by Kara-Leah Grant I've been pondering the yamas and niyamas for a few years now. Reading about them, thinking about them, writing about them... and of course, living them out. The niyama on my mind right now is Svadhyaya, often translated as study. Seems to sum up my entire approach to yoga really - the study of the practice and the study of the Self. Without that, there is no yoga, just a bunch of fancy moves thrown together on a mat. Svadhyaya is the difference between rotely moving … [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!
Exploring the Niyamas: Using tapas to burn through our shit
by Kara-Leah Grant Oh God do I need to cultivate tapas right now. Or I am cultivating it. Or the cultivation of it is serving me. Or something. I'm over-whelmed, emotional, stressed out and just want to get off this damn computer and go sit under a tree. (Notice the shift from Wednesday's post on self-realisation? Welcome to duality people!) It's two days until book launch and I have a mountain of things to do but I'm staying with family and also want to see them and I have a … [Read more...]
Exploring the Niyamas: How do we cultivate Samtosha (contentment) in our life?
by Kara-Leah Grant Of all the yamas and the niyamas I've explored in my life so far, this one made the most sense simply by looking at the word. Contentment. Yip. Know what that means. I didn't need to go and hunt through all my books reading what various yoga teachers and yogic scholars have written about contentment. I didn't need to search on Google to explore the different nuances. I got it. Out of the box. And I need it. Oh do I need it so bad. Wait... is that an oxymoron - to … [Read more...]
How a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis led to daily home yoga practice and teacher training
By guest author Susan Kitson, author of In Search of Health Ed. note: See the bottom of this article for a chance to win a copy of Susan's book. Fifteen years ago I had barely heard of yoga. Eleven years ago I was attending two classes a week in the hopes it would help improve my chances of conception. Now I practice every day. Here's how my yoga journey unfolded: In June ’07 I left Napier with my family for our annual winter break in Fiji. Bliss right? Not so much on this … [Read more...]
Mind-food: Cultivating Sattva through food
By guest author Carmen Howell of The Sadhana Studio These days meditation and yoga are my vices - positive habits which have evolved and have slowly woven into my bodily intelligence. When I find myself transforming and experienceing the discomfort that can often be present with transformation, rather than slipping back into the grip of unsupportive habits - such as enslaving myself to a diet, convincing myself that vitamins are the cure for my lack of energy, punishing my body by over … [Read more...]
Exploring the Niyamas: How does Saucha affect our lives?
by Kara-Leah Grant Over two years ago I made a commitment to live out each yama in my life and write about the experience. That series Applying the Yamas to Daily Life has been cornerstone content for The Yoga Lunchbox and has also been published in Asana Journal. Now, at the prompting of my editor at Asana, I've embarked on the same mission for the Niyamas. Every few weeks, I'm picking one niyama and studying it plus observing how it shows up in my life. For those new to yoga, the … [Read more...]
How Yoga Cured My Coffee Addiction
By Kara-Leah Grant, Musings from the Mat I'm jittery right now, and struggling to write this article. I feel like I've had a line of speed. Maybe a line of cocaine. My heart is beating faster. I'm struggling to calm down enough to find the flow of my words. My breathing is erratic. There's no drugs in my system though. At least, not a drug we think of as a drug. I have just had my first cup of coffee after a ten day cleanse, The Ultimate Cleanse. I've been looking forward to … [Read more...]
How to deal with uncomfortable and difficult emotions
by Kara-Leah Grant It's been one of those days - when you could barely drag yourself out of bed and you felt like bursting into tears at the slightest provocation. The same life that looked awesome last week has paled into sepia and you feel like you're moving through molasses. You begin to wonder: What the hell is wrong with me? Maybe I'm depressed. Maybe I'm doing the wrong yoga practice. Maybe I'm living in the wrong town. Maybe I need a new job. Maybe... But what if... what if nothing … [Read more...]
Ten Ways to Deal with a Crisis in Confidence
by Kara-Leah Grant You've finally done it - committed to that big dream of yours even though you're shaking down into your boots. You've taken that big, bold step that shifts your dream from being something inside your head, to something that other people can see. You've maybe even a good way towards making that dream of yours an actual reality out there in the big wide world. Maybe you finally pitching an article to a national magazine, or entered in your first marathon, or recorded your … [Read more...]
Vastu architecture in the West
By guest author Michael Borden The structure of the Vastu inspired building vibrates with cosmic energy and the bodily instrument resonates with this vibration. To create and offer the house of supreme bliss, and to enable us to experience that supreme bliss here in this mundane house itself – these are the prime motives of Vastu Science. - Dr. V. Ganapati Sthapati In the mid-1990s, I begun a search for information about Vastu Architecture. I found that there were many ancient and modern … [Read more...]