by Andrea Leber, author of BEST of YOGA: Melbourne I’ve lived in Germany, France, Hungary, and Malaysia, then spent seven years in the UK and finally, two years ago, moved to the other side of the world: to Melbourne. Apart from the usual challenges relocating always throws at you (no matter how often you’ve gone through the whole process!) if you’re a dedicated yogi, one particular challenge is finding a new place to roll out your mat. No, not just any yoga studio, but somewhere that … [Read more...]
How do I Deal with Different Levels of Students in the Same Yoga Class?
by Kelly Fisher, Urban Yoga Kelly, one of our go-to senior teachers, answers questions from readers about how to teach and what to do when issues come up. If you've got questions you'd like to be answered in our blog, email us at editor@theyogalunchbox.co.nz. The Yoga Teacher’s Question: “How do I deal with very different levels of students in the same class? As much as I would like to have all the students of similar levels in one class, it never seems to work out that way. Also, how do I … [Read more...]
What do I do when a Student Complains about Wrist Pain and Wants to Leave Class?
by Kelly Fisher, Urban Yoga Kelly is our resident yoga teacher mentor, answering questions from readers about how to teach and what to do when issues come up. You can email Kelly your question here. The Yoga Teacher's Question: “There it was yesterday: my first and rather frustrating setback in my teaching experience. I have a student who suffers from a lot of wrist pain. She comes along to my 45 minute class that is short, sharp and energetic. Because I know she requires special … [Read more...]
6 Ways to Maintain Work-Life Balance as a Busy Yoga Teacher
by guest author Cailen Ascher As busy yoga teachers, we wear many hats: instructor, marketer, parent, entrepreneur, personal assistant, manager, friend, spouse, confidante, errand gofer and more! With the fast-paced nature of our daily schedules, it can seem that it’s nearly impossible to maintain any sense of balance in our lives. And even though we yogis are better equipped than many to handle the multitude of challenges and stressors that get heaped on our plates, sometimes the … [Read more...]
What If The Whole World Practiced Yoga?
by guest author Laura Green What if there were a world where everyone practiced yoga? Human beings, being imperfect as they are, would probably still manage to mess things up. But, on the whole, life would be far better. Anger Management Violence, wars, envy, hatred, greed – they would all be reduced if everyone practiced yoga. Wouldn't it be great if we lived on a planet where, every time someone started feeling these urges, they practiced yoga? Some anger empowers us, urging us on to … [Read more...]
The Eight Essentials of Restorative Yoga
by guest author Neal Ghoshal, Sacred Moves A few years ago I enrolled on my second Yoga Teacher Training course for a year at the Yoga Academy Auckland - I was on a mission to learn more about this practice and to equip myself with as much knowledge as I could. If I was going to teach Yoga, then I wanted to be good at it. About half way through the year, course tutor Jude Hynes gave us a new practice, brought out some Yoga bolsters from the cupboard and introduced us to the wonderful world of … [Read more...]
Pranayama – It’s Your Medium to the ‘Super Soul’
by guest author L. Farrah Furtado India… the place that heightens the sense of penetration into another worldly reality, or the world beyond this one; a world within a world. I am currently in Mysore, India taking a pranayama, mudra and philosophy course at the Krishnamachar Sri Patanjala Yoga Shala with the famous Guruji, B. N. S. Iyengar. (Not to be confused with B. K. S. Iyengar). This entails taking an hour class with him every day and practicing pranayama six days a week for four … [Read more...]
Oil Pulling – What’s All the Fuss About?
by guest author Kate McLeay Oil pulling is an ancient Ayurvedic health tradition for oral hygiene, detox and rejuvenation. I have been doing this practice daily for just over three years now with many benefits and really love it! I often recommend oil pulling to students and friends and keep getting asked to write down some directions. So here goes… How I got into Oil Pulling As I'm an A type personality, after I received a brief email about oil pulling from my Mum’s wise white witch … [Read more...]
This Moment is Enough: A Simple Practice for Peace
By guest author Mary O’Malley In this moment, I invite you into the peace and the ease that you long for. After your next in-breath, allow yourself a long, slow out-breath. Melt into your out-breath, letting any tension in your body melt with it. Now, on the next in-breath, tighten your muscles. Exaggerate the tension in your body and then say “ahh” as you melt again into your out-breath. Revel in the deliciousness of a deep out-breath coupled with the powerful healing sound of “ahh”. (You … [Read more...]
How To Overcome Your Fears During Yoga Teacher Training
by Kelly Fisher, Urban Yoga Kelly works as a mentor for students wanting to move toward teacher training, currently training as teachers, or fresh out of training. In these articles, she shares some of the questions she's asked. You can ask her your questions by sending her an email. Question: I am in teacher training and I feel as if my teachers aren't giving the structure or guidance I was expecting to find my "voice". They kind of just throw us in it and then critique us … [Read more...]