Why it's Good to be a Beginner

“In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert’s there are few” 
Shunryu Suzuki author of Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind

Sometimes it's hard to be a beginner.  When you set out to learn something new there is often uncertainty, doubt and self-criticism.  It feels uncomfortable when you are out of your depth and sometimes it is tempting to take the easy path and give up. 

It can be like this when you first go to a yoga class.  You might be unsure of the poses and feel that you're one step behind everyone else but, if you stick with it, at some point you'll realise that yoga is to be practiced without comparison to others. It's a relief to acknowledge that we are all different, we each have our own strengths and weaknesses and that your practice doesn't have to be "perfect" - it's just you on your mat, breathing, moving and feeling. 

For those who have been practicing yoga for some time, having a "beginner's mind" can be extremely beneficial.  You can learn a lot when you do each pose as if you've never done it before. Forgetting what you know and really paying attention to how it feels can give you a new perspective on something you may have done hundreds of times before. Even the simplest pose can teach you something and offer you a new insight about yourself. 

This is the essence of yoga - on the mat and in life, for the beginner or the experienced practitioner - to be able to stay aware, present, interested, curious and open to the many possibilities available to us in each moment. 

"Allow yourself to be a beginner. No one starts off being excellent."

This week I'm making..... Flapjack

This is a simple, tasty and quick recipe a friend gave to me some time ago.  It remains a firm favourite as there are lots of nutrients in the oats, seeds and fruit.  I have decreased the amount of sugar as I am trying to cut down (the original amount was 4oz sugar) , and you could experiment with decreasing the amount honey too or trying maple syrup instead.

Ingredients:
10oz rolled oats
2 oz Demerara sugar
4 oz butter
3 dessertspoons of runny honey
A pinch of salt
Extra goodies including small handfuls of sunflower seeds, pumpkins, cranberries, and soft dried apricots cut into quarters, or anything else you fancy.

Method:
Mix the oats, sugar and dried fruit and seeds together in a bowl.
Heat the butter and honey in a saucepan until melted, then add the dry ingredients and mix together.  If the mixture seems a bit dry, add a splash of orange or apple juice.
Spread the mixture and press it down into a small lined tin, and cook in the oven at gas mark 4 or 180° electric for 15 minutes.
When nearly cooled, cut into squares. 

This week I'm visiting..... The Cafe at the Victoria & Albert Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 2RL http://www.vam.ac.uk

If you are ever in London around the Kensington area and feel in need of a coffee or a bite to eat, the cafe at the V&A is a unique and atmospheric place to stop.  It is open from 10.00-17.15 each day (on Fridays until 21.30) and serves a wide range of hot and cold drinks, hot food, deli food and sandwiches - all freshly made on the premises.  It was busy when we were there on a Saturday lunchtime, but it wasn't long before we got a table.  Next time I'll go on a weekday and take a wander through the museum too.

The Morris Room

The ceiling in the Gamble Room

The cafe comprises 3 interconnecting rooms, the Morris, Poynter and Gamble rooms, each having its own distinctive decorative features. The Morris room was designed by William Morris and features paintings by the artist Edward Burne-Jones, the Gamble room is very ornate, with embellished columns and vaulted ceilings, and the Poynter room is designed with blue and white tiled panels.  The serving area, in contrast, is modern and contemporary.


This week I'm growing.... Snowdrops

Well, I'm not exactly growing them - more like planting them really.  You will have noticed my recurring failure to plant bulbs at the right time (see previous blogs on planting tulips late, and planting garlic late!)  This week is no different!  

Each year I have the intention to plant some snowdrops to brighten up the dull January days. They are the first bulbs to emerge and they offer the promise of the spring that is to come.  I wanted to plant them in the front garden so that I can see them every time I come to the front door. 

