Week 5 and 6

Teaching Panic

Days are getting hotter, study hours longer and the classes just get harder. After a few weeks of fairly 'passive' studying, listening, reading, sitting in lectures, trying to get a grasp on different aspects of yoga anatomy, philosophy and technique, we're now shifting towards a more dynamic and challenging part -the actual teaching. Because that's what this course is all about. Learning theory is fascinating (and there's so much more I want to learn), but it wouldn't really make much sense without practice.

Most students have already set their foundations in their own daily yoga practice, style and approach, and I can see that everyone views an feels yoga in a different way and will end up teaching it (if at all) in a distinct, individual manner. But for most of us teacher trainees, standing up in front o a class, talking through postures, explaining the movement, the breath, the flow, the technique, in a concise, clear and pleasant manner is no easy feat. Just when I was starting to get comfortable with my adjustments technique, happily 'squishing' fellow students and people from the drop in centre, into paschimottanasana, down dog and most of the key postures, newer, bigger challenges are being thrown my way. Teaching is daunting for most of us -more for some than for others- and also involves being confident in one's own practice. However, being thrown to the front of a class, having all eyes looking towards you waiting for instructions, also feels somewhat empowering. For someone like me who's never taught any form of class before, it could be much worse. My fears of mumbling, being confused and unclear weren't justified, and I found myself projecting my voice to the back of the shala quite well (though with a conscious effort) and it did all make sense in the end!
Mind over matter. It can be stressful, daunting, but also so much fun when it goes well. All along, I never thought about the practical side of teaching and how stressful it might be for everyone. I was apprehensive about the 5 am wake up calls (which I turned out to quite enjoy), the daily hour long pranayama sessions, anatomy and philosophy lectures, the physical strain of the daily exercise and yoga practice, but I seem to have sailed through most of this, and the part I was the least concerned about – teaching technique- is by far the hardest. That's also where lies the success of a great teacher- make your students feel at ease, relaxed, and yet be safe when adjusting them an teaching postures.Know the meaning of yoga. Keep up a firm personal practice and keep on learning. But mot importantly, create an environment which feels unique and special for class. No 2 teachers follow the same style, energy or routine, and each teacher will offer something unique to students -whether it's great adjustments, a relaxing practice, a soft, kind, gentle approach, a soothing voice, a fun dynamic class, a strict methodical approach, here's a style out there for everyone. And hopefully I'll soon find mine....

Nearly half way through!

Weeks 3 & 4 – keeping the energy going....

It's week 4 already and most students' energy levels are sinking. I've seen tears, sulking, snapping, some weirdnesss and near breakdowns, but all in all, most people are in pretty good form. Hard times are inevitable on an intense course like this and you have to expect some strange behaviour.

With the challenges of the first few weeks behind me, I am keeping -more or less- sane and I think I'm ready to face new ones. I am now happily bouncing out of bed for the early morning wake up calls. So far, we have three 6 am pranayama sessions and three 7 am starts each week. This means my alarm is set for either 5 or 6 am most days. It's much easier than expected and I'm even starting to enjoy getting up at the crack of dawn, when the rest of Goa is still asleep – even the dogs seem to have their moment of rest and lay off the howling for a couple of hours before sunrise. After a shot of bee pollen and my dose of spirulina and chaiwanprash (my new ayurvedic superfood), I spring out of the room, ready to face another day of yoga practice and lessons.
I'm also now the proud owner (albeit temporarily) of a vintage 1950s Raleigh bicycle, which I've been pedaling around town and to class. Its a great way to get around flat-as-a-pancake Anjuna, but the hills of Parra, the nearby village where most of my classes are now shifting, aren't an easy ride. I struggle uphill and try to hop on classmates' scooters when I can. However, early morning starts bring me to discover a brand new world: the bicycle milk wallah, sleepy roadside dogs and homeless people emerging from the gutter. It also highlights Goa from a whole different perspective and puts me in a positive mood to start the day – most days.

So I've overcome my fears of getting up at 5 and having to sleep so early (with no tv or internet to distract me, early nights aren't that hard). The food is far better than I could have hoped - we're spoilt for choice here: I now have the options of healthy salad/tofu/soup joints, indian veg (with a few Tibetan momos thrown in), market snacks, supermarket shopping or market stalls for fresh fruit and veg, which could potentially be prepared the ayurvedic way (new cookbook allowing). So far, I've only explored options 1-3 and I'm amazed by the variety. But with all the morning practices, it's been mostly a 2 meal a day affair so far – brunch an early dinner – with lots of fruits/snacks/chai thrown in between. It's a fairly healthy lifestyle I reckon.
So week 3 started in a dynamic, upbeat fashion. Physically, I'm feeling energized, my flexibility has improved and my understanding of yoga as a whole is increasing. This could be the first few steps in a long journey of learning. The anatomy classes are fascinating- there's only so much you can cover in 9 hours a week, but knowing how the body works, from organs to the bones, muscles and systems, really does make a huge difference. Getting in and out of postures, knowing how it affects structure, alignment etc is a technique in itself and is just as important as the posture itself. Anatomy is such a wide subject but even the most basic bits of knowledge I've piked up from the classes feel so valuable. I need to keep reading, learning and putting all this into practice. It may seem obvious to many, but the spine is essentially the 'brain' of the body – yet we constantly forget to look after it: hence the importance of good posture, avoiding unnecessary pressure, tension and brutal movements, especially on the lower parts of the spine (lumbar and sacrum) as they are the least mobile parts of the back. Anatomy is also a key part of the adjustments process – or 'how to give good adjustments without putting pressure on the wrong area and sending students into the A&E'!

