We moved this past week from Edinburgh to Aberdeen. This stressful time of clean-the-house, pack-the-car, say-goodbye-to-friends, and then move-to-a-new-city is one that requires some recovery time.
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| Thank you, Ashtanga Yoga Edinburgh! |
I begin this new chapter in Aberdeen with rest. Rest is reading books ("The Autograph Man" and "Wolf Hall"), practicing, chanting, making ghee, taking walks, cooking, journaling, and writing letters to friends.
Long walks along my new favorite river, the Don, involve navigating pathways and trails that somehow just end! Though I am often lost, it is familiar to live right among the trees. In less than five minutes I am right at the river's side taking in the smells of the river: sharp detritus of rotting logs, bright green freshwater moss, piles of leaves, and abandoned forts that animals have built left like abandoned Scottish castles.
Intertwined foliage creeps everywhere, all around me, right inside me. It is lush, it is organic, it is juicy. Nature inspires me to practice, so I bring the memories of the natural world in. Can I feel this enamored while in Poorna Matsyendrasana? I shall try.
I have also been cooking as much food as possible with the guidance of Yotam Ottolenghi. Yotam transforms vegetables with heat and fire into a metamorphosis of joy. He may blind side you by asking you to garnish your masterpiece with a voluptuous egg. Deliciously daring!
Yogic practice has been a very relaxed affair; home practices have been sprinkled with peace. There haven’t been any early morning cycling/walking escapades through dark streets to get to practice. Practicing in your living room is sometimes the best place to approach any difficult asana.
Now, after morning coffee I stroll to the runway and the riches of this practice we love come right out. All it takes is a clean room without clutter and a lot of effort. Practice doesn’t need to be a gruel of sweat left drying on your mat like a heap of exhaustion, either. Use the right amount of effort in order to make it successful and joyful.
Along the River Don, there are many kinds of geese and ducks flying about tending to what needs to be tended to before flying south in the coming cooling months. The cold wind in the air is nature’s warning; these birds know it, and they are hurrying about in their preparations.
I too am gearing up to teach and join the yoga community in Aberdeen, though I may not be as busy as these birds! I am offering a few workshops in the coming weeks and in the meantime, I shall continue to admire the birds’ efforts and learn from the most glorious guide, nature.
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Teaching schedule in Aberdeen/Edinburgh:
14-15 September, Love Yoga - weekend workshop, book Love Yoga
30-September -7 Oct, The Yoga Spot - week of Mysore intensive. Book The Yoga Spot.
21-25 October Ashtanga Yoga Edinburgh - week of Mysore intensive, book AYE.
