Week 1 – first steps in goa and straight into yoga

With a lingering jet lag, I'm still in bit of daze - Goa is really gorgeous and resembles nothing like the India I know so far. The whole trip feels surreal, and there's a dream like sensation floating in the air. The reality hasn't quite sunk in yet and I doubt it will for another few days at least. The location is amazing – fresh, luscious, tropical, welcoming and very unlike the India I've seen before. I am watching with amazement the world go by, hoards of foreigners -tourists and locals- on mopeds, clogging up the roads and making themselves seen and heard. The population here seems to consist mainly of sun burnt topless men with overgrown hair and beards, scantily clad beach babes and seasonal 'yoga-goans'....
But I'm not exactly here on on exotic holiday. I've flown all the way to Goa, India, to embark on an intensive 2 months, 300 hr, 6 days a week yoga teacher training course.

Whether I'll emerge a more committed practitioner, wanting to take things one step further is something I'll soon find out. The teacher is Rachel Hull, an Australian woman living in Bali and with a background of Asthanga, Hatha and Vinyasa yoga, she began to create her own Vinyasa flow style, which essentially consists of a flowing, creative practice – both dynamic and adapted to each person's level and experience. Many postures and sequences derive from Asthanga yoga, which I thoroughly enjoy and currently practice. Rachel, however, broke out of the Asthanga 'mould' and came up with a more freestyle, creative approach to the whole yogic practice, whilst also deriving much of her knowledge from Ayurveda, something which I'll also learn about in greater depth.

As a matter of fact, 'freestyle' was very much something I experienced for the first time this morning in our 'open self practice' class – a mixture of students, teachers and trainees, doing their own moves , their own yogic practice. Being used the the strict Asthanga sequence, this definitely brought an an interesting perspective to things. The feeling was definitely different.

Still very much tired from the traveling, long haul flight and finding my feet, I've been thrown into this course at the deep end. Luckily the first day consisted of a chilled out tea with yummy cakes, healthy snacks (and not so healthy ones too) as well as seriously spicy chai. However the timetable isn't quite as laid back as I had hoped. The first week starts at an 'easy' 7.30 am, with self practice classes; from week 2, 6 am will be the usual routine... Sunday is the only day off and we'll still be expected to study – simply reading and absorbing everything. It's the kind of mental and physical discipline one does need to become dedicated yoga practitioner and definitely one of the first steps to being able to teach is a structured, serious practice.

More yoga stuff to follow.... With the course being so intense, the few moments of freedom and quietness have so far been saved for resting and reading....

http://www.shaktispirit.com/

new year resolutions...

New Year.... Again.. I don't usually make any resolutions and this year's no different. The only decisions - rather than resolutions- I have made are to keep up my yoga practice, keep on trying to lead a healthy lifestyle -whilst remaining fairly sociable- oh, and try to lay off the chocolate for a bit. The latter shouldn't be too hard, giving I'll be setting off to India for a few months - and India's not exactly renowned for its good chocolate. Yoga, yes, food, yes, but not chocolate. The climate just isn't appropriate. And I'm not one of these people who will just ingurgitate any kind of chocolate - because I am fussy and it just has to be dark. Over 70% if possible. One of the reasons why I've been over-indulging with the stuff lately is that I've been spoilt with a varied, delicious, supply of dark chocolate of all kinds, from pure dark, to fruity, coffee infused, vegan, single estate, spicy - you name it, I've most probably tried it.
Right,so that's one thing off my list - for a few months at least. Perhaps I'll even call it a long lent (I'm back after Easter, so all is allowed then).
Of course, and most crucially, as part of my 'plan',is my long break from work, to embark on a yoga teacher training course in India. Well, skip the teacher bit, as that part hasn't quite sinked in. I'll be immersing myself on a 2month long journey -or should I venture into saying lifelong??- to learn about yoga in more depth. Because that's one thing that I most definitely love practicing. Something which I feel has changed my life, has spread off my mat and infused into my lifestyle,my habits and those around me - but not in a narrow-minded, obsessive way.
We'll see where this all leads me. I have an exciting,positively charged year ahead. The pre-new year, post xmas stress and anguish has so far been left aside and I am resolved to spending a lovely 2008, in tip top shape (hopefully!), and keep this positive streak going....

injuries....

