5 Last Minute Christmas Gifts for a Yogi

Are friends and family still asking you what you'd like for Christmas? If you like the idea of receiving something that will benefit your mind, body and spirit, why not suggest they buy you one of these gifts that any yogi would love to open on Christmas Day?

A New Yoga Mat
I think yoga mats get better with age, but there will come a time sooner or later when you will need to replace yours. If you'd like a good grippy, eco friendly mat take a look at this one on sale at £22 from Ruth White Yoga Products:
http://www.ruthwhiteyoga.com/cgi-bin/rw_product_detail.pl?all|xpmat200|||||

Yoga Clothes
At last there are some interesting yoga clothes arriving on the High Street. After years of black sportswear being the only option, companies such as Reebok and Adidas are starting to produce garments especially for yoga. They are made from modern fabrics that are quick drying, comfortable and colourful. Hooray! Take a look at some of the following links to brighten up your yoga wardrobe in 2015.

http://www.reebok.co.uk/yoga-clothing

http://www.adidas.co.uk/yoga

http://www.johnlewis.com/search/yoga-wear/8000011414-women's+yoga+%26+pilates+wear=department

http://www.houseoffraser.co.uk/Yoga+Tops+and+T-Shirts/2361,default,sc.html

A Guide to Yoga
How about a book? It's useful to have a good guidebook to help you with your home practice, but there are so many available it's difficult to know which to choose.  "Yoga for You: A Step By Step Guide For Yoga at Home For Everybody" by Tara Fraser covers the basic postures, pranayama, meditation, diet and a little of the history and philosophy of yoga in a clear and easy-to-read way.  It also offers some sequences for you to follow. It's available on Amazon for £9.74 -  http://www.amazon.co.uk/Yoga-Healthy-Living-Step---step/dp/1844835987/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1418733233&sr=1-1&keywords=yoga+books#customerReviews

Yoga Extras 
For any little extras to enhance your yoga practice, such as incense sticks, eye pillows, blocks and belts, look no further than Yogamatters. This online company, dedicated to all things yogic, also sells clothing, mats, books and DVDs so you're sure to find something you'd love to receive to enhance your practice here.

Every Body Deserves a Massage
Massage is not only beneficial for your body as it melts away knots of tension, enhances the immune system by stimulating lymph and improves the condition of the skin, but it also sends a clear message to your subconscious that you are taking some time out to care for yourself. We could all do with a little more affirmation that we are worth it and that our wellbeing needs to be top of the priority list.

If you'd like a gift for your body, mind and spirit ask your nearest and dearest to give you a voucher for a massage. Click here for an article from WikiHow about how to choose a massage therapist, but if you live near me in the Leatherhead area of Surrey, I can recommend local therapist Penny Bedford. If you'd like more details, prices or to arrange a voucher before Christmas please contact Penny at penny.bedford@btinternet.com. 

This Week I'm Making... Glittery Tea-light Holders

Go dig out those jam jars that were going out to the recycling bin and give them another purpose. It's really simple and satisfying to make these sparkly tea-light holders to light up your Christmas.

You will need: a jam jar, some glue and/or some double-sided sticky tape, some glitter and a tea-light.

The outside of the small jar on the left was painted all over with a thin film of glue then sprinkled with glitter. When it was dry, I gently dusted off any excess glitter that wasn't stuck down. I wrapped the larger jar with 2 strips of double-sided sticky tape and also cut a little heart shape too. I sprinkled the glitter over the double-sided tape and brushed off the excess and voila!

Oooh! Pretty!

Warning: the jars get very hot, so do stand them on something heat-proof so they don't leave a mark, and, as always, take care when using candles.

