By guest author Michael Borden The structure of the Vastu inspired building vibrates with cosmic energy and the bodily instrument resonates with this vibration. To create and offer the house of supreme bliss, and to enable us to experience that supreme bliss here in this mundane house itself – these are the prime motives of Vastu Science. - Dr. V. Ganapati Sthapati In the mid-1990s, I begun a search for information about Vastu Architecture. I found that there were many ancient and modern … [Read more...]
Archives for September 2012
Leaving behind window shopping for the soul & committing to a tradition
By guest author Carmen Howell of The Sadhana Studio The title for this article came from a blog, where the writer shared her "tempest of emotions, regarding the question of whether to take and commit to a teacher'? The advice she received was that window shopping for ceremonies, teachers and/or traditions prevents a situation where one can go deeply into any one tradition, and will only result in a shallow experience and knowledge of a topic. In short, window shopping can be delusional … [Read more...]
How to embrace uncertainty and channel agency
by Lucinda Staniland Let me start by telling you a story. Once upon a time, I thought that one day I would grow up, get everything sorted out, be thin and nice and beautiful, understand how the world worked, and finally be a complete human being. One day, I thought, one day it will happen. I started yoga at seventeen and was going through tough times - so far my hypothesis had not proved true. I was a teenager, but I was more confused than ever, and life only seemed to have gotten … [Read more...]
Help Yoga Education in Prisons Trust fund a free yoga manual for prisoners
By guest author Adhyatama of Kalpa Taru, Wellington Some of you may know I have been teaching Yoga up at Rimutaka prison for the last year and Waikeria and Springhill for the four years before that. I drive up to Rimutaka every Tuesday and spend a couple of hours in a Unit with serious violent offenders teaching asana (postures), breathing techniques to calm and relax them and Yoga Nidra. All I can say is that I just love it, and I love them! That may sound weird but honestly what magic … [Read more...]
Hope for the world – Swami Muktidharma speaks
by Kara-Leah Grant The last time we had Swami Muktidharma on YLB, he shared the story of dreaming about his guru before meeting him. To our western minds, it sounds magical and mystical. But in the world of yoga, and yogis, it's commonplace. Yoga deals with many different layers of reality, and indeed, is a way of seeing clearly what reality actually is, beyond our limited sense of the material world. It's that ability to see deeper, and wider, that makes sitting in the presence of Swamis … [Read more...]
You’re Un•BAL•anced… 4 easy ways to bring more balance to your life without really getting off your butt.
by columnist Gabrielle Harris, The Suburban Yogini Ever since I was publicly declared 'unbalanced' I got to thinking …… how can I go about getting my balance on? Here is a sampler of treatments from the suburbs: Therapy number one: Yin Yoga After discovering that according to Ayurvedic science my dosha was pitta (fire and energy) I became aware that to find more balance in my life I needed to jump off the power yoga treadmill and sit on my butt for long periods of time letting my … [Read more...]
Off the mat and into the kitchen
by Valerie Love One of the most rewarding things about practicing yoga is not the physical benefits of the postures on the body, but the way in which the practice of yoga helps to build awareness of oneself and how we interact in the world. The practice of karma yoga, the yoga of service, is just as important as a physical asana practice. As Alan Finger writes in his book, Chakra Yoga: "The success of your yoga practice is not measured by how well you can do the poses or how long you … [Read more...]