Many of us begin our yoga journey thinking only about the physical practice; maybe we want to be more flexible, fitter, less stressed or sleep better. We may have heard that yoga is good for us, but don’t really know the details or the whys and wherefores.

I attend a weekly mindfulness class and over the last few classes we’ve focussed a lot on contentment. A central concept in mindfulness is finding space to respond to a situation or action rather than to react to it - when we react we may be clouded by emotions, and this reaction is unlikely to bring about a helpful result.

In the last week I’ve been able to return to in-person teaching. I say return - I’ve only taught in person twice before. Seven months later, and having completed training I’m starting face to face teaching again.

Being invited for my covid vaccination has made me think about communities and how we protect ourselves and others.

I’m working with my students on balancing poses. Balances help us build strength in the body and in the mind.

At the beginning of February 2020 I was completely restricted with a shoulder injury. I was due to start my Yoga Teacher Training course in 8 weeks’ time and I didn’t know what I’d be capable of by then. It didn’t seem possible.

This time a year ago was the first weekend of my yoga teacher training course, it was also the first weekend we spent in full lockdown. Instead of getting together in person in a yoga studio in central London we were zooming in from our respective homes, feeling anxious about technology as well as the start of a new course.

For some reason the phrase getting your ducks in a row has always made me giggle. Depending on which explanation you read it comes from a bowling game, from pool or the shipbuilding industry. Either way it means to have all preparations in order for the thing you need to do.

Last week I was glued to NASA’s live stream of the Perseverance rover landing on the surface of Mars. What captured my attention was the teamwork involved in flying and landing the craft, and that the scale of the operation was so vast it seemed unknowable.

So Valentine’s day seems a good a day as any to think about love! I’ve actually been thinking more about familial love and the love we show our friends rather than romantic love.