by columnist Gabrielle Harris Why worry There should be laughter after pain There should be sunshine after rain These things have always been the same So why worry now Why worry now Mark Knopfler Why worry? For about 20 years I suffered from low level anxiety to panic attacks that were bought on by being away from home. I since learnt the root cause of these but that is not what really saved me, YODA saved me. Stress, panic and anxiety are rife in our society. We worry … [Read more...]
Archives for June 2012
Sometimes Yoga doesn’t have the answer
by Kara-Leah Grant, Musings from the Mat Ok, I admit it, I'm the first person to think that Yoga is a cure-all. Just practice yoga regularly and it will sort out your back issues, your depression, your relationship problems and those last five kilos you just can't shift. It's the wunder-drug of the next generation. Except when it isn't. I've been practicing Yoga - of the physical kind - for about 12 years now. And yes, it's done amazing things for my back. I was living with chronic … [Read more...]
Adventures in yogic eating on the road
by Valerie Love I’m writing this on the plane heading back to New Zealand after a month long visit to the United States. Although Wellington is my home now, it’s been wonderful to revisit familiar places and to feel the warmth both from the northern hemisphere summer, and from my friends’ and family’s unconditional love. On this trip to the States, in addition to seeing loved ones, I was excited to visit to my home studio to take a class with my one of my instructors from yoga teacher … [Read more...]
What’s the point of winter – whether of the soul or of the seasons?
by guest author Melissa Billington, Creatrix of the Powa Centre & MYOGA Driving into Wellington there’s a big billboard by the docks that reads, “Cancel Winter.” It’s advertising warmer climes, in this case, Nelson. I know we can travel and many with means become snowbirds following the warmth of the sun around the globe. Yet I wonder if we’re missing something crucial by avoiding the dark and the cold and the seemingly difficult. I’ve lived in equatorial countries and the monotony … [Read more...]
Are you a real yogi if you’re not consciously consuming?
by Lucinda Staniland You've just finished your Thursday night yoga class. You’re feeling blissed out and relaxed after a good long savasanna, and now you’re heading homewards. On your way you stop in at the supermarket to grab a few crucial things. Wandering through the brightly lit aisles you have some decisions to make: do you buy the dishwashing liquid that contains surfactants, stability and dispensing aids, fragrances and colors, mildness additives, preservatives and antibacterial agents, … [Read more...]
How yoga helped me… find a truer and happier version of myself
by guest author Keron Martin, entrant in Vitality Link's Yoga Teacher Training Scholarship Competition For the last three years I have been practicing Vinyasa Yoga and it has changed my life, slowly and profoundly. It has led me to a truer and happier version of myself. The calm that Yoga presented to me was so incredible and lasting that I could not wait for the next opportunity to practice - this coming from someone who had always run on two speeds; fast and faster. When I was younger I … [Read more...]
Tossing aside the familiarity of struggle for the mantle of success
by Kara-Leah Grant, Musings from the Mat A friend asked me this week (and I'm paraphrasing and editing for dramatic effect): How come you always write/talk about your struggles with life? Does your life suck that bad? And I explained that I had to write that way... that I loved writing about life, and only had my life to write about, and that meant sharing my struggles with the world - so other people could resonate, realise they're not alone, feel inspired and connect with me as a human … [Read more...]