If you buy snowdrop bulbs in the autumn they can be difficult to establish, so it is recommended that you buy them "in the green" when they have just finished flowering but the leaves are still green. Growers lift and divide them just at this stage of growth and they are available in garden centres for a short time only.  They need to be planted immediately and then the leaves die back until the following winter.  However, although this is the cheapest way to buy them, it leaves such a tiny window of opportunity for planting that I keep missing it!  

Seizing the moment, I went to the garden centre and bought my snowdrops in flower, in pots. This is the most expensive way of buying them, but at least I get the benefit of looking at the flowers now, and they will clump up and multiply as the years go by.   Another benefit is that the process couldn't be simpler:  1. buy pot of snowdrops, 2. dig hole, 3. take clump out of pot and put in hole so the surface of the compost is level with the soil, 4.  press soil back gently around clump. 5. no need to water at the moment (!) but should you be planting when the weather is dry they might need watering in.  Hey presto - snowdrops in my garden! No further care needed.

Did you know that there are hundreds of different types of snowdrop, some of which can cost over £150 per bulb?! And that enthusiasts are called "galanthophiles"?   My snowdrops cost £3.99 for a pot of 5, and I bought 4 pots to establish my colony.  

This week I'm loving.... a vase of pink and orange tulips

So beautiful - they make me think of Spring!

7 Ways to Boost Your Mood in January

We all know that sunshine makes us feel good, but what can you do when it is in short supply on these dull January days?

Here are 7 simple ways that you can boost your mood and feel better today:

1. Breathe deeply:  a few deep, even breaths removes waste products from the body and brings fresh oxygen into the bloodstream and every cell of the body, leaving you feeling relaxed yet enlivened.

2. Use scent to wake up the senses: smelling the scent of citrus or peppermint stimulates nerves in the brain that are responsible for feeling awake and alert.  Light a citrus candle, make yourself some lemon tea or put a few drops of peppermint oil on a tissue and breathe in.

3. Buy yourself a bunch of daffodils: having fresh flowers in your home brightens the room and makes you feel good (take a look at this article about the mental health benefits of flowers).  When you've arranged them in a vase, take some time to sit and just look at them.  This studying of nature close up becomes a meditation - pressing the pause button to slow your busy life down, narrowing your focus and doing just this one thing.   Nature is awesome - allow yourself to appreciate it.

4.  Get out in the fresh air, rain or no rain, and take a brisk walk: exercise boosts your metabolism.  It will help you feel more energised, rev up your circulation and increase oxygen supply to each and every cell in your body, helping you to feel invigorated .  So put your waterproofs on and move your joints, ease muscle tension and get the heart pumping - you'll feel so much better.

5. Wear bright colours: studies have shown that colour has an effect on mood-changing hormones.  If you wear a lot of black and grey in winter they could be suppressing your mood (think funerals!) Swap sombre colours for orange or yellow which symbolize freshness and vitality.

6.  Try these simple yoga stretches while you are sitting on a chair to release tension in the shoulders, back, chest and arms:

Interlock the fingers in front of you, then turn the palms away and, as you inhale, lift the arms up so your palms face the ceiling. Repeat 3 times.
Separate the fingers and allow the arms to come slowly back to your sides. Repeat 3 times.
Take hold of the back of the chair, just above where it joins the seat.  Lift your chest and roll your shoulders back. Feel the stretch across the top of the chest and the release of the muscles of the upper back. 
Sit to one side of your chair then twist to face the back.  Hold each side of the back of the chair, breathe in and stretch your spine and the crown of your head upwards. Then, as you exhale, twist the torso a little more.  Breathe in and lengthen once more, then exhale and slowly rotate back.  Turn to the other side and repeat.

7. Finally, although it feels as though winter is going on forever, remind yourself that it will change.  The wheel of the year will turn and winter will become spring and the sunshine will come.

This week I am making....Chocolate Covered Strawberries
Strawberries are a super-food with very high levels of anti-oxidants, which help prevent and repair damage to the body. A portion of 8 strawberries contains 140% of your RDA of vitamin C - that's more than an orange.  They are are low in calories (a 100g serving has just 50!) and they are high in folic acid which helps to form healthy red blood cells.

