When I first started practising yoga, I was told not to do any inversions (headstands, handstands, shoulder stands) when I had my period. Going upside down, it was said, would inhibit the flow of menstrual blood. So I dutifully went on to avoid inversions once a month. Periods are bad enough without wilfully complicating matters, […]
It’s quite a high when you float out of a particularly inspiring class or workshop, feeling full of joy as every cell in your body seems to vibrate. Fully convinced of the benefits of yoga for body and mind, you tell yourself that this time, you’re going to keep it up, no matter what. And […]
Even someone who’s never stepped on a yoga mat will know that Meditation is having its moment. Not so long ago, people who meditated were regarded as a little flaky, ridiculed in movies as relics from the 60s and 70s, and generally depicted as long-haired hippies in beads and flowing cheesecloth. Now, we know that […]
Septuagenarian Kathy Cooper, practising since the 1970s, pictured on a recent visit to Ireland. One of the joys of ageing (yes, younger readers, there are a few – and turning sixty in lockdown gave me plenty of time to reflect on them!) is that the discipline to practise comes more easily. When you’re young, you […]
Spending time in France last month, I got to thinking about the Niyama of Tapas. There’s nowhere quite like France to force you to draw on your deepest reserves of Tapas to get you through the day. Everywhere you look, an opportunity arises to indulge in some of the country’s fabulousness: the restaurants, the wine, […]
Anyone who was mesmerised by the recent, stunning Netflix documentary “My Octopus Teacher” might remember Craig Foster, the free diver who wrote and directed the film, explaining how he got to know the behavioural patterns of the octopus who so entranced him. People seemed puzzled, he said, by his habit of diving to exactly the […]
There was a time when a bee hovering in the garden caused panic (and often a tragic end for the bee). Now, they get the red carpet treatment. We plan our gardens to their taste and practically jump for joy when we see one, willing the little creature to stay and hoping they’ll bring all […]
On a recent podcast*, Blindboy discussed the creative process with his guest, singer/songwriter Sinéad O’Connor as he interviewed her about her new memoir.** Asked about how she writes her songs, Sinéad responded that her subconscious really does the job for her. She sometimes wakes to a snippet of a song in her head and realises […]
It’s said that to be happy, we need someone to love, something to do, and something to look forward to. Since March 2020, many of us might struggle to easily tick all three boxes, whatever our circumstances were before. When it comes to loved ones, working from home and lockdown means that while we’re forcibly […]
As a confirmed Ashtangi, I never thought the day would come when I’d be extolling the virtues of a yoga style involving floor-based poses, held for several long, slow (sometimes very slow) minutes. But here I am, the one who ran screaming from non-dynamic forms of yoga, ready to tell you why I now embrace […]