IN PURSUIT OF SPACE & EMPTINESS! Nobody has ever measured how much the heart can hold but with a particular worry gone for us this year it feels like there …
NEVER TOO LATE TO START FROM SCRATCH!
25 YEARS AGO THIS MONTH WALKED INTO MY FIRST BIKRAM YOGA CLASS. Before Bikram Yoga’ nothing (aside from Darren 😉 ) grabbed my attention the way it did and I …
SLOW DOWN YOGIS!
THE PROCESS of shifting attention from the large and/or final movement, the outward shape of the asana to the micro moves, deeper muscles, mindfulness and the quality of the breath …
A HAPPY LIFE LASTS 90 MINUTES
The Bliss path to Self Realisation becomes obscured ‘over time’; relatively speaking, time can be an enemy as well as a friend; your ‘Bliss suffers with the mere passage of …
GIVE WHAT YOU WANT!
If you want Love, you give Love. Yes we offer you our appreciation and Love; and they don’t cost a thing! We know as we give we will receive. In …
LOOK.AT.YOU.
“LOOK INTO YOUR OWN EYES. LOOK AT YOUR THIRD EYE. LOOK AT YOUR ANATOMICAL END POINTS. LOOK AT YOU” ~ Trisha These are our ‘broad’ 🙂 focused gaze choices at …
DO YOUR BEST
WHAT DOES ‘DO YOUR BEST’ MEAN? You hear it at school, home, work. Is it just a filler? Something people say when they don’t know what else to say? It …
YOGA MATTERS IS A ‘NO TOUCH STUDENT’ YOGA SCHOOL.
Just to be clear. YOGA MATTERS IS A ‘NO TOUCH STUDENT’ YOGA SCHOOL. Someone recently asked me to physically move them into a position for which I declined. Not just …
Yoga Gives for Ukrainian Peoples
~YOGA GIVES~ 10 CLASSES FOR UKRAINE ~ Watching all unfold on a screen can make one seem helpless; we want to help but pitch around for how. We lost enthusiasm …
What does Kahlil Say?
Book Posing ~ Bookasana ~ Had a few conversations with people this week about favourite books! Too hard to pick fave; makes my head spin as only a book lovers …
Your Health is Your Wealth!
“they’re gonna stick a needle in us when we’re 90 and make us live longer, whether we like it or not” This lil’ funny was on furlough for the past …
“In knowing nothing, life is most delightful”
“In knowing nothing, life is most delightful” {Publilius Syrus} or to put another way IGNORANCE IS BLISS! Let us not get distracted here by ‘proofs’ of knowledge’. We are not …
Christmas 2021
Is it ‘flickering’ or is it ‘TWINKLING’? ~TWINKLE unapologetically! THE WORLD NEEDS YOU. CELEBRATE EVERYTHING that you possibly can.~ Thinking of ways to say THANK YOU always gives us lovely …
IF YOU LET SOMEONE STEAL YOUR ‘STILLNESS’ YOU ARE THE LOSER
If we were a ‘book’ 🙂 ‘Yoga Matters’ would be the ‘title’ and ‘In Pursuit of Stillness’ would be our ‘subtitle’. Our title conveys who we are but our subtitle …
10 YEARS OF YM
~YM@10~ 19th July 2021 will be 3650 days, aprox 5000 (FIVE THOUSAND) classes and lots of ‘stuff’ has happened since YM opened its doors. WHAT DOES 10YRS RUNNING YOUR OWN …
You Are Not Alone
You exist You are real You are valuable You are not alone Please. Don’t get this blog intent wrong… in no way shape or form would I wish to diminish …
WHAT DOES ‘FINDING YOURSELF’ MEAN?
