Diary of a Yogic Mummy

… ...If it means can I take that perfect instagram photo on a beach in California or do the splits or wrap my legs around my head and balance on my finger nails then no I am not a yoga teacher! Social Media v Reality Now-a-days if you do not have an instagram account with at least 500 followers or way more, facebook, snap chat etc….    you are apparently a nobody in the world of yoga and well being. It seems that the number of followers you have, the likes per day, the presence you have on social media gives you your status and credentials as a teacher of this ancient art and discipline way more than years of experience and study. As we trawl through the beautiful images on the perfect hand stand, splits or back bend in an idyllic spot miles away our eyes are pleased with the image, we may even think or aspire to the « one day I hope to be able to do that and why not in that kind of location ». But does this desire, these images, constitute & cre...

Has Yoga Changed Your Life ? A journalist asked me recently so « how has yoga changed your life ? » OMG I mean where do you start ? From spotty overweight teenager to busy career girls in London riddles with anorexic & binge drinking tendancies to yoga teacher mum of two organiser of festivals & yoga classes on and offline living in France.  Yep on the face of it everything has changed ! And yet…. Ok so lets start with the Ayurvedic principles of Doshas & Prakritis – well why not ! Fundamentally we are hot-wired to be the person and character that we are. We have a blue print we cannot change – we are born with it. A unique pattern of Vata (air), Pitta (fire) and Kapha (earth). It is like an ayurvedic DNA which is called our Prakriti. This not only forms many of our physical characteristics but also many many of our personality traits. Any parent with two or more children will tell you that despite the fact they the...

Smile You Are in a Yoga Class When I first came to France and went to church I was sooooo disappointed. It was so grey and serious. I was used to the Evagalistic churches of my youth, the gospel churches of Birmingham full of singing, raised hands and joyful expressions ! Maybe a little extreme on the fun side of religion but never the less my experience. My Dad used to refer to them as the « Happy Clappers » and mocked me endlessly for my Church outings but to me this was what religion and spirituality was about ! Sadly I have never found that joy in the catholic churches I have frequented – maybe I need to try again – but I am struck by a new phenomena Yoga Classes can be the same kind of place ! I have been teaching yoga for a number of years now and have been practising for even more and very often – like almost every time – I see a raft of serious faces around me. It reminds me of the Catholic Church. It is as if once you go through that yoga ...

New Years Resolutions… NO strike that Intentions… For many years like many many people I made my New Year's Resolutions. Eat less, sleep more, work harder whatever. But if my 45 years have taught me anything - 45 years, two children and a divorce - its that you cannot plan everything. Resolutions tend to lead to feeling of guilt when things don't happen as you have planned.  So this year after a very busy festive period but a quieter start to the New Year I have decided to lay intentions in place as opposed to resolutions. Intentions that I wish and hope to flood my life with, my daily actions, small maybe but continual intentions. So as 2016 opens its big doors I gaze wide eyed and child like and the surprising unfolding of all its beauty and challenge. Joy - Peace - Love

Woodstock & the time of peace & love….. I grew up with parents who had thrived in the sixties. My Mother desperately wanted to join the ranks of those at Woodstock not in a incense burning flower power way but in a folk singing, fighting for what you believe in, lets make society fare kind of vibe. She played Carol Carpenter, Joan Baez, Muddy Waters, Bob Dylan. The first album I knew pretty much all the words to was Hair! Yes ladies and gentlemen at 3 years old I could recite most of the words from Masturbation! My parents firmly believed in equality, working hard for your money, being generous when and where you can, sharing, giving out love and compassion, being part of a community. Amazing values to have as your rock and foundation. They still have these values. I still share them. Is this why I have taken the yoga path? No I don't think so. My parents are also firm believers in what you see if what you get. They are not religious, they are not believers, they...

Body Confident - not an easy task!  I used to associate being happy with having the perfect slim body but like many I did not fit into that mould. I was a large baby, child & teenager with a large mouth to boot! Being happy and confident with my body has not been an easy path. In fact it has been a veritable journey that really only started to find its “confident” conclusion very recently. As I have mentioned before in my blog text from ballet dancer (in my dreams) to Yogini my path to find my femininity has not been an easy one. It has been long, littered with pit falls, unhappy times and no confidence at all in my body. As a rather large child and then teenager I battled with a body I hated. It was fat, did not look at all like I wanted or like my friends, my hair was frizzy, I had spots from the age of 10, sticky out teeth and later a brace, I felt clumsy & all together not me! As I reached my late teens and early twenties I went through phases of starving ...