Sharath Jois London tour 2013. What a wonderful week!

What an honour it has been to be part of the ashtanga yoga community sharing a week of yoga with the wonderful Sharath Jois here in London.

Meeting new people, seeing familiar faces, and even practising next to my daughter on one occasion. Sharath was truly happy and shiny (which was very contagious) and even taught a short pranayama at the end of the led primary class on two occasions (which I personally have never experienced with him before). He said that you could use this pranayama if you were stressed or angry... perhaps he thinks us Londoners need it! :-)

He laughed a lot. My daughter Cally had her hands apart in virabhadrasana 1 and I could hear him saying "close your hands" and knew he was talking to her. I reached over and pushed them together. He whispered to me "is she yours?" and laughed (he later said he thought we looked very similar). We were two in a very large group. I'm sure everyone in the room has taken a bit of "Sharath sunshine" with them into their lives. His ability to share and make everyone feel part of something special is amazing.

I'm truly grateful that he has picked up the baton and continues the linage handed down to him from his grandfather Sri K. Pattabhi Jois. I don't imagine these are easy shoes to fill, but Sharath looks like he is happily settling into them...

A big thank you to Ashtanga Yoga London for making this all possible. If you were skiving off work and don't want to appear in any photos please let me know and I will remove them :-)

My girl meets Sharath...

Smiley faces all round...

Neti pot

When I was training to be a yoga teacher, one of the 6 purification techniques taught to us was Jala Neti ( also called Neti or Jaaneti). Purification techniques are sometimes performed as a way of preparing the body for a yoga practice. Whenever the neti pots came out, I disappeared, always needing to be somewhere else at that moment in time… I had many techniques to avoid it: the bathroom, the water fountain, the shop, anything but the Net. Pouring a saline solution up my hooter was really not for me and I have avoided it right up to today. I have got a steaming cold and, as a result, I now have sinus pain, so I have decided to give it another go. Talk about waiting until your back is against the wall! I rushed to the Sivanada yoga studio nearby and bought myself a ceramic neti pot and salt. I had to follow the one photographic image as the instructions were in German!!! Although I did not find it as unpleasant as some people describe, it was not as bad as I remembered. So I will us...

Sharath Jois in London 2013

Sharath Jois will be in London teaching a week of primary and intermediate ashtanga yoga From 25th-30th of August- in a central London location. Booking for this will open mid May. Through http://www.astangayogalondon.com/index2.cfm A rare and wonderful treat to have Sharath in my home town-A big thank you to Hamish Hendry and ashtanga yoga London for organising this. Going to have to set an alarm on my phone- as there will be a lot of takers for this....

All about the balance

A snap from inside my fridge this week. The mix of wine, beer and Vita Coca sort of sums up my family really. The ones that drink wine and beer don't go in for the coco water, and the coco water drinker doesn't go in for wine or beer. In summary, none of us need worry about the other nicking all the drinks. :-)

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