Above: Charlie and I being blasted by Arctic winds in Banff on New Year’s Day
Dear all,
Charlie and I are back from our travels and very excited to get back into teaching this year. I won’t go on too long about everything we got up to as I am sure your inboxes are groaning, but to be brief:we swam with sharks in the Maldives, practised for 3.5 hours everyday in Mysore, ate like royalty, petted every street dog/animal we could find, watched a lot of Mad Men and played hours of chess. It was a fantastic time away, providing us with a well needed reset. We followed this with Christmas at our families’, and New Year (early) with our dearest friends. It’s been a wonderful time for us, and I hope you are able to say the same.
With my favourite street puppy, post early-morning practice
My 2025 timetable is currently identical to last year, so there is no news there. Everything is now back on, although I imagine the snow may play a role in the next week or two, so please use the booking system as it’s the easiest way for me to communicate if classes need to be last-minute cancelled.
With our philosophy and chanting teacher, Yoga Shree. She taught us so much in 2017, and it was an honour to study with her again all these years later. I won’t miss this room though – I was eaten alive by mosquitos every time.
As I’m sure you know, Charlie and I will be teaching in Italy this April-May. The retreat is fully booked but if interested it can’t hurt to stick your name on the waiting-list – there are sometimes last minute cancellations.
Lastly, if you look at these two images above, you’ll see me standing in the shala I learned to teach. On the left is from our 2024 trip to India and on the right is from way back in 2017. It’s quite strange for me to see that old photo and think how different my life is now versus then. I also choose to see it as a reminder that small actions taken consistently over long periods of time accumulate into life altering endeavours, great enough to shift us into new territories and paths full of adventure and mystery. I encourage you to remember that next time you step onto your mat. This is succinctly summarised in Yoga Sutra 1:14: “Sa tu dirgah-kala-nairantarya-satkarasevito drdha-bhumih” pronounced in English Sah Too Deer-gah Kaa-la N-eye-ran-tar-ya Sat-kara-say-vee-toe Dri-dah Boo-mee-hee.
In essence, this translates to the notion that practice can only become your nature and firmly rooted when done with devotion over a long period of time. That includes the 1000s of days where you don’t really feel like it! And don’t forget, this practice doesn’t just refer to making the body strong and lithe with postures – it is ultimately the work we do to understand our true nature, ridding ourselves of everything that is not useful, and finding a place where the mind is calm and uninterrupted.
Chilling at a local cafe – it had amazing coffee and a fascinating view of two guys (I think the owners) who seemed to have walked straight out of The Sopranos
Let your 2025 be another collection of steps toward that lofty goal.
See you soon,
Oliver