Warm rays of the early morning sun create a welcoming path into the wild river. Nature’s art reflecting on the surface of the water. Stunning shades of emerald, jade and peridot. Riverbed sand sparkling around my feet in the crystal clear warm waters of the shallows. Dark, cool and mysterious as I swim into the depths. I feel the stillness, movement and flow of the water around me.
A beautiful ecosystem of life surrounds us. Sandstone cliffs rise high and protective, trees grow tall to the sky. Tree tops bathed in sunlight. Dippers dance on the water and rocks. Oystercatchers fly by. A kestrel sings. Baby fish swim in my shadow.
I feel an intimacy with wild nature as I swim in the wild river. On her path to the sea where her waters will join the wild waves. Nothing will stand in her way. She will adapt. Keep flowing. Keep renewing. I feel honoured to be part of her journey.
For now, the wild river flows in me.
I feel the energy of the waves as they dance towards me.
Wild. Powerful. Strong.
Rising, crashing and falling like our emotions, and the boundless nature of our soul.
I feel stillness in the movement as I embrace the wild power of my vulnerability in the vastness of the ocean.
At one with the flow of nature’s wild creativity.
The feeling of freedom in my mind, body and soul.
Nature’s wild gift.
A timeless moment of raw connection, to lose myself, and find myself.
How would it feel to open your wild heart to wild possibilities? To live a life of adventure, authenticity and freedom, with the courage of a wild hearted warrior. To embrace your true self, and the unexpected twists and turns that life takes.
Embracing unexpected and exciting opportunities, and navigating life’s challenges often requires wild courage and a willingness to step outside of our comfort zones. To try something different. To release fear, self doubt and the need to control. Allowing ourselves to be receptive to new experiences and emotions.
With an open heart we can listen to our inner voice and trust our instincts, even when they don’t align with what others might expect. We can step into uncertainty and see potential for growth and joy that lies beyond the familiar. Free from societal expectations and inhibitions.
A wild heart is true to its wild nature, flowing with the seasons of change and growth. Adapting fearlessly to situations and wild possibilities that life presents.
Wild yoga encourages you to be your true authentic self. To move wild and free as nature intended. To find joy in the moment, in movement and freedom. There are no boundaries or limitations. No rules and expectations. An opportunity to connect with nature, connect with yourself, listen to your body and move in a way that feels true to you.
Embrace the freedom of wild nature, open your wild heart and allow yourself to feel the wild possibilities that life presents.
I love the feeling of being wild and free in the water. At one with wild nature, at one with myself. Connected. It’s a happy place and every experience in the wild water is unique. I embrace them all.
We timed our wild sea dip for when the tide was coming in. It was late morning. A frosty start with glimmers of sunshine. The day had a calm vibe. It felt good. This was my first dip in cold winter waters and February weather can be very changeable, but with wild courage I embraced the opportunity to experience the wild beauty of being in the winter sea.
As we approached Findhorn Bay we glimpsed the ocean and her beautiful rolling waves. Shades of deep blue, green, turquoise and white dancing against a muted February sky. Tom loves photographing seascapes, especially waves so this felt like a gift from wild nature. I often feel that wild nature dances for Tom and his camera. The sea was dancing, offering an untamed wildness that somehow felt inviting.
The last time I wild swam was in Autumn – October in the intimate waters of the Wild Lochan. I absolutely loved the swim and encounter with Shaun, but I got very cold after I came out of the water. A lack of wild swim experience. So equipped with neoprene gloves, socks, a woolly hat from the Outdoor Swimming Society, and a kit bag with DryRobe, towel, and warm clothes left beside Tom and his camera, I quietly walked into the vastness of the ocean to meet the wild waves.
Tim has brought so many beautiful teachings to my world. One of those being wild courage – the strength of mind to carry on. To have a go. To feel the fear and do it anyway.
