Inside the experience of a loving-kindness sadhana to Day 20

Expressions of joy

This practice was inspired by many things. A conversation with friends after a heart-opening Bhakti practice about the nature of the spiritual path. An understanding that opening the body was all very well, but unless the heart also opened, essentially meaningless. A desire to experience more equinimity, more joy, more bliss, more love. And a book called A Path with Heart. … [Read more...]

Wellington Meditation Teacher: Stephen Archer

Wellington Meditation Teacher Stephen Archer

A great gain for the Wellington meditation community, Stephen Archer has recently moved here with his partner Annie Chapman. They were previously involved in the running of a retreat centre up in the Coromandel, and Stephen is now involved with the Original Nature Mediation Group. Stephen has a long history with meditation - he first ordained as a monk back in the early eighties. He now brings this depth of knowledge and understanding to retreats all over the country. … [Read more...]

How to connect to other people while holding your centre – a new loving-kindness sadhana

Hugs at Paekakariki

Perhaps my biggest discovery this year has been the power of sadhana. I started my new years with a Forty Day Sadhana of Sodarshan Chakra Kriya. It took me a bit longer than forty days to finish it, as I missed a day at day 35 and had to start all over again... but boy was it powerful when I finally finished. I was super excited when I started my next sadhana - all about accessing infinite energy and prosperity. Unfortunately, I had to stop that one at Day 15 because I discovered I was … [Read more...]

Wellington Yoga Teacher: Annie Chapman

Wellington Yoga Teacher Annie Chapman

The Wellington Yoga community just keeps growing and growing! I was delighted to meet Annie at a recent Bhakti Yoga session hosted by Tyag. She's recently moved down from the Coromandel where she was involved in the running of a retreat centre for some years. Annie is a IYTA certified Yoga Teacher and Massage Therapist and has practised Yoga since childhood - how awesome it that,  being taken along to classes with her mum when she was 10 years old. Like many of us yogis, she is … [Read more...]

How to unleash your inner Goddess

Yoga Goddesses at play - KL, Lauren and Kelly

There is a Goddess that lives inside each and every woman. In some women, the Goddess is obscured by thick, heavy clouds of fear. Posture is weighted, cramped and hunched. Skin is pale. Eyes dart. In other women, the Goddess has been laquered over with a mask of perfection. Glitz, glamour and gloss strut their stuff, leaving no time nor room for the sensual, knowing, easy delight of a Goddess. Then there are those women who fear for the safety of their Goddess in this (apparently) … [Read more...]

Journeys with Satyananda in Rikhia – one yogi tells all

Satyananda yogi Tyag in padmasana

by guest author Christopher Gladwell There was a time in my life when there was so much unresolved emotional trauma that I sought to dampen the pain of being alive. I don’t know if you have ever been through this or indeed if you still regularly seek anaesthetic experiences? For me, this manifested in some serious addictive behaviour with alcohol and narcotics to begin with, the drive towards truth moving me out of this addiction, I fell into addictive behaviour with food, … [Read more...]