Notes
Writing on the home, the craft in our pieces, and a life shaped by practice.
Slow, grounded, kept over time.
Topics
202643 notes
- 10 AUGThe Practice of StoppingHow to end a session properly. Three minutes of specific, describable procedure — not an invitation to lie there.
- 02 AUGProps You Already OwnA wall, a doorway, a stack of books, a dining chair, a bath towel. What each substitutes for, and where the substitution breaks down.
- 25 JULYoga Nidra: The TechniqueHow the practice is actually structured — five stages, in order — so you can run it yourself without a recording.
- 17 JULThe Anatomy of a FoldStanding, seated, wide-legged and supine folds are the same movement in four orientations. Learn the movement once.
- 09 JULHow to Choose a ClassWhat to ask before you book, what a good studio will tell you, and the four signals that a class is not going to suit you.
- 03 JULThe Living Tradition of Handwoven Textiles in IndiaIndia has woven cotton, silk and wool for five thousand years. A short history of the handloom, region by region, and why it still runs.
- 02 JULOn Not ProgressingPlateaus are structural, not motivational. Four causes, each with a different fix, and how to tell which one has you.
- 24 JUNThe Weave of a MatWarp, weft, thread count, and why a handwoven surface behaves differently underfoot than a milled one.
- 16 JUNLearning to Invert SafelyHeadstand and shoulderstand carry real risk done badly. The preparation, the setup, and the honest contraindications.
- 08 JUNChair Yoga Is Not Easy YogaA chair is a prop, not a concession. Eight shapes that are genuinely harder seated, and who a chair practice is really for.
- 08 JUNOn returning to a daily practice.What the body asks for in the first month, what it asks for in the third, and how to keep showing up when there is no obvious reason to.
- 06 JUNReturning to Sun SalutationsOn coming back to surya namaskar after a long pause — what to expect from the body in the first ten rounds.
- 05 JUNRestorative EveningsThree long-held shapes for the end of a hard day. What to put under the knees, what to put under the head, what to leave alone.
- 04 JUNYoga Nidra Before SleepA practical script for thirty minutes of nidra in the hour before bed, written for practitioners who have tried it before and given up.
- 03 JUNExhaling SlowlyOn lengthening the exhale beyond the inhale, and what it does for a restless afternoon. With three short practices.
- 02 JUNUjjayiThe ocean breath, written for people who have been told to do it but never told why or how. Where to feel it, where not to force it.
- 01 JUNBreath Before PracticeFive minutes of breathing at the top of the mat before the first pose. A simple sequence, kept over months.
- 31 MAYThe Mat in a Shared HousePractising with other people in the room, around noise, without a door. Practical arrangements that work.
- 30 MAYDrishtiOn where the eyes go in a posture, and what changes when the gaze settles. Not metaphor — a real mechanical and attentional shift.
- 28 MAYMula BandhaA working description of root lock — what is engaged, what is not, and how to find it without gripping.
- 26 MAYYoga Beyond FlexibilityA short, plain answer to the most common question asked of yoga teachers — what is yoga actually for, if not to touch your toes.
- 24 MAYMorning PracticeA note on the first hour — what to keep, what to drop, and the small decisions that make returning easier tomorrow.
- 23 MAYPractising in Your Fifties and BeyondWhat genuinely changes with age, what does not change nearly as much as people assume, and where to put the emphasis.
- 22 MAYPractising While TravellingTwenty minutes on a hotel floor, a folded blanket, no mat. A working answer to the question of how to keep practice in motion.
- 20 MAYCreating Space to PractiseOn the corner of a room, the time of day, and the small acts of arranging that make a practice possible without a studio.
- 15 MAYProps for Larger BodiesSpecific, practical propping for bodies that standard cueing does not fit. Wider stances, higher supports, different entries.
- 07 MAYThe Quiet Half of PracticeEverything that happens after the last pose — the ten minutes most people skip, and what they are skipping.
