by KeiShana Coursey, Opti-mum I’m awake between first sleep and second sleep. It’s 1 a.m., and for the past week I have been nursing the family through high fevers (including some gnarly hallucinations). My body has succumbed to this viral storm, waking with a sore throat and aching joints, and I’ve just taken a truckload of potions which means I can’t lie down until it’s, well, down. Last night, I dragged myself off to bed as the sun was setting – which I believe is what used to happen … [Read more...]
How I Found Space & Presence in the Aftermath of a Miscarriage
by Eimear Gray, Anam Cara Yoga Four weeks out things are, well, okay. I suffered my second miscarriage at 8 weeks. (So early on, thank God. One consolation at least, I guess. So it’s said anyway, or rather whispered). Now, four weeks out, I’m getting there slowly, and when I mean getting there I mean functioning with a tad more happiness, rather than the just plain awful, harrowing, unrelenting pain of the “miscarriage week”, or indeed weeks. It began as a “suspected” miscarriage and it … [Read more...]
OWN IT – Embracing Motherhood as Path
by Cathryn Monro, Spilt Milk Yoga What does self-knowledge mean? What is inner work and how do we DO it? How does one actually self-transform? Motherhood is like the most intense, long haul retreat you could ever go on; you meet your best and your worst behaviours, and no matter what you have to show up every day and be “Mum”, even when you don’t feel up to it. And yet, it’s especially when we don’t feel up to it that we have an opportunity to find a new way forward. If we choose to … [Read more...]
Cathryn Monro on Motherhood as a Spiritual Path
By Kara-Leah Grant Meet Cathryn Monro, artist, facilitator, mother of two, and author of Spilt Milk Yoga, a companion guide for mothers that applies the lessons of yoga to the everyday experience of motherhood. Cathryn is passionate about honouring mothers, and about sharing her hard-won wisdom that motherhood is a spiritual path. Join us as we discuss the complexities and beauty of motherhood, and the transformative power of a regular yoga practice. On the relationship between … [Read more...]
The Only Two Things Your Children Really Need From You
by Ben Ralston I’ll tell you straight: I didn’t have a clue what to do when my son was born. I had good instincts, I’d read a number of books and done my due diligence, but the stress of the situation I found myself in overwhelmed me. I didn’t have the internal resources to be able to cope because I wasn’t yet a man. I was really a 30 something year old scared little boy, and I found myself way, way, way out of my depth. This is true for the vast majority of Fathers: they aren't men … [Read more...]
Saying No to the Cult of Busyness
by Kara-Leah Grant I've long been aware that I've had a particular way of operating in the world that doesn't serve me. I'm addicted to getting things done. To being productive. And it comes from being in my head, rather than from being. There are some big gains from this particular behaviour - like prodigal production. Given the limitations of my life, I have produced an extraordinary amount of output. Websites, articles, books, classes, workshops, retreats, videos. This on top of single … [Read more...]
How Living Your Yoga Can Mean Taking Parenting Lessons From The Rock (Dwayne Johnson)
by Kara-Leah Grant First night in Napier, staying at my Uncle's house. The TV's on. I haven't lived with a TV for three years. It's novel. I sit to eat my dinner and catch the beginning of a movie. By the time I've finished my dinner, I've grasped the plot and I'm chuckling at the weirdness of the Universe. The movie is about a high-achieving, selfish, self-centered football player who discovers - when she shows up on his doorstep - that he has an eight year old daughter. The plot revolves … [Read more...]
How not to screw up your children (too much)
by columnist Gabrielle Harris, The Suburban Yogini When I was thirty I literally FELL pregnant. I was living in a small town in Greece teaching English and my partner was living in NZ. I liked to think of it as an immaculate conception but the Greek mamas liked to think of it differently, I was the spawn of the devil, unmarried and pregnant. My daughter was a gift, a message in a bottle, learning and a teaching all rolled into one big fat ball. Not that I knew any of that. Roll forward … [Read more...]
How to use yoga to help you be a better parent
Yoga is 'union' and there is no greater path to union than that of the relationship between parent and child - and a parent's relationship with themselves. by guest author Amanda Reid of Samadhi Yoga Where else do you have the challenge and opportunity to be your most mindful at each moment? Where your every communication has the potential to create conflict or upliftment? Children respond either consciously or unconsciously to each moment and can make us painfully aware of our gaps … [Read more...]