Dark chocolate is also high in antioxidants, contains healthy fats (as opposed to standard chocolate which contains lots of unhealthy ones), contains soluble fibre and lots of minerals.  It has to be quality dark, organic chocolate, mind you, with a high cocoa content.  Don't assume that you can eat tons of the stuff though - it still has sugar in it - although the darker the chocolate, the less sugar it contains.

When you combine these two ingredients, you get a mouth-watering dessert that is better for you than most, and it's very simple to make too:

1.  Place a piece of greaseproof paper or parchment on a baking sheet.

2. Wash the strawberries and carefully dry them with kitchen paper.  Keep the hulls on.

3. Break the chocolate up into pieces and place in the bottom of a glass bowl.  Put an inch or so of hot water in the bottom of a saucepan and place the bowl over it, making sure the water doesn't touch the bowl (this is called a "bain-marie" or double boiler).  Place the pan and bowl over a low heat so that the water gently simmers and melts the chocolate in the bowl above it.  Don't boil the water hard - you don't want too much steam to form and water droplets to run down into the chocolate or, rather than being smooth and glossy, it will be lumpy.

4. When it is melted, dip the strawberries in the chocolate and turn them round until all sides are covered thickly.

5.  Place the covered strawberries on the baking sheet and put in the fridge.

6.  When the chocolate has hardened, gently peel them off the greaseproof paper and serve.

These don't keep well - the strawberries shrink away from the chocolate casing, so eat them quickly!!


This week I am visiting.....The Wildlife Photographer of the Year Exhibition at the Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD.  Tube station: South Kensington

This superb exhibition displays dramatic images of wildlife and the natural world taken by photographers from all over the globe. Now in its 50th year, the exhibition is open until 23rd March 2014.  Tickets cost £12 for adults and £6 for children.

You can book online at www.nhm.ac.uk/visit-us/wpy/index.html and reserve a convenient time slot .  Print out your e-ticket to take with you, show it to the steward at the main entrance and you will therefore avoid the queue for the museum.  Once inside stay to the right of the big dinosaur and follow the signs for the exhibition. You will need to show your e-ticket again at the exhibition desk.  If you are planning to visit on a Saturday, go early as it gets very busy.  

This week I am growing.....Garlic
Garlic is a very easy and rewarding crop to grow.  It won't need much looking after, just a bit of weeding and some water if the weather is really dry  It doesn't, however, like acidic soils.  A cold spell is needed to get the growing process started so it can be planted any time from November to January, and it will be ready to harvest in late summer. Buy your bulb from the garden centre rather than the supermarket to ensure it is suitable for the UK climate.

Dig over a patch of ground, removing any weeds, and rake over so the soil is fine and crumbly. Break up the bulb so you have individual cloves to plant.  My bulb broke into 19 separate cloves, so I will hopefully get 19 new bulbs of garlic all for just £2.99! Bargain!

With the pointy end up, and the flat end down, plant the cloves so that the tips are an inch below the surface of the soil, and 4-6 inches apart from each other.  All you  need to do now is to write a label so that you don't dig them up later by mistake.  

A Quick Guide to Different Types of Yoga

I'm often asked what type of yoga I teach.  There is an array of different styles which can be confusing to those new to yoga wanting to know which type will suit them best.  Here is a quick guide to the main styles of yoga you might come across to help clear up any uncertainty:

Hatha - the umbrella term for the physical practices of yoga which create balance and ease within the body and mind.  All the other styles have developed from Hatha yoga.  If the class you are attending is described as a Hatha yoga class, it is likely to be slow and gentle, and offer a comprehensive introduction to the basic postures.  

