Category Archives: Daily practice

Sweat, frustration and glory!

May12

Get it off your chest!

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Let me warn you: This is not for the faint-hearted. This is not for the ones who easily feel embarrassed in public. And not for those who are afraid of making weird noises either. If you decide to go ahead, you’ll find yourself huffing and puffing while a teacher is watching you closely to check if you’re doing it right.

The noise you’ll be producing vaguely resembles a sneeze, but one that you failed to suppress. It’s a forceful exhalation through your nose, a bit like blowing it, but without any tissues involved. Importantly, you have to close your eyes. Not only to aid concentration, but also to skip the pitiful and bewildered looks bystanders will bestow on you.

So what’s the benefit of all this?  Read the rest of this entry →

Sep7

Let’s take a FRESH look!

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Relocating is great. It means you’re discovering new things almost every day. Just walking in the city centre makes me go “oh” and “ah” at every corner. I’m observing nicely carved features on building facades. How the afternoon sun is reflected in the glass windows of the office tower across the road. How the cappuccino at the local eatery is prepared – with so much love! How people smile at strangers, for no reason at all except that they’re happy.

Of course we can take this to the yoga room. Read the rest of this entry →

Aug6

On the move? How to stay centred.

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There’s all this talk about the “global village” nowadays. Most of us have friends on several continents. We travel regularly for work, sometimes crossing different time zones. But while the space and time zones we’re moving in are continuously expanding, we somehow manage to be even more present than ever.

Time zone clocks, Lao Cai

Time and space – does it matter?

No, not physically. Online, that is. We are virtually present. Urgent emails get almost instant responses, no matter what’s the time of the day (or night). People see the need to set up out of office messages that say things like “I won’t have regular access to emails this afternoon between 2 and 4pm“. Sorry, what? Read the rest of this entry →

Jul18

Non-attachment. Or: Your life in two suitcases

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A while ago I wrote about non-attachment. In fact I got so excited about the topic that I added another post straight after. I guess we can say I got a little bit attached to the whole thing. How I regret that now.

Book store in Calcutta

I want to keep all of them!

You know, it’s really easy to write about things. To make it sound as if you knew what you’re talking about. Ha! Big words, small means. Had I known at the time what was in store for me, I guess I would have kept quiet.

So on Saturday, I’m moving to Australia. Do you remember this game we played when we were kids, trying to think of what we would take with us on a remote island? (Sorry, Aussies… of course remote depends on where you are, right?).

I wish I could see it with as much serenity and composure as my mum does: “Well, you’re just moving from a small island to a bigger one, no?” (Sorry, UK – of course you’re not that tiny…) Or at least with as much calmness as my fiancé does: “Darling, that’s all just stuff.” Read the rest of this entry →

Jun15

“Am I getting better at Yoga?”

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Progress. This is just how we’re wired these days. Things need to be achieved. Boxes ticked off. No, not just the big stuff, school, studies, degree, first job (and a good one, please!), success at work, the ‘perfect’ partner… It’s true for the small things in life as well – by the way: what’s on your to-do list for today? Who replied “nothing”, back there, in the last row? Please stand up?

So no wonder that this infiltrates our approach to hobbies and everything we do outside our to-do list, during that time when we’re not busy crossing out stuff on there. If there’s time left, that is. For most of us, there’s no time left, which is why something like yoga needs to be added to that list. If it’s not on there but just something we enjoy doing in our “FREE” time, well – then it just never happens. Read the rest of this entry →

May17

Yesss, stick your tongue out – it’s SO good for you!

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When I was little, sticking my tongue out just felt great. I wanted to do it all the time, whenever something or someone really sucked. Parents, teachers, rules, restrictions – baaah. The only time I indeed refused vehemently was – exactly, when the doctor asked me to.

Years of training in appropriate behaviour later, there finally comes the chance to stick out my tongue in a totally sanctioned environment – the yoga class. It’s not only okay, it’s absolutely encouraged. Yogis call it Lion’s Breath, and hhmm, it still feels good. :)   Read the rest of this entry →

May3

A train ride in India – but where the hell is that noise coming from…?

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If you’ve been taking the overnight train in India you might be familiar with this: At the crack of dawn, just around that time when the cockroaches stop crawling across your blanket and retreat to wherever they came from, it starts.

No, you won’t need to carry an alarm on one of these trains. You will wake up, thinking right next to you there’s an elephant trumpeting while splashing water around. In addition, there’s a lot of snorting, spitting, grunting and throat clearing going on. Yes, that’s exactly the kind of thing you want to hear, right before the chai wallah goes round, serving breakfast tea. Any food? Masala dosai? Ahem, thanks. I’ll be alright.  Read the rest of this entry →