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June 16, 2020December 2, 2020

Eight things I’ve learned about yoga

I started practising yoga around four years ago.

At first, it was purely a form of physical exercise for me. I absolutely hate gyms and machines and the pounding, sweaty vibe you find there, which I’m not dissing at all – it just isn’t me. I wanted something that would make me strong and toned and flexible, but that could also be slow and gentle and thoughtful.

Since then, yoga has evolved into a much more holistic practice for me, and has become more than a form of exercise. Here I thought I’d share eight things about yoga I’ve learned along the way.

It’s more or less free, though a good yoga mat helps. Yoga is a very inclusive activity. And although you can splurge a fortune on Lululemon leggings – which are admittedly fab – and expensive clothing, it can just as easily be done in a pair of leggings and t shirt. My main tips for clothing are to have clothes that fit, which means leggings that don’t slide down and need yanked up every minute during your practice, a top that isn’t too tight or so loose that your head disappears inside it when you go into down dog, and a decent mat. I started off with a very cheap £9.99 mat and it just got slippy and uncomfortable after a few months. A slightly more expensive one – which was £30 – was made of better quality material and doesn’t have me sliding all over the place, as well as having lasted two years and counting.
You can see results so quickly if you practice. I don’t just mean results in terms of the appearance of your body and increased strength, but in how quickly you can go from being absolutely hopeless at a pose to nailing it. When I started out, bakasana pose, or crow, was something that I watched other people in my class do, open mouthed. I couldn’t even fathom how anyone could lift themselves off the floor even for a second like that without face planting. But I was determined to try. A month, daily practice, and several face plants later, I managed to lift myself a couple of centimetres off the ground for maybe one second. And that was it! I kept practising, and now I can bakasana with confidence for a good thirty seconds. Headstand was the same – the sheer exhilaration I felt after two years of practise and finally kicking off into a perfect straight headstand was unbeatable.
The physical poses are only one part of yoga. Yoga, meaning ‘yoking’ or ‘union’ in Sanskrit, has eight limbs, that represent its central practices from the outer world to the inner. Asana – the postures practised in yoga – represent the third limb – and yoga is as much about spirtuality as it is about the physical practice. It’s fine if you want to focus just on that part of yoga – there’s no right or wrong approach. But it’s respectful to be aware of the bigger picture in yoga, and it will enrich your practice if you commit to learning more about the other limbs of it.
You never regret taking time out to do yoga. Sometimes you’re tired, or grumpy, and you just want to stay in bed and scroll through Instagram. But yoga, like outdoor swimming for me, is rarely something you come out of feeling worse (see point 5 for the exception here!). If you set aside time for yourself to practice yoga – even ten minutes if there’s too much going on – your body and mind will always feel better for it. So when you can’t be bothered, or you’re feeling low, remember to tell yourself that. Your future self will thank you for taking the time out to do a little yoga.
But, following on from 5, don’t set yourself up for disappointment by doing it when there’s too much else going on. There are exceptions to four. If your kids are being noisy, or you’re stressed because the guy downstairs has been blasting out his music since 6am, or next door are having a kitchen put in and the banging is driving you mad, there’s a good chance that’s going to come in to your yoga practice unless you’ve truly mastered the art of focusing solely on the moment and what’s going on with you, your mind and your body. And if you can’t focus, or you’re being interrupted by your five year old every two minutes, it’s likely you’re just going to end up more stressed than before. Set aside time for yoga – but only if you know you’re able to do it without noise and interruption.
We should respect yoga’s roots and its cultural heritage. This might be the most important point of all. Cultural appropriation is something that’s been talked about a lot in the yoga community in recent years, and rightly so. It’s important to acknowledge that there’s far more to yoga than Instagram headstands and expensive designer leggings. Yoga is estimated to be at least 2500 years old, having originated in India, and has deep spiritual and cultural roots. Many of the items that you see in yoga studios as decoration have important religious and cultural significance – so it’s inappropriate to wear a pair of leggings with Ganesh on them, or for your yoga studio to use items with spiritual significance as a decoration in the bathroom. Yoga has a rich history which it’s important to honour.
You can do yoga anywhere – well, mostly anywhere! I’ve stood on my head on the tops of mountains, planked on beaches and enjoyed the feeling of Shavasana (corpose pose) in quiet green spaces. Whenever you find a quiet, flat space, where you feel safe to do a little yoga, and you’re not bothering anyone else, go for it! But just to repeat – make sure it’s safe!
Yoga is a gentle activity but you can injure yourself if you don’t do it right. I ended up injuring my rotator cuff in January of last year with a poorly positioned side plank that I held for far too long even when my arm was screaming for me to stop. I’ve heard of people seriously injuring their necks doing headstands. Learn how to do the poses properly, either with an instructor or using online teaching, and if it hurts, STOP.