- 30 APRWhat Flexibility IsMostly a nervous-system permission, not a tissue length. This one fact changes how you should stretch for the rest of your life.
- 22 APRBreathing for a Restless MindThree techniques by situation — racing thoughts, low energy, and the flat afternoon — with how long each takes to work.
- 14 APRThe Economics of a Yoga MatCost per practice over ten years, what actually drives price, and where in the market the money stops buying anything.
- 06 APRHow to Use Two MatsLayering a thin cotton mat over a studio mat solves grip, hygiene and padding in one move. When it is worth it.
- 29 MARPractising While UnwellA clear set of lines: what to skip entirely, what is fine, and the specific practices worth keeping when everything else stops.
- 21 MARThe HandsWeight-bearing through a hand built for grasping. Where the load should go, and the two habits that keep wrists healthy for decades.
- 13 MARWhy Holds Beat Flows for BeginnersMoving continuously hides what you cannot yet do. The case for standing still, and how long to do it for.
- 06 MARThe Spine Has Four DirectionsFlexion, extension, rotation, lateral bend. Every pose in yoga is a combination of four movements, and this is the map.
- 26 FEBWarming Up ProperlyWhat a warm-up is physiologically doing, why five sun salutations is not always it, and a ten-minute version that fits any practice.
- 18 FEBThe Second YearThe least written-about stretch of a practice, and the one where most people quietly plateau. What to change, specifically.
- 10 FEBKapok and Other FillsKapok, buckwheat, cotton batting, foam. How each behaves under weight, how each ages, and which belongs in which prop.
- 02 FEBBuying Props in OrderWhat to buy first, second and third, and what to wait two years for. Most people buy in exactly the wrong order.
- 25 JANThe Difference Between Pain and SensationFour tests to run in the moment. Precise enough to act on, which the usual advice to listen to your body is not.
- 17 JANHow to Practise Without a TeacherWhat self-guided practice can and cannot give you, the four blind spots it creates, and how to check yourself against them.
- 09 JANSanskrit Without the MystiqueThirty words that decode most pose names, so you can hear an unfamiliar one and know roughly what is coming.
- 02 JANThe First Six WeeksA week-by-week account of what changes, what hurts, what to ignore, and the point at which most people stop.
202546 notes
- 25 DECStoring Props in a Small HomePractical answers for keeping four bulky objects in a flat without them becoming furniture you resent.
- 17 DECThe Shape of a Practice RoomLight, floor, temperature, wall access, where the door is. Six decisions that make a room you will actually return to.
- 09 DECYoga and SleepWhat actually helps in the hour before bed, what to stop doing at 9pm, and a fifteen-minute sequence that reliably works.
- 01 DECWhat to Do About a Sore Lower BackThe general shape of the problem, the three categories it usually falls into, and the poses that make each one worse.
- 23 NOVMeditation PostureFive seats, from the floor to a chair, ranked by how long you can hold them. Nobody is required to sit cross-legged.
- 15 NOVSequencing Around One PoseHow to build an hour that arrives somewhere. Pick a shape, work backwards through what it needs, and you have a class.
- 08 NOVThe Mat as a Measuring ToolIts edges are straight lines and its corners are right angles. Six alignment checks you can run against the mat itself.
- 31 OCTCotton and WaterWhy cotton absorbs, what washing does to a weave over ten years, and how to read shrinkage, bleeding and pilling before they alarm you.
- 23 OCTWhy Your Shoulders Hurt in ChaturangaOne of the few genuinely risky shapes in a standard class. The mechanics, the common failure, and how to rebuild it from the floor.
- 15 OCTThe Ten-Minute PracticeWhat genuinely fits into ten minutes, what does not, and the three versions worth memorising for the days that is all you have.
- 07 OCTThe Thirty-Minute PracticeA complete, repeatable half hour with nothing padded out. Written as a sequence you can memorise in a week.
- 29 SEPTPractising With an Old InjuryGeneral principles for working around something that has healed but changed you — and a clear line for when to ask someone qualified.
