“The way one see’s life, is like looking through a pair of glasses, formed at a young age. The colour of the lenses distort what is seen. Meditation is a method to clean the glasses so that the view is clear” By Swami Karma Karuna Saraswati Perception of life is based on everyone’s unique societal, cultural, and family programming, called samskaras in yogic terminology. Much like software on a computer, this programming creates an interface by which one views and experiences their life. … [Read more...]
Search Results for: samskara
Is Wordle a Yogic practice?
Minds bright spark. Brief Bliss. Faith. Have you been bitten by the wordle bug yet? I sure have. How does this simple five letter puzzle have anything to do with yoga? As a student of Tantra Yoga I choose to look for the experience of yoga in my daily life. Every moment, every interaction is an opportunity to practice the teachings, to apply them to the world. Wordle is no different in this regard. It's now part of my daily practice and I love it. It's deceptively simple yet … [Read more...]
Mastering Your Mind With Raja Yoga & Pratyahara
by Swami Karma Karuna, Anahata Yoga Retreat The depth of yoga that is understood and shared in our modern times is primarily touching the tip of the iceberg. In a goal-oriented, pleasure-mad world, the dynamic postures of Hatha Yoga have captured many and become synonymous with the word 'yoga'. While postures are an important base, often the greater expanse of yoga remains like hidden gems in the ocean of wisdom. As yoga teachers and practitioners living in times of incredible … [Read more...]
The Transformative Practice of Yoga Mudras
by Swami Karma Karuna, Anahata Yoga Retreat Whether consciously or unconsciously, the way we gesture or carry ourselves in physical attitudes throughout the day has the capacity to influence health, interactions, physiology and more. Using the body to express something or to communicate a feeling underlies many of our interactions in an unspoken way. Mudras, the ancient science of creating gestures with the hands, head or whole body, is a powerful and subtle yogic practice that is often … [Read more...]
When it turns out Exile was just a Sabbatical • My return to the Yoga World
by Kara-Leah Three weeks ago, after a three or four year sabbatical, I stepped back into a Yoga Studio to teach. I’d stopped teaching because my practice no longer resembled a studio yoga class, and it was impossible to teach something I wasn’t doing. It felt contrived, and wrong. Walking away from teaching felt like walking away from a core part of my identity. But sticking it out felt like a lie. So I stopped teaching. And I stopped going to studios because I was invariably … [Read more...]
What Does it Mean to be an Awakened Heart Warrior in Troubled Times?
by Kara-Leah Grant, The news isn't getting any better. Extinction is looming for 1 million plants and animals, thanks to human activity, says the UN. Trump's Administration heralds melting sea ice as opening new opportunities for trade. And global beverage giants continue to bottle New Zealand's water at aquifer-destroying rates. Storms are worse. Refugee numbers are climbing. Our rivers are increasingly polluted. We've cleared 75% of our forests, and a whopping 95% of our wetlands. … [Read more...]
The Key Elements to A Successful Yoga Teaching Career
by Kara-Leah Grant It's been more than a decade since I started teaching yoga, and so embarked on a yoga teaching career. That career has included teaching group classes, workshops, retreats, presenting at festivals, writing yoga books, delivering corporate seminars, and publishing this online yoga magazine. I began as a sole trader and taught yoga on the side while working other jobs. In April 2011, after becoming a single parent, I started my own company and doubled-down on my desire to … [Read more...]
How to Activate Your Chakras, Unlock Your Asana Practice & Make Your Heart Sing
By Premaloka, Yoga on Waiheke Join Premloka for her Awakened Heart Yoga Retreats and Workshops: Raglan, New Zealand 28th-30th October 2016 Kovalam, India August/September 2017. Find out more here. Would you like more Happiness in your life? Would you like your practice to not only be connected to the physical body, the mind, and your breath, but to also transform you emotionally? Through working directly with the chakras and then connecting with the Bhavas (the body’s emotional … [Read more...]
Can You ‘Make Up’ a Yoga Pose?
by Kara-Leah Grant Recently I read a post on social media which went something like this: Here's so & so teacher making up a new yoga pose for you. WTF? Since when were yoga poses - asana - 'made up'? Since they began being taught through intellectual understanding rather than embodiment, that's when. Yoga postures are a physical result of an energetic process. They emerge from the flow of Prana within the body. Or here's another way to put it. Yoga is a state of presence. In that … [Read more...]
How I Dropped the Ball on Day 338 of My 1000 Day Practice
by Kara-Leah Grant Today is Day 138 of a 1000 Day practice I'm doing. It should be about Day 500. But earlier this year, on Day 338 something happened and I dropped the ball. I've been doing Forty Day practices for nearly a decade now. At first, it took great dedication, commitment and mindfulness to practice yoga every day for forty days in a row, especially when I was doing the same practice each day. I learned so much about myself, how my mind worked, and where I was sabotaging … [Read more...]