by Kara-Leah Grant I watched Madonna on the Grammy's a few years ago and I almost wept. Who was this shell of a woman, her papery-thin and paper-coloured skin stretched tight across her face? We all know she's nearly 60, where's the deviant wrinkles, the glorious salt & pepper hair, the relaxed winks as she settles into enjoying her undisputed reign as Queen of Pop? Instead, she's morphed into a caricature of her once saucy and irreverent self. I yearn for the Maddy of old, who was … [Read more...]
How Love’s Shadows Invite Us Into Deep Intimacy
by Kara-Leah Grant I didn't expect to feel this way when he arrived in my life. But this man who I'd been friends with for four years online before finally meeting in person landed in my heart with the softness of a blown dandelion flower gone to seed. Looking back, I asked myself, when did I know? When did I realise that we had this connection, this intimacy, this opening into relationship? Was it when he stayed at my house after getting off the plane? Was it when he got off the … [Read more...]
Jonni Pollard on the Nature of Unbounded Consciousness and Awakening {video}
by Kara-Leah Grant I first met Jonni Pollard at Wanderlust Great Lake Taupo in 2015. He was leading the mass meditation at 7pm on the Saturday night. I'd bumped into the other Jonnie from Wanderlust - Jonnie Halstead - hovering nervously around the Mothership, which turned into the mainstage and dance floor in the evening. Jonnie with an E confided in me that this dude from Melbourne - also called Jonni - was about to lead a mass meditation and he wasn't sure how it was going to go down. Yes, … [Read more...]
When Kundalini Awakens. Now What?
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 Recently, I sat down cross-legged to do my daily Kashmir Shaivism Tantric* practice as I have done every day for the past 150+ days. More if you count my first attempt at hitting 1000 Day … [Read more...]
The Mysterious Case of the Mala Beads that Weren’t
by Kara-Leah Grant A beautiful set of mala beads made their way into my hands a year or so ago. They are gorgeous. I've put them on so many times, tried them with this outfit and that. Yet every time... I end up taking them straight back off. They look amazing. But there's something about it that doesn't feel right. Maybe it's the colour of the beads. Maybe it's the way they hang slightly off centre. Maybe it's because I'm not used to wearing something with 108 beads. Or something that … [Read more...]
Peter Fernando on Illness as a Spiritual Practice {audio}
by Kara-Leah Grant Peter Fernando has been living with chronic illness for almost two decades, including seven years spent as a monk in the Thai Forest tradition. He's seen over 24 different health professionals in different modalities, including both conventional, Tibetan, Chinese, and alternative medicine. At some point though he realised that his experience may not go away and his focus shifted to changing how he was relating to his illness and the pain. His new book Finding Freedom in … [Read more...]
Home Yoga Practice: What Counts if You Are a Yoga Teacher?
by Kara-Leah Grant A few months ago I wrote an article stating that if you teach yoga, you must have a daily self-practice. That article was widely shared, and read. And it triggered some strong reactions. There were comments, and emails where people shared with me the reasons why they couldn't practice yoga every day. Some of these teachers were only teaching one class a week, on top of working 50+ hour jobs, and they were often teaching disadvantaged groups. They felt like what they were … [Read more...]
How I Dropped the Ball on Day 338 of My 1000 Day Practice
by Kara-Leah Grant Today is Day 138 of a 1000 Day practice I'm doing. It should be about Day 500. But earlier this year, on Day 338 something happened and I dropped the ball. I've been doing Forty Day practices for nearly a decade now. At first, it took great dedication, commitment and mindfulness to practice yoga every day for forty days in a row, especially when I was doing the same practice each day. I learned so much about myself, how my mind worked, and where I was sabotaging … [Read more...]
Saying No to the Cult of Busyness
by Kara-Leah Grant I've long been aware that I've had a particular way of operating in the world that doesn't serve me. I'm addicted to getting things done. To being productive. And it comes from being in my head, rather than from being. There are some big gains from this particular behaviour - like prodigal production. Given the limitations of my life, I have produced an extraordinary amount of output. Websites, articles, books, classes, workshops, retreats, videos. This on top of single … [Read more...]
Nine Ways to Master Yourself, and Therefore Life
by Kara-Leah Grant There are two ways to live life. One is as a victim, getting upset and angry at what life throws at you, and trying to change the people and circumstances around you to make life easier. The second is as a Master, taking whatever life throws at you and using it to change yourself, making yourself stronger and more resilient so life becomes easier and easier. If you've been wasting energy on trying to change people around you, or wasting energy on reacting to the … [Read more...]