Yoga Pathways

In February, I mean in 5 days!!! I’m finally making it to India, a journey nearly 30 years in the making. Back in 1996, I was on my way there, backpack packed, heart full of adventure… and then I lost my money and my passport in Vietnam. Instead of India, I ended up back in the UK with my tail between my legs, eating baked beans on toast and wondering how my life had gone so spectacularly off course.

This time, I’m older, wiser, and significantly more careful with my belongings (fingers crossed). With the flights booked and my arm feeling like a vaccination pin cushion, I’m ready for this 10-day immersion. It feels like I’m not just completing a journey I started all those years ago—I’m also beginning an entirely new one.

Because this trip isn’t just about going to India. It’s about being bold, embracing the unknown, and rediscovering a sense of freedom I haven’t felt since 2001 and when I had Sasha, the first of our three children.

A Bold Leap into the Heart of Yoga

What excites me most is the opportunity to step outside my everyday life and make yoga the central focus of everything I do. For ten days, I’ll be fully immersed in the practice—not just the postures but the philosophy, chanting (more on that later), and the deeper layers that often get lost in the busyness of life.

I’m looking forward to seeing yoga through a different cultural lens, learning from teachers who live and breathe this tradition, and reconnecting with my own practice in a way that feels expansive and inspiring.

Facing My Fears with (Attempted) Grace

Of course, there are fears. One of them is my husband Donald reorganising the new kitchen without me. And the really big one – Chanting .

As a yoga teacher, I know how powerful chanting can be. I’ve felt it in my own practice—the vibrations, the connection, the way it seems to unlock something deep inside. But leading it? The idea makes me want to crawl under my yoga mat and hide.

Still, I’ve promised myself that this is the year of being bold. So, when the time comes, I’ll take a deep breath, channel my inner Bollywood star, and give it my all. Will it be beautiful? Unlikely. But that’s the point of boldness, isn’t it? To step into discomfort, even when your voice wobbles and your palms sweat.

Life, Freedom, and Rediscovering Myself

On a deeper level, this trip feels like a preparation for the next chapter of my life. My youngest child is 17, and the horizon of life after parenthood is fast approaching. For so many years, my identity has been rooted in being a mother. Now, I’m beginning to ask: Who am I beyond that?

In my 20s, I traveled fearlessly, embracing the world with wide-open arms. Somewhere along the way—between nappies, school runs, and packed lunches—I traded that boldness for stability. It’s not something I regret; I love the life I’ve built. But now, as I stand on the edge of this new chapter, I want to reconnect with that younger, braver version of myself.

For me, this isn’t just about going to India. It’s about finding freedom—the freedom to grow, to explore, and to rediscover the parts of myself that have been quietly waiting in the wings.

What Happens at Home Stays at Home

While I’m gone, my husband and youngest will hold down the fort. They’re already planning their days of sofa lounging, one scrolling TikTok, the other on YouTube, (and it’s not necessarily the way round you might assume) united in their shared love of snacks and screen time. By the time I get back, I imagine neither of them will have remembered to take the bins, but the bond between them will have grown ever stronger.

And me? I’ll be somewhere in India, probably sweating buckets in a yoga shala, trying not to lose my passport and chanting (boldly!) with a group of people I’ve never met.

Here’s what I’m learning: being bold isn’t about being fearless. As many of you self-help readers know, it’s about ‘feeling the fear and doing it anyway.’