When I shared some of my holiday photos in the last two blog posts I was aware that not everyone gets to go away on wonderful trips and that seeing mine might therefore be a little bittersweet for some. At this time of year it seems that just about everyone is going away somewhere exciting and, from all the Facebook posts, that everyone is having a fabulous time, all the time! Social media can often heighten the feeling that everyone else's life is better than our own.
Our yoga practice helps to keep us grounded, reminding us to focus on the present moment rather than going off into the stories that the mind distracts us with. The teachings of yoga encourage us not to compare ourselves to others - there will always be someone else in class who can more easily do the pose we find so challenging and there will always be someone else with a newer kitchen or a more exotic holiday. We learn to have gratitude for the things we already have in our lives and we are guided towards contentment rather than feeling we should be continually happy. We learn that life is rarely completely perfect and we learn to be ok with that. We learn to look for the little things in life - many quite ordinary - which enrich our lives on a day to day basis and we learn to appreciate them. In this way, instead of waiting for 50 weeks of the year for our 2 week holiday which seems to be over in a flash, we can practice participating fully in life as it unfolds, 365 days a year.
So, if you're not going away this summer, or your holiday already seems like a distant memory, here are some smaller things you could do this week that might get you out into the sunshine and give you the holiday vibe:
Visit the Travel Photographer of the Year Exibition at Greenwich, London and appreciate the beauty of the world without leaving the country. Winners from this annual photography competition are on display at the University of Greenwich (very close to Greenwich DLR station) until 4th September - and it's free! Click here for more details.
Here are two photographs from last year's overall winner Marsel van Oosten:
Take a day trip. Get away on a mini-adventure to somewhere you've never been before. How about a day in Bournemouth with a ticket from Southwest Trains for just £11 or a coach trip to Lymington from a new company called Road Trippers set up by one of my yoga students which will take you there and back for £22.50 http://www.road-trippers.co.uk/whats-on-this-summer/.
Can't get to the seaside but want to swim outside in the open air? Here's a link to Time Out's guide to the best lidos and outdoor pools in London. You don't even need good weather for this one - swimming outside in the rain is a lovely experience and means that the crowds will stay at home.
Just sit outside in the garden and read a book. As a gardener, I have a tendency to sit down with the intention to relax and immediately pop back up again to do some deadheading/propping up/weeding jobs I have spotted! This week I'm going to find some time to just sit and read. If you haven't got a good book at the moment, check out this list of Top 10 Summer Beach Reads from the Telegraph.
Feeling a little flat after the Olympics have finished? I know I am missing the inspiration and enthusiasm from our amazing athletes and all the fabulous tv coverage. But you could go and get a little bit of a Rio fix at the Notting Hill Carnival. Europe's biggest street party with all its colour, costumes, music and dancing takes place this weekend on Sunday 28th and Bank Holiday Monday 29th. Click here for more details if you want in on the fun.
Pack up a picnic and head out to one of Surrey's top 10 picnic spots according to the Visit Surrey website, or get hold of an ordnance survey map and explore some footpaths and bridleways near to you that you've never been down before.
Talking of picnics, this recipe would be perfect to pack in a tupperware for an al-fresco lunch...
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Green Bean Salad with Walnuts & Coriander
This recipe comes from Tibits, one of my favourite vegetarian restaurants which is situated just off Regent Street in London. It's tucked away down a little alley called Heddon Street which means it's not quite so busy and on a fine day sitting at their outdoor tables feels very continental.
Whenever I go I look for their green bean and walnut salad and, as it's a self-serve restaurant, I make sure to take a big spoonful as it's so tasty. Tibits' recipe uses dried beans but I thought I'd try it with fresh ones as they are so easy to come by. It worked just fine....
You will need:
150g of fresh green beans (or use dried beans if you can get them)
half an onion chopped
1 clove of garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons vegetable bouillon
splash balsamic vinegar
fresh coriander, chopped
handful of walnut pieces
optional goats' cheese to crumble on top
Here's how to make it:
I'd like to share with you one of my favourite poems by one of my favourite poets. You may already have heard of the contemporary American poet Mary Oliver but, if you haven't, do look out for her work. She writes about her connection with nature. About love and loss and solitude. And it's all beautiful.
And finally, some more singing with Bobby McFerrin ..... brilliant!