This Week I'm Visiting... Organico, Epsom

1 King's Shade Walk, by the Clock Tower, Epsom

This photo's a bit blurry but it gives you
some idea of what the inside looks like

Juices and Smoothies menu

Organico is a health food shop situated by the Clock Tower in Epsom. Although it has been open for 7 months, it is new to me and I had a great time looking at what it has to offer. The shelves were stocked with a wide range of dry goods including the most varied range of nut butters I've ever seen (pumpkin seed butter, sunflower seed butter, cashew butter, hazelnut butter and more!). It also sells some fresh organic fruit and vegetables, breads and fresh juices and smoothies too. I filled my basket with coconut yoghurt, maple syrup, almond oil (to use as a body moisturiser), bread, chickpea flour and enjoyed a take-away apple, carrot and ginger juice. If you're in Epsom do pay them a visit and help get your 2015 off to a healthy start.

This Week I'm Growing...Amaryllis 

I buy my mum an Amaryllis (proper name Hippeastrum) for Christmas every year and thought I'd grow one myself too this time. These bulbs are seriously large, i.e. the size of your hand, and are therefore not cheap - I paid £8 each - but they make a fabulous spring display that will last for ages so they're worth it. 

Amaryllis like to be in quite a small pot, with good drainage, and planted with two-thirds of the bulb below the surface of the compost and a third sticking up above it. They like to be kept moist and are happy on a warm, bright windowsill. The stems grow rapidly and so tall that they might need staking with a cane to keep the heavy flower-heads upright.

The bulbs are available in the garden centres now. Plant them as soon as possible and you'll have amazing flowers in time for Easter.

Finally...

In my yoga classes last week we practiced a Gratitude Meditation, A number of people commented on it so I thought I'd share it with you here:

Practicing gratitude is a really useful tool. It can take you from difficult dark places in your life to the light and wonderful moments.

When you are in a stressful situation you can often feel ingratitude, resentment, anger and blame. These negative addictive thoughts activate the chemicals in the body which damage and depress the immune system. If you can become aware of these negative thoughts you can change them. It's not easy as they are a habit. But if you can create a new habit of being grateful you can switch your focus from negative to positive. It won't mean that challenging things won't happen in your life, but it will shift your attitude towards them. 

Remember how you felt when you were in a beautiful place on a beautiful day. Remember being in the company of good friends, remember the feeling of getting into bed after a long and tiring day. Remember when someone made you a cup of tea, when someone in your family gave you a spontaneous hug.

These little things are easy to overlook yet they connect us to the world and make us aware of and appreciate all the many good things in our lives.

Take a moment to bring to mind 3 things you have in your life right now that you are grateful for, then find 3 more tomorrow, and the day after and so on until you create a new habit.

Why Don't More Men Do Yoga?

Have you every wondered why there aren't more men in your yoga class? It is a strange phenomenon as yoga in its traditional form in India was practiced mainly by men. As a long-time yoga teacher I have pondered this often, so I asked a few of my male friends if they would consider going to a yoga class and what they think the experience would be like.

The answers I received lead me to conclude that many men think that a yoga class is either full of elderly ladies, lying on the floor practicing their breathing exercises or full of lycra-clad super-flexible girls contorting their bodies into pretzel-like shapes that feel they would never be able to attain. They also had concerns about not being good enough, farting and being bored!

You and I, as regular yoga practitioners, know that a well-rounded yoga practice is none of these. We know it is a great way to stretch and strengthen the body, improve posture and balance and quieten the busy mind. We also know that you don't need to be "good enough" to practice yoga - the postures can be adapted to suit all abilities, that yes, farting sometimes happens (especially if you haven't left enough time between your practice and your last meal) and that being bored is ok - we're all mentally over-stimulated anyway and need to get more familiar with being quiet.

If you feel that the men in your family could benefit from a few yoga poses but that they too have these pre-conceived ideas, take a look at the following articles (which were both printed in national newspapers recently) and pass them on. 

The first is from the Telegraph, an amusing account of a middle-aged writer who went on a 2 week yoga holiday. He overcame his preconceptions and wardrobe dilemmas, and has some wisdom to offer about how yoga can help men deal with stress http://www.telegraph.co.uk/men/active/11243824/Are-men-like-me-really-cut-out-for-yoga.html.

