Extremism has always swirled on the fringes of politics and Western society but, along with the existential threat of climate change, it now howls at the door like extreme weather events threatening to destroy communities and tear families apart.

Even while a global pandemic was still forming over the South China Sea, the flames of political discontent and social divide were already being fanned by social media around the world, and within months the two fronts collided to form a Superstorm unparalleled and unprecedented in recent history.

How and why is this relevant to a yoga blog you may ask? Because I am devastated that a community of humans historically united by a common philosophical belief system based literally on the word ‘union’ (from the Sanskrit to yoke) has also become divided.

12 months ago as I commenced my 50th orbit around our star I was celebrating with friends in Amsterdam and could hardly have anticipated the tumultuous year that lay ahead. Approaching 50 we would all hope to be on a safe and predictable trajectory towards that dreaded nomenclature, ‘middle age’, and enjoying a period of stability and security in our lives. However the Universe had other plans for me and I was violently knocked off course. Not quite the smooth transition to the fabulous fifties that I had envisaged, in fact probably the single most challenging year of my life! But on the eve of this milestone birthday, the ground beneath my feet is feeling reasonably steady once more, and I am naturally inclined to reflect on a few things I have learned.

Many people discover yoga, or turn to yoga, when they are recovering from illness or injury, or suffering from stress or anxiety or heartbreak, or simply hit rock bottom. While the practices of yoga and meditation may not be a cure-all for devastating diseases, they are widely recognised as healing modalities that can significantly benefit both our physical and mental health.

Long before I became a yoga teacher, I credited my regular dynamic asana practice with keeping me strong and healthy and relatively immune from serious illness. Imagine my dismay then that since leaving the corporate world to start my own business and become a full-time yoga teacher my health seems to have plummeted to an all-time low, and most recently I found myself hospitalised for two weeks with a particularly pervasive case of pneumonia, along with complications too numerous to mention.

When we think of space, we often think of the vast, unimaginable expanse of the Universe beyond our planet, our solar system, even our galaxy. And maybe how small and seemingly insignificant we little Earthlings really are in the grand scheme of things.

But in reality we are all simply space. Life-forms made up of atoms, which are in turn made up of electrons, protons and neutrons - the smallest particles of matter know to man - all floating around in nothing but space.

For a few people, yoga is no more than the physical postures practiced on the mat in the pursuit of a healthier, more flexible body – and that is fine. But for many the practice of yoga extends way beyond the physical postures into a more meaningful way of living, which becomes a life long journey of self-discovery. There are a gazillion books and texts I could refer you to for a deeper understanding of the principles of yoga off the mat (maybe for a later blog post), but for a more digestible taste of how to live a more conscious, connected and compassionate life, here are my top 5 inspiring & thought provoking docos.

While out of action due to recent surgery I finally got the opportunity to catch up on the fantastic Netflix series, The Crown.  Without making any parallels, witnessing the young princesses Elizabeth and Margaret undertaking their etiquette lessons prompted me to draw up a few lessons in yoga etiquette for the uninitiated.

In all seriousness, for anyone entirely new to yoga this might be genuinely useful information. Or for those who are regular practitioners it might be a timely reminder, and answer a few unanswered questions that you’re too afraid to ask. 

Like many aspects of our modern lives some yoga classes do focus on a strong and somewhat competitive style of practice that is sadly over represented in the media. Glamorous images of super fit young things wearing scantily little clothing performing pretzel poses on the beach are more than enough to scare the average punter away.

I’m grateful to these schools of yoga for offering an introduction to the practice for people who are seeking a physical challenge, but for most students the real yoga education starts at the opposite end of the spectrum, with learning to be still, to breathe and to find contentment with things just as they are.

This is a completely spontaneous blog post written at 9.30am on Wednesday 20th July AEST. Today is the most beautiful Brisbane winter’s day. I’ve just returned from walking my mini schnauzer Ralph as I do most mornings, but this morning was special. Our walk coincided with the full moon at 8.57am Brisbane time. The sun was high in the sky but despite the blue skies the moon was at her most powerful.

Whilst channel surfing a few weeks ago I stumbled across a documentary about the brain and the relationship between conscious thought and the sub-conscious, or unconscious activities of the mind. Unsurprisingly, only the tiniest fraction of the power of the mind is dedicated to conscious thought. The vast majority of our brain power being focused on sending billions of messages per second to perform what we would consider to be the simplest of tasks, such as typing this blog post, or driving a car, or digesting a meal, while our conscious mind hardly gives a thought to how we are doing it.

A new year signals new beginnings, a fresh start & new intentions. If you’ve been contemplating a major life upheaval or career change recently this may be at the forefront of your mind right now, or on the cards for 2016. But when do you know if or when the time is right?

Your heart may be pulling you in one direction while your rational, logical side is posing some very compelling arguments to the contrary. Believe me I know all the excuses! And I’ve had many a heated debate with my rational self over the years, but fortunately my intuitive self has more often than not had the last word, and my most heart-felt decisions have been the ones that have brought me the most success and happiness.