The Poses of Sisyphus

Dear Yogis

I wonder if your approach to yoga poses changes as much as mine does. My every posture is like a postcard from the past; a chronicle of the journey from impossible or inelegant to not-too-bad. Warrior 2 always reminds me of my original bottom-protruding inelegance. Until I found any height, Hand to Big Toe Posture (B) was five breaths of plummeting dignity. And what about the sheer persecution of hamstring stretches! Shoulder Stand deserves an ‘it’s complicated’ status on Facebook. After years of struggle I found to my surprise and delight the holy grail of surrender and stillness. Things changed after I was in a Hit & Run. Shoulder Stand was as broken as my bike and the uphill climb started again. It’s my Sisyphus pose along with Halasana which is a whole world of frustration.

In a ‘level 2’ class this week the teacher offered various options for poses – as most teachers do – so I did Shoulder Stand against the wall keeping my feet on the wall. Ahhhhh, glory! That’s where the posture is! Another one is Bound Marichyasana C. Why am I struggling to bind when the posture (twisting the spine, calming the mind) happens when I don’t! Ambition o’vaults itself; postures get lost. I’m entering my third decade of yoga and I think light bulbs are only just going on.

Greek Yoga Retreat

There are plenty of places in the retreat for all levels, Sunday September 9th to 16th. All details are on my website including suggested flights. The second retreat is full.

Home Studio

There are plenty of places to book for next week in the Ashtanga-based classes of Wednesday and Thursday. It’s a delight to welcome new people to my joyful Home Studio. The stretchy classes are popular and packed so it’s probably time to add another class. If a Tuesday 6.00pm class suits you, let me know.

Training

Join me in one of these! Next Saturday February 10th, I’ve signed up for Chakrabatics with Stewart Gilchrist at Indaba. The following weekend I’m in Winchester at the Day Christensen workshops. A long way in advance, in April, I’ve signed up for Eddie Stern workshops in Brixton and in May, when summer will be well on the way, I’ve signed up for Kino MacGregor’s workshops. One I haven’t booked yet but looks thoroughly appealing is on February 24th – a workshop in Ealing Triyoga with Zephyr Wildman on the koshas.

Yoga in the News

Frankie McCoy wrote in the Evening Standard about how bad posture, specifically the spine, is at the root of so much of what makes s feel bad. I couldn’t find it online so it is attached. A really good read. (Grateful to Emma Leahy for sending it to me.)

This is an ‘article’ about Yoga for Energy from Inside Time, The National Newspaper for Prisoners and Detainees. It’s not so much an article than a chart of postures. Pretty useful!

If you like podcasts, I’ve been listening to Fit & Fearless on Radio 5 Live. The presenters, Tally, Zanna and Vic, are not so easy on the ear but they are very inspiring and their tips are brilliant. They are completely positive and encouraging about their experiences, mistakes and  successes and, mostly, about lifting weights.

Savasana Sadness

Dear Yogis

Have you ever found yourself overly emotional or crying in Savasana? I was chatting with a yogi this week who said that he sometimes does... even though he’s a Northern bloke! It’s no surprise at all – in any part of the country. In everyday life we build up or various personalities for work, home, friends, strangers and don many types of armour and emotional control. We layer that with tightly held opinions, politics and beliefs. On top of that, big challenges make us fight, flight, or freeze, all of which show up in the body (perhaps endless colds, perhaps thyroid dysfunction, perhaps psoriasis). The list of ingredients that make us who we are is exhausting! In the yoga studio we start to let go of those layers, those artificial constructions.

Yoga is like taking the armour off – or at least loosening it.  In class we peel back the layers, the koshas, and try to get to our truer self. Whether this is your intention when buying expensive Lulu Lemons or not, this is what’s happening! It doesn’t have to be about tears. Stretching and exercise releases endorphins so your Savasana might be in a state of bliss.

Greek Yoga Retreat

What a nightmare! I’ve had to change the dates of the retreat by one day. I found to my horror that Aegean Airlines has changed its timetable so it’s impossible to leave the island in time to catch a London flight from Athens. Both retreats are now Sunday – Sunday retreats. (Allcomers and All levels will be 9th to 16th September and Ashtanga with workshops will be 16th to 23rd). The price for the first retreat will change slightly to reflect one extra day. The website will reflect those changes later today.

