Talking to Yourself - how to quieten the inner critic

The theme running through my classes this week was speaking - how we speak to others and also how we speak to ourselves. It seemed to naturally flow from last week's topic of listening.

Speaking doesn't immediately come to mind when we think of yoga. Our practice tends to be a time when we step back away from communication with others and turn our attention inwards towards the Self. However, even in our quiet time the inner voice can often be loud and harsh. We tell ourselves all sorts of stories about how we're not good at backbends for example, that we couldn't possibly do that pose, and how, if we can't straighten our legs in forward bends, we must be lacking in some way. The mind is very good at this self-judgment and, with its constant stream of commentary, it's easy to believe the stories which can make us unhappy, unsure of our value and our sense of self-worth.

So, how to stop this voice... or at least persuade it to be quiet for a while so we can have a truer picture of reality? Well it's that word "noticing" again. It crops up all the time in yoga and meditation! Once we notice the voice we become present again. Notice the voice, recognise the story for what it is - a story - and make a conscious decision to choose another more positive thought. It's a simple recipe but it is difficult - we have to keep doing it because the thoughts are constantly coming. But it does get easier with practice - just 5 minutes meditation a day will start to train you to notice when your mind is busy and the cumulative effects of meditation will make a difference to being able to quieten your thoughts. Your mindfulness practice helps too. Noticing what is all around you - the smell of your tea, the air on your face, the colours and patterns of the skin of the apple you are eating - this is all helping you to pause, release any self-judgment and reset your mindset to a more neutral one before continuing what you were doing.

Here's a poem which sums it all up:

Thanking a Monkey by Kaveri Patel

There’s a monkey in my mind
swinging on a trapeze,
reaching back to the past
or leaning into the future,
never standing still.

Sometimes I want to kill
that monkey, shoot it square
between the eyes so I won’t
have to think anymore
or feel the pain of worry.

But today I thanked her
and she jumped down
straight into my lap,
trapeze still swinging
as we sat still.

When speaking to others, the Buddhist teaching of the Four Gates of Speech (which is a traditional Sufi teaching too) can be very helpful.

Here's a short article from Ethan Nichtern from The Interdependence Project, a Buddhist organisation in the US, which offers some helpful thoughts about communication using this teaching as a filter.

Speaking the Truth: The Four Gates of Skillful Speech

There are many lists in Buddhism. Some of them are incredibly helpful; some of them are a little bit more difficult to discern in terms of applying them during a difficult moment or in the heat of a life situation. I find that my life is increasingly about communication -- listening and speaking. When I'm trying to figure out if it is necessary to express something to someone, the following simple framework is one of the most helpful lists I've ever discovered. It's called the four gates of skillful speech. Systematically taking a moment to actually ask myself these four questions before I say what I have to say has been incredibly helpful.


Do it the next time you're thinking of sending that text message.

1. Is what I have to say true? This is the basic question, of course. Are we actually saying something that is accurate? Also, are we taking responsibility for our own subjective experience, rather than reporting what we've experienced as absolute truth? But this question is only the beginning. 

2. Is what I have to say necessary? Are you the right person to share what you have to say? Would it be better coming from another person? Is it necessary that it be expressed at all?

3. Is what I am saying kind? Twisting the knife may feel good for a moment, but only because it is what we are used to doing. When we stop trying to hurt the other person with the truth, our expression becomes much more effective, and we also realize we don't have to bludgeon someone to get them to see where we are coming from.

4. Is it the right time? Timing is everything. So is the medium and method. If you go off on someone via email, you're probably going to experience the reverberations of your bad timing. Give it space, then pick up the phone or see them in person.

This week's recipe is for a Honey and Oatmeal face mask, although it looks and smells like you could eat it - it's just raw Flapjack really!

It took a minute to put together and then I made a cup of tea and took it and a magazine upstairs and had 15 minutes to myself for a bit of pampering.

Honey is nourishing and soothing and is known for it's hydrating and anti-bacterial properties - it's a humectant which means it draws moisture into the skin. (* raw honey hasn't been heat-treated or pasteurized and it contains more active phytonutrient antioxidants and enzymes.) Oats are moisturising as they contain healthy lubricating fats, proteins which maintain the skin's natural barrier function and lots of natural cleansers called saponins that remove dirt and oil from the pores.

