Prana Festival 2017

Recently Sunday School took the Yoga out of the classroom and onto the road, heading to the Prana Festival in Gothenburg, Sweden. Around 20 of us made the trip from London for the weekend festival, arriving Friday morning and leaving Sunday evening. Whilst it was a long way to go for a couple of days, it was totally worth it! An 8am flight from Stansted meant a very early start on the Friday to get the Express from Liverpool Street. Too early for some it seemed, who, naming no names, in the daze of a late Thursday finish, apparently misjudged what time they needed to set their alarm (you Kam always rely on at least one student on any school trip to nearly misses the bus…!).

The tone for the weekend was immediately set once a few of us were together – all laughs and good vibes! The journey was full of them, and increased with each person who joined the entourage, with lots of friendships between people who see each other regularly, some who’d met before and were getting to catch up/know each other better, and completely new connections being established – the airport is a magical place.

After a quick breakfast to refuel after the early start we were on the plane ready to roll…or not – Ryanair had other ideas. As we were delayed getting onto the plane we’d apparently missed our take-off slot, and were told we’d have to wait on the plane for an hour for another one. You could definitely spot the yogis on this flight, as whilst everyone else made sure their ire was heard, those heading to Prana maintained their yogi zen and couldn’t care less. If anything it was great as it meant more time napping (my choice), chatting, and apparently a peanut butter snacking party between a few!

After a flight and taxi ride later we were at our hotel for the weekend, the Scandic Rubinen, on Kungsportsavenyen – the main boulevard of Gothenburg. I believe all of the London crew stayed there, (as well as a lot of other teachers on the festival line-up and some out of town attendees), which was great not just for ease of communication and organisation of the SSY crew, but it meant we really did get to spend the whole weekend together. The hotel was lovely, with free, very good wifi (useful for the weekend whatsapp group and social media fiends), the largest breakfast spread I’ve seen in a hotel, boasting over 100 items (some hardcore yogis had Tupperware with them and were able to take a few items for snacking through the day), and was only a 10-15 minute walk from the festival!

Friday afternoon was spent wandering and eating our way around the city, until the weather turned a little too wet and we were forced to seek refuge and refreshment in a quaint establishment, before heading back to the hotel and then out for an amazingly delicious dinner at The Barn, accommodating all the fussy yogi dietary requirements. (Be warned though, Sweden is an expensive city to visit – I must have spent close to £100 on food over the weekend, including snacks and dinners out, and food at the festival stalls.)

Saturday morning was rather wet but we weren’t going to let the weather dampen our spirits, and we headed en masse to Trädgårdsföreningen (The Garden Society) - a park and horticultural garden in the centre of Gothenburg, where the festival was being held. We arrived early to collect our festival bands and avoid queuing in the rain as much possible. We were also each given a printout of the classes we’d selected to attend when we purchased our tickets, which we’d need to show to get us into each class – super efficient from the Swedes indeed! (Don’t worry though, if there was a class you wanted to attend but hadn’t registered for you could if there was room (which there always was) after those who had booked got priority entry.)

In supportive team spirit we all head over to Michael (James Wong)’s first class of the weekend in the Palmtent. This was no popup tent, nor a gazebo erected over a patch of grass with a piece of felt to separate you from the mud, but an impressive 180 person (p), laminate floored, four ‘walled’ structure complete with decoration, stage, lighting, sound tech, and ushers to welcome you with a smile, check your printout and band, and ask you to remove your shoes just inside to minimize the effects of the rain inside the space. It suddenly hit me that this wasn’t a low budget, group of hippies in a field event, but had some serious time, effort, organisation, and capital behind it to provide all the yogis in attendance with a fantastic experience!

The festival comprised of three tent stages: Lagerhuset (90p), Flowtent (180p), Palmtent (180p); the indoor Trädgårn stage (120p); an outdoor music stage (open to anyone in earshot, including members of the public passing through the park); and a SUP yoga station (7p) on the river running along a boundary of the garden. Between the tents were the food trucks catering the festival (Rollin Bistro, Frill – The Frozen Smoothie, Filipinofusion, and the super delicious Burrito Bros), and numerous stalls promoting local yoga studios, brands, clothing, accessories, etc.

