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During covid lockdown, I wrote this blog post and the principles have stood me in great stead, but I still need to be following them!
Now is the time to start ticking off my one day wishes. Do the things I have wished for but never seemed to have the time for, or be in the right space and time.
By 7:30 in the morning the little yellow bus has come past, the sun has crept into my window. Traffic noise is building up outside my window. The workmen have started chatting to themselves on the roadside. The cool breeze has abated, the one that caressed my skin as I did my first yin yoga class on a mat next to my bed. One item I am ticking off my list of one day wishes.
I have four months in Portugal. Away from my home in Aberdeen, Scotland. Away from my partner, my dog, my workroom, my sewing machine. All things that bring a longing. But this is another sabbatical. It follows the lock-down sabbatical that I’ve had since March. That sabbatical allowed me to cement my mission and start working towards creating income and pleasure from my mission. Now I have my next sabbatical. A gift. A wonderful opportunity towards realising the process of income creation.
But while I am alone, I can also look at my other “one days”. Yin yoga was one of them. I had seen this style of yoga from my friend Clare Nisbet of the Tingle and Glow Well-Being Studio. It had appealed to me because of the slowness, and the way in which you seem to lie into the pose. All appealed to my non-energetic approach to exercise.
As I was doing my last-minute preparations for my move to Portugal, I got into touch with many friends again. It turns out that one of them is doing yin yoga for friends and family for two months, two days a week. This morning I did my first class, and I am as unflexible as I thought I was. However, it accentuated how well this fits into what I call organic growth and development.
There is no talk of rigidly getting into poses. Rather there is illustration and guidance. Props are encouraged until you are able to do the pose on your own. Alternatives are given. Expected benefits are highlighted. And throughout you find the position of growth, but not pain.
This matches my sweet spot of growth and development. Do what I can, while headed in the right direction. Allow development to happen naturally. Don’t have a timetable of what needs to be achieved every day. Rather participate, repeat and marvel at how your body and your mind just to your new expectations as you get into the pose.
Now we are in 2026 and no, I am no better at doing exercise, but in other areas, I have made progress and my organisational development and training skills are back in demand. I am in Namibia for a good part of the year because I kept my networking up. That paid dividends!