yoga

You already have what it takes

~ Fridgesays ~ Leave a comment

There are many theories and entire podcasts / books and resources on what it takes to be high performance. Entrepreneurs and people who are the best in their field at what they are great at can give you ‘10 tips’ or ‘7 things you can do today’ and as a result I’m going to share a secret with you. They aren’t that special, we all are. Yes that includes you!

Whilst a handful of things are helped with ‘natural ability’ if you want something and you dedicate yourself to it – it’s yours and if you don’t get to your final destination with what you want to achieve, I can promise that with practice you will get better. We all will.

Yesterday at the dinning room table my son asked me what pose I found the hardest in yoga, I said I couldn’t answer that but I could if he’d let me reframe the question. At the moment I’m working on my forward fold, it’s not a complex move but years of high heel wearing mean my hand strings are tight and when I go into a forward fold my head and knees are currently worlds apart, as a result I’m working on my forward fold daily until I master it. He smiled and said ‘that’s a good attitude to have’, since I began my daily yoga practise and booked into classes I can feel my body responding, progressing and heading towards the type of practise that I want to achieve, however the destination for my health and wellbeing are hundreds of hours of practises away. Mean while, I’m content in my daily mat time making millimetre progress and enjoying the journey.

What does it take? Honestly, I don’t think it matters what you want to achieve, I think you just need to decide you’re going to achieve it, then take the necessary steps to move towards that goal. If you miss the goal, at least you lived a full life trying. I know I would reach my goal far quicker if I jumped on a flight to India and did a months intense retreat or teaching practice but missing a month without my son is non negotiable and family life and all the responsibilities that come with it aren’t something I’m prepared to ignore, so my pathway to my yogi future will be slower and with my own limitations and priorities. What I will do is what I can. Again, this sometimes means making sacrifices or removing people / objects that no longer serve you or the direction you wish to go in. All I know if my next destination is a forward fold, what do you want to achieve?

Sometimes the yoga is just being there

~ Fridgesays ~ Leave a comment

Quote Anon

Back in February of this year I used my blog to make myself accountable, the post was about making time to meditate and how I planned to do so. You can peek back by clicking the blue title below.

Breath. believe. release. receive

The fabulous news is it worked. I have meditated daily without any breaks and even worked around distractions and prioritised when the daily routine got thrown off path. It still makes me feel amazing and starts a bleak cloudy day on a sunbeam vibe. Most days I meditate for forty five minutes.

Therefore it makes sense that my next absolute love is prioritised. Yoga. This bendy and restorative process has been in my life for over twenty years. It began when a wonderful lady in my staff room at school invited me to join the class she went to. The class was in an abandoned church outside Romford and the parking was a nightmare. However, as soon as my body hit the mat and I looked up to the incredible ceiling with the stained glass windows pushing rainbow lights across our torsos…I was hooked and the worlds problems dispersed.

Since then I’ve done a little of everything; classes, on my own, YouTube clips, 30 day yoga challenges, day events and retreats, private instructors…however, in the last couple of years my mat love has died. The motivation to set up and get my flow on just hasn’t been there. I’ve noticed that when I do unsurprisingly my flexibility has reduced and whilst yoga should never be a competitive choice….my soul feels like it dies a little with each ‘I use to be able to do that’.

Yesterday I realise I have two choices, to let it go and accept how it is or to do something about it. Deep down I know I’ll feel better for prioritising it, for making time and for strengthening my body.

So let’s go all in! Daily practise is now a thing…well, starting today. I’m currently sat on my yoga mat in the garden because it’s sunny and in the UK that’s a reason to move the mat outside.

Inspired by this quote I am going to be on my mat daily. Minimally, much like how I began the meditation practise, I’m going to do a five minute sun or moon salutation daily or three stretches, everything else is a plus.

Below are a couple of other things I’m going to try to make my daily commitment to my body’s health and well-being a priority. I’m sharing them in case you too have something similar you would like you make a daily practise

Leave it out: I’m going to leave my equipment out. Over the years I’ve acquired a lot of yoga pieces; yoga chair, blocks, straps and I even had a yoga wheel at one point…however that clutter will drive me mad, so I’m going to just start with my mat. Simple and no excuse. I’m hoping that eventually this will become a more permanent edition to our home and I’ll cultivate a little corner somewhere. I’ve heard that people that reluctantly struggle to get to the gym find it useful to back their gym back the night before or have clothing at hand.

