Svastha स्वास्थ्य

Svastha is one Sanskrit word for ‘health’ or ‘wellbeing’. Or, more accurately, directly translated it means ‘rooted in the self’ / ‘being established in oneself’ / “resting in one’s own nature” (“sva” (self) + “stha” (to stand, be established)).

I find this an inspiring word in the context of yoga; that health is viewed as a state of inner alignment, balance and self-connection.

In a yogic context, it refers not only to physical health, but the deeper integration of returning to our essence - amidst all the noise of life - to rest in our own natural wholeness.

It’s a gentle reminder that true health and well-being arise not from forcing activity, but remembering and resting back into our own inner nature of peace.

On Presence

‘Presence’ can be taken on both a simple & a deeper level (often with one leading to the next).

On a simple, direct level, presence is the experience (or practice) of returning here. When we stop running and land.

When we can meet this moment as it is, waking up to the richness found in life’s subtleties ~ every breath, sensation, sound.

An awakening from unsatisfying autopilot mode & arrival into intimate contact with the pulse of life.

And on a deeper level, presence can be a doorway into an experience of stillness or pure awareness ~ our essential, unchanging nature that it is the goal of yoga to bring us back to.

The Value of Quiet

It’s always been important to me as a teacher not to over-talk as I guide a class.

Students need time to digest the cues and there’s often so much happening internally as we’re on the mat that adding a lot more ‘on top’ is, not only superfluous, but potentially overwhelming.

Often the most simple cues are the most effective. What’s more, part of the magic of yoga is a quality of awareness that can arise in moments of stillness. As Francis Lucille says nicely, ‘’The perfume of presence comes through in the gaps’’.

I try to give my students enough quiet moments - to digest, to be with themselves, to have a break from all the input that our everyday lives are anyway so full of. Very often silence is golden. What a privilege, a luxury and a relief it is to breathe quietly together.

Relaxed, Awake Awareness

In this week’s class we explored what I think is an often overlooked yet very beautiful quality of our inner practice. It is the cultivation of ‘’relaxed, awake awareness’’.

It is a quality of presence that is both relaxed and present. Attentive in a spacious, open way.

We often associate relaxation with sleepiness since for many of us the only time we really relax consciously is when we go to bed. Beginners to yoga often fall asleep immediately at first in Savasana as the sleep association is so overpowering. Over time and with practice, a natural and beautiful quality of presence can develop, of being able to hold the relaxation whilst remaining gently attentive.

At the same time it’s also possible that we associate focus with tension, for example in working life. Over time and with practice we learn that we can be attentive whilst open and spacious; almost effortless.

This subtle state can arise in Savasana and meditation (and also spontaneously in other postures or moments of life) of resting in wakeful awareness.

In deep rest the body is ‘as though night’, completely at rest, whilst the mind is ‘as though day’, still with a flicker of wakeful awareness, present and awake to the inner landscape of rest

This subtle state is a gem in our deepening path of yoga…

In last year’s teacher training a student asked…

… ‘‘Why shouldn’t we guide deep breathing during meditation?’’

It’s a great question - after all, pranayama is a powerful way to quieten the mind & calm the nervous system

Well, many practices (including pranayama) are 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘰𝘭𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘪𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭. It’s often hard to simply sit & concentrate without preparing. Yet, it’s important to remember that these are preparatory practices & 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘮𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘪𝘵𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧. During meditation itself the breath is 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘭. Why? Meditation is about 𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴, not fixing or changing

It’s a time to rest all our sweaty everyday striving to change this moment & become something else. Instead we’re invited to sit honestly, naturally & observe the flow of thoughts. We practise sitting with what is, as it is.

This is where the transformation happens - observing each unfolding moment without judging or changing anything (𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘭𝘶𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩) teaches us so much

‘’You learn about the mind by watching it. I am aware of the mind’’ -Swami Tattvavidananda

‘What a relief’ I often feel - amidst all the striving & becoming of daily life - to have a space to sit with myself as I am; to rest in my own nature
🧘
Our next Yoga Teacher Training starts in September!

The Origin of Sun Salutations

Modern yoga āsana practitioners will be familiar with ‘Sun Salutations’ as a flow of physical movements

Traditionally, Sūrya Namaskar is an inner bow, often by offering water to the rising sun or by placing the palms together at the heart

This gesture has been practised for thousands of years in India (long before the postures on a mat that developed only in the last couple of hundred years)

🌞 The sun (sūrya) is revered as a source of life and light is often a symbol for knowledge, wisdom & growth

Along the river Ganga it’s common for people to take a dip and offer water to the sun as a gesture of devotion

Though it can be done anywhere - I’ve seen people pause in a loud, crowded street in Mumbai, join palms and quietly salute the rising sun

🪷 What a beautiful reminder of inner humility, reverence for the rhythms of nature & trust in the greater whole

On Equanimity

A vital part of yoga’s teachings is waking up from our futile drive for things to constantly be better / faster / stronger

To relax from the mind’s constant push & pull of clinging & aversion

To uncover & rest deeply into a natural contentment that is at the heart of our being

This is essentially why we practice…

✨ Are you curious to explore yoga’s wisdom in an accessible way? Join us for: Embodied Yoga Philosophy ~ a 6-month journey into yoga’s wisdom 🪷

‘‘You're not responsible for your first thought… You are responsible for your second thought’’

In our discussions on retreat recently many of you said how powerful this meditation teaching is

Recognising that our first thoughts are 𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘤 in nature helps us to relate to the mind in a more friendly way ~ and helps us see where we 𝘥𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 power to navigate out of projection & into clarity

This can be liberating not only on the mat / cushion but in common daily life experiences of managing inner conflict

🧘 Try sitting with this & see what might shift…