Home Studio

I hope you’re managing to dodge cold & flu season. I had to cancel classes yesterday but I think I dodged the bullet. Samahan definitely helps! One yogi called it ‘magic tea’.

There are plenty of places to book for next week in my little Home Studio, especially the early Ashtanga class on Thursday. The new booking system seems to be well received but please let me know if you have reason to be unenthusiastic about it. Payment is now with Timely (debit card), not Paypal.

Cover

I’ll be teaching Ashtanga at Yoga West this Sunday from 8.30-9.45, covering Titi Rylander’s class.

Children’s Books

This week my favourite children’s books came out inthe Home Studio so I promised links. I’ve used Wai Lana’s Exercise is Fun with my niece since she was three-years old. It’s a gentle and colourful and engaging book. When she was a little older (six or seven) I bought her Babar's Yoga for Elephants which steps up from individual postures to sequences. Inevitably you have to hold your trunk in some postures. We held a teddy instead. My Daddy Is a Pretzel is a book I bought for a friend’s children (under ten) and, along with two other friends, they went off and conducted their own yoga class. It worked well.. I also bought a new one: I Am Yoga by Susan Verde. And here are some You Tubes.

Yoga in the News

The Metro this week told us that ‘Apparently, hot yoga is no better for you than regular yoga’. It’s the postures, not the heat, that benefit the body! Hmmm... but some people just like the heat on the skin.

Ashtanga Insomnia?

Dear Yogis

Do you ever have trouble sleeping after an evening Ashtanga practice? I usually hear the exact opposite but it is widely written that Ashtanga is stimulating and energising so it would be no surprise if it felt like a coffee at bedtime. If this is the case for you, you might need a much longer Savasana after practice – perhaps with legs up the wall for extra restorative effect. Leave out any backbending poses as they are said to be particularly stimulating. Traditionally, Ashtanga is practiced in the morning before the daily grind.

I put the question to an Ashtanga Discussion Group. Here’s an answer from one person which echoes other responses: “I think it negatively affects my sleep if I practice after early afternoon. On the whole though, years of steady practice have generally helped improve my quality of sleep while reducing the number of hours I need”.

Here’s another question which might shed some light on this... what is your Ayurvedic type? If you are a Vata type, then perhaps your evening needs to be particularly concerned with grounding and winding down. Here’s an article about the right yoga practice for your Dosha type.

Greek Yoga Retreat

There are plenty of places left on my yoga retreat for all levels, September 9th – 15th. Take a look at my website page for Greek retreats in September. Check out the Devon ‘Complete Wellbeing Retreat’ in October too.

Home Studio

Every now and again we take a look at angle strength and stability in our sessions. It helps in all the standing postures. Here’s the Physio department of the Australian Ballet to give tips.

There are plenty of places to book for next week in my little Home Studio.  I have a new booking system. Payment is now with Timely (debit card), not Paypal. If you have any problems, let me know. I have ‘data inputed’ with abandon this morning so that current bookings are transferred. If you have been inundated with confirmation emails, that’s why.

Yoga in the News

Here’s a lovely article in The Telegraph: ‘Should our children be learning yoga in the classroom?’ The thrust of the article is that yoga sharpens their developing minds and increases short attention spans.

GQ is telling its pump iron readers that Yoga is the New Rest Day and that it helps with purposefulness and mindfulness. Here’s what the writer entertainingly says about his introduction to yoga: ‘During the first few times I went, I would have been extremely self-conscious about how profusely I was sweating, if not for the fact that I was already extremely self-conscious about the fact that I resembled a stiff, spindly-legged newborn deer while trying to contort myself into each successive position‘.

I Think Therefore I Am Not

Dear Yogis

I hope the year is going well for you so far. Me... I've had a cluttered mind! If yoga is encouraging us to still the fluctuations of the mind, why has my mind been fluctuating like a crowded Jacuzzi? In Savasana yesterday I had to laugh at the endless chatter. What is it this time!!! Events over Christmas and a marathon 16 hours looking after an old neighbour addled my brain but, in truth, the poor grey matter has been fuzzy before and will be foggy again... And so it goes!

