by Kara-Leah Grant, Avoidance. It's one of those subtle things that can completely derail our lives. Or at least, prevent us from growing and expanding. And the thing is, it's oh so subtle most of the time. Like, not even there almost. Like, easy to ignore. This week, I've avoided making a phone call to a venue to talk about pricing. I've avoided downloading and reading the notes from my editor on my book. And I've avoided calling someone on treating me bad. These are just the avoidances I'm … [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!
After Las Vegas: Yoga Won’t Save The World, But it Can Be a Shelter in Stormy Times
By Christina Sell, Live the Light of Yoga This article was originally published on Christina's blog Live the Light of Yoga and is reprinted here with Christina's permission. Last night I dreamt of Las Vegas. In my dream, among other common dream-time images was something new— toxic rain. Down from the sky rained a green, thick, and rotten goo that covered everyone and stifled their ability to breathe, to see, and to speak. As the rain continued, the situation became increasingly dire and I … [Read more...]
The Only Thing to Fear is Fear Itself? Bullshit
by Kara-Leah Grant We all know the saying - the only thing to fear is fear itself. But it's wrong. Completely totally and utterly wrong. And if I was a conspiracy theorist, I would say that disseminating that piece of wisdom is a sneaky way to disempower people completely and turn them into comfort-seeking, convenience-addicted sheep. Fear is not to be feared. In fact, fearing fear feeds the fear and locks us up into a big old contracted mess that will do anything to avoid how … [Read more...]
Donna Farhi on Why Success in Yoga is About Opening Our Hearts, Not Our Hips
By Donna Farhi First published in the March/April 1997 Yoga Journal USA, reprinted here by permission of Donna Farhi. It’s late afternoon and one of my long-time students has come to visit. After a few minutes of chitchat, Sarah relates how inadequate she felt at the Yoga workshop she attended over the weekend. Just about everyone could do the advanced postures except her, and she left feeling that her practice was inferior. I asked Sarah what her life was like when she began practicing … [Read more...]
This is What Happened When I Combined Yoga with the KonMari Method
by Lucinda Staniland It was a small book that made a big promise. I’ve grown to be suspicious of such books, particularly when they make prominent use of phrases like ‘life-changing’, but there was something about this one that I couldn’t shake off. It was simple, it was sincere—very sincere, in fact—and it was practical too. Maybe, just maybe, I thought, this little book might be offering something true. Maybe, just maybe, tidying up might just turn out to be as life-changing as it … [Read more...]
Lessons from a Yogi: How to Deal with Criticism & Being Called Out
by Kara-Leah Grant Today I received a long comment on the article I wrote about my disappointment at how Madonna has chosen to age, because it means I'm now looking for another role model on the ageing front. The author, Cherise, shares her perspective on the way I wrote the article. You know what? I read this article this morning and mulled over it all day. There’s something in here that really annoys me Kara-Leah. I am a contemporary of Madonna. I am nearly 58, which I believe she is … [Read more...]
Nine Ways to Master Yourself, and Therefore Life
by Kara-Leah Grant There are two ways to live life. One is as a victim, getting upset and angry at what life throws at you, and trying to change the people and circumstances around you to make life easier. The second is as a Master, taking whatever life throws at you and using it to change yourself, making yourself stronger and more resilient so life becomes easier and easier. If you've been wasting energy on trying to change people around you, or wasting energy on reacting to the … [Read more...]
The Gifts of Applying Ahimsa to Daily Life
By guest author Mike Kuplevatsky The fundamental nature of happiness and our relationship between our inner world and the external world most often intertwine. Without realizing it, our happiness is often governed by the external world. For example, if someone frowns at us, honks a horn at us, calls us crazy, disagrees with with some of our viewpoints or thinks badly of us, our happiness most often instantly becomes interrupted. That can play out into violence towards ourselves or to … [Read more...]
How Compassion Makes Yoga Relevant
by John Guthrie Sitting quietly, the dawn chorus yet to begin, I think of that one word, compassion. The image of a hermit in a cave somewhere comes to mind, and I reflect on this as the embodiment of compassion. Away from the world, yet radiating out the peace that arises from compassion, which has been birthed in the depth of their silence. A place that could just as well have its roots in suffering. There are those whose compassion has arisen from personal suffering. In the last … [Read more...]
There’s More to Us Than Meets The Eye: Exploring The Five Koshas
By Trish Brown, co-director of Dru Yoga Australia If you have ever suspected that there was more to you than just your physical body, yoga philosophy reveals that you are right. According to ancient yoga texts, we are indeed much more than just the physical, being made up of five distinct layers known as the koshas. The koshas are often compared to the layers of an onion. If you can see the physical body as the outer layer, traveling inwards through more subtle layers of energy, emotion and … [Read more...]