Firsts

Welcome to my first blog post!

While we approach the beginning of a New Year, it seems a fitting time to deal with yet another 'first'. I never ever tire of them, which is just as well, as since I resigned from the world of Corporate Headhunting merely 3 months ago, life has been fuller of them than ever before. Lets have a quick look at a select few of them:

• My first Yoga teacher training came to an end a month ago. I say my first, because as a teacher, I make a lifelong commitment to being a good student too, recognising that this was just a first step (a large one mind!). It was utterly eyeopening, in so very many ways, and I am so grateful to every single one of my teachers (another topic ripe for discussion, though I think that will have to be tackled another time).
• My first trip to the beautiful land of Bali. Staying most specifically near Ubud.
• My first time being utterly selfemployed. Its a big leap of faith, now is a time when a lot of people think that leaving a secure job and salary is eccentric to say the least. But I've learnt over the last few years that life could be short, and even if it isn't, I feel it should be as full as possible of joy, love, challenge, stimulation and a million things as yet undiscovered, Mark Twain said it better than I can: “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”

So-firsts, they're exciting (well some of them anyway), but life, and the real good that comes with it is how we follow through after that initial excitement. Its a lot less glamorous, but generally its the 30th and the 300th time we do something that makes us who we are. Perhaps that's worth bearing in mind when we think of New Year's Resolutions. Make it something that you can bear committing to, whilst resting safe in the knowledge that we can ALL do anything that we set our mind to, if not now, then later, after practice! And this brings me neatly (phew! I hadn't planned it!) to one of the more fabulous things about yoga. Its designed for everybody, quite literally every body. One doesn't need to be agile, or fast, or even flexible. For all of us, yoga will almost certainly help us towards these things. One of the most powerful things that yoga has done for me, is reveal how futile most of our selfdoubt is. Something about adult life teaches us to doubt our own capabilities, and strength. Yoga has revealed time and again that-acutally, I AM able to stand on my head, to bend my leg that way, and to hold myself in Warrior 2 for just 5 more breaths. And so are you.

I'll be posting much more on this and many other subjects, but for now, let me give you a quick view of the sorts of things I plan on posting through this in the future:

• Recipes (always Vegetarian, and sometimes vegan too).
• Details of other great classes and events which I think you might enjoy.
• Details of other websites and resources which I've really enjoyed.
• Inspiring quotes, and potentially less inspiring ramblings of my own.

The internet is a fantastic opportunity to open dialogue with those whom we might otherwise never have met, so please do leave any comments that come up for you.