Depending on which classes you’d booked (/how ambitious you’d been with the number of classes you’d booked and actually wanted to attend) depended on how much free time you had between classes to eat, hang out, and just enjoy the festival vibes. Luckily the weather had improved and it allowed the majority of the London crew to reassemble and chill out for some refuelling, a quick group photo, and debrief of evening plans.

Sunday brought much of the same, including some sunshine – not that I really got to enjoy it though as apparently I’d decided to go all out for the last day with two 90min classes and two 75min classes, giving myself max 30 mins between things to eat something. No regrets this end though, as that day just flew by and I got to practice some fantastic classes with amazing teachers. The line-up for the festival was a mix of well know international names (Dylan Werner and Rusty Wells to name a couple), some London-based teachers, and more local Swedish teachers. This was great, and offered me (and others) the chance to practice for the first time in a foreign language, which was a really cool experience (albeit challenging and actually quite humbling – like doing a yoga class for the first time again, looking around at everyone else trying to figure out what was going on!).

After a quick shower back at the hotel and a speedy pizza (unless you were MJ) at a nearby restaurant it was time to head home. The majority of us were flying back that evening on late flights (so we could get the most out of the festival), but some were either staying on an extra night or off to another destination, so goodbyes were said and hugs given. We were sad it was over, but all on a high from the weekend.

Whilst the yoga over the weekend was great it’s not what made this short but sweet trip so fantastic for me; it was the people. The opportunity to connect with myself on the mat over those 10 hours of practice I did was great, but what I really appreciated and took away from the weekend was the yoga off the mat - making new friends, building on old relationships, and simply connecting, laughing, and smiling with amazing people with whom this shared love and appreciation for yoga draws us together as a community. Thanks all who made it such a great weekend!

#motivation #movement #move #exercise #fitness #yoga #Health #festival #yogafestival #pranafestival #sundayschoolyoga

Happy Musings

Whilst on my latest teacher training I participated in my first cacao ceremony. After taking the cacao I was expecting to experience some sort of immediate response…but it didn’t happen. We were told that we might feel a reaction in the chest as the cacao gets into the system and causes the heart to race, but when I didn’t experience this my mind began to wander and I checked out of the experience. Eventually though I realised what I was doing, and made myself return to the present moment and focus on what I could feel. Ultimately I ended up having a really profound experience: I had an overwhelming sense of joy from deep within me, something that I didn’t know, or at least had forgotten, was there. Having not had this kind of contentment and happiness with myself and the world for so long it was truly amazing to experience this. I realised that this feeling had come solely from inside me, and that my own happiness wasn’t dependent on the world around me, but existed within me; that it would always be there even if something gets me down, and that nothing could take it away from me, which was hugely comforting. I had this overwhelming certainty that this was something I wanted to cultivate, and to help others cultivate, and had immediate visualisations of how to make this happiness my reality.

Recently there’s been a really interesting video floating around Facebook about an algorithm for happiness. In it Mo Gawdat, a Google Executive, states that happiness is equal to, or greater than, the difference between the way you see the events of your life and your expectation of how life should behave; if life meets your expectations you are happy.

“Happiness is that peaceful contentment feeling of ‘I like the world how it is right now’.”

Since watching the video I’ve been thinking about this concept of happiness a lot, trying to break it down and understand it better. Recently I went through an extended period of suffering from lack of happiness – I’m not sure if I’d go so far as to say I was depressed (though perhaps that’s my ego preventing me from accepting the truth), but I certainly wasn’t in the best place I’ve ever been. Luckily I’ve got an incredible person in my life who’s been extremely understanding, patient, and supportive, and helped me through to what now feels like the other side. That being said, I’m still trying to figure out happiness, and in particular my happiness – how to be joyful.

Breaking down Mo’s equation, happiness is determined by the interaction between just two thing: expectation, and your perception of reality.

I interpret expectation as how you intend/believe/how likely something is to happen – how the scenario has played out already in your mind(?). The mind can experience any scenario – it’s limitless, but is bounded by the physical world – our interactions through the senses, which we define as ‘real’. So when the experienced physical world (reality) is equal to, or aligned with, the imagined reality (our mind’s expectation), then we are content/happy.

Unhappiness then is the imbalanced relationship between expectation and reality – mental and physical, mind and body. Thus, in order to rebalance or tip the scales the other way then there are only two choices: alter expectation, or alter reality.