This is exactly where yoga kicks in; to point out when you get tangled up in thoughts. Yoga is the art of disentanglement.  Problems occur when we attach to the story and then endlessly regurgitate it to make it palatable. So obvious, eh! I can see exactly when the mind bubbles with those self-spin-doctored stories. (Sometimes it’s like having my own personal Iago.) It’s just thoughts, that’s all. Mental phantoms. And when people do or say something hurtful, well, they are supposed to! They are helping to make the mind a stronger and quieter place.

Next week the news will be full of ‘Blue Monday’, supposedly the most depressing day of the year (originally press-released to make you book a holiday!). Really is should be called Messy Mind Monday. Don’t get tangled up – it’s just a news-filler. Clear out the Jacuzzi mind instead!

Greek Yoga Retreat

My website has been updated with details of the three retreats: the Greek retreats in September and the Devon ‘Complete Wellbeing Retreat’ in October. The retreat with Lisa has a waiting list. There are plenty of spaces on the other retreats.

Home Studio

The effect of Triyoga in Ealing seems to mean the general interest in yoga is on the rise and new people are coming to give it a go in my little Home Studio. New Year resolutions make for an exciting time.  There are plenty of places to book for next week.  I seem to have lost my Paypal button. Until I rectify the situation, you can pay online with my Paypal email, taniashillam@hotmail.com but please write and let me know. (Please don’t book with no intention of coming!)

Yoga in the News

Newspapers seem to think it interesting to send unfit journalists to yoga classes and spiritual sceptics to ashrams for a dose of yoga and meditation. However, this article from the Inde is quite fun. ‘Nepal yoga retreats: Are spiritual holidays a load of nonsense?’. It turns out the answer is ‘no’.

Not to be outdone, the Guardian kicks in with ‘Yoga for lazy people: seven moves to make you happy’. More interesting is the Guardian’s travel guide and yoga guide to Mysore (Mysuru).  Mysuru, India, city guide: what to see, plus the best yoga centres, hotels and restaurants. Makes me feel like going!

Need a Resolution? Take a Retreat!

Dear Yogis

How are you doing with your resolutions? If you haven’t decided on one yet you can come to class and take part in mine – 10 press-ups a day! I think yogis are smiling... it could, of course, be grimacing. The Bhagavad Gita, that cornerstone of yoga literature, tells us that you can only give up something of a lesser taste if you experience something better. It's called The Higher taste. The book, of course, refers to our spiritual quest. However, I commandeer the idea for your New Year Resolution quest. A higher experience will come with daily press-ups!

Here’s a better example of a Higher Taste and, on finding it, getting rid of the lower behaviour. On my recent course with David Swenson, one yogi gave a presentation about Brahmacharya or redirecting energy. We had to ask ourselves where our energy is being used and can it be better directed. Do we waste energy on uninspired thoughts? I thought this was massively useful, especially over Christmas when family might bring Eastender-like issues.

Another yogi gave a presentation on Atseya  or non-stealing. I was fairly confident that I’m not a thief. Boy, I was wrong. She asked if we ever steal energy from another person... perhaps there’s someone we don’t like and don’t give our best to. Obviously, they can’t shine in our company and we drain their good energy. That's theft! I thought of all the times I have stolen somebody’s light!

My Nan, as a schoolgirl in Edwardian Britain, had to go to the headmistress to learn the lesson of the day and then go and teach other children. I feel similar in teaching yoga. I learn all that I can learn and do my best to pass it on to you.

Greek Yoga Retreat

The venue is booked. The dates are secured. The buzz is palpable! Write to me if you’re interested. The dates for your diary for the September 2018 Kapsali Yoga Retreat are:

Week 1 for all levels (Ashtanga, Yin and holiday) will be Sunday 9th to Saturday 15th. The cost is Single £650, Shared Double £600 and Shared Apartment £630. I will be teaching this retreat with guest teacher Kiros Tzannes.