Finding time to write and reflect on the course isn't easy either, but as the weeks fly past, keeping an online record of all this really does feel therapeutic – it's a technology filled, materialistic escape from the spiritual and mental world of yoga!

Road Rage....

Or the incessant honking and beeping....

I've been on my Indian bike for just over a week now and I am fully feeling the road rage.
Walking around isn't easy either, you're just at the bottom end of the road chain – it goes this way: cows, trucks, buses, vans, cars, auto-rickshaws, motorbikes/scooters, push bikes, pedestrians and the gutter. I wish I could be a cow. Lie on a road all day and watch the crazy world going by me. Being worshiped, respected, occasionally fed or moved. Life's not bad in India for cow.

Being on a bike does, however lead you to see the countryside from a different angle. Yes, it does get hot and sticky during the day, you can't really go too far (and steep hills are out of bounds, especially if you're riding a vintage single speed like me) and you do get the the odd stares (and dirty beeps) from stunned locals. Cycling in India is the poor man's mode of transport. Old men, stick thin sun scorched workers and schoolchildren are the only real bike users around here. Anything else is just deemed odd – why would anyone in their right mind and with enough money consider any form of strenuous exercise when buses, cars and mopeds are easy ways around? Physical activity is certainly one of those cultural divides India and many other countries have with the western world. For me, cycling is a wonderful way to get around, no matter which country I am in. It brings you one notch closer to the surrounding world, in a similar way to walking but in a more efficient, faster manner. You wouldn't cover huge distances on Indian roads, but a bicycle is definitely a great way to get around -and it's possibly safer than a moped.
So what's crazy about Indian roads? Everything. So far I've been attacked by dogs (they're harmless but do give you a fright), beeped at constantly by car/bus/lorry/scooter drivers (that's the rule around here – make yourself heard: 'watch out I am here, beep beep'), I've been shouted at, stared at (not much difference from London then) and jeered at by silly school kids. Oh and did I mention the snotty glare from a cow or two on the way? They rule the roads so why not. They're allowed to sit on their fat bums and cause traffic chaos.

I hope I can keep the cycling up in the next few weeks – most of my classes are moving to a more remote retreat up a long hill, so time will tell whether I'll be able to face the climb each morning at 5.30 am!

Week 2 Reminders

Key reminders for week 2:

• Look after your back: the spine is so delicate and holds the key to a healthy body.

• Learn about your body type: without necessarily having to follow Ayurvedic principles, one should try to understand how their body works. What and how we eat affects our health, and this varies according to each individuals' bodily structure, personality and age.

• Eat well: following the above, food maintains us alive, so keeping our body healthy means eating according to one's body type (constitution), regularly, lightly, and calmly.

• Breathe (again) : one reminder I'll need to include each week!

Week 2

week2 – soaking it all in...

Second week on the course and I feel I'm only just starting to get into the swing of things and easing into a different rhythm and pace. Now I understand why we were asked to arrive at least a few days – if not a week- early. It takes the system time to adjust to the environment, food, time change, weather and local lifestyle, especially when coming from a busy city like London. I consider myself fairly flexible -or more appropriately, adaptable- and having traveled in Asia before, India didn't come across as much of a culture shock. Having said that, Goa is hardly a fair representation of India – with hoards of backpackers and package tourists, it's more of an Asian Ibiza.
Luckily tucked away a few kilometres from the beach, in a peaceful garden (peaceful for Indian standards, if you remove the background car horns, animal howls and occasional drilling), the Brahmani Yoga centre, where most of my classes are being taught during the first few weeks, is a fairly idyllic pace to study.

The one other aspect I have found truly fascinating so far, apart from each person's individual practice, is the unique path everyone has chosen. Needless to say, each of the other 12 students come from various backgrounds (from both a cultural and yoga perspective), but each person also appears to have quite different expectations of the course – why they chose to enroll, what they hope to get out of it, what they plan to do next etc. Some have very clear paths and the near future (ie. post course) all mapped out. Others (like me) are willing to let go and take things each step at a time, not quite knowing what my happen next. I haven't even started thinking about what I might do after the training – apart from keeping up my practice of course, whilst hopefully assisting and eventually teaching. I don't want to think about it too much either – the whole point for me is to take a step back from my unnecessarily busy life and focus on something completely different, and which I am passionately committed to. Where it will lead me, who knows. The outcome can only be a positive one – unless I get struck with the inevitable Delhi belly syndrome! I wouldn't go as far as saying it'll be life changing but let's hope I do take this all in and experience life in a new, eye-opening way.

Reminders of the week

Key reminders of the week:

practice, practice, practice : '... and all will come'. Old words but full of truth.

breathe : this is what our body is made for and keeps us alive

rest: work, effort and dedication make no sense if they are not balanced out with moments of stillness and reflection.

have fun too: play around with postures, sequences, try out new things

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....