Karen Pullan Yoga and Wellbeing

29/08/2026

29/08/2026

Here’s a story I read a few years ago.
I often find a story comes to me which reflects how I am feeling at that moment in time and this one sat with me this morning.
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My friend Julie and her husband argue about the “right” way to do laundry: he loads the washing machine with dirty clothes, adds a cup of detergent on top, turns on the machine, and walks away. Julie, on the other hand, is a firm believer in starting the water flow, pouring-in the soap, and then adding the dirty clothes to the mix. They both want the same end result: clean clothes, but they go about it differently because his priority is minimal effort and to be done as quickly as possible, while Julie's priority is to make sure the soap fully dissolves in the water before adding the clothes.

It reminds me of working in the kitchen at the monastery, where two members of the kitchen staff were asked to peel and cut ten pounds of carrots into small matchstick-sized strips. It took them about four hours, which drove the efficiency expert in me crazy. “Why not use the food processor?” I asked the head of the kitchen, “They would be done in 10 minutes!” And he told me the goal wasn’t to get the job done as quickly as possible, it was to offer the students four hours of mindfulness practice in the kitchen.

You see, what I failed to do was contemplate the WHY behind his instructions. The food processor would have chopped those carrots in minutes, that's true, but the kitchen manager prioritized a meditative practice over efficiency and expediency (at a Buddhist monastery no less... Go figure!) Why do we always assume we know what's best? I took myself to the meditation hall and sat with my ego until it agreed to play nice.

We sure do excel at judging what people do and how they do it, but we fail miserably at trying to understand the WHY behind their actions. When we share a similar goal with someone but their priorities differ from our own, their actions seem backward to us, counter-intuitive, silly, and even “wrong.”

Think about it: if you keep getting irritated by someone who refuses to change, it means you also refuse to change, right? Saint Francis of Assisi knew the importance of seeking to understand rather than to be understood. And since we can't wrap our heads around other people's logic by using our own, let's not criticize what we don't even try to understand, because once we get it, there would be nothing left to criticize.

Go ahead and contemplate the WHY behind your own actions, and you might find you have that in common with everyone around you.

Inner peace is the first step we can take to live in peace with others, so let’s take that step together.

With much love from your brother, Timber Hawkeye

28/08/2026

🌿 Setting a boundary can feel incredibly empowering. 💪

But sometimes, saying “this is okay for me” can bring up a whole host of other feelings too — guilt, fear, self-doubt, or that strong urge to take it all back.

Especially when keeping the peace, putting others first, or going along with things has helped us feel safe, loved or connected.

So when we finally say “no”, or decide that something no longer feels right for us, the discomfort that follows can make us question ourselves.

Have I done the right thing?
What if they’re upset with me?
What if they think I’m difficult?
What if they reject me or leave?

But feeling uncomfortable doesn’t necessarily mean you’ve made the wrong choice.

Sometimes, it simply means you’re doing something new.

Learning to honour your own needs and protect your wellbeing can take time, especially if you’ve spent years putting everyone else first.

Therapy can provide a safe, supportive space to explore what comes up when you begin to take your own needs seriously — and to understand the feelings that can arise when you start choosing yourself. 🤍

Setting a boundary isn’t about being selfish.

It’s about recognising that your needs matter too. 🌱

07/08/2026

🍓☀️ We're now in the heart of midsummer ☀️🍓
The weeks between 23rd July and 22nd August invite us to pause, reflect and soak up the abundance all around us. With the Leo New Moon and Aquarius Full Moon guiding us, it's a beautiful time to think about everything we're grateful for, notice how we've grown, and celebrate the life we're creating.
Have you noticed the subtle changes happening in nature?
🍃 The first leaves are beginning to change.
🫐 Hedgerows are filling with fruits and berries.
🌾 Farmers are harvesting their crops.
🍎 The land is offering its gifts in abundance.
Even though the days are still warm, nature is quietly whispering that autumn is on its way (my favourite season! 🍂).
We've moved beyond the rapid growth of early summer and into a season of generosity. The earth is overflowing with nourishment, colour and beauty, inviting us to gather in, appreciate what has flourished, and enjoy the abundance that surrounds us.
For many of us, life has been full and busy, and it may have felt as though summer would last forever. But we're now at the peak of summer's energy, and the first gentle hints of autumn are appearing.
This is a wonderful time to slow down just a little. To take stock of what you've cultivated this year, celebrate your achievements, and begin preparing—physically, mentally and spiritually—for the transition into a new season.
✨ What are you harvesting in your own life right now? What are you most grateful for? 🍂💛

05/08/2026

✨ For the past week we've been exploring the Manipura Chakra – our Solar Plexus, our own inner sunshine. ☀️
Located just below the ribcage and above the navel, Manipura is our centre of energy, confidence, personal power and achievement. It's where our inner fire burns and where our ability to manifest our dreams and intentions begins.
So, you can imagine what we've been focusing on in class!
As we move through these busy summer weeks, when life can seem to pull us in every direction, we've been reconnecting with our own inner light. Taking time to shine that light out into the world, while also making sure we're filling ourselves up too.
With last week's Full Moon and Lammas at the weekend, our practices have been centred around gathering in the abundance of the season. We've been reflecting on what we've achieved so far this year, celebrating how we've grown, expressing gratitude, and setting heartfelt intentions for the weeks and months ahead.
Our yoga practice has gently activated the Solar Plexus without creating too much heat in the body. As we begin the subtle transition from summer towards autumn, it's the perfect time to slow down just enough to harvest everything we've learned, appreciate how far we've come, and plant the seeds for what's next.
✨ What are you most grateful for right now? What would you love to manifest during the rest of this year? I'd love to hear in the comments. 💛.