Week 2 (Ashtanga and Workshops) will be Saturday 15th to Saturday 22nd. The cost is Single £700, Shared Double £650, Shared Apartment £680. I will be teaching this retreat with Lisa Maarit Lischak, my yoga sister, and guest teacher Kiros Tzannes. So many requests have already been made about this week that I will have to operate a waiting list for the moment.

Home Studio

It’s so good to feel the buzz of the little Home Studio after time off over Christmas. No one looks full of mince pies. Everyone ate smartly and drank wisely and a good time was had by all. It’s so good to see the post-celebration relaxed smiles and stress-free vibe. There are plenty of places to book for next week.  I seem to have lost my Paypal button. I don’t know why. Until I rectify the situation, you can pay online with my Paypal email, taniashillam@hotmail.com but please write and let me know.

Yoga in the News

The Independent helpfully tells us that ‘Yoga in the workplace can reduce back pain and sickness absence’. Absolutely! I teach in many work-places and hear about back problems due to endless sedentary duties all the time. The Inde tells us that ‘back pain is one of the most common reasons for visits to the doctor, and missed work. In fact, absence from work due to back problems costs British employers more than £3bn every year.’ If you want to introduce yoga into your workplace let me know. I have lunchtime slots available.

New Year, New Resolutions

Dear Yogis

Well! We jumped to light speed and hurtled past Christmas. I hope you had a lovely time. One of my favourite moments, apart from Star Wars, was hearing how my cousin has given up sugar (carbs) and how much better he looks and feels. Right on cue my favourite podcaster Lucus Rockwood has a podcast on how to love your body... by not poisoning it with sugar and carbs! His guest talks about Fruit Free Smoothies... I know I have too much fruit. Based on this podcast I ordered a blood glucose monitor. Lucas Rockwood very helpfully says that no matter what your age or what your condition you can turn it around by eating intelligently and start to feel better within 24/48 hours.

Resolutions

We need to line up our resolutions in time for New Year’s Eve. What’s yours? I resolved, after the Yoga Connects Festival this summer, to go to more yoga festivals. I just loved life in a field, mixing with yoga hippies and nomads. (I’ll start in February with Day Christensen in Winchester – not quite a field and not very hippy but it’s a start and organised by my friend Lisa. Come with me!) I’m making a new resolution to study Thai Yoga Massage. I had a small experience of it at the Yoga Show in October and loved it.

Home Studio

Classes are back next week apart from Monday. Otherwise, there are places left and you’re welcome to come. Instead, on Monday 1st January, Triyoga has a day of free yoga. Triyoga takes donations for for classes and gives the money to Ealing Soup Kitchen. It’s a lovely studio – so go and see why Ealing continues to be the Queen of the Suburbs!

Training

Information about Valentina’s Yoga Teacher Training Refresher and next Teacher Training courses can be found on her Facebook page.

Yoga in the News

Wellbeing trends of 2017, according to BT.com, include Turmeric Lattes, Teetotalism and ‘casual Veganism’. (More and more cafes in Ealing offer alternative coffees. Harris and Hoole in Ealing has Turmeric Lattes.) If you’re travelling for New Year celebrations, try 8 Great Yoga Moves You Can Actually Do on an Airplane according to Bravo TV.

Happy New Year. All the best for 2018. Tell me what your resolutions are.

Yamas and Niyamas for Christmas

Dear Yogis

Winter Solstice come and gone, Christmas is next, and then we start climbing back into the light and on into Spring! Thank you for making 2017 such a joyous year. I think back on classes where you’ve brought your friends and relations, celebrations and joy, problems and pains, and made my Home Studio a friendly and happy place.

Can yoga be relevant at Christmas? Yes it can! You’ll need the moves to help with digestion!  Last year I suggested some postures! This year, more philosophically, the Yamas and Niyamas are yoga’s version of precepts that can give some guidance at Christmas, as in life. I found a lovely article by YogaMagazine.com that suggests how to practice non-harm, restraint, self study and moderation over the festive period. There are lots of tips on how to resist that extra helping!

