Relax on a Bolster

I have wanted to demonstrate how to use a bolster for some time now and while on holiday this opportunity presented itself. My students know how wonderful it is to relax this way and I hope you will have a go at home. You can roll a blanket up or roll up a pillow and stitch it for a more permanent bolster roll.

Let me know if you enjoy this podcast or need any further advice.

The Village Fete

On Sunday our village had a Fete on the football field. They had prepared an area for John and myself to demonstrate yoga right in the middle. It was quite pretty surrounded by bunting. Despite the occational rain drop and ridiculous wind, I had books, yoga information and all our kit. The dog show had been cancelled so we were one of the main shows along with the dancers and some races. We did two demonstrations. I wanted to show the villagers that anyone can do yoga. You can be any age, male or female. You don't have to been fit or flexible or strong because practising yoga makes you fit, flexible and strong.

A photographer from Kent Messenger took my photo, which was fun. He said he hadn't seen a yoga demonstration at a Kent village fete before. These are his photos.

The Journey

We have had fun booking our holiday, despite the computer crashing. Once it was booked we felt a sense of achievement. We enjoyed researching things to do, what car to drive and where to stay. Now we can look forward to the holiday.

Yoga practise is like that. And to all my students who work so hard in class they know that it is the journey that is important.

We have recently been doing some of the more tricky poses in class. Some students had a go and were surprised at their own ability. Some decided it was not for them and I support their decision. Yoga is about listening to your body and everyone has their own limits and capabilities.

With yoga, whatever level you are at, there is always something to work on and to work towards, like alignment, or to learn to breathe evenly, to relax or tense a muscle or even to overcome an obstacle to take you on to another level. I can never tire of yoga. Yoga is a practise of discipline and the repeated actions of the postures will lead you on a satisfying journey.

The importance of the journey can also be tied with your senses being in the here and now. Focus on what you can do and what you are doing now, rather than hankering after wanting more. Enjoy your time in the here and now. What ever you do let it be your best.

For those of you who don’t come to my classes I usually end the class with a reading. This is a recent reading from a sanscrit poem ‘The salutation of the dawn’ 5th century CE. I think it is very meaningful.

Our yesterdays are but dreams
Our tomorrows merely visions
But today lived well makes
Every yesterday a dream of joy
And each tomorrow a vision of promise

Audio Yoga Blog

This audio blog is suitable for everyone, whether you do yoga or not. For those of us who do, there is often so much to think about when doing yoga postures that it is easy to forget about the neck, and so, to help your alignment and body awareness, below are instructions for a gentle neck awareness practise.
I hope you find it helpful and relaxing.

Beneficial Back Bends

I love back bends. I am sure they have helped my back ache. Those of us who do gardening naturally take our hands to our hips afterwards and stretch back as a counter pose. We are very aware of how our back feels and therefore rarely over do the movement preventing aggravating something in your back. In general backbends are not a natural movement and therefore it is important to focus on them in our yoga practise. However, sometimes we can try too hard.

Rodney Yee – a yoga teacher likens the heart to Grand Central Station. “You want everything to flow through it. When you over bend anywhere in the spine, it’s like creating a kink in a garden hose. You block the energy flow. When you align yourself properly, you can bring energy to your heart centre. And at the end of your practise, you will feel euphoria. There’ll be an energetic clarity instead of an energetic blasting.”

At the end of practising backbends have you sometimes felt completely exhausted when you’ve just been told they are energizing poses? This may be because there is some compression of the vertebra in the lower back or perhaps the neck.

When you practise back bends and be gentle with yourself.
Be gentle with your spine – imagine it like a wheel. Always keep the lower back long and free from compression. Also avoid over bending your neck, especially at the nape of the neck. Learn to keep your neck long thinking of it as a natural extension of the spine.

Audio relaxation: 'Be in the Present'

Relax on your back

Allow your hips to float up in a gentle bridge

Release any tension in your spine by bringing your knees to your chest









We all lead busy lives and sometimes the days pass and you don’t feel as if you’ve really been there.

I was inspired by an article in the Yoga Journal magazine to write a lesson allowing the students to draw their awaress to themselves, to each part of their body and their breath. To get the feeling of being in the present.
Whether you regularly do yoga or not, you can use this yoga practice to sooth your nerves and bring you back to the fullness and freedom of the here and now. It is based on the bridge pose, Setu Bandha Sarvangasana.

Click below, listen, relax and give it a go.

A recipe for a starter

There is nothing better than having friends over for a meal but to enjoy yourself you do have to be organized. I had to find recipes that I could prepare the day before as we planned to go out with our friends.

Roasted Red Pepper and Goat's Cheese

This is a nice light summery starter and it is by Mary Berry who did a talk at the Tenterden Food and Wine Festival a couple of years ago. I shopped at Waitrose for my ingredients.

There were 3 peppers in each jar. With a sharp knife it is easy to carefully open them out.

Cut each pepper skin in half then put little dollops of the cheese on each one. (I found there was not quite enough for 6 so in one pepper I put Philadelphia cream cheese and this works perfectly well, especially if someone doesn't like goats cheese.) Of course the cheese could be blended to make a more spreadable filling.

Cut the marinated aubergines with a scissors and place an even number on each skin.
Chop the basil leaves and sprinkle them over each one.
Season with salt and a few grinds of black pepper.

To make the chimneys:

Tear off some cling film. Place a skin carefully in the centre

Bring the bottom clingfilm up so the skin curls up and then bring the top part of the clingfilm down, and keep the cling film firm. This draws the top of the skin over to make a roll. Seal the roll, rolling the clingfilm round the pepper and gently sealing up the sides like a cracker. Place all the little rolls in the fridge to firm up.

To serve:

Toss some lambs lettuce with a dressing. Cut each roll into two or three and plate up with some lambs lettuce. The fresh flavours work well served with fresh bread and butter.

Serves 6
2 x jars of red roasted peppers

1 x 150g tub soft mild goat's cheese (Chavroux)
Philadelphia if required

salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 x 200g tub marinated grilled aubergine (chiller counter)

a handful of fresh basil leaves, chopped

Lambs lettuce leaves

french dressing