Food for thought, food for the soul
by guest author & freelance writer Hazel Slade “Hazel... Are you mad?” This was the reaction of one of my friends when I told her I was entering into a 40 day Hot Yoga challenge. And, I have to admit, over the past 10 days I have often asked myself that very same question. At the beginning of last week, just days into the challenge, it would have been an unequivocal yes. And let me tell you why. For the first few days of this challenge I ached. My whole body … [Read more...]
by guest author & freelance writer Hazel Slade In my early twenties, the only place you would have found me sweating profusely in a room full of people while twisting my body into unusual positions followed by swigging back a green coloured liquid, would have been in a club on a Saturday night. But now, just weeks away from my 31st birthday, I find myself doing exactly this.... but, this time around, for an entirely different reason. On Monday, January 23, I will tackle my … [Read more...]
Swami Govindananda, affectionately known as Swami Ji, is a Kiwi boy born and bred, so he always loves coming back home to spread the yogic word. He's back on tour here in New Zealand in April, May and June. You can find full details of his workshops and retreat here. An entertaining and inspirational speaker, Swami Ji gives some interesting insight into what it means to be a swami, and why every serious yogi needs to find a Guru one day. 1. What does it mean to be a Swami? In … [Read more...]
by guest author Alys Titchener, author of blog Squashed Mosquito. Set up against all weather predictions, long term at least, Global Mala took to the outdoors on Wellington’s waterfront. An hour before, it was hard to tell if the blue sky was teasing us or accommodating us. From one hour to the next, it’s hard to know what the weather will do in Wellington. We arrived in optimism giving thanks to the sun; an attitude to befit an afternoon of sun salutations. Not having done more … [Read more...]
I first discovered the power of committing to do a new practice every day for a defined period of time when I was living in Afghanistan. I'd been having a really difficult time dealing with some of the suffering and injustice I was seeing every day and my anxiety levels were going through the roof. I'd dabbled in yoga and meditation and knew that both practices had helped me find a solid, calm space even in the midst of the most extreme circumstances but my practice was erratic and the … [Read more...]
If you started your 30 days of yoga sadhana on January 15th then you’ve been practicing for 10 days now. You are one third of the way through your sadhana. Are you having fun yet? Maybe that seems like a strange question. Maybe you expect yoga to be serious? It is. At least, it is profound. My experience of yoga has been that it leads me into all of my own darkest places and then helps me find the steadiness and the ease that I need to go through each of them. Missed the first … [Read more...]