Back pain, muscle injuries, a feeling of numbness, aching and intense soreness have never really been of much concern to me - until just before Xmas. A combination of bad posture, stress, carrying too much weight on one shoulder and possibly even a strain, all joined forces to give me a lovely neck inflammation - or rather a tendinitis. A frozen muscle in my neck - possibly the levator scapulae. Doctors seem to have many words to describe this kind of injury and yet have very few ways to cure it. The straightforward, common answer is to prescribe a full blown course of anti-inflammatory drugs, which only really just calm the problem but don't address the cause.
I found that a mild anti-inflammatory drug like aspirin (mild in comparison to what they offered me), combined with heat patches, massages and hot baths did soothe the pain,perhaps only temporarily, but nevertheless in a gentler manner. I have never taken strong drugs and will carry on down that path unless my pain threshold can simply no longer cope. A few sleepless nights with a thumping head nearly led me to my limits, but it never quite got bad enough for me to reach for the hard stuff. A visit to a great osteopath settled a minor imbalance in my verterbras and provided a much needed relief to my strained muscle.

Most importantly, this painful episode reminded me how our bodies are so important, they are the most fundamental elements of our lives and yet we often take them for granted. Health is key to all of us and this has made me evermore aware that we need to take great care of it. I also felt suddenly quite old, powerless and weak. As a matter of fact, we often associate back and muscle pain with older people (after all, that's what my mother would always complain about), but actually this affects people of all ages and in good physical shape. Worryingly, it affects more and more younger people, which I would guess, is mainly down to unhealthy lifestyles and an increased time spent sitting in front of computers.A few decades ago this wasn't so widespread, so normal. Hence, with this new normality, back and muscle pain have become other normalities.

doing nothing

A fascinating concept, to state the least. What is nothing and how on earth do we 'do nothing'? Without delving into philosophical, psychological or in depth discussions of nothingness, I simply want to highlight what this term evokes for me.

- doing nothing as a -not so- innocent child's immediate answer to his parents, authority or to someone's intrusive question.
- doing nothing as anyone's answer to boredom, being idle, not actually 'doing something' - by this I mean, working, walking, cooking, any form of physical, sensual or mental activity.
- doing nothing as a meditative state, a conscious decision to switch off from the outside world and attempt to reach another mental state.
- doing nothing at an intermediate level - being aware of one's scattered state of mind and purposely choosing to quieten down, take a step back from active life.


As a matter of fact, none of these are really 'doing nothing'. They all form active, conscious decisions to be in a certain way, both physically and mentally. A pure form of nothingness would be death, or perhaps enlightenment, when body and mind become yolked, or when outside happenings no longer matter. Floating on a yogic cloud or living in a little bubble detached from the outside world. Bliss.

But going back to Lottie's concept of 'doing nothing', the beauty of the idea is to step back from the buzz, the confusion and speed of urban life and actively seek to switch off for a few minutes or more. Purposely sit, lie, stand in public places, with no reason but to do nothing. Passively engage with people, street-goers, shoppers and stressed out workers, to trigger some kind of thought, reflection on their overly busy lives. Why rush and stress out unnecessarily when life can be so calm, simple and pure? Living in a city makes this evermore important and we too often forget this. It's a skill. I want to see more mass gatherings of 'doing nothing' - not for any obvious (political, campaigning or artistic) purpose, just as it is. Perhaps a regular flash mobbing of nothingness?

mememe

A shameless piece of self promotion...
http://ethicaljobs.blogspot.com/2007/11/inna-costantini-press-co-ordinator.html

is ldn a cool city?

