Not sure where I'm going with this detox. Am not that hungry for either liquids or solids. I even look at a mango and think 'Ohhh you look so scrummy, but I don't want you at the moment'. I went shopping earlier today, got more goodies. Tomorrow is another day,

I light a candle. I turn out the lights. I stare into the flame. I await the water to flow. I close my eyes. The internal flame still alight. It fades. It's fades some more. It's gone. I lie back. My body sinks into the ground. I'm at peace.

All is going well in my kitchen - very much aquainted with the blender and juicer. Now at the point where I don't mind taking the juicer apart to clean then reassemble it. I actually find it therapeutic. Not missing solids. Still having a fruit smoothie in the morning, then a veggie juice during the day. If I feel like it I'll have another. Am loving juiced celery and spinach. I occasionally add some pear. The greener the juice the better. I'm finding my twists in yoga are deeper. Maybe as I cleanse my internal organs the more room I have to move. My breath is deeper. My exhalations are longer and steady. Pranayama is beautiful. I wish more people would engage with pranayama rather than the motion of the poses and whether it is 'making me thin'. That's another issue.

Last night I went to yoga, and took a class with a teacher who I had not studied in for a while. When we first met she practiced Ashtanga, and was progressing beautifully through the 1st series. We were chatting last week and I discovered that Ashtanga was no longer her reason to come to the mat. Her journey in Japan had led her to develop more of a hatha vinyasa flow. In last nights lesson, her flow was divine, strong and powerful, yet playful. I love a vinyasa flow for it's creativity. Maybe it's the choreographer in me. Yet, I love ashtanga, maybe that's the dancer in me- wanting routine and structure. Then there's Sivananda. Does all in reverse and who wouldn't want to take a short sivasana between each pose? I play with all three- that's the kid in me. Kind of like my dance. When I started studying graham technique I was hooked. Couldn't get enough contractions and releases. Then I discovered Limon and release technique. When I teach I play with all three. Discover all around. Play. Evolve.

My hubby could be in for a fun night!!!!!

Your Stripper Song Is

Master and Servant by Depeche Mode "There�s a new game We like to play you see A game with added reality You treat me like a dog Get me down on my knees" Yawn, dancing is so boring without a little spice.

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, It's Em. I flew this weekend. No plane, no rocket and no I wasn't sat on the back of a bird. My experience in the air was all thanks to an Acro Yoga workshop. Check out the site. http://www.acroyoga.org/ We balanced, hung upside on our partner's feet, tried not to battle with our egos when we fell and regressed to our childlike ways-which can be a good thing once in a while. None of us wanted this adult playground to close. Alas, it did and we're all awaiting it to reopen. Am now wondering if I can head over to Hawaii in December to attend the TTC. Today I am nursing some sore abs, but hey shows I was using them. My dance workshop is now up on the internet. http://www.sunandmoon.jp/sm2/current-workshops Take a look at the magical studio I go to as well. All that go fall in love with the place. The studio isn't just a room- it's a spiritual place that offers warmth and support.

The last few weeks have been a little up and down. Don't get me wrong, I am loving my new lifestyle away from the restrictions and politics of a huge establishment. I like to be organized, overly so. I have daily to-do lists, all is jotted down in my diary. These last few weeks have been a great learning process for me. I've been offering private trials for English classes. Never knowing who I was really going to meet, what level they were at and were they going to like my lesson? Then there is the studying. Goal setting for my diploma. When do I want to finish this module by? My yoga. I like my own practice, but I appreciate the guidance of my teacher. Which class to go to? So, I've been trotting along, sometimes at a fast pace then other times a little slower. Hitting my head occasionally and taking a few steps back. But this last week...... ..... has fallen into place beautifully. I have 10 private students, all of who take classes on Mondays and Tuesdays. Occasional schedule change here and there, but nothing that sends me out of sync and frantically erasing times and things in my diary, I go to Mysore classes in the morning. Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays I study with extra reading when travelling on trains. I practice asanas at home if I have time and am in the mood. Evenings I go to vinyasa. I have a juice or smoothie when I'm at home- all other times my bag is filled fruit, nori and veggies to munch on whilst out. I'm hoping to start teaching kids yoga later this year and had loads of ideas, then the acroyogis hit Tokyo and now my head is buzzing with creativity. My dance workshops just came together let a beautifully piece of chreography. Have decided a name for my raw company. My raw thing is spreading, there is interest, so will be running my first workshop this summer. My yoga teacher wants me to start teaching when I return from Thailand. My heart is open, my shoulders relaxed, there's no gripping in my jaw. I no longer need to refer to my diary twenty times a day. I mentally know my to-do list and does it really matter if I don't get the apples to day? This is my yoga off the mat.

