by Kara-Leah Grant, Musings from the Mat Last week, after publishing the article outlining Forty Days of Yoga, I received an email from a reader excited about the book. She was particularly excited about having a set programme of yoga she and her students could do. Pause. A moment of clarity. Forty Days of Yoga is not a set practice programme. There is no instruction on asana at all, and for very good reason. The world does not need more information on what postures to do, how and … [Read more...]
A simple life can lead to clarity, and creativity
by Kara-Leah Grant, Musings from the Mat I'm experiencing my ideal life right now. It's a simple life - living in a town four square blocks large, living with my mother. Everything is a walk away - the post office, the lake, the shop, the cafe, the playground and childcare. It's ideal for a single mother determined to become financially independent. It means I can focus on being the best mother possible, and I can focus on building my business. It means that I'm enjoying my son more … [Read more...]
Getting back on the bandwagon: The evolution of a home practice
by Kara-Leah Grant, Musings from the Mat I'm practicing again, most days. Happened as soon as I arrived in Glenorchy and put Samuel back into childcare. It happened because I made it a priority. It happened because I knew I needed it. Craved it even. It happened because I wanted it. It wasn't that I'd ever stopped practicing - I still was. Every day I taught yoga, I practiced asana. At home, I practiced bits and pieces or asana here and there, a seated session after dinner, a … [Read more...]
Money is not the be-all and end-all for scoring life
by Kara-Leah Grant, Musings from the Mat On Saturday, I was on a Skype call with a sales rep from MediaPass. He's been great at helping me navigating my way through the implementation of a subscription system for The Yoga Lunchbox, answering all my many and varied questions with great patience - except for one thing. I wanted to use a subscription system where people could decide how much they wanted to pay to receive premium access to The YLB. I asked him about letting people choose how … [Read more...]
On the importance of closing energy leaks in the system
by Kara-Leah Grant, Musings from the Mat On Tuesday, in conversation with Lucinda, my super-duper virtual assistant, I noted that of the 1200 subscribers to The Monthly Digest, 378 had never opened an newsletter. It's no surprise really - we live in a world saturated with information, and many of us are in total overwhelm. The quantity of stuff and ideas and articles and videos and books and e-courses and e-books available to us is staggering. We say yes just in case we miss something … [Read more...]
Take everything as it comes, discomfort and comfort alike
by Kara-Leah Grant, Musings from the Mat The day we arrived at Anahata Yoga Retreat, nature and God were both sodden, and the retreat was wrapped in the clouds. I hadn’t thought to check the driving conditions before arriving at Anahata, and Samuel and I were traveling in my long, low, loaded-up station wagon. I made it round the first muddy gravel corner and thought. “Nope, there’s no way I’m going up there.” There was a sense of defeat in letting the road stop me now, after I’d got … [Read more...]
How a Journey into the Underworld Brought Me Home at Last
by Kara-Leah Grant, Musings from the Mat I'm leaving Wellington soon, and part of my impending shift down south to Glenorchy is about wiping the slate clean. Starting fresh. Letting go of everything, and then allowing back in only what truly matters. People keep asking; 'Are you moving down for good?' Good? What does that mean? I know I'm going for a couple of months. After that... who knows? I don't know what will arise in these two months. This is the letting go. This is … [Read more...]
I’m exhilarated, and terrified, all at the same time
by Kara-Leah Grant, Musings from the Mat Today I claimed my moment, owning what it is I want to do with my life. I declared to the YLB audience, and all my friends and family on Facebook, that, with their support and help, I was going to publish a book. It was petrifying. Oh sure, it was also exhilarating and exciting and awesome... but it was also petrifying. Ten minutes after Facebook'ing out the article I'd written, announcing there's going to be a PledgeMe campaign to raise the … [Read more...]
This is your moment. Claim it. Own it.
by Kara-Leah Grant, Musings from the Mat I stopped for fifteen minutes to meditate. It's 45 minutes later. This is why I'm finding it difficult to practice right now. Not because it's a chore, or because it's hard, or because I have to drag myself through it, but because I love it. I absolutely adore my yoga practice. Practice is, as Mark Whitwell says, coming into intimacy with life. Now, as I sit for a moment, I listen to the chorus of birds gossiping outside, pestering the moist lawn for … [Read more...]
I’ve fallen off the Yoga Practice Bandwagon
by Kara-Leah Grant, Musings from the Mat My practice has fallen by the wayside. Oh, something's happening every day, be it Yoga Nidra in bed before falling alseep, or a snatched moment of pranayama while my son watches a DVD, or a moment of standing backbends at the bench while doing the dishes. But rolling out a yoga mat, putting on yoga clothes, and doing a sustained practice? Twice a week. Maybe. I miss it. I yearn for it. I stop for a moment and tune into my breath and feel the … [Read more...]