The looong month

January must be the longest month of the year. From hycints and Christmas left overs to tulips and cream buns. New Year's resolutions to be kept (almost all the classes in the gym are overbooked which will no doubt change in February), new projects to kick off, a year-end to close. This is also the time to enjoy winter sports and catch up on the movies you didn't have time for in December's rush. All happening while the days are fighting to get some more space but can't really win over the ruling darkness.

No wonder January feels like a marathon. Two more days to enjoy before moving into the last month of winter.

Back in the dungeon

Actually quite nice. Yesterday evening's opposite had the desired impact.

Sometimes it gets too much

A room filled with forty yoga instructors, eager to learn and, some more than others, eager to be recognised and heard. After six hours yesterday and six hours today, I can't say I look forward to six hours tomorrow. It's not the yoga or the learning I resent. It's the room filled with too much of one quality.

I'm screaming for the contrast: coffee, wine, pizza and loud music. Talking about people who are not so good and that we don't like. So that's what I got. An evening with Beautiful J and her princess. We are already into the second bottle.

Six hours of yoga with a hangover? Hmmm... That will be a first.

Apparently old enough to have a baby...

Apparently the third film is on its way; coming in 2012. And if my googling revealed trustworthy sources, then it's all about Bridget trying for a baby. The first movie was a classic, the second was all right. What are the odds for the third?

How old is Bridget?

If nothing else, the mobile phone and the smoking in restaurants give her away. Bridget Jones has passed the age of forty-five by now. It's like meeting an old friend watching a favourite DVD from the old days. A glass of red to be followed by tea and chocolate. A night in without any demands.

Do and be

A week of yang. Doing rather than being. Working rather than relaxing. The 'doing trap': the more you do, the more you think you should do. You raise the bar higher and higher.

So the weekend ahead is quite timely. Three days of instructor training in Yin yoga starts tomorrow. After an early morning meeting, so I will be running in late, out of breath. But by Sunday afternoon yang and yin should be balanced in a welcome equilibrium.

Prepping for leadership conference

Scented pens and flipcharts are so much more fun than powerpoint.

Luxury on a Tuesday

Breakfast at Kofi after teaching favourite yoga class and before starting the rest of the day. A moment of just being.

Luxury on a Monday...

...can be a glass of chilled white whine and catching up on my favourite talk show. Telly on the internet has increased life quality a great deal. Otherwise we all know what's being served around dinner time: cooking or weight loss programmes.

Snow in the city

At nine thirty on a Sunday you can pretty much pick and choose which table you want at the favourite café. Breakfast date with Adorable and a long due catch up on pregnancy, relationships, friends and work. Not so much work actually. After a large latte, yogurt topped with berries and honey, freshly baked bread and pastry, we left our corner and embraced the chilly winter air. Home to a warm flat and a relaxing afternoon. Or may be a detour to the gym. Hmm...

When you are having a tough day, may be it's time to...

Have that special latte made by a friendly barista.
Leave what you are doing to take a long walk.
Enter the yoga shala to take a lunch time class.
Work from home in leggings and a big sweater.
Enjoy a candlelight bubble bath surrounded by flower scents.
Get absorbed by a book with a story so engaging that you lose time.
Listen to music that gives you goosebumps.

Small things that can make a big difference.

Can it get less glamorous?

Mammography screening... Hugging a big machine while it does its best to squeeze your boobs until they are flatter than crisp bread. And when you think you're done, the procedure is repeated in a vertical direction. I think I need a new bra.

The corridor to bliss

Entering an oasis in the middle of the city. Time for favourite class with favourite teacher.

Now she is thirty-eight

The January issue of Marie Claire, South Africa. Apparently Kate turned thirty-eight yesterday. Looking her age? And if so, is that good or bad?

Four hats on a Tuesday

My different job roles today have varied between yoga instructor, accountant, HR consultant and to some extent therapist. A normal day in my little company, just what I hoped for when I decided to go self employed.

As long as I don't have to play the role of IT support too often I quite like to wear the different hats.

Swanlake

A modern version of one of my classical favourites. The perfect culture top up on a Sunday afternoon. To be followed by homemade lasagna and a glass of red.

What is the worst thing that can happen?

"A hero is not a special kind of person; every person is a special kind of hero when he or she is without fear. Every life is a hero's journey. When I trust in the universe, I am not afraid to take risks. If I am afraid of taking risks, is life worth living?"