Recipe: Truffle oil, lemon and walnut spaghetti

Spaghetti with truffle and walnut sauce recipe

I first discovered truffle oil on a year abroad in Italy. I was having lunch in an eaterie near the Duomo in Milan called the Panino Giusto and ordered – as this was back in my pre-vegan days – a Speck and Provolone panino. It had this incredible, intense, earthy flavour I’d never experience before, and I asked the server what it was. She told me that it was ‘olio al tartufo’ – which I’d never heard of, but was hooked from that day on.

Milan visit inspired recipe for truffle and walnut spaghetti — Milan’s Piazza Duomo

This was back in 1994, so it was a rare ingredient to find in the UK, whereas now it’s pretty easy to find it in most supermarkets. This truffled spaghetti is a decadent and rich pasta dish that’s bursting with flavour, so definitely not one to make if you’re on a diet! This recipe serves four medium size bowls of spaghetti.

INGREDIENTS

Block silken tofu
100g walnuts
2 lemons
Salt
2 tbsp truffle oil plus more for drizzling
2 handfuls parsley
About 250g spaghetti

METHOD

To prepare the sauce, you don’t need to press the tofu as you are adding water anyway and blending it. Put it in your blender (I used a Nutribullet) with the juice of a lemon, a teaspoon salt, the walnuts, 2 tbsp truffle oil, a handful of parsley plus around 100ml warm water so the sauce isn’t too thick. Add more water if it isn’t creamy enough.
Then cook the spaghetti to your taste and serve topped with the rest of the parsley – you’ll probably find this dish doesn’t require much seasoning as it’s so laden with flavour already.

Maybe even enjoy it with my homemade fennel and olive rolls!

May 23, 2020May 31, 2020

Thinking about open water swimming? Here’s some advice before you take the plunge!

With the Coronavirus lockdown undergoing a phased relaxation across the UK, many outdoor swimmers are at last returning to the open water. Some will be approaching the sport for the first time, no doubt enticed by the excitement generated in the sport over the past couple of years, from Ross Edgley’s epic Great British Swim to the publication and phenomenal success of the bestselling book Taking the Plunge, by Anna Deacon and Vicky Allan, as well as various TV, radio and magazine mentions…

I don’t know Ross, but Anna and Vicky are both good friends, and I was delighted to be asked to contribute a section providing safety and swimming advice for their beautiful book, a must-have for any wild swimmer! (Widely available online!) Below is an edited version of that section that I hope will be useful to anyone new to open water swimming this summer.

Swimming Kit

Alongside a safe body of water, the only thing you truly need to go open water swimming is yourself. A costume is a good idea so as not to scare the local wildlife, and some goggles so you can see the murk below better. You should also equip yourself with a bright-coloured cap to keep your head warm, and to make you more visible. You have a few options – silicon, latex or neoprene – although plenty of people like to keep their heads above water and wear a wooly hat! But apart from these three essentials, almost everything else you’ll need is for after your swim.

After-swim Kit

Start with a towel. You want something big enough to wrap around you and to change under. Some people go for the micro-fleece beach towels, but I’m not a fan. My wife prefers a poncho-type towel (Dry Robe is the main brand) to change under. My preference is for a compact and easy drying Hamman towel.

