Infinite Harmony Yoga

22/10/2026

When we talk about getting stronger, it is easy to picture gyms, heavy weights or changing how the body looks.

But the kind of strength that interests me is much more ordinary.

It is the strength to get out of a chair, carry the shopping, climb the stairs, spend time in the garden or get down to the floor — and hopefully back up again. It is about helping us retain independence and continue doing the things that matter as we get older.

Our muscle strength can decline with age, but older muscles are still capable of adapting. Strength work does not have to begin with a gym membership either. Rising from a chair, pushing into a wall, using a resistance band or practising a movement with support can all provide an appropriate challenge.

The important word there is “appropriate”. What feels routine for one person may be a significant exercise for someone else, particularly when pain, fatigue, reduced mobility or a long-term health condition is part of the picture.

Using a chair or a wall is not cheating. Adapting a movement is how we make it possible.

My new article, Strength for Life, explores why strength matters for everyday capability, confidence and independence — and why it is never simply about lifting the heaviest weight.

You can read it here 👇
https://rpb.li/s84C

18/10/2026

I’ve been reading the Guardian’s article about competitive yoga (link below), and I have mixed feelings.

I can see how making yoga a sport might spark interest and encourage more people to try it. I can also appreciate the strength, control and dedication of those taking part.

But I struggle with making yoga something we judge from the outside.

Asana, the physical postures, is one of the eight limbs of yoga. It can be a valuable route into understanding ourselves, but the shape we make tells you very little about what’s happening within us.

Someone choosing to rest, adapting a movement or recognising that they’ve pushed far enough might be making a significant shift in their practice. You couldn’t award points for it, but that doesn’t make it any less meaningful.

I also wonder what people who haven’t tried yoga take away from seeing these performances. Will they feel inspired to join a class? Or decide that they’re not flexible, fit or young enough?

For me, yoga is about how we feel, how we think and how we act. What we notice about ourselves, how we respond to difficulty, and how we treat ourselves and others.

Personally, I want yoga to remain a space where there’s nothing to win and no one to impress. There are already plenty of places in life where we’re measured and compared.

I’m interested to hear how others feel. Does competition open a door into yoga, or change what people think yoga is?

Some yogis welcome the idea of competition – for others, it is anathema. Will those keen for yoga to become an Olympic sport win the argument?

18/10/2026

Today is World Menopause Day, and this year’s theme is Chronic Pain at Midlife.

It is an important subject because pain can become a surprisingly prominent part of midlife. New aches and stiffness may appear, old injuries can become harder to ignore, and existing conditions such as arthritis, fibromyalgia, back pain or migraine may feel more difficult to manage.

Hormonal changes may be part of the picture, but they are rarely the whole picture. Sleep, stress, fatigue, previous injuries, health conditions and the demands of everyday life can all influence how we experience and manage pain.

Pain in women has too often been minimised, attributed to stress or accepted as an inevitable part of getting older. However, it is equally unhelpful to assume that every new pain is “just menopause”. New, persistent or changing symptoms deserve to be heard and, where appropriate, properly investigated.

As both a Yoga Therapist and someone who lives with persistent pain, I am particularly interested in how we can support the whole person. That might involve healthcare, medication, menopause support, physiotherapy, movement, strength, pacing, rest and finding ways to continue doing what matters.

I have explored this in my new article, including how Yoga Therapy may form one part of wider support without promising a cure or expecting every day to be the same.

You can read it here 👇
https://rpb.li/G2Ki

10/10/2026

Today is World Mental Health Day. This year's theme is about listening to lived experience: real voices creating real change.

Listening matters because mental wellbeing rarely fits into a neat description. Two people may use the same word—anxiety, depression, overwhelm or burnout—but experience it very differently.

What helps one person may not be right for another, and sometimes what someone most needs is not another piece of advice but the opportunity to be properly heard.

Our mental and physical wellbeing are not separate either. Pain can affect mood, anxiety can influence sleep, tiredness can reduce our capacity to cope, and stress can show up in the way we breathe, move and hold tension.

That doesn't mean everything is “in the mind”. It means we need to make room for the whole person and their actual experience.

Today is a useful reminder to listen without immediately trying to fix, minimise or compare.

06/10/2026

Your body hasn't failed because it has changed.

Many of us reach midlife with a growing list of things our bodies do differently. We may feel stiffer in the morning, take longer to recover, notice changes in our strength or balance, sleep less well or find that aches and pains have become more persistent.

Menopause, long-term health conditions, previous injuries, stress and the ordinary process of ageing can all be part of the picture.

It can be frustrating, particularly when we're surrounded by messages suggesting we ought to be able to fix everything if we exercise enough, eat perfectly or try the latest wellbeing solution.

