I open the shutters, take in the sea view and instantly I am soothed. This yoga studio on the Italian Tuscan coast feels like a sacred home.
It is my secret place.
For 10 years now, I have been so taken by its tranquil beauty that I’ve not felt complete unless I’ve returned every summer.
This year for the IMfit retreat, as I taught yoga in the studio, on the beach and in the woods, I thought about my need to reconnect with this space every year.
Each time I rolled out my yoga mat, and connected to the earth and then to my breath, I began to realise that this secret place was not in fact anywhere in that gorgeous Tuscan landscape. It was actually within me.
Creating an environment to support your time on the mat is important but not if it becomes more important than taking to the mat and meeting yourself at all.
My practice is a time for me to listen to my body, soothe my chattering mind, struggle with my desires, passions and pains and connect to that inner secret place within.
Whether walking the grubby streets of London or strolling in the Tuscan countryside, that secret place is always with me.