Lovely soft energy in the shala. I do believe I may have been in the led class :-) So many familiar faces and Sharath doing a wonderful job with his students.

You don't have to play tennis to get tennis elbow. In fact, many yoga practitioners get the symptoms when overloading in Chaturanga Dandasana (Four-Limbed Staff pose or Low Plank) and other poses. K-Taping is great for helping you work with injuries. In fact, on my last trip to Mysore I taped my injured wrist and I could be spotted around the shala every time I raised my hands above my head (it was a neon pink tape) and it kept me going for my six-week stay. There are some great videos on how to K-Tape and this is one that I have used for elbow pain (wrist one to follow).

Sharath said "new asana new pain" last week in the conference here in Mysore. Anyone who practises Ashatanga yoga can probably relate to this.   I think practising some "old" asanas with a new approach can also create pain (both physical and emotional)... In my experience, if we stick with it and trust in the process, we can overcome some of of this pain (both real and imagined). He also said he took two years with one pose. I would love to know what pose that was, but I am not quite brave enough to ask. :-)

I have not been blogging much recently, partly because of this... I am currently working a really modified ashtanga yoga asana practice, which allows a bit more room for seated pranayama. I will be off to Mysore next week and my experience with Sharath while injured has only ever been positive. Learning to work with a body that is more than half a century old (that is female and hormonally changing), is certainly bringing up stuff, but I am more accepting of this than I have ever been. Yoga is teaching me that!

So here we go... 2014 has now begun! After a wonderful family holiday in the sunshine I feel refreshed and ready for what 2014 may bring. Here are a few photos of how I did a bit of spiritual banking without a single Christmas meal in site. My pregnancy yoga teacher training starts on Friday the 3rd of January and ends on the 19th. I leave for Mysore on the 22nd, so an action packed start to the New Year. Wishing everyone a happy and healthy 2014! Saint Maarten  & Anguilla 

This is indeed a rare piece of footage of Sharath in his Mysore office giving an informal interview on only teaching led classes when he tours.

Ive had a wonderful week with Nancy- she came and taught three days of workshops in my studio here in Putney. We had a great time together and I was honoured to have been her assistant during the three days of practice. We talked about all sorts of things: from the teachings of the Dali lama, discussing ( and practising) pranayama, and even watched a fair amount of the Wimbledon tennis together. I heard lots of stories about guruji and his family, and the early days in Mysore. I feel I have learnt a lot from her on this trip and none of this was about asana. I have a real sense at the moment that the more I know, the less I know.....this yoga is a lifetime journey and I have only scratched the surface. Here are some photos.....

Always good to hear Sharath count the led class. Thank you to Govinda Kai  for sharing.

Lovely video clip by these yogis in production. Saw a number of familiar faces from this years trip to Mysore in here :-)

I'm lucky enough to have a copy of the Sharath Jois book filtering its way out of Mysore. It is a beautiful simple book with some fabulous images like the ones above, displaying the humility and parampara shared between Guruji and Sharath. Parampara "the uninterrupted succession: the direct and unbroken transmission of knowledge from a teacher to his or her student" The book gives all asana (poses) with the sanskrit count and offers a few asana for therapy, including respiratory problems and back pain. Interestingly for me, the poses for back pain are amongst some things my husband will give his patients, when he is treating them for back issues. There is a short pranayama Nadhi Shodan which I take to mean you can practice this technique whilst doing primary series (this book is only primary series); not only once you have gotten through 3rd series, as I have seen recommended recently. There are beautiful mantras and clear definitions on Sharath interpretat

There is so much to talk about about my recent trip to Mysore- but as I am still tying to assimilate the experience, I think a photo is the way to go.This photo was taken at the end of my last conference day-I dug up the courage to ask Sharath a question ( anyone who has been to his conferences will know its a teeny bit scary :-))...again I may share this and the response in another posting. I will say that Sharath is a kind and gentle man- who has truly given his life over to sharing Ashtanga yoga

                                             Wherever you are in the world, get ready to roll your mats out on  9th  March 2013   for  YOGA STOPS TRAFFICK , a worldwide yoga event to raise awareness about human trafficking. Last year   YST   brought together 3,000 people in 38 countries, 95 yoga studios, parks, homes, beaches and mountaintops around the world. With your help we raised over £30,000 for Indian organization Odanadi Seva Trust, to give survivors of human trafficking the chance of a better future. Following on from the huge success of last year, we ask you to join us once again to take a stand against human trafficking: all you need is your yoga mat! Discover how you can get  involved , and about the incredible work being done by  Odanadi . To find out here how the money raised from Yoga Stops Traffick will be spent visit  www.odanadi-uk.org  or to find out how to make a donation. Please go to the website above to join in. If your currently in Mysore  Indi

Loving the t-shits on sale in the shala at the moment. A few of them are going home in my suitcase.

Well, I have been in many rickshaws; some plush, some not so plush. Here are a couple of varying rides... This is the Rolls Royce of rickshaws This one has taken the toilet mat for the front seat look (homely) This one has gone for the Hawaiian adorned goddess look    This one has a very dodgy looking rickshaw driver... Give it a miss.

Took a day trip from Gokulam in Mysore to the monastery in Bylakuppe yesterday. Myself and some other yoga students took our life in our hands with a taxi ride that took a few hours (a taxi ride here is an experience in itself). Bylakuppe is a beautiful, tranquil place and attracts people from all faiths. I saw Christian nuns, women clad in burqas and of course many Hindus. There was a festival going on in the temple and I feel we were very lucky to have witnessed this.