The Paradox of Being a Woman

I thought I was ending. I was actually just beginning. 🌿

Menopause hit me early. And if I’m being honest? It was torture.

As a journalist, I lived a life of high stress, deadlines, and adrenaline. I didn’t know it then, but I was borrowing time from my body. When the transition came, it wasn’t the graceful "spiritual awakening" I had read about. It was insomnia. It was brain fog. It was a heat that felt like it would burn me alive.

I felt like my body had betrayed me. Society told me that without my cycle, I was invisible. That I was "done."

But 40 years of Yoga Therapy taught me something different.

There is a paradox in menopause. The world sees a woman fading, but inside, I was becoming more real. Once the storm passed, I realized I felt more grounded, more sensuous, and more powerful than I did at 25.

We need to talk about the storm. But we also need to talk about the power on the other side of it.

The Invitation: I am starting a new circle. A place to pause. We will talk about the symptoms (and how to manage them without fighting your body). We will talk about the grief. And we will talk about the Second Spring—the life that waits for you after the pause.

Aleksandra Horwood27 January 2026Comment

Joy of Summer

It is here.

Finally.

The long-awaited.

Summer.

“In early June the world of leaf and blade and flowers explodes, and every sunset is different,” John Steinbeck wrote in The Winter of Our Discontent in 1961.

I enjoy the explosion of flavours and colours in Urbs Aeterna, the Eternal City. Rome.

Aleksandra Horwood17 July 2024summer, yoga, italyComment

What is Yoga Therapy?

When a student seeks out a yoga therapist or a therapeutic group, they are usually not coming to learn yoga. They come to get help with or relief from some symptom or health condition that is troubling them. In most cases, the instruction focuses on their condition and how the yoga techniques can help them feel better or improve their function, rather than on the techniques or methods of yoga practice.

Aleksandra Horwood30 September 2021yoga, buddhism, enlightement, therapy, healing, meditationComment

Runner's Yoga or Crotalus oreganus helleri

In the middle of the winter, I dream of the beautiful scenery of hiking and running trails at the Torrey Pines Reserve. Oh, how I miss those exquisite runnable trails of La Jolla! Rare Torrey pine, miles of unspoiled beaches, and a lagoon that is vital to migrating seabirds. It was like a paradise for me. The hiking trails are with stunning views and I loved to run on the beach. One can also continue north along the beach to Solana Beach and Del Mar. Those were the times. My thighs were tighter, my cheekbones higher, my skin was absorbing sun 11 months a year. Even on Christmas, I would sit in a bikini on our balcony, having breakfast. There was a paradise-like atmosphere. Except for the rattlesnakes. They are born with tiny buttons at the end of their tails. Each time they shed their skin, a scale remains behind which, in time, becomes the infamous rattle. I heard that sound more than once.

Running, yoga, Mindfulness, CroatiaAleksandra Horwood15 February 2021yoga, running, wellbeing, wellness, fitness, health, mental health, exercise, CaliforniaComment

French Toast or Nothing: Is basketball coach Mendoza the wisest man on Earth?

“Basketball or Nothing” is a fascinating tale about the young high school team and their coach Mendoza. The school’s athletic director Shaun Martin**, who is an ultramarathon runner himself constantly puts an emphasis on “why”. He wants children to become better human beings, while coach Mendoza measures his success by them not committing suicide while on his team.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar used to be his assistant coach. There is so much wisdom, patience and love radiating from his presence.

“There’s no limit to what we can accomplish if we don’t care who gets the credit,” he told his teenage team.

Meet my kind friends Esther and Mona

There were two people who right on felt compassion towards me even without me talking extensively about my situation. They extended their kindness unreservedly to offer me their friendship, the introduction to their families and their business partners and employers as I didn't have a job at that moment.

That warm feeling when someone is so kind to you at the first meeting, that is something I never forget and for me, it is an eternal promise to be there for them always, no matter what. Maybe it is a Balkan thing, maybe not. I remember so many kind people all over the world who were spontaneously kind. My friends Esther and Mona are among those beings who do what they can, whomever they encounter, sharing whatever their hearts and hands have a hold of.

The sweetest things or no more lockdown blues

For me, being in lockdown is nothing new. As a child, I remember when we had to plan well and alternate which grandparents we can visit in our green Renault 4.

In Yugoslavia in the 80s, the government renegotiated the foreign debt at the price of introducing the policy of stabilisation which in practice consisted of severe austerity measures — the so-called shock treatment.

Due to effect of the oil crisis, there was an introduction of fuel limitations (40 liters per car per month), limitation of car usage to every other day, based on the last digit on the license plate.

There were shortages of coffee, chocolate, and washing powder. We were cueing in front of the supermarket in my hometown Našice, just like I do now in London. Except there were no trolleys. One could get only 4 or 5 items and that was it. Somehow I view these moments nostalgically, but I guess my parents would have perceived it differently. I relished those simple home-made cakes, which are up to now, my absolutely favorite dessert.

In our south Slavic temperament, we say: “Bilo nam je bolje kada nam je bilo gore/It was better when it was worse”.

How and Where to Meditate, a Strategy for a Healthier Life

First, the posture. The widespread image of a yogi sitting cross-legged in samadhi might be out of reach for most of us and also not really necessary to imitate. If you can sit on a floor, that might be very useful as you don't need much and you can practice anywhere, anytime. But if you cant, don't despair. Most of us will need something to sit on, even if it is a yoga block, a big dictionary, a cushion, a folded blanket or a sweater. You can be as innovative as you want to. Some of us might have bought or made themselves cushions filled with buckwheat hulls, for instance. There are limitless possibilities to explore and play with, but I would suggest before you establish a regular sitting practice and discover what you really need, leave that for later. For now, utilise whatever you see around you.

