Apologies for the lack of updates. Towards the end of our Hampi trip Delhi belly got me good and proper. Unfortunately I didn’t have much time to practise, the majority of time was used climbing the dreamy boulders of Hampi and seeking shade once temperatures soared over 35 degrees. Climbing does still provide the opportunity to stretch out on occasion…

Hours of travelling to get to Goa whilst sill recovering from illness left me feeling weak, stiff, achey and to be honest very negative about doing any sort of practise. My mat stayed rolled away for maybe a week! But what was the point in forcing my body to do something my mind couldn’t? Where would the fun in that be? After all it’s not an endurance contest.

When I felt ready I started gentle asanas. For example, tree pose or vriksasana. Perfect for bringing your mind and body together. Stand on one leg, root the foot that is on the ground firmly, even squeezing your toes to help with this. Lock your knee back if this feels comfortable, if not allow a little bend. Try not to stick your sitting bones out as you place the sole of the other foot onto the inside of your grounded legs calf. With the leg that is off the ground, really try to push the knee out to the side. Eventually, start to move the sole of the raised foot further up the inside of your grounded leg, whilst avoiding the knee joint. If you feel comfortable with the sole of the foot being all the way to the very top, innermost part of the thigh, you can take it further by easing the raised leg out, upwards and into lotus pose, as I am doing below. Be careful with this if you have bad knees. Once you have found your balance, brings palms together at heart centre. Remember balance postures don’t come easy, so don’t beat yourself up if you struggle at first. Breathe… Namaste.