Colon Hydrotherpy goes hand in hand with any cleanse, detox or general healthy lifestyle. CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS

(NB: No cacao, white tea or stimulating foods to ease my body into tomorrows full day on juice only.)

Today, wee yogi got her hands dirty - those gloves didn't stay on long I promise!

Mysore style yoga – a set sequence of poses you learn over time. Once you know what you are doing, you do our own practice at your own pace, with the physical adjustment and verbal guidance of a teacher…
More detailed explaination here!

Mysore style bicycle repair (aka FYOB) – as above, but with a bike, here in Edinburgh…
Check it out here!

My new brake pads fitted by me!

Feeling very proud of myself…
What did you do today?
♥

From this Sunday I embark on a 7 day juice feast!
Juice feast means – all juice all day!
I am allowing bee pollen, honey and algae to supplement the process.
Herbal teas are also okay.
This will be my… goodness knows what number now…
Put it this way, I’m no stranger to this juicy adventure!
It is an adventure in that new ‘stuff’ comes up every time.
*Would you like to join me?!*
Contact me if you want to be part of a small group of us… I may even do a FB page!
… we will go on this adventure together, sharing thoughts, experiences and revelations, or not…
… it is up to you!

MY PLAN:

1. Start 7 day JUICE FEAST – Sunday 20th May (Lets stop all solid food and get juicy! I have lots of extras up my sleeves!)
2. Movie Night/Meet up at BYS – Friday 25th May (get together, watch a great movie, be inspired, share your stories.)
3. ‘BreakFeast’ – Sunday 27th May (… start the ‘re-build’ phase to take us up to the full moon over the next 7 days.)
4. Full Moon – Monday 4th June (The waxing moon is the time of regeneration absorption and supply!)
5. I turn 28 a healthier, stronger and even more alive wee yogi! – Tuesday 5th June.

Why start on the new moon?
On the day of the new moon, the body’s capacity for detoxification is at it’s highest.
Anyone who makes it a rule to arrange a fast at the new moon is already on their way to preventing all kinds of illnesses.
Similarly, this is the day to make a new beginning.
Throw bad habits overboard!
Strong withdrawal is generally kept within bounds; mentally, too, people react more calmly to the ‘loss’.
Often ‘bad habits are just the outward expression of disoriented forces that often only need a new goal.
If you wish to give something up, let it be your choice and your choice only.
Don’t listen to the opinions of others when making this choice.
Then, don’t waste time looking for reason – this is your intuition talking now, reasoning has no place here.
Choose this new moon as the time of a ‘new age’ the power of this day will support you.

♥

Indeed I got my ‘snow globe’ shaken up and being inside the storm, the chaos of it all is overwhelming.
Suddenly the world is full of unpredictability.
The calm before the storm was a false sense of security.
That previous beauty, calm and equilibrium now seems like something quite out of reach.

I observe – sometimes it is better to wait. Go inside and wait for the snow to settle.
Stay ‘inside’ and watch the ‘snow’ ~ emotions, thoughts, feelings, pain, anger, sadness….
Let them fall like snow flakes, each one different, each one new, each one valid and allowed.
Be the observer.

Like at Christmas, sit at the window and watch it fall
- indeed as Jill Manning would say – “the only way out IS in”...

Then, when the stillness comes again, as the snow flakes settle and the quiet returns in,
there is a certain kind of clarity.

Feeling, seeing… *being* is much more potent, the contrast of the snow storm can be quite revealing.

♥

Snowglobe images courtesy of: www.martin-munoz.com

For me... back bending 'comes easy' but when it comes easy, you have to wonder - will it *always* be this easy - what's the point in all this, and how long is this easy access ecstasy going to last for...?

This is what lead me to write this post.
Not that I find *it all* easy (… see picture of me above).
I don’t.
But this practice is physically asking a lot of us all – no matter who you are, Ashtanga yoga takes you to your personal edge (mentally, physically, emotionally) and asks you:
“Are you *sure* you *really* want to do this? Because if you do, you’re going to have to change something – and this practice will change your life forever.”
In my opinion this ‘life changing’ does not just happens as a side effect, but because it is not optional to keep doing unkind things to your mind and body off the mat… Ashtanga yoga stops this in it’s tracks… there is no question, these habits will be mirrored on the mat and you will *have* to make a change or you will literally break.
(… or you’ll just give up and say: “This Ashtanga yoga just is not for me”)
Clearly, I have been thinking about this for a few days and quite frankly cannot *not* write about what is coming up…

So, here goes:
5 things I think you will have to explore if you’re going to dive into Ashtanga…

“Ten years, twenty years, your whole life long you practice. ”
-Shri K Pattabhi Jois