Ashtanga - a system of yoga brought to the West by Pattabhi Jois in the 1970's. This vigorous and demanding practice follows a set routine in every class, with each pose moving into the next.  You'll enjoy these classes if you want to work your body hard and if you think you'd enjoy doing the same sequence of postures each time you go.

Iyengar - this style of yoga was developed by BKS Iyengar and focuses on the correct alignment of the body in each pose.  Expect the class to be slower but to hold each posture for a longer length of time.  Iyengar yoga incorporates the use of props such as blocks and blankets to make each posture accessible to people of all abilities. 

Vinyasa - another style in which the poses are linked together into a flowing routine.  There is no set sequence in a Vinyasa class and each time you go it will be different.   Classes are rhythmic and dynamic and often use music to help create an uplifting atmosphere.

Sivananda - following the teachings of Swami Sivananda, this style follows a set routine of breathing practices, Sun Salutations,12 basic postures and frequent relaxations. 

Restorative - a completely relaxing and rejuvinating style of yoga.  With the use of blocks, blankets and bolsters, you are supported in the postures enabling you to enjoy the benefits of each pose without exerting any effort.  

Bikram - an extremely vigorous style of yoga designed by Bikram Choudury.  Practiced in a room heated to 40 degrees, each class follows a set routine of 26 postures. Expect a serious workout and to sweat more than you have ever sweated in your life!!!

Hot - the increasing popularity of Bikram yoga has given rise to other studios heating their rooms for yoga classes.  Expect an invigorating (and sweaty!) vinyasa-style class.
  
Power - a general term to describe a fitness-style class which focuses primarily on the physical poses.

And then there are people like me who teach a blend of yoga types.  My yoga training was strongly influenced by the Iyengar style and I love to practice Vinyasa, so my classes reflect these two approaches and offer the benefits of both.

Whichever type of yoga you choose to practice, you'll be getting to know yourself better.  You'll learn about your physical limits and how the boundaries change with time and practice.  You'll discover the capacity of your mind and how you can free yourself from conditioned and habitual ways of thinking.  And you'll learn how to relax into yourself and become happier in your own skin, living your life to its full potential.  


This week I am making: Wholewheat Banana & Honey Muffins
This recipe is by TV chef Lorraine Pascale and was published in an article about low calorie cakes in the Times Magazine recently.  They have 179 calories as opposed to 293 calories for a standard banana and honey muffin.  I asked my friends to test them the other day and they all gave them the thumbs up. If you are trying to reduce your sugar intake but you still fancy something slightly sweet while you're weaning yourself off it, then give this recipe a try.  Don't be tempted to add more honey because you want your muffins sweeter though - honey contains fructose and, to the body, sugar is sugar!!  We are slowly waking up to the fact that sugar is dangerous and only yesterday Vogue magazine published an article (click here to read) on the benefits of cutting it out of your diet.

Banana & Honey Muffins
(makes 12)
300g wholemeal flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1 egg
2 egg whites
200ml semi-skimmed milk
100g low-fat natural yoghurt
50ml sunflower oil
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 over-ripe bananas

1. Preheat the oven to 200c/gas mark 6. Line a muffin tin with 12 paper muffin cases.
2. Toss the flour, baking powder and bicarb of soda together in a large bowl.
3. Beat the egg and egg whites briefly in a large jug, then beat in the milk, yoghurt, oil, honey and vanilla extract until smooth and well-combined.
4. Mix the wet mixture into the dry ingredients with as few stirs as possible to give a wet, sloppy mixture.  
5. Roughly mash 3 bananas in a separate bowl then gently fold them into the mixture.
6. Divide the mixture between the 12 cake cases.
7. Peel and cut the remaining banana into 12 slices about 1/2cm thick and arrange one slice on top of each muffin.
8. Put in the oven on the middle shelf to bake for 20 minutes or until a skewer inserted into one of the muffins comes out clean.  
9.  Leave to cool.  


