Celebrating light.
This week marks Diwali, the festival of light. The most obvious display of Diwali is the lighting of lamps, in people’s windows, doorways to illuminate their homes and communal areas. One of primary origins of Diwali is the celebration of the return to Ayodhya, of Rama, Sita and Lakshmana after their fourteen years of exile, […]
Navaratri
Navaratri and the Goddess. We are now in Navaratri, the nine nights of the Goddess, the divine mother. This mainly celebrates the divine feminine as Durga, especially as related in the Devi Mahatmya, of her victory over Mahishasura, the buffalo demon, therefore restoring harmony and balance in life. In Yoga, Tantra and Indic […]
Ganesha Chaturti
Ganesha Chaturthi. Today, the 31st of August is Ganesha Chaturthi, the beginning of a set of festivities which celebrate the birth of Ganesha. Ganesh is one of the best known and recognisable of the Indic deities due to his widespread veneration and his appearance, the body of a yourh with the head of […]
Ganesha Chaturti
Ganesha Chaturthi. Today, the 31stvof August is Ganesha Chaturthi, the beginning of a set of festivities which celebrate the birth of Ganesha. Ganesh is one of the best known and recognisable of the Indic deities due to his widespread veneration and his appearance, the body of a yourh with the head of an elephant. Multiple […]
Guru Purnima 2022
Guru Purnima 2022 Today, the 13th of July, is Guru Purnima, the full moon of the Guru, when this quality is at it’s fullest, just like the moon itself. The term Guru is a bit loaded for us in the west, it’s often appropriated to someone who is an expert in their field, alternatively we […]
Simple solutions
One of the revelations that someone may have about the practice of Yoga is it’s simplicity, both in practice and philosophy. We have grown up in a paradigm where things have to be complex, the reasons behind phenomena have to be complex, when they may actually be obvious and uncomplicated. Often this complexity is extolled […]
Summer solstice.
Today is the summer solstice, when the sun sits apparently still, at its zenith for a few days, and we have the maximum exposure to its presence. Venerated along with the moon in older cultures, who correctly perceived just how integral to our lives and all life on earth in fact, the existence of these […]
First journal entry and website update for a long time!
Writing this I’m aware that the last journal entry on the website was early 2020, pre Covid, and a lot has happened since then! Although I have been writing frequent blogs on the Facebook page, I have neglected the website, so its great to return to it. After a rapid adaption to online teaching […]
January and the new year.
As we all sit at the start of January, in the lull after the festive season, its easy to reflect upon the new year and the essence of this time of the year. January is named after the Roman God, Janus, depicted with two faces one looking to the past one to the future. Janus […]
Brahma, Vishnu, Rudra.
The yoga practitioner is usually associated with having a serenity and equanimity, these qualities are often described in various texts as the hallmarks of the yogi/yogini. Much of this arises from not just their practice, but also from their vision and understanding of the nature of life. The philosophical and theoretical content of Yoga recognises the […]