By Neal Ghoshal, Sacred Moves A little while ago I wrote an article on the eight essential principles of Restorative Yoga. Since then I've been continuing to delve deep into this beautiful practice. Deep rest is always calling! I'm happy to be sharing some more … and one of the most profoundly restful of the Restorative postures is Supported Child's Pose (Salamba Balasana). This is a posture which many find deliciously comforting and relaxing, perhaps because it tunes us into a time when we … [Read more...]
Archives for May 2015
Donna Farhi on Why Your Yoga Teacher is Not Your Friend
Editor's Note: Since this article was published, several accounts of sexual harassment and assault have been made public by Mark Whitwell's female students. We do not in any way condone Mark's behaviour. You can read more about the accounts here. Donna Farhi, author and yoga teacher, as interviewed by Kara-Leah Grant Donna Farhi is a world renowned yoga teacher who has been practicing yoga for thirty nine years, and teaching it since 1982. She lives here in New Zealand but teaches intensives … [Read more...]
Jonathan from Team Shakti on Bringing the Bed of Nails to NZ
by Kara-Leah Grant Apparently one in ten Swedish people own a variation of the Shakti Mat - a modern-day rendering of the bed of nails. Consisting of a thin foam filler inside a cotton case mounted with 6000 plus plastic spikes, the Shakti Mat is meant to "increase blood circulation and stimulate the body to release endorphins which help to bring about a deeply relaxed state." And now, thanks to Jonathan and his business partner, who came across the Shakti Mat on a beach in Thailand, the … [Read more...]
The Benefits of Yoga: Are They Proven By Science?
by Lucinda Staniland The benefits of yoga are well advertised. We hear that yoga will help us (among other things): lose weight, breathe better, live longer, have better sex, recover from depression, cure sciatica, heal our digestive system, build core strength, alleviate back pain, heal mental illness, and build bone health. But does science agree that yoga can really heal us in all these ways (and more)? Is Yoga really the silver bullet we've been waiting for? It turns out that yoga and … [Read more...]
How to Prevent the Practicalities Getting in the Way of Your Dreams
by Kara-Leah Grant Over the past decade I've become skilled at working with the unconscious and that which holds us back from realising our dreams. I'm adept at identifying something I would like to experience, and then making it happen. I wanted to write and publish a book. I've now written and published two. I had a dream of teaching Yoga Trance Dance with a live DJ rocking it behind me, and I'm now part of Yoga Rhythms with fellow yoga teacher, DJ and Goddess Rire. I dreamt of … [Read more...]
Have You Given Up Reaching for Your Dreams?
by Kara-Leah Grant Never before in human history have we known so much. We have unlimited information at our fingertips, and that information is constantly being updated. We know how to maintain optimum health including how to eat, how to exercise and how to practice yoga. We can learn any new skill for free - a new language, a musical instrument, we can even get a degree for free. No matter what dream we want to pursue, the information required to do so is available to us. Yet … [Read more...]
How I’m Using the Power of Kirtan to Drive Positive Change
by guest author Madi Das, Kirtan Shakti Courtesy of Integral Yoga® Magazine, Summer 2015 Most days, I go to my regular job, wearing my regular clothes, and I type regular things into my regular computer until it’s time to go home. My co-workers know me as Joe, that guy who has enough light banter to be social, but not so much as to get distracted from his typing. Joe is a good guy. Familiar. Dependable. You know the type. But on Tuesday nights, I trade my collared shirt and GAP slacks … [Read more...]
So that’s what Brahmacharya is all about. Containing my Inner Vamp
by Kara-Leah Grant This New Year’s Eve was a watershed for me. For the first time in my life, I tamed the wild demon of my sexuality. Never have I felt more powerful or more in integrity, and that sense of power and integrity has since spun out, infusing every element of my being. I was at a five day festival and in the company of an extraordinarily sexy man. The connection between us was humming and thick and a mere sideways glance was enough to bring on dry mouth and heart palpitations. And … [Read more...]