By 'cool' I don't just mean fashionable, trendy. How eco-friendly is this city? Is London a cool shade of green? Our lovely mayor would have us believe it's an incredibly, positively, clearly green place to live in, with tons of cycle lanes (er, really? where?), tons of buses (and they don't pollute, do they?), a congestion charge to deter polluting vehicles from accessing the city (20% less traffic just makes the streets bearable as opposed to overly congested) and we Londoners are just a bunch of eco bunnies. Right. So a trip to manic India may have him pledging one million new trees to be planted in London after the Olympics, along with a whole bunch of green initiatives. I'm in no way contesting anything he says, but really, in reality, London is a huge city, spread out, congested, with only recently implemented recycling facilities, a fairly new surge in cycling and with climate change only recently been on the political agenda. These are all positive developments, but we're hardly Denmark are we? And let's be honest, most people only vaguely care about the environment. Unless recycling bags are collected from people's doorsteps, 90% of people just won't bother. If Ryanair offers free seats to Europe, most people will say why not? A recent poll in the Ecologist - the eco bible for many greenies- stated that over 50% of its readers would actually consider flying with Ryanair if the flights were free. So really, we're all a bunch of hypocritical, selfish bastards. We care as long as the change doesn't affect our pockets or comfort. ken Livingstone wants to ban flights to france. Perhaps not the answer to ecological issues, but it's one drastic way of actively engaging with green issues. That might make London a little cooler. We'd need to build another channel tunnel though - and perhaps also an escape route for Ken once his days are over.

some ideas

I've been thinking about putting together a collection of photographs for an upcoming art show with ELP, showing a greener east london.
My idea was to display buildings, streets, urban landscapes featuring greenery, plants growing on the side of buildings, street trees, urban oases in unexpected places, vegetation sprouting out of dusty corners of concrete - an urban jungle, literally.
I want to produce a montage or collage of different views of east ldn, all featuring urban greenery of some kind. How does nature fit into urban space, how does it find ways to sprout up out of nothing - from clumps of earth to tiny pockets of dust withing built up spaces. What makes nature take over man made constructions, streets or unkempt places? Why do we even try to fight this?
As much as 'green roofs' and permaculture are a beautiful and welcome advancement in dense urban design, it does remain an irony that we want to contain, control and re-green spaces and add them onto closely determined areas. Urban nature is there to stay and flourish, whether we like it or not.

what is ugly?

Not a new topic - but something I read in this month's Ecologist, sparked a few thoughts from my end...
So what is ugly? Many things - too many from my point of view. But then again, they always point towards the very opposite, which is beautiful - without ugliness, nothing would appear to us as beautiful and we desperately need a bit of both to fully appreciate life.
First ugly things which spring to my mind would be:
Dead public spaces - gardens, parks and streets where all sense of life, nature or humanity has been removed, or perhaps never existed. Tree-less streets, concrete blocks, paved up front drives, yards and gardens left for abandon - all these pockets of valuable space, which could be used to enhance life and urban nature, all forgotten in the midst of urban living.
Rubbish laden streets. A disrespect for public space, for others and ultimately, for oneself.
The commercial takeover of shops, old boutiques, old fashioned areas etc by corporates, branded coffee shops and other standardized outlets. New 'urban villages' spring up all over our cities, pretending to be authentic community living; they are merely imposters in a virtual, globalised environment.
Overpriced gourmet food - another commercial take on what should be simply local, fresh, seasonal produce. The system is so warped that we now have to pay more for what essentially costs less. Carrots flown in from israel are cheaper than those from a farm in Kent.
Production and consumption as lifelong aims. Surely there is more to life than being a simple bee in a hive,which never gets to taste the honey - the very nectar it helps to produce. In a simpler way, the obsession with work and success and the limited enjoyment of anything outside it.

And there are many more 'uglies'. Time to focus on the beauties in life....

bikes

I loved reading this
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/health/our_experts/article2581828.ece

According to Dr Stuttaford, the Times' expert doctor, cyclists in London give people a bad impression of cycling:
"Cycling in London and other large British cities, but not in mainland European towns, has been cornered by the nerdy cyclists who, wearing their distinctive uniform, weave in and out of traffic, ignore the lights, trespass on pavements and shout abuse at cars that impede their progress."

