by Kara-Leah Grant Recently in our Heart of Tribe Facebook Group, one of the participants asked me to elaborate on what it means to love people - especially family - unconditionally. “For me, to do this fully would at times be to my own detriment. Sometimes it's just too much 'stuff', too much drama. What do we do when we can't hold that space for them? Or worse...when their stuff is just toxic. And how to discern when to do this and when you just...can't/shouldn’t.” That first … [Read more...]
The Humbling Experience of Ditching Music While Teaching Yoga
by Kara-Leah Grant Facilitating retreat is always a powerful experience, not just for the retreatees, but also for myself and the other facilitators. I know that I'm going to get triggered, that my ideas and beliefs will be challenged, and my unconsciousness revealed. This is the process of retreat, and it is immensely rewarding. In the middle of the fire though, it's damned hard work. Case in point: The Heart of Joy, Bali. I’m co-facilitating with Ben Ralston. It's only the second retreat … [Read more...]
Why it Took Me Twenty Years to Learn the Most Basic Yogic Breath
by Kara-Leah Grant Twenty one years after my first yoga class, I finally learned the most basic of all yoga - I learned how to breathe properly. Yes despite all those years on the mat, and all the many teachers I went through, and all the years of home yoga practice, I didn't master Yogic Breath until 2016. Yogic Breath is elementary to yoga practice. It involves inhaling first into the belly, allowing it to fully expand out, before filling the chest and finally the clavicular (under the collar … [Read more...]
A Brand New Vision! Of… No-Thing-Ness. Again.
by Kara-Leah Grant One month ago I wrote about creating a new vision to orient The Yoga Lunchbox behind. Normally when I set sail on a course of action like that, things move fast. Normally that vision would be laid out clear by now. But these are not normal times, at least, not in my world. Over the last six months I have been on the super-highway to facing reality as it is. At least, that's what it's felt like. A perfect storm of people and circumstances have given me ample opportunity … [Read more...]
The Real Meaning of Aum and Why We Chant It
by Kara-Leah Grant An extract from 'The No-More-Excuses Guide to Yoga' The number one thing that freaks out new yoga students is the thought of opening their mouth and making a vowel sound followed by a consonant in a room full of strangers. Yes, the simple sound of OM makes people want to run screaming from the room. There are a few reasons for this - one is that Aum (as it's correctly written) has a bad rap. It's weird, strange and the butt of all kinds of jokes. Plus, making a sound like … [Read more...]
The New World Paradigm: Get Clear, Create a Vision, Take Action
by Kara-Leah Grant Eight years ago this week I began The Yoga Lunchbox with a vision in mind - to Bring Yoga to the People. Daily practice had made an enormous difference to my physical, mental and emotional well-being and I envisioned a world where everybody knew about yoga and meditation, and 10% of the population was practicing regularly. That vision has now been fulfilled. Yoga is everywhere. And people are practicing. So now what for The Yoga Lunchbox? That's what I've been … [Read more...]
Lessons from a Yogi: How to Deal with Criticism & Being Called Out
by Kara-Leah Grant Today I received a long comment on the article I wrote about my disappointment at how Madonna has chosen to age, because it means I'm now looking for another role model on the ageing front. The author, Cherise, shares her perspective on the way I wrote the article. You know what? I read this article this morning and mulled over it all day. There’s something in here that really annoys me Kara-Leah. I am a contemporary of Madonna. I am nearly 58, which I believe she is … [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...]
The Ethics of Sharing Another Yoga Teacher’s Work
by Kara-Leah Grant Recently I received an email from a woman I have mentored through my Forty Day Process. She asked: Ok, ethics! I have a question for you and I have never thought of asking this of any of my other teachers in the past! I have a student who was just here practicing with me in Mexico. Here is where I don't know what is right from what is wrong. I intend to support her and take her through the home practice and also to get her on the 1 Giant Mind app so she will have two … [Read more...]
The True Meaning of Yoga and Why It’s Not About Asana
by Kara-Leah Grant Let's get technical, technical, I wanna get technical... Let me hear your ego rock... OK fellow yoga students. Here's the deal. The word 'Yoga' gets bandied about all over the place, but it's rarely defined. We assume that we all know what we're talking about, but often we're talking about different things. First up, physical postures are not Yoga. They are called 'asana'. When you go to what is commonly called 'a yoga class', you are likely attending an asana class. You … [Read more...]