Once in a while I stumble on this video. Not everything in life is so simple but I appreciate the message. It makes me ask myself what it is that makes me happy. I don’t think that I am a very material person, but I still seem to have a lot of possessions that I carry with me through life and that cause me strain.
Did you watch this video? Could you live as simple life? Or could you, like me, strive to incorporate some simplicity here and there?
(By the way, I apologise about all these adverts everywhere. I don’t have any influence over them. I have to think about paying more website hosting fees to stop all these adverts popping up everywhere on this page.)
Sometimes I wonder if it is all too late, if I have missed all the good chances and will now be left only with crumbs. I know that it is not even that late in life but the future no longer looks vibrant and youthful. I feel a little mournful, a little disempowered, a little defeated, a little scared.
Somewhere along the way I have forgotten to keep dreaming, and if you asked me what I would like to do then I can no longer answer. This is partly because I have ‘grown up’, I realise the magic of youth only as youthfulness quietly drip drops away and as the understanding grows that age requires selfcare and yes, also financial means. I feel weak and not empowered and hardly optimistic.
Why am I sharing this with you?
Because I hope to turn this experience around. Because I want there to be a permanent marker in this moment in time so that I can refer to it when I feel stronger, more optimistic, safer. More joyful. And then I want to share the experience with you. Not as a slide show of ‘other people’s sunshine photos’ but as something that you can grasp a slice of for yourself.
How does that sound? Can I do it? If I can then you can, too. If it is for me and within my reach then it will be for you and within yours, too.
Let’s share a ‘slice’ of this
The image below is of Jason, when we were both strong and felt like everything was still in front of us. He, too, feels that he is no lonnger 24. Let’s bring Jason along on this project. Let’s get back onto the yoga mat, let’s carve out some time, some space. Let’s conjur up the little leftver discipline to take good care of our future selves. If we do, I bet that we will be happy about it.
Please consider following me here and on my main blog http://www.over7seas.com because I am not entirely sure yet where I will share the progress. Most important: let’s start together. x
Today’s first task:
Make sure to be hydrated & creaky joints and weak muscles benefit. Pour yourself 3 medium-large glasses of water, bonus points if you use warm water from the kettle. And make sure to drink them in the course of the day. (It’s not even as much as we probably should drink, but start there. Pour a 4th or 5th in case you are a few steps ahead of the rest of us..)
I’m purposely not giving you a longer list because getting properly hydrated is already a job. Work on this and let me know how many glasses you managed to drink in the course of today, tomorrow and each day of the coming 7 days.
Please tell me in the comments.
Sharing a slice means sharing feeling better. There currently is no actual cake involved but if you take part in this little selfcare challenge I might share a very, very tasty recipe with you. Yes, a recipe for cake if you really would like one..
I know online.. again? Please give it a try. It would mean a lot to me if you gave me an opportunity to support you in supporting your body and health.
Yoga Classes: It’s been so long that I almost forgot all about my own holistic practice. If even I forget to take care of my body, how did you get on these last 10 years? Do you want to come on a journey with me towards a healthier and cared for body? Wildly reduced class fee. Check my Calendar Link for my (re-)introductory offer.
You can schedule your first Yoga meeting with me, using my online calendar which automatically adjusts to your time zone:
If you want to improve your health and feel more confident in your body, please join my gentle Yoga class. It will help you become stronger, more agile, and calmer. Classes are personalised and tailored to your current physical abilities. You canpause when you need to. I am here to help you stay focused.
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Don’t worry if you don’t feel strong right now. This gentle Yoga refresh program can be adapted to accommodate a wide range of starting points.
If right now you feel like a weak noodle, don’t worry this isn’t a bootcamp, we will work within your range of abilities to nudge you towards an incrementally more resilient self.
At the moment I am in California but I can meet you online, I know it’s not the same, but I hope you’ll bear with me and book classes instead of waiting for my return in a few months.
I understand the challenges of not feeling confident in your body during yoga practice. I have personally experienced injuries that taught me the importance of humility and empathy. I am here to support you and help you regain confidence in your body. When our bodies are stronger life feels better.
I now have a lot more of compassion, stemming from personal experience, for yoga students who don’t feel confident in their bodies. Due to personal life circumstances, I had stopped my own yoga practice and discovered firsthand how losing muscle affected my overall well-being.
In class we will make shapes with our bodies and I may direct your attention in ways that will help you be more present with yourself. We will take care of injuries* and make adjustments as needed. We will set your goals together, because some students need to calm down their nervous system, while others need to find their strength again.