- 21 SEPTThe Pelvic FloorDescribed plainly and without euphemism: what it is, what it does in a pose, and why gripping it constantly is the opposite of strength.
- 13 SEPTHip Openers That Are NotHalf the poses sold as hip openers are loading the knee or the sacrum instead. How to tell where the sensation is really coming from.
- 06 SEPTHow to Fold a BlanketSix folds, each a specific height. This is the difference between a prop that works and a lump of cloth under your knee.
- 29 AUGThe Breath During EffortWhat to do with the breath in a hard hold, why the instruction to keep breathing is not enough, and how to stop bracing.
- 21 AUGReading a PoseA four-question method for walking into any unfamiliar shape and working out what it wants, without waiting to be told.
- 13 AUGThe FeetTwenty-six bones per side doing work no shoe lets them do. What to train, and why every standing pose improves when you do.
- 05 AUGProps for a Stiff BodyIf you cannot reach the floor, the floor should come up. A complete propping strategy for a body at the stiff end of normal.
- 28 JULAdvanced Does Not Mean HarderWhat actually changes between year two and year ten, described concretely — because it is not the difficulty of the shapes.
- 20 JULEye Pillows and DarknessWhy a small weight on the eyes changes the nervous system, how heavy it should be, and where else the same trick works.
- 13 JULPractising Through WinterA cold body is a genuinely different body. What to change about the warm-up, the room, and the length of your holds.
- 05 JULArm BalancesNot an arm-strength problem. The three things actually holding you back from Bakasana, in the order they need solving.
- 27 JUNMat Storage and TravelHow to roll it, where to keep it, how to get it through an airport, and what a week folded in a suitcase does to a mat.
- 19 JUNBhramariThe humming breath. Why the vibration matters more than the sound, where to feel it, and the two-minute version that works before sleep.
- 11 JUNCooling BreathsSitali and Sitkari — the two practices that draw air over a wet surface. How to do them, and what to do if you cannot roll your tongue.
- 03 JUNYoga and Strength TrainingThey are not opposites and they are not substitutes. What each covers, what neither covers, and how to run both in one week.
- 26 MAYProps for Tight ShouldersA strap, a blanket and a wall will get you further than a year of trying harder. Six setups, in order of how much they ask.
- 18 MAYPigeon PoseThe pose most likely to be done badly in a general class. What it is asking of the front hip, and three safer routes to the same place.
- 11 MAYWhat a Teacher Can and Cannot SeeHow to get useful correction out of a class, what to say when asked how you are, and the limits of an adjustment from across the room.
- 03 MAYHandstand GroundworkEighteen months of preparation, laid out as five checkpoints. None of them involve kicking up at a wall.
- 25 APRThe Neck in ShoulderstandThe single most important prop setup in yoga, and the reason shoulderstand has a bad reputation it half deserves. Blanket height, exactly.
- 17 APRWashing Cotton PropsCovers, blankets, straps, bolster shells. What goes in a machine, what never does, and how to dry cotton so it keeps its shape.
- 09 APRWristsThe most common complaint in modern yoga, caused by a load pattern the wrist was never built for. How to change the pattern.
- 01 APRKumbhakaRetaining the breath — the part of pranayama most often skipped. What happens during a hold, how long is enough, and the hard limits.
- 24 MARPractising in HeatWhat high temperature does and does not do to tissue, why heated rooms feel like progress, and how to practise in one without harm.
- 17 MARStyles of Yoga, Honestly ComparedAshtanga, Iyengar, Vinyasa, Hatha, Yin, Bikram, Kundalini — what each actually asks of you, and who each one suits.
- 09 MARHow a Class Is BuiltThe arc under every well-taught class — six phases, in order, each solving a problem created by the one before it.
- 01 MARWhen to Replace Your MatFour tests you can run in a minute. Most mats are thrown away years early, and a few are kept years too long.