Tim and I run together Canicross and raced successfully last season. Towards the end of the race season, determined to run as fast as I could for Tim, I fell and injured myself. Twice. It has been a long road to get back to running at race pace and my body still doesn’t like it in certain conditions, favouring longer runs at a steadier pace. Yoga and strength training have been key to my recovery and I choose to listen to my body more.
Opportunity often arises out of adversity and when I was unable to run, Tim and I tried Bikejor together. Tim loved it as it allowed him to run faster and more freely. So did I. Roscoe entered our world and Bikejor became part of our training. As we started the current canisport season, Tim and I entered Canicross races. We won our first race, but I felt it, and knew if I continued to run at sub 4min / km pace in muddy conditions, I risked aggravating the injury, and as a yogi we focus on creating longevity for the body.
A race was coming up that both Tim and I love in the beautiful Darnaway Forest. Our favourite race location. I knew Canicross wouldn’t be an option for us, but Tim loves to race, I love racing with Tim, and wanted to give Tim the opportunity to do what he loves.
Tom is an exceptionally talented race photographer and Tim and I are lucky that Tom shares his talent with us, and we train and race together as Team Meatball. Tom took some photos of Tim and I Bikejoring and at the end of the shoot Tom said that Tim was smiling at him from ear to ear as he ran past him. It was clear that Tim absolutely loves Bikejor. I could always feel it from Tim, but now I could see it in Tom’s photos too. Tim and Tom share a beautiful bond and I knew that Tim wanted Tom to show me how much he loves Bikejor.
Racing Bikejor with Tim was an option for the Darnaway races. However we had only trained on straightforward trails. No twists, turns and steep downhills like race trails. Before I started Bikejoring with Tim earlier in the year, I hadn’t been on a bike for about 15 years. So my skills and confidence on the bike were a bit rusty. As I looked through Tom’s photo’s of Tim and I Bikejoring, both of us smiling ear to ear, I knew I had to give racing Bikejor with Tim a go. For Tim, for Team Meatball, and for myself.
I’ve spent too many years shying away from opportunities because they’ve scared me. Often choosing the easy option. But my yoga practice helps me embrace new challenges and confront my fears. Life is short. We are gifted one wild life. Now I choose to live it fully, with Tim as my guiding light. So with belief and encouragement from Tom, and friends and fellow canisport athletes Grant and Walt, Tim and I entered our first Bikejor race.
I knew this would take courage on my part, but I learn courage from Tim in abundance. Tim has overcome so much adversity in his short life – loosing a job he loved when he was forced to retire early from his successful Trailhound racing career, nearly loosing his life, twice, and adapting to a new home and completely different lifestyle with me. He has got through all this with courage, strength and determination, and with the love of his beautiful breeder and Trailhound racing family, and now myself and others who adore Tim.
Our first Bikejor race was an incredible experience. The day before the race I didn’t know if I was completely petrified or incredibly excited, but I knew that Tim would keep me right and Tom had kindly shared some brilliant MTB tips with me for the trails. Tim and Tom believed in me. As we lined up at the start line I felt the connection. The love, unity and trust between Tim and I. I felt wild courage from Tim, and I knew this was going to be amazing. And it was. This was all about Team Meatball … Tim and I having fun out on the trails, and seeing Tom in his natural habitat, capturing magical moments of hounds and humans doing what they love.
Sand dunes. A beautiful wild ecosystem providing a protective barrier to the inland, beyond the reach of the tides, shaped by the winds of time. Creating a landscape that is ever changing, remains resilient, and demonstrates the natural beauty of adaptation.
Natural balance and harmony, constantly changing and evolving, yet maintaining an intrinsic structure and form. The grains of sand that form a dune are continually moved and shaped by the whims of the wind. Sand dunes teach us the importance of embracing change and adapting to new circumstances.
The constant shifting and movement of the sand reminds us of the importance of flowing with life’s changes while maintaining strength, stability and harmony. Each grain of sand contributes to the whole of the dune, and every experience, challenge and triumph in our life contributes to the whole of us.
