Hello, this episode is all about Awareness.

I am currently trying to strike a balance between spending my time in the countryside and time in cities.

I spent most of my life living in cities where it was rare that I had an evening free to just be. There were always plans booked in, drinks out, trips to the theatre, nights out and trips away at weekends. I enjoyed the memories I made but I am thankful I am able now to carve out the time I require when my social battery runs out of charge. I love living in the countryside. I love the slower pace of life, the walkability and friendly community here when you walk to the Post Office or the Village shop.

About 3 years ago, I feel like I was running away from myself when I was so busy when I lived in big cities. Some say they are fulfilled but sometimes you just need an evening to yourself to go for a long walk, have a bath or just be in bed by 9pm. But it’s all about finding your balance.

I love to go to cities for concerts, the theatre or to catch up with friends occasionally. I am lucky I have close friendships where we can see each other once or twice a year and it feels as though no time has passed when we meet. Of course, modern friendships involve sending reels to each other to meet but we do speak on the phone from time to time.

A phone call to me is so important. Sometimes I just miss the voice of a loved one, and I want to have a conversation. A text message or DM on Instagram does not fill me with the same level of joy that an audio or video call does. But nothing compares to hugging my partner, Mum, Dad, sister, or a best friend.

I feel so disconnected when I walk around a city or get on the London Underground as people are so consumed by their phones. Where is the Love? Why did we stop letting people disembark from a train before boarding? What happened to our humanity?

The contrast between slow country living with fast-paced city living highlights how our environments continuously reshape how our brains process information.

Here is how different types of awareness shift between these two lifestyles.

Sensory Awareness is how our brain filters input.

Situational Awareness is how you navigate your surroundings.

Spatial and Temporal Awareness.

Social Awareness that is all about Human Connection.

Finally and most important, there is Self-Awareness.

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Good morning.

This episode is all about Movement. For most of my life, Movement has been a consistent healing mechanism for me.

Movement can be walking, stretching, dancing, yoga, pilates, or a gym workout. Movement can be fast or slow.

Since I was a student in 2015. I've created and curated a variety of disco playlists, tailored to an activity or different moods.

When I was a teenager, I used to act and dance on stage, and at university, I was involved in a Bollywood stage production for my university's Hindu society. I currently have a shower disco, cleaning disco, walking disco, and a grounded disco playlist. I'll post the links to all of them on here and Instagram. Movement for me is incredibly healing, and it is how I channel my energy. I have fun with it and my partner has seen me over time choreograph a multitude of spontaneous dances.

In the past 4 years, I have found yoga and meditation. I have flowed through many Yin, Hatha, and Vinyasa flows with a range of teachers in the UK.

I feel it is incredibly important to find the teacher and style of yoga that works best for you and the one that best fits into your life, whether that is a slow flow like Yin and Hatha on a Sunday morning or fast like Ashtanga and Vinyasa. I also love Hot yoga. Hotpod yoga continues to be a perfect space for me to explore practising yoga in heat.

It is incredibly difficult nowadays, as social media constantly bombards you with perfection on a daily basis. I feel like you don't need to be perfect. You have to just be you. We are all human beings, and we all have flaws and imperfections. I am on a journey like everyone is. I am trying to learn to truly accept my flaws and imperfections.

Through acceptance, our light will shine. I was on a train to London last week, and a woman sat next to me recommended Angus Clark's living movement. Maybe Tai Chi will be the next style of movement, I try.

Hope you all have an amazing weekend. Thank you for listening to Yoga with Arran. Please message me on Instagram, and let me know how you move through life, and if movement is a healing mechanism for you too.

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Hi, I am Arran. Welcome to Yoga with Arran. This is my first episode of this podcast after a hiatus.

I feel like I am finally arriving into my true self.

It took me many years and months to get to this point.

I have to thank my parents, my partner, my family and my friends.

Thank you Bhavesh (@yoga.with.bhavesh), for your advice when I was thinking of becoming a yoga teacher and your continued guidance on my journey.

Thank you Tash & Joe at Hotpod Yoga Leicester (@hotpodyoga & @hotpodyogaleicester) for creating a safe and inclusive space for me to reconnect with yoga at a time where I was lost and found my way to the Pod.

These kind people have been instrumental in creating the opportunities for me to be feel able to step onto the mat.

Yesterday morning, I went to a morning Hotpod Flow class by Joe at Hotpod Yoga Leicester and it was challenging. It was what I needed to let go of the weight of what was preventing me from taking the steps on my journey to becoming a yoga teacher.

I have had to reframe and realise the power of positive thinking.

Since I was 15 after a traumatic situation, I have negatively talked to myself. I have questioned my self-worth and I sometimes tell myself that I am not capable.

But in my soul, I know that I am capable.

In the deeply divided and disconnected world we live in, we need community and to reconnect with each other.

We need to speak to our parents, our Postie, our loved ones and our neighbours. The person that runs the shop that sells your newspapers or runs the Post Office. We have lost the kindness, respect and love that we once shared in our communities.

This morning, I attended the Assembly at The Space to Breathe Collective (@space_to_breathe) in my hometown of Leicester. I met Geoff and Ryan, the founding directors along with the team of wellness practitioners that have created the community of emotionally intelligent and self-aware human beings. It was incredibly inspiring for me to be a part of that.

Their ethos is ‘rooted in mutuality and solidarity’.

Their memberships allow everyone to contribute according to their means while keeping yoga accessible for all.

I feel their ethos is rooted in the true ethos of yogic philosophy. Yoga is not a wellness trend or a means of generating profit. It is a practice of transformation that unites body, mind and spirit.

On this Sunday at the beginning of August, how do you feel in this moment? Arrival allows you to settle into your body and a space. Gentle yoga practices allow reflection, presence and unblocking.

If you are not okay, that is completely fine. Allow yourself the time to arrive into yourself. Do something that brings you a feeling of joy. Whether that be reading, gardening, walking, cycling, running, knitting, forest bathing etc. Let me know in the comments how you arrive into yourself when the world is feeling too heavy.

Thank you for listening to Yoga with Arran.

I’ll speak to you next Sunday. I’m Arran.

Goodbye.

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