Is being positive a coping mechanism or a defence mechanism We’ve all met people who seem endlessly positive. They always find the silver lining, remind us that “everything happens for a reason,” or encourage us to “look on the bright side.” Sometimes that’s exactly what we need. Other times it can feel dismissive, as though…
What if your discipline is just your anxiety in a nicer outfit? One of the stranger things I’ve noticed in yoga is how often tidiness becomes a moral virtue. Teachers jokingly shame students who don’t put props away. Mats must line up perfectly. Blocks must be stacked just so. Somewhere along the way someone quotes,…
Why are some wellness businesses booming… while SoulCycle is closing studios? At first glance, it doesn’t make sense. One report says that for the first time, service businesses now lease more retail space in the US than traditional retailers. Fitness facilities account for nearly a third of those new leases. Wellness, it seems, is booming…
Ahhh the wellness summer super yacht. Yep, we’ve all seen it. Alo the active wear brand has turned a 72 metre luxury yacht into its floating headquarters for the summer, filled it with celebrities and influencers and described it as ‘an elevated expression of wellness’. Brands have always sold aspiration. Chanel, Dior and Rolex aren’t…
Blind Spots, Blame, Bad Logic & Bias One of the most common thinking traps in health is believing that if someone becomes ill, there must be a reason they brought it on themselves. We see it everywhere. Someone develops an autoimmune condition. “There you go. They should have lived differently.” Someone gets cancer despite exercising,…
The Curious Case Of Yogas Favourite Villain: Lululemon Every few months, the yoga side of the internet rediscovers its hatred of Lululemon. The matching sets, the prices, the branding, the commercialisation of yoga and yeah some of those criticisms are very valid. However, I’m interested in why women associated wellness brands attract such uniquely moral…
The Value of Taking the Scenic Route We seem to be living in an age of optimisation. Faster internet. Faster deliveries. Faster workouts. Faster recovery. Artificial intelligence promises to write our emails, summarise our meetings and answer our questions before we’ve even finished thinking of them. Efficiency has become a moral virtue but…
What Timothée Chalamet Accidentally Taught Me About Being a Yoga Teacher Over the past week there has been a small but interesting conversation happening in the arts world. Actor Timothée Chalamet recently faced criticism after remarks suggesting he wouldn’t want to work in ballet or opera because they are art forms that “no one cares…
From Podcast To Proof: Chatterjee And The Fascia Fiasco Dr. Chatterjee’s recent podcast on fascia training with the man who runs Human Garage, a company selling movement courses, has been widely shared and enthusiastically received – let’s look at why this is pretty bizarre. The episode explored the idea that we can train fascia in…
January Tells Lies, Yoga Wears Truth Goggles In yoga philosophy, the “grooves” or recurring patterns of thought, behaviour and emotional imprints in the mind are called samskaras. These can be good, bad, old or new. Helpful or not, they undeniably make that part of the brain stronger and that’s visible on scans. Think of them…