photo by liewcf on flickr.com

As yoga teachers, we ride the seasonal waves of classes that are full of enthusiastic yogis or  virtually empty – apart form the three stalwarts that make it rain or shine. New yoga teachers often take this personally. I know that I had a hard time with it when I started teaching. But over the years, as I have seen students come and go, and often come back again, I have learned to see it as part of the natural rhythm of teaching. In fact, it is the natural rhythm of life.

I also recognise that whilst a might be top of my list, for many people it is just one of the many things that fill their lives.

We all know how life happens. And it happens at such a pace, and with so many demands upon our time and attention that sometimes, the weekly Yoga class might just be  the first thing to make it into the trash folder.

I thought it might be interesting to look at some of the reasons that I have been given over the years, and break them down, to see if we can’t just give ourselves a little extra motivation to make it to yoga.  So the next few blog posts will be devoted to this topic.

#1 I’ve just been too busy

It’s a common mantra. I use it myself all the time, and sometimes I even believe myself. The truth is that if I really decided to, I could make space.

We are constantly switched on these days. Most of us carry a  Smartphone which keeps us connected via phone, text, e-mail  and social media 24/7. And this gives the illusion of having to do things all the time, so that there is never a point during the day when you are not available to work. If you are self-employed then I am guessing that this is even more the case.

E-mails arrive and demand our attention when we could be having a little downtime. Sometimes, that e-mail will ping into your inbox ten minutes before you are due to leave for your yoga class, and before you know it, you’ve missed class- again. I know how it goes, I’ve been there. Thankfully, as the teacher, I have the imperative of having to be at class, because it IS my work. How many of us have lost an hour, two hours, more – or Facebook or  YouTube and the like? We all know how these things suck us in.

I read a lighthearted blog post recently, by one of my favourite bloggers/teachers, Leonie Dawson. It was about how to make your creative ideas take shape but it can be applied to life in general. In fact, I have been applying to my life as much as possible over the past week or so.

“…And while we’re at it” she writes  “Get the f*** off the internet. No last Facebook checks to see if anything significant in your life (or anyone else’s) has changed. You have work to do…”

So if it helps – you can say to yourself “Get the f*** off the internet, you have Yoga to go to” Lightheartedly, of course!  🙂

This is my belief. And I know from my own practice that it is true. Firstly, we often sacrifice the very things that are good for us, before we sacrifice anything else in our lives.  I am not going to even  try and unravel the psychology of this, but it has a lot to do with the difference between the feelings of immediate comfort and gratification, and the benefits of long term physical, emotional and psychological wellbeing. For example, my favourite comforter is hot, sweet soya-milky chai. And I could easily spend a yoga class’s worth on chai in a day, not to mention the hours sitting browsing Facebook in cafes…

Secondly, if you make time for yoga, you will be less busy. Really.  Because busy-ness is a state of mind. If you have a deadline, if you are working on a presentation, if you feel pressured to spend an extra hour in the office, if you just want to go home after a busy day and collapse on the couch with a glass of Pino Grigio, then COME TO YOGA instead. I guarantee you will feel better, less busy, less pressured and more able to tackle whatever it is that made you feel busy in the first place.

In the next instalment – reason not to come to yoga #2 “I can’t afford it”

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blog also appears at  Ceibhfhion.blogspot.co.uk  and switchingoffblog.blogspot.co.uk

“Every act of business can be an act of love.” Mark Silver, The Heart of Business 

This post also appears at ceibhfhion.blogspot.com

I was teaching class on Wednesday night. It’s a class that hasn’t been very well attended. It is a Yin Yoga class and although my monthly Yin class is well attended by my regular students, this weekly class hasn’t really taken off. There are a number of reasons why this could be: Yoga teachers in general are feeling the bite at the moment; I know I should probably need to do some more targeted marketing; and if that doesn’t work, accept that perhaps Glasgow just isn’t ready for so much Yin and do something that people do want. There are lots of things I can do.

