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Daily Writing Prompt: What Would I Do More Of, Daily?

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What do you wish you could do more every day?

Great question, in all honesty it’s not actually writing LOL. I’m not sure if I should really admit to that. That said, I must be real and as I considered this question at this moment in time, I sincerely wish I could do more yoga every day.

In particular this yoga asana here called Pincha Mayurasana   it has been a dream for many years! I attended my first yoga class in the depths of south London, when I was around nineteen or twenty years old. I was a member of a gym called Fitness First I don’t even know if they are still around, but anyway I first discovered the yoga mat here. My first class was a Hatha style yoga class which I enjoyed, as this style of yoga is focused on breath work and holding the asanas.

How Did My Love Develop?

Well, I think it was more the teacher that really sparked my love for yoga. After I attended the first Hatha style class and  experienced for the first time the feeling I had physically, mentally, and emotionally after I went on to do more of his classes. My teacher was a mature man, probably in his fifties at the time ( this was about twenty years ago), very flexible, dynamic, gave great instruction, played attention to all his students, and had a ‘vibe’ to him which was a bit hippy like and I liked it. He really held my attention and made me want to do the best I could, I found him encouraging, his name was Frank, and yep you guessed it his classes were always PACKED. You had to get there early to get a good spot in Frank’s classes.

He taught Vinyasa and Ashtanga style classes which are much, much more dynamic and focused not so much on holding the poses, but the flow from one asana pose to another using the breath. This I love, love, love, oh my gosh I love it!! I fell in love with both these styles of yoga. I  bought a yoga mat from Frank, and completely abandoned the gym LOL. I remember paying an expensive gym membership and only going to yoga class and the sauna, and occasionally running on the treadmill. But Frank’s classes were well worth the gym membership fee to me.

I moved from the area and stopped my classes, in fact I didn’t practice for many, many years, after going at least twice a week for a good year. I did notice the changes in my body during that year and after, but I could not do the Pincha Mayurasana pose yet!

From Yoga Student To Yoga Teacher and Fanatic!

So fast forward may be ohhh I’d say about six years of being out of practice since I first started at around nineteen/twenty years old, and then trying to restart it again at home, and spotting an offer on a yoga teacher’s course. This is what happened, if you remember the website Wowcher I don’t even know if they are still around, I bought an online course from their deals to work towards gaining a qualification to teach yoga. Even though I was out of practice and very inflexible and unfit. I wanted to study the art of it more for me, I had no intention of ever teaching. I sadly  I didn’t complete the course on my first attempt, life happened, I was taken in different directions, I was with a terrible ex-partner at the time, and my lack of energy meant that this goal was left behind.

That said, once I got my shit together, left the most horrid relationship I have ever had, and moved on in life I slowly went back to it. I would try to make the effort but this was mainly  with online  videos and not via formal classes. 

At the start of the pandemic a wonderful blessing happened, since my first attempt at yoga teacher training in my mid-twenties the process had changed. It meant that you had to go away to a retreat and do it in person, a 200 or 300 hour course in a remote place ( normally somewhere very exotic mind you), and it cost an arm and a leg! It excluded many yoga lovers, aspiring teachers, and people like me who just want to study it, qualify, and not necessarily teach! This was due to the cost of it, and having to upsticks for a week or more to go there.

When the pandemic hit in 2020 everything moved online. Somehow I ended up with a promotional email announcing that you could now do your teacher training and study online! No in person trips to India, Barley, or an exotic location. I jumped at it, bought the course and it was only a few hundred dollars. Normally it would be a few thousand dollars.  The cost reduction was due to the pandemic I would imagine. I did my 200 hour training course via a company called Yoga Renew, it was fantastic, the online videos, course materials, Zoom calls, free resources, everything about it was just amazing. Then I managed to get the same offer for the 300 hour course so you can qualify as an advanced yoga teacher, so of course I took it and paid it when it was on offer.

Now, I still can’t get into Pincha Mayurasana pose and I am still no where near as flexible and fit as I would want to be, but for me the rational for undertaking yoga teacher training has never really been to teach. It has and still is all about me! My love for the practice, how it makes me feel once I am done, and during the sessions is something I really can’t put into words, it’s a whole vibe!

