On 14th July, I am due to teach the last yoga class in my schedule. This isn’t an end, but it does mark a certain evolution that has been happening for the last couple of years. I’ve been teaching actual yoga classes for a long time, but recently, as you probably know, I’ve been doing …
When we\’re trying to understand ‘how life moves’, what we really have is a series of stories that attempt to make sense of massive complexity, diversity, and the interdependence of different systems. So whether we\’re talking about evolutionary movement, or developmental progression, or gunas and doshas, what we’re doing is using stories that can help …
One of the most difficult and persistent tensions I hold in my work is between that of survivor, ally, activist, teacher and researcher. Although my own research doesn’t centre around abuse in yoga, trauma, survivorship, ethical relationships and accountability are all subjects that I’m regularly called to speak to. I don’t mind that, because although …
I’ve been interested for a long time now in the links between our physical and conceptual worlds. One of the most well-known theorists to talk about this was Merleau-Ponty. He said that human beings are always seeking to ‘grasp’ the world – to find the ‘perfect fit’ between their hands and the things they grasp. …
One of the things that’s really changed in the last 18 months for all of us is the ways in which we feel able to come together with those we care about. There have been those we missed like a constant ache, yet didn’t feel safe being close to. There have been restrictions that all …
For the past few months I’ve been diving deeply into teaching and training, and taking a bit of a break from writing while the next big project emerges. But I’ve been loving the explorations afforded by the teachers’ practices I run for Nourish. Every month I supply some reading on a theme, and then we …
The word yogini has a long and complex history within yoga. Its usage has always been as political as it is religious. Within modern yoga, yogini is a term that has been used by female practitioners, particularly yoga teachers, to claim something specific and shared about women’s experiences in yoga – modern hatha yoga in …
In the middle of a pandemic, I have started a new job and brought home a dog. These events are not unconnected. My new part-time post as the Coordinator for the SOAS Centre of Yoga Studies is a chance to work with some of the nicest and most respected scholars in the field, and is …
This week I was invited onto Francesca Cervero’s podcast. She’s doing a series of ‘where are we now?’ episodes with a good number of thinkers, trainers, and senior yoga teachers. It was a good chance to reflect, not only with Francesca, but with my co-invitee, Matthew Remski, on the effects of COVID on the yoga …
I have two things to talk about in this post, to make up for not posting at all for a bit. Firstly, I’ve been dealing with some rather epic mental health issues, and being honest about that with friends, colleagues and co-conspirators has left the way open for them to be honest with me about …