You also want loose, warm clothes to quickly and easily throw on as soon as you’re dry, starting with a T-shirt. Choose clothes you can chuck on without any faff: your fingers might be numb, you might have the judders, and your skin might be all sticky because it’s cold and fresh out of the water. After a swim I often put on two T-shirts, a baggy base layer, a jumper, a thick shirt, and a hoodie. Thick socks (loose!) are also recommended. And a wooly hat. Do not forget the hat! Basically, you’re dressing for the mountains!

It’s a good idea to have your clothes handy and laid out before you go in the water. Once out, the trick is to get dressed as quick as you can so you can get moving to help your body warm up again. Your core temperature will drop a degree or three once you’re out of the water as the cold layer of blood below your skin is recirculated around your body, causing a condition called Afterdrop (other people call it the judders; the medical term is peripheral vasoconstriction). Assuming you’ve changed into warm clothes and you’re moving about, it’s not particularly serious; just don’t operate any heavy machinery. It generally wears off after about 20 minutes or so but you might get a wee cold shudder some hours later!

Another useful bit of kit is something to stand on, whether that’s flip flops, crocs, or a square of a foam sleeping mat. This keeps your feet off the cold or wet ground and stops the heat seeping out from under you.

And finally, take a flask containing a hot drink (but not scalding). It’s a superb way to warm up afterwards; just be careful if you’re shaking from the judders.

Pre-swim essentials

I’ve never met anyone who didn’t feel better after a swim. Though many of us arrive at the water’s edge feeling apprehensive, depressed, hungover, stressed or tired. What motivates us is knowing that during and after our swim we will feel fantastic. And so will you. Hold on to that positive thought and don’t let go!

Getting in

Of course it’s the actual getting in that can be the hardest thing about open water swimming – both mentally and physically – but there are ways to make it easier for yourself.

I prefer to dive or jump in for that exhilarating cold water blast, but it’s not for everybody, and not for anyone new to cold water swimming. Walking in is the safer option, though it’s murder on your soles if across pebbles or rocks. (Swim socks are a good idea in this case.)

If you do walk in, those first few seconds around your ankles can be a wee bit nippy. You’ll wonder how you can keep going and want to claw back out. But keep going! Tell yourself the water is warm. It does get easier, and once your calves, knees, thighs are in things start settling down. Maybe stop, pause, count to 20, and then continue past your waist.

Another good tip is to get your hands in as soon as possible. Use them to splash some water on your chest, your face, your back and especially the back of your neck as you’re walking in. This distracts from the water around your legs or abdomen, but it also prepares you physiologically for going in, reducing the effects of cold water shock and spreading the cold sensation around your body, and thereby lessening it.

Cold Water Shock

Cold water shock is that thing you get when you gasp for breath and your muscles contract. It can make people panicky, but it’s also quite exciting. Swear, shout, sing, shriek if it helps; you won’t be the first! Your adrenaline is kicking in. Focus on breathing. Let your body settle into the cold by rolling on to your back. Kick your legs hard. Scull for a bit. As your body and mind calm, focus on controlled and calm exhalations. And then remind yourself of how unbelievable lucky (and brave!) you are to be in this gorgeous sea, loch, or river. Look up and around at the big sky surrounding you, and the beautiful landscape reaching round you like a big pair of arms. Feel blessed to be in this space, because very, very few people will ever experience this. And be proud of yourself for getting this far!

Getting the face in

Once you’re happy enough in the water it’s time to get your face in and start swimming. For me that’s the hardest part especially when the water’s extremely cold. The swimming cap helps a lot. You need it for visibility but also because it reduces the brainfreeze. Pull it down over your ears and down over forehead to just above your eyes. Wearing two will make a massive difference, too (try latex on top of silicon here).

If getting your face in is a struggle, try the following: swim water polo drill or breast stroke and dip your head in during every other stroke, ensuring you exhale fully to maintain control of your breathing. Another strategy is to submerge your whole head a few times, especially submerging the back of your head and neck. This balances out the coldness front and back and helps you acclimatise. It can be painful initially, but the more you do it, the easier it gets. Some people don’t find it difficult at all – fingers crossed that’s you!

Cold Water Swimming

Of course, water conditions vary like the weather, and wind, current, tide will all affect the water, which will obviously impact your stroke.

