by Kara-Leah Grant The guru model is dead in modern Western Yoga. And the list of scandals involving gurus, or teachers, or swamis just seems to be growing longer. Where the hell are all the enlightened and perfect teachers? They don't exist. Our teachers - known and unknown, big and small, experienced and fresh, revered and loved, skilled and talented, wise and powerful - they are also human. Which means that our teachers, like us, have unconscious shit that can get in the way of their … [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...]
What the Hell Happened with YEANZ Ltd & Wanderlust Australia New Zealand?
by Kara-Leah Grant It's the news that has ruptured the New Zealand and Australian yoga community and shattered the dreams of thousands of people. On January 12th, 2018 YEANZ Ltd, the company that held the license for Wanderlust in Australia and New Zealand, went into liquidation. Eleven days later, the worst was confirmed - Wanderlust Great Lake Taupō was effectively cancelled. The Yoga Lunchbox has been part of the Wanderlust journey right from the beginning: I've interviewed many Wanderlust … [Read more...]
The Only Thing to Fear is Fear Itself? Bullshit
by Kara-Leah Grant We all know the saying - the only thing to fear is fear itself. But it's wrong. Completely totally and utterly wrong. And if I was a conspiracy theorist, I would say that disseminating that piece of wisdom is a sneaky way to disempower people completely and turn them into comfort-seeking, convenience-addicted sheep. Fear is not to be feared. In fact, fearing fear feeds the fear and locks us up into a big old contracted mess that will do anything to avoid how … [Read more...]
9 Questions To Ask Before You Host a Travelling Yoga Teacher
by Kara-Leah Grant Hosting a travelling yoga teacher can be a successful and profitable venture for a yoga studio - if done right! It can use up "dead time" in the studio. It opens up an additional income stream. It can bring in students that don't usually come to the studio, some of whom may come back. It can increase the exposure and awareness of the host studio in the marketplace. It can educate and inspire the studio's student base. And it can be the beginning of an … [Read more...]
How to Turn Self-Hatred into Self-Love
by Kara-Leah Grant I had a moment on Sunday when I hated myself. Or at least, hated an aspect of myself, for I recognise that it is not the Self I am hating, but a shadow that lives within. This particular shadow is the controlling, wrathful, angry, tense, uptight aspect of me. Here's how this unfolded on Sunday. I felt amazing in the early morning, dancing to my favourite music in the kitchen while washing dishes. Housework + epic music + dancing is one of my favourite household … [Read more...]
How to Connect with the Energy of the Divine Feminine
by Kara-Leah Grant I'm leading a Women's Circle at Power Living Wellington on July 8th where I've promised that women will learn how to embody and evoke the energy of Maha Shakti - one aspect of the Divine Feminine - through the practice of asana, pranayama and meditation. But what does that mean? I feel the energy of Shakti in me when I practice, when I walk, when I dance, when I write, when I make love. She is always there, within, only a breath away from my awareness. But how do … [Read more...]
The Joy of Discovering a Fear of Failure
by Kara-Leah Grant Recently, I moved back to Glenorchy, a small mountain town where I've lived a few times previously. I was exciting about the move, and also feeling some anxiety. Preparing to write my third book, Love's Shadows, I felt called to come home to the mountains. Yet it also meant moving my son, now seven and at school, yet again. We were meant to be staying put in one place now he'd started school. I was meant to be done with moving around. I was meant to be embracing a … [Read more...]
The Terror of Relaxing and Enjoying Life
by Kara-Leah Grant I’m in one of my favourite places in the world - Glenorchy. The sun is shining. The day is still. It’s at least 20 degrees, which passes for a good summer’s day in what has been the worst summer in years. There’s so much in my life to be grateful for - a loving partner, growing son, supportive family, expanding retreats, selling books, thriving website, incredible friends. I am where I always wanted to be. And yet, I am not relaxed. Nor am I enjoying myself. And I am … [Read more...]
How Long Should I Meditate For?
by Kara-Leah Grant If you've googled your way to this article, you've likely come looking for some kind of concrete answer to your question. Like 10 minutes a day. Or twenty minutes, three times a week. If that's the kind of answer you're looking for, because you're using meditation as a way to de-stress, or chill out, or because all the cool kids are doing it, you may as well stop reading right now. This article won't help you by giving you a definitive answer. However, if you're meditating … [Read more...]