by Kara-Leah Grant Meet Judith Hanson Lasater. A yoga teacher since 1971, and the co-founder of Yoga Journal, Judith is a physical therapist, and holds a PhD in East West psychology. She's also written eight books and recently released a second edition of her popular book Living Your Yoga: Finding the Spiritual in Everyday Life. (The first edition was released in 1999.) That was a great excuses for me to hit up Rodmell Press (her publishers) about interviewing Judith, and I was very … [Read more...]
Archives for August 2015
Am I Endorsing Obesity by Telling Bigger- Bodied Yogis to Love Themselves?
By guest author Nityda Bhakti "I am so interested in trying yoga- I just need to wait until I lose this last fifteen pounds." "Yoga? Me?! Do you see my size? I could never lift myself off the ground like that!" I’ve heard comments like these for the past decade that I’ve been teaching. I’ve made it my mission to make friends, family, acquaintances, even strangers for that matter, see that you don’t have to be a certain weight, body-type, gender, age or race to begin a yoga practice. I’ve … [Read more...]
Is Laughter Yoga Really Yoga or just Another Fad?
by G-Love aka Gareth Edwards "I loved the laughing yoga, but it's not really yoga." I hear something like this every time I run sessions in a yoga context like a teacher's studio, yoga retreat or festival. For me this is the best possible response, because it means we did yoga together and nobody noticed. Like a mother who sneaks fresh vegetables into her children's meals, I managed to get a bit of goodness inside us all without battling the whine of 'aww but mum, I don't want to eat veggies … [Read more...]
Further Yoga Lessons in Bone Compression and Anatomical Limitations
by Kara-Leah Grant This week in my Ashtanga practice I've been exploring and playing with two joints in particular - my ankle joints and wrist joints. Thanks to a Yin Yoga workshop, I've identified that I have a limited range of movement in both of these joints - less than the normal range. The only posture that my limited ankle mobility appears to impact in the Primary Series (I'm up to Bhujapidasana (Shoulder-Pressing Pose)) is Utkatasana (Chair Pose). Prior to the realisation about my … [Read more...]