by guest author Jude Mahood, nutritionist and yoga teacher The first part of this article described the way yoga practice is thought to result in weight loss. In summary, weight loss may be the direct result of vigorous regular practice or it may be indirectly related to the cultivation of mindfulness. An important point to reiterate is that successful weight loss is more likely to happen if yoga practice is combined with sound weight loss strategies. I have to be very clear at the … [Read more...]
Inspiring stories of how the practice of yoga has changed and shaped people's lives.
How Yoga Has Helped Me… With Sarcoidosis
This is the fifth post in a series of yoga stories from readers. Tell us how yoga changed your life. Submitted by Danelle Wilson of Pennsylvania, USA I have been living with Sarcoidosis for three years. It has caused scarring on my lungs and prior to practicing Baptiste Power Vinyasa Yoga, I only had 40% lung capacity. At first my practice was very difficult. I could not breathe or focus on my asanas. It has been just a little over a year and I have reached so … [Read more...]
How yoga helped me to… become curiouser and curiouser
This is the fourth post in a series of yoga stories from readers. Tell us how yoga changed your life and go in the draw to win a yoga prize package. Submitted by AF of the North Island I can't go back to yesterday - because I was a different person then. - Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland I was newly single and reeling from my first ever broken heart. I was over-worked and highly stressed. I was in my third year of business (owner/operator) and trying desperately to not fail at … [Read more...]
Is regular yoga practice a good way to lose weight?
by guest author Jude Mahood, nutritionist and yoga teacher I often get asked whether yoga practice is a good way to lose weight. I would love to be able to reply, unreservedly, “Yes. Yoga melts away the kilos’. It would certainly be great for business, but it wouldn’t be ethical because it is not 100% truthful. In my experience, people inquiring about yoga and weight loss really want to know about the physicality of yoga in regards to calorie-burning. Fair enough since how much you … [Read more...]
How yoga helped me… balance my Type-A personality
This is the third post in a series of yoga stories from readers. Tell us how yoga changed your life and go in the draw to win a yoga prize package. Submitted by Lisa Morrison of Otago: From my very first class 8 years ago, I was totally and utterly hooked on yoga! There are no exact words for the feelings I experienced during and after a class, but it sort of felt like I'd 'come home to myself'; a feeling of blissful contentment. This was just the tonic for me as I was a type A … [Read more...]
How yoga helped me… find steadiness and beauty within my body
Submitted by Zoe of the North Island (not her real name) The sexual abuse of the body started before I turned 4. I say it that way because although it happened to all of me, separating from the body it happened to became a way to survive. I could vanish into the wallpaper or the light shade in an effort to tolerate the intolerable. By the time I was in my mid-twenties my life was coming unraveled. A fiercely honed intellect wasn't sufficient for living a fully engaged life. A … [Read more...]
How yoga helped me… lose weight and feel good again
This is the first post in a series of yoga stories from readers. Tell us how yoga changed your life and go in the draw to win a yoga prize package. Submitted by Tash of Lower Hutt, winner of a Yoga Prize Package At fourteen years old, I felt completely depressed, empty inside and lost in the world. I was overweight and stuck in toxic friendships. I was at rock bottom. I found yoga when I was browsing the TV listings (Yoga TV with Kris Mcintyre, Barbara Behal and Nils Vesk) and … [Read more...]
Share your yoga story and inspire others in their practice
by Kara-Leah Grant Has yoga made a real difference in your life? The Yoga Lunchbox wants to know all about it, as there's nothing more inspiring than reading stories about real people who've been helped by yoga. Use the form down below to share a paragraph or two about how yoga has changed your life, your body, your mind, your spirit, your attitude, your job, your relationships... Anything at all! All the stories of yoga benefits and changes will be including in an up-coming Yoga … [Read more...]
How yoga has the power to transform and release avidya (self-ignorance)
My first experience with the power of avidya came about twenty minutes into my third ashtanga yoga class. Or maybe my second. The exact number is not important, just that I was a broke backpacker partway through a pre-paid ten week yoga course. The teacher, a long, lanky woman in her early forties, brought us into Warrior One - Virabhadrasana I. My hips were skewed decidedly sideways. My back heel struggled to connect with the floor. My arms were crooked and screamed in protest as I … [Read more...]
How yoga practice teaches you to listen to your intuition through life’s transitions
by guest author Lynda Miers-Henneveld of Yoga Unlimited Yoga teaches us to embrace the natural rhythms of life. Through our practice we can ground ourselves in times of instability, or motivate and energise ourselves when we feel stuck. A personal practice has to reflect our changing circumstances if it is to support us in our journey through this life. If we stay present to what is happening in our bodies, minds and hearts, we can adapt our practice intuitively. … [Read more...]