Resolutions

I always find it sweet to hear yogis, experienced and inexperienced, criticise themselves. You’re all so good and you’re impressively motivated. Please make a New Year Resolution to watch out for your self-criticism and laugh at it. Wag your finger at yourself and let the criticism go. Yogis say things like ‘I could be better’, I’m not very good’, ‘I don’t consider myself to be flexible’, and so on. Just consider yourself a yogi. That’s all you need. A teacher this week was less than impressed with my practice. What can I do? I just love the practice, I love classes with friends, I love teaching and I love being part of the yoga world. Do what you love! That’s all that is required!

Home Studio

Classes at home are classes with friends. I’m back in the first week of January. Some places are booked, some are not. You’re welcome to come. Till then, there’s plenty of yoga to be had in Ealing now that Triyoga is here. Every time I visit I see friends from Nuffield, Eden and my Home Studio. The annual tradition at Triyoga is that all classes on New Year's Day are by donation, with all proceeds going to each centre's chosen local charity. 

Training

Don’t forget that my teacher, Valentina, has a refresher for people who have done Teacher Training . It’s 6  – 7 January 2018. Also, if you’re interested, her Teacher Training which starts on March 3rd/4th and you can find my testimonial here.

Yoga in the News

My goodness! The Telegraph reads like a yoga journal with this article about myofascial release for better health! Have a look and see what a tennis ball is really for!

Happy Christmas, Happy holidays, Happy Kwanza, Happy Eating with loved ones.

Yogi Christmas Presents

Dear Yogis

Christmas is coming. Time to stop being in denial and think of yoga Christmas presents! I know a few of you liked last year’s suggestions. Here’s a cheeky tank top Christmas present idea: Is It Savasana Yet from Tiger Lilly which is UK-based. The Reebok Could Should Would Did top is cool, too. If the person you’re buying for is an avid reader, Hell-Bent by Benjamin Lorr is a real page-turning, entertaining read about the world of Bikram yoga. He’s a follower, practitioner, critic and ex-obsessive. For kids, this is a yoga poster of lovely illustrated poses. A grown-up A1 size poster of the Ashtanga Primary Series can be bought from Joey Miles in Leeds.

In my Home Studio I have the Feet Up Stool to help with headstands/inversions without putting the head on the floor. It is loved by people who are hesitant about going upside-down. (Come and try! Last night one yogi felt euphoric after her first try.). You may remember that I bought the LOVE MAT by Lāal from the yoga show after the Peruvian stall owner asked if my studio had a shop! Not really, but this is my first stock. They’re a sturdy, cheaper alternative to the Liforme mat at £55. Then you’ll need a bag! There are some really nice yoga mat bags from yogabliss.co.uk.

Home Studio

Vata, Pitta, Kapha types all came to my lucky home studio, putting their best sitting-bone forward. All are welcome! Yoga is a chance to dance our way out of our constrictions. (Funkadelic just came on the radio!) There are spaces left next week, the run-up to Christmas. There aren’t any classes in the following week and classes are back on Tuesday 2nd January.  (Please don’t book and cancel at the last minute, denying the space to others.)

Training

Tomorrow afternoon I’m training with Petri Raisanen at The Life Centre, Islington. His workshop is on the Ashtanga Second Series.  He’s launching his latest book – I was at his first book launch too so it feels nice to go for this. Come with me!

Time to big-up my teacher, Valentina, who is a precious jewel in my life. She has two lots of training that you might be interested in. The first is a refresher for people who have done Teacher Training but haven’t taught yet and need a bit of a boost. It’s a weekend in January - 6 January  – 7 January 2018.

The other is her Teacher Training which starts on March 3rd/4th. (My testimonial is here).If you’re interested in that there’s an open session that we can go to on January 14th and meet the Shakti Power Yoga community that she has created. I love to meet Valentina’s other teachers.

Yoga in the News

The Inertia has an article that really is for everybody but the title is: “Why Surfers Need to Let Themselves Fall in Love With Yoga”. Here’s why... the observation that: ‘I’ve never met an active person/athlete without regular aches and pains. And I rarely meet one who can simply reach down and touch their toes without struggling.’ And here’s the article I’ve been waiting for: ‘5 Reasons You Shouldn’t Be Ashamed of Using Props in Yoga’.

Om your way through your Christmas shopping! Good luck.