You will need:

1 tablespoon of oats
1 tablespoon of organic honey (use raw honey if possible*)

• Grind the oats in a spice grinder or blender until they become coarse and flour-like.
• In a small bowl mix together the ground oats and the honey.
• Cleanse your skin.
• Apply the mask to your skin and massage in gently for a bit of exfoliation. Do this over the sink as some of the oats will drop off.
• Leave on the skin for about 10 minutes and wash off with luke-warm water. Splash face with cold water as a toner.

Note : Although there's nothing astringent or irritating in this face mask, if you have sensitive skin it's always worth doing a patch test first before putting it all over your face just in case!

My quote in class this week was "If you can't say something nice, don't say nothin' at all". It's advice that I have given to my children on many occasions but it's also helpful when dealing with that inner voice inside your own head too - advice to 'keep it neutral'.  I can't say this quote in my mind without doing it in the voice of Thumper - here's a reminder if it's been a while since you've seen Bambi. 

This week on my class playlist I played "Longing for the Unknown" by Karunesh. I play a lot of tracks by this prolific artist - they have good rhythms and not many vocals and I can always find one that seems to fit the class perfectly. Enjoy!

And finally, here's Julian Treasure again in this video entitled "How to Speak So People Want to Listen".

  

Until next week dear yogis.....

On Being a Better Listener - to yourself and to others

In class this week we focused our attention on listening to the body. Of course, we do that every time we step onto the mat to practice yoga anyway - we sit down, become quiet and start to pay attention to how we are feeling right in that moment. In each posture we check in to notice if, for example, we've clenched the jaw or the shoulders, if we're rooting down through the feet and if we're remembering to breathe. We are tuning in to the messages the body is constantly giving us but which we so often override. This is an important part of our practice - good alignment in the postures ensures that we don't overdo things and injure ourselves. Through our focused attention we might also notice where we are not fully engaged in the posture - which parts of us are asleep, so we can wake them up.

Practicing listening to the body in class helps us be more aware when we're "off the mat" and back out in our everyday lives too.  It's here that our attention is drawn outwards most of the time - taking care of our tasks and the needs and demands of those around us, whether that be at work or at home. And that's all good - we mustn't feel that it wrong - it's how we communicate with each other and it's a necessary part of being human. But life has become so very fast paced that it's easy to overlook the cues the body gives us and, if we're not listening, that can lead to problems.

For example, if your heart is pounding and you're breathing shallowly and you notice this, you can do something about it. Either by removing yourself from a difficult or dangerous situation completely, or if it's not quite so immediately challenging, by placing the right hand over the heart centre, eyes closed, and taking a few deep breaths until the anxiety has eased. Then there will be some space to make a decision about what to do rather than be completely stressed and in a blind panic. When the ability to listen to your body is strong you can notice more easily when you are on the verge of, say, getting a headache and take steps to alleviate it sooner. You can notice when you are thirsty (a message that is often confused with being hungry) and keep your self hydrated, when you are irritable because you are over-tired and need some rest, and when you've been sitting for too long in one position and need to stretch.

If you can remember check-in with yourself on a regular basis this ability to know what you need grows and blossoms and becomes a habit which will benefit you on and off the mat.

The inner guide
When there is more awareness of how the body is feeling, you'll also have more awareness of your inner voice too. Otherwise known as intuition, it's that gut feeling you get sometimes, when you just know that you should do something, it's like you're being guided towards it.  If you're tuned into yourself you'll know this voice. If you're not so tuned in you can learn to listen so you can start to hear it more clearly. While you're getting to know your inner voice, it's worth pausing before following your 'hunches' to ask yourself some questions before taking action just to be sure you're on the right path. Questions such as "would I advise someone else to follow this course of action" or "is this action in line with my values" will help you tell the difference between your intuition and what is just a thought or desire.

You can cultivate your intuition through meditation, which helps you become fully present with whatever it is that arises in that moment. Meditation helps you step back from the "noise" of life, the social conditioning and what is expected of you, and brings you back to yourself. It's listening to yourself without judgement. With practice, you'll become more familiar with your inner guide which will help you negotiate the inevitable twists and turns and ups and downs of life with greater clarity. Here is a link to an engaging article by Martha Beck about learning to listen to your inner voice. It's great - funny and very helpful - and definitely worth a read.

