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...]
When it turns out Exile was just a Sabbatical • My return to the Yoga World
by Kara-Leah Three weeks ago, after a three or four year sabbatical, I stepped back into a Yoga Studio to teach. I’d stopped teaching because my practice no longer resembled a studio yoga class, and it was impossible to teach something I wasn’t doing. It felt contrived, and wrong. Walking away from teaching felt like walking away from a core part of my identity. But sticking it out felt like a lie. So I stopped teaching. And I stopped going to studios because I was invariably … [Read more...]
Overwhelm: When You Can’t Escape Your Life, Try Mindfulness
by Angelena Davies “Hello Overwhelm my old friend, I’ve come to talk to you again, Because a vision softly creeping, Left its seeds while I was sleeping.” I often break into song when I feel her coming again. Overwhelm. With her short breath, her pinched shoulders, her scratchy throat, her distracted conversations (“Mum, are you listening?”) her constant pull to the list, the bloody list, her tumble of thoughts, thinking thinking thinking, her creepy whispers of “That’s … [Read more...]
What Does it Mean to be an Awakened Heart Warrior in Troubled Times?
by Kara-Leah Grant, Prefer to listen to an audio version of this article? Click here to listen on Dropbox. The news isn't getting any better. Extinction is looming for 1 million plants and animals, thanks to human activity, says the UN. Trump's Administration heralds melting sea ice as opening new opportunities for trade. And global beverage giants continue to bottle New Zealand's water at aquifer-destroying rates. Storms are worse. Refugee numbers are climbing. Our rivers are … [Read more...]
The Power of Just Being: Reflections on a Silent Retreat
By Sandra Palmer, I am a talker, a chatterbox even. So, I received some surprised responses (shocked, disbelieving and even amused!) when I informed people that I was attending a seven-day silent retreat. Some friends were plainly envious and thought it sounded divine. Many were curious: But why? They asked. Why would you do this? What is the purpose of being silent? Others wanted to know how hard it would be for me. I did not have answers to these questions. I was too … [Read more...]
Climate Change, Extinction & How to be an Agent of Change
by Kara-Leah, It can be scary and painful to see the truth of the moment as it is. But many of us have been learning how to do this in our personal evolution as awakening human beings. We've been learning how to work with fear. How to sit with grief, shame and guilt. We've learned that by doing this, we can then release the wounds, the traumas and historical pain and free ourselves from the past - our own past, and the past of our ancestors. What's this got to do with Climate Change? … [Read more...]