by guest author Deepak Chopra, author of many books including Buddha: A Story of Enlightenment. Deepak Chopra is in Auckland on August 2nd. See the bottom of this article for event details. Emotions are mysterious and often dangerous things. Thirty years ago mind-body medicine made the connection between emotions and illness. The so-called cancer personality had its vogue, preceded by the type A personality linked to early heart attacks. Despite advances in drugs for depression and … [Read more...]
What does it look like to live like a yogi? In this section you'll find all kind of article about living life the yogic way - from conscious consumerism, to architecture and how to deal with hangover... Here you'll find out how yoga applies to all aspects of life!
Breaking away from asana and exploring the other limbs of yoga
We have just moved house, my partner and I. In the midst of trying to insure we have all our things in spaces that make sense, I’ve been eyeing the large deck and huge lounge floor. This house is made for practicing Yoga. Which I haven’t done in I don’t know how long. Not specifically the sort that everyone thinks of when they hear the word ‘yoga’, anyway. That is to say: my life has had no asana practice for a couple weeks. Since asana is only one of eight – 1 of 8! – limbs of Yoga, … [Read more...]
How to cope with post-pregnancy poopiness
by guest author Melissa Billington, POWA Centre, Wellington Creating a baby is such a natural thing, yet it can change your world so irrevocably and unexpectedly that it’s no wonder women struggle after the intensity of birthing to feel centred, balanced and “themselves” again. Not only is a new human created, but a new mother is created as well. As much as you read and research and reconnoitre with other women and mothers, no one and nothing can prepare you entirely for the reality … [Read more...]
Applying the fifth yama, Aparigraha (non-hoarding), to daily life
by Kara-Leah, Of all the yamas, this is the one which, if kept, would have the most profound effect on our western, consumer, materialistic society. If we all lived in such a way that we were non-possessive, non-accumulative, and non-hoarding... it would totally shift our relationship to stuff, to the earth, to ideas, to ego-identity and to each other. The way we did business would change. The way we manufactured products would change. Our footprint upon the earth would lighten enormously. The … [Read more...]
Applying the Fourth Yama, Brahmacharya (Moderation), to Daily Life
Image by gonghuimin468 from Pixabay by Kara-Leah, By far, this has been the trickiest yama to get a handle on. Definitions of what it means vary widely - from total celibacy at one end, to the application of moderation towards all sensory experiences at the other. Some also define it according to the literal word meaning itself, which provides another spin altogether. Brahma literally means the ‘divine consciousness’ and charya, in this context, means ‘living’ or ‘one who is established in’. … [Read more...]
Applying the third yama, Asteya (non-stealing), to daily life
by Kara-Leah Working with a different yama each week has been far tougher than I ever thought. It feels like each one is showing me yet another way in which I create suffering from myself. Problem is, the patterns of behaviour are so subtle and so ingrained that perceiving them is one thing, changing them is another. Asteya, or non-stealing, has shown up in all kinds of unexpected ways for me. Far more than just refraining from stealing material items, Asteya also means not taking … [Read more...]
Applying The Second Yama, Satya (Truth), to Daily Life
By Kara-Leah Grant It didn't surprise me to discover this week that a yoga asana (posture) for Satya could be Virabhadrasana 1 or Warrior 1 Posture, as this is a posture of standing forward and being forward in your truth. Before I started yoga, my entire life had been built on a lie - a lie that I'd told myself and totally believed. This lie was so embedded in my consciousness that when I first ever did Virabhadrasana 1 in a yoga class I was so challenged mentally and emotionally that I … [Read more...]
Applying the first yama, Ahimsa (non-violence), to daily life
by Kara-Leah Last week I made the decision to apply myself seriously to the study and application of each yama (or wise characteristics that denote how we interact with other people) week by week. First up is Ahimsa, which literally means the avoidance of violence. How hard can that be? Don't hit anyone. Don't kill anyone. Don't pinch, punch or slap anyone. I'm not by nature a violent, nor angry person, can't be too tough right? Ah... but wait. Does this apply to sentient beings … [Read more...]
Can You Name all the Yamas and Niyamas from Patanjali’s Eight Limbs?
by Kara-Leah Grant I've been contemplating a few things lately, both while on my mat and off my mat. Things like how yoga and business mix, what it means to be a yoga student, what it means to be a yogi, how our shadow sides present themselves and affect both us and the people around us, and what life is really all about. I know, big stuff. Something that's mean tying it together for me, over and over and over again, is that how we choose to behave when the pressure is on reveals how mature … [Read more...]
Reflections on hope, inspired by a poetry competition
by guest author Alys Titchener I didn’t win. I kind of knew that already when they didn’t phone that day. I waited till the next day, thinking maybe; just maybe they were being disorganized, over worked, or one of those students is filling in and doesn’t really care to follow up. See, there was a little bit of hope left over. It was still possible that I could have won that poetry competition. The day before, I spoke with conviction to my flatmates; it doesn’t matter if I win or not. … [Read more...]