However, I have such a belief in this profound practice that every week, I show up and I “hold” the space for whoever comes. Sometimes there will be five people, sometimes just one. Every time, I remember to teach from the heart, and  mindfully acknowledge why I am there. And I always find that I can take joy in that one person who has come to receive the practice. I also have faith in my passion for and ability to teach the practice, and I have also been teaching long enough to know in my heart that it is not because people don’t want to be taught by me.

But on Wednesday night, when just two people came,  what was in my heart was despondency. This is a tough admission for a Yoga teacher, that we get pissed off like everyone else. That we feel sorry for ourselves like everyone else. That we sometimes feel hopeless. But I have learned over the years, and from the teachers that have taught me, and whose teaching I respect,  that one of the biggest gifts I can give as a teacher is to show that I am human.

As I began the practice, I felt this upwelling of emotion. I was feeling sorry for myself. It is at times like these, that I am thankful for my mindfulness practice, and I was able to do something with what I was feeling, in order to continue to hold the space, and teach.  As my students were attending to their breathing, I was attending to mine, aware that the feelings would pass.

As I sat, breathing, with my eyes closed I was suddenly aware of a bright luminosity and an image appearing before me. I became aware that I was seeing an image of Lord Shiva, the God of the Yogis. But then this image changed to one of his son, Ganesh, the Elephant headed God. It was nice to see him. He and I have not connected for a while, although during my studies in India, we were good friends 🙂

I sat and enjoyed the vision for a while and then realised, of course!  Lord Ganesha is the remover of obstacles.

Whether Ganesha was indeed appearing before me, or whether the image was a vibrant product of my own imagination is neither here nor there. I was being reminded of the obstacles that I was creating for myself by allowing this negative thinking to take hold, even for a moment. I was able then to move on with my teaching, joyfully, in the knowledge that I had a couple of pretty powerful assistants.

The next day, it also led me to think about  what the other obstacles might be, and not just the practical ones. My sister said to me the other day – talking about her own experiences- that it is often when we finally let go of something that we have been holding on to that we make the energetic space to allow other things to come into our lives. And sometimes when our energies are divided or scattered, then we are not 100% energetically committed to what we are doing at any one time.

So it is a time for clearing some space. I have begun to let go of some things. This isn’t necessarily an easy process. Letting go is never easy, even when it is about ridding yourself of something that is causing you pain. When it is something you love, then making space is even harder. Of course, the divide isn’t necessarily clear. We have all had experience of loving something that isn’t good for us!

This is where Ganesha can be a strong ally. And one of the ways that we can tap into his energy is by chanting.  It is common for a Ganesha mantra to be chanted at the beginning of an undertaking, and often at the beginning of yoga classes in some traditions. A few years ago I undertook a 40 day mantra discipline. Every morning at sunrise I got up, sat in meditation and did Japa – mantra chanting – of the Ganesha Mantra “Om Gam Ganapataye Namah”  I chanted 108 times ( one round of the mala) every day of 40 days.

I had no agenda in chanting. I didn’t hold any mental picture of what I would like to change. To be honest, I was conducting a bit of a personal experiment. And do you know what? It bloody worked! Within weeks, everything changed. Everything that was holding me back. Some would believe that it was intercession, some that it was some aspect of myself that was being manifested. Either way, obstacles were removed. Big time. Even some that I wasn’t even aware of. A reminder, I suppose of “Be careful what you wish for”.

I may or may not do the mantra again (mindful that obstacles may be removed that I wasn’t expecting!) but I  am going to be committed to cultivating that energy that does not create obstacles.

Happy Valentine’s Day! We’re sharing the Love with a

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A series of monthly Saturday afternoon workshops with Jude

These longer classes will give you an opportunity to explore the deeper dimension of Yoga that you don’t always get in a general level class and will cover aspects of

We all know about new year’s resolutions. We  resolve to lose weight, quit smoking or  take more exercise and within a short space of time, the impetus leaves us. This can feel like failure. Why set ourselves up for failure?

It doesn’t need to be like that. At In the Moment, our Yoga classes start back on Monday 7th January. Our skilled and compassionate teachers will give you all the support you need to discover that you only need ONE New year’s resolution this year! And if your body prefers to move in other ways, then the following week we have a full schedule of movement classes including Tai Chi, Biodanza and  Five Rhythms Dance.