From 'No Destination' by Satish Kumar

How come fear got such a big part in running so many people's lives? If the purpose of fear is to promote a behaviour which will protect us from danger, then I think the definition of what is dangerours needs to be revisited.

Sun meets moon

It's a bliss to have the freedom of preparing for meetings while taking a long walk. Nobody expects me to be sitting at my desk at a specific time. The only one I have to answer to is myself. It's easier to focus the mind when the body is moving. The combination of new energy from the body to the brain and the open space provided through being outdoors, allow for the best decisions to be made.

The morning is precious and the moment when the sun and the moon meet is the sign from nature that nothing stays forever. We are change.

The choices

It's either about making it or getting rid of it. After a quick zapping exercise, the options seem to be cooking shows or weight loss programmes. Swedish telly around dinner time.

January sales continued

The savings have increased from thirty to fifty percent in Posh Shop. So today it was time for some very focused shopping: in, grab, pay, out.

Like all other Monday lunch shoppers, who wouldn't buy anything in this shop at full price, we knew exactly which shoebox or hanger to target. We had all earmarked our treasures during the thirty percent sale when we decided to stay cold and wait for the price to drop. Today it did.

Time flies

Do you also wonder why the years seem to pass by faster the older you get?

David Bowie has the answer in a recent interview. Because each year passing makes up a smaller percentage of your life.

End of the holidays

The traditional leftover dish with a tweak: Three sorts of meat, onion and potatoes all cut into small cubes, served with fried egg, pickled beetroat and cold beer. Now I'm just waiting for my dear friend who lives on 'slipper distance'; a quiet Sunday evening with Beautiful J before a busy week begins.

Gone is all the Christmas decoration (at least from my flat) and I can't wait to buy the first bunch of fresh tulips. The pâtisserie has already replaced the saffron buns with cream buns...Christmas, New Year and Twelfth night are officially all over.

A day of studying

"The past is just a memory,
The future is just a fantasy,
This moment is a gift...that is why it is called the present!"
Unknown source, YinSights by Bernie Clark

Comparing Buddhism to yoga and to modern psychology. All different models to somehow try to explain the world. Same same but different.

Highlights 2011 part III

Egypt - time to bond with lovely nieces and nephews.

Prague - the wedding celebrations of the year.

Spring - at the prettiest place in the world.

Highlights 2011 part II

India - yoga teacher training with Sweetest M.

Berlin - exploring a new capital and the beginning of a new decade with Lovely L.

Milestone - yoga teacher driving licence.

Summer in the city - birthday celebrations of a number of nieces and nephews.

London - Royal wedding celebrations with Precious T, lovely goddaughter and Little B.

Highlights 2011 part I

Spain - a waterhole now available thanks to lovely parents.

Yoga camp - with friends and family.

Golf - weekend with Adorable and Sweetest M.

A new family member - dear youngest newphew.

Family golf tradition - it's mine for a year...

Something touched the heart

I don't cry at the movies. The exception was ET when I was eleven and got distraught by the scene when the alien is on the verge of dying. I think ET touched my weak spot for animals and cruelty to animals was the worst thing that I could possibly imagine when I was a child and teenager (and to some extent it is still true).

There were no animals in the movie the other day. This time it was the combination of human cruelty during the second world war, lies to protect, fear of losing the dream of your life and dying of a broken heart that triggered tears from me and no doubt from many more. Excellent acting combined with beautiful nature and music that went straight to the heart.

It's some kind of sensation to sit in a dark room filled with people you don't know with the tears falling down your face. And then it's all over, but the feeling is still left inside of you. Knocking on the door of hidden rooms filled with your own memories, hopes and fears. The producer certainly knew what she was doing.

Savings

Is the glass half full or half empty? How much did you save or how much did you spend on the January sales? Same same but different. Next question: is it legitimate to spend the savings you made on the sales? I.e. do the money really exist?

I still have my "secret" bank account in the UK which can be called upon for "extraordinary occassions", like a very special sleeveless fur coat. Now it's time to wait for the 70% savings, and fingers crossed those Miu Miu shoes will stay in unnoticed by all other greedy shoppers.

Old lady warning

Taking advantage of the January sales is a must, but stopping for coffee and cake at the old fashioned coffee house Sturekatten on my own is definitely a warning sign. And it's not even the first time. But I guess I'm now old enough to admit it.

Happy New Year

A glorious beginning of a new year.