Have Some Yoga Fun

It's the start of a lovely long Bank Holiday weekend and it's time to kick back and relax. And throw in some fun for good measure. 

Yoga can often be quite serious. After all, we're on the mat to turn inwards, slow down, and focus our attention. But it doesn't always have to be this way. Sometimes though it  feels good to put on some loud, funky music and do some yoga poses and crazy dancing all mixed up together to get you moving and laughing. This is going to be my practice today! 

This week I'm sharing a light-hearted look at yoga. Enjoy and I hope the corners of your mouth turn up...

Ah Crap – Eagle Pose Again

by Amber Scriven

“From Chair pose bind your arms and intertwine your legs…” Your arms are twisted around your chest, constricting your breath. Your legs are not twisting quite as much as you want them to. Your foot is cramping up around your calf muscle and to top it off, the teacher tells you “stay clam, suck your belly in, breathe easy, sit deeply and lift your heart higher.”
Meanwhile I’m thinking: What the hell does all that mean anyway? My limbs are in a knot for crying out loud!!” Talk about world’s most frustrating posture!
Yet you have heard that somewhere amongst the entangled war of breath, frustration and body parts, Eagle pose can become serene and strong. It can become the epitome of yoga’s literal translation “to yoke” – which means to pull in all directions at once, and that doesn’t just mean physically, although for obvious reasons this posture might feel like a calamity of contradictions which demonstrate “yoking” quite well. It is also a reference to the internal juggling of emotions that make this posture both unbearable and beautiful.

“Sit even lower, lift your finger tips higher…”

Let’s face it, if you can breathe to get through Eagle pose steadily then you could probably breathe through most of the tricky entangled situations that happen in life’s random split seconds! Car accidents, someone hanging up on you angrily, confrontations that you weren’t expecting – you know, modern day human interactions.
Yoga is about letting go of frustration as much as it is about tying yourself in knots- in fact probably more so!
So we are 4 breaths in to Eagle pose and maybe you have mastered staying up on one foot with your arms and legs tied in knots. So far so good….(As long as the teacher stays over by little miss “expert-yogi-short-shorts” over there! Maybe wearing shorts will help me get deeper!? No wait, i’m not distracted… I am super intensely focused on that speck of dust…go back to the breath…)

“Take another big inhale…”

You are busy smoothing out your facial expression and ignoring the cramp arising from your standing foot into your twisted calf muscle and up to your weight bearing thigh. (Will this pose ever end?) Your shoulders feel as though they may explode and the anger monkeys are knocking on the door. Pretty soon you might just give up and let your limbs splay apart with shocking force. But you don’t.
Finally you begin to steady your breath. Determination sinks in and you relax your shoulders so that your heart feels lighter, and maybe the teacher knows what she is talking about after all because when you do this, your spirits rise! You feel better, happier, less angry!
A big piece of yoga is about putting your body into stressful and weird situations (no offense Eagle pose – but what the hell?!). We take that sensation of constriction and frustration, and we physically work through it so that when you’re in a real life tricky situation, you can use that same technique to step back, breathe and think clearly.

“Release slowly (without face planting)…”

I’m not saying next time someone rear ends you in traffic that you should get out of the car and take Eagle pose in front of them (pause to picture this…), but when you start to feel that familiar exploding chest sensation, you can begin to calmly collect your thoughts, bring yourself out of the panic, shock and upsetting experience, and come back to the cool cucumber you are in real life as fast as possible.
Next time someone hangs up on you mid-sentence, try to remember struggling for balance with your legs wrapped tightly about each other. Recall staying balanced and smoothing through the hard parts. Try to remain balanced in your body while the other person is bouncing and flailing. Take a breath and suddenly that incident won’t fill your day. You can bounce back and find something else to focus your energy on. Something good.

”Inhale, reach up to extended mountain. Exhale to swan dive to forward fold…”

And now thanks to working through Eagle pose on your mat, when the person driving past you flips you off for no good reason, you can take a big breath into your belly, sit deep in your seat and lift your heart. This is the real Eagle pose.