This week I am visiting: The Landscape Photographer of the Year Exhibition 
Successful entries in this annual competition are on display at the National Theatre at the Southbank in London (Waterloo tube and mainline station) until 9th February 2014.  

  I spent a relaxing hour wandering around this exhibition, which is free of charge, totally absorbed by the breathtaking photos of the wonderful landscapes that we have here in the UK.  There are various categories, including Classic Views, Urban Views and a Young Photographer's Award. The photos are well displayed and large enough so you can get a really good look at them and they are set up on the first floor balcony area. Whilst some photographs have been cleverly set up with great care and patience, others have clearly been snapped spontaneously at the perfect moment, an encouraging reminder you that you don't need to be an expert to take a stunning photograph.

This week I am growing:  sprouting seeds
The weather has been too bad to be outside growing and planting, so I've had to settle for some indoor gardening.  Sprouting seeds are a simple and easy way to increase your nutrients and eat more healthily.  There is an incredible amount of goodness in raw seeds but when you sprout them the nutrient value increases even further. By soaking them you start the growing process and all the dormant energy needed to produce a new plant is released.  Sprouted seeds are packed with extremely high levels of vitamins B, C, E and A, minerals, protein and fibre, so they really are a superfood!   I add them to salads and sandwiches but you can use them to make dips, soups and even bread.  Their benefits are boosted even further by the fact that they are so simple and quick to grow, take up hardly any room on the worktop, and there is no mess and no packaging!

You can buy them in Holland and Barrett or order them online (try Living Food of St Ives).

The instructions are simple:  you need a clean jam jar, a piece of muslin cloth to enable the water to drain away, and an elastic band to secure the cloth (or you can buy a special sprouting jar, like the one in the photo). You put approximately 2 tablespoons of seeds in the jar and rinse them in warm water.  Cover the neck of the jar with the cloth and add the elastic band to keep it in place.  Turn the jar upside down to drain off the excess water.  The sprouts need rinsing and draining twice a day.  They will be ready to eat in 3-5 days and will keep in the fridge for 3-4 days.  

6 Tips for Setting Your Goals for the Year

Well here we are. 2014. The beginning of a fresh new year, filled with possibilities for you to make the adjustments needed to live your life to the fullest. But you may know through bitter experience that these Resolutions are often short-lived and leave you feeling deflated. Here are 6 tips that may help you stay on track: 

1. Don’t make too many resolutions. You don’t want to feel that you've saddled yourself with yet another To Do List. Your resolutions should lead you towards feeling lighter and freer in your life, and not increase demands upon your resources.

2. Choose small, achievable goals. Sometimes our New Year’s Resolutions are so huge they are doomed to failure, so rein yourself in and adjust them to be more attainable. Instead of setting yourself the task of learning French for example, set the goal of learning enough of the language to enable you to communicate with the locals on your summer holiday. If your goal is to eat more healthily, aim to ditch the biscuits and eat fruit as your snack rather than going all out on a harsh regime. When you have reached a small goal you will feel fulfilled, successful and motivated enough to add another step if you want to.

3. If you mess up one of your resolutions, look at it as a temporary set-back rather than a failure.  Make any adjustments you need to make (maybe going to the gym twice a week is more realistic than going three times) and step back onto your path. Yoga practice encourages self-compassion – give yourself a break, not a hard time, you are only human after all! Don’t drop your intentions and tell yourself that you’re a hopeless failure – instead tell yourself it’s just a blip and you can easily get back on track.

4. Ask yourself how you want to feel this year. Choose some words that describe the vision of the life you want to live in 2014. You might want to feel energised, fresh, awake or organised. Or you might feel that calm, centred, relaxed, focused and grounded would suit you best. Once you have established the feeling that is central to your life plan (let’s say for example, your desired feeling is energised) you can use it to help you stay on track. When you notice you are reaching for the biscuit tin/can’t be bothered to go to the gym/think that one more glass of wine won’t hurt/fill in whatever blank applies!, ask yourself “will this help me feel  more energised?” The mindful pause that this question creates may give you the time and the motivation to change track and choose another option.

