Most people who practice yoga regularly have at least a passing acquaintance with the 8 Limbs of Yoga as outlined by Pantanjali in the Yoga Sutras.  I wrote a series of posts on them last year.  The first two limbs are the Yamas and Niyamas - guidelines to live your life by – guidelines which, for the last decade, I have been trying my best to live my life by.

Yama numero uno is Ahimsa, often translated as non-harming or non-violence.  In the yoga world Ahimsa tends to go arm-in-arm with vegetarianism or veganism.  Which is just great, until you realise you might be causing harm to yourself.

Earlier this year when my health was really bad, when I ached all over every day, woke up every morning feeling like I’d been hit by a bus, when I looked too skinny and drawn and had dark circles under my eyes, I went to see a nutritionist.  We talked for a long time about this, that and the other.  And we came to the conclusion that a) I was protein deficient and b) I needed to start thinking about cutting inflammatory foods out of my life (ie diary and wheat).

I have eaten very little dairy for years, on the whole it makes my stomach do things that you don’t really want your stomach to do. No problem, dairy can pretty much go.  Wheat….well I’d had an idea in the back of my mind since the end of last year that I should probably look into how much wheat I eat.  After a few false starts and a long conversation with my lovely friend Svasti, I have been pretty much wheat-free for three months!  And I do feel better; less bloated, less sore, and I really do notice when I (either accidentally or otherwise) do eat wheat. So wheat and dairy.  Gone!

But then there was the protein issue.  For one reason or another I just wasn’t absorbing enough protein from vegetable sources and it wasn’t that I wasn’t eating the right foods, it was just that my body wasn’t doing what it should.  I tried various things, including taking a bunch of digestive enzymes before every meal.

I already ate eggs, but the nutritionist I spoke to thought I should start eating fish (which I have to admit didn’t take much persuading), and maybe some chicken (again it took a lot less persuading than you’d think) and Himself saw the whole thing as a massive excuse to barbecue a lot of different lumps of flesh…..

Ultimately, I have never been vegetarian because I don’t like meat.  I do, I love it.

There I said it.

Ultimately I have always been vegetarian because I don’t want other living beings to die because of me, I don’t want to cause harm, I just want to be guided by Ahimsa.

But as I said, what if you are inadvertently causing yourself harm?

The school of yoga in which I trained teaches that everybody’s body is unique and all of us need different practices and that practice will change as we progress through the cycles of life.  And over the last couple of years I have come to believe that the same is true of diet.  There is no “one diet fits all”.  I know a lot of vegans and raw foodies who are so full of energy it’s a beautiful thing to see but when I eat like that (and I know this is true for others as well), I feel quite the opposite; lethargic and tired.

Over the last few months, as my diet has slowly changed to remove the inflammatory foods and include more organic animal protein (as well as discovering that I don’t digest leafy greens and most raw vegetables very well either), I have started to feel much more like my old self; less tired and much more zingy! I have also noticed my hair, skin and nails are vastly improved.

I spent so long worrying about non-harming towards other living beings I had forgotten about having a non-harming attitude towards myself.  My health has always been a struggle, and I do need to keep on top of it.  I need to be kind to myself and live the life that suits me best, without allowing myself to be made to feel guilty by other’s interpretations of the Yamas or the paths that other people must tread.  If I do not keep on top of my own health, keep myself in top condition, how can I be expected to serve others in my work?

Alistair Shearer, in his interpretation of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, asks us to think about Ahimsa as “a dynamic peacefulness that is prepared to meet all situations with a loving openess.  It is the state of living free from fear.”

To live free from fear we must put judgement aside, love ourselves as much as we love others (for how can we truly know love if we do not show it to ourselves) and find the path that suits our own unique body, our own unique mind, our own unique soul.

I am, as always, a work in progress.

Himself has a little bit of a man-crush on Jared Leto. Some of you will remember him from My So-Called Life and American Psycho. In this house it’s all about his second incarnation as frontman of 30 Seconds to Mars. They’re not a bad band, as bands go (I for one particularly like their This is War album), but what is astounding about them is their following. The die-hard fans call themselves The Echelon, go out of their way to promote gigs and albums and other appearances, tattoo themselves in the strange Illuminati-type symbols that Jared tattoos on his arms and know all the call and response/hand symbols to the songs. If you ever get a chance to see 30 Second to Mars live on MTV or something like that you’ll see what I mean.

Himself doesn’t really get it. He loves the man and the music, he just doesn’t get the strange cult-like following.

But I do.

