Spring Awakening — White Lilac Yoga (Copy)

There’s something about this time of year that invites a softer kind of curiosity. Not the striving kind, but the wandering sort. The kind that notices what’s blossoming at the edges of paths, what’s pushing up through hedgerows, what’s been there all along waiting to be seen (and occasionally, eaten).

I’ve been dipping a toe into foraging, very much as a beginner, with a healthy respect for the phrase “when in doubt, leave it out.” It turns out that learning what’s safe to eat is both wonderfully grounding and mildly humbling. Plants are generous, but not particularly forgiving of overconfidence.

Luckily, I’ve had good company in this. Nick, who seems to carry an entire woodland field guide in his head, has been gently pointing out bird calls I would otherwise miss completely, and identifying plants with the calm certainty of someone who actually looks properly. And Laura, bringing her chef’s eye to the whole thing, has been transforming wild finds into things you’d actually want to eat twice.

Wild garlic is having its moment right now; bright, green, and unmistakable once you know it. There’s something deeply satisfying about gathering a handful and turning it into something simple. I tried my hand at making labneh recently - strained yoghurt, a pinch of salt, a bit of patience and adding finely chopped wild garlic. It felt almost suspiciously easy, as though I’d skipped a step somewhere. But no, that was it. Nature did most of the work.

*Wild foraged garlic labneh @blueliaskitchen*

There’s a lesson in that, I think. Not everything needs refining or perfecting. Sometimes it’s enough to notice, to gather, to try.

And perhaps that’s part of what we’re practising, on and off the mat: a kind of reconnection. Not a polished, picture-perfect version, but something a little more real. A little messier. Which, frankly, is reassuring—because “messy” has been something of a theme in my life these past few years. It’s nice to discover that nature not only allows for that, but seems to prefer it.

So this season, maybe we let things be a bit unstructured. Pause to listen. Notice what’s growing. Learn something new, forget it, and learn it again. And if it all feels a bit imperfect, you’re probably doing it exactly right.

See you on the mat (or possibly in a patch of wild garlic).