5. Take a look at the obstacles you might encounter and plan ahead. If you are meeting friends for a meal and you don’t want to consume lots of empty calories and processed foods, suggest a restaurant where you can choose freshly made dishes with lots of vegetables and salads.  

6. Make yourself accountable. Tell someone close to you about your intention. A loved one will have your best interests at heart and be able to encourage you and call you out if you are starting to lose momentum.  

This week I am making… tasty toasted seeds

Toasted seeds are delicious sprinkled on salads, pasta, roasted vegetables or as a healthy snack on their own. They are rich in selenium, magnesium, Vitamin E, Vitamin B, zinc, manganese, iron and many more minerals and are a good source of protein.

Here’s the recipe:

I used 100g of sunflower seeds, 100g of pumpkin seeds and 100g of pine nuts (all of which are available at your local supermarket), a splash of olive oil and a splash of Dark Soy Sauce. 

Heat the oil in a frying pan and add all the seeds. Stir gently as they brown really quickly. After 2 or 3 minutes the pumpkin seeds will start to make a popping noise and all the seeds should look nicely browned. Turn off the heat and immediately add a good splash of Soy Sauce. It will sizzle loudly. Keep stirring until all the seeds are coated, then serve.  

The toasted seeds will keep in a Tupperware pot – I don’t know exactly for how long as they get eaten too quickly in my house!! 

This week I am visiting…Silent Pool, on the A25 near Guildford, Surrey

Silent Pool is a small lake at the foot of the North Downs. It is close to the beauty spot Newlands Corner which is famous for its stunning views of the Surrey countryside. The water from Silent Pool runs into another small lake, Sherbourne Pond, and the outflow from this runs into a brook which feeds into the River Tillingbourne. 

There is a sense of mystery and eeriness around Silent Pool. The pool is fed by underground springs and the water is incredibly clear, deep and still. The pool is hemmed in by trees, which makes it feel dark and shaded, and the air is always cool. Silent Pool is linked to a folk tale too, in which King John tried to abduct a local woodcutter’s daughter who was bathing in the pool.  As he rode his horse into the water she tried to get away from him but, unable to swim, was trapped in the deep water and drowned. According to legend, the maiden sometimes makes a ghostly appearance at midnight, floating in the pool.

You can walk up the hill behind the lakes and turn left onto the North Downs Way which will, after 20 minutes or so, bring you to the A25 and Newlands Corner where you can get a cup of tea and take some panoramic photos. The site is managed by Surrey Wildlife Trust –  visit http://www.surreywildlifetrust.org/reserves/show/8 to see their info and download a visitor’s guide and a map of the area.  

This week I am growing… Tulips

No, it’s not too late to plant those bulbs that are lying forgotten at the back of the shed! It does need to be done as soon as possible though…

Step 1:  Put a layer of broken pots, stones or polystyrene at the bottom of an empty pot.  This will help the water drain away so the bulbs don't sit in the wet and rot. Fill the pot a third full of general purpose compost from the garden centre.  I added a handful of grit to help with drainage.

Step 2: Bulbs like to be deep in the soil - about 3 times their height.  Plant with the flat end facing down and the pointy end facing up. My bulbs are already starting to sprout, poor things.

Step 3: You can plant them quite close together for a dense potful of colour in May. Then cover them in soil - almost to the top of the pot and pat the compost down gently.

Step 4: Remember to label them - if you are anything like me you will have forgotten what you have planted by February!  Then stand the pot somewhere cool and shady but where it will get rained on (oh the irony, with our weather at the moment!)  In spring you can move the pot into a sunny spot.  


Final note:  Squirrels love tulip bulbs and will dig them up so it is a good idea to cover your pots with chicken wire or netting to protect them. 

This week I am loving… that the shortest day has passed.  Hooray!!!