More questions than answers on how we view and work with pain in yoga By Veronica King A recent post about a pain relief ad in a pharmacy sparked a lively discussion around yoga and pain, one which I was interested in exploring further. It seems to have created more questions than answers. A topic dear to my heart as I tore my hip labrum in a yoga class, this injury and the subsequent pain management was to become my greatest teacher. Many teachers and students have been injured in … [Read more...]
Does ambition belong on your yoga mat?
Teaching yoga as your career By Veronica King Luckily my first and most influential teacher always spoke about being a yoga professional. This was her livelihood and treated it with that respect. This helped shape me. As a yoga teacher, I would always treat my career with that same respect. It's not uncommon to feel shy about sharing this. There is in the teaching of any spiritual tradition an ongoing tension between being of service and charging for that service. You have every … [Read more...]
Travelling Yogi
How yoga helped me stay grounded before flying. By Veronica King Feels surreal to be writing this piece on my parent's kitchen table in Adelaide. The trip that was cancelled 3 times due to border changes, it would appear that it was 4th time lucky. The last few years we have been shrouded in fear, separated from our loved ones, and unsure if anything we planned would actually go ahead. As I prepared for this trip, I knew my practice was helping me stay steady and grounded. I’m sharing … [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...]
Conversations with Carlos – Part 2
By Cara Butler. Carlos does not shy away from challenging topics and in fact considers it a part of his yoga practice to stay engaged, educated and involved in societal and global issues. Even when it would be easier to turn inward and ignore the external chaos. This is one of the reasons I hold Carlos in such high regard. I have observed all too often in the yoga world that the teachings and practices are used by some to border on what I would call self-obsession. I … [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...]
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...]
Chakras – Our Centres for Transformation to Truth
by Nisha Kumar Joon, YogaOra A chakra is an energy structure, a whirling vortex of energy that acts a bit like a spiral pulling energy through the body’s central vertical electrical current aligned with the spine. Whilst the spine curves, the main energy feeder, line of light, that draws energy into the body system’s energy line, is straight. In our human body we tend to work with seven main chakras but there are many, many more. Chakras are also known psychic centers in the subtle body, … [Read more...]
Shambhavi Sarasvati on Direct Realization Tantra & The Play of Awakening
by Kara-Leah Grant I discovered Shambhavi Sarasvati when I went looking for Tantra books to deepen my knowledge of the Trika Shaivism lineage. I found The Play of Awakening, which is an accessible, enjoyable, gem of a book. I felt like I was sitting in satsang with Shambhavi, and had many insights and a'ha! moments through reading her words. I love her approach to Tantra and Self-Realisation - it feels relaxed and grounded in day-to-day life. She says that direct realization traditions, … [Read more...]