But supporting our health doesn't have to begin with criticism. It can begin with curiosity.

What has changed? What feels difficult? What would you like to keep doing? What kind of movement feels helpful, and what may need to be adapted?

We don't have to punish our bodies into becoming younger versions of themselves. We can build strength, maintain mobility and support our wellbeing while respecting what is happening now.

01/10/2026

What does “healthy ageing” actually mean?

I don't think it means trying to stop ourselves from ageing or expecting our bodies to work exactly as they did twenty years ago. For me, healthy ageing is much more practical.

It is being able to get out of a chair, carry the shopping, reach for something on a shelf, walk the dog or feel steady enough to keep doing the things that matter to us.

It is also about recognising that our bodies change. We may need to approach movement differently, allow more time for recovery or adapt what we do around pain, fatigue, health conditions and fluctuating energy.

That isn't giving up. It is working intelligently with the body we have now.

Throughout October, I'll be talking about the relationship between mind and body in midlife and beyond, including strength, mobility, persistent pain, menopause, mental wellbeing and rest.

Not because ageing is a problem to solve, but because there is a great deal we can do to help ourselves continue to live well.

29/09/2026

Would you like to try yoga, but aren’t quite sure whether a conventional class is for you?

Perhaps you’re new to yoga, coming back to movement after a break, feeling stiffer than you used to, or simply want a class where you know there will be plenty of support and options.

That’s exactly what Adaptive Yoga is for.

We begin each Wednesday evening sitting in a chair, using breath and accessible movement to gently warm up the body. From there, we move into supported standing postures and, for those who want to, optional mat-based practice.

The chair doesn’t make it ‘less yoga’. It is simply another prop we can use for support and stability while we work on strength, mobility and confidence in movement.

You don’t have to arrive knowing what you can or can’t do. We’ll work that out together.

Adaptive Yoga | Wednesday | 6pm | The Open Practice
Small, supportive group | Mats and props provided

Book here: https://rpb.li/vTz or link in bio

23/09/2026

What are you doing on Wednesday evening?

By the middle of the week, Monday can feel a surprisingly long time ago and the weekend is still not quite close enough.

Recharge is my slower, softer Wednesday evening yoga class: space to stretch, ease stiffness, release some of the tension that has accumulated during the week and then properly slow things down.

The practice is rooted in Hatha yoga and somatic movement, so rather than trying to make the ‘right’ shape, I’ll encourage you to move thoughtfully, notice what you can feel and respond to the body you have that evening.

There’s no pressure to push, perform or achieve. We finish with breathwork and relaxation so you can leave feeling looser, calmer and more comfortable in yourself - a genuine midweek recharge without being overstimulated late in the evening.

Recharge Yoga | Wednesday | 7.30pm
The Open Practice, Basingstoke

Book here: https://rpb.li/7t6f

22/09/2026

Apparently yoga is better with a little supervision… 🐾

“Motion is lotion” is one of those phrases I use quite a lot in my classes, particularly when we're talking about stiffness and keeping our bodies moving.

But what does it actually mean?

When we're stiff or in pain, our instinct can sometimes be to move less. And, of course, there are times when rest is exactly what our body needs. But movement doesn't have to mean going for a run, doing a workout or spending an hour on a yoga mat — with or without a dog joining in.

Getting up from your chair, walking to make a cup of tea, moving your shoulders while you're sitting at your desk, gardening, taking the stairs or simply standing up and having a stretch — it all counts.

I certainly don't do an hour of yoga every day, and I don't expect the people I teach to either. I'm much more interested in how we can bring useful movement into everyday life in ways that feel manageable for the body we have today.

Particularly if you're living with pain, stiffness or a long-term condition, sometimes a little and often is much more realistic than waiting for the perfect opportunity to “exercise”.

I've written more about why everyday movement matters, what “motion is lotion” actually means, and some very ordinary ways we can move more throughout the day.

You can read it here 👇

https://rpb.li/qWanyV

14/09/2026

If you live with pain or fatigue, rest can become surprisingly complicated.

Sometimes we wait until we've completely run out of energy before we stop. Sometimes we feel guilty because there are things we “should” be doing. And sometimes we are technically resting — sitting on the sofa, scrolling through our phone or watching television — but we're not actually giving ourselves much opportunity to switch off.

Rest isn't something we have to earn by doing enough first.

It's part of looking after ourselves.

That doesn't necessarily mean lying down for an hour either. A few quieter minutes, changing position, stepping away from a screen, breathing more slowly or simply allowing yourself to stop can all create small pockets of recovery during the day.

For people living with persistent pain, I think this becomes particularly important. We're often trying to find the balance between continuing to move and recognising when the body genuinely needs something different.

As I often say in class, don't “should” on yourself.

Sometimes doing less is exactly the right thing to do.