This Week I'm Making... Falafel, Feta and Salad Wrap

Fed up with Cheese and Pickle Sandwiches? This takes just a couple of minutes to throw together and makes a healthy, nutritious lunch.

You will need:

1 wrap
A handful of rocket or lettuce
Sliced tomatoes
One or two falafels cut into 3 slices
A small piece of feta cheese to crumble
A drizzle of salad dressing
A sprinkling of pine nuts

The wrap before rolling

Place all the ingredients along the centre of the wrap. Carefully roll up the wrap as tightly as you can, tucking in one end so everything doesn't fall out of the other end as you start to eat! 

This Week I'm Visiting...Pinterest to find some amusing and inspiring pictures to share

I love Pinterest. I love looking for inspiration for my home and garden, and it's where I find lots of the picture quotes I put on this blog. On the Thrive Yoga Pinterest page there are 3 boards - Wise Words, Inspiring Yoga Poses and In the Garden - take a look here at http://www.pinterest.com/thriveyogauk/ if you haven't seen it before.  

Here are some to make you smile and some to encourage you to roll out your mat this Bank Holiday weekend.

When the kids just won't leave you alone...

Aaah! - yoga on the beach

 Eagle Pose again - no wonder it's such a challenge

I think we've all been here...

This Week I'm Growing... A Little Impatient!

I'm looking forward to planting out all my seedlings into the garden, but I've got one more week to wait before all danger of a late frost (which would damage them) has passed. It is a lesson in patience and in keeping a watchful eye in case they dry out, get blown over or become lunch for a snail. So I'm practicing my deep breathing and I will wait...just one more week...

Ready and waiting

This Week I'm Loving... Oriental Poppies in My Garden

So delicate they're like tissue paper. So beautiful they almost don't look real. If you can find some to look at, and I mean really look - inside and out - they're fascinating. And they are a reminder to appreciate what's here around us in the present moment. 

Creating Some Space

This Week I'm Making... Space in My Wardrobe

I have a good friend who's an expert at de-cluttering her wardrobe. Every year she has a thorough spring clean and sends her unwanted clothes to the charity shop or sells them on eBay. Her goal is to end up with 5 staple outfits of quality clothes that she will love and wear all summer long. Motivated by her energy and feeling a little "hemmed in" by all my stuff, I've decided to have a clear out too. 

I'm going to be really disciplined! I'm putting my winter woollies, coats, tights, boots etc. away in a box in the loft. I'll recycle anything I don't wear on a regular basis, that doesn't fit, or that I don't really love. I'll have a box for things I don't wear much but have an attachment to and don't want to throw away. This box will be put away for 6 months and then I'll reconsider whether I really do need or want these items. I will keep items I wear regularly only if they fit well and I feel good wearing them. 

The following article talks about creating space and de-cluttering in point #5, and I'm hoping that my purge will help me feel less overwhelmed and more organised!

8 Ways We Block Our Creativity and Keep Ourselves Stuck

By Harish Kumar via tinybuddha.com

“Accept your past without regret, handle your present with confidence, and face your future without fear.”  ~ Unknown
I have always considered myself a creative person, and formerly, I didn’t put much attention or energy into where  inspiration came from.
There was a time when I had just started writing copy, designing, printing, and hand-painting T-shirts. Having worked on a few creative ventures before then, I felt that this time things were different.
I urgently and passionately worked into the early mornings, designing and putting ideas and concepts on paper, afraid that I would lose the inspiration. Dramatic as it may sound, this was my first brush with raw creative inspiration and the waves of delight and despair it makes you ride.
Fast-forward many years later, I had gotten myself gradually into a non-creative nine-to-five job. I began wondering why I didn’t feel as inspired to create.
These last few years have been an attempt to reconnect with creative inspiration. I have always been interested in writing and the power and magic of words. I strongly feel like there is a writer within me who is waiting to unleash his creativity.
As I turn the clock back, I reflect over how I blocked my own creativity—what thoughts, beliefs, and excuses got in the way. If you’re also feeling stuck, some of these may be holding you back:

1. I am not an expert and I don’t feel ready.

This is the most fundamental level at which we block ourselves from using our creative powers. We tell ourselves that we’re not ready, and we believe we need to learn more before we can begin.
We may never feel completely ready, but we’ll feel a lot better and a lot more confident after we allow ourselves to take action.