Using western ‘logic’ ‘fact/literal meaning’ it is too easy to dismiss this little phrase as a bit of ‘new agey’ ‘nonsense’. To the person who hasn’t explored the idea these …
Daydream Believer
When I’m practicing Yogasana my mind is 100% ‘IN THE MOMENT’. This state did not come easily; it took a while at outset of practice to develop this strong body-mind …
Insta Yogi Vs. Yoga
With all the insta glam superimposed over Yogasana it would be easy perhaps for some to get confused about what one is seeking when they take up the practice. Some …
Social Distancing
‘Social Distancing’. Was there ever a more repulsive and alienating phrase? I had thought I read something last year that ‘authorities’ had discussed and decided to use ‘physical’ distancing instead …
The Way of the Peaceful Warrior
Aah dusting: an excellent way to re-acquaint yourself with classics; THIS ONE has had its 3 readings 🙂 first early 90s and it truly DID bring big CHANGE to my …
TIME TO DUST
“So Lyra and her daemon turned away from the world they were born in and looked toward the sun and walked into the sky” ~ Philip Pullman If you know ‘His …
The Doors of Perception
Just done some Yoga and feeling a bit trippy! ~ I remember reading The Doors of Perception {Huxley} thinking gad he goes on a bit about ‘that chair’! but I …
YM Loves ‘Left’ :) ~ left property statistics
Our Left Property is sooo tidy these days I almost miss it’s chaos! almost… FREQUENTLY left: water bottles (hundreds over the years; cannot be kept too long for hygiene reasons) …
Light On… Credits 2020
Dear YM Bikram Yogis, Ever so grateful to practitioners for welcoming YM back on 12th June. Happy to be with you all every day. ‘Pure generosity’ invested in credits whilst …
Speaking of ‘Adages’ and ‘Edges’…
“IF YOU CAN YOU MUST” ~V.~ “JUST BECAUSE YOU CAN DO SOMETHING DOESN’T MEAN YOU SHOULD” ~ Sometimes I feel like… I am speaking in adages in class and taken …
CONTAGION ‘MITIGATION’ PLAN
****scroll down to see 26/8/21 ‘Stage 7’ update**** We are so happy and excited to be able to WELCOME YOU BACK to our little Yoga school. To help you feel …
EVERYone smiles in the same language!
‘National Smile Month’ 18May-18June primarily has an oral hygiene focus thus ‘improving the quality of your smile’. It has reminded me of a story I’d like to share ~ A …
KARMA COLA
“READING GIVES US SOMEPLACE TO GO WHEN WE HAVE TO STAY WHERE WE ARE” I have often been asked for a ‘recommended reading list’ re Yoga; I have steered clear …
LOVE YourSelf
It seems these days there is a lot of intelligence in the service of madness! There is a lot of pain on display. Don’t stare at it 24/7. Open up …
LOVE JERSEY GIRL
Jersey does have a few lovely sculptures but when ‘JERSEY GIRL’ was first revealed it immediately became MY FAVOURITE of them all! One of the best things about this sculpture …
~WORRIES OF A LOCKED IN BIKRAM YOGI INSTRUCTOR~
15/4/2020 ~ My teaching skills are disappearing! Whilst the ‘Dialogue’ is ever present fundamental structure of our classes I NEVER know what I am going to say from one class …
The Art of War
March @ YM is for WARRIORS!!! Ahhh Love FebYOUary!… BUT! Onward MARCH! 😉 ~ the start of Spring, the clocks change again, time to celebrate the Irish in you 😉 …
Little Ego Sneaks into Yoga Class
Once upon a time… Little Ego snuck into a Yoga class with its Driver. Driver had never tried Yogasana before. Everything about it was new and hard AND there was …
HOW NOW 2020?
WHAT.a.year. It has been MASSIVE in terms of our Yoga community locally AND globally. The world in its changing feels freefall and less predictable at the moment; where will we …
Christmas 2019
BLESSED YOGIS ~ THANK YOU. THANK YOU for all your Christmas wishes. THANK YOU ALL who have kept us company this year and in doing so have kept us going. …
Know Your Unconscious Mind (‘UM’)
My UM has been ‘triggered’ 🙂 and I am researching as I am writing folks and some if this is new to me but very interesting. I share it with …
Bikram Yoga and its extractions…
Bikram Yoga classes are 90 minutes. (As a matter of interest Sivananda classes are 90 minutes. Iyengar classes are 90 minutes). There IS no ‘quick fix all’ and 90 minutes …
“INSTRUCTIONS FOR LIVING A LIFE: Pay attention. Be astonished. Tell about it.” ~ Mary Oliver
This piece is not written for longer term practitioners who have learned to ‘grace’ through ‘stuff’… this is written for the younger person/Yogi whose life is just ramping up and …
‘out of office / gone to Yoga Matters’
picked up ‘Business Life’ local mag at airport {Sep19}; ‘twas the cover that caught my attention “DUTY OF CARE, ITS TIME TO FACE UP TO STARK STATISTICS ABOUT EMPLOYEES MENTAL …
WE DID IT !!!
