I first discovered Donna Farhi in my local library in Queenstown. Her book Yoga Mind, Body and Spirit: A Return to Wholeness was liberating, informative and challenging. She taught not asana by asana, this body part in that body place, but through universal principles that underlay every asana. It was a watershed moment in my Yoga journey as my home practice had begun to diverge from anything resembling a standard hatha class. With Donna's book within easy reach, I felt able to honour the … [Read more...]
Share your yoga story and inspire others in their practice
by Kara-Leah Grant Has yoga made a real difference in your life? The Yoga Lunchbox wants to know all about it, as there's nothing more inspiring than reading stories about real people who've been helped by yoga. Use the form down below to share a paragraph or two about how yoga has changed your life, your body, your mind, your spirit, your attitude, your job, your relationships... Anything at all! All the stories of yoga benefits and changes will be including in an up-coming Yoga … [Read more...]
Even yoga and meditation can be a way to escape from reality
by Kara-Leah Grant, Musings from the Mat I rolled out my yoga mat this afternoon, grabbing an opportunistic moment to get in my practice. My lunch was well digested. The baby was sleeping. My partner was outside practicing his guitar. And I knew I needed to practice. No asana for two days and my body felt tight. There was tension in my left shoulder shooting up into my neck, and my lower back has been uncharacteristically achy for a few weeks. One long om shanti track into my … [Read more...]
How do I go about becoming a yoga teacher? Part IV
This is the fourth article in a series which has examined what it takes to become a yoga teacher. And who wouldn't want to be a yoga teacher? You get to do yoga all day long, swanning around the world attending workshops and teacher trainings is part of your job, and you're blissed out all the time. Plus you've got hordes of adoring students hanging on your every word. What a great career yoga teaching must be! Sign me up now! But it's not quite like that... and as Mike Berghan … [Read more...]
How do I go about becoming a yoga teacher? Part III
I'm still getting a fantastic response from yoga teachers on what it takes to be a yoga teacher. This week we have an in-depth exploration from Satyanada representative Swami Karma Karuna. Satyananda teachers are amongst the most immersed in the world of yoga. Their training is both deep and wide, taking many years to complete, but perhaps most important of all, Satyananda teachers all have a relationship with a guru, creating a direct line to true knowledge. … [Read more...]
How yoga helped me find my fortune in the big city
Two years ago my partner and I left Arrowtown to seek our fortunes in the big city. I'd been following my twin passions of writing and yoga as a freelancer in Queenstown, but was struggling financially in a big way. Everything I tried to do, I came up against brick walls- left, right and centre. Nothing seemed to be working for me at all. After a short three day trip to Wellington over the summer of 2008, I knew that Wellington was where I needed to be. Fortunately, it was where my … [Read more...]
An interview with Swami Muktimurti about the power of sound to transform
There is a rich Satyananda Yoga tradition in New Zealand, which means we are fortunate to often play host to traveling Satyananda Swamis from around the world. Next month (March 2010), Anahata Retreat just outside of Nelson is hosting Swami Muktimurti from Mangrove Mountain near Mountain. An expert in Mantra and ancient Sanskrit, she is hosting a nine day/ten night retreat focused on Nada Yoga, or the yoga of sound. Swami Muktimurti is well known for her singing. She has pursued a deep … [Read more...]
The beginner’s guide to yoga: Part 2
Part 1 of this series in the Beginner's Guide to Yoga gave you a heads-up on things to be aware of before rocking along to your first yoga class. You might have been to a few classes now and so have got your head around the right clothes to wear, how to fuel your body before and after class, how to position yourself on your mat and how to forget about what other people are thinking. Now it's time to start investigating the process of posture (asana) a little more deeply. It's so easy to … [Read more...]
How to Apply the Right Yoga Practice to Your Daily Life
by Kara-Leah Grant Life is busy. Most of us are juggling some combination of work, family, socialising, passions & hobbies and health & well-being. Sometimes, despite our best intentions, the things that we know make us feel the best - like regular yoga practice - can be the most difficult to maintain. This is especially true when we go through a life change, or a particularly stressful period. Right when we need it most, our yoga practice falls away. Our job changes, or we … [Read more...]
How to fit well-being into your holiday season
Ah, 'tis the season to be jolly, and merry, and over-indulge, because by golly you've earned it. 'Tis also the season to rush around like crazy, attending parties and drinks, buying presents and gifts, and squeezing as much fun and leisure into your holiday break as possible. In short, 'tis a time of madness, when long established patterns of well-being - think solid eating habits and regular yoga practice - fall by the wayside like Christmas wrapping paper on Boxing Day. To make it … [Read more...]