said. So tonight Melodie comes home from school and is the nicest she has been for absolutely ages........Om Shantii to that!!!!

Finally I have my house back after nearly 3 months of guests paying and otherwise in all the gites and in my house - lovely and social and great to see people but sometimes you just need to have some our your own space. And the house just breaths a sigh of relief when that happens. So its just me and the girls for the next two weeks as christian heads up to Savoie to paint (buildings nothing too artistic) and I stay down here and work on the content and nitty gritty of the new web site, look after the house, the kids and get in some serious yoga time in the piece of my home - finally my own!

So last weekend was Melodie's 8th birthday party and we had quite a celebration with 7 of her friends over for some girly fun. Pool time fun followed by butterfly cakes, a treasure hunt and pasta for tea, icecream and a DVD before a sleepover. Lights out at midnight and finally some peacce until I was up making pancakes at 7.30am!!!! Just a delight to see the girls run and play around especially the freedom they enjoyed on the treasure hunt. We are truly blessed to live where we do with the fabulous light, beautiful energy and innocent children. Streetwise is not necessarily run of the mill here! Such a pleasure to be a witness to their play and talk and to be able to watch these little girls grow into young ladies......thank you little angels .....

Its the return to school and a feel parents around the country breath a sigh of relief - in France at least it is a huge time of year a little like New Year with resolutions and projects starting all over the place. My daughter Melodie turned 8 on Monday which was also the return to school and after being somewhat shy and not too confident in June before the holidays sailed through her first day and week at school - cos she is 8 now of course! Clementine age 3 is a little more tear ridden although today no tears and quite happily left her doodoo (teddy) by the coats ready for the sleep time this afternoon. And Mummy well with my gites now almost empty and the children at school yoga practise is just that bit quieter and just that bit more personal and deep. I give profound gratitude to my children for everything they teach me and everything I learn from them, for the love I have for them and that they return but oh boy is it lovely to be able to practise in peace! And as its still sunn...

It is so nicce to enjoy simple moments - we have had very mixed weather here but on the hot and sunny days we have just loved watching the girls roll down the hill of our garden giggling, see them jump in and out of the pool and very special to me them joining me in the courtyard outside for the end of my early morning yoga session. Simple pleasures that bring a huge smile to my lips! This week the family is here and we are enjoyiing wtching all the cousins play together before we all head down south for some camping and seaside fun!

So as usualy life is busy as the summer holidays are in full swing without sadlly the best of weather . The girls and Christian have had colds, I've had a throat infection, we have had rain, wind, storms, sun and pretty much everything this week. Clementine celebrated her 3rd birthday and I count myself lucky to have seen this as both Clementine and I nearly didn't make it past her birth so her smiles and the family games together made it very special. Even my buttefly cakes were a hit although twister straight after them was a little uncomfortable! This week help is at hand as Helena arrives from the uk to look after the children in return for some french improvement and food and pool time....I think we can manage that.... right off to bed - enjoy your weekend....

so I'm trying to do a little yoga wit the girls as we progress through the summer holidays but to be honest they pick iit up for themselves - see the most recent photo of Clementine doing yoga in our courtyard....love her!!!!!

so I'm trying to do a little yoga wit the girls as we progress through the summer holidays but to be honest they pick iit up for themselves - see the most recent photo of Clementine doing yoga in our courtyard....love her!!!!!

So here in France we have started 2 months of summer holidays and my resolution is to get my kids practising with me this summer....a great chance to share and giggle together. enjoy!!!

A have just found out that some friends of mine lost their beautiful daughter louise to a drugs related accident and Vicky her Mum was sent this beautiful poem that I wanted to share with you all.....hold on tight to those you love : by Taos Pueblo Hold on to what is goodeven if it is a handful of earth,Hold on to what you believeeven if it is a tree which stands by itself,Hold on to what you must doeven if it is a long way from here,Hold on to my handeven when I have gone away from you.

oooff well a big sigh of relief as things start to at least sort themselves out if not calm down! Filming, web site development, dvd revamps, a yoga retreat, getting the gites ready and life has generally taken up masses of our time hence living in the moment and with the girls as opposed to online! As many know I am not the one to spend hours online even if it might look like that and infact I am about to go outside and enjoy the few rays of sun that the uk has offered in the last few days very shortly! Life has certainly been very busy but the girls have been and continue to flourish with the shared parenting responsibilities - thank god my husband is very involved - the two homes and schools and the various yoga activties that seemlessly happen around them. If I have a tip to any of you it would be don't hide your yoga practise away from your kids as the more you practise around them the easier it becomes. My girls are so used to me practising early in the morning as they come d...

How can week's get any busier? A brilliant week weather wise with some amazing outings off piste at the Col Perce with my husband and then out for a snow shoe to the Monal, skiing with my friend Shelley just back from Nepal and the usual teaching, running around after the children, preparing a workshop given on Saturday flowwing with the Shakti and generally trying to keep up with my own practise - thanks to Marc Holzman for his great online classes for inspration and Lara Baumann for her Kapha style class to energise my troops after the full moon and for the last 5 weeks of season. The girls also big thanks for there ever present smiles and Christian for picking up the pieces when things fall apart.... as they always do. As Pema Chodron says - we canot solve all the problems as things inevitably fall aart then come together again then fall apart that's just what happens the trick is to find the space to let this happen and for joy, grief, laughter, pain and the miriad of emoti...