You see it reminds me of New Model Army gigs in the late 80s/early 90s. We, the die-hard fans, called ourselves The Family. We travelled far and wide to see them play. We knew all the words to all the songs, as well as the actions (that is less lame than it sounds…. honestly!). We tattooed ourselves with celtic knots and always bought the t-shirt. And if one of us fell down in the mosh-pit someone would always pick us up again.

(the moshpit c. 2006 – a bit balder, a bit fatter but still going strong!!)

It’s about a need to belong. It’s about feeling like a lost lonely little freak, about nobody at your school understanding you and then, suddenly discovering this band that speak to you. Discovering that, amongst the other fans, you’ve found people who finally get you. You’ve found somewhere you can relax and be yourself. Who you really, truly are. No holds barred.

This need to be part of a tribe is primal. Those feelings start when you hear the record. But when you see the band live, pressed against the heat and vitality of other living souls who feel the same way as you it goes beyond that. Beyond time, to that place where we are all a spark of something else. Something special.

Why am I telling you this?

Because it happens in yoga too.

I know for a fact there are people reading this that know what I mean. That feeling of finally having found home when you walk into a yoga class. That feeling of finally belonging.

In our yoga class we know the dance, we know all the words, we know the call-and-response chants and the secret hand gestures (mudras). And we feel that primal belonging as we practice alongside others, that spark of life that lies within us all.

Those of you who know Linda will know that she refers to her husband’s passion for music as “his yoga”. And we all have that. It might not be a yoga class. But everyone has that place where they belong, where they’ve finally found what they were looking for. And if you haven’t, I promise you, it’s just around the corner if you keep your eyes, your mind and your heart wide open.

“Some people ask us if this is a cult; I say this:
It’s something special. It’s not for everyone – it’s only for those who understand.”
–Jared Leto

I still feel the call to New Model Army gigs at least once a year. I still call myself Family as proudly now as I did when I was 14. I can’t help it, the pull is strong, the desire to belong.

Almost as strong as the call to yoga.

Wow!

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This year has been incredible on so many levels; but it’s also been hard. Really, really hard.

Ten and a half months ago I wrote a post choosing my word of the year and what I hoped to do to get there.  I chose Joy.  I chose that word rather naively hoping that, after a couple of years of trials and tribulations I could just be allowed to be happy and joyous.

Life doesn’t work like that though does it?  To be happy, to live the life you dream of, to make the waves you want to make you have to work your butt off.

With the benefit of hindsight’s 20/20 vision it would be more pertinent to have chosen Healing as my word of the year.  Because there has been a lot of that readers.  But out of that healing has come joy abundant and I find myself, at the end of this year with a little business that’s almost sustaining itself, the ability to pick and choose my own clients and my own hours, sitting down to breakfast every morning with Himself safe in the knowledge that these days neither of us have to commute anywhere very often.  There’s food in the fridge, a roof over our heads (although I predict a move in our future – more on that next year), money in the bank (mostly).

There are memories, like our amazing month in Australia to look back on, and the beginnings of a future plan to look forward to.  There has been the arrival of Dave the Stray Cat (much to the consternation of the spoiled house-cats).  There’s been Pilates Teacher Training (done and done – thanks crooked body for being so unimaginably strong!) and that phenomenal weekend in Durham when I got the green light to start to teach BWY Foundation Course Tutor Training (whatever I say, yoga will always be my first and foremost love).

But then there’s been the chronic anxiety and the terrible health, the low iron levels, the damn trapped nerve in my neck - I’ve written a lot of Small Stones this year to try to keep me present and a lot of gratitude lists to help me remember how much worse it could be.  There’s been counselling and coaching and a lot of lightbulb moments about where I’m going wrong, where the anxiety is coming from and where I’m self-sabotaging.   There’s been a lot of blood tests and a lot of trips to the doctor and that horrible moment when I realised that why yes osteoporosis is hereditary and I await an appointment for my bone scan.

I made the decision to stop eating wheat and start eating meat (there’s a poem in that), which was a hard decision but the right one for me for many, many reasons.  I have written a lot, but none of it what I thought it was going to be (maybe that will become clearer next year, maybe it won’t) and I think I may have a better handle on my finances (with thanks to the amazing Nona Jordan and this course – which I cannot recommend highly enough. There’s another one starting in January)

There are big things coming I know, not least that move I was talking about and the whole writing and presenting my first Foundation Course.  But that’s OK.  I am a different person now to who I was 12 months ago, as though I have been broken apart and rebuilt, and I will be different again in 12 months’ time.

