This month in classes we've been working with the theme of santosha which relates to cultivating an intentional mindset and inner feeling of contentment in our lives. The practice of developing this inner state is presented by Patanjali in the Yoga Sutra-s as an essential underpinning for our journey towards peace. So much so that he tells us it is necessary to begin practicing this before we even start the practices of asana (yogic movement) or pranayama (breath and subtle focus practices)....

What I’m about to say is not comfortable for me at all. One to the biggest challenges I’ve worked through over the years has been managing intense bouts of anger and its repercussions. Having grown up in a household where anger was freely expressed, often without restraint, it’s understandable that I might have absorbed that model of self expression. This doesn’t however excuse the effects of that anger on other people. As a teenager I used to have raging verbal battles with my parents. As I...

I was once asked me to imagine what it would feel like to drop in to someone else’s body for a few minutes. What would the experience of being in another persons physicality actually feel like. This may seem incredibly abstract but stay with me for a few more moments! The reason for the exercise was to be able to recognise that the uniqueness of each and every persons life experience creates a totally unique inner experience and related set of sensations. For instance, if the person had...