A recent trip back to the UK gave us the chance to stop off for a couple of nights in Amsterdam. Having never been there before, it was a visit I was particularly looking forward to, and I am happy to say that it didn't disappoint. Amsterdam is famous for its canals, bridges and bicycles, and these were all very much in evidence in the area we were staying, just outside the city centre. We didn't do much when we were there. It was simply a pleasure to stroll around the streets, crossing canals, and admiring the beautiful 17th century buildings. The fact that were more bicycles than cars added to the laid-back atmosphere - quite different from other major cities. It was also lovely to be able to eat dinner (and drink a beer or two) in the open air: watching the world cycle, or float, idly by.

It was a rainy day and we were worried people would decide not to come - but they did! In fact, we had a great turnout. People seemed to be very interested in our new exhibition by Rui Nakai. What a great idea: designs for skirts based on the artist's travel experiences. There are a variety of images for example, flamingos in a river in Berlin, marching soldiers in Copenhagen and (my personal favourite) city lights in Amsterdam. I think the pieces appealed to all ages; some of our younger members told me they liked the bright colours and pretty designs.

As well as fantastic art we had tasty food too (a party essential!). A friend of the artist, from Itsuki Bakery, very kindly supplied us with delicious home-baked bread and homemade marmalade - we hope he will come again! It was a great afternoon and we all had a really nice time chatting with friends and meeting new people, surrounded by Rui's inventive and refreshing exhibition. Another successful party!

In October 2009, I had the wonderful experience of getting my yoga teacher training at a special place in India called the "Yoga Vidya Gurukul Ashram". An ashram is defined as a place of spiritual learning. For me it was a community of like-minded people who lived, breathed and thought about yoga all day, every day. Because there are no distractions from outside (no internet, no cellphones, no fast food, no new fashions or television), it was very easy to just fall into the yoga way of life and truly relax.

A typical day in the ashram would look like this:

5 am: Wake-up time
We would wake up before the sun, awoken by a hand-rung bell that echoed through the valleys. For the first hour of the day, we had to keep a rule of silence. You wake up, splash water on your face, smile at your roommates and slowly make your way down the hill to the dining area. Here we could get a cup of warm herbal tea, and some people used this time to write in their dairies.

5:45 am: Mantra chanting
After waking up properly with the help of the herbal tea, we would make our way to the yoga hall and sit in the meditative posture, cross-legged on the floor. Then we would learn and chant mantras in Sanskrit. My favorite mantra is the Gayatri Mantra, and it goes like this:
“OM BUHR, BHUVA, SWAHA
OM TAT SAVITUR VARENYAM
BHARGO DEVASYA DHEEMAHI
DHIYO YONAHA PRACHODAYAT”

6 am: Yoga practice (asana and pranayama)
During the morning sessions, we slowly woke up our bodies by doing 14 Sun Salutations. After that, we learned new poses and postures. We always ended off the class with a new breathing technique, bandha (muscle lock in the body) or mudra (hand position used in meditation).

8 am: Karma yoga
As opposed to yoga exercise, karma yoga is basically one hour of cleaning or helping out around the ashram. Karma yoga is seva - selfless service. For this hour, everyone helped by washing floors, peeling vegetables in the kitchen, working in the garden, painting walls, fixing broken things, making teaching materials for local schools, washing dishes... Anything that needed to be done. The purpose of karma yoga is to teach us a way of living where we live for other people, not ourselves. How can you help those around you today?

Ashiya International Fun Run, in aid of UNICEF, was held last Sunday (11th April 2010). The sun shone and thousands gathered for a day of races (from 3km to half-marathons) around Ashiya-hama. I took part in the 10km race, and I am pleased, as well as being a little surprised, to say that I really enjoyed it. It was tough at times but I had been training for a few months, and with the help and encouragement of family, friends and Imagine's members, I was able to run the race in a fairly respectable time: just under an hour! Having had such a good time running 10km this year, I think I might try and go for the half-marathon next year. Watch this space.

Hadrian's wall was built by the Roman emperor Hadrian, to protect the Romans in England from the 'barbarians' across the border in Scotland. It can still be seen, stretching across the North of England, from Newcastle to Carlisle. In March 2010 a crowd of around 25,000 people gathered to watch a 'line of light' being lit all the way along the wall. It made for a spectacular display, with beacons lit, one at a time, 250 metres apart for 135 kilometres:

The line of light only lasted for half an hour, but the wall itself has survived for over 2,000 years. If you are visiting The Lake District nearby, or even Edinburgh, why not pay a visit to Hadrian's wall? While it is not quite on the same scale as The Great Wall of China, it is still a fascinating part of British history, situated in a beautiful location.