by Kara-Leah Grant Over two years ago I made a commitment to live out each yama in my life and write about the experience. That series Applying the Yamas to Daily Life has been cornerstone content for The Yoga Lunchbox and has also been published in Asana Journal. Now, at the prompting of my editor at Asana, I've embarked on the same mission for the Niyamas. Every few weeks, I'm picking one niyama and studying it plus observing how it shows up in my life. For those new to yoga, the … [Read more...]
Archives for January 2013
Thoughts on living in an awakening world
An Interview with Prajnaparamita, an awakened Master Prajnaparamita is leading a retreat at Kawaipurapura on Feburary 16 and 17. Find out more here. 1. There seems to be a big shift in the way businesses are being run and in the way people are reconsidering their lives. What do you see happening? Globally, structures are breaking down on all levels. They can no longer hold themselves. The banks, politics and many corporations, the way they were used to operating is no longer … [Read more...]
How Yoga Cured My Coffee Addiction
By Kara-Leah Grant, I'm jittery right now, and struggling to write this article. I feel like I've had a line of speed. Maybe a line of cocaine. My heart is beating faster. I'm struggling to calm down enough to find the flow of my words. My breathing is erratic. There's no drugs in my system though. At least, not a drug we think of as a drug. I have just had my first cup of coffee after a ten day cleanse. I've been looking forward to this coffee since Day 1 on the cleanse. Dreaming about it … [Read more...]
How to deal with uncomfortable and difficult emotions
by Kara-Leah Grant It's been one of those days - when you could barely drag yourself out of bed and you felt like bursting into tears at the slightest provocation. The same life that looked awesome last week has paled into sepia and you feel like you're moving through molasses. You begin to wonder: What the hell is wrong with me? Maybe I'm depressed. Maybe I'm doing the wrong yoga practice. Maybe I'm living in the wrong town. Maybe I need a new job. Maybe... But what if... what if nothing … [Read more...]
How to build your confidence (and resume) as a new yoga teacher
by guest author Cailen Ascher, owner of CALMbiz If you’re currently in, or fresh out of, yoga teacher training, chances are you’re thinking about landing your first teaching job. When I was first ready to teach, I dreamt about the kinds of classes I’d have, the sequences I’d prepare, and the kinds of students I’d love to serve. Then I was faced with an all-too-common predicament: No one would hire me because I didn’t have experience. But, to get experience, I needed to teach… It’s your … [Read more...]
On having the courage to pull the plug at the 11th hour
by Kara-Leah Grant, Musings from the Mat Last week, I wrote the acknowledgements and officially signed off from Forty Days of Yoga, completing the final draft. It was a surreal moment - as if I'd been here before and knew what to do. And of course I have, many times, in my dreams. I've been a writer since childhood and always knew I'd write a book. What I didn't know was how many people would join me on this journey, how supportive they would be and how humbling it would be to receive … [Read more...]
Folding forward into Easy Pose for instant stress-relief
by Kara-Leah Grant The last couple of years I’ve been getting up close and personal with long, slow holds in seated poses. There’s a couple of reasons for this. One is that I’m often exhausted from being a single parent and running my own business - the thought of standing postures or sun salutes sometimes makes me shudder. Giving myself permission to just sit on what mat and see what unfolds from there means I'm far more likely to practice every day. The second is that I’m yang enough - … [Read more...]
Forty Days of Yoga: A journey to create a home yoga practice
by guest author Sara Foley, Smells Good, Feels Good I said: what about my eyes? God said: Keep them on the road. I said: what about my passion? God said: Keep it burning. I said: what about my heart? God said: Tell me what you hold inside it? I said: pain and sorrow? He said: ...stay with it. The wound is the place where the Light enters you. ~ Rumi I am one of Kara-Leah’s ‘beta readers’ for her upcoming book Forty Days of Yoga – Breaking Down the Barriers to a Yoga Home … [Read more...]
Keeping New Year’s Resolutions is not about willpower or discipline
by Kara-Leah Grant, Musings from the Mat I was up early on New Year’s Day. It’s one of my favourite ways to start the year. Early morning, the world seems fresh and alive and ripe for new opportunities and new ways of being. The possibility of new choices and new ways of being seems stronger. 'How will I live this day?' 'How will I live this life?' On January 1st, this sense of potential and possibility feels stronger. New Year’s is a time for resolutions, as we make up our minds we’re … [Read more...]