Marram grass grows wild in the dunes. Native to the UK, it thrives in shifting sand by rooting deeply, and when the wind naturally blows lots of sand on top of it, it simply grows up tall through the sand, adapting to its wild environment. Its root system helps stabilise the sand which creates an important habitat for other plants and insects. An ecosystem of wild life in the wild dunes.
Our minds and bodies change and adapt over time. We become stronger and more resilient, as we dance through the challenges of life. By rooting deeply we grow and evolve, withstanding the winds of change. Our life experiences shape us and we flow and dance with the rhythms of life.
When I practice wild yoga in the dunes, I’m inspired to flow between poses like a dance. Continually moving and changing, like the wild dunes. So the wild yoga pose I will share with you for the dunes is wild dancer (main pic, above). Let wild nature be your guide to create your own dance and move wild and free.
Natarajasana
Wild dancer is a challenging yet graceful balancing pose that requires effort and ease. It improves balance, stability, focus, posture, flexibility and body awareness. Strengthens core and back and stretches chest and shoulders. As you stand on each leg in dancer pose you will strengthen your legs and ankles and correct any muscle imbalances in your legs, hips and glutes.
Stand tall in the dunes in Mountain Pose and take the hands into prayer position, Anjali Mudra. Root into the dunes with the left standing foot and lift the right foot behind to your bum, keeping the knees together and core engaged for stability.
Keep the left hand at heart and take the right hand behind to grab the inside of the right foot. Slowly kick your right foot out and up to the sky while you take your left hand forward and up, tilting your upper body forward. Keep your chest raised, heart to the sky. Use your gaze for focus and core for stability.
Breathe deep.
Release and change sides.
Enjoy the moment as Lord of the Dance of the dunes, connected to wild self and nature.
Wild dunes. A perfect habitat for wild yoga.
Love your life
Being Wild and Free x
📸 🌟 ❤️ Thomas Salway at Studio 57 North
Be inspired by a collection of Tom’s Wild Yoga and Wild Swimming images in nature … beach, sea, dunes, forest, loch, lochan, mountain, landscape, moors. Create your own wild yoga, being wild and free in nature, and join the Wild Yoga movement.
Every wild path, every journey, every adventure leads us somewhere. To a place, a new chapter in our life, a new feeling or experience, somewhere different, somewhere beautiful. Or maybe a fresh challenge. Our one wild and precious life is full of many adventures, journeys, wild paths, twists and turns.
Whatever wild path we choose at any moment will lead us to a destination. We should trust that the path we choose is the right path. Commit to it fully. There are no wrong paths. It’s all part of our wild adventure. Every path we choose, every experience, twist and turn is part of what makes us who we are.
Sometimes we focus so much on where the path is taking us, or what we want to achieve, that we miss the beauty of the moment as the journey unfolds. Tim has taught me to be wildly curious and enjoy every moment on the path of life. To explore it fully and embrace all the gifts and challenges offered to us along the path. We can always find a moment of joy, beauty, or something to be grateful for, even when the path is challenging.
The sound of birds, the air we breathe, the scents of a forest, the colours in the sky, the drama of a landscape, the crashing waves of the ocean, the stillness of a calm loch, the majesty of a mountain, the wildness of the weather. The gifts from wild nature can make the journey along the wild path as beautiful as the destination.
I have fallen in love with wild swimming and how it makes me feel. At one with nature, calm, invigorated, energised. There’s something about it that words don’t quite do justice, you have to feel it. It’s amazing and it helps my body feel great too.
We’re training for Canicross season, cross country running with Tim. Tim and I compete in Canicross races. My training includes a combination of running, yoga and strength training. Training can be quite intense as I strive to be the best I can, for Tim, and I wanted to find out how wild swimming and cold water therapy would aid my recovery. After a run training session we headed to the Wild Lochan. My favourite place to wild swim. I love the feeling of connection and intimacy I have with the Wild Lochan. She always invites me in, and I feel protected by her wild nature.