So anyway, as of this moment I am working on my 300 hour course which is focused more on the ‘yogi lifestyle,’ philosophy, history, and spiritual side of the practice. Normally, when one thinks of yoga we think of the poses (asanas) and the visual form of yoga. Seeing a person bend themselves like a pretzel into a cool shape really is cool! Even for me after a twenty-one year love affair with yoga, but  this is just one side of yoga and the very ‘western’  or Instagram approach to yoga.  The 300 hour course teaches you this principle.  My reason for undertaking the 300 hour was to make yoga a life-long learning process and habit… as I practice moving into Pincha Mayurasana pose also! And to understand the roots of the practice, the theology of it and where it comes from. We also study anatomy in more detail and eating habits. All this is something that does interest me a lot.

How Much Yoga Would I Do A Day?

I’ll keep it real with you, I find it so hard in the winter months to make time for my practice, and this is because I like to do it in the morning as soon as I wake up. I find it hard ( when it is cold) to really want to get on my mat and stretch. I aim for at least twenty mins each morning, even if all I do is stretch. This has not always been consistent and comes in dribs and drabs sometimes LOL. But I do make an effort. Because as I write this I am aiming to finish my 300 hour yoga teacher’s advanced course in 2023, I am being more strict about doing some yoga daily or minimum three times a week. If I had more time I would do at least one- two hours each day, every day, I would love to also do it outside near water somewhere. I would also like to explore the different types of yoga too. 

If I had more time, I would love to go to a class… actually I probably could if I am honest, I just need to find one local to me that I like. Now that’s an idea as I write this. I think if I had a community of other yoga lovers I belonged to, I would be much more likely to keep it up, and that is saying something to me personally as I write this! I do follow may popular yoga teacher’s on YouTube and often do the lessons that the post though.

My Favourite Asanas ( Poses)

  • Pincha Mayurasana obviously! I think that it’s the look of it I like. The perfect social media ‘good morning’ post.
  • Pigeon Pose I really enjoy.
  • Sun Salutations I adore
  • Moon Salutations I love.
  • Low and High Lung.
  • Runner’s Pose.
  • King Dancer’s pose- I adore.
  • Downward Facing Dog- I really love.

This list is pretty endless, it’s hard to pin point just one. I would say  for sure there is not a yoga asana that I don’t like, or avoid. I give them all a try even if I can’t do it perfectly.

I really do love this form of exercise, I think it really is one that connects and addresses balance and good feelings in the mind, body, and soul. This also spills over into your daily life, which is what I like about it too. If you really apply yourself to the concept of yoga and detach during your practice, you will be taken to a place you’ve never experienced and always want to go back to.

What about you, what would you do more of? Do you do yoga?

Daily Writing Prompt: What’s Your Favourite Type of Weather?

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What is your favorite type of weather?

This was such an easy but also difficult writing prompt to respond to today. You’re probably thinking, how is that even possible, how can something be hard and easy at the same time? Well, lemme explain!

In a nutshell, summer is may favourite type of weather, as when I think of summer I think of the water and the beach. Two of my favourite things in the world! I am very much a beach person, and love the water. Even if I don’t get to go to the beach I just love the ‘summer vibe’ sundresses, shades, ice cream, BBQs,  music festivals and events, get togethers with friends and family, fun times with my partner, and being out and about doing interesting things. The latter is always nicer in good weather. I’m also naturally warm blooded, I hate being cold in anyway, shape, or form! I guess this is why I would say this is my favourite season.

That said… I do like the spring time the season we’re entering into now in Europe, but for a totally different reason.

As I write this, we are about to have the equinox and the season changes from winter to spring, as I turn to my right it is pouring with rain outside LOL. However, spring-time is another season I always love because it’s the perfect weather for walking in, better than summer I find. This is because it is not as hot and humid. While summer is good for ‘chillin’, drinks, BBQs, and lazing by the water on the beach. I personally tend to walk by the water ( normally the lakes where I live) in the spring.  Walking and nature are two other things I really like.

Over the last five almost six years of living near water, I have naturally developed this habit in the spring time. Just like this picture above, there are trees surrounding my local lakes ( obviously LOL) and I really enjoy the scenery and walking in the warm but not boiling weather. Spring sunshine really makes me smile, when it is warm enough for a light jacket, you may even need a scarf if it is still chilly, but you can rock your shades and walk along and enjoy the view also. 

I also really enjoy spring as I tend to look at this time of year as the time I become really productive with writing and project wise. I tend to find that over the years I spend the autumn and winter ‘plotting and planning’, my next move in life or with creativity, have a little slow down in productivity, and then poof! The equinox  on the 20/21st of March arrives and I’m full of beans! I come alive, literally with creativity, and my desire to enjoy life personally and generally it’s a good season for me. Providing that in my personal life, I’m not too stressed.