She's my baby. I adore her. Maichan didn't have the best start in life. A stray kitten whose mother was put to sleep by a lady who hated stray cats in her garden. Maichan and her siblings were taken in by a family and kept in a cage as the family had dogs. Eventually she found a good, loving home with my husband and I. As a kitten she had never been picked up and loved, so when we got her she was far from a cuddle kitty. We've had her five years now. She's happy, very happy. Sleeps ontop of the printer, cushions in the living room, in the cupboard on an old sweater, next to the heater. Although she still dislikes being picked up, she is content to sit in our laps when we're on the net, and that is where she is now. She rules the house. She loves crab. Loves back rubs and her favorite game is attacking my husband's legs when he gets home and gets changed. Her ritual. She rocks!!!!

Takes me back - jelly bags.

Over the last few weeks I have been reading reports that Children in the UK are the unhealthiest throughout Europe. Yesterday, there was an article stating British women are heavier than women in Europe. I am not at all surprised at this. When I went home at Christmas I was shocked at the food people were putting into their trolleys when shopping. I watched people whizz past the veg and fruit section and dive straight for the canned stuff, things in packets and alcohol. Now, I know I was home at Christmas a time for indulgence (no comment here) but this mode of shopping simply isnt an annual event. It's weekly. Bringing it closer to home was my 2 year old nephew. A couple of days a week my mum looks after him while his parents are working. This beautiful little boy walks into nanny and grandads house with his Thomas backpack which has his food in it: spaghetti hoops, chocolate or beans and chocolate or even beans and sasauges. Not much variety and I was told it is no differently when at home. Apparently, mummy and daddy have no time to cook. I was in shock. Since returning to Japan my husband I I rented Jamie Oliver's school dinners on dvd. A great program that went out in England that had Jamie Oliver reveal how shockingly crap school dinners are. His master plan was to go into schools and educate the kids in healthy nutritious food and persuade the government to feed (mind he pun) more money into the school dinner system to totally change it round. At this point I must add, Mr Oliver is not a vegetarian, the dishes he creates are not vegetarian. Yet while I would never eat what he prepares I have full admiration for what he does and his dedication. If you get the chance to see Jamies School Dinners, then please do so. As everyone is talking at Al Gore's 'An Inconvenient Truth' (and rightly so), people really should be doing the same about Jamie Oliver and his program. It was later revealed that while introducing the nutritious, healthy menus some parents would wait at the school gates with 'junk' for their kids...WTF!!! Today, I read of an 8 year old boy who is 15 stone. It's causing controversy back home as this may be seen as a form of child abuse. If a parent starves a child the child is taken into care. What are the rules for overfeeding, allowing your child to eat junk.......or simply watching your 8 year old reach obesity and do nothing??? This sure has given me a few more ideas for my raw company.....

I am not a royalist and have very little respect of the British monarchy. Yet once in a while good ole' Charlie boy says or does something that gets my attention. Have just come across this link on yahoo news http://uk.news.yahoo.com/27022007/140/burger-charles-wants-big-mac-ban.html Interesting! It was reported just last week that following the release of the Mega MacBurger here in Nippon - stores have had to put a cap on how many they sell daily as they were running out. A country that is abundant in veggies and they are wanting ground up animals. It's from the West so it's cool. I've decided to start playing around more with raw Japanese veggies. If I'm serious about starting my company up here I should make use of what is around rather than what is familiar to me. I will list my findings/recipes here. Realized I haven't written much about my yoga practice of late. I'm slowly progressing through the primary series and am counting down the days to be back practising at Yoga Thailand. I've been doing some work with an Anusara teacher and it's interesting how John Friend's principles have crossed over into my ashtanga. I'm finding my practice is taking longer as I deepen into each asana and my breath lengthens. I'm loving twists...yet arm balances...that's another matter. I am fortunate to have a private teacher visiting from the states. Hopefully he will assist me and open my heart to the world of arm balances.