By Sarah Marlowe Spence That time a vacuum cleaner sabotaged my kirtan. Yup, an odd situation. So I delved into that dream to figure out what it was trying to tell me. Dreams happen to most of us when we’re asleep, yet dreams can also be daydreams of where you want to go in life, or waking dreams, i.e. what is happening right now in life. When I was a teenager, I found a dream dictionary in the secondhand bookstore, as we did in life before Google. I wondered what the meanings of my busy … [Read more...]
The joys and challenges of practicing yoga online
Students experience of online yoga Part 2 by Sandra Palmer “Since the arrival of Covid 19 into our world, the way we teach yoga has changed. Studios and teachers rapidly adapted to close brick and mortar studios and many immediately started teaching online. Some teachers and students love this online environment and, equally, many people loathe it”. Registered Psychologist and Yoga Teacher, Sandra Palmer shares her insights and experiences on the student’s perspective of … [Read more...]
To Zoom or not to Zoom?
The joys and challenges of teaching and practicing yoga online. By Sandra Palmer Since the arrival of Covid 19 into our world, the way we teach yoga has changed. Studios and teachers rapidly adapted to the closure of their brick and mortar studios and many immediately started teaching online. Some teachers and students love this online environment and, equally, many people loathe it. I refer in this article to teaching online yoga as a valid choice and method of teaching … [Read more...]
Journeys in Mindfulness – Part one
by Erica Viedma, Yoga with Erica As a yoga teacher, I am aware of the delicate somatic connection between our physical sensations, thoughts and emotions. In yoga we often instruct people to stand tall and broaden the chest - opening the heart area. We ask people to open into areas that may have been guarded and held tight. At times I have observed myself and others struggle with the emotions that this kind of movement can evoke. With this in mind, I have chosen to study towards a … [Read more...]
Karla Brodie and Neal Ghoshal: Talk about the powerful practice of Restorative Yoga
by Sandy Farquhar, Contemporary Yoga Restorative Yoga practices are now part of many Yoga classes. Karla Brodie and Neal Ghoshal have a combined 35 years of experience teaching Restorative Yoga in classes and courses, to individuals and through in-depth retreats, as well as tailored workshops and teacher trainings. Ahead of their next Restorative Teacher Training they share their passion for Restorative Yoga with fellow teacher and CY administrator, Sandy Farquhar. Sandy: … [Read more...]
Supporting Women through Prenatal Yoga & Beyond
An interview with KeiShana Coursey KeiShana is the course director of Contemporary Yoga's Pregnancy Yoga Teacher Training starting in July 2021. This is a 100+ hour teacher training collaboration between Opti-mum and Contemporary Yoga and includes anatomy, physiology, asana, ayurveda and much, much more. KeiShana brings a wealth of experience and expertise to this very special training having worked with many women on their childbirth journeys. In this interview, KeiShana talks about … [Read more...]
Yoga Nidra for Sobriety – A journey to wholeness.
By Veronica King, The Yoga Nidra Project As a tantric yogi I have always enjoyed saying yes to life, all of it! For years I’ve had boundless energy to work, play, practice and party. All in equal measure. But over the last few years I noticed a significant shift, my tank that was always full, was not topping up and suddenly I had a completely empty tank. I was depleted, exhausted, facing a health crisis. So I sat with the questions: what depletes me, and what nourishes me? I … [Read more...]
Unity, change and fresh memory: The precipitation of change for yoga in uncertain times
by Felicity Molloy : PhD I MEd I GDHE I MNZ RMT I YogaNZ Council Senior Level 4 1000h I BodyStill massage & yoga clinic I must be honest – although I love the world of thinking, I have not yet fully thought through a framework that accommodates our future for yoga. Yoga that responds to a pandemic, keeping in mind the urgency, the devastation, remembrance, and the next wave of hope. I offer these thoughts as theoretical embryony, not to cut across anyone’s experience … [Read more...]
The forgotten bass note
by Elly Barry, Yoga and Body Centred Inquiry Each of us contain within, a symphony of thoughts, whispers, and truths yet to be given breath. To listen within asks more than the ability to become quiet. To listen to another, more than the willingness to be all ears. Attributing a gesture of great love and attention to one body part alone, is to fall short. Deep listening begins with the ability to inhabit for a moment, the source of someone else’s longings and unmet … [Read more...]
Building Resilience with Yoga and Meditation
By Swami Karma Karuna, Anahata Yoga Retreat What is Resilience? No matter who we are, the state of the bank balance, or which country we live in; the twists and turns of life, deaths, jobs, relationship stresses, natural disasters, and trauma can affect us all. Change influences each of us differently, altering our biochemistry, thoughts, and emotions. Resilience is our ability to come back to our centre, to rebound from adversity, and to respond to a challenge in a creative … [Read more...]