Our yoga practice helps to keep us grounded, reminding us to focus on the present moment rather than going off into the stories that the mind distracts us with. The teachings of yoga encourage us not to compare ourselves to others - there will always be someone else in class who can more easily do the pose we find so challenging and there will always be someone else with a newer kitchen or a more exotic holiday. We learn to have gratitude for the things we already have in our lives and we are guided towards contentment rather than feeling we should be continually happy. We learn that life is rarely completely perfect and we learn to be ok with that. We learn to look for the little things in life - many quite ordinary - which enrich our lives on a day to day basis and we learn to appreciate them. In this way, instead of waiting for 50 weeks of the year for our 2 week holiday which seems to be over in a flash, we can practice participating fully in life as it unfolds, 365 days a year.
So, if you're not going away this summer, or your holiday already seems like a distant memory, here are some smaller things you could do this week that might get you out into the sunshine and give you the holiday vibe:
Visit the Travel Photographer of the Year Exibition at Greenwich, London and appreciate the beauty of the world without leaving the country. Winners from this annual photography competition are on display at the University of Greenwich (very close to Greenwich DLR station) until 4th September - and it's free! Click here for more details.
Here are two photographs from last year's overall winner Marsel van Oosten:
Take a day trip. Get away on a mini-adventure to somewhere you've never been before. How about a day in Bournemouth with a ticket from Southwest Trains for just £11 or a coach trip to Lymington from a new company called Road Trippers set up by one of my yoga students which will take you there and back for £22.50 http://www.road-trippers.co.uk/whats-on-this-summer/.
Can't get to the seaside but want to swim outside in the open air? Here's a link to Time Out's guide to the best lidos and outdoor pools in London. You don't even need good weather for this one - swimming outside in the rain is a lovely experience and means that the crowds will stay at home.
Just sit outside in the garden and read a book. As a gardener, I have a tendency to sit down with the intention to relax and immediately pop back up again to do some deadheading/propping up/weeding jobs I have spotted! This week I'm going to find some time to just sit and read. If you haven't got a good book at the moment, check out this list of Top 10 Summer Beach Reads from the Telegraph.
Feeling a little flat after the Olympics have finished? I know I am missing the inspiration and enthusiasm from our amazing athletes and all the fabulous tv coverage. But you could go and get a little bit of a Rio fix at the Notting Hill Carnival. Europe's biggest street party with all its colour, costumes, music and dancing takes place this weekend on Sunday 28th and Bank Holiday Monday 29th. Click here for more details if you want in on the fun.
Pack up a picnic and head out to one of Surrey's top 10 picnic spots according to the Visit Surrey website, or get hold of an ordnance survey map and explore some footpaths and bridleways near to you that you've never been down before.
Talking of picnics, this recipe would be perfect to pack in a tupperware for an al-fresco lunch...
This recipe comes from Tibits, one of my favourite vegetarian restaurants which is situated just off Regent Street in London. It's tucked away down a little alley called Heddon Street which means it's not quite so busy and on a fine day sitting at their outdoor tables feels very continental.
Whenever I go I look for their green bean and walnut salad and, as it's a self-serve restaurant, I make sure to take a big spoonful as it's so tasty. Tibits' recipe uses dried beans but I thought I'd try it with fresh ones as they are so easy to come by. It worked just fine....
You will need:
150g of fresh green beans (or use dried beans if you can get them)
half an onion chopped
1 clove of garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons vegetable bouillon
splash balsamic vinegar
fresh coriander, chopped
handful of walnut pieces
optional goats' cheese to crumble on top
- Cook the beans in boiling water with 1 teaspoon of bouillon until they are soft.
- Drain and allow to cool.
- Gently fry the onions and garlic in the olive oil and remove from the heat.
- Mix the remaining teaspoon of bouillon, the balsamic vinegar, walnuts and chopped corriander into the beans, onion and garlic.
- Serve with some goats cheese crumbled on top.
I'd like to share with you one of my favourite poems by one of my favourite poets. You may already have heard of the contemporary American poet Mary Oliver but, if you haven't, do look out for her work. She writes about her connection with nature. About love and loss and solitude. And it's all beautiful.
The Summer Day
Who made the world?
Who made the swan, and the black bear?
Who made the grasshopper?
This grasshopper, I mean -
the one who has flung herself out of the grass,
the one who is eating sugar out of my hand,
who is moving her jaws back and forth instead of up and down,
who is gazing around with her enormous and complicated eyes.
Now she lifts her pale forearms and thoroughly washes her face.
Now she snaps her wings open, and floats away.
I don't know exactly what a prayer is.
I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down
into the grass, how to kneel down in the grass,
how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields,
which is what I have been doing all day.
Tell me, what else should I have done?
Doesn't everything die at last, and too soon?
Tell me, what is it you plan to do
with your one wild and precious life?
—Mary Oliver
And finally, some more singing with Bobby McFerrin ..... brilliant!
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