Every now and then, you read a book that stops you in your tracks. It blasts through your mind and fires up your heart. It makes you leap out of your seat and want to run around yelling the message from the top of your lungs. These are the best books - books that speak to my heart, reminding me of all I already know. The kind of books that I read and I feel like I'm not just reading the messages contained within, but that I'm remembering them. The first is The Diamond Cutter, about … [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 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...]
On moving toward a world with no moral codes, rules or regulations
There is no authority that exists, or need exist externally from our Selves. We need no moral code. We need no rules. We need no regulations. All we need is be completely honest with ourselves (conscious!) and understand the implications of our actions. All we need is to understand and know that we are a part of the Whole, and anything we do to another we do to ourselves because we are all One. … [Read more...]
What is this yoga stuff all about?
Yoga. It's not about twisting yourself into a pretzel - although many who practice yoga can manipulate their bodies in incredible ways. It's not about going to classes and learning how to do this posture, or that breathing technique - although practicing asana and pranayama is part of yoga. It's not about chanting, or meditating every single day no matter what because that's your sadhana - although establishing a sadhana ( a daily spiritual practice) is also a part of yoga. So what is yoga? … [Read more...]
What yoga can teach us about opening to the flow of life
One of the reasons I absolutely love teaching yoga is that I learn so much from the experience. My students are as much my teachers as I are them. I am sure this two way flow is common to many other teacher/student relationships, and also professional/client relationships as well. Take a moment to think about your interactions - whether it's teaching yoga or something else - how do you learn from the experience (and feel free to share your insights in the comments below!)? One of the … [Read more...]
Mastery of Meditation, Enlightenment & Kundalini Yoga Blog
If you're working on a home practice, one fantastic, free, online resource is Anmol Mehta's blog, Devoted to the Mastery of Meditation, Enlightenment and Kundalini Yoga. His depth of knowledge on these subjects and his generousity in offering free online detailed courses with feedback have turned me on to a regular meditation and pranayama practice. Under his online guidance, I feel confident in knowing that I am doing it right. … [Read more...]
How to choose your own experience of reality
One of the most valuable lessons that yoga can teach us is to observe our reactions to the world. When we practice, we pay attention to our breath, we are aware of physical sensations in the body, we notice our emotions and we watch our thoughts leaping and dancing about in the mind. In the watching, we begin to see space between thought and action. We begin to understand that we can choose our action. This gift of yoga could lead to the single biggest leap in evolution we could next make as … [Read more...]
On the power of paying attention to your words
by Kara-Leah Grant All around us lie opportunities for us to take our yoga off the mat - not just in a physical way, but in the way in which we relate to everything around us. When we practice, we listen to our breath, we let it guide us into postures, we accept ourselves right where we are, and we surrender into our body. When we live our lives, do we take the time to stop and listen to our breath? Do we allow our breath to take us into situations that we might find stressful? Do we … [Read more...]