Generally speaking I think spring and summer suit my personality, and the things I love to enjoy in life. Autumn gives me a wonderful time to plant seeds, ‘plot and plan’ and make decisions. Winter gives me rest and wind-down vibes. I am not a fan of the weather though in winter! Autumn?… mmm depends on how bad the weather is. If it’s a harsh autumn and feels more winter-like, it’s my least favourite season with winter… sorry, not sorry to the autumn season lovers!

 

What about you? What do you enjoy and why?

 

Daily Writing Prompt: Do You Believe in Fate or Destiny?

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Do you believe in fate/destiny?

In nutshell, yes I do. Why? Because I feel that fate and destiny are two things that every soul, human, and person have a part to play in.

What is Fate, Though?

‘Fate’… meant to be, making things happen, this is also a verb in the dictionary defined as ‘to be destined to happen, turn out, or act in a particular way’. This means that ‘fate’ is an action, and action is something that is done, and what do we do as people= take action and do stuff both good or bad.

Given this basic way of looking at what fate is, to me it would appear that fate is a very real thing, and of course as a verb in this context you and I can have control over it to a certain extent. Not all the time of course, but sometimes based on the actions we take. The other way of looking at fate, where we don’t have control and things are ‘just meant to happen’ I still believe in, even if you remove the action part that a person can play. I feel this way as I believe in the laws of the universe you could say, and I do really believe in things like astrology and the ‘mystical and unexplainable’ side of life. I feel that the fate that we don’t have control over with our actions is down to things like this.

Destiny?

Yes, of course I believe in this because we all have a purpose, simply put. Which to me personally is your ‘destiny’ it’s your purpose, where you’re heading or not heading. Just like fate you can play a part in this, and the universe and unexplained things can also play a part.

I think the older I have got, the more I have been able to see that in reality we can all to some extent create the life, goals, dreams, ideas, or whatever it is that we strive for. Even in the face of adversity, all you need is careful planning, be prepared to keep working and I really mean this, and be willing to take a few risks, challenges, and not let fear guide you too much to the point you become stagnate and don’t reach for whatever it is you want. Given this, this is why I feel that fate and destiny are real, you can create them for yourself, and you are always supported by unexplained things along the way.

Should You Let Fate and Destiny Guide You?

Absolutely, embrace whatever comes your way in life good or bad. But I don’t believe in being ridged and not moving, thinking, or living outside of the ‘box’ that destiny and fate can create. By this I mean, oftentimes if we think or feel ‘this is meant to be’ or ‘this is my fate’ there is a chance we can become stuck on this, inflexible, and not open to what else may present itself or what you could take action to create! This is where I feel that fate and destiny should guide you … and that’s it guide you, not define or trap you.

Can you Change Your Fate or Destiny?

Yes, I would say so and I have even experienced this myself. This is what I call life’s U-turns. Like I said fate is a verb, an action, whatever you do as an action can become your destiny, so if you are not keen on the way your fate is looking, change your action and your destiny or even destination will change and you can move in a new direction, hence a change in fate and destiny. It’s called living and life LOL.

How Can You Be Sure of Your Fate or Destiny?

Mmm, I don’t really think you can as only two things in life are for sure death and paying taxes! So all a person can do is have an idea about these things and work towards the outcome (fate and destiny wise) they would like. If your actions are in alignment with the fate or destiny you want, there’s a likely chance your fate, destiny, and outcome will be desirable … hopefully.

Are Destiny and Fate linked to God or Religion?

Not for me no. I am of no real religion, in fact I’d say I am not religious but deeply believe in the spiritual side of things not linked to what we have been fed is ‘God’. My creator, or person in charge is not in alignment with what any mainstream religion would have you believe. Am I against it? Mmm, no it’s just not for me.

Do you believe in fate or destiny? Or is this just something people like to believe in?

Daily Writing Prompt: Three Things You Can’t Live Without? #dailywritingprompt-1866 

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What are three objects you couldn’t live without?

I smiled as I read this morning’s prompt on my feed. Well, *pauses makes a face and pouts* to be honest with you, if I can’t include people which means my son, partner, sister, and dear friends are excluded and this is based on actual ‘things’ … lemme think, okay got it!

My Tablet:

I use it daily, and it has may most needed apps on Kindle ( for all my books I have in e-book version), game apps, ( I love to play Scrabble, Rummy, and Spades online), also applications for things like astrology, Netflix ( I recently started watching the series Outlander I’m addicted to it!), and  my tablet has general nick-naks I use often. It also allows to me access to the Worldwide Web, YouTube, and the news applications. I actually prefer my tablet over my laptop, I just wish that it was more suitable to write on rather than be social. I guess I associate my laptop with work, and my tablet with downtime and fun. It was a hard decision between my phone or tablet, I went with tablet as I can still communicate with others using WhatsApp on the tablet, or even Skype if I had to.

