by Kara-Leah The mission of this website is to get everybody in New Zealand doing yoga - but it's really important to remember that yoga is not just about the physical postures called asana. One of the lesser known and yet perhaps most powerful forms of yoga is Bhakti Yoga. This is the yoga of devotion and is often practiced via kirtan - or chants. Take a moment to think of your favourite music right now, and how it makes you feel when you sing it - when you lose yourself and get right into the … [Read more...]
What Can Yoga Do For Me Physically, Mentally and Emotionally?
by Kara-Leah, Yoga is the science of life. It is thousands of years old, and with regular practice, yoga can bring you back into balance physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. What does this mean? It means that no matter what issue you are dealing with in your life, yoga can help you manage it. And increasingly around the world, the scientific and medical world is doing the research to back this up. Spend some time digging around on the 'net, and you'll uncover more and more … [Read more...]
Will Yoga Give Me a Great Body?
By Kara-Leah Grant, The short answer is... YES. The more interesting answer is that as you practice yoga, your perception and understanding of what a "great body" is will change. And even more interesting... the concept that happiness is reliant upon creating specific circumstances (i.e. when I lose weight I'll be happy, when I win the lotto I'll be happy, when I find my perfect partner I'll be happy...)... is revealed to be an illusion. What this means is that whether or not your body is … [Read more...]
What do you mean ‘We are all One’?
In his book, The Elements of Yoga, Godfrey Devereux uses physics to explain how our perspective can limit our understanding of 'reality' He says: While we perceive a tree as solid, if we change our frame of reference and perceive a tree from the viewpoint of an electron, a neutrino or any of the elusive sub-atomic particles which populate the Universe of quantum physicists, it melts into a vortex of dancing, scintillating energy. ... Material objects, viewed as fields of energy, do not … [Read more...]
An interview with Hillary Rubin – coming to terms with Multiple Sclerosis
Part of the reason for this website is to gather stories and inspiration of the way that yoga has helped people to manage or heal health issues. My hope is that by sharing these stories and increasing our awareness and knowledge of the power of yoga, more people will be inspired to turn to yoga in times of trouble. Our world currently works on a scientific model - our rational minds want to know that something will work before we commit to a change. By gathering stories from people who's lives … [Read more...]
How do I squeeze yoga and meditation into my jam-packed day?
It’s the end of the week and while you managed to make it to two yoga classes, you haven’t unrolled your yoga mat at home once. Family, work, & household commitments make finding a 90-minute slot during the day next to impossible. Short of getting up at 5am, or re-prioritizing your life to ditch other commitments, there are other ways to regularly practice yoga. After all, home practice is where the deeper rewards of yoga blossom. So how do you manage to fit regular yoga and meditation … [Read more...]
How practicing yoga can pierce the veil of Maya
by Kara-Leah, Maya is a Hindu, or Vedic concept - the word refers to the illusion of physical and mental reality that we operate under. Piercing the veil refers to seeing or perceiving past this illusion to glimpse the transcendent truth. It means waking up, becoming enlightened, becoming conscious. So what does this have to do with us in our every day lives and how can we use it? We all live our lives with the expectation that the reality we perceive and experience is True. Yet this reality … [Read more...]
How do I Stop These Compulsive Thoughts Invading My Brain?
by Kara-Leah Grant It happens all the time - people tell me they can't meditate because they think too much. They can't stop themselves from thinking... But none of us can stop ourselves from thinking, even when we've been meditating for a long time. Meditation is the process of being aware of the thoughts... The following dialogue was inspired by a couple of emails from readers, who wanted to know how to control their thoughts. How do we stop compulsive thoughts from invading and taking over … [Read more...]
How do I begin to meditate?
By Guest Author James Bryan, of Knoff Yoga For those of us who practice Hatha Yoga (asana, pranayama and meditation), when we are pressed for time, meditation often gets set aside – we want to do it, but how to fit it in our busy day? To get the full benefit of what Hatha Yoga offers, we do need to meditate and in this article, we will look at a few reasons for setting up a daily routine to include it. … [Read more...]
What plank pose can teach us about transformative power
by Kara-Leah Grant In the novel I have just finished reading (and highly recommend) - People of the Weeping Eye by W. Michael Gear and Kathleen O'Neal Gear, one of the main characters is a "Contrary". She goes by the name of Two Petals, and ever since her mother died, has had trouble staying grounded in reality. She hears voices, sees visions, and is overwhelmed in crowds because she connects with every single person's soul. What makes Two Petals a Contrary is that everything is also … [Read more...]