Listening to others
We can also use this cultivated awareness to become a better listener when talking to others too. This is a skill that some of us have innately - you know that friend you'll always turn to when you have a problem? They're probably a good listener and help you feel better by just giving you their full attention while you talk your problem through. You might have other friends you turn to for a solution - they're the ones who'll tell you what to do to solve the problem but often they don't tend to listen quite so well! I'm one of the latter, but I'm working on cultivating my listening skills because I know I have a tendency to want to jump in with a solution to 'fix' a problem, and that's not always what people need. It comes from a good place - I want to show my support, empathise or offer a solution but nevertheless, I'm interrupting them. Sometimes, your undivided attention, is enough of a help all on its own. I'm learning that I don't necessarily need to agree and sympathise with the person but I need to hear them out and allow them the space to talk. I'm learning not to jump in while people are talking. I'm learning that just saying the words "I hear what you're saying" or "what you're saying is....." can often be enough to make the person feel valued and that their problem has been heard. I can then offer advice if they want it, but often they don't, they just need me to listen.

It doesn't feel good when you know the person you are talking to isn't really listening. In our culture there are so many distractions and it's easy to half-listen to people when they are talking. In my house we have a strict no phones at the dinner table policy so that we can talk properly and this is super-helpful in keeping conversation going with my somewhat reluctant 15 year old son. When he comes home from school and I ask him how his day was I try to stop what I'm doing and give him my full attention, with eye contact, just for a few minutes. It lets him know I'm really interested in him. This is yoga in action. Yoga seeping out into everyday life. When you give your family the gift of your full attention you'll be practicing your mindfulness and helping them to feel valued at the same time.

Below is a short video from Julian Treasure, speaker and master communicator, with some science stuff about the art of listening and 5 practical ways to increase your listening skills. It's definitely worth a listen.......

This week's recipe is Baked Falafel Burgers. It comes from the book Veggie Burgers Every Which Way by Lukas Volger which my husband got for Christmas. He cooked them for our dinner last night and said they were quick and easy to make. They're very healthy - chickpeas are high in fibre so very good for your digestive system, and are high in antioxidants too. We ate them with some stir fried vegetables and sweet potato fries - yum!

Note: In this recipe the chickpeas are soaked overnight but not cooked. Cooked chickpeas won't work because there is too much liquid and the burgers will fall apart as they cook. 

Makes four 10cm/4 inch burgers. Preparation and cooking time (not including overnight soaking) 40 minutes

You will need:

175g/6oz dried chickpeas, rinsed thoroughly
1 onion, roughly chopped
2 garlic cloves
25g/1oz roughly chopped fresh parsley
Zest of 1 lemon
Juice of half a lemon
1 tablespoon toasted cumin seeds
Half a teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda
Three-quarters of a teaspoon of salt
Half a teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper
A quarter of a teaspoon of cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon of chickpea flour, if needed
(Gideon said that next time he would add a tiny bit of chilli powder too, for an extra kick)

Here's how to make it:

1. Cover the chickpeas with 10-13cm/4-5 inches of water in a bowl and let sit for 24 hours. Drain thoroughly.

2. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/gas mark 6.

3. Combine the chickpeas, onions, garlic, parsley, lemon zest and juice, cumin, bicarb of soda, salt, black pepper and cayenne in a food processor. Pulse until coarsely combined. If the mixture if struggling to come together add a bit of water, but no more than 2 tablespoons. (The mixture will fall apart when cooking if there's too much liquid.) If water is added, stir in the chickpea flour. Adjust seasonings. Shape into patties (it will be a fairly wet dough).

4. Place the patties on a liberally oiled baking sheet. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, flipping them once halfway through until golden and firm. 

I've received a suggestion to share the music I play in class - what a great idea! So each week I'm going to choose one track on my playlist to share with you here.

Last week I was playing 'Om Hraum Mitraya' by Deva Premal from the album Dakshina. Here it is for you to listen to - take a few minutes to close your eyes, breathe smoothly and deeply and offer yourself the gift of listening to something very relaxing....

And finally, nothing to do with listening but just because they're so very cute.....

The Lighter Side of Yoga - how not to take it all quite so seriously!

For Christmas I received one of the new Ladybird books. It's called "Mindfulness". It's so funny I really did laugh out loud. Here's one of my favourite pages:

It is obviously very important to take care of your physical, mental and spiritual wellbeing - after all, no-one else is going to do it for you. But it's easy to take it all way too seriously. Sometimes in our yoga practice we get caught up with the ego and the desire for the practice to be "perfect". This creates tension in the body and agitation in the mind as we strive to control, rather than relax and let go. 