Tom and I stood on the bank of the Wild Lochan, admiring the glisten of the sunlight on her waters, the changing colours of the silver birch trees, jewel like around her shores, the heathers on the moors displaying their autumn colours. A beautiful lone sheep stood at the other side of the Wild Lochan. Watching us. As I got ready to enter the water, Tom took some photos of the lone sheep. Tom’s connection with the wild and knowledge of nature inspires me to be open to learning more when I’m out in nature. I always feel there are lessons nature is offering us. If we are curious, keep an open mind, observe, feel and listen, we can learn so much from nature.
As I entered the cold water of the Lochan, I watched the lone sheep and thought to myself it’s ok to stand alone, like the sheep. To be your true wild self. We all have our unique gifts, yet we often want to be like others, but we are best at being ourselves.
I splashed and swam in the Wild Lochan’s cold waters. This was the coldest water I had experienced so far. It was exhilarating. I felt an inner glow as I reflected on the connection I was feeling with the Wild Lochan, and with the lone sheep standing on the far bank, quietly watching.
Tom’s beautiful wild photography and his incredible connection with nature is unique to Tom, my yoga practice and the way I teach yoga is unique to me, the way Tim and I connect and run together is unique to us. What you do and the way you do it is unique to you. We should embrace our uniqueness. Be authentic and only strive to be the best version of ourselves. You are the unique gift that you bring to the world. Nobody else can be you. Be wildly you. Stand out.
I started to feel cold, I had been swimming front crawl with my head submerged in the water, a rookie error perhaps as when I stopped swimming, my head was cold. A beautiful sunbeam shone across the Lochan, lighting up the water with a warm inviting glow. I headed over to the sunbeam and felt the warmth of the sun. Nature looking after me again. If we trust in Mother Nature and stay curious it’s amazing what we can learn and how she will guide us if we let her.
I felt gratitude for this beautiful wild moment in nature.
The sheep is called Shaun.
Live your life
Being wildly authentically you 🐑 ❤️ x
Cold water therapy did significantly speed up my recovery from intense exercise, combined with my daily yoga practice. My muscles felt great the next day, with no stiffness, which is normal the day after intense run training.
Be inspired by a collection of Tom’s Wild Yoga and Wild Swimming images in nature … beach, sea, forest, loch, lochan, mountain, landscape, moors. Create your own wild yoga, being wild and free in nature, and join the Wild Yoga movement.
🐑 🏊🏻♀️ 📸 🌟 ❤️ Thomas Salway at Studio 57 North
Autumn, one of my favourite seasons in nature. We feel and see changes in the weather, the sky, the colours and light in the landscape, the activity of wildlife. Nature gifts us her autumn colour palette. Golds, deep reds, bronzes, oranges, yellows, warm greens. And her bountiful harvest of fruits and berries. Daylight hours diminish and we learn to embrace darker nights again. A time to gaze upwards at the moon and stars on a clear night, to marvel at the beauty of the universe. Nature teaches us that change can be beautiful.
We can feel changes within ourselves too. A slowing down as we learn to enjoy cosy nights in. More time for rest. Walks at dusk. A time to nourish ourselves. I find my wild yoga practice changing too. During the summer months nature guides me to build strength and energy with my yoga. In autumn it becomes more gentle. More focused. A time to go inward and be grateful, a time to restore, refocus and rebalance.
Change is inevitable. Sometimes good, but sometimes change can feel challenging. We learn from nature to embrace change and our wild yoga practice can help us to lean into change. Wild yoga and nature have our back. We just need to trust that we are where we need to be, focus on what we can change and let go of situations out of our control. Preserve our wild energy, as nature does.
I love the trees in autumn. The spectacular display of colours as they prepare to let go of their leaves. Natures wild celebration of letting go. When Tom and I headed out into the wilds for our wild yoga in autumn photoshoot I had decided that tree pose would be my main pose, to honour the spectacle that the trees gift us in autumn. I did practice tree pose with an upward salute to show my gratitude to the trees. It always feels incredible to connect with trees through wild yoga. But wild nature guided me to eagle pose. A pose I find quite challenging for my body shape, but as nature shows us, sometimes we need to lean into the challenges to grow and evolve.