2011 – you’ve taught me an important lesson in balance.

2012 – I’m ready for you, bring it!

I spent most of June this year coming up with a name for my business; one that wasn’t already taken, one that was future-proof (ie not CambridgeMovement or similar – I made that mistake in London!) and one that really emphasised the focus of my work.  When I came up with Fusion Massage + Movement (with the help of Himself of course!) I knew it was the right name because it resonated with me in all the right ways.

Both words “Yoga” and “Pilates” come with their own baggage.  This is mostly to do with who we think we need to be and what we think our bodies need to be able to do before we can join a class.

That’s all rubbish of course.  With the exception of getting the all clear from our doctors for pre-existing medical conditions before starting a new practice, we don’t need to be anything other than our beautiful selves to start a movement routine.

But those words “Yoga” and “Pilates”, they instill fear in so many people who have begun to lose touch with their bodies or who haven’t moved for years.

Which is why I chose the word movement for my business, because to move is just to stretch an arm up high, to wriggle your toes, to feel the expansion of your ribcage on a deep breath in.  Start to bring that movement together with the breath, with awareness, conscious movement, beautiful, spontaneous, efficient movement and you’re there!  And then you can start to bring that movement off your mat, out of your class and into the world, helping to create less pain, fuller breathing, increased energy and joy.

And none of the baggage of labels.

Who wouldn’t want that?!

We don’t have to push and strive and grunt and groan and take on too much and give up.  There is enough of that in life as it is.  All we need is an open mind,  a willingness to arrive on the mat and a desire to reconnect with breath, body and big smiles!

And that’s movement.  And I don’t care what you call it: Pilates, Yoga, Thai Chi, Roller Derby….. it’s all movement!

Physical fitness is the first requisite of happiness
–Joseph Pilates

Yoga is to attain what was previously unattainable
–TKV Desikachar

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Originally written for my other blog

1) Yoga mat

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Well this is the million dollar question.  If I had it my way none of us would have mats but that’s another story for another day.  I get the need for them, especially if you practice at a studio or dusty old church and I get that a lot of yoga teachers don’t have the storage space to provide their students with mats (I’m lucky in that I do).  Basically, whatever I may think, a mat is still a primary necessity when it comes to practicing yoga.

I’m not going to give the big speech on ethical and eco yoga mats.  I’m not 100% convinced there is such a thing.  Just make sure it’s non-PVC OK?

The Manduka is a very popular one.  I’m not a fan as I find them too thick and heavy and really £60 is a lot of money for a mat right?  For a thinner cheaper option there is the Manduka Lite.

I much prefer the Prana e.c.o but this wouldn’t hold up to a really vigorous practice like Astanga (it does work really well for Pilates though especially if you put a yoga rug down.  I like these from YogaMatters.co.uk.

The Prana Revolution is a great big mat, wider and stronger and much better for Astanga.  If you buy this from YogaMatters.co.uk they donate £1 to Yoga for Unity.

Finally for Astanga/Hot/Power Yoga practitioners – sometimes the sweat makes you lose your grip right?  Try this liquid chalk.  I swore by it back in my Astanga days.

2) Bolsters

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In my mind there is nothing so liberating as lying back over a yoga bolster at the end of a busy day.  They are supportive and comforting and perfect for restorative poses as well as sitting on in the more general scheme of things.  They are also one of the few yoga props I am willing to spend a lot of money on.

These are my own favourites.  As they have removable covers they are great for classes and also if, like me, you sit on them to eat your tea and you spill a lot…. hmmm….;)

These ones are slightly more expensive but are stuffed with buckwheat rather than cotton which moulds into the shape of your body over time (great for personal practice, not so great if you are sharing them with your students).

3) Mat Bags + Eyepillows

There is only one place to go for the best in yoga mat bags and eye pillows and that’s Devon Red.  Clare handmakes all the gorgeous stock and has it ready and shipped to you within a week.  Who could ask for more?  And as she says, anyone who has ever tried Savasana with an eye pillow over their eyes has never gone back.  Perfect stocking fillers, I’m sure you’ll agree!

4) Books

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There are thousands upon thousands of yoga books out there and a lot of them are (ahem) dodgy to say the least, but here are a few of my favourites.

At risk of sounding like a stuck record, if you or the yogi in your life hasn’t read Darren Main’s Yoga and the Path of the Urban Mystic, then this is the time to buy it.  Darren has a fabulous new book out as well called The Yogi Entrepreneur which is perfect for anyone thinking about training to teach yoga or just trying to set themselves up as a teacher.  I wish it had been around 6 years ago to be honest.

