Well, plenty actually. And this is the perfect time to write about that connection. One, it's International Blog Action Day, when bloggers around the world write about one topic that matters - this year the environment. And two, next Saturday October 24th is International Climate Action Day, also happening worldwide. Here in Wellington, there will be meditation at Frank Kitts Park all day, and The Big Stretch - a free yoga class at 3pm. We want to get as many yogis to the free yoga … [Read more...]
Being Still for a Change – Why Meditating is a Response to Climate Change
by guest author Christine Dann, writer, researcher, teacher and Green activist October 24, 2009 is a day with a difference, one that will go down in history as the first international day of grass roots action on climate change. Hopefully it will be the last such day, because the world leaders meeting at the December climate change conference in Copenhagen will get the message - stop protecting the profits of big business and start protecting people and other living beings by committing to … [Read more...]
How yogis can have a critical impact on the world
By Kara-Leah Grant, author Forty Days of Yoga Global Mala is happening this Sunday, September 20th, in Wellington - but it's also happening right across the globe this weekend. Started by Shiva Rea, this is part of the yoga community's contribution towards creating world peace. Ultimately peace is something we cultivate within, and then we witness it's material manifestation without. It is not something we can "fight for", nor something we can impose or control. It is only by being … [Read more...]
A yogic exploration of winning the Big Wednesday jackpot
The single most destructive desire present in the human race is the desire "to make money". In the name of "making money", we make slaves of other people, we rape and pillage the earth, we abuse animals, we create inferior products designed to break down and crowd our landfills, we compromise our internal values, we trample over colleagues, we burn ourselves out, we spend more time working than with our family, and we write it all off as "just business". All this because of our burning … [Read more...]
What do you see when you look at the world? – The yogic perspective
A month ago I floated this question with my readers because I was curious. I know that what we see when we look at the world says more about us than it says about the world, and I wanted to know; What were my readers seeing? I knew what I was seeing, and as I witness my reactions to the news and current affairs shows, I could gauge whether I was coming from an open-hearted centredness perspective, or a right/wrong ego perspective. More often than not, it was my ego that was engaged. It was … [Read more...]
How to Choose the Right Meditation Technique for You
by Kara-Leah Grant, Musings from the Mat This is an interesting question - how can I possibly know what meditation might suit you, especially when I don't know 'you' at all? There is therefore no definitive answer I can give you to this question. However, what I can do is take you through a process which can help you determine which type of meditation might be best for you. In essence, I ask you questions, and you answer them. Because who knows best, what's best for you? You, that's … [Read more...]
What is Ayurveda all about?
In this article David explains his journey into Ayurveda, and it's application to our lives. by Guest Author David Timbs ND, Dip Ayur (India), Dip Acup, BEd One does not discover Ayurveda, or discover that Ayurveda is something removed from whom we are. Ayurveda by definition is “the Science of Life and Longevity”, we are already ‘in’ Ayurveda as long as we are already ‘in’ life. … [Read more...]
How yoga gives you faith in your ability to cope
It's been a full-on week at work - lots of different projects on the go, lots of meetings, lots of reviewing other people's writing, and lots of writing. Yesterday, it was a beautiful blue sky Wellington day. At about 1pm I decided I needed a break from the computer screen, so did the fast change in the bathroom, grabbed my yoga mat from it's posse under my desk, and dashed out into the sunshine for a power practice. … [Read more...]
What is this heart-opening stuff all about?
Is your heart closed, or open? Do you feel yourself as a separate entity, or do you feel yourself to be a part of a whole? Do you see other people in a judgmental, critical way... or do you see them through eyes of love and compassion? If your heart is closed... are you ready to open up to a new way of being? … [Read more...]
How to set an intention for your practice
by guest author Kelly Fisher, Urban Yoga, Wellington From a yogic point of view, the process of setting a sankalpa (an intention) goes a little like this. Step one: Set a positive intention, focusing on the results you want, rather than thinking about what you don’t want (as tends to be the case when we set New Year’s resolutions). Step two: Let it go. The Universe conspires on our behalf. Where energy is placed, the Universe augments it. At a workshop I recently attended, Anusara … [Read more...]