November 2020

RITUAL.

At some point each day this month you’ll have found me embroidering these logos for my bags or eye pillows. It’s a slow and steady process which I find incredibly therapeutic right now. I started sewing these just for myself back in May as a way to keep myself busy but with my eyes off of a screen. This is still just as important to me, if not more in the colder darker months when I am going outside even less.

Due to the time it takes me it is possibly not something I will be able to keep up for the long term as life inevitably picks up speed again. So if you have been interested in one for yourself or maybe as a Christmas present for someone now is a good time! You can purchase from the shop here.

NOURISH.

Although I love to cook, I don’t usually find myself baking. In fact I rarely make anything sweet. But when I feel called the only thing I really know how to make is an apple crumble. However, it has evolved a lot for me over the years with my health issues to be gluten, dairy and sugar free (sorry!). So if you’re still interested, this is my very very lazy recipe and instructions:

You’ll need ~ Cooking apples (regular apples also work but they won’t soften in the same way), xylitol (or regular sugar), GF oats (or regular oats…), coconut oil/butter or margarine, cinnamon (!)

Slice your apples and layer into the dish, every couple of layers sprinkle your xylitol/sugar and a little cinnamon. In a separate bowl, with your hands mix together the oats and coconut oil/butter and then layer over the top of the apples. Finish with another sprinkle of xylitol/sugar and cinnamon. Cook at around 190 degrees for 30 mins. Enjoy as your house begins to smell of apples and cinnamon!

SELF PRACTICE.

At the end of October I completed a Yin yoga teacher training. Although I decided to take a break from teaching during our 2nd lockdown I have been dreaming up my class plans for the new year!

In the meantime I’ve been exploring a very yin home practice and falling in love with bolsters...! Although I can’t wait to safely get back into a studio to take class again, this year has been interesting for me to see how my home practice has adapted to me…just being at home all day! I can’t say that it has been strictly everyday, or that I have mastered anything new. But I have had the opportunity to see for myself what it is exactly that a personal practice can offer, how routine and ritual bring purpose and reflection, and what a personal practice offers when you find yourself truly being challenged.

I imagine that perhaps all of us have gained new insight of ourselves through this experience, maybe not parts that have been very comfortable to discover, but even so, these times are new opportunities for transformation.

SELF STUDY.

Book ~ Roots of Yoga, by James Mallinson & Mark Singleton. James Mallinson was one of the leaders of the Hatha Yoga Project (I mentioned this in last months post here), a 5 year project focusing on translating some of the oldest and most rare texts found in India.

I think it will take me some time to get through this book completely. However, I am aware already that it is going to help fill in a lot of gaps and questions I have had about a number of yogic teachings.

If you haven’t already read this I would definitely recommend this to all teachers and dedicated practitioners. It is a heavy read but still one that you will find yourself sucked into. It is fascinating to read some of the direct (translated) instructions for postures, pranayama and the yogic seals!

It also has a small, but incredibly useful glossary covering all of the words you may hear being used within yoga classes but not quite certain of their translations.