2. I don’t believe in myself.

Have you ever met someone who was talented but chose to remain a wallflower in their own life because they didn’t believe they were?
I remember the time I stood in front of fifty students to teach biology. Before the class, I’d looked at myself in the mirror, nervous and unsure if I would be received well. I looked squarely into my eyes and reconnected with a sense of deep belief that I was good enough for the task.
As a result, I felt authentic and allowed myself to be a vehicle of expression to others.
Since that day, I’ve incorporated many creative techniques in my teaching methods. Instead of just lecturing, I tell stories, use models, and engage my students in hands-on activities.

3. It’s not the right time.

Time is a wonderful excuse to put off that dream project because we always think we’ll be better prepared or have more time later. But every time I’ve asked myself if I could carve out some time for my creative dreams, the answer has been a resounding “yes,” because I know it’s a worthy, fulfilling, and rewarding experience, and that I need to make time.

4. It’s not perfect: analysis paralysis.

Perfectionism can kill creativity. You wear yourself thin by assuming something isn’t good enough, and you get stuck in analysis.
I have endlessly analyzed the merits and demerits of a creative venture, never quite going past that stage—never taking any real action to make it happen.
We create standards for perfectionism based on our beliefs, and think that we don’t measure up. This becomes a self-limiting experience. When we realize we’re the ones setting the high standards, we have the choice to accept imperfection and become free to express our creativity.

5. I feel overwhelmed.

Having too much on your plate can push you into overwhelm mode, and everything feels like a crisis. How can you create if you don’t know where to begin?
Whenever I feel like this, I take the time to unwind, breathe, and slow down. I clean my space, de-clutter my surroundings, and put things back to where they belong. I allow myself to take a break, relax, and do what I enjoy.
I’ve realized that we were not designed to be on “go” mode all the time; doing too much makes us feel like hamsters spinning on a wheel. I’ve made the choice to step off. The solution is to take small steps!

6. I’m afraid of failure.

As a society, we are mortally afraid of failing and looking bad. Success and the quest for the better life are deeply programmed in us. We don’t always learn to fail, brush off, and move on, and we don’t accept that failure is not only probable, but also inevitable.
I learned the lesson of failure when I began working in a laboratory setting. In science research, much of what you do on a daily basis fails. These failures become stepping stones for what finally works.

7. I feel uncertain and don’t know what to do next.

How many times have you felt uncertain and unwilling to do something new, and therefore became stuck?
When we realize that uncertainty is just a step in the creative process, we can begin to feel at ease with it and focus on moving forward.

8. I’m dwelling on the past and blocking my creative energy in the present.

When I was angry, I told myself stories about how everyone else was to blame for my problems—how I had it difficult and why no one understood or cared.
Now I realize that by being caught up in my stories, I stunted my creative growth. Instead of using the energy of anger and my stories as an impetus to create more, I just let it waste away.
When ancient stories and programs bubble up, I do some acceptance and forgiveness work. I allow the emotions to come up and then I thank them and ask what can I learn from them. I then choose to forgive and let go. This frees up my energy to create more in my present.
What blocks your creativity, and are you ready to get unblocked?

This Week I'm Visiting... www.mnmlist.com 

"Finding contentment is learning to appreciate what you already have, learning the concept of having enough, learning to enjoy the simple things"

Feeling motivated by my decision to clear some clutter, I did some research on the subject of how to live with less. I visited www.mnmlist.com, written by someone I am already familiar with - Leo Babauta from zenhabits.net. I get a weekly email from zenhabits and have shared Leo's thoughts and mindset before via the Inspiration Email I wrote before I started this blog.