Here's an article from Shannon Brady at www.andpausehere.com to help you light up and lighten up your practice, plus a couple of extra thoughts from me at the end of it:

4 Ways To Make Your Yoga Practice More Fun

A student raced up to me after my class recently with an expression of dread on her face: “My calorie counter says I only burned 200! How can that be?” While I too, doubted the readout on the little device attached to her tights after a challenging 90-minute flow in a hot room, I paused long enough to carefully consider my response, which was something along the gentler lines of “ditch that silly thing already.”

Because really, what good does counting calories burned in a yoga practice do for the heart? The soul? The mind? Nada, I say. But speaking from experience, this is far easier said than done. I used to analyze the hell out of every physical endeavor I partook in. Here’s how I did it, and why I stopped:

1. You Win Or You Suck Mentality

During my hardcore running days (pre-yoga), I spent years tracking numbers in a futile attempt to improve my performance. Training runs were only successful if I kept the pace under 8-minute miles. Races were only worth bragging about if placed top ten in my age group. And these were supposed to be fun runs. Not races. An aggravated Achilles’ tendon begging for a gentler pace forced me to slow it down or rupture it permanently. As a result, I began running without a watch. Without a race bib. And without any concern whatsoever who was ahead of or behind me. And I learned that winning isn’t everything. These were some of the most enjoyable runs of my life.

2. X Number Of Handstand Attempts = Success Formula

Years ago, once I decided to nail this pose, I started recording the number of fly-ups into the wall into a journal. I gave myself one year to ‘succeed’ at this pose. Surely 50 a day ought to do it, right? At the end of that one year – you probably guessed it – I was still flying up into the wall. Initially angry and discouraged, I thought about the many reminders my teachers gave me to stop judging my practice. So that’s what I did.

Letting go of the journal, and the need to ‘succeed’ has made my handstand journey a far more pleasant one. And so what if I hit the wall? Life leads us into walls all the time. Our work is to simply face it head on and keep going.

3. My Hand Goes Here While My Big Toe Goes There, And Meanwhile My Left Femur Bone Is Spiraling Skyward

And on it goes, picking apart every minute detail of a pose while inwardly criticizing my inability to get every piece of it ‘right’. Yes of course it is important to concentrate and refine yoga postures – I constantly encourage my students to – but it is equally important to let go and flow. Finding the balance between the two is the yogi’s challenge and reward to keep the journey safe and fun.

4. Gotta Have A Goal

Countless times along the path to adulthood I was encouraged to set and achieve goals – in school, on the job, toward an athletic or artistic endeavor. And while there’s certainly a place for this (plunking down a couple grand on tuition means you really ought to set a goal to graduate), yoga is one place I try to let that go – no goals, no expectations – just an opportunity to play. Like my childhood memories of recess, when it’s time to practice a new or advanced pose, I approach the mat the same way I raced to the monkey bars when the bell rang – with a sense of thrill at moving my body in new and exciting ways.
So take some time to reflect on your overall experience on the mat. Are numbers, goals, expectations and comparisons to others sucking the joy out of it? If so, lighten up and just go with your own sweet flow and enjoy the ride. You’ll be glad you did.

And here's my 'two pennies' worth' that might help to add a smile to your Sphynx pose:

When you fall out of Warrior 3 pose for the third time in as many minutes, remember it's not a competition - not with the other yogis in the class and not with yourself. Some days you'll be balancing like a graceful flamingo and other days it just won't be happening for you and you might feel more like a turkey. Balancing poses can cause a lot of frustration (at least in my experience) but it's ok. Really, it doesn't matter. Really.  What does matter is that you gather yourself with as little mental disturbance as possible and step back up again. This is how we learn, repeating the difficult things over and over again until we become more adept. So next time you're having a wobbly day and fall out of that balancing pose (again!), lift the corners of your mouth, put the ego to one side and don't give yourself a hard time - remember, it's only yoga.

Practice yoga with a friend every now and then. In a class situation most people are there to step back away from the noise and busy-ness of their day and have a little quiet time, so it's not appropriate to have a lot of interaction (you tend to get more of that at a workshop than a class) but sometimes it's good to do some partner work and have a bit of communication with each other. And it can be fun too. We did partner work at some of my classes this week and we had a bit of a laugh and (I hope) everyone enjoyed it! You can't take yoga too seriously if you practice with children either. They find it all so funny and will have you laughing too at the things they say and do. If you have children around you in your life, invite them to join you and see what unfolds.