Wild eagle is a pose that improves balance and focus to help us move through life’s changes. Eagles have powerful vision. The eyes of an eagle are designed for long distance focus with clarity.
Stand tall in Mountain Pose, with your feet slightly apart. Feel a grounding connection with the earth.
Bend both knees, lift your right foot, and slowly wrap your right leg over your left. Then curl your right foot behind your left calf, and hook it there. (You should not feel strain in either knee.)
Reach both arms out in front of you and wrap your right arm under your left, crossing the right elbow below the left. Aim to bring your palms close together, raising your elbows to shoulder height.
Take your eagle eyed gaze up above your hands, engage your core for stability and breathe deep.
Stay here for a few deep breaths, feeling the stretch in your upper back. Return to Mountain pose and repeat on the other side.
Wild eagle can be a challenging pose so listen to your body and don’t force. Wrap your legs and arms only as far as is comfortable for your body, or if wild eagle isn’t right for you, enjoy a wild mountain pose and look up to the sky or into the distant trees for a wild eagle.
Eagle Pose improves balance and focus, and postural and body awareness. It stretches around your shoulders, upper back, and thighs, as it strengthens your core, thighs, legs, and ankles.
Enjoy autumn and embrace the beauty of change.
Love your life.
Being Wild and Free 🍂🧡 x
Be inspired by a collection of Tom’s Wild Yoga and Wild Swimming images in nature … beach, sea, forest, loch, lochan, mountain, landscape, moors. Create your own wild yoga, being wild and free in nature, and join the Wild Yoga movement.
🍂📸🌟🧡 Thomas Salway at Studio 57 North
I stood on the sand of Findhorn Beach beside Tom and his camera. Looking out to the beautiful wild ocean, mountains rising in the distance. Waves gently crashing at my feet creating soft white foam and bubbles. The water clear. I have fallen in love with wild swimming, and wild yoga in the water, and had been in these waters in summer. But today it was colder, we’re in autumn, and the vastness of the ocean in front of me felt a little intimidating. I felt some fear.
Fear can be normal when we step out of our comfort zone or do something different. Tom was amazing, and encouraged me to only do what felt right for me. We could swim somewhere different if I wanted to. Tom’s kind words and caring nature always gives me confidence so I decided I would paddle in the shallows and stay curious about how I felt in the water.
Our yoga practice teaches us to be curious. As we move through yoga poses we become curious about the feelings and sensations in our body, curious about our breath and our surroundings. Curiosity can help us disconnect from the busyness of our mind and take our thoughts away from the uncertainties and fears that we can dwell on. We learn to let go of that which we can’t control. We learn to stay curious.
The healing effects of nature are well known and documented. So too are the healing effects of yoga. Combine nature and yoga, Wild Yoga, and we create a potentially powerful prescription for enhancing our wellbeing. Nature teaches us to be curious about our wild surroundings. There’s always something to be wildly curious about in nature. The sounds, colours, textures, movement, the feeling of the air around us. Activities of wild animals in their wild habitat.
As I tentatively stepped into the sea I took deep breaths, as I do when practicing yoga. Long slow inhales, and long slow exhales to the rhythm of the waves. Deep breathing can soothe our mind and help us find calm and I felt an inner smile as I trusted wild nature to look after me. I let go of fear and became curious about how this wild adventure in the sea would unfold. My fears floated away into the sea. I knew Tom was close too. The wild tranquility of the water gently soothing me. Tom’s kind gentle words comforting me.
After a few wild splashes and wild volcano’s I was swimming in the ocean. It felt amazing. I felt vibrant. Invigorated and energised. Connected and at one with the sea. A few minutes ago I felt fear. Now I felt peaceful and happy. A reminder that feelings can and do change.