Kind words: I’m going to need to reduce my attitude around what I can do (could do) and attempt to stay in the moment and be kind to myself. The world is hard enough without berating myself. Yoga practise is all about being connected and in the moment, if I can stop the negative chatter, the practice will take care of itself.

Day by day: To achieve my target of daily practise, I’ll work out the night before when I’m going to make time the next day. That way I’ll wake with a clear intention . I would guess in the next couple of weeks I’ll find a natural flow, but my work diary and life commits vary and without this little plan up my sleeve I’ll go to bed without having achieved my goal, exhausted from the day and frustrated with myself.

Ops I did it again: If I do miss a day, I don’t need to ‘make it up’ the next day or give up, or wait until the next week to begin. I haven’t failed. I’m human and being flawed is often part of the process. Should I miss a day I’ll be disappointed but also understand the reason why. The crucial part is getting back on the mat daily after that.

That’s if…that’s the plan. Wish me luck and if you’re also trying to increase daily habits and reduce negative thoughts / actions then join me on my new journey.

There is beauty in simplicity 

~ Fridgesays ~ 28 Comments

Quote Anon.

A while a go I was nominated by my blogging bestie Hayley from Mission Mindfulness to share my five favourite things. The post link was originally started by Mumzilla and as I’m a huge fan of anything that can be linked to gratitude, I thought I’d give it a go. Except I’m not really a fan of ‘stuff’ if anything I’m trying to move the mindset of my twenties that shopping is life and stuff makes me feel good… 

What’s even weirder is upon reflection, I couldn’t think of five things? Now as many of you know shoes are a thing I do enjoy. They didn’t make my top five though because I would never want to pick a particular heel over another, each pair has an outfit or occasion which would make it number one (*As you can see I’ve still got some work on being materialist)

These are the things I have selected, in the background is…


1). My yoga mat and block 

Why? I love yoga and I’m secretly competitive with myself and enjoy the progress I’ve made. I indulge in one to one classes each week and it makes me feel amazing. It’s my time to be ME. I’m not mummy, teacher or any other demand, it’s just my body mind and mat coming together. If I’m honest it’s my therapy into the week ahead. 

2). Hashtag Amazing Mug 


One of my pupils bought this for me for no reason other than she saw it and thought of me. It was an unexpected gift of delight and imbedded my belief that teenagers are just as thoughtful as any other generation. I do say “hashtag amaze” all the time and so it’s also very me and appropriate. 

3). Crystals 


This piece is Stilbite and Apophyllite (technically two pieces intwinned together) and lives on my bedside table. It is known for being good for meditation and used to contact guardian angels. It can help anxiety and stress but mainly I adore the fusion of the two crystals and think it’s pretty beautiful. Mother Nature is an awesome power house. 

4). Candles by Neom 


Can you tell I’m a female in my thirties? This scent is perfect. I usually go for a light cotton linen scent in candles, this is just a little different, more indulgent and my absolute favourite. It’s usually reserved as a Christmas gift and it lasts for such a long time. It’s like heaven in my living room. 

5). Engagement ring 


I do love a sparkle and picked this myself from an amazing selection of jewellery shops in Barbados. The stones around the edge are diamonds and the centre stone is a type of Amethyst that’s comes from the region. It seems to alter its colours in the light. Mr F and I met, feel in love and got engaged on this wonderfully little island so it’s more than just a ring to me. We recently returned in 2016 for our sons first holiday and I don’t plan to stop ever returning. 

Isn’t it funny how simple the objects I’ve picked are? Perhaps humans aren’t so complex after all? (Who am I kidding) 

To keep the gratitude and reflection going I’ve selected three more bloggers. However, if you would like to take part please do. 

My nominations:

Alana from Burnished chaos

Jess from Prosecco Mum

Miss Anon from The Single Swan