There's humour all around us - Paul Joynson-Hicks set up the Comedy Wildlife Photo Awards because he learned through his own photography that there's a real art to capturing comic moments in the animal kingdom on camera. He says "I often enter wildlife photography competitions (NB so far with very little success!) but I love seeing the funny pictures. Strangely enough, they are harder to come by than you might think."

These are the finalists:

Julian Rad/COMEDY WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHY AWARDS

Alnaser/COMEDY WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHY AWARDS

Megan Lorenz/COMEDY WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHY AWARDS

Charlie Davidson/COMEDY WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHY AWARDS

Alison Buttigieg/COMEDY WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHY AWARDS

William Richardson/COMEDY WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHY AWARDS

Graham McGeorge/COMEDY WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHY AWARDS

Marc Mol/COMEDY WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHY AWARDS

Oliver Dreike/COMEDY WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHY AWARDS

Julian Rad/COMEDY WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHY AWARDS

Tony Dilger/COMEDY WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHY AWARDS

And the winner?

Julian Rad/COMEDY WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHY AWARDS

The Tanzania-based competition is partnered with the Born Free Foundation to raise awareness of conservation issues and offers a safari holiday as first prize - so get snapping for next year

Here's this weeks healthy and simple recipe - Aubergine Al Forno. It's from Jamie Oliver at www.jamieoliver.com.

To serve 4 (I used half measures again for a serving for 2) 

You will need:

• 3 aubergines , cut into 1cm slices
• olive oil
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon , plus an extra pinch
• 4 spring onions , finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves , finely chopped
• a large handful of cherry tomatoes on the vine
• red wine vinegar
• 50 g breadcrumbs
• 50 g pine nuts
• 2 tablespoons raisins
• extra virgin olive oil

Method

Place the aubergine slices in a sturdy oven-proof pan. Brush lightly with olive oil, then sprinkle over the cinnamon and a little salt and pepper. Cook for about 10 minutes, then add the spring onions, garlic and cherry tomatoes. Put back in the oven for another 10 minutes. Once it’s all softened and charred, add a splash of vinegar.

In a bowl combine the breadcrumbs, pine nuts, raisins, a pinch each of cinnamon, salt and pepper, and a drizzle of olive oil. Sprinkle this over the aubergines and cook for 5–10 minutes, or until crispy and golden.

One more from the Ladybird book :-)

And finally, a video of one woman's home practice with her toddler .... I don't think I would have been quite so patient....

How to Plan for What You Want in 2016 - Realistically

Last time I talked about reviewing the past year and how it's helpful to take a look at what worked for you in 2015 and what didn't. This week it's all about looking forward into 2016 and working out your goals in a realistic way. The reviewing of the past year helps you to know what you are ready to let go of and leave behind, and the planning helps you decide what you'd like to spend your valuable time and energy on in the coming year.

It's easy to make lots of New Year's Resolutions on January 1st, but it gets progressively harder to keep them - they've very often fallen by the wayside by March. So how can you make Resolutions that you'll actually stick to that will bring about the positive changes you want in your life? Try doing it the yogic way and swap resolutions for Sankalpas - they're a little more compassionate. 

A Sankalpa is an intention - not a wish or a dream, more of a personal vow. They are not just for New Year, but are an ongoing inner inquiry about how we are evolving. A Sankalpa requires us to look at whether our behaviour is aligned with our desire. There is no "fail", rather there's a readjustment and a stepping back on to the path again if you've drifted off it.

Here are 6 suggestions to help make your life planning more realistic, so that you stick to your intentions for 2016:

• write it down. If you don't write down your intention, you'll forget and it won't happen. Keep it somewhere where you'll see it often to remind you and keep you aligned with your new values.

• be specific. If your intentions are vague they aren't nearly as powerful. For example, instead of having the intention to spend more quality time with your family, decide how you're going to do it - go to the cinema once a month or eat a meal together at least 3 times a week. If your intention is to lose weight, choose instead to lose, say, 6lbs in 2 months, and if you want to get fit, have the intention to exercise 3 times a week for the next 6 weeks. Hone in on them, focus and get really clear.

• don't try to make too many changes at once. Choose fewer, more important things that you really want to do, not just things you feel you ought to do. If you have lots of modifications to make all at once you'll feel overwhelmed and uncomfortable and your focus will be diluted.