16/07/2026

I have been busy this summer and posted very little on my page here, but I felt the time was right for a little reminder of the doshas.

Pitta is high in the summer and to help alleviate pitta imbalance is to massage with lovely cooling oils. Coconut is good, but even better is to use Kumari oil. It's the Ayurvedic name for the aloe vera plant and so is made up of aloe vera and other cooling herbs. By this not only is it good for helping ease the inflammation and heat of summer, it is also good for balancing female health such as the management of hot flushes, night sweats, menstrual pain, PMS!!!

So if you are struggling in the heat you may want to give this a try.

Also, get outside and put your feet onto cold dewy grass, or into a bowl of cool water if you don't want to get up early to feel the dew on your feet. Though you'd miss out on the grounding into the earth.

If you are ok to use essential oils try rose oil, one of the most effective oils to balance pitta and the heat of summer effects on your body. Massage into your temples and the soles of your feet it has an instant cooling effect. If all that masculine energy of summer especially if you are feeling irritable or short tempered :-)
Give them a go and let me know how you get on.

15/07/2026

I often talk to clients about the circle of control. The last couple of days have brought me personally back to this as I have been in a position where the things outside of my control have had quite a big impact on me. I have had to remind myself to stay within my circle of control and remember that other peoples actions, behaviours, opinions tell me more about them than it does about me. And so I step forward into today focusing on the things I can control and look after myself.

13/07/2026

I heard this on radio 2 also. I haven’t had time to write about it but my yoga teacher and friend Isabel has hit the nail on the head. Not all yoga teachers are created equally. ❤️

Apologies for a long post, but I hope you find it informative!

This afternoon on Radio 2's Jeremy Vine show, they were discussing injuries from yoga in their medical Monday slot. I have to be honest this feature left me somewhat frustrated and I would really like to clear up a few points!

My main issue with the commentary was that the resident GP (Dr Sarah Jarvis) used on this feature started by saying that she was a big fan of Pilates but knew nothing about yoga, which was obvious by the way she was discussing the discipline, especially as she appeared to lump all yoga and yoga teachers together, with preconceived ideas on how she thought we all taught and what a class consisted of.

Let me state clearly...All yoga classes and yoga teachers are not created equally!!

It seemed to me that there was an assumption that only Ashtanga and Hot Yoga exist as these are the yoga styles the GP was familiar with. These are strong athletic yoga styles, great for some people, but not for everyone, and they are certainly NOT the only styles available. There is a wide range of different traditions, each one offering something different. I believe there is a yoga style for everyone. There is so much more available than the vigorous styles usually offered in gym or presented in the media.

Dru Yoga a very safe style of yoga, we don't teach extreme postures, we can modify and adjust every practice, advise you on safe and ideal practice and will make safe, sensitive adjustments.

Talking of extreme poses, postures they repeatedly mentioned as injury causing culprits included headstand and full lotus posture - I've never taught these in 26years of teaching! She also included Triangle and seated forward bend as examples of extreme postures, which reaffirmed to me that the discussion was centred around a couple of yoga traditions. These asana are not generally considered extreme, both being easy to modify, and as with all postures, they should never be forced.

It was then suggested that we don't hand out health forms, because that's what happens at the gym Dr Jarvis attends. I think I speak for all properly qualified teachers when I say that you absolutely will be asked to complete a health form. Once I see your health form if I think there is anything we need to discuss I will contact you. Your health form allows me to make sure that I keep you safe, and that I know in advance which postures to avoid or modify, and this is also important to note, a properly qualified teacher can modify and amend postures, trust me I have a modification for everything we do! I will also tell you if I think you need a 1:1 consultation first, or permission from a health care practitioner, before you join a regular class. You will not be allowed to class 2 weeks after having a hip replacement as per an example given in the programme!!

This leads me to my next point. I can modify and adapt the yoga I teach because I am properly trained. You can train to be a yoga teacher in a weekend or you can do it like I have, ie. I did a 3 year 300 + hour basic qualification, followed by hundreds of hours of postgrad courses, recently a 600+ hour Yoga Therapy qualification, and literally thousands of hours of personal practice over more than 30 years - all yoga teachers are not equal! Plus a teacher regulated by a proper yoga organisation such as Dru UK or the British Wheel of Yoga, will have to do annual CPD to keep their insurance / registration.

If you've got to the end of this little rant, thank you, and I hope that this has reassured you that you are not risking life and limb every time you step on a yoga mat!

If you are thinking of trying a class, then do your research, and go wider than your local gym if all they are offering is high octane, vigorous yoga. Ask about your teachers training, qualifications and experience - a properly trained teacher will be more than happy to tell you :)

13/07/2026

🌿✨ Find Your Balance with Dru Yoga ✨🌿
Take some time for yourself each week to breathe, stretch, move and reconnect with your body and mind. Dru Yoga combines gentle flowing movements, mindful breathing, relaxation and deep wellbeing practices to help you feel calmer, stronger and more balanced. 💚
Whether you’re new to yoga or looking to deepen your practice, everyone is welcome. Come along and experience the benefits of Dru Yoga in a friendly, supportive environment.
🧘‍♀️ Weekly Dru Yoga Classes
📍 Roberttown Community Centre
✨ Monday – 6.45pm
✨ Tuesday – 7.45pm
📍 Howden Clough Community Centre
✨ Tuesday – 9.15am
✨ Thursday – 12.15pm
📍 Balne Lane Community Centre
✨ Friday – 9.30am
🌸 Give yourself the gift of movement, relaxation and wellbeing.
🌸 Leave feeling refreshed, renewed and ready for whatever life brings.
💚 Everyone welcome — come and enjoy the journey.