- 21 FEBBreath Ratios1:1, 1:2, and the four-part count. What each ratio does to the nervous system, and how to build to them without straining.
- 13 FEBLegs Up the WallViparita Karani — the highest return for the least effort in the whole repertoire. Exact setup, how long, and who should not.
- 05 FEBCotton, Rubber, Cork, JuteA materials primer for yoga equipment: how each one is made, how it ages, how it fails, and what it costs the world to produce.
- 28 JANSupported BackbendsThe most useful thing a bolster does. Three setups by height, what each opens, and how to come out without straining the lower back.
- 20 JANRestorative and Yin Are Not the SameOne removes load entirely, the other applies it for a long time. Confusing them is why people find both disappointing.
- 13 JANFive Ways to Use a BolsterUnder the knees, under the spine, under the chest, under the hips, along the side. What each placement does and how long to stay.
- 05 JANWhat Shoulders NeedThe most mobile joint in the body, and the one most often stretched when it should be strengthened. How to tell which yours wants.
202446 notes
- 28 DECJalandhara BandhaThe throat lock — the least explained of the three. What it does to the breath, when it is used, and how far the chin actually goes.
- 20 DECWhy Your Mat Stopped GrippingSix causes, diagnosed in order from most to least likely. Four of them are fixable in an afternoon.
- 12 DECUddiyana BandhaThe abdominal lift. How to find it on an empty stomach, what it should and should not feel like, and why it is taught after the breath and not before.
- 04 DECThe Three BandhasRoot, abdominal and throat — what each one physically is, in muscles rather than metaphors, and the order to learn them in.
- 26 NOVHamstringsWhy two years of forward folds has not lengthened them, and what changes when you stop treating the problem as a stretching problem.
- 19 NOVKapalabhatiThe forced-exhale practice — how it is actually done, how many, how fast, and the four situations in which it is the wrong choice.
- 11 NOVMat Size, and Why Most Are Too SmallTwo measurements, taken on your own floor, that tell you whether you have been quietly adjusting around a mat that does not fit you.
- 03 NOVHow to Build a Home SequenceA repeatable seven-part structure you can fill differently every day. Written so you never again stand on the mat wondering what comes next.
- 26 OCTNadi ShodhanaAlternate-nostril breathing, described precisely: which fingers, which nostril first, how long, and the two mistakes that make it uncomfortable.
- 18 OCTPranayama: What It IsNot deep breathing, and not calm. A plain definition, the four things every technique manipulates, and what to learn first.
- 10 OCTPractising When You Don't Want ToA working protocol, not encouragement. What to do on the days it is not happening, in the order to try it.
- 02 OCTUsing the WallThe largest and cheapest prop you own. Nine ways to use it, from checking alignment to holding your entire body weight.
- 24 SEPTInversions: The First Three YearsAn honest timeline for going upside down, in the order the shapes should be learned, with the strength each one is waiting on.
- 17 SEPTYoga With a Desk JobWhat eight hours of sitting actually does — it is not what you have been told — and the six shapes that address it.
- 09 SEPTChoosing a Meditation SeatHeight first, then shape, then firmness — in that order. How to measure the height you need before you buy anything.
- 01 SEPTBalance Poses: Why You WobbleBalance is not a still skill. It is a fast correction loop through the foot, the eyes and the inner ear — and every one of them is trainable.
- 24 AUGMorning or Evening PracticeThe body is a genuinely different instrument at 6am and at 8pm. What each hour is good for, and what to change about the practice in each.
- 16 AUGBackbends: Where the Bend Comes FromThe lower back is not supposed to do all of it. How the load should be distributed across the spine, and how to feel whether it is.
- 08 AUGWhat to Wear to PractiseThree requirements, in order of how often they get in the way. Most yoga clothing is sold on the third one.
- 31 JULPractising in a Small FlatUnder two metres of floor, low ceilings, a rug you cannot move. Constraints, and the sequences that work inside them.
