I gave my son a Skype tour of my shared apartment here in Mysore. When he saw my bathroom he was a bit puzzled and asked " do you wash in that bucket?" I don't but I might as well as, as the shower seems to hit every surface in the room apart from my body.  I spend the whole time running around in circles trying to remove the soap im covered in-whilst every other item loo rolls, towels, toiletries gets a good soaking...good workout  I suppose ( as if the yoga isn't enough),  but a fly on the wall would think I'm a loony running around in circles on a daily basis.

Check out my gorgeous cotton yoga rug. I have a lot of mats at home and in my studio, but none of them the cotton type. Living in London I get hot and sweaty in my yoga practise, but never felt the need to use one of these-Here at the Shala in Mysore the heat is intense-this is both a help and hindrance in my yoga practise...I have been able to slip into poses that have been difficult for me in the past-but also have found myself slipping on my sticky mat, when I dont want to....So I gave this mat a dummy run yesterday and absolutely loved it....I felt more stable especially in the back bending-it helped with the jumping through ( I use that term loosely :-) and I loved the cool texture under my hands....so I'm a convert ....and back in London where its currently -11 it can double up as a blankie.

I know im on a spiritual journey here in India and such things shouldn't bother me-but look at the state of my hair!  I took myself off to a salon where a very sweet woman spent hours ( at least that's what it felt like) giving me the deluxe spa hair treatment...this is the end result Lol. I think Im scaring the local children with this look... especially as I spent the first few days here asking "where is the magic school?" when in fact I meant mystic school-just need a  brookstick and the look is complete. Will be making an appointment to see Herman ASAP on my return to London http://www.hermanho.com/

I can not be here in India and not post at least one cow image. They stroll up the street here in what can only be described as "mental" traffic without batting an eyelid-Huge trucks will rush past and still they keep moving ( or not), as they also like to lie down in Mysores equivalent to London Oxford circus...few more photos of life here.

PURPLE VALLEY, GOA, INDIA Needed - Experienced Vegetarian cook: Oversee menu planning, budgeting and cooking for up to 50 guests, co-manage kitchen with current chefs , including supervising small team of hard-working locals. Positions include accommodation, meals, local subsistence salary and a unique opportunity to study with the world's top Ashtanga teachers as well as meeting amazing people from around the world and experiencing Goan culture in its true sense. Please send your details, CV or resume to info@yogagoa.com

Following the recent film Eat Love pray, I thought I would post an item on my favourite yoga retreat in India, not to be confused with an Ashram in India (as depicted in the film). Purple Valley yoga retreat is a beautiful peaceful retreat set off the beaten track in Assagao, Northern Goa , where you can practice yoga with some of the world’s most highly respected Ashtanga yoga teachers. It is situated close enough to be able to venture into other parts of Goa, but feels like a cocoon if you wish to stay put on the retreat. The beautiful shala (studio) is very peaceful and is situated at the far end of the retreat. The amazing birdsong you hear while practising yoga is just wonderful. The accommodation is within two main houses or in small cottages located in the gardens. You can share rooms or pay a nominal fee to have your own room, if there is space available. I personally choose to take my own room, as I share my life with a family on a daily basis and Purple Valley is a bit of “

Last night I attended a screening of the film Eat Pray Love , which will be released later this month. The film is an adaptation of the memoir by Elizabeth Gilbert, a successful writer (played by Julia Roberts), and her struggle to find what she really wants in life. She embarks on a journey around the world that takes her to far-flung and exotic destinations such as Rome (Eat), India (Pray) and Bali (Love) and which turns into a quest for self-discovery. I had read the book previously and was not massively overwhelmed by it, but I was eager to see how it would be translated to the big screen in true Hollywood style. After watching the film, myself and a group of other bloggers were invited to discuss the film. It was interesting to hear other people's views of what is essentially one person's personal journey. I don't want to spoil the plot, so I will leave it you to go and see the film and come to your own conclusions. The film will hit UK cinemas on the 24th of September

I thought I would share a couple of textile designs produced by my daughter, who is in the first year of a textiles degree at Central St Martins. These two silkscreen pieces are designed by using images from photographs taken when we were on holiday in India. I am not an art student, so will not try and discuss the process of silkscreen printing, but I do understand that it is quite a tricky process; as well as very time consuming. If you look closely you can see the fishes in one of the designs and, in the other, my daughter has drawn in the pylons that she photographed in Goa. I think she has captured a great likeness of this clothes seller and a real feel for India. The man who features in the prints is seen below with his friends. I think he would be delighted to see himself as a muse. Who knows he may appear on a t-shirt in the future! If we return to India in the winter we will definitely take him one of the prints.

On my last trip to India I heard one of the worst sales’ pitches ever. The beautiful young girl (seen in the photo) was selling sarongs on the beach and approached me by saying “do you want to buy some of my cheap crap?”. I laughed for 10 minutes. The Indian people have a great sense of humour. Despite the sweltering heat and earning very little, the young girls always have time for a chat (once you have purchased some “cheap crap”) and have dazzling smiles that are so infectious. I found it fascinating hearing about their lives; how they travel to Goa (quite often on their own) from far-flung villages. Some of the girls are as young as 14 and were amazed that my daughter was not having an arranged marriage, and that she could in fact choose her boyfriend. Before I forget, another funny line for me came from another beach seller: “those hippies, bunch of lazy bastards!”.

Here is a video of Kino practising in the Shala in Purple Valley, Goa India. This video demonstrates just how strong and focused Kino is… It is fantastic to watch a woman practice Ashtanga yoga at this level. I also love the bird song you can hear in the background. I myself have practiced many times in this lovely shala and always found the bird song very soothing and meditative .

Here we are on the 6th of January 2010 and I am finally getting around to wishing you all a Happy New Year. My family and I had a fantastic trip to Goa and I will post some of my favourite bits. India is one of the noisiest, most vibrant and beautiful places I have visited. I have been to Goa before, but never with my family. When I have travelled to India in the past, I have always gone on my own and stayed on yoga retreats (more to follow in another post). Although I have loved the previous visits, this one was extra special and I felt more involved with Indian culture and spent more time with local people than ever before. We went to waterfalls, parties, markets, a spice plantation, rode on elephants, amongst other things. It was wonderful to share this experience with my teenagers and watching my son turn from an urban Londonite into a chilled out Goan was something else. We ate in beach shacks, drunk mocktails and kingfishers and all managed to avoid getting “Delhi Belly”, whic