Sada Yoga

Two teachings from yoga philosophy that I come back to again and again are Aparigraha and Santosha.

Aparigraha is often translated as non-grasping, non-hoarding or non-possessiveness. But for me, it asks a bigger question: what are we continually reaching for, and why?

More money. More recognition. More possessions. More experiences. The next achievement, the next version of ourselves.

That constant reaching can become exhausting. Because what happens when we don’t get the thing we think we need? Or we do get it, only for the goalpost to move again?

But there’s nuance here. Sometimes more really is necessary. We might need more money for security, more support, better housing, healthcare or opportunities. There’s a difference between seeking more because our needs aren’t being met and endlessly accumulating because we’ve learnt to believe the next thing will finally make us content.

Perhaps that’s where discernment comes in: What am I reaching for? Why do I want it? And will I recognise when I have enough?

Santosha, usually translated as contentment, doesn’t mean never wanting change or pretending everything is wonderful. For me, it’s about learning to experience some sense of enoughness without making our wellbeing entirely dependent on some future version of our lives.

Living with chronic illness has made me think about this a lot. I’ve had to reconsider what achievement and a meaningful life look like when my capacity isn’t unlimited.

Maybe there can be ambition alongside contentment.

Maybe a smaller life isn’t necessarily a lesser life.

And maybe the practice isn’t about giving everything up, but developing enough awareness to recognise when enough really is enough.

What does “enough” look like to you?

Rest is not something you earn by exhausting yourself.

It is as important as everything else we do. When we’re tired, it becomes harder to focus, make decisions, work effectively and follow through on the things that matter to us.

Rest doesn’t only have value because it helps us become productive again. But it does support our capacity to participate in our lives.

It needs to be part of the plan, not something we finally allow ourselves once everything else is finished. Because, realistically, everything else is never finished.

If you need some deliberate space to stop, our upcoming Soul Rest: Yoga Nidra with Sound event offers exactly that.

Booking details are available through the link in my bio.

Meditation doesn’t always have to mean sitting still.

When movement is simple and connected to the breath, it gives the mind somewhere to rest. Each time our attention wanders, we return to the breath, the body and the movement happening now.

That return is part of the meditation.

The sequence doesn’t need to be complicated to be effective. Sometimes, the less we have to think about what comes next, the more space we have to notice what is already here.

Marketing ethically in the wellness industry takes longer.

I could bastardise the practice, strip it from its original intentions, gimmick it up and probably become very “successful” much more quickly.

But I don’t want to do that. I don’t think I can, because I respect the practice too much.

I believe this is good, honest work, and that it deserves to be paid for properly. But I don’t believe access should be completely cut off from those who need support when finances are an issue.

If we put these practices into a box where only people with disposable income can access them, we contribute to the existing divide between those with financial security and those without it.

That isn’t ethical business to me.

I want to build a business that supports me properly without abandoning the values the work is built upon.

Some of what I offer is paid. Some is freely available. Both have value and both are deliberate.

If finances are a barrier, you can practise with me for free through my Insight Timer page.

If you’re in a position to contribute, you’ll find my paid classes, memberships and other ways to work with me through my website. You can also support my free work with a donation through Buy Me a Coffee.

All links are in my bio.

There’s no one-size-fits-all when it comes to Ayurveda.

Generic advice can be useful, but it can also be limiting.

Bloating is a common issue for many of my clients, particularly around perimenopause and menopause, when wider changes are already happening throughout the body.

It’s also something people are often told to manage by cutting out more and more foods—which can leave them with an increasingly restricted diet without necessarily understanding the problem.

Ayurveda offers a different way of looking at it: not treating the symptom in isolation, but considering the person and the wider pattern around it.

This is the kind of individual exploration that forms part of my Ayurvedic consultations.