We experience reality via the senses, it being a combination of the interaction of self and everything else, so of course we can only exact a degree of control over it. It’s also in a constant state of change. If happiness is determined by being able to alter expectation and/or reality, and we have only a limited control over reality, then being able to manage/let go of our expectations becomes key to being happy.

Whilst away recently I’d planned to go to a yoga class, but it didn’t transpire. Consequentially I found myself in a negative headspace, and found it difficult to get out. Something so innocuous, I know, and it sounds ridiculous in hindsight, but at the time it wasn’t. I was unreasonably unhappy. After some contemplation I rationalised that it was because I’d had the perfectly reasonable expectation (of myself) of being able to attend the class, but the reality didn’t align. I was unable to change this reality, and for some reason I was unable to let go of the expectation I’d set myself. I’ve noticed that sometimes when something doesn’t happen how I expect it to, and if then I find it difficult, or I’m unable, to accept the reality and let go of the fore-held expectation, I can end up feeling down. In the end I managed to get out of the negative space by doing a self practice.

Immediately after watching the video about Mo’s algorithm I tried to relate this idea to my yoga practice (obviously!). Yoga, for me at least, is about calming the mind to discover my most honest, genuine, self, and find contentment and happiness within me, and within the world. This is done primarily by focusing the mind on the breath (pranayama) and the physical postures (asana) – i.e. meditation.

I practice yoga because it makes me happy; when I’m feeling stressed, tired, angry, etc, I take the time to do go to a class, self practice, or have a little play, even if it’s only a few minutes. I’ve recently realised how important it is for me to get out of my head and into my body, and yoga (as well as other things) facilitates this.

When doing yoga we (aim to) practice Pratyahara – withdrawal from the senses. When we withdraw (not escape, but withdraw) from the sensory world all that remains is the self; the only reality that exists in the practice is the body and the mind. In this space we have the greatest level of control of our reality – more than we can ever have when out of this space. So if something doesn’t happen how we intended – the realisation of our expectations misalign – then it’s completely our own doing, no one else’s. When this happens we’re faced with two options to reset the balance (find happiness): alter our expectation, or alter our reality.

For example, say you’re doing an asana practice and you have the intention of doing a Warrior 1. There are two outcomes:

• Scenario A: you nail it (relatively speaking – even the most ‘basic’ of poses is never really mastered), reality meets expectation(ish), and all’s good. You can move on happy (/satisfied).

• Scenario B: you don’t.

You’re now left with two choices: either you change your reality so you’re able to do the posture, or you change your expectation of yourself; in certain circumstances one can take considerably longer than the other (imagine it’s a handstand instead of a Warrior 1).

When practicing yoga what we’re learning is to constantly change and manage our expectations and/or reality of ourselves – if you struggle to execute an asana, or exit it, but not by choice (i.e. fall out of a posture) you just have to accept what’s happened and move on, or practice and practice until it improves, and the transition out becomes your choice. (All postures have a beginning and an end, and you could argue that the practice is learning to be in control of the time in between.) We learn to find happiness through a continuous process of letting go of and resetting expectations, and accepting reality. Practicing to accept reality in the isolated environment, responding rather than reacting to expectation and reality not aligning, so that we can do it when outside of it. You could extend it further still and say that ultimately you’re trying to not have any expectation, but to purely just experience reality – each moment as it happens; if there is no expectation then the reality will just be happiness.

I met someone recently who said we get depressed when the vibration of our reality is so far removed from the vibration of our truth. It made sense then, and looking at it in this way it makes even more sense now. For me, I’ve realised that when my ego refuses to let go of an expectation that hasn’t aligned with reality, or I don’t take steps to change either my expectations or reality over an extended period of time, then I get down. I don’t have a solution for how to always be able to resolve this so I can return to my happy state regardless of the situation, but I have realised that practicing yoga provides me the opportunity to do just that – practice.

#motivation #yoga #Health

Why I Love Yoga

Well, most obviously, it’s a fantastic form of fitness, with countless benefits. And no, it’s not just gentle stretching, the allusion under which some people find themselves. Yes, stretching is a big part of it, but it’s got so much more to offer if you’re willing to look. There’s a plethora of postures and flows requiring unbelievable levels of strength and balance (just check out my Instagram to see but a few I’ve managed to accomplish so far). As someone into fitness and being active I was initially drawn to the physical practice of the asanas (postures) and was surprised how challenging some things that appeared so seemingly simple actually turned out to be.

