Spring Newsletter 2021

Did anyone else feel a little shocked as they turned their calendars to May this weekend?  I know the time has been ticking away, but this whole year feels like it’s been a bit of a blur.  Looking back, January feels like a long time ago, and yet I have no idea what I have done over the past 4 months!  I’ve had a few conversations with friends this year about how staying home has affected our memory and our sense of time.  I remember listening to a radio programme about how our memories are deeply connected to place, our memories of events are linked to our memories of where the events happened.  Is it surprising then that after 14 months of (for many of us) being in the same place we struggle to separate what happened when? 

14 months of online classes.  Of Zoom and Teams and YouTube.  I am so grateful to have such wonderful, supportive people in my classes (you are all amazing, never forget).  We always welcome new faces, feel free to join us anytime.

And after those 14 months, here we are.  1st May (well, it’s the 2nd as I didn’t get this finished yesterday!), Beltane, May day, the peak of Spring, and on we move towards the summer solstice.  Looking around as I go for my walks, I notice flowers everywhere.  Spring has a colour scheme, I am wrapped up in a world of yellow, green and blue.  The birds sing from 4am, and until late in the evenings.  There are lambs in the fields, ducklings on the ponds.  There is light in the sky in the early hours of the morning, and the sun lingers in the evenings now.  Everything is bursting with life, growing, becoming.

For me the first few months of 2021 were long, dark, and pretty miserable if I am honest.  I was fed up with it all.  Work.  Lockdown.  Trying to stay upbeat for the kids.  The constant juggling of work, home, life.  Missing family.  The never-endingness of it all.  Then feeling bad for feeling bad as there are so many people who have it so much worse.

But then Spring came, and my energy seemed to shift.  Don’t get me wrong, I am still exhausted.  Pandemics are tiring.  I’m not sure exactly what the shift is, but I think it might be hope. 

I love this time of year.  There is a sense of potential, as if anything is possible.  Maybe this is stronger this year as restrictions are lifted, and we start to feel like some of the things we have missed over the past year might become possible again.  Maybe it is simply the energy that more daylight, warmth (it was warm on at least 2 days) and sunshine brings.  Whatever it is, I welcome it, because winter was hard.

Maybe this is a good time for us to grow just like nature around us.  Time to venture out of our winter cocoons, and start to realise the hopes, dreams and plans that we might have been cooking up over the colder months.  Time to cast our nets, reach out for our dreams and allow the energy of the earth to sweep us up and carry us along towards those goals.

What will you reach out for?  What are your dreams?

My dreams are to continue sharing my love of this magical practice we call yoga with people of all ages.  I am busy planning how I can bring yoga to you and your families this summer, I’m also hoping to restart some more classes after the school holidays…  Nothing is final yet but watch this space for more info coming your way over the next few months.

I dream of making yoga more widely available and am thankful to the people who have started to make this a reality through their donations to my pay it forwards scheme.  I have managed to help a handful of people continue their yoga classes through hard times and hope the project will continue to grow and expand.  You can donate classes and apply for sponsorship through this link or email me for more information.

I dream of bringing people together through yoga, creating community.

I dream of helping people feel more at ease in themselves.

I dream of one day being back teaching rooms full of happy, smiling people.

I dream of a world where people are not frightened to touch, to hug, to come together.

I dream of a world where all people are free, safe and happy.

I dream of an end to this ongoing crisis.

Will you reach out and hope and dream with me?

‘I walk, and a thousand blades of fresh new grass vibrate

trembling diamond drops

catch rainbows from the sun

and my dreams of you and me

spiral up and up and up

- away we go –

a pair of buzzards soaring

with gliding outstretched wings.’

                        Nicky Martin – from Sacred Earth Celebrations by Glennie Kindred

We’re still online for most classes, I send love from my home yoga space to yours through our little zoom boxes each week.  Kids Yoga restarts in person on Monday 10th May, and I’m so excited that we can all step out of our little boxes and come together in person again!  You can book all classes online here. 

I am always happy to chat about classes, about yoga in general, or help you figure out a yoga practice that will work for you, so please do hit reply if you have any questions.

With love, hope and dreams

Sarah

xxx