I am quite aware that people secretly think I'm a 'crazy guinea pig/rabbit lady' and if there's any bunny or piggy memes on Facebook or Instagram, I know who's going to get tagged in them!  Like many of you out there, my pets are family to me. Ever since I was tiny, there's always been a pet of some kind on the house - guinea pigs, rabbits, cats, dogs, hamsters, chicken, ducks, fish - even had a pony as a kid but obviously, that didn't live in the house!  Before you think it, no I haven't/don't live on a farm either! Aside from all the wonderful aspects of their personalities and the hilarious things they do, my pets are a way of helping manage my mental health.  Knowing that there is a small creature that is completely reliant upon you to get up every day and ensure its basic needs are met, is a great way to keep yourself motivated and on track.  The companionship and unconditional love you get from a pet is also invaluable; they don't c

Last night, I addressed the theme of  ' ahimsa ' in my yoga class. Ahimsa is derived from Sanskrit and essentially means "not to injure" and to behave with "compassion".  Whilst most of us (me included) are very good at being compassionate to others, we often fail to accord ourselves with that same level of compassion and love (again, me included). I had a very frank conversation with someone this week about their perception of me and how it differs from my own.  I feel that I am a very independent person - self-reliant, resourceful etc. - but they said that whilst that is the case, there is also a side of me that does tend to ignore or discredit my need to be nurtured.  It wasn't the easiest conversation I've ever had but it was certainly one that I am finally ready to hear and to accept. Acting in accordance to the principle of ahimsa means allowing compassion and nurturing into all areas of our lives. It could mean living in a way that is

It's been quite a while since I posted about running and in all honesty, I think it's because I didn't have any races in the pipeline so I was feeling like I'd lost my running mojo. I was still running but instead of going out 3 or 4 times a week and following a strict plan, I was just running as and when I felt like it.  I have to say, I am definitely one of those people who needs a goal or something to focus on.  I really like have a training plan as it means that I can quite literally tick off my training and get a sense of accomplishment from that...I do love a list! After all the marathon training, I was genuinely worried that I might lose my love for running.  I had heard horror stories of other marathoners who, after accomplishing the marathon, just completely fell out of love with running and stopped completely. I went out on the Sunday after the marathon to run the 3.7 miles for Matt Campbell, the man who sadly died in this year's London Marathon.

Before you skip past this post because you don't go to the gym or do any form of fitness training, ask yourself these questions: Do you spend around 8 hours of your day sitting at a desk or driving? Are you required to perform repetitive movements as part of your job? Does your body feel achey most of the time but you've come to regard that as ‘normal’? If youcan answer ‘yes’ to even one of those questions, there's a very strong likelihood that you will benefit from a regular sports massage. Modern life is becoming increasingly more sedentary, with many people working in desk-orientated roles for up to 8 hours a day.  When you combine this with long commutes driving, and recreational time spent bent over mobile phones, games consoles or books, our bodies are coming under increasing stress and strain, without even factoring in any exercise.  One of the most common issues I see - and I mean on a weekly basis - is people suffering from knotty shoul

It's easy to look at social media and make the assumption that everyone else is literally 'living their best life' and that you are somehow lacking because in comparison, your life doesn't look so shiny and perfect. However, this is simply not the case.  Social media is a filter; we generally only share the things we are proud of, or that we know will paint us in a certain kind of light. With my job, there comes an expectation that I am superfit, am always doing deep and meaningful things like meditating, eating healthily, smashing out complex yoga poses in awesome locations etc. etc.  The reality is that yes, I do do most of these things, but it is very much within reason!  I do eat healthily but I like a doughnut or chocolate; I go to the gym, run or do yoga 6 days a week if I can because it keeps me balanced; I meditate most days but sometimes I forget; and I do sometimes do a random yoga pose but it's very rarely somewhere cool! Most importantly thoug