In less then 10 hours it will be 2011, another year passed, more experiences had and it feels like its time to start again but taking with us the lessons learned and time to put into practice what we now know. My new manduka mat arrived, yay! It was a fast delivery from America to Malaysia it only took 3 days! So with my trusty new mat i know i will be supported in my practice during 2011. 2010 has taken me to many beautiful places across the planet which i am very grateful for including India to Ibiza to New Zealand to Malaysia where i will be until March time. Along with being welcomed into the community here, meeting the morning market stall holders where we buy our fresh food from every second day and witnessing the Portuguese settlement here in Melaka lit up like fairy land over Christmas this place is already feeling like home. The view from the balcony looking over the communal pool surrounded by palm trees and the different shaped buildings which sprawl out to the coast line is all becoming familiar. I have 3 days off from teaching and during this time i hope to complete some creative projects and be rejuvenated, refreshed and ready to flow through 2011 with as much grace and power that is needed to connect with you all and share some laughter along the way. Namaskaram xxx

So the teaching has began! 11 classes a week to mainly the locals of Melaka. I have felt a warm welcome from them into their community and seeing their smiling faces walk through the door each day makes me more and more thankful to be here with them. The first thing i noticed about theses students is they have very open hips and can easily sit in half or full lotus for 10 - 15 minutes during the beginning meditation, perhaps its from sitting or squatting on the floor as a child also many of the women look about 20 years younger then their actual age, its good to see people taking care of themselves and valuing their health. So up until now i have been traveling with my own mat, in the beginning i was torn between taking my beloved Manduka mat or a cheap £7 mat i originally bought for my boyfriend (its beige with the word "Breathe" written at the top) but as it was going into storage anyway and lighter then my Manduak i decided to take it with me plus it folded up perfectly into my suitcase. Having your own mat is like having your own surf board, you know where its been and as you step onto it you instantly connect to the texture and support under your feet and of course its familiar natural/ rubbery smell. I have only used this "Breathe" mat a handful of times, its a little creased from travel but this gives it character. But after teaching my first sweaty morning class at the very modern and classy Inner Living Yoga studio i notice specks of gray mat sticking to me and my clothes, i thought nothing of it and just brushed the specks away. But after the evening class the specks of gray mat were slightly bigger and were scattered around me like confetti, my trusty "Breathe" mat was wearing thin fast and it was only the first day of teaching, plus my boyfriend wasnt too impressed with what i had done to his once trusty raft to practice on..Now i was missing my Manduka! Over the following days it went from bad to worse, instead of confetti sized bits of mat skank sticking to me and scattered all around they turned into bite size bits of confetti the size of chocolate buttons! Accepting i had fallen into the trap of purchasing a cheap mat to travel with i felt the need to encourage Yogis young and old to look beyond the price tag when buying a mat and spend a little more as the mat will give you a little more back then just mat skank and a few days worth of Yoga! So after making a humble apology to my partner and purchasing a travel lite Manduka mat on line i am waiting patiently for my new arrival and gracefully rolling over my toes to ensure i dont vandalise and dig holes into the studios mats... Happy Solstice, Merry Christmas and Blessing to all for 2011...

Leaving Chiang Mai was (as before) like leaving home, when you spend a long amount of time in one place its easy to get attached even to the little things which made your stay so much more comfortable. The Thai's are such a humbling group of people, always ready to share a smile and wanting to know how you are. It is a place i will return to for sure. My journey to Penang started at 6am with a lift to the airport, a short flight to Bangkok and 5 hours later another flight to Penang, i arrived around 4pm (Malaysian time) and as i walked out of the airport a wave of stickiness and dampness swept over me like a blanket it was clear i was not in the mountains any more. Its monsoon season on the east coast of Malaysia and with the weather being unpredictable theses days its also raining on the west coast too making the streets of Penang wet and smelly. There are big rats which live in the drains, side walks are covered so it makes it easier to walk around and there is a lot to see and do. Little India in Penang is rocking at night time, each shop has huge speakers outside on the street blasting a remix of the latest Hindi/ Bollywood track, its hard not to dance down the street as you make your way to find a mango lassi. The architecture in Penang is amazing, there is so much texture and colour mixed in with a fusion of the Chinese, Portuguese, Thai and Indian influence. Penang is well known for its incredible cuisine, the best food in Malaysia and from my experience its true! From Indian food to Italian food it all taste so good! So i ate my way through 4 days in Penang before venturing on a 5 hour bus ride back to KL to meet my husband and then to our new home in Melaka where my weekly classes started on the 13th December. For the whole of December Inner Living Yoga studio are offering FREE Yoga classes to everyone so come and join us if you can!