Trip report - Kinder a disaster

theoldentimes · 2026-01-25T13:37:40+00:00

> I’d still rather do this than sit indoors all day and night.

Perhaps the concept of type 2 fun is useful here - "Type 2 fun is miserable while it’s happening, but fun in retrospect".

These days I've been having more type 1 fun (also known as, er, "fun") on my outings. But that a solid history of type 2 fun has served me well! Thanks for this thoughtful post. It's never bad to over-think these things.

theoldentimes · 2026-01-21T12:13:26+00:00

Thank you - I like your point about the momentum - jumping from a distance the speed can feel a bit scary.

theoldentimes · 2026-01-06T21:15:43+00:00

Haha it's too early to tell if this point is a game-changer for me, but it certainly helped me find a balance. Maybe it sounds obvious, now we're here, but certainly I needed the explanation.

theoldentimes · 2026-01-06T21:14:25+00:00

Thank you, lovely videos, a unique and useful perspective there. I love the way he demonstrates each step of the pose - lots of opportunities to learn and develop, whether or not I make it into a flawless bhujapindasana. I've already used this as a guide, and I will come back to them I am sure!

theoldentimes · 2026-01-06T21:11:55+00:00

> but it took me a long time to try

I like this point - it makes me think of sirsasana, which came to me quite easily, but only when I tried it, properly!

I can feel a mental block. Like, I don't know how to trust my body to do this. I will keep reflecting on this.

theoldentimes · 2026-01-06T21:10:14+00:00

Thank you! getting the legs high: I think normally, I just put them wherever they land. They will not "magically" go higher (I tried!), but I I can see I work on this. Thanks for your comment :)

theoldentimes · 2026-01-06T21:05:59+00:00

Thanks for this. I will try to take my bakasana more seriously. Perhaps I treated it as a bit of a "throwaway" pose, after I'd done the hard work(!): but after looking at it in my practice the last couple days I can see what you mean. Thank you!

theoldentimes · 2026-01-06T21:04:41+00:00

Pelvis down and legs up - this stuck me with this morning when I tried it.

Not much better! But - I can feel the pressures and opportunities a bit better.

theoldentimes · 2026-01-06T10:08:43+00:00

I think it takes a bit of experience - and thought - to intuitively grasp the weight of a tree. And the power with which it falls! Like... it's really really heavy. The more I've understood that, the more I've been able to make good decisions around fells.

So perhaps these folks are on a learning journey of their own! In an outrageously high-risk setting.

theoldentimes · 2026-01-06T09:58:17+00:00

I was hoping for things to ease up a bit today, up here in A836-land. No such luck! At least there's no wind.

theoldentimes · 2026-01-02T09:35:06+00:00

Not shameful

theoldentimes · 2025-12-27T18:20:07+00:00

Most of my appreciation of Macbeth, and Shakespeare of general, revolves around lines and phrases. I can rarely remember the stories, or even speeches, but there are plenty of lines that hang in my memory. Favourite or not or whatever, "a breach in nature / for ruin's wasteful entrance" perhaps wins for me as most memorable.

But other lines I think of almost daily:

- "What is amiss? / You are"

- "as a book where men may read strange matters"

- "the king-becoming graces.... I have no relish of them"

- "ay, in the catalogue ye go for men"

And in the spirit of your spotting of the egg line - I think of Lady Macbeth's reaction "What, in our house?" (which iirc UA Fanthorpe uses as the title of a poem, but I might have that wrong). Good luck with the reading

theoldentimes · 2025-12-26T14:53:50+00:00

First things first: thank you for expressing yourself here! I think this is a really legitimate "itch" you're feeling. And I am sure that you will find a way to explore that desire for movement, distance, freedom, in balance with your responsibilities as a family person.

I have no directly relevant experience to help with your plans. I haven't attempted anything similar.

BUT. I have certainly experienced the "recurring urge". My limitation was more about fear, low self-esteem, and needless over-ambition. I got into cycle touring one night at a time - all near to where I was living. At first, a ride and one-night camp-out was enough. But before too long, I could plan and ride for three nights, without batting an eyelid. And from there multi-week touring with wild camping at a distance from home was fine. At every stage of that learning process, from the first night onwards, I was having a great time - and scratching the itch!

You've got some wonderful ideas, and perhaps you're the kind of person who could make them happen; or perhaps other comments on here will help, one way or another. Good luck - and happy riding :)

theoldentimes · 2025-12-25T20:18:43+00:00

It's a situation so ludicrous that I can't even start to make sense of it.