It actually took me a while to realise how much more yoga is than just the physical practice of moving ones body into a number of postures; and it was this revelation that really made me fall in love with it. The word ‘yoga’ is Sanskrit, with the literal translation ‘to add/join/unite/attach’. But its most apt meaning to me is ‘union’; the union of body, mind, and breath. I often describe yoga to people as ‘breathing with movement’, as I believe that if you’re neglecting the breathing aspect of the practice then you’re really missing the point, and it becomes a workout rather than yoga.

I no longer see it as exercise – that’s just a byproduct now (a very handy one though, nonetheless). To me it’s about self-mastery – union of self, physically and mentally. It’s a never-ending journey of discovery – about who you are, who you want to be, and how to get there. The focus may be on the movement and breathing, but the intention is beyond the physical and into the mental, and for some even spiritual. Each practice is a meditation, using the focus of body and breath in an attempt to discover and master the mind. Whatever is going on in my life, whether I’m annoyed, happy, sad, run-down, etc, the practice offers me the opportunity to escape the world and find my focus. But it’s also then taking this practice off the mat and applying it to your everyday life – yoga isn’t confined to the parameters of the mat you’re on or the space in which you practice.

Ok, to some it might sound like I’m possibly taking it a bit too seriously, but here’s a little example to help you see where I’m coming from: try and balance on one leg…now, whilst on that one leg, pat your head with one hand and rub your belly with the other…and if that’s too easy then try it with your eyes closed. Not necessarily as easy as it might sound. Chances are a lot of you will lose your balance at some stage of that sequence. But how did you react? Did you get annoyed with yourself for not being able to do it, or did you just laugh it off and let it go? Which of those two people would you prefer to be? Take it up a notch: you’re in a situation where it’s easy to get annoyed – perhaps you’re out driving and someone thoughtlessly cuts you up. Do you get a little/a lot of that dreaded road-rage, or are you able to stay calm, deal with it, and let it go. My point is, if you can learn to master yourself, your emotions, and your reactions on the mat, then you can endeavor to take that mindset with you off of it. I’ve definitely been guilty of being the first person, and sometimes still am, but through my practice I’ve become a lot more mindful, and am more often than not the latter these days, making for a much happier me.

As well as union of self, it’s the opportunity to connect with, learn from, and be inspired by so many amazing people. I’ve been lucky enough to meet some of the most fantastic beings on my journey so far, and they are a huge part of why I practice. Their positivity, chilledness, and happiness constantly encourage me to be a better, happier person not only for myself, but for those I know and meet as well.

I’d encourage anyone to try yoga, as I truly believe it has something to offer everyone. And the great thing about it is that anyone can do it – it doesn’t matter what level you’re at, how strong or flexible you might be, or how deep you want to take the yoga concept, it will benefit you in some way. I’ve had friends of mine say that they’re “too inflexible to try yoga” – don’t be ridiculous! That’s like saying “I’m too thirsty to drink that refreshing glass of water”. There are no prerequisites for ability if you want to try it – just leave ego and self-consciousness at the door – everyone else in a class is so focused on their own practice they’re not paying any attention to what you may or may not be able to do, so don’t worry. Embrace what it has to offer, and drink in the goodness.

As someone who is trying to encourage people to move, in a society where it’s seen more as a chore than a gift, I’d suggest yoga as it’s so easy to get involved – all you need is you, and maybe a mat or towel (though most places provide these for you anyway). And there is so much out there to try! I’ve had people say to me they’ve tried a class and thought it just wasn’t for them. That’s fair enough, but all I’d say is not to let one bad (or just not good) experience taint the whole idea of it for you; yoga is like music – if you listen to one song you don’t like you don’t let that turn you off the whole concept of music. Give another style, teacher, studio, mindset a second or third chance, you never know what you might discover.

Yoga may be physically demanding, and have all those serious and deep aspects, but most of all for me it’s the opportunity to play. So whatever you do, just remember to try and keep a smile on your face, an openness in your mind, and just have fun!

#yoga #fitness #motivation