- 24 JULTwists, ExplainedWhere a twist actually happens in the spine, why the lower back is the wrong place to look for it, and how to stop cranking with your arm.
- 16 JULSitting on the Floor Without PainCross-legged sitting hurts because the pelvis is tipped backwards. Raise the hips and the whole problem disappears. How much, and on what.
- 08 JULSavasanaNot a rest break at the end of class. What the pose is for, why ten minutes is the number, and how to set it up so the body actually lets go.
- 30 JUNWhat Tight Hips Actually MeansSix different things get called tight hips and they need six different answers. How to work out which one is yours.
- 22 JUNHow to Clean a Yoga MatBy material, with the reasons. What to use, what destroys grip, how often, and the one habit that causes almost every mat that smells.
- 14 JUNHow Often Should You PractiseThe honest answer, with numbers — what changes at two sessions a week, at four, and at daily, and which one is worth the trouble.
- 06 JUNSeated Forward FoldsWhy yours has not moved in a year. The fold happens at the hip, not the waist, and almost everything about the standard instruction obscures that.
- 29 MAYBlocks: Height and PlacementThree heights, three jobs. Where a block belongs in a standing pose, a seated one, and a backbend — and when two beats one.
- 22 MAYCounting the BreathThe simplest attention practice there is, why it fails in the second week, and the three fixes that make it hold.
- 14 MAYThe Warrior PosesThree shapes with one name and almost nothing in common. What each is training, and why Warrior II is the hardest of them to do well.
- 06 MAYThe Yoga StrapEight uses, from the obvious to the ones you have never seen — and the principle underneath all of them, which is that a strap is a longer arm.
- 28 APRWhere to Practise at HomeHow much floor you actually need, what to check about the surface, and why the corner you choose matters more than the hour you choose.
- 20 APRThe Sun Salutation, ExplainedEleven movements, what each is for, and why the sequence is built the way it is. With the three places beginners lose the thread.
- 12 APRTen Things to Do With a Yoga BlanketThe most useful object in the room and the one people understand least. Ten folds, ten placements, and what each one solves.
- 04 APRWhy Yoga Breathes Through the NoseNot a rule for its own sake. What the nose does to air that the mouth does not, and what changes in a practice when you stop mouth-breathing.
- 28 MARDownward Dog, ProperlyThe most-performed and worst-taught pose in modern yoga. What the shape is for, where the weight goes, and the four ways it goes wrong.
- 20 MARHow Thick Should a Yoga Mat BeThickness protects the joints on the floor and taxes the joints balancing on top. A straight answer for each kind of practice.
- 12 MARTadasanaStanding still is the pose everything else is built from, and almost nobody is taught it properly. Seven things happening from the floor up.
- 04 MARWhat Props Actually DoA prop is not a crutch and it is not a beginner's tool. It changes the physics of a pose in one of four specific ways. Here they are.
- 25 FEBThe Cotton Yoga MatWhat a mat is actually doing under your hands, why cotton grips by a different mechanism than rubber, and how to look after one so it lasts a decade.
- 17 FEBHow Long to Hold a PoseFive breaths, thirty seconds, three minutes — each duration trains something different. What each one is for, and how to choose.
- 09 FEBStanding Poses: What the Legs Are DoingEvery standing shape is one of three leg patterns. Learn the three and you can walk into any class and know what is being asked of you.
- 01 FEBTypes of Yoga Mat, and Who Each One Is ForPVC, TPE, rubber, cork, jute, cotton — what each material is genuinely good at, what it fails at, and the practice that suits it.
- 25 JANHow to Breathe in a PoseWhere the breath goes when the ribs are compressed, what to do when you find yourself holding it, and why the exhale is the one to build.
- 17 JANChoosing Your First Yoga MatThe four questions that decide it — floor, thickness, size, surface — answered in order, so you can stop reading reviews.
- 09 JANWhat Yoga Actually TrainsNot flexibility. A plain account of the four things a practice is building, and why the one everybody measures is the least important.