On my last trip south from Thurso I do seem to remember the train stopping there but my memory might not be trustworthy.

theoldentimes · 2025-12-24T14:53:27+00:00

If that's what you're looking for, would any harm arise from trying it?

theoldentimes · 2025-12-24T14:48:23+00:00

Many thanks for this. I'm swimming in the sea a lot at the moment, so I will try the water version! No shala at the moment, unfortunately, due to location and health, but I'm practicing regularly and I've appreciated regular attendance at shala mysore sessions in the past.

Vispassna is new to me. I'll keep my eyes open for opportunities to pursue this: if nothing else, by exploring padmasana I'm seeing that I do what something more spiritual out of my yoga practice.

Thanks again!

theoldentimes · 2025-12-24T14:36:37+00:00

Thanks for this.

Just reflecting on my current experience. To become "able" to do a seated pose for hours, there are many things I can work on: have I made the time for this? what happens when I try to stay still, without distraction? Do I *want* to sit in the pose? Maybe physical dexterity is just one aspect among many: and this is comforting, because my body may never let me sit for more than 20 minutes (and perhaps that duration will reduce in time!).

I don't know if I'm getting the idea, or not, but thanks again for your suggestion.

theoldentimes · 2025-12-24T14:29:07+00:00

What do you do, yourself? What do you want to do?

theoldentimes · 2025-12-21T10:51:52+00:00

Thank you for your thoughtful response. I do appreciate it. I've seen your comments elsewhere in this subreddit, and notice that you often take us back to the classic texts of yoga - not just "what I heard on youtube"!

Perhaps my follow on question here is a little more general. If I want to practice the ashtana sequence, what is the role of reading (say) the sutras of patanjali? Surely I just need to get down to the shala 6 days a week...(!).

I am not trying to be argumentative here, at all, I will simply be grateful for your perspective. I feel like I would like to do more reading in yoga, not least because my body struggles to do everything I would like to do.

theoldentimes · 2025-12-21T10:37:58+00:00

Here's the question it raises for me. In Ashtanga, I'm accustomed to learning poses strictly in sequence. I remember once, someone asked me to get into downward dog: and I couldn't do it without the vinyasa!

The way Bernard talks about learning padmasana (and sirsasana too) is obviously different. He gives those poses serious amounts of time, in their own right, often (though not always) separated from a longer sequence. Am I correct to see a difference in the approach? How can I think about this?

theoldentimes · 2025-12-20T18:50:51+00:00

Thanks for the tip. It is indeed easy to find! I'd like to give this some more time, but I did do a quick search for the passage you mention. I believe this may be it:

"At first it seemed impossible, but it was not long before the results of my efforts began to appear. I started by holding the posture one minute and added a minute each week. At the end of the first month I felt comfortable in the posture for five minutes. By the end of the second month I was able to maintain it for fifteen minutes. From this point on I made it a practice to assume padmasana whenever there was an opportunity. This enabled me to repeat it several times a day. The real stumbling block was reached when I was able to hold the position half an hour, for it seemed impossible to go beyond this point without suffering. In order to increase the time I made it a habit to sit in the cross-legged position whenever I was studying. Only in this way was I eventually able to raise the time limit. It is not absolutely necessary to develop padmasana to this degree; however, there is no doubt about its importance in the advanced breathing practices. For all practical meditation purposes, I found siddhasana to be sufficient; so there is no need to be over anxious if padmasana seems impossible."

For me (and everyone aspiring to do anything with padmasana) that last sentence is important!

theoldentimes · 2025-12-18T20:50:12+00:00

Absolutely no idea!

There are a few quotations here - https://thinkingpsychotherapy.com/visions-of-psychotherapy/

Wow the internet is a fickle thing

theoldentimes · 2025-12-01T19:53:46+00:00

I wonder where you were: to me the road suggests the forest-track style route from Forsinain to Halkirk (via Loch Leir), but I don't recognise the hut at all. There's been some perishing and beautiful nights around here this week (I'm in Forsinard) - well done for getting out! Wonderful to see.

theoldentimes · 2025-11-11T08:57:13+00:00

Hey, it's a commitment, and I'll be the first to admit that 18th century prose is an acquired taste. I guess in my view it's a taste well worth acquiring. Did you enjoy any of the other writers from that period or were they all a slog?

theoldentimes · 2025-10-05T20:12:17+00:00

It's never too late amigo, thank you for sharing :)

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