The site is no longer being added to - there's a lovely note on the landing page to thank you for visiting - but if you go to the bottom of the page and click on "all posts" you can view the archive. Leo writes not only about about living life with less stuff to clutter it up, but also about minimalist eating, how to be less busy with less distractions and more free time. Reading some of the posts has been food for thought and has encouraged me to consider how I can live my life more simply.  His writing style is quite personal, sharing what he's learned through his own experiences. The posts are short and punchy so they're easy to read and flick through and each one has an interesting and motivational message.

I've shared the link to one of the posts about becoming more minimalist here.

This Week I'm Growing... Sweet Peas Part 2

Way back in February I blogged about how to sow Sweet Pea seeds. These hardy annuals have been quietly growing away and are now ready to plant out in the garden. I've made wigwams for them to climb up by tying hazel canes together and I wound string around the wigwams to give the sweet pea tendrils something to cling on to. I dug one hole in the middle and popped the whole potful of seedlings in. They will need to be encouraged to grow upwards by tying them to their supports initially, but after a week or two they will just shoot skywards on their own. If you're planting out your own Sweet Peas remember to water them regularly and, when they do start to flower, keep picking them - the more you pick, the more flowers will come. Their colours and scent will be lovely in a little glass jar on your bedside table.

Ready for planting out in the garden

In their new home in the centre of the wigwam

Wigwams made from hazel poles and string

And Finally...
Warrior 2 (Virabhadrasana II) is a great posture for creating space if the hips and inner thighs are tight. This week's picture from Leslie Kaminoff's book Yoga Anatomy shows the muscles involved.

Practice, Primrose Hill and Pea Soup

There's a theme in my yoga classes this half-term - Strength. We're doing lots of poses that strengthen the body, with a focus on building a strong core to help support the spine. We are balancing these strengthening poses by doing lots of stretching afterwards so that the body becomes more elastic, enabling freedom and ease of movement in everyday life.

Life has a habit of presenting us with obstacles and we often require inner strength to negotiate them. Like our yoga practice, it helps to have some flexibility when coming up against challenges and often another way of approaching them can be helpful. This article offers some food for thought...

Feeling Stuck? 4 Ways To Turn Obstacles Into Success

By Mike Iamele via MINDBODYGREEN

From time to time, we all have setbacks, blocks and obstacles on our path to achieving success and living the life of our dreams. We’re told that we just have to be determined, push harder, and strive to overcome these landmines.

But does it ever feel like you’re forcing a square peg into a round hole? Like no matter how hard you try, you’re completely blocked?

I’ve tried to break down plenty of walls in my day — but it’s the times that I stopped forcing and started allowing that things really started to move for me. Blocks are there for a reason. And, if you pay close enough attention, you might just be able to follow them to the gold at the end of the rainbow.

Here are four ways that blocks can help you achieve overwhelming success in life:

1. Blocks point out where things aren’t flowing for you.
When you can’t write anymore, your inspiration is gone for the day. When you can’t run any longer, your muscles are exhausted. When you can’t think anymore, your productivity for that meeting plummets. Blocks pop up in areas of our life where energy just isn’t flowing. It warns us that something just isn’t working here and it’s time to pack up, take a break, or go a different route. It teaches us how to most effectively use our time and energy.
2. What feels unnatural to you probably feels unnatural to everyone around you.
Most blocks come about because we’re forcing something that was never a good fit to begin with. We’re trying to do things the way we’re told they’re supposed to be done. We’re trying to hide certain parts of our personality because “it’s just not professional enough.” We stop ourselves just short of vulnerability. But, if it feels awkward or unnatural to you, it probably feels that way to everyone around you. So maybe traditional marketing isn’t your thing, but hosting fun parties is. Or maybe you really do need an open relationship for it to work. Whatever the case, blocks point out when things feel unnatural and encourage us to be more authentic.
3. Sometimes the best way to get through a wall is just to walk around it.
We can be so obsessed with an obstacle that we forget why we were trying to overcome it in the first place. Maybe you want a book deal because it will help you get more clients. If the book deal isn’t working, that doesn’t mean you’re doomed to never get more clients. Forget the obstacle and find a new path to your ultimate goal. Many times, obstacles point out that one tiny part of the plan isn’t working, not the whole thing. 
4. Lack of resources teaches you how to be resourceful.
When you’re unable to move forward, you have no choice but to get creative. If your business isn’t taking off, it might be time to put together a new program. If your relationship is in the dumps, it might be time to spice things up. The advantage of being pushed to the edge of the cliff is that we learn how to fly. Blocks teach us things about ourselves that we never thought possible and push us to blow our expectations out of the water.
So the next time you come up to a block in your life, consider that maybe it’s there for a reason. Maybe it’s there to teach you what comes naturally to you or where things flow for you. Maybe it’s there to help you figure out just how much potential you really have inside. Maybe it’s there to help you stop taking on other people’s blueprints for success and start building your own.
And, once you realize what you can really accomplish, good luck to anything that tries to get in your way. 