So according to him, we're all nerdy cyclists who shout abuse to cars and pedestrians! Oh and the typical Times reader would "cycle in his everyday clothes, doesn’t squeeze himself into Lycra and has impeccable road manners. The public road is not a private gym."
haha, typical....

yoga'd up

A friend of mine has just set off for a yoga teacher training intensive this week - a big step and a hugely exciting one, but it has also led me to reflect on my own decision. I'll be following her steps in a few months' time and I'm quite apprehensive to see how she gets on. My own experience will be somewhat different (my course is in Goa, India, over 2 months, the schedule's slightly less harsh with 7 am starts rather than 5.30 am, a smaller teaching group with foreign teachers) and my circumstances aren't quite the same. I'll be apart from long term boyfriend - leaving Europe for Taiwan to do his army for 2 years, which will set my back both emotionally and physically - and I hate to admit it, also financially (no more sharing bills, cosy flat, food, and being treated out for dinner is something I'll have to do without for a while). To top that up, I'm planning on a few months' break from work, London and possible all the other things I have been used to so far. Scary.
I'm both excited and extremely daunted by the prospect of trading my comfortable routine for a new, unknown environment. Change can only be good but god knows what will happen to me in a few months' time....

This is what I'll be doing next year: http://shaktispirit.com/training.htm

Is London a healthy city?

Following my previous questions on positive effects and benefits of exercise - or even just physical activity of some kind- I came to wonder whether London was actually a fairly healthy city. In comparison with other British cities it may seem congested, dense, polluted and constantly busy, but London organises an array of sporting events - not to mention the upcoming Olympic Games. The city is host to hundreds of charity runs, sports groups, clubs, and probably the widest choice of activities from rock climbing to taichi and yoga. London also seems to have picked up the cycling bug, with a 400% increase in cyclist in the past 4 years. I see joggers out at any time of day or night, all over town - from early risers on a chilly Saturday morning to night runners in Hyde park- and I believe London may just have the highest concentration of fit, healthy people in the country. Is this a fact? What about other cities? I hear that in Birmingham health levels are deteriorating, with obesity being a serious issue. So serious in fact that stairs in one of the inner city shopping malls are branded with signs stating how many calories can be burned by using them instead of lifts! They've reached the point where any form of activity -even walking up a few stairs- is crucially needed. In this case, London rates much higher. I see escalators often being ignored in favour of old fashioned stairs, which many magazines advocate as an excellent 'mini step' class - no better way to tone and lift those buttocks. Hmm, not quite I had in mind, but the thought is there. I can just picture those lovely ladies, determinedly going for stairs in hope of a better bottom. No matter what, the activity bug is there, firmly rooted in our psyches - and today this can only be a good thing. When one lives in a built up, busy city, what better way to move your limbs, clear your head and relieve stress, than a daily dose of exercise. And I believe London isn't too bad at encouraging this.

Running shoes on

What a wonderful way to start the weekend - so I heard many people say. Out of dozens other events happening in London that very weekend, two thousand tree lovers, enthusiasts, gym bunnies and yummy grannies chose to take part in a very unique event - an annual 5k run for trees round Battersea Park. And what a beautiful morning it was -perhaps even too warm for a mid September day, but who really cared? Most seemed delighted to start their day - their weekend- with an early run round Battersea park. But why? As a friend rightfully told me, 'because it feels great'. Right, so the actual running might be ever so slightly tiring, painful, even a drag for some, but if half an hour of slightly tiresome, strenuous work makes one feel so wonderful for an entire day, then it can only be worth the effort. Seeing so many glowing, happy faces - both before hand and after- confirmed this fact. It is true that the atmosphere of an event of this kind adds to the buzz - it gives a sense of community, mutual respect, a positive feeling of all supporting the same cause - a bond even, but much of the happy faces can be plainly explained by the benefits of exercise and the release of endorphins.
I found wikipedia has a great answer to what they call a 'runner's high':
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Endorphins#Runner.27s_high

So exercise demands some kind of effort and whether one enjoys the actual strain of dynamic activity, it makes one feel great - both physically (increased strength, stamina, better body tone etc) and mentally (partly a consequence of the latter, increased confidence, stress relief etc). And this seems to be a widespread, highly publicised fact - how many ads, posters or press articles have I read along the lines of 'exercise, feel great'. So why don't we all get out there, ditch the car, get walking, jogging running, and moving our limbs? I would see so many more happy, glowing and relaxed faces if everyone did.

happy bunny

I'm kind of a happy bunny today. Birthday - a quiet one- lots of cards (an unusual thing nowadays), texts and emails, afternoon yoga class, bike ride through busy central London, chocolate, a sugar high and a busy weekend ahead, yeay!
Tree-Athlon on saturday and I'll be going to this on sunday (hopefully...):
http://www.visitlondon.com/events/detail/1125847

If not, I'll be staring at the sky for the Thames Festival celebrations, or being nosy during open house weekend! Looks like a busy one!
http://www.thamesfestival.org/
http://www.openhouse.org.uk/london/home.html

Matcha yummies

ooh, yum! Some aimless internet browsing his evening brough me to this site: http://www.lovescool.com/archives/2007/05/15/best-bakery-recipe-finalist/#more-388%20
Japanese matcha cookies, just how I love them! Not only do they just look beautiful, I now just want to throw on my apron (which I am yet to own) and start baking. I am thoroughly drooling....

