Connection
Your May Practice
I want you to feel something really important today. Right here, where you are.
Pause, close your eyes, and take a deep breath.Â
Ah, there it is. Connection. Can you feel it?
For many years in my yoga classes I’ve gently suggested that what we do on the mat creates an internal connecting of the dots. By this I mean activating your inner blueprint of balance, which is really about aligning mind and body in the moment.
Maybe you’ve sensed this kind of connection with yourself in the spacious aftermath of a long hamstring stretch or in the support that accompanies strengthening your core muscles; in the moments when you’ve laid down your to do list, your body warm and open, breathing steady. Remembrance of equilibrium arises not just from restoring range of motion to your hips and moving your bones back into their homes, but from creating space for internal recalibration. These are actions of internal connection that become springboards for us to extend and connect outward.
Your practice and the connection it conjures underpins everything.
This of course is much bigger than yoga. When and where else do you feel these connections being made?
I feel dots connect when I go for a walk without my phone, cancel a meeting to accommodate an urgent nap, even eating a meal free from distractions — no work, reading, or scrolling, just sitting quietly and chewing my food. I feel connections being made when I write, whether a few morning pages, thoughts captured in my phone’s notes app in haste, or typing this letter to you. These are simple practices of slowing down, breathing deeply, and paying attention that create entry points — ways in — to the balance that’s available to us here, now.Â
A bit of how to — dot connecting.
Look up and out, there’s ample fuel. I’ve been inspired by the gorse in full bloom near my home in coastal Scotland. It’s a bright, breathtaking burst and affirmation of the natural order of things, integrated into the broader landscape as we begin to feel the first sensations of summer. To be honest I nearly wrote this whole post about these sunshine blooms while reflecting on the arc of the last few months. In March we emerge. April is for opening. Now, moving into May, things start to connect. Spring moves us into new beginnings and equity gained through our practices joins things up — the season’s cacophony gains coherence.
This month on Balance Practice we’ll be making the kinds of connections that create clarity, and uphold and sustain us. I’ve created new set of tools, insights, and prompts for us to use in the weeks ahead —
On the mat I’ve filmed a go-to practice to center yourself, my most tried and true how to routines for sorting out stiff shoulders and hips, and a timely restorative setup. Also hope to see you at our monthly live members practice coming up on 30th May — 30 minutes of connection you won’t want to miss.
On the page I’ll offer more context around how to move into balance, an exclusive practice from my new book Move, Rest, Recover, some notes on motherhood, a very special guest, and more.Â
In the meantime I’ll leave you with these words and the invitation to pause and feel for May’s messages…
We fly through spring
like all our seasons
Take a moment to land, gaze high
birds eye view
of where you find yourself this moment
Stretch into the fields of your practice
dots (re)connecting
beneath the weight of your own presence
then
chest broadens
inviting your inhale
jaw softens
allowing your exhale
What else do you notice?
Even beginnings beckon unwindings
and what remains is your discernment
What are you sowing this season?
May you choose well in your movement
toward center as you begin again.
Have you used Your Weekly Reset yet? Each Friday I send out a 5–20 minute yoga-inspired video designed to connect the dots — to move you into balance, right where you are. My aim in these sessions is to create an accessible, meaningful pause for practice and recalibration for you amid all the action of your week. A fluid balance of strength and flexibility, core stability, and stress easing sessions all available to subscribers in this ever growing library.
A few recent Resets in case you missed them:
Next LIVE Reset — 30th May
Our next live online practice will be 9:30-10:15am GMT on Friday, 30th May. Subscribers will receive a link to join a few days prior and I’ll send out the replay after for you to use anytime you like. See you there!
In the meantime here’s the April live Reset replay:
I’d love to hear how your practice is going + any requests for future resets! Your notes inspire all of us — please drop a comment if you’d like to share.