It’s a good idea to practise different freestyle techniques when in the pool (this was written while pools were open!). Short, faster strokes with a high recovery and an early entry for when it’s very choppy and the swell is lifting you up and down. Or longer stokes and an extended glides for when the water’s dead calm.

It’s important you can do bilateral breathing. While most times you’ll be able to breathe when and where you want, you’ll likely be faced with swims where you have to be able to swim on only the right or left sides, especially if sea swimming. Like your freestyle stroke itself, the key is being able to adapt. Also, without lane ropes you may veer in one direction: bilateral breathing helps reduce this.

Swimming direct into the chop can be quite challenging – and immensely fun! – but it’s sometimes tricky to avoid getting a face full of water. Try to pierce each wave, rather than fight over them. If side on to the waves, just try to roll with it. Enjoy the sensation! But be mindful of how it can affect where you’re going.

Sighting

Practise and have an awareness of how to sight. There are no lane ropes in the wild or open water, so use landmarks to help you. Tall trees, church spires, mountains, buoys, bright coloured buildings, and so on. Always know which direction you’re swimming in.

My advice would be to stick close to shore and be very mindful or wind direction and currents.

As for sighting technique, one common way is to lift your eyes just above the water immediately prior to taking a breath, and then rotating your head as you take a breath as part of the same movement. Another method is to lift your head as your arm goes into the water and stretches out in front of you. Do this regularly (perhaps every fourth of fifth breath), and always have an awareness of how the water flow is directing you.

One last piece of advice on open water swimming

Be safe and don’t swim alone. While there’s something incredibly compelling, liberating and exciting about swimming solo, my advice is that it should only be attempted by the most experienced swimmers, and even then it should be only undertaken with sincere consideration. In general, don’t swim alone. Fine if that other person is watching from the shore.

And while there’s a general philosophy of “swim at your own risk”, please bear in mind that should you ever get in to trouble, it’s likely you’ll endanger someone else should they try to aid you. This might be professionals such as the Coastguard, RNLI or trained lifeguards, but it could also be other swimmers or water users or simply passers-by. You might be fine with that level of risk, but it may not be what they signed up for …

Two final words of advice on open water swimming

Enjoy it!

For more on open water swimming and to enquire about coaching, visit ScottishSwimmer.com or contact us direct here!

Main image: Stephen MacIntyre

May 17, 2020July 3, 2022

Vegan fennel and olive bread rolls

Recipe: fennel and olive homemade bread rolls

I had a fennel in my veg box recently that I wasn’t sure what to do with. I love the taste of fennel, and it has lots of health benefits, as well as the bulb being a good source of fibre, potassium and vitamin C. I didn’t fancy soup, or pesto, or eating it as part of a roast that day. So I hit on the idea of baking it into a bread recipe! I knew fennel goes beautifully with olives, so decided to make vegan fennel and olive bread rolls. They were delicious with Just Vegan butter, and also with cashew cheese, smoked Applewood and salad.

Here’s how I made them:

Ingredients

Medium-sized whole fennel bulb that has been roasted and liquidised in a food processor with 150ml warm water
750 g strong white bread flour
7g yeast
300 ml warm water
Jar black olives, chopped
½ tsp salt
Tbsp sugar
2 tbsp olive oil
Tbsp fennel seeds
Rock salt

Method

Once you’ve prepared the fennel, add the flour, yeast, salt and sugar to a bowl. Make a well in the centre and add the olive oil, water, and liquidised fennel.

Mix together to form a dough, and knead for ten minutes until you can stretch the dough so it’s thin enough to see through and it springs back when you poke your finger in it.

Put the dough in a clean bowl and leave for an hour to prove.

Then divide the dough into 10 equal size strips and roll them into sausages of about 32 cm in length.

To make knotted rolls, tie the sausage of dough into a loose knot as above. Tuck one end over the top of the roll into the centre, and tuck the other end to meet it under the roll to the centre. Leave to prove again for half an hour.

Toast the fennel seeds in a dry pan for a couple of minutes and sprinkle on top of the rolls, along with a little rock salt.

Bake for 15-20 minutes in the oven until your fennel and olive bread rolls are golden and enjoy!

These are very good with our truffle oil, lemon and walnut spaghetti!