Then there’s The Heart of Yoga by TKV Desikachar – the book to read as you start to take your yoga journey forward, Writing Yoga by Bruce Black – for hints, tips and prompts on keeping a practice journal (a practice journal is  a great way of taking your yoga off the mat), and for something a little bit more, well, hardgoing most serious yogis have at least attempted to read Eliade’s Yoga: Immortality and Freedom (warning: this took me a year to get through!).

For a little bit of lighthearted fun, Kimberly Wilson’s Hip Tranquil Chick is a perfect balance between life and mat, and Judith Hanson Lasater’s Relax + Renew does exactly what it says on the tin!

5) DVDs

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I’ve never been 100% convinced about yoga DVDs.  It’s really hard to find that focus and clear sightedness when it’s you, your TV and an instructor pretzeling themselves on screen (yes that is a word in my world). However, yoga classes are expensive and home practice is hard to maintain without some sort of instruction so I would recommend the following DVDs only if you or the yogi in your life is a) not a beginner and b) sees a teacher or goes to class at least semi-regularly because nothing beats input from a real actual person

Gary Kraftsow’s Viniyoga DVDS – one for the upper body, one for the lower body;

Rodney Yee’s AM/PM yoga – two 20-minute sequences plus use of props/modifications etc for the time of day most appropriate for you.

Paul Grilley’s Yin Yoga DVD – a great way to start a home practice.

There are a lot more practice DVDs and you may all have your own individual favourites that I haven’t seen.  Do let me know in the comments (and likewise for any books or props that you particularly love)

NB:  Most of the links here take you to YogaMatters.co.uk, a UK yoga supplier.  There are many other suppliers of all these products around the world and Google is your friend.  I have no affiliation with YogaMatters at all, it is just somewhere I have always trusted for my yoga equipment. Neither do I have any affiliation with Amazon.co.uk

I do have affiliation with Devon Red and using the links to Devon Red in this post may result in commissions for SuburbanYogini.com

And for those of you who didn’t win, Nadine has kindly offered a 10% discount on her YogAttitude cards and workbooks which you can buy here!

Simply click the link and follow the purchasing instructions and then put in the code IMWITHRACHEL at checkout to get your discount!

Thank you Nadine

PS: Readers I’m away Pilates training again this weekend so there’ll be no Friday Five this week.  See you after the weekend x

Some of you may already know Nadine.  She’s an Australian based yoga teacher who I was blessed to meet back in April when I was in Melbourne. She has opened a little shop on her website and one of her products is these lovely YogAttitude cards.

YogAttitude cards are perfect for shifting your perspective, inspiring your home practice when it feels stale and perfect for those of you who would like to start a home practice but don’t know where to begin.

The cards are divided into 25 yoga pose cards and 25 attitude cards and come with a pdf e-book outlining the ideas behind the cards and different ways to use them as well as beautiful explanation for each of the attitudes and guidelines for the yoga poses.

For example if you are a beginner to home practice you might just want to take it one pose a day.  Yesterday morning I picked out Balasana (child’s pose) and the attitude “Fresh”.  How perfect is that for a Monday morning when I’m feeling tired and achey?

I allowed my body to rest in child’s pose and reminded myself that every morning is a fresh start, I can be anything I want to be and adventure could take me anywhere.  I cannot tell you how much that cheered me up.

Alternatively you could pick a handful of yoga pose cards and start creating your own sequence, along with an attitude card to hold in mind whilst practising.  Or you could just pick an attitude card on a Monday morning as a “word of the week”. The options are endless.

So if you would like a set of YogAttitude cards to call your own, along with the pdf booklet, then leave me a comment below and I’ll pick a winner next Tuesday morning!

(Oh and there will be a surprise second prize too so go on, take a gamble!)

NB: If you buy the cards from Nadine’s shop you also get a guided talk through of five of the attitudes (which is not included in the giveaway).

I am beyond excited to announce my first solo adventure into running a yoga holiday!

Long term readers will remember that I assisted on a retreat in Turkey with Fiona Agombar 3 years ago (wow!  Was that really 3 years?  How old is this blog?!), but this is my first time doing all the organising and teaching myself.  Yikes!

Would you like to know more?  Maybe you’d like to come?  You’d be so incredibly welcome.  But listen, I only have 10 places and one has definitely gone already (can you believe it?!).  Next May seems an eternity away but time flies, so read on my lovelies for fun times together!

