January is speeding by, I’m very much enjoying the cooler weather in Dubai and having the chance to turn off the AC, wear a jumper and snuggle under blankets in the evenings. My kitten (well, teenage cat now) is really the best foot-warmer there is. 

This month has been a busy one so far, over 60 yoga classes taught, being a somewhat delinquent yoga student myself, dealing with said kitten’s relentless energy levels and trying to get enough sleep between early classes and early kitten mewing has certainly meant less time online. I’m not mad about this at all as teaching is such an exchange of energy, flicking through a book between classes leaves me far more refreshed than screen time does.

This month’s themes… 

Instagram

I’m really enjoying sharing my yoga practice on the ‘gram, while still posting pictures of my cat and my general life highlights reel (so, basically pictures of my cat). I’ve been asked IRL and online if I’m going to become a “yoga instagrammer” and the answer is definitely not! While yoga is a huge part of my life, it’s just one part of it and I plan to continue to share what I want to share without feeling like every post *has* to be yoga-related. I appreciate that a lot of my real life friends and family aren’t especially into yoga, and purely being a “yoga account” doesn’t feel right for me, even if every time I post a yoga photo I gain 20 followers only to lose them again when I post something else… 

Giving

Now that I’m (somewhat) gainfully employed again, I’m spending some time and money each month to donate to my favourite online creators, be it the hosts of smaller podcasts, Instagram accounts or blogs I love. I do this either through Patreon or donating the cost of a coffee via Ko-Fi or Paypal and leaving a short note. It feels so good to send a small token of thanks to a real individual, rather than spend it on a coffee or snack I could just wait until I get home for. 

I’m also donating monthly to the vet bills of a stray/abandoned cat in Dubai, there are so many in need and I wish I could do more to help but setting aside a small amount each month (around £50 which past me would have spent on three cocktails) is a small part I can play to help these animals in need. 

Watching + Listening + Reading 

Bikram: Yogi, Guru, Predator – I finally got around to watching this Netflix documentary. If you’ve ever taken a Bikram class, heard of Bikram yoga or even if you haven’t then this is a must-watch. Charting the rise and fall of a modern yoga “guru”, after watching this I can’t believe that any studio would still want to offer “Bikram” classes… 

Yoga Is Dead Podcast – I spend a lot of time driving between yoga studios so podcasts are a must! This six-part series by two Indian-American yoga teachers explores the dark side of the popularity of yoga, from cultural appropriation, the lack of proper compensation for teachers to the inadequacy of many yoga teacher trainings. Tejal and Jesal are clearly lovers of yoga rather than yoga-bashers and offer invaluable advice for students, teachers and yoga studio owners which have really shifted my perspective. 

How to Fail by Elizabeth Day – Not a new podcast but one that was suggested to me by a few of you when I asked for recommendations on Instagram. This podcast always flips my perspective and Elizabeth has such a warm manner as an interviewer and is also a cat lover which obviously makes me (and every single other person out there listening) want to be her friend. 

Autumn, Ali Smith – My first read of 2020 was a delightful, if slightly bizarre one. I’m never sure if I totally understand Ali Smith’s writing but I loved this read about an unlikely friendship and a forgotten female pop artist, set against the backdrop of the Brexit referendum in 2016. 

The Lowland, Jhumpa Lahiri – My first bookclub read of the year which I sped through in a few days. It was so nice to read a book which covers heavier topics but which felt like a relatively easy read, if that makes sense? A hard one to talk about without spoiling the story but I’m so happy to have found a new (for me) author with an impressive back catalogue to discover.
 

How has your year started out?