by columnist Gabrielle Harris, The Suburban Yogini Whenever I pick my son up from school I glimpse the little sign on the gate: What did you learn today? Life is one big yogic experiment offering us plenty of lessons to grow and learn from daily. The trick is to be aware of what we learn and then put that lesson into action. For the really slow learners like me, the lessons are presented over and over again in different forms. I’m Vata, according to the Ayurvedic* health system. We learn … [Read more...]
Archives for May 2012
Thinking of Quitting Your Job to Teach Yoga? 10 Questions to Ask First
by guest author Louise Thompson, Positive Balance Are you working in corporate but dreaming of jacking it all in to be a yoga teacher? Do you fantasize of days wafting about from class to class, no rush, and no hurry? It seems like nirvana as you struggle to focus on yet another board presentation. But, (as you can see from Kara-Leah’s excitement over her new job), is it? Is teaching yoga all leisurely days and packed classes and a blissed out existence? Having escaped corporate life … [Read more...]
Today I found my inner witch, and she denounced yoga
by guest author Emma Furness, former owner of The Dunedin Yoga Studio She has been in hiding – except those inevitable moments when repressed witches burst out in frustration, or the times women get together and end up cackling about blood and childbirth and the dirty body. As I felt into my wild, hook-nosed, barefoot old witch, I felt very earthed in my soft, dark, power-filled heart. This was strangely different from what I imagined I would feel once I let her loose to tell her … [Read more...]
10 reasons why I’m excited to choose corporate work over teaching yoga
by Kara-Leah Grant, Musings from the Mat Oh yes loyal Lunchboxers, after weighing up what I need in my life right now, I've decided to forgo trying to earn a living wage as a yoga teacher and website publisher, and instead head back into the workplace. I've been sprucing up my CV, writing cover letters, and getting in touch with recruitment agencies. It feels GREAT! Normally the story we hear is about people getting disillusioned with working for a living, with being in the corporate … [Read more...]
The Doshas Explained: How Ayurveda Can Revolutionize Your Eating Habits
by Valerie Love Have you ever wondered why some people can eat heaps and stay slender, while others can eat less and still gain weight? Why in the same room, some people will feel cold and others complain of heat? Why some people respond to a difficult situation with anger or fear, while others stay calm and collected? Ayurveda can help answer these questions. “Ayurveda” is Sanskrit for “knowledge (or science) of life,” and provides a framework for lifestyle and medicine aligned with … [Read more...]
How to Meditate in Four Easy Steps
by Peter Fernando, Meditation and Mindfulness I like to consider what 'meditation' is, from the perspective of a beginner, or someone who's never heard of it. Sometimes the more I think I know about something, the further away I get from really knowing the heart of it! So, having reflected on it, from an experiential place, I reckon this thing called 'meditation' actually just consists of four qualities, or skills in the mind: 1) Focus Take an object, such as the feeling of the breath in the … [Read more...]
Confessions of an ex-relationship manipulator and control freak
by Kara-Leah Grant, Musings from the Mat Ok, the headline is harsh. I admit it. But also true. See, over the last while, I've been working with a relationship pattern (a samskara) of giving away my power by not speaking my truth because I was afraid of the consequences. It's an insidious pattern because it has all kinds of detrimental effects on one's self-esteem, and the relationships one is in. Plus it creates suffering as the desire to hold on to something while betraying oneself can … [Read more...]