This class will be your class. I’m here for you.
This is an old video from 2020 – so that you have something to look at – but this isn’t necessarily representative of what we will do in your class. You might not be comfortable with this type of yoga. We will likely move slower, stay in postures and work very deliberately, while also distressing and relaxing.
– *I am not a healthcare professional. Taking care of injuries in this context means that we will work gently and avoid aggravating chronic health issues. Our goal will be to build strength that in time will help you overcome or better live with your injuries.
Lunchtime Yoga for Beginners (and intermediate welcome) * 6 weeks * Mersey Dance Iinitiative, 24 Hope Street, Liverpool. wednesdays 12.45pm-1.30pm. (12th september to 17th october)
Birgit practiced yoga for many years, has visited Mysore in Southern India to study Yoga 3 times, spend 3 months with Pattabhi Jois and Sharath Rangaswamy practicing Ashtanga Yoga and has a lot of respect for her teachers (and is sad not to have been able to practice again with Sharath, the only obstacle was money). In 2012 she also took her Yoga Teacher Training Qualification in Mysore, with Bharat Shetty, a teacher who calls B.K.S. Iyengar his guru, but does not use yoga props. Additionally Birgit is also a Trained Thai Massage Practitioner, which benefits her teaching.
In Liverpool she owes most of what she has learnt to Cliff Bond, her teacher for many years, and also Frank Perry and Debbie Redcliffe. It is important to have teachers. Birgit practices and teaches from the traditional Ashtanga Yoga sequence & a special sequence taught by Bharat Shetty in Mysore which originates from BKS Iyengar & a gentle yin practice. All are forms of Hatha Yoga. The classical Yoga of the body which can affect the mind and health. She believes in listening to the body and what it needs that day.
In these coming weeks the theme of the classes that you will attend will be: Connection to the body and awareness of the space we are in.
The class can be used as an introduction for complete beginners to yoga and intermediate students are welcome, too. Flexibility is not essential, neither is fitness, only a willingness to go on an adventure is.. You will work within your ability and listen to your body. If you are already familiar with Yoga you might be surprised how much work you can do in a downward dog or simple sun salutation.
Birgit offers an accompanying free class, on a saturday afternoon, only for those who attend the wednesday sessions.
On saturdays: we will apply what we learn on wednesdays and learn shake off the past week, getting ready for the next. This class is offered as a gift but attendance is not essential to enjoy wednesday lunchtime.
There is something so awe inspiring about watching this 45 year old film footage of BKS Iyengar demonstrating asana. Who was the audience? Did they have any understanding or was this a form of outlandish gymnastics to them? After all these years of practicing yoga even I still find it strange to watch a yoga asana practice. It definitely is an experience to be had within, rather than observed externally.
In my parallel life I am a professional Artist, from this perspective I really should promote my work, chase the career, socialize strategically.. The more I practice Yoga Asana, the more my life changes, and it becomes increasingly impossible to abuse my body with 16 hour work days for the sake of appearing ‘successful’. In reality my name gains credential, it does indeed, and at the same time my body gains internal wounds from exhaustion, from one too many times rushed to meet a deadline..
In the past year I have spent significantly more time thinking about the Wealth of Health than about which gallery to attempt to impress into exhibiting and selling my work. I am still finding my way, but while it scares me I also feel that it was the only sensible decision to take a full 18 months out from even considering to make any Art work or engage in the Art crowd. My feet feel like they landed on the ground a little. My health is improving, and still I am fragile. The healthiest years in my life were those when I practiced yoga 3-4 times a week without fail. 6 days a week seems to deplete me.
I believe it is possible that this has to do with my approach to the practice and my approach to the days following. I strongly believe that Ashtanga practice can be restorative, in my experience it was depleting, but I have a feeling that was my way of practicing and living that could have been responsible.
Life essentials in the words of a friend of mine: “Passionate about healthy conscious living in the full spectrum of life: work, relationships and the rest.” (Julian Giacomelli chief at: http://www.crudessence.com )
To my practice of Thai Massage and Yoga. I welcome clients of all age groups and in my recent Yoga teaching have enjoyed working with students with health issues, including sciatica and stroke, who without private classes with me would not have done any yoga practice at all. It has been a fantastic experience to help build body confidence with my students.
I look forward to working with you.
{I wish it wasn't necessary to point out but : my Thai Massage practice is 100% professional and any requests for other services of sleazy nature will not be answered}
Sen Traditional Thai Massage 