Yoga for the Blind

Dear Yogis

I’m still buzzing, and a bit achy, from my two weeks of training. In the end, the foot refused to go behind the head! I don't really blame it!.

The final session of training with David Swenson last week was in collaboration with the RNIB. Unsighted people joined our class and we made groups of three to experience yoga poses; one person unsighted, two people supporting. Poses included headstand and handstand!  Sighted yogis closed their eyes to experience postures and the tricky question of balance without sight. Everybody learnt something about the magic and liberating feeling yoga gives.

At home you can have a go at Sun Salutations with your eyes closed. David Swenson started our session by saying that yoga isn't about how good you look, how aligned your postures are, or checking yourself in the mirror, or about the latest mat or clothing. Yoga is all about what you don’t see. Close your eyes and find your inner guru! 

Home Studio

Once again I welcomed new yogis to my little studio this week. It’s always a joy. Thank you for bringing friends and loved ones. There are spaces left next week and I have added a one-off extra class on Wednesday at 6.00pm. (If you need to cancel, there should be a link at the bottom of your confirmation email. You can also check your bookings there.)

Yoga in the News

The Times (the paper of note!) tells us of ‘The rise of the yoga couple’. The paper helpfully tells us that ‘There was a time when the only couple to confess to doing yoga together were Sting and Trudie Styler’ but now Meghan and Harry prove that they are quintessentially a modern couple by starting their day with yoga! Rock on!

I’m giving in to stories of goat/beer/spliff/ yoga to show you this story called “London gets new non-alcoholic brewery”. The company, in east London, hosts beer yoga sessions after which you can taste their produce ‘Kosmic Stout’!

Leg Behind Head and Self-Discovery

Dear Yogis

My training with David Swenson, two weeks of joy, finishes tomorrow. People have come from all over the world to learn from him: from Texas, China and various European countries. One of our number is Joana Zimmer, a singer from Germany who sang for us with the voice of an angel. There was not a dry eye in the house. (Here’s another song for you. It’s very Radio 2!) The training itself, the ‘Second Series’ of Ashtanga’s postural practice, has some seismic backbends. For me, a cyclist since the 80s, it feels impossible. I didn’t realise how much flexibility my back has lost. I screamed on the first day. After two weeks of daily practice, it’s not so bad.

As part of our training we had to give a 20 minute presentation on some aspect of yoga philosophy. My subject was ‘Svadhyaya’. Sva, means self, or the human soul, and Adhyaya means lesson. It’s one of the five ‘observances’ (a bit like commandments). You can approach it as self-analysis in pursuit of daily improvement. It looks like a simple enough practice but, actually, when I look back over my life, I can see a lot of examples where I have self-analysed till the cows came home but didn’t take the next step of putting that knowledge to use.

My mum has a checklist she reviews at the end of the day. She asks herself if she has done wrong and if she could do better. She asks if she has done her duty and she checks that she has helped anyone if she has been gifted the chance to do so. I was blown away! I had no idea! I need to step right up and make a list.

Home Studio

I came home to teach after training all day this week, as last. It brings the joy that it always promises. There are a couple of spaces left next week and the 6.00 Monday and Thursday classes have been reinstated. (If you would like to pay for a class after choosing the ‘Pay later’ option or if you forget to turn up, you can use my PayPal email address: taniashillam@hotmail.com.)

Retreats

Thank you for the response to the news of the Happiness Retreat with Psychologist Deborah Smith last week. Here are the dates, as promised, for the next Kapsali Yoga Retreat September 2018. There will be two retreats: the first one for all levels to arrive on the Island on Sunday 9th to leave on Sunday 16th. The second one will mirror the timetable/workload of the previous retreats with Lisa and I and go from Sunday 16th to Sunday 23rd. (This one may well be full already given the names I have collected so far!) Details will be on my website by next week – delayed by this all-consuming course.

Yoga in the News

Chris Evans on Radio 2 interviewed Gordon, the 84-year-old yoga master with over fifty years of poses. It’s a very sweet little interview. (Chris Evans is an ex practitioner. We need to get him back!)

Did you see this on BBC London Live about yoga for special needs children? It’s about the Mahadevi Centre in Islington.  

Have a lovely weekend.