Wild thing, you make my heart sing

The title of this post is a line from a song that Jimi Hendrix sang. But I am actually referring to my current favourite pose. It's called Camatkarasana, which is translated into English as 'wild thing'. And it really does make the heart sing. In fact, one poetic translation of the pose is "the ecstatic unfolding of the enraptured heart".
Back bends are energizing, uplifting and stimulating. I don't really teach my daughter how to do yoga, but I do encourage her to be active and enjoy moving her body. I was amazed to notice that she often does this pose, all by herself, with no instruction. It just comes naturally and spontaneously to her as an expression of happiness. I think this natural, joyful, childlike freedom is the true yoga.

She is my inspiration and I learn from her everyday.

beach yoga and beach clean

On the first Sunday of the month here in Hamamatsu, there is a growing custom amongst an ever increasing circle of friends to get together down at the beach and pick up the rubbish: everything from discarded fishing line and empty drink bottles to TVs and air-con units. This custom was started by Mike Boyce, of SurfQuest, who has liaised with the local council and arranged pick up for the trash we collect.

We usually start with a beach yoga session to warm up. This time, we had lovely warm weather. I love to practice Yoga outdoors, especially when the sky is blue and you can hear and smell the ocean. The energy of the sun, and the rhythm of the waves make the perfect yoga setting.
As well as lots of trash, my daughter was very excited to find this heart-shaped stone at the beach

After the beach cleaning, we all pile back to Mike's house to relax in his garden and enjoy food off his barbeque. It's great fun hanging out with friends down at the beach, but these events also fill me with optimism and inspiration.