My Radio

 

That’s right I can’t live without my ‘boom, boom box’ it’s not old school like this one, even though I do like them. A few years back maybe around 2020 I bought an Internet radio,  I have discovered some wonderful radio stations all over the world. In my house, the radio is NEVER off it is always on on a low volume in either the bedroom, or the office I write in. I also sleep with the radio on downlow, I find it much preferable to have this background noise while going to sleep.

I like all kinds of music, and I mean all from chill-hop, or lounge music you’d hear at Starbucks, jazz, soul, rock, pop, there really is not a style I don’t like. Hmm, may be apart from probably very, very heavy metal or trance/dance music they are the only two I can’t and don’t listen to. I can always appreciate everything else in between.

I not only sleep to music, I write to music, read to music, cook to music, tidy up the house to music,  drive to music, I literally do everything … with music.

Some of my favourite stations to listen to are:

  • Smooth FM ( London). I just love the variety of music from all decades, and it’s very relaxing to sleep to as the night shift DJs cater to the time of the evening/night it is.
  • Cherie FM ( France) to me this is like the equivalent of London’s Smooth FM. The difference is that in France they play one English song and then a French song.  You get the best of both languages. Also, the music is much more random and varied than Smooth FM you will hear Rihanna, then you will hear something in a totally different genre I love it.
  • FIP Radio ( France) here they play everything from rap/hip-hop, jazz, classical piano, pop, reggae all one after the other! I love this station it is ‘random’, and so eclectic in terms of the music they play. They also don’t play songs that are played on mainstream radio I noticed, it’s always smaller independent artists that are hardly known.
  • Amazing Chill-Hop Radio ( New York). As it says on the tin, here it’s all instrumental ‘chilled’ music that ranges from jazz, hip-hop, soul, funk, beats I love it!
  • Smooth Jazz.com ( Florida) this station plays some of the smoothest, sleekest, funkiest, bestest ( if that’s a word) jazz my ears have ever heard, I love it.
  • 90s RnB and Old School ( Germany) they play very early old school RnB, from artists that if you’re probably around thirty-five and over you will remember from your twenties, that are not around today. Wonderful station for a trip down memory lane.
  • LBC ( London) this is a talk show station, which gives commentary on current affairs.
  • BBC World News ( UK) this station broadcasts everything from documentaries, news bulletins, and author interviews for the BBC book club the first Sunday of each month. I particularly love to listen to the book club author interviews, I have picked up many new books from these interviews, I tend to buy them if I liked the author’s interview and how the book sounded. I also like to listen to the questions that readers can pose. I keep saying to myself I need to actively read along with the club, so that I can pose questions to the authors about the characters and plot myself. I also really, really, really enjoy the documentaries they broadcast from around the world, this is a station for the world, it’s very international with news and commentary.

There are many other stations, lots of them are independent ones from all corners of the world that I have discovered. I think that Internet radio really is the way forward if you are a music lover, if you don’t have one invest! They are pretty cheap too, I got mine on Amazon.

 

My Dishwasher!

 

So, three weeks ago I got a dishwasher for the first time in my life! I am telling you I can’t believe I got to the ripe ol’ age of forty and never used one. *Gasps* my mum never had one, I never grew up with one, but I think that had there be space in Mum’s kitchen in my childhood home ( that she lived in for fifty years), I bet Mum would have had one! 

What made me get one? Well, we now have space at home in the kitchen for one and after speaking to others who do have them, I was sold on the idea! Ours is a really pretty black one it is gorgeous. It’s been three weeks of saving my nails from chipping, three weeks of having more time in the evening to spend with my family as the dishes are taken care of, and the big surprise? I have a saucepan that is older than my son, he’s nine, this saucepan must be anywhere from fourteen to sixteen years old. It’s part of a vegetable steamer set so I can cook rice at the bottom, and put the veggies to steam on the top. I got it in Lidl the store I think. So anyway, this pan is always ‘clean’ from handwashing it of course, but with one spin in the dishwasher it was shiny, looked brand new, and as if I had just taken the stainless steel item out of the packet! It had lost it’s luster and silver shine ( understandably look how old it is), now it looks like when I first got it, I was amazed. So yeah, now I have experienced family life with a dishwasher, I can’t live without mine it was so worth the money given the time it saves, and how well it cleans.

What about you, do you have a dishwasher? Is it just for ‘lazy’ people?

What three things can’t you live with out? Let me know.