1. Sleep – When we sleep, we digest. We digest our food and we digest our days experiences. Whatever you have taken in during the day is processed. If you are having trouble remembering the sequence or perhaps you simply can’t digest last nights dinner in time for practice, allow sleep to do it’s work, tomorrow might be different. Chronic sleep deprivation may also cause weight gain by affecting the way our bodies process and store carbohydrates, and by altering levels of hormones that affect our appetite. What’s more, ‘Tiredness Kills!’ – I am sure we all heard this phrase in road accident campaigns? So – imagine what you could do to yourself in a full power asana practice with little sleep! Sleep debt contributes to a greater tendency to fall into a ‘false awakeness’, these lapses may cause falls and mistakes, errors, mishaps, and accidents. Sleep loss can also result in irritability, impatience, inability to concentrate, and moodiness. This is certainly not the attitude for your yoga practice! Your body will not love you back if you hate on it for 90 minutes every morning! I did some research and learned serious sleep disorders have been linked to hypertension, increased stress hormone levels, and irregular heartbeat. Sleep is our time to heal. We ‘shut down’ so the body can do what it is designed to do. The fact is, sleep deprivation alters immune function, including the activity of the body’s killer cells. So, all that said, if you’re diving deep in to Ashtanga Yoga 6 days per week, you may well find yourself buying a set of earplugs, making your excuses to leave a little earlier than the rest, canceling late dinners, skipping the late night showing of X, Y, Z movie and perhaps seeking out a mate who does the same!

2. Eat – Our food is our fuel but it is also what sometimes holds us back. A good analogy I use a lot would be this one…
When you eat mashed potato how do you feel? Like a mashed potato!
When you eat a big salad of greens and sprouts how do you feel? Like a sprout!
Think of your body like a racing car, I know most race car drivers choose the finest oils for their engine… can we do the same for our transport system?
Similarly; So, you want to ‘float’ your way through your yoga practice? Time to think about what’s going to facilitate that process. Easier said than done. Food is one of the most addictive things on earth and pretty much all of our life revolves around it. This subject is *huge* but if you’re in this practice for life, no matter what there will come a time where your body will show a sign of some kind that it needs a fuel reveiw.

3. Drink – Fluids are *so* important. Remember it doesn’t have to be water you drink – it could be coconut water, fresh juices & herbal teas that help replenish your levels… Water makes up more than two thirds of human body weight, and without water, we would die in a few days. The human brain is made up of 95% water, blood is 82% and lungs 90%. A mere 2% drop in our body’s water supply can trigger signs of dehydration: fuzzy short-term memory, trouble with basic math, and difficulty focusing on smaller print, such as a computer screen. (Are you having trouble reading this? Drink up!). Water is important to the mechanics of the human body. The body cannot work without it, just as a car cannot run without gas and oil. In fact, all the cell and organ functions that make up our entire anatomy and physiology depend on water for their functioning. Not only is this all so important but also the quality of what you are drinking. Water is not always just water – things are added or perhaps left behind as it goes through the cycles of cleaning, raining, re-cycling. Perhaps it is time to explore what the quality of your water is. In fact – I feel a whole other blog about that coming on…

• Water serves as a lubricant
• Water forms the base for saliva
• Water forms the fluids that surround the joints.
• Water regulates the body temperature.
• Water aids digestion, by moving food through the intestinal tract and thereby eliminating waste it is the best detox agent.

4. Think – Simply put, this yoga stuff is going to make you think.
As one of my teachers and dear friends Jill Manning would say -
“… yoga is about spacing in, not spacing out”
… *So* true, and you will, dive deeper and deeper, this is a never ending adventure!
But what is *most* important is that you nurture the thoughts that serve you, don’t dwell on the stuff that doesn’t.
I know what I mean but these folks put it way better than I ever will…

A man is but the product of his thoughts. What he thinks, he becomes.
– Mahatma Gandhi

A man sooner or later discovers that he is the master-gardener of his soul, the director of his life.
– James Allen

All that we are is the result of what we have thought. The mind is everything. What we think, we become.
– Buddha

All that you accomplish or fail to accomplish with your life is the direct result of your thoughts.
– James Allen

All truly wise thoughts have been thoughts already thousands of times; but to make them truly ours, we must think them over again honestly, till they take root in our personal experience.
– Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe

Anger will never disappear so long as thoughts of resentment are cherished in the mind. Anger will disappear just as soon as thoughts of resentment are forgotten.
– Buddha

5. Cleansing – Number 5 is one of my specialities! I started cleansing this body way back when I was still in college and I haven’t ignored this part since…
This process is also never ending – at least while we are here in this body anyway!
So, have a think. Is it time to clean the engine? A good way to tell is to reflect upon your practice, whatever that may be and wherever it is right now… Are things not really happening? Are you ‘STUCK’?
Sometimes, we just don’t realise we are feeling rubbish until we come out the other side of a cleanse feeling brand new!
It is your birthright to feel that good *everyday* but you have to take full responsibility and don’t wait a day longer.
Ashtanga yoga is naturally detoxifying, but sometimes the body needs a little help.
If you are not gaining benefits form your practice or perhaps it is just not feeling right and your confused what to try next, have a think about giving your body a wee helping hand.
The body *is* designed to heal but we need to allow it to…
Cleanse the colon – colonics, enemas and lighter eating/juicing will help.
Eat well.
Give your digestion a rest.
Reflect on points 1-4 again, all of which will contribute to number 5.