THE SINGING BOWL WILL BE SINGING AGAIN ~ FRIDAY 21ST JUNE ~ We have been in an interesting position of late; we have had to hand certain things over ‘emotionally’; …
The Battling Yogi
The most interesting paradigm shift that has occurred in me this last year and possibly the one I am most GRATEFUL for is the removal of resistance to DEALING with …
No Devices in Yoga School
Sometimes we have to home in on the ‘etiquettes’ what they are and why we have them so people can work on the same page as us if they wish… …
THIS is the problem with Bikram Yoga
LOL. ApPARently! There is someone out there subtly trying to undermine Bikram Yoga most likely in the hopes of building their own empire on any ruins they create! Yeah, I …
STILL IN LOVE…
…WITH BIKRAM YOGA AFTER ALL OF THESE YEARS. YOU CANNOT MAGIC UP 20 YEARS LIFE EXPERIENCE; YOU HAVE TO DO THE TIME ! THIS MONTH I’VE BEEN HAVING MY OWN …
Good Things Come in 3s !!!
3 THINGS CANNOT BE HIDDEN! Is it THE SUN, THE MOON and NEW BEGINNINGS??? OR is it INTERNATIONAL YOGA DAY ~and~ SUMMER SOLSTICE ~and~ FREE YM! Yes! OF COURSE on the …
Mad Mat Matters II
Meandering through a dept store in London this was sticking out (see pic) from a pile of mats and it drew my attention. It made me laugh ~ Yes! there …
That’s not MY yoga alliance…
This is a slight meandering from my blog ‘Choosing a Yoga Instructor’; read this one in conjunction with that one 🙂 … {updated 2020} YOU HAVE GOT TO get past …
choosing a Yoga instructor
“so there it is work it out for yourself, BE SELECTIVE, be OBJECTIVE… be an asset to the collective, as you know you gotta get a life” ~ Jazzy B You …
ARE WE KNOWIN’ WHERE WE’RE GOIN’ WITH BIKRAM TRIANGLE?
Well we know where we’re goin’ But we don’t know where we’ve been And we know what we’re knowin’ But we can’t say what we’ve seen And we’re not little …
We Thank You with Satya
Blessed Yogis THANK YOU for all your kind Christmas wishes; we receive them gratefully and from the bottom of our hearts return the sentiments a hundredfold. We are grateful for …
Me? Acting/Bored with Dialogue? No Way!
My first Bikram Yoga class was like someone had finally turned the lights on.To some this might sound over the top (I am well aware that not everyone gets this …
BREAKING SYMMETRY
Have you ever heard the expression ‘if your gonna be tight be tight on both sides’ ? 🙂 Think about it! One sure way your body will be MORE vulnerable …
BIKRAM CHOUDHURY AT YOGA MATTERS?
For many people their Bikram Yoga time is ideally a respite from the ‘troubles’ of the world outside the room. Other practitioners use the time to reconcile problems of the …
THE THREE GUNAS
Some very depressing things have happened in the Yoga world over the years including abuse of power and abuse of students; devastating blows to the sanctity of the teacher/student relationship; …
BELLY UP PART IV ~ KNOW YOUR BELLY ~
I would like YM students to become more considerate of all the layers of muscles and organs* residing in this area. Use your Yoga to tune into the deeper abdominal …
BELLY UP PART III ~ RESPECT YOUR BELLY ~
It is hard to know where to start on this point. Harder still to know where the stop!! AGNI The fire of digestion resides in the belly area. It is …
BELLY UP PART II ~ SEE YOUR BELLY ~
AT THE BEGINNING of a Bikram Yoga Class in ‘Pranayama’ one of the standard phrases in the Bikram dialogue is ‘stomach in…depression of the abdominal wall…ribs stick out’ ‘RIB CAGE …
BELLY UP PART I ~ FREE YOUR BELLY ~
THE IMAGE: my belly is nearly 46 years old. My daughter resided and was nourished in there for 9 months. She arrived via c-section. She was 8.4lbs. Like many before …
Method in the Madness!
This post might help you when explaining to friends/family how a Bikram Yoga class works 🙂 A Bikram Yoga class is not the place for deep meaningful explanations about all …
feeling your Yoga
A YOGA POSE IS A LIVING THING. Not set in stone. Your pose is ever changing. It expresses differently from personality to personality, body to body, history to history, class …
~ FEEL V. FORCE ~
After 2 posts about ‘seeing’ your Yoga I thought I better ‘Yin’ it out with a couple of ‘FEELING’ your Yoga post :). Its all about balance 🙂 : Sometimes …
~ MIRROR MIRROR ~
Do you obey what your eyes show you or do you feel your Yoga? Some might say feeling your Yoga is King but as a beginner the reality can be …
Don’t Nourish the Flourish
More experienced students taking places in front few rows please/should be aware of the newbies placed behind them and try to lead by example: remembering not to insert extra movements/quirks/flourishes …
Responsibility; the Road Less Travelled
BIKRAM YOGA IS, amongst many other things, about strength, flexibility, balance and stamina which contribute HUGEly to one’s overall health and fitness. This is a challenging beginning Yoga class and …
WHAT DO YOU MEAN MY TRIKONASANA ISN’T 5,000 YEARS OLD???
