MARCH — the third month of the year already.

Lighter mornings and evenings are on their way, a new season is slowly unfolding before us.
With a new season comes new crops. Those of you with allotments may be harvesting the last of the winter vegetables or seeing the first signs of fresh growth.

I am a great believer in eating seasonal food; it feels natural to eat what is in abundance. This approach is often seen as a return to how our ancestors lived, focusing on what is naturally available at each time of year.

At the bottom of this months blog you will find an easy vegetarian recipe, I am sure can be adapted for vegans.
Give it a try — it’s simple and wholesome.

Today, on the first day of a new month, I am writing from Devon, taking a break at the beautiful Newhouse Cottages (https://www.newhousecottages.com), a place that has held nearly twenty years of retreats and holidays for us.

I love this month. March hares are beginning to appear, leaping about in their wonderfully mad fashion, and deer wander into view at dawn. To practise yoga in these peaceful surroundings feels like a gift.
Teaching in the Bothy at St James Church brings its own kind of stillness — a gentle, grounded peace that balances the world outside.
There is a Sanskrit word: utsāha — a quiet, steady enthusiasm, the kind of positive energy that stirs after a long stillness. March is full of utsāha if we pause long enough to feel it. It is a month of transition, and it invites us to notice what is waking up inside us too.

A Month for Softening and Strengthening

In class this month, we will lean into practices that mirror the season:
• Gentle opening through the chest and shoulders, as if we are turning towards the light ourselves.
• Grounding postures to steady the body while the world around us begins to move again.
• Breathwork that encourages spaciousness — a reminder that renewal does not have to be rushed.

One of my favourite things about this time of year is watching students rediscover their bodies after winter’s hibernation. There is always that moment — sometimes during a twist, sometimes in savasana — when someone realises,
“Oh… I can breathe more deeply than I thought.”
It is a small victory, but personal small victories are the best.

Community Notes

Our classes at the Bothy continue to be a steady anchor, and Denise’s presence as a recognised and insured yoga teacher has brought a lovely sense of continuity.

The new Tuesday night gentle class is settling beautifully — a quiet space for those who need a slower, more restorative rhythm.
Evening yoga classes have a special way of bringing the day to a close.

As always, thank you for showing up with curiosity, humour, and a willingness to wobble. Yoga is not about perfect postures; it is about the stories we tell ourselves while we are trying to balance.

If February was about endurance, March is about emergence.
So this month, notice the small shifts — the moment you catch yourself smiling for no particular reason.

I look forward to being back soon and sharing a space full of energy with you all again.

The Promised Recipe
Breakfast Potato Pancakes

Ingredients

• 140g floury potatoes
• 50g self-raising flour
• ½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• 1 large egg
• 4 tablespoons milk
• 3 spring onions, chopped
• 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
• Knob of butter

Method

Boil the potatoes in salted water until tender. Drain thoroughly, mash, and allow to cool.
Place the cooled mash in a bowl with the flour and bicarbonate of soda.
Whisk the egg with the milk and seasoning, then tip into the bowl and whisk until smooth. Stir in the spring onions.
Heat half the oil and butter in a non-stick frying pan until sizzling. Spoon in half the batter to make 3 pancakes. Cook on each side until browned and set underneath. Use the remaining oil and butter to cook the final 3 pancakes.

Enjoy!

FEBRUARY 2026

The new Tuesday evening classes has got off to a lovely start.

A small group that enjoy ending the day with an engaging class to revive and relax   

February Yoga: Returning to the Light

February often feels like a pause between seasons.  In yoga, this month invites us to do the same — to settle, to listen, and to move with intention rather than urgency.

This is a time when many people feel tired, flat, or impatient for spring. Nature reminds us that growth doesn’t always look dramatic. Sometimes it’s about conserving energy, tending to the roots, and trusting the process.

A Month for Steadiness

February offers something kinder. It encourages us to return to our practice not out of obligation, but out of curiosity and care. This is a time to choose steadiness over speed, depth over display, and presence over performance.

The cold can make us brace, tighten, and hold more than we realise. February yoga is a chance to melt some of that winter armour.

Even the simplest practices — a mindful walk, a stretch before bed, a moment of stillness with a cup of tea — become part of the yoga of February.

This is a month for inner work. A Gentle Turning Toward Spring

By the end of February, the light has noticeably changed. Snowdrops appear. Birds begin to test their morning songs. Something in us responds.. Breathing deeply. Reconnecting with what supports us.

One of the quiet joys of February is practising together. The warmth of a shared room, the familiar faces, the sense of continuity — these things matter. They remind us that yoga is not just a personal journey but a communal one.

Thank you for showing up, for moving, breathing, laughing, and learning together. These small acts of presence create a steady thread through the year.

A Thought to Carry into March

Notice the small shifts.

The extra minute of daylight.

The way your breath feels a little fuller.

The strength that arrives quietly.

February teaches us that transformation doesn’t need to be loud. It just needs to be steady.