To conclude I look back over these 5 points and can think of countless students/friends who could do with investigating *at least* one of  these.

Overall – The word ‘lifestyle’ comes to mind.

This practice *is* intense – or as intense as you allow it to be.
Bending the spine for example, this way and that even just a little, is going to ask for some serious TLC before during and after the experience…
In fact all body parts will need this TLC at some point… and all mind parts!
No stone will be left unturned – if you choose to go all the way in.
So we will not always do exact alignment, perfect posture, lazy days happen, carelessness may happen.
We are not always in the perfect mind state either!
See your body as a divine container for the wonderful fruits of this practice.
Reflect on the realistic longevity of your practice as it is right now and if your life could do with a little tweaking.
Write the points down and ask yourself in response to each pont:
“… what can I do tomorrow better than I did today for my engine, my divine container?!”
And finally, why are we doing this in the first place? Only you know the answer to that. But if you have a point make sure you can follow through for the long term… Otherwise, what is the point?!
Have fun!
Enjoy your practice!
Celebrate this life, this body, this mind!
Big Love, Big Peace
from wee yogi ♥

…Literally…

After a beautiful morning mysore group wee yogi enjoys a grapefruit and goji juice followed by green juice for everyone!

Green juice for us all! Kale, Chard, Celery, Parsley, Ginger, Spinach, Cucumber (...and apples to soften the blow!)

Green blood for post practice life force!

What a life!
I am feeling *too* much gratitude to explain!
♥

This Sunday Morning at 8am,
Before I teach the full led primary series at BYS with the rest of the gang…
I practice with the boys…
My focus: Double Shakti Vibe Emission…
We balance out…
The yin : The yang
The light : The dark
The moon : The sun
The cold : The hot
The water : The fire
The feminine : The masculine
The earth : The air
The hidden : The manifest

Tim and Al

All of this was followed by a full house at 10:15 of *ALL GIRLS*…
What a way to start my Sunday…
♥ Blessed ♥

Today it was nettles - tomorrow it *could* be rocket - I have no way of knowing...

Basil was where it all began, followed by Kale, Chard, Spinach, Parsley, Corriander, Spring Greens, Pak Choi…
The list goes on, and on, and on…
Sometimes I’ll have one at a time – but more often than not I want them all at the same time – together in a juicy mix!

I love the way greens look,
Those emerald sheets of goodness,
Those leafy chlorophyl rich friends…
I love their feel, each one unique with the spirit of life in their watery cells!
And the smell is like summer and spring and holidays and life!!!
I want to dive in and roll around and enjoy the smell of freshness…
… Ahem…
So, yes, there it is, I confess, I am obsessed and this has been going on for a while and I can’t stop myself.
I have *even* been known to give the green eyed devil death stare to anyone who steps in front of me when there is only *one* bag of rainbow chard left on the shelf in Real Foods!

Today is New Moon, Enjoy this time for new beginnings everyone!

Now confess – who or *what* is your secret love affair with?

]]> http://www.wee-yogi.co.uk/secret-love-affair/feed 1 http://www.wee-yogi.co.uk/finding-wholeness http://www.wee-yogi.co.uk/finding-wholeness#comments Wed, 18 Apr 2012 15:10:11 +0000 wee yogi http://www.wee-yogi.co.uk/?p=2461 Sometimes by simply doing good things for others when your own spirit is low,
… by sharing with others the stuff you love yourself,
… by loving everyone *no matter what*,
… by caring for others without judgement …
… life just feels worth it and full of more and more *joy*

'Ch-Ch-Chia Chocolation' for my sister and her man after working their butts off at work yesterday (... and making sure wee yogi has a roof over her head!)

Bristo Yoga School Mysore Mornings 6:30-9:30am - the only traditional Mysore Style program in Scotland!

Monday morning I am ultra alive with gratitude to have the opportunity to practice amongst this amazing bunch of early birds with an awesome teacher – Karen Breneman – Come! Try! Click the link/teacher below….

6:30am-8am – Karen Breneman
8am-9:30am – Susan Reynolds (your wee yogi)

Gratitude gifts - how lucky is wee yogi!?!

After class I was blessed to be reminded that what you put into something with all your heart commitment and dedication, certainly comes right back at ya’ – sometimes in the shape of raw cacao treats