A blog and a bit - is this writing?

Following a deep, long chat with a budding writer/friend of mine, I was thrown into a whole debate around the worthiness of blogging. She dismissed blogs as simply being light, superficial chat, unworthy of any critical acclaim.
For me however, they open up the world of writing to so many people that they deserve some kind of recognition.
I see blogs as being a simple, honest, unpretentious ways of keeping notes of events, happenings, random views, rants, debates, ideas - basically a virtual diary. Blogging doesn't have the pretense of many full-blown articles: they aren't really meant to be pompous, in-depth features with facts and figures or deep philosophical meaning, but are rather informative, personal views and accounts. My friend seemed outraged by the fact a book had been published out of a collection of blog posts. Indeed it doesn't claim to be high literature - or anything with some kind of depth- but I still believe blogging is a style in itself - a 'lite' version of writing perhaps. As a matter of fact, I really don't see anything wrong with it. Many authors have in the past published critically acclaimed diaries or short stories, and this is very similar - it just touches the realm of the virtual. I don't see how a notebook or a word document is superior to a virtual, online account of one's life experiences. Blogging is writing after all. It is open to anyone, it's free and has no class or intellectual barrier. There lies its appeal and worth.

Detox

I think I need a detox. I know I've been going on about this for a while but I think it's due very soon. No matter how healthy my diet is throughout the year, some things just need clearing. Start with the skin - sleep, water, fruits, veg and vitamins are a pre-requisite for healthy looking skin, but there's no point being so saintly if you're going to undo all that goodness with booze, caffeine, chocolate and sugar. Right so I'm no alcoholic - I hardly drink- and I don't consume much caffeine either, but I admit I have lacked discipline when it comes to chocolate. Even the dark, low sugar, organic -and supposedly satisfying- kind does seem to leave its mark. As much as the media has lauded the benefits of consuming dark chocolate, it remains a food which is high in toxins. Cocoa, to be consumed, needs to be roasted, cooked and processed. Even the darkest of chocolates are high in fat - not the best type of fat either. The toxins and saturated fats found in chocolate seem to irritate my skin, causing breakouts and rashes.

Right, so that's one thing out of the way. Caffeine, sugar and a lack of a regular sleep pattern also affect my health. So I may not exactly be acne prone, but I have noticed that some foods irritate my skin. Saturated fats for instance. A two week trip to India (full of ghee laden treats, cream and whole milk products) created an outburst in skin trauma. Even locals asked if I had been bitten by mosquitoes on my face! Quite embarrassing. Sugar is definitely another culprit, so as the lack of sleep.
It is thus time to act. I need to clear away all this crap from my system and engage on a positive cleansing routine. Inside and out. This means no sugar, no chocolate (noooo!!!!), alcohol or caffeine for, what, a week? Longer if I can resist. Summer is the best time for this - I am less hungry, thirstier, fruits and vegetables are plentiful, fresh and tasty, so it shouldn't be too hard. What about supplements? Vitamin C and spirulina should do the trick. Oh and regular exfoliation. When do I start again? Hmmm...

