Live Happy, Healthy and Green in 2015

Happy New Year!!! I am sitting in my studio feeling the sunshine on my shoulders and I can sense the magic of 2015 that awaits.

Ten years ago this week, I got driven over (my legs specifically) by a four wheel drive pick up truck. Many of you have heard the story. When I was stuck under the tyres I didn’t know if I would ever walk again, and so to be standing here as we begin 2015 as a yoga teacher is something quite amazing.

I had only discovered yoga a few months before this accident, when I was living in DC and working on Capitol Hill at the US Congress. This whole decade of on and off yoga has been coloured by the pain in my legs and this feeling of restriction. Finally in 2013/14 I found a system of yoga that transformed the pain and strengthened my legs. So I became a teacher to share this work. I still have a long way to go to create total freedom in my body and life but as you know, THE JOURNEY IS THE TREASURE

Photography by Helen Abraham

Since 2012 I have been on a journey of deep inner work, as honestly I was totally burnt out from trying to make the world better through projects like Think Act Vote and Future Fashion. I slowed down on producing work. I went to less events, I did less talks. I shared less writing. I stopped being “busy”. I took a step back.

I learnt to meditate. I made yoga central to my life. I slowed down my thoughts. I became one with my body. I started to spend less time online. I cooked more. I spent more time in nature. I listened more. I found brilliant teachers. I turned my fear into love.

My journey is not unique and is described in that Rumi quote, “Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself.”

In 2015, I feel we must be both clever and wise, our planet needs this from us. And this year I intend to both speak and write more to inspire sustainable lifestyles and teach yoga and meditation to encourage a fully aligned approach to conscious living.

My learning was that we have to move from a place of deep alignment and that we must take care of our physical, emotional and spiritual health in order to be our best selves in our work and in our relationships.

Here is to being Happy, Healthy and Green in 2015.