Namaste friends! Well, summer has been and gone and busy, happy, sunshiny days for all of us at the studio have meant some time away from the blog. We have had a great summer and hope you have too. We’re now turning our thoughts to settling in to new routines and making the most of the autumn sunshine….when it chooses to appear! After the slower pace of laid-back summer days, my daughter’s eagerly anticipated start at school has been a bit of a shock to the system – much as she’s keen to be a ‘big girl’, all the newness has been overwhelming, which is tiring for all of us. I’ve instinctively been making use of some of the pranayama techniques we practice in class – it’s so important to stay centred, both for her and my own benefit, and yoga provides an anchor in amongst all of the tiredness and the new challenges. Simply remembering to indulge in slowing down and deepening my breathing makes me feel instantly calmer. I have made a mental note to myself for whenever it all gets too much to drop my shoulders and feel tension melting with each exhalation. Also, to help her switch off at bedtime, we have added some breathing practice to our bedtime routine on school nights – she’s only 4 but she already knows how to bring her focus to her breathing, and enjoys being guided through relaxing each part of her little self in preparation for sleep. Here’s hoping it will help to make the rest of the term easier… watch this space! And meanwhile, with a bit more time freed up, I am looking forward to diving back into my yoga and claiming some time back just to be me, separate from my role as a mother.
So, school uniform ready, pencils sharpened, yoga mat unrolled, and perhaps socks and a cardy added to the yoga bag.. roll on Autumn Equinox…
Safia x