PREAMBLE Oh Good Lord! there’s a ‘preamble’! this one is going to be a long one! 🙂 There is so much to write about in Yoga, I often don’t know …
As Glück Would Have It !
I first read ‘Autobiography of a Yogi’ not long after I took up Yoga. It was pretty mindblowing stuff at the time for me and I was a bit skeptical …
Stiff As a Board V. Bendy Like a Pretzel
My friend remembered a conversation we had recently and tagged me in a clip yesterday (attached https://www.facebook.com/BarcroftTV/videos/1052132741466371/) and… it got me thinking… 🙂 Walk down the street and look closely. …
A Purple Violet Magenta Rain
We Love Our New Logo. We’ve had it a while and we just couldn’t sit on it anymore. It’s the week leading up to St Valentine’s day and we just …
The Night Before Yogi Christmas
A’fore the night b’fore Christmas, I have something to say! I’ve been thinking of things that might lighten your day Just now! It has struck me ~ You don’t need …
Yoga For Drivers – Ahimsa
It’s no secret that the hardest ‘Yoga’ to practice is all that is NOT on your mat – don’t forget you don’t practice for the glory of the pose; you …
One Quick Fix Coming Right Up…
‘How little time do I have to spend in order to get maximum benefits’ seems to be the burning question these days. Guidelines from government health organisations seem to lower …
The Hidden Challenges of ‘Doing a Challenge’
The guidelines on our site give advice on how to prepare for a YM Challenge… ‘ensure work is not going to make extra demands on you… plan your social life …
Shapes & Numbers Celebrations
8 is my daughter today (best thing I ever made), 4 is YM (best chance I ever took), 16 years ago I ‘found’ Darren in a tent (there’s a tale! …
A Bikram Yoga journey can go something like this…
First class… Pranayama. OMG I feel so silly! What is that funny SOUND they are all making? Their all so serious! I want to laugh. 10 minutes in: my ARMS …
Yoga Matters Manifesto
As you LOOK into the eyes of your reflection and KNOW these are the eyes of your teacher, you REALISE there is nowhere to hide. Your smartphone can’t help you …
First International Yoga Day
HAPPY First International YOGA DAY ~ The interesting thing is that it is a political leader in India (Prime Minster) that has taken this stance to create this significant day …
“Set Your Life on Fire ~ Seek Those Who Fan Your Flames.” Rumi
We’ll provide the heat. Be it fahrenheit or centigrade from where we’re standing the temperature will be just fine. All YOU have to do is show up. Again and again. …
Change One Thing. Change Everything.
Change Nothing? Nothing Will Change. {May 2015} Yesterday I was unexpectedly presented with a person that I associate with being the cause of extreme stress for myself personally (Yes I …
My Bunny. Again.
THOUGHTS FROM A VINTAGE YOGI ABOUT HER RABBIT (again) ~ YOGA GETS BETTER AS YOU GET OLDER!!!. I spent much time in the past working on some postures that tend …
It Doesn’t Interest Me What You Do For a Living
“It doesn’t interest me what you do for a living” said Oriah Mountain Dreamer MAY I JUST EXPAND ON THIS? At YM we are not tribal and we don’t mind …
A Rose by any other Name is still a Rose ~ WHERE DOES BIKRAM FIT IN YOGA
Numbers abound in Yoga, it can all get very confusing to the beginner: 4 Paths, 8 Limbs, 6 Sub Paths, 7 (main) Chakras, 5 Points, 3 Bodies, 4 Locks (Bandhas), …
Bikram Yoga and Weight Loss addressed
Bikram says ~ ‘You’re never too old, never too bad, never too late and never too sick to start from the scratch once again.’ I’m going to add ‘Never Too …
The Power of Words
WORDS HAVE A VIBRATION All speech creates energy that radiates out to the world helping to create the atmosphere we live in. I do believe that our body and mind …
Its Not a Numbers Thing or Anything
Many product ads abound ‘Look Good Feel Better’ usually with a pic of a glowing and ‘Very Good Looking Model’ to represent how the ‘Feel Better’ quality Looks. Sadly 🙂 …
Choosing the ‘Right’
The word ‘right’ is not right! The word ‘perfect’ is not perfect! Words are so powerful; what would we do without Shakespeare’s 800 ! I fancy I have invented a …
ARISTOTLE SAID ~ “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.”
