Time Capsules…. Yoga is A Good Thing…..’War on the Air’……….
by Bernie Bell - 08:21 on 09 January 2023
Time Capsules…..
Time capsules are sometimes left in important places by important people, but ordinary folk sometimes leave a message in a bottle, too……
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-64162667
We used to live in a house near Stroud, Gloucestershire. It was built in the 19th Century, and the floorboards in one part of the Living Room had become rotten, so when we moved in in 1992 Mike lifted them and replaced them. We placed a plastic bag continuing the most recent edition of the ’Stroud News & Journal’, a five pence piece, a ten pence piece and a post-card with a stamp on it – all ‘snippets’ of that time and place - in the floor cavity, before he nailed down the new boards.
Presumably it’s still there, and who knows who might find it and when?
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And here’s something from my Guest Blogger – Mike!
“Yoga is A Good Thing
I have been practising yoga off and on for a few years now – not claiming any particular aptitude, but finding it a very Good Thing in my life. In Covid times, the yoga classes have been via Zoom, which has worked very well. An overstretched ligament in my knee (from gardening, not yoga!) meant that I have had to take a break since last Easter, but recently I have felt ready to resume, cautiously. The Zoom sessions aren’t happening at the moment, so over the Christmas and New Year break I have been tuning in to ‘Yoga with Adriene’ on YouTube…..
https://www.youtube.com/@yogawithadriene/featured
Starting on Boxing Day, I have been setting myself up with yoga mat, comfy clothes and iPad. First, I was picking out videos that looked suitable – not too challenging for a re-beginner! I shouldn’t have been surprised, but I soon discovered how stiff and awkward my movements had become after eight yoga-less months. I also re-discovered the pleasing glow that comes with challenging this stiffness with 20-30 minutes of yoga practice. Two weeks down the line, taking daily sessions at the end of the afternoon, I find my flexibility and general ease of movement have noticeably improved, and I am able to do heavy sessions of strimming and raking in the garden without unpleasant consequences for my back.
Come New Year’s Day, I noticed that Adriene was doing a 30-day ‘Center’ programme, with yoga sessions starting on 2nd January. To quote Adriene…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTdBUmHDA4s
“Designed for whole body mental health, this 30 Day Journey is yoga for the here and now. This series is suitable for all levels, and offers modifications and enhancements for individuals far and wide to practice in a way that invites transformation, healing, and strength from the inside out.
CENTER focuses on whole-body strengthening with core-centered practices. It is breath led and crafted like a good book. One practice or page, prepares you for the next.
Expect to learn new things, go deeper in your practice, discover how to absorb your own self-care, befriend Benji the dog, and practice yoga, meditation, breath work, self-massage, affirmation, sweat, stillness, and laughter.”
I duly listened to the Day 0 introduction, and embarked on the programme the following day. Each day has a theme, such as ‘Shift’ and ‘Root’, taking you through different aspects of connecting and integrating mind, body and movement. Today (8th January, Day 7) the theme is ‘Flow’, and this actually relates to a lot of the practice – the ‘vinyasa’ that connects movement and breath through a sequence of postures. I was very familiar with this from previous yoga classes, but it would also be easy for a complete beginner to pick this up from Adriene’s guidance. She is an excellent teacher, with a gentle and encouraging approach. Rather than being about exercise, and ‘going for the max’, she has a mindful approach – mind, body and spirit, tuned to the needs of the person.
I’m already finding the yoga immensely beneficial, for the state of both mind and body. I’ll be sticking with this programme through to Day 30, making a point of setting aside that 20-30 minutes each day. After that…? More of a free-lance approach to selecting yoga practice, aiming for daily, but taking each day as it comes. If you’d like to join the 30-day programme, it’s not too late – you could start Day 1 at any time, the videos don’t go away. And it’s all free! I thoroughly recommend it.”
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'War on the Air'
Ecologies of Disaster
by Daisy Hildyard
“Daisy Hildyard examines three stories of atrocity that demonstrate how whiteness has inscribed itself onto the land through violence and how human history blurs into the nonhuman world.”
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Here’s one I made earlier….. https://theorkneynews.scot/2020/07/25/the-bay-of-bones/
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