The second is from the Times, http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/health/diet-fitness/article4274698.ece?shareToken=ad26a192c178eee118e3a3576b381f24  about a former wrestler who has developed his own more "macho" style to encourage ordinary blokes to take better care of their bodies. Diamond Dallas Page has also become famous on YouTube as the yoga teacher who helped disabled war veteran Arthur Boorman back to full health - click here to see that amazing transformation if you haven't seen it before.

If joining a class seems a bit daunting for those who haven't done yoga before, maybe you could unroll your mat and share a few stretches with your family over the Christmas break, or put one of my short videos on if you'd like a bit more guidance. Any yoga is better than no yoga, so start small and simple and, with a bit of encouragement, we could spread the word that yoga is for everyone.

Spotted from a car window

This Week I'm Making... Spiced Ginger Biscuits (gluten-free, refined-sugar-free)

This recipe comes from the website of two sisters from London, known as Hemsley & Hemsley, who make whole, organic, nutrient filled, homemade foods which are free from grain, gluten, high starch and refined sugar. Their cookbook, also called Hemsley & Hemsley is on my Christmas list this year, even though there are some non-veggie recipes in there, because all the dishes look completely delicious and super-healthy.

The ingredients

The finished products

Click here for the very simple recipe  http://www.hemsleyandhemsley.com/recipe/holiday-spiced-ginger-biscuits/

My cookies didn't look quite as gorgeous as the ones on the website and I was a bit concerned that the mixture wasn't sticking together (a dash more maple syrup sorted that) but they tasted really good and only took a couple of minutes to make and 10 minutes to cook. They get my vote as a satisfying snack to enjoy with a cup of tea this Christmas - much healthier than processed mince pies and Stollen!

This Week I'm Visiting... Wildlife Photographer of the Year Exhibition, at the Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD

I've been going to this exhibition for a number of years now, and it's always a delight. Divided into various categories such as Birds, Mammals, and Natural Design, each image is beautifully back-lit and displayed with information about the story behind it. You can book tickets online to short-cut the queues and I recommend you try to go during the week - last year I went on a Saturday and it was very busy, but this year I went on a Friday afternoon and it was comfortably quiet.

Visiting the Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition is always an inspiring way to spend an afternoon - the buzz of being in London, the amazing architecture of the museum itself, the skill (and luck) of the photographer and the diversity of the subject matter are a good reminder that we live in a wonderful world and that all life is precious.

This Week I'm Growing... Dahlias for 2015

The frost has finally blackened the leaves of the dahlias and it's time to decide whether to dig them up to protect them from the winter weather, or to take a chance and leave them in the ground. I'll probably do half and half so that I've got more of a chance that some make it through to spring. Over the past few years I've had good success leaving them in-situ but with some added protection.

If you have enjoyed some wonderful flowers from your dahlias this year, here's what to do for a repeat performance next year:

If you leave them in the ground, cut back the blackened stems, put a label in the ground so you'll remember where they are and place a decent sized mound of garden compost over the top. If you have an old teracotta pot handy, place it upside down over the whole lot, which will keep most of the winter weather off. 

If you decide to lift them and bring them inside you'll need to be very careful digging them up as it's easy to spear one of the tubers with your fork. Bring them into a frost-free shed, greenhouse or garage and turn the tubers upside down for a few days so any moisture drains out of the hollow stems. Then place them in a box on some newspaper or in a little bit of dry compost, remembering to label them so that you know what they are next spring. They need to be kept in a dry environment - I think my shed was too damp before and that's why they rotted, so this time I'm going to put them in the loft and hope I don't forget I've put them there.

Next spring you can bring them out and pot them up into moist compost where they will start to produce new leaves. They will need to be kept protected until all threat of frost has passed, so it's usually the end of May/beginning of June before you can plant them out or uncover the ones that are slumbering under their compost and terracotta pots in the garden.

It's a little bit of effort but when you think about the volume of fabulous flowers each of these tubers produce in the summer it's worth it. 

Carefully dug up dahlia tubers

Labelled and packed away until spring

And finally, following on from our meditations in class this half-term, this picture is a good reminder of how to be more mindful - I'm off now to do the last two :-)