The break will take place at Morley Old Hall, Wymondham (nr Norwich), Norfolk from lunchtime on Friday 25 May 2012 to lunchtime on Sunday 27 May 2012 (in 2012, as some of you may know, that won’t be the Bank Holiday weekend which will instead be a four day weekend over the 2, 3, 4 and 5 June to celebrate the Golden Jubilee).

The weekend will cost £399 (£349 if paid for in full before 31st December 2011)) per person** (with a £100 deposit to secure your place) and would include:-

• 5 yoga sessions + 2-3 meditation sessions;
• one-to-one work during breaks (optional);
• bed, breakfast, lunch, dinner, all refreshments (dietary requirements catered for) and housekeeping (oh and cake of course!);
• pickups from and to local station;
• plenty of chillout time to read, write, go for walks or anything else you fancy doing;
• for those of us who can’t live without it, we’ll even have free wi-fi!!

All of the yoga sessions are multi-level and the holiday is suitable for beginners as well.

None of the yoga and meditation sessions will be compulsory and there is plenty to do in the area, we could organise a trip to Norwich or to some of the ancient abbeys and museums on the Saturday afternoon.

I’d love to know what you think readers, and if you’d like more information or want to book a place then drop me an email to rachel@massage-movement.co.uk

Booking is open now and deposits will need to be paid by 31st December 2011.

** Pricing is based on sharing an en-suite room with one other person – single supplements are available upon request

Enjoy and let me know what you think!

“Yoga is to attain what was previously unattainable”

(picture taken by me in Sydney Botanical Gardens, NSW, Australia)

The quote above is from TKV Desikachar, son of Krishnamacharya and author of yoga must-read The Heart of Yoga, is one that has resonated with me for years, and one which I have come back to again and again.

When I first read it, way back before I had even thought about training to teach yoga, I automatically associated it with yoga asana (poses). There were so many asana that seemed unattainable to me and I thought if I practice, practice, practice I could do anything.

This turned out to be true, just not in the way I originally thought.

Many years and many teacher trainings later, there are still asana that are unattainable to me. But what yoga has helped me attain is a greater sense of acceptance. Acceptance of my own limitations as well as my strengths and areas of improvement.

I genuinely believe that a regular yoga practice (and by regular I mean whatever is right for you – it could be a weekly class, or 10 minutes of mindful breathing each day, some stretches when you get out of bed, or just lying with your legs up the wall after a day at work) can help to bring acceptance into all areas of your life.

Let’s look at your creative life.

So many people say to me, “Oh but I am not creative at all, I’m just not that type of person.”

I have news for you! We are ALL that type of person. We are all creative, whether we paint or draw, write in a journal regularly, bake cakes or make curry. Whether we knit or sew, blog, help our kids with school projects or take photographs. We are creating, creating, creating all the time and sometimes it takes unrolling a yoga mat and getting your stretch on to help us see that.

When I work with one-to-one clients or with workshops looking to unleash their creative sides I use three very simple techniques. All of these are powerful in their own right, whenever you have the time or space but I believe that they work on an even deeper level after a yoga practice. So next time you unroll your mat, why not see if you can wake that creative spark with one of these ideas?

1. Make a Dream Board
Dream Boards, Vision Boards and Collages are all over the internet these days – and for good reason. Not only are they an easily attainable creative tool, but they work! After your practice, set yourself up on your mat with some old magazines and tear out any pictures that speak to you or make your heart sing. Paste your pictures to a large piece of card or pin them to a pinboard somewhere you will see them regularly and be inspired by your own creativity and the images that ring true. You might want to keep your Dream Board with your yoga mat for practice time or have it on the wall near your practice space.

2. Write in  a Journal
After your yoga practice why not write about it? Just take a few minutes to jot down thoughts and feelings, how the practice made you feel, what you found challenging, what you found felt good. After a while you might find that you are able to write more and more, tracking your emotions and their effects on your practice. You can even combine a Dream Board idea into this by pasting inspiring quotes and pictures into the pages or onto the cover of your journal. It is from the pages of such a journal, started during Yoga Teacher Training, that this blog was born!

3. Bake a Cake
Yes really! If in doubt, bake a cake. Get off your mat and into the kitchen and apply the same mindful concentration to the preparation of ingredients that you did to your practice. And when it comes time to eat the cake eat it slowly and mindfully as well. Savour it. Enjoy it. Know that you created this! I have some simple cake recipes up on my recipe page.  Go check them out if you like!

How do you unleash your creative side?