It is YM’s duty to propagate Yoga and its benefits and anything that helps generate interest in this discipline, or helps people persevere when they find it hard makes us …
We Print Money !
GOTCHA! On a more serious note 🙂 ~ About Oct last {2014} I was listening to BBC Radio Jersey one evening just after 8 and the presenter said some guy …
CALL ME TRISHA… :)
I have just finished reading ‘MOBY DICK and what a great read; Poor old Ahab, he built a prison for himself out of anger and revenge. Ultimately it was his …
Once Upon a Midnight Dreary…
Watched ‘Simpsons’ last night (yeah this is what I do when I get a night off :)) and Homer’s version of Poe’s ‘The Raven’ and of course it got me …
Stop Trying So Hard and Get Back In Your Box! said no Yoga Teacher ever.
True: the hardest part of my job is trying to get people to cease ‘over’ posturing and exhausting themselves in the process but that aside… What is more important? Showing …
OM ~ The Original Mantra
In Yogic thinking the first word was OM, the first vibration and sound from which all others emerged. There is no literal translation of OM; its three letters A, U …
Bow~WOW Asana!
Looky Looky Get ready world – a new batch of Bikram teachers comin’ off the training soon. I know why they are spending ‘$11,000+the rest’ and putting themselves through NINE …
Bikram Yoga works on you Outside & In
Which is more important? So what if you can’t get into the perceived “ideal” form of an asana? Many who receive benefits from Bikram aren’t necessarily those for whom something …
The Running Man of Jersey III
Found Jersey’s running hero exploring the max on his way towards Egypt 🙂 ; still time to: donate on his just giving page; keep up with him on his RTR …
The Running Man of Jersey II
Having finally convinced my daughter that there really IS a man running around Jersey every day this week 🙂 I am still struggling to get my own little brain around …
The Running Man of Jersey I
Things to do for free in Jersey this week ~ stone building at Stinky Bay, backward bending at The White House, draw in the sand at The Beach, hunt for …
I Am Awesome Yogi
So folks, I’m psyched! After an amazing weekend in Brighton (I even got a glimpse of their naked bike ride!! Woohooo (ok more than a glimpse 😉 possibly more than …
Bad Bunny !
Notes from a trip to meet Mary Jarvis Snr Bikram Yoga Instructor… So anyway, whilst in Brighton I asked MJ to take a look at my ‘Shocking Rabbit’ 🙂 (just …
Who Am I to Define Bikram Yoga?
It doesn’t belong to me. It doesn’t belong to Bikram. It is for each practitioner to discover and define for themselves. But the teacher has to try to give a sense …
How We Roll
YM IS A DEDICATED YOGA STUDIO on Rue De Funchal teaching the Bikram method; this means there are no other activities in the space that are not compatible with the activity …
Cut Your Toenails BEFORE you Come to Yoga Class !
YOGA TIP OF THE DAY: TO AVOID INJURY IN YOGA CUT YOUR TOENAILS BEFORE YOU COME TO CLASS ! If you have been practicing Yoga a while you might be …
Come Back to Your Yoga Practice
~ ! We’ve missed you shiny happy people! ~ It is always hard to find the right words for something that is essentially experiential. Words are limiting; my explanations seem …
A Bikram Yoga class is not Cirque de Soleil
The educator must believe in the potential power of his pupil, and he must employ all his art in seeking to bring his pupil to experience this power.” ~ Alfred …
How To Get The Monkeys Out Of Your Temple
Your Body is a Temple 🙂 . It’s where you live, love, learn, dream. Sadly, you may also be sharing it with a few squatters. Yup. The monkeys. A little …
“There are many possibilities but the expert has few.” ~ Suzuki
QUESTION TIME: You all know my thoughts on keeping an open mind to receiving teachings from new/different teachers, yes? But WHAT ABOUT THE WISDOM YOUR OWN BODY HAS TO OFFER? …
An Ounce of Practice …
PRACTICE is the only way to develop your Yoga to bring about the benefits. CONCENTRATION is required in the pose. Conscious setting up a REGULAR BREATH (Pranayama at the beginning) …
“Through practice success is obtained; through practice one gains liberation.” ~ Pancham Sinh
And we are ON! No theory in sight; just a GALORE (!) of PRACTICE (so with my personal freedom I have taken the liberty 😉 of making up a new plural …
Step Right Up For the Trip of a Life Time
Have you time to take a Bikram journey to explore the unknown Self and discover untapped possibilities within? A VITAL HEALTHY BODY is a prerequisite for the journey of life. Health …