SingingTreeYoga

In the U.K. here we had a long bank holiday weekend. In an urban metropolitan city it's really important to find 'chill-out' spaces to relax surrounded by green or more ergonomic, comfortable surrounds. In London we have women only spaces - these are long kept secret hideouts where you can swim in fresh water and sunbathe on the banks. Where alcohol, mobile phones, kids and lots more are not allowed. It's truly a woman's only space. Thankfully it exists in this city once called 'The Old Smoke'. I'd like to propose that the communications on line have now surpassed much of the communications you hear out and about. That if we are advising to 'detox' digitally in our lives from time to time then shouldn't we also try to detox and improve actual conversation. The level of gossip and circular chat really met levels of hysteria over the weekend. It's just unpleasant to hear with no resolve, no solution. Pointless. Here's wher...

Talking to a friend I gained new insight into teaching yoga. 'Let the words fall' was the advice given by the senior teacher. It's true if you say less, then more weight is placed on your words in a yoga class. However this is certainly not a rule especially if the words spoken are not considered. Sometimes we yoga teachers chose to fill a class with voice - this can be really enjoyable and immersing for the class. But before I go into the technicalities of voice control in conveying an idea, thought or indeed asana.... let's just reflect on the teachers task. It is important what people wear to a class, OK there's a wave of high street yoga fashion churning out it's frothy designs on the surface. That's all well and good and hey, whatever gets you into doing a class or two is fab! But it's also right to consider that we as teachers have to see what's going on (especially the legs). It's near impossible to teach a class with distracting ...

Are you having difficulty accessing your motivation? Everyone deserves a break now and then and a break or short holiday can help refuel, find energy and re -motivate you with your projects and passions. Here's a pic of Trebah Garden's the private seashore there. It's on the Helford peninsula and when my Dad was setting up the Cornwall boat show and Mather starting adult education in the area, we, with family and friends used to go cockling and swimming there. It's stunningly beautiful and tranquil. Even as I approached West Penwith in the early evening there was more wildlife and wildflowers; Bluebells galore, Pink Campion, Buttercups, Kidney Vetch, Primroses........I spotted a young deer. It jumped out of the hedgerow in front of my car and then stopped in the road. And the garden filled with funny woodpeckers, hard at work this time of the year! So the perfect re-jig to get the enthusiasm going for it all again. Namaste. Here's a quote from the book...

Fascinating episode last night of Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's 'Britain's Fat Fight' on the BBC. I've become emotionally involved now as Jonny has been diagnosed with type two diabetes and all credit to him, turns his lifestyle around, as a consequence. I felt like I was there as he crossed the line after his 5K Great North Run. I wanted to help and cheer him on! Also, I'm enjoying the fact that Hugh and I are building very similar missions. I want to keep following and see the results, very real, for local Newcastle people. Just as I want SingingTreeYoga to address some of those problems here in London. So many shocking facts emerge around this issue in Great Britain such as obesity being the next biggest cause of premature death, after smoking. The series reveals how so called 'Restaurants' have bottomless deserts and fizzy drinks for Children and how the labelling on food targeted at Children is misleading to say the least. It's logical ...

Here in the Borough of Haringey North London, SingingTreeYoga is dedicated to fixing a problem. We have a problem here in Haringey and the statistics show that it's happening all around Great Britain. I started SingingTreeYoga in 2016 when I arrived 'fresh off the boat' to London from NZ and could see what was happening. A government group Trust's For London published an alarming article that showed the levels of obesity of children in London and here in Haringey, 24% of Children in Year 6, in 2016, were categorised as obese. These numbers, these stats, have only got worse. 'Wait here's a new stat; 1 in 3 children are now overweight by the time they reach age 11.' Hugh Fernley BBC. The U.K has become a plethora of advertising of fast food. The biggest country-size banner you can publish with all sorts of eye catching rubbish and sugary temptations. I don't know how Children today cope with the bombardment. How do Parents in fact counteract thi...

Have you ever had a better take away service. Didn't think so. My last evening in Marrakesh was spent drooling over a home cooked Tagine served in the standard iconic brown pottery dish. But this was no ordinary cuisine experience, no, the lovely guy who made the Tagine delivered it by hand to the door of my apartment. The cafe / restaurant was just around the corner.... but still, what hospitality. Ah! Morocco I will never forget the other worldliness of it. I wish to be back there now. Especially as the weather has packed in, in Blighty right now. I was going to share a recipe from the amazing Moroccan Cooking Book I found, in French, at the Yves Saint Laurent Museum. But sadly I just did not have room to bring it back. So here's a link to a delicious Nigel Slater recipe instead! I hope you enjoy this tagine as much as I did and that you can as the quote says savour the experience! 😉 https://tinyurl.com/y7jw9yuy ' Food reveals our connection with the earth.....

It's so beautiful here in Marrakesh. Words can hardly describe what I am seeing. The sunsets, stunning. The sounds multiple and overwhelming. Last night under my bedroom window were donkeys braying, students laughing, people praying, nightclubs buzzing... life in all it's jumble of assortment, going on around me. I walked to the Yves Saint Laurent Museum. A must for any visitor. He took this city into his heart and donated this amazing museum, with a beautiful peaceful cafe area and tranquil Majorelle Gardens to explore. Just the books in that place alone, are enough to warrant a book buying holiday. My taste buds are equalised as fresh fruit and juices are sold everywhere. So while I get acclimatized I can hydrate on health! (More on the food in Marrakesh to come). Wow, a trip into the Medina today we wander through the markets, and yes, here I sample some local craft women's Mendi skills - for a song my hands are adorned with beautiful original patterns. I saw ...