Yoga Anatomy

Leslie Kaminoff is a US yoga teacher and author who specialises in Anatomy. His book Yoga Anatomy, co-written with Amy Matthews, is beautifully illustrated with line drawings which clearly show the major muscle groups involved in each pose. Each week I'm going to share one of these drawings here on the blog. I've found this resource really helpful to build body awareness and get a mental picture of what's going on as I move through my practice. This first picture is a familar pose which requires strength and focus - Warrior 1 (or Virabhadrasana 1).

This Week I am Visiting... Primrose Hill, London

I've never been to Primrose Hill before, despite living in and around London for most of my life. I've been through the area when I've visited the Triyoga yoga studio but never stopped to have a wander around.  It's an exclusive part of town, with some beautiful houses and interesting independent shops and restaurants. Primrose Hill is to the north of London between St John's Wood and Camden and if you feel like exploring this little urban "village" the nearest station is Chalk Farm on the Northern Line. The Hill itself is a public park which runs down to meet Regents Park, and it offers wonderful views across central London. 

This Week I am Making... Pea Soup

This recipe appealed to me because of its zingy, fresh colour - it just shouts out spring energy and vibrancy! Taken from the June issue of Elle Decoration magazine, this recipe is super simple to make and really tasty.

You will need:

4 shallots
4 cloves of garlic
2 litres of stock (I use Marigold Vegetable Bouillon because it has such a good flavour and no hidden chemicals)
1kg frozen peas

In a large saucepan, gently fry four chopped shallots and four cloves of garlic in a dash of olive oil until softened but not browned.  Pour in 2 litres of seasoned stock, bring to a bubble and add 1kg frozen peas. Simmer for 3-4 minutes. Blitz in a blender until smooth, then taste, adding more seasoning if necessary. Serve chilled or hot, adding some basil or mint leaves, or some ricotta or goat's cheese to decorate.

This Week I'm Growing...Tulips part 2 (or what to do with them now they've finished flowering)

Well my tulips were wonderful in spite of them being planted very late. They have provided pots of glorious colour for over a month now and have been dotted around the garden, nestled in between the abundant Forget-Me-Nots looking lovely.  But all good things come to an end and they're losing their petals now and starting to look messy.

The unkempt browning leaves are the main reason I don't plant tulips straight into the border.  It's tempting to tidy up and cut the leaves off but resist the urge - the bulbs need the nutrients from the leaves as food for next year's flowers so it's really important you wait until the leaves are completely brown and pull away from the bulb easily.

With clever positioning of your bulbs within the border, the brown leaves can be disguised by the fresh new growth of emerging perennials, and this is definitely an easier way to grow them. However, I prefer to plant my tulips in pots, keeping them tucked away in an unseen corner behind the house until their buds are just about to open. Then I bring them out and position them where there is a gap that needs a bit of colour. When they have finished flowering I give them a little layer of general purpose compost for some extra nutrients and put them back in their hiding place until next year.

Most of them will survive to give a good performance for a number of years, but some varieties do better than others. There was an article in the gardening section of the Telegraph on Saturday on the subject of this which I have linked to here in case you are interested.  I have always understood that my favourite orange tulip, Ballerina, won't last for another year and I have thrown them away and bought new in the autumn but this article says that they will.  So I will be experimenting this year and keeping them. Fingers crossed.