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I now love the fresh air (apart from when the manure is on the fields!) and I eat better as the local foods are great. There is good bread, good fruit and veg and lovely artisan foods. I also have lots of time to do Yoga. I have been attending a local class for a year. Although the classes around here are not as regular as they were in London, I take time everyday to do around half an hour of sun salutations and standing asanas. I have also taken up jogging now. I am finding it so exhilarating and once I get through the first ten minutes of sheer agony, I start to feel fantastic. I find that running outside is definitely harder than in the gym! Overall, I now feel so much better than I did before I moved to the country. It is a combination of the exercise, food, fresh air and getting from A to B is much easier as well!
What is it about Yoga which you love so much?
It gives me calm and balance. It has also changed me in lots of ways. I was 34 when I started, which is fairly late to come into Yoga. I was going to Gym before that. I did one Yoga classes and then leapt in with both feet in to a Yoga holiday! This gave me a glimpse of something different to my usual life. As well as the calm and balance it gave me during the holiday and classes, I started to bring Yoga into my everyday life. I would use the breathing for getting me through a stressful meeting for example. I then became more and more fascinated by Yoga and the other people in my classes and on the holidays would talk of India. I then took a career break and went to India which then led me into writing.
So I guess you have a lot to thank Yoga for?!
Yes definitely! Now I live in the country I do part time research, some freelance advertising projects and writing. I find that just writing can be isolationist and just research and advertising can be quite difficult. The advertising industry and the lifestyle I had before became quite toxic. I was like a Bridget Jones and my life out of work would revolve around Pinot Grigio and my M & S Meal for One. However, I must also say that there were parts of advertising which I really enjoyed. Now, I combine the parts of advertising which I liked with my writing career. I also have lots of support now I am married form my husband David which makes a difference. Yoga even brought me to meet my husband as we were introduced through a friend who had met both of us on separate yoga courses. So I do have a lot to thank Yoga for!
If you didn’t do Yoga, what would you spend your time doing?
Drinking! I used to go out for drinks to relax me. Also, I had a brief period doing step aerobics. I bought Cher’s Step Class Video and a Reebok Step. I even had the Bananarama style outfit and hair to go with it! I look back on that and laugh. It definitely wasn’t me!
Both your books talk about the many retreats, classes and workshops you have attended. What has been your most inspiring Yoga experience?
The first one I ever had. It was a Yoga holiday with Simon Low in Turkey. I was a complete novice at the time. I would stand at the back of his classes shaking with the poses, wobbling like jelly! Simon and the other people in my class helped me through this and inspired me to take Yoga further. I had tried yoga 10 years before that and I lasted about 10 minutes in the class. Having the right teacher who is clear and down to earth is so important.
Your book brings up many difficult personal issues, such as fertility. Did you find writing about this challenging?
No. Part of writing the book was to alert younger women in their early thirties to think about fertility and having children. I wish someone had given me a wake up call when I was younger about how age affects your chances of having children. In a lot of ways the book was like my own therapy. Writing everything down helped a lot. After it was published and I read it through again and it all hit me for a second time. I almost had a second wave of the upset.
How did you get through that?
I just had to go with it. Yoga teaches you to accept things and that is what I did. I didn’t try to battle it, I just accepted it. I now count my blessings every day. Although I don’t have children I have so many wonderful things in my life. We are lucky that we can go away when we like, and I am free to do what I want, when I want. Also, I have time to do my writing!
You make many courageous decisions in the book such as moving away from everything you know in London to the country. What advice would you give someone who needs the courage to make a big change in their life?
Just go for it and follow your dream! I have a natural tendency to drop everything and do something else. I would advise people to try exploring smaller steps. For example, if you want to move to the country, try renting for a bit or stay with someone in that area to get a taste for it. If you hate your job, firstly find ways to change your attitude to the job before you leave. Is it the job or is it your attitude to the job? If you do want to change it, start getting the stepping stones in place to do that.
So is there anything you miss about your life in London?
Cappuccino; friends; movies; drinks; readily available bowls of pasta and galleries like the Tate. Although not necessarily in that order! I tend to got to London every three to four weeks and I look forward to going but also look forward to coming back. Also, my friends tend to visit a lot and although I don’t have the Tate there are many wonderful local artists, painters and sculptors who do amazing work.
You are currently working on your third book, can you give us any clues on what this is about?
It is fiction. It is an idea I have had for 5 years. I have just started it and a week later I have written 15000 words! I am really enjoying writing it. Writing fiction gives me freedom to create. The characters interact so well with each other and can move in different directions and they almost take on a life of their own. It was more challenging with my last few books as they were autobiographical. I had to disguise characters and their identities. I am finding that I am writing this latest book very quickly as I have much of it written in note form so I can refer back when needed.
Can you give us a clue about the subject of the book?
It is about what it is to be the wrong size in a body conscious world. It is about empowering women and the relationships they have with their bodies.
Lucy’s book ‘The Handbag and Wellies Club’ is out now, visit www.yogaschooldropout.com. Look out for Lucy’s upcoming novel next year.
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