July Critical Mass

Oh well. I've done it again. The good old friday night bike ride around central London. "Less cars, more bikes!"
Ok, so it's all becoming very similar now. Same route, escorted by a troupe of policemen on bikes. Same old hippy bikers. It's still tons of fun though and the mobile sound systems add a few lively beats to the ride. It was all very peaceful tonight - apart from a poor guy who decided to stage a sitting protest in the middle of Clerkenwell Rd, on his own. Bless him, he soon realised he was better off on his bike than off it.
Going past the Foundry, we were greeted and cheered by a mass of couriers and fixie enthusiasts, all waiting for us to clear off and start their alleycat race. Quite an impressive band of guys -and girls- they are. All a bit scary, just far too serious bikers.
Well the highlight of this fairly uneventful ride was the appearance of the wonderful filmmaker, Lucas Brunelle, whizzing past on his sexy bike, with a double camera attached to his helmet. Nice.... I bet he'll be following alleycat later and I can't wait to see his next video on youtube. If I'm lucky, there might even be a glimpse of me in the background taking pictures. I doubt it.
Second highlight of the evening: a super smooth, super quick ride back home, crossing paths with a couple of alleycat racers, going ridiculously fast. Ah, the joys of inner city cycling on a friday night....

narrow minded f****r

I don't like swearing that much, but sometimes it's good to just let it all out. I know a few patronising people out there, I know some people just like to feel in power, but this is just really pathetic. Ok, so here's the story. Sunday afternoon, Clerkenwell, Roseberry avenue. The whole area is cut off to traffic for a street festival. Roads are clear of cars, cyclists are free to go down Roseberry avenue. So I reach the traffic lights at Mount Pleasant. No cars, so I don't stop at the red light. A delightful cop in a high-vis jacket, with obviously nothing else to do that day, whistles and shouts 'stop - now'! Next to him, another biker (who I later realised had just been lectured by that cop), red and puffy. So, not quite getting what he was on about, and quite naively, I stop. 'off your bike!' 'come here'. 'now!". WTF??? What's the aggressive tone for on such a beautiful day? Still not quite getting it, I laugh, thinking the guy must be off his head. Not one car in sight, it's been sunny all day after weeks of rain, the guy can't be serious. And then he gets into a long, pathetic lecture on how I -like the other poor cyclist- just went through a red light, why should he be paying his taxes to see people like me have accidents (isn't that my problem, not his?), he threatens to arrest me (laughing didn't do me any favours) and starts shouting out loud - 'what makes you so special as a cyclist??'. Twice. Pedestrians walk past, laughing and wondering what can possibly be wrong with him. The guy seriously has issues. Just get a life, get on a bike and stop harassing cyclists for going through red lights when roads are blocked off and they aren't endangering anyone. Humiliating and narrow minded bastard. I'm convinced not all cops are like him - but what an utterly annoying man.

I'll be doing my bit for all the cyclists out there and joining critical mass again this friday - any good excuse to go through a few red lights and piss off a few cops and cars.

compromising

I need to make a compromise. I love cycling - it's my main mode of transport. I love yoga - it's now one of my main interests. Cycling tightens up hamstrings, knees and thighs, which in turn makes stretching harder and more challenging. So basically, the increasing time I spend practising just ends up counterbalancing the damage I inflict to my legs. However, in turn, cycling strengthens legs, which gives more power in some postures. So what do I do? Do I need to choose between two equally important activities? I choose to keep on riding and keep on stretching. I love challenges, so let's see how long I can keep this one up. Don't yogis also travel on bikes?

Recyclo-holics

Is it just me, or has anyone else noticed the rise of people obsessed with green living, be it as a fashion frenzy or just because they're dark green? Well I know a few leafy greens (late summer kind of green) and I have to admit turning one shade greener myself. But not to the point of recycling every scrap of paper, composting all my organic waste and growing potatoes on my balcony (I said I would, but it's so much easier to just buy them, no?). Such an attitude towards a green life is highly laudable, but not an easy feat for most people- and it's sometimes a little scary too. Compulsive recyclo-maniacs who make a point of tearing every inch of paper or carton off packaging, to pop into their 'green' bag, making sure all their shopping choices are 100% recyclable and ethical. I mean, that's great for mother earth, but have some fun chaps!
There is something highly satisfying about recycling, knowing all your waste will be re-used in some way or another. It kind of justifies your actions as a consumer. The consumer re-consumes instead of consuming itself. hmmm?
Well, my green bag is getting bigger every week (how much do I consume??) and I have found myself tearing off Onken yogurts carton packaging: it started out of curiosity -and boredom, having finished a whole pot in front of friday night tv- but now I take it off religiously and conscientiously place it in my recycle bin. I also take the bottom card round off! Christ! Am I turning leafy green? Well, I can assure you that I'm not one of those people who recycles post-its.... yet....