Yoga with Seema

One summer morning in 2013, I was jolted awake by a loud thud. To my dismay, the old tree outside my bedroom window had finally given way, unable to withstand the stormy winds of the night before. I watched as its roots were pulled from the ground, grieving its loss, while the tree feller reassured me that the tree had already died- the storm was only the catalyst, not the cause. Its fall was therefore inevitable- the result of a hidden weakness.
In its place, we planted a young sapling.
Coincidentally, at the time, my life felt much the same. I was grappling with fear and uncertainty as we prepared to leave our settled, comfortable life in Chester and move to Delhi for my husband’s new job. We were taking a bold step outside of our comfort zone and into the unknown. I was most worried about how my children would cope with this major change in their environment. (Two years later, that journey would take us further still - to Singapore.)
Last weekend, during a visit back to our home in Chester, I saw that same spot transformed. The sapling had grown into a beautiful tree, bursting with gorgeous white blooms. It felt like a full-circle moment. A quiet, powerful reflection of my own journey.
We spend so much time fearing what we cannot see, resisting what we do not yet understand. But when we find the courage to move through that fear, we make space for something new, for something uplifting to take shape. And sometimes, if we’re willing to trust the process, we are rewarded with the most unexpected and beautiful blooms.
It turned out to be the perfect spot for my yoga practice.

“A mind that is stretched by a new experience can never go back to its old dimensions.” - Oliver Wendell Holmes

Our mental landscape is continually reshaped by our life experiences. Each new place that we discover, each idea that we test, each person that we meet expands our sense of understanding. In stretching our minds, we gain perspective. The way we see the world shifts, often in ways we can’t fully reverse.
What we’ve learnt cannot be unlearned; what we’ve seen cannot be unseen. We move forward carrying a wider lens, unable to return to the narrower view we once held. These moments leave lasting impressions on our consciousness, quietly influencing how we interpret things.
However, growth is not always a scenic path. It can be uneven, uncomfortable, and intensely challenging. But even in those difficult stretches, something important is taking shape. We start to see with greater clarity. As we challenge ourselves to evolve, we start to notice the quiet, unfolding beauty of what lies ahead.

During my recent trip to the Cotswolds, I witnessed herd psychology- quite literally.
A herd of sheep grazing in a nearby field noticed me and slowly approached until they stood only a few metres away. Encouragingly, I called out to them. Yet no one moved. Not one sheep dared to break away from the group to explore further - even if it meant stepping just a few feet away from the herd.
It made me reflect on how similar we are as humans.
We evolved in tribes where our survival depended on belonging to a group. Even today, we build our identities around shared beliefs- political, cultural, religious, or social. When someone dares questions these beliefs, it can feel like a criticism of the group itself, thereby creating distance and friction between the person and the group.
Thinking independently can be isolating.
Yet it is also where self-awareness and growth begin.
Thinking independently is deeply transformative.
Questioning assumptions is a form of intellectual honesty. Exploring ideas, reflecting deeply, and challenging preconceived notions allows us to form opinions rooted in our own values rather than simply adhering to peer pressure.
Rather than blindly following others, critical thinking requires us to evaluate evidence, logic, and assumptions before arriving at conclusions.
In the end, thinking critically isn’t about winning an argument.
It’s about getting closer to the truth.