• ask yourself why you want these changes in your life? The best motivation is to do them for yourself because you recognise that you, and your health and happiness, are super-important. Goals to have a bigger house/look good on the beach/learn something new to impress friends don't come from the heart, they come in from outside. When you turn it round and make the intention more internal than external, it's for your personal growth and doesn't depend on anyone else or their ideas of what or who you should be - you want what you want for your own sake (I hope that makes sense!).  We don't have very long on this planet, time flies by so quickly and life is precious, so make changes that will enhance your wellbeing and bring you peace and joy. Get clear on your "whys" and your intentions will become more powerful.

• use the words "I will" or "I choose to" rather than "I want to" or "I'll try" - they are more positive and they'll tell your subconscious that you that you really believe in the intentions you have set. 

• if you forget your intention or get side-tracked for a while, don't give up! You're allowed to start again any time you like - it doesn't have to be just for New Year! Try not to think of a lapse as a "Fail" but rather an opportunity to readjust and realign. Maybe you need to set yourself a reminder, or ask a good friend to become your Accountability Partner, and share your intentions with them so they can encourage and support you. 

So, I'm off to find my nice new 2016 notebook now to re-read my intentions and see what I need to do in the coming week to stay aligned with them. I hope, if you choose to set yourself a Sankalpa or two, that it comes to fruition and that you are at the beginning of your best year ever. 

This week's healthy and simple recipe (it always has to be simple, I can't be doing with complicated recipes) is Sweet Potato with Feta and Pumpkin Seeds. I found this recipe in The Times on Saturday magazine a few weeks ago and I've made it a lot since. I love it at lunchtime in a salad - hot or cold it's delicious.

You will need:

4 large sweet potatoes
Olive oil
100g Feta cheese
4 tablespoons of toasted pumpkin seeds
2 tablespoons of chopped fresh oregano (or a teaspoon of dried)
Zest of 1 lemon

Serves 4 (I used half measures for a smaller amount)

Here's how to make it:

Peel and roughly cube the sweet potatoes
Season, place in a baking tray and drizzle over with olive oil
Roast at 190C (Gas mark 5) for about 20 minutes.
When it's cooked so that the potatoes are soft and tender, scatter over the feta, pumpkin seeds, oregano and zest.

Need some new equipment to start your new year of yoga? My favourite place to buy yoga kit is Yogamatters. They have a shop in north London and a big online store that stocks all things yoga at www.yogamatters.com. They have a January sale on some of their items at the moment. If you didn't get a new mat for Christmas (I did!) or would like to get some blocks, yoga straps, books etc, do take a look. Their Yogamatters Sticky Mat is good value at £17 and is comes in a wide range of colours and I found it wasn't too slippy as other new mats have been for me in the past.

My new mat undergoing rigorous testing
by The Furry Guru

In my classes this week I read an enlightening poem and an invocation for 2016. The poem, called Autobiography in Five Chapters is by Portia Nelson (singer, songwriter, author and actress) is a reminder of the habits we fall into and how, once we realise our habits and how some of them bring us suffering, we can make changes to our lives to allow life to flow more smoothly.

Autobiography in Five Chapters

Chapter I
I walk down the street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I fall in.
I am lost...
I am hopeless.
It isn't my fault.
It takes forever to find a way out.

Chapter II
I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I pretend I don't see it.
I fall in again.
I can't believe I'm in the same place.
But it isn't my fault.
It still takes a long time to get out.

Chapter III
I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I see it is there.
I still fall in...it's a habit.
My eyes are open; I know where I am;
It is my fault.
I get out immediately.

Chapter IV
I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I walk around it.

Chapter V
I walk down another street.


I read the invocation at the end of class after Savasana when everyone was relaxed and quiet. This powerful reading helps us set the tone for the coming year - it's ultimately what we all want for our lives.

Invocation for 2016

May we willingly release the things we no longer need and follow our hearts on a journey into the new light.

May we plant the seeds of our dreams with hope.

May we nurture them with love, courage, passion and belief.

May we watch them grow strong, sharing our joys with those who are dear to us.

May the year ahead be abundant and gratefully received.

And may we celebrate often, as a community, remembering in our hearts where we truly belong.

And Always –

May there be peace in our hearts, in our land and in our world.

May we honour each other with kindness and inclusion.

May we take care of the earth and all her beauty, treasuring her gifts to us.

May love surround us.

May Love Surround Us.

credit: Ruth McNeil and Eleni Zoe Palanzar