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Life Lessons, Parenthood, Yoga

The real yoga

My daughter is almost as tall as me.
Her feet are bigger than mine.

She’s 11. I’m 43.

Last year she was 4. At least that’s how it feels…
Oh, the swift pace of this crazy life!

And this parenting malarkey. I’ve not yet nailed it – have you?
Everyday – a new lesson, a new guilt.
A daily reminder that I am human.

This for me is the real yoga.
Forget the headstands, your crow obsession or the depth of your backbend.

Real yoga is about living real life. In all its messy, fast-moving glory.

Can you hold on when the ride gets tough? Can you drop the judgement? Can you sit with yourself and rest in the not knowing…

Because kids will get taller. Their feet will get bigger. Their cheeks no longer chubby.

They’ll borrow your make-up, your money, your car. They’ll make you laugh and smile and drive you bat sh@t crazy.

And they’ll grow before your eyes in what feels like record speed.

So can you pause for a moment – hand on heart – and acknowledge how far you’ve come.

Drop the judgement, drop the worry and drink it all in.

Because each new phase is a reminder of this beautiful cycle of life.

Our biggest yoga practice of all.

By on September 26, 2023
Yoga

Mini Retreat

I’m really excited to be hosting a very special mini retreat with my good friend and fellow yoga teacher, Amanda Cunliffe-Smith, on Friday 20th January. We all know that sticking to New Year’s resolutions is not always easy, and by the end of the month our good intentions may have already fallen by the wayside! Our retreat is aimed at helping you break this cycle and stay true to what is important to you.

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By on January 7, 2017
Parenthood, Yoga

The tale of Henry Roy

“Haven’t you had that baby yet?” said the well-meaning lady at the gym, where I’d just been for a swim two days past my due date. “We didn’t think we’d see you back in here!” Little did I know that the early hours of the next morning would mark the start of our son’s intense journey into this world – arriving on the 17th June after 8 hours of labour.

That day I was feeling the need to be extra active and even slotted in an online yoga practice and a “prepare for birth” meditation that evening. In the video the man guided me to visualise when I would like my labour to begin – for some reason I thought 4.30am would be a good starting time, giving me a chance to at least clock up a few hours in bed first before having the stretch of the day ahead. I pictured the husband and I calmly driving over the hills to the hospital as the sun was rising – calm, idyllic, in control.

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By on June 22, 2015
Yoga

Inner Child

Picture the scene. A kids yoga class. My daughter, Molly, is squealing around the room, rolling herself up in her mat and leaping in and out of her version of downward dog, but as a whole, generally not doing very much yoga at all. Ten minutes later, her teddy is out, her thumb is in and she has collapsed into a small sweaty pile on her yoga mat. Exhausted.

It is messy. It is noisy. There is jumping, laughing, robot walking. It is as far from the serenity you might expect to experience from a regular yoga class, where we tut inwardly every time someone arrives late and disrupts our ‘zen,’ or mentally clear our throat when someone OMS badly out of tune. Yes, welcome instead to the world of teaching kids yoga. A world that has thrown any expectations I had at maintaining control out of the window. And I’m not even teaching the class! Continue Reading

By on March 31, 2015
Yoga

Community Omm-ing at Yogafest 2015

It was definitely a case of the ‘bump’ and I on tour at this year’s Yogafest – a fantastic community event that brought together over 5000 yogis, pilates lovers, meditators and more on 19th – 21st February. I was honoured to be asked to instruct a session once again at this annual event which this year supported PCRF – the Palestinian Children’s Relief Fund – a wonderful charity that helps children in the West Bank and Gaza. I taught a soothing lower back and hips flow, and thankfully no-one seemed too put off by my increasingly beach ball sized belly! Continue Reading

By on February 23, 2015
Yoga

Learning to let go

Lisa tells how meditation can help us accept loss…from the inevitable end of a bountiful garden to the unexpected end of a marriage.

Fall is a double-edged sword. Here in the middle of the US we are blessed with crisp days, crystal blue skies and glorious fall leaves. But hand-in-hand with the beauty inevitably comes cold weather, shorter, darker days, and ultimately what always takes me by surprise, the first frost. Continue Reading

By on December 1, 2014
Yoga

Dear Forgotten Yoga Practice

This is a personal letter to my yoga practice, published in Elephant Journal, Nov ’14…Cheryl x

Dear yoga practice: I miss you.

We used to be great friends, but lately I’ve felt you slipping away.

I want to be honest and tell you that I’ve been harbouring strange feelings towards you, to the point that sometimes I can’t be bothered to work at our relationship anymore. I know this sounds harsh, so I’m reaching out to you. What can we do? We used to have a great thing going. Do you think we can get this back?  Continue Reading

By on November 26, 2014
Yoga

In your face(book)

I think I’ve discovered the root of why I have been feeling like I can’t quite keep up with things these days, whether it is my yoga practice or parenting skills that come under the microscope. It’s the reason why my ego tells me I am not quite good enough, slim enough, bendy enough, strong enough… Continue Reading

By on October 16, 2014