In E05, ‘Up Hill’, we ask what it means to take care of ourselves inside & outside this January - a month traditionally associated with new resolutions & regimes. We talk to yoga teacher Elle Daniel & hear a poem by Theresa Giffard, ‘Self Portrait’.

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In part 1 we ponder over why, especially at the toughest time of the year, and especially this year, we tend to punish ourselves with gruelling diets & exercise regimes? Looking at the name of January’s full moon (the Wolf Moon) and of the month itself for clues; January is named after the Roman deity Janus, the god of beginnings, the rising and setting of the sun, transitions and doorways. Depicted with two faces - he looks both back at the past and forwards to the future. As do many of the new year celebrations we see continuing throughout January across the world.

Makar Sankranti, a Hindu festival dedicated to the sun, marks the end of the darkest month on January 14th when the sun enters Makara - the Hindu equivalent of Capricorn - a mythological sea creature that represents river Goddesses and sea Gods, also guardians of gateways and thresholds. Meanwhile, many Mahāyāna Buddhists celebrate New Year on the first full moon, 28th January, which is also the Jewish New Year of Trees - Tu B’shvat

For part 2 I took inspiration from a Guardian article on new year resolutions by Dr Laurie Santos, a professor at Yale University and host of The Happiness Lab podcast. To imagine what a healthy approach to self-improvement might look like, I had a chat with Balance Garden yoga teacher, Elle Daniel (pictured below). You can read more about some of the things we discuss her blog, find her on Instagram, and try her Lunchtime Flow yoga class on Tuesdays 12.45-13.45

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In part 3 we hear a poem called ‘Self Portrait’, written & read by Theresa Giffard, pictured below with her son Lucas who kindly shared this recording. I then read my blog, ‘Falling in Love During Lockdown - part 2’ and close the podcast, reflecting on the themes we’ve explored, quoting from Amanda Gorman’s poem read at Joe Biden’s inauguration ceremony, ‘The Hill We Climb’