I feel raw right now as it's been an intensely challenging three or four weeks. I finally broke up with my partner of three and half years on December 30th, a decision that's been a long time coming, but something I was fervently doing my best to avoid. In the end, there was no avoiding the facts. I couldn't continue my practice of being loving and open while standing strong in my truth, and stay in the relationship. Initially there was a feeling of relief - finally no more back and … [Read more...]
The One Thing You Can Be to Create Positive Change on Planet Earth
Image by Okan Caliskan from Pixabay by Kara-Leah, I'm feeling a real desire to simplify and streamline my life right now. Beyond what's the normal de-clutter of a spring-clean. Yesterday I watched a video which helped me clarify why this is so. Kiesha Crowther Little Grandmother is one of the 12 young Shaman wisdom keepers from the United States speaking clearly about what's going on in our world right now. It's nothing new. We've heard it all before. This is a crucial time for Planet … [Read more...]
Is it yoga if we ‘leave the mysticism behind’, or is it just a workout?
I forget sometimes that to many people yoga is just a workout. It's a way to stretch, to get a tight butt, to flatten the belly. I forget that Prana doesn't necessarily even exist for many people. Spirituality, energy, connection, divinity and all that kind of spiritual woo woo is pretty far out in most corners of NZ society. Most people aren't interested in any kind of spiritual enlightenment, or spiritual path when they go to a yoga class. They've got a wedding to go to next weekend … [Read more...]
My third eye’s a’twitchin’ – does that mean she’s awakening?
WIN a copy of Kara-Leah's new book 'Field Notes from Kundalini Awakening', publishing in 2018. Guaranteed to take you on an intimate journey into the depths of the Kundalini experience. Click here to sign up for the book launch list and go into the draw to win one of THREE print copies. By Kara-Leah Grant My third eye has been twitching all afternoon, a sensation which started during my recent trip to LA for teacher training with Shiva Rea. The last time I can remember it doing this I was … [Read more...]
Integrating Tantra practices into daily life
One of the most amazing experiences of my Prana Flow teacher training with Shiva Rea was our morning meditation and lecture sessions with Chris Tompkins, something I'll go into detail about in a future post. I've long wanted to establish an early morning practice, and having to be there most mornings at 7am for 12 days has done this. I was able to witness the effect of just sitting and connecting to the Self, the effect of using bija mantras every morning, and the way it set my entire day … [Read more...]
Diving into the flow of Fluid Power
It's day number.... something? on my Prana Flow teacher training with Shiva Rea. The training is at Exhale Spa, Venice, California and the apartment I'm staying in with another student is a short walk along Venice Beach. Ah Venice Beach... like no other I've ever encountered. Shops and cafes on one side... a wide pavement of walkers, bikers, rollarbladers & skaters, dogs and skateboards in the middle... and vendors, musicians, and hanger-ons on the other side. Beyond the vendors … [Read more...]
Applying the fifth yama, Aparigraha (non-hoarding), to daily life
by Kara-Leah, Of all the yamas, this is the one which, if kept, would have the most profound effect on our western, consumer, materialistic society. If we all lived in such a way that we were non-possessive, non-accumulative, and non-hoarding... it would totally shift our relationship to stuff, to the earth, to ideas, to ego-identity and to each other. The way we did business would change. The way we manufactured products would change. Our footprint upon the earth would lighten enormously. The … [Read more...]
How to maintain a home yoga practice with a baby (or generally demanding life)
It's something other mothers have been asking me for the last few months - how do I maintain my home yoga practice (crucial as a yoga teacher) when I've got a 9 month old baby boy, and shared custody of a seven year old girl? It's simple really. I make my practice the priority for the day. It's my one must-do every single day. Everything else can wait. In practice, this isn't easy, and requires discipline. But it is simple, and it applies not just to parents with young children, but … [Read more...]
An interview with yoga researcher Brandon Eggleston PhD
Brandon Eggleston is a faculty member at the University of Southern Indiana, USA, who researches yoga practice. He's coming to New Zealand in December to conduct interviews with yoga practitioners to find out why they practice yoga. The research will be done in partnership with a colleague of his who is currently working on her PhD at the University of Auckland. The interviews, which will take between 15 and 20 minutes and can be done by phone, will be conducted between December 26th … [Read more...]
Applying the Fourth Yama, Brahmacharya (Moderation), to Daily Life
Image by gonghuimin468 from Pixabay by Kara-Leah, By far, this has been the trickiest yama to get a handle on. Definitions of what it means vary widely - from total celibacy at one end, to the application of moderation towards all sensory experiences at the other. Some also define it according to the literal word meaning itself, which provides another spin altogether. Brahma literally means the ‘divine consciousness’ and charya, in this context, means ‘living’ or ‘one who is established in’. … [Read more...]