Top Ten Tips - a Guide to Your Health and Sanity by a Yoga Teacher

My expertise is in using yoga and meditation to improve quality of life for older people - as a prevention or as a part of stroke recovery, mobility issues, chronic pain due to arthritis, osteoporosis, etc.

In light of the recent lockdown measures I have pivoted my business, not only to provide a regular daily online yoga schedule of support digitally but creating a gift certificate system for family members of elderly isolated people to purchase which will allow them to access guided activity sessions. It has been created for those who worry about parents or grandparents not getting enough exercise in isolation but can also help with fall prevention and breathing exercises.

Confidence & Competence: The Power of Self-respect

A wise woman once said: “Whenever I get stuck on something, I'm like, 'What would I do if I wasn't afraid? What would I write if I wasn't afraid? What would I say in this situation if I wasn't afraid?”

Phoebe Waller-Bridge is one of the most celebrated persons in the UK. She is cute, smart and brave.

“Nothing is slower than the true birth of a man,“ Marguerite Yourcenar wrote and I can really testify that.

My husband now tolerates my Netflix marathons. Thank God, there are not many shows I like, but if I do, I watch three series in three nights. I have no self-control. I am not patient. And I am terribly curious. That is why I am so slow in my process of rebirth. I get so easily distracted. That is why I chose to be a journalist! You are an expert for a day or a week, as long as you work on a piece. Then you move on.

Tonight I decided to write, but tomorrow I might get mesmerized by some other idea.

London, yoga, MindfulnessAleksandra Horwood16 April 2020Happy Stance Yoga TherapyComment

Success Stories or Encountering Failures and What Really Matters

The award-winning Outset Start-Up Experts inaugurated me as a success story, one of those people who turned their ideas into successful businesses. What an irony? I have never been in a worse situation in my life, seeing a failure shadow in the mirror and I am 49 years old and lived through war, divorces, abuse in the spiritual community, etc.

It was a good idea, a good start and a good foundation. But then, when everything was supposed to start rolling out as planned, La Vida Lockdown became our reality and six months of hard work evaporated in the covid19 polluted air.

How can I “offer a safe, supportive environment for the older generation to promote better health”, when all care homes, residential homes closed their doors and I cannot see or touch a single senior person?!

yoga, LondonAleksandra Horwood3 April 2020yoga, startup, business, success, covid19, corona, senior, longevity, LondonComment

Livin' La Vida Lockdown

I started my journalistic career on Olympia type-writer. I still have 72 pens carrying with me, wherever I go.

Just in case one quits on me.

I like sitting next to the people and ask questions and listen and look in their eyes.

Evolve, Sasha, evolve. Old habits die hard, but hello give away your pens finally. 71 to go.

And be kind to yourself.

Aleksandra Horwood2 April 2020https://happystance-yogatherapy.com/Comment

Better balance for life, Banish the Fear of Falling

The elderly.
We are all here because of them, our parents, our grandparents. We owe them everything.
This new situation puts them at the highest risk of getting infected with the virus. They are isolated. They might have many different health concerns, and also some might be facing anxiety, fear, depression.
Their physical functions might be deteriorating because of lack of activities, or simply because they age.
As we all age, we lose balance first and then fear of falling and suffering a severe, oftentimes life-threatening injury prevent them from moving a lot even when in limited space.

Better breathing for life

Being a yoga therapist in Germany in 2001, my clients were regularly reimbursed by health insurance, as prevention was highly regarded as one of the best cost-reducing and health-inducing methods.
Health is crucial in how we experience the old age. Every fifth person in the UK is 60+ and two-thirds of them have two or more long-term health conditions. Treatments for these conditions account for 70 % of NHS expenditure. Anxiety, depression and social isolation also contribute and/or cause limited day-to-day activities for affected individuals.
There is an increasing number of studies on the positive effects of gentler forms of exercise, everything from lowering blood pressure and managing depression to building strength and improving balance. As we age we start losing our stability and fear of falling can become bigger than the wish to stay active. But there are ways to minimize the chances of a dangerous fall.
Here is a simple exercise that if done regularly will maintain leg strength, balance, endurance, and coordination. It will also help you catch yourself if you should trip over preventing a fall.

Aleksandra Horwood1 April 2020Happy Stance Yoga Therapyyoga, meditation, breathing, senior, lungs, balance, mobility, stability, flexibility, who, nhs, fall, preventionComment

In Memoriam

Listening to her words and watching her gentle face in this video (see link below) about her first trip to India and meeting BKS Iyengar in the early 70s and inviting him to Europe, it is breathtaking. She was outstanding.

yoga, community, LondonAleksandra Horwood19 November 2019Happy Stance Yoga Therapyyoga, iyengar, teacher, authority, passion

Community

If I want to help Walthamstow residents progress toward improved health and well-being, through the practice of yoga, breathing exercises and meditation, what we practice every Friday in Harmony Hall, I need to make sure this place stays alive!

Summer

Why would anyone think of caring for old and dying, while the snipers' shots, grenades, and bombs daily kill the youngest amongst us?!

Why adopting foreign religious rituals like yoga when the newborn nation needs to redefine its identity?!