I was about to head back to the shore to thank Tom for his kind words which both comforted and encouraged me to be curious, when I turned round to face the distant mountains and do a Wild Volcano … my yogi way of thanking the sea for looking after me. There he was. A beautiful curious seal, watching me with gentle eyes and wild curiosity. Every encounter with a wild animal in their wild habitat is a gift to me. I stood in the sea in awe of this fabulous curious seal. Honoured that he was letting me share his space in the wild. Our eyes connected. An incredible moment of wild connection that will remain in my heart forever.
Tom is a very talented photographer and I am very lucky to share wild adventures with Tom and collaborate with him on our wild yoga movement. I describe Tom’s beautiful photography as wild photography. He shares an incredible connection with nature and the wild and always captures the spirit of a moment in a way that tells a timeless story. Everything dances for Tom and his camera. Because he’s kind and curious, wild nature responds. Tom’s photo’s tell the story of this amazing encounter with the kind curious seal more beautifully than my words ever could …
The seal is called Sam.
Love your life
Being Wild and Free 🌊 🦭❤️ x
Be inspired by a collection of Tom’s Wild Yoga and Wild Swimming images in nature … beach, sea, forest, loch, lochan, mountain, landscape, moors. Create your own wild yoga, being wild and free in nature, and join the Wild Yoga movement.
🌊 🦭 📸 🌟 ❤️ Thomas Salway at Studio 57 North
Warm rays of the early morning sun create a welcoming path into the wild river. Nature’s art reflecting on the surface of the water. Stunning shades of emerald, jade and peridot. Riverbed sand sparkling around my feet in the crystal clear warm waters of the shallows. Dark, cool and mysterious as I swim into the […]
I feel the energy of the waves as they dance towards me. Wild. Powerful. Strong. Rising, crashing and falling like our emotions, and the boundless nature of our soul. I feel stillness in the movement as I embrace the wild power of my vulnerability in the vastness of the ocean. At one with the flow […]
How would it feel to open your wild heart to wild possibilities? To live a life of adventure, authenticity and freedom, with the courage of a wild hearted warrior. To embrace your true self, and the unexpected twists and turns that life takes. Wild courage Embracing unexpected and exciting opportunities, and navigating life’s challenges often […]
I love the feeling of being wild and free in the water. At one with wild nature, at one with myself. Connected. It’s a happy place and every experience in the wild water is unique. I embrace them all. Wild Courage We timed our wild sea dip for when the tide was coming in. It […]
Tim has brought so many beautiful teachings to my world. One of those being wild courage – the strength of mind to carry on. To have a go. To feel the fear and do it anyway. Wild Canicross Tim and I run together Canicross and raced successfully last season. Towards the end of the race […]
Sand dunes. A beautiful wild ecosystem providing a protective barrier to the inland, beyond the reach of the tides, shaped by the winds of time. Creating a landscape that is ever changing, remains resilient, and demonstrates the natural beauty of adaptation. Wild change Natural balance and harmony, constantly changing and evolving, yet maintaining an intrinsic […]
Every wild path, every journey, every adventure leads us somewhere. To a place, a new chapter in our life, a new feeling or experience, somewhere different, somewhere beautiful. Or maybe a fresh challenge. Our one wild and precious life is full of many adventures, journeys, wild paths, twists and turns. Wild adventure Whatever wild path […]
I have fallen in love with wild swimming and how it makes me feel. At one with nature, calm, invigorated, energised. There’s something about it that words don’t quite do justice, you have to feel it. It’s amazing and it helps my body feel great too. Wild training We’re training for Canicross season, cross country […]
Autumn, one of my favourite seasons in nature. We feel and see changes in the weather, the sky, the colours and light in the landscape, the activity of wildlife. Nature gifts us her autumn colour palette. Golds, deep reds, bronzes, oranges, yellows, warm greens. And her bountiful harvest of fruits and berries. Daylight hours diminish […]
I stood on the sand of Findhorn Beach beside Tom and his camera. Looking out to the beautiful wild ocean, mountains rising in the distance. Waves gently crashing at my feet creating soft white foam and bubbles. The water clear. I have fallen in love with wild swimming, and wild yoga in the water, and […]