So I've decided as life is sooooo busy at the moment and I need to try and preserve some time for my own practise and some of course for my children (and husband) that I will only make an entry a week on this site.... so this week has been a real test of patience and calm as I have rollarcoasted from being very ill with flu at the weekend to my DVDs messing up to becoming a major taxi driver for the girls and up and down the moutain for work and general house stuff and then my car radiator decided to leak and so it is now sick too at the garage and so ..... yes deep breath, practise some detachment and enjoy the world around us! So the fog it now lifting from these many events and quite literally outside so for a couple of hours I am going out for a ski before I head down the moutain to collect my now mended car......have an amazing weekend - I'm going climbing, skiing, swimming and of course am practising yoga and teaching - so a quiet one then! namaste

so the last day of the month and my new regiimee of getting up at 6am and practising before the day has started is going well. I am far freer for the kids during the day and for work and classes of course too - stiffer in the morning but such a wonderful atmosphere....the girls came and joined in this morning - Melodie chanting om and Clementine sitting on me in the extended forward bend. Great start to a great day - sun shining, cold, fresh snow....lots of great phone calls and meetings.....things are finally slotting into place! Namaste

Early start for my new routine - meditation and yoga practise between 6 and 8 in the morning - it is such a wonderful time. The house is quiet, the snow had fallen last night and it always creates a special atmosphere with the street lights outside and the mountain scape around. Melodie cam and gave me a morning kiss as I was in warrior 2 pose and Clementine came and sat on me as I was about to go into halasana. After the practise comes some fresh air so once Melodie left for school and Clementine for childminder I went out for a run in the fresh snow and chilly air and saw the most amazing fox run up the bank of the mountainside. For one brief moment our eyes crossed and a connection was made - magic! Enjoy your day and make a connection wherever you are! Namaste

So this weekend was a real catch up weekend - cathc up with sleep, yoga practise and the girls - who were great. Melodie skied like a little godess down the slopes of Val and Tignes and was great company on the lifts and Clementine joined in with a yoga practise when she woke up sleepy head on saturday afternoon. Not so bright on Sunday with her cold coming back but Melodie has taken to giving me kisses all the time including during my practise which far nicer than shouts and whines so I'm cool with this! Yoga practise with melodie even on Sunday afternoon before heading out to teach my beginners and yin passionates! Namaste

So another full day with a lovely couple of hours spent with melodie on the balcony in the sunshine explaining about our projects to sponsor children and their education around the world....a child in Haiti, a little girl in Bylakuppe, India aand our wonderful Pennies for Peace campaign headed by Greg Mortenson to build schools in Afganistan and Pakistan. Things started to get a little on top of melater - just too many things happening at the moment - so I went to my room and did a great online practise with Elena Brower and created space and release thank god! Melodie did her own version of kids yoga in the lounge and then we all had a go at crow pose! Clementine then joined Pap for a couple of warriors whilst Melodie helped me with the rissoto - a family affair....

Great Ashtanga practise this morning with the magnificant mountains and the sunshine as a backdrop and Clementine aged 2 and a half crawling underneath all the standing poses! She then went off for a ski (yes a ski) with her Papa and I went off for a ski with a friend in the blazing sunshine. Melodie aged 7 enjoyed her first ski race today and had a great time in Ste Foy....now off to teach my beautiful students in Val d'Isere with some Sringara Rasa to celebrate Vasant Pachami and the first signs of Spring - well maybe not up here.....namaste

Early start to practise this morning but well worth it to see the sky turn blue over the snowy mountain peaks and to have Clementine do the Lion and row the boat with me - great way to start your day three lion breaths with your tongue out - life can only be good after that! Cross country skiing with the school this afternoon in the blazing sunshine of Tignes after my class this morning and teaching again tonight - full but fun packed day! Namaste and sleep well all....

So all the gastros seemed to have stopped and the kids are in good health - my filming has finished for the moment and so life goees briefly back to normal....well whatever normal is in my life! Actually managed to have lunch with my husband on Friday and spent the day in a very windy la Rosiere on Saturday aat a telemark meet which was great fun as always. Yesterday we finally got Clementine on skis aged 2 and a half... she loved it and was so balanced on her legs - must be all the yoga her mummy did when she in my tummy!

oooffff... weell life could not be busier at the moment with amazingly long days. The girls are seeing a little more of their papa this week than me but all is well - gastro bug at the beginning of the week for Melodie but quickly back on track and they are both now well and fine, papa has done a fine job looking after them as always. I've been busy filming sessions and taking footage for the new web site and it has been quite an experience - melodie thinks I look like lady gaga with my head mic for the live sessions. Just finished a long day of filming and photography with megan who is a total star and just back in time to kiss the girls and tuck them in to bed. Such a lovely end to the day - a kiss and hug and quiet whispers good night from my beautiful bunnies - and sometimes one from Christian too! Back to filming tomorrow whilst the girls are at school and childminder and then finished for a while. Off to bed now.....sweet dreams to all...

IIt has been manic over Christmas here with a huge work load and of course the school holidays to juggle - most of the world drops work and parties hard - we do the opposite - but it was all lovely and we did manage to get through with no major incidents, a lovely Christmas Eve and Day, a quiet but family oriented new year and well just a really nice if frantic time! I will be starting to add new messages as the year calms down a little....namaste, love and light to you all.