by Lucinda Staniland Most of us come to yoga with a whole lot of misconceptions about what yoga is. I was no different. Here are some of the mistakes that I made, and lessons that I learnt, as a new yoga student. 1. Asana does not equal yoga. When I started doing yoga I was awed by the strength and grace of the physical practice I saw my fellow students doing. I couldn't wait for the day when I too would move with such beauty. I fell in love with asana. But asana (physical postures) is not … [Read more...]
Living Your Gifts: Six Steps to Awakening a Yogic Heart
by Leza Lowitz, Sun and Moon Yoga The Japanese have a word, ikigai (生き甲斐) which means “reason for being.” In Japan, finding one’s reason for being requires a deep, long search for self. This search itself is considered central, as the discovery of one’s ikigai is what brings satisfaction and meaning. Ikigai is a compound of two Japanese words: iki meaning "life, alive" and kai "effect, result, fruit, benefit." So how do we find our ikigai? How do we discover and awaken our gifts? How do we … [Read more...]
How Long Should I Meditate For?
by Kara-Leah Grant If you've googled your way to this article, you've likely come looking for some kind of concrete answer to your question. Like 10 minutes a day. Or twenty minutes, three times a week. If that's the kind of answer you're looking for, because you're using meditation as a way to de-stress, or chill out, or because all the cool kids are doing it, you may as well stop reading right now. This article won't help you by giving you a definitive answer. However, if you're meditating … [Read more...]
What Does it Mean to Love Unconditionally?
by Kara-Leah Grant Recently in our Heart of Tribe Facebook Group, one of the participants asked me to elaborate on what it means to love people - especially family - unconditionally. “For me, to do this fully would at times be to my own detriment. Sometimes it's just too much 'stuff', too much drama. What do we do when we can't hold that space for them? Or worse...when their stuff is just toxic. And how to discern when to do this and when you just...can't/shouldn’t.” That first … [Read more...]
The Humbling Experience of Ditching Music While Teaching Yoga
by Kara-Leah Grant Facilitating retreat is always a powerful experience, not just for the retreatees, but also for myself and the other facilitators. I know that I'm going to get triggered, that my ideas and beliefs will be challenged, and my unconsciousness revealed. This is the process of retreat, and it is immensely rewarding. In the middle of the fire though, it's damned hard work. Case in point: The Heart of Joy, Bali. I’m co-facilitating with Ben Ralston. It's only the second retreat … [Read more...]
How Yoga Helped Me Combat Depression & Heartbreaking Loss (Without Medication)
By Adrienne Smith, Power of Your OM It is estimated that by the year 2020, anxiety and depression will be the leading cause of death - over heart disease and over cancer. Yikes! While anxiety and depression can come from legitimate chemical imbalances that require medication to curb them, medical researchers are finding that cultivating awareness of our thoughts and the physical state of our being, in combination with medication (if necessary), will prove a better defense to anxiety and … [Read more...]
Why it Took Me Twenty Years to Learn the Most Basic Yogic Breath
by Kara-Leah Grant Twenty one years after my first yoga class, I finally learned the most basic of all yoga - I learned how to breathe properly. Yes despite all those years on the mat, and all the many teachers I went through, and all the years of home yoga practice, I didn't master Yogic Breath until 2016. Yogic Breath is elementary to yoga practice. It involves inhaling first into the belly, allowing it to fully expand out, before filling the chest and finally the clavicular (under the collar … [Read more...]
What Is iRest® Yoga Nidra Meditation and How Can It Help You?
by Neal Ghoshal, Sacred Moves As the popularity of Yoga continues to expand, more and more people are being drawn into practices beyond Yoga asana (posture), into breath work, into meditation, into the subtler aspects of the tradition. One of the practices that is becoming increasingly lauded is Yoga Nidra. I first came across Yoga Nidra back in 2003 when learning to teach at the Ashram Yoga School in Parnell, Auckland. Ashram Yoga, a Satyananda style inspired Yoga school, included Yoga Nidra … [Read more...]
A Brand New Vision! Of… No-Thing-Ness. Again.
by Kara-Leah Grant One month ago I wrote about creating a new vision to orient The Yoga Lunchbox behind. Normally when I set sail on a course of action like that, things move fast. Normally that vision would be laid out clear by now. But these are not normal times, at least, not in my world. Over the last six months I have been on the super-highway to facing reality as it is. At least, that's what it's felt like. A perfect storm of people and circumstances have given me ample opportunity … [Read more...]
The Real Meaning of Aum and Why We Chant It
by Kara-Leah Grant An extract from 'The No-More-Excuses Guide to Yoga' The number one thing that freaks out new yoga students is the thought of opening their mouth and making a vowel sound followed by a consonant in a room full of strangers. Yes, the simple sound of OM makes people want to run screaming from the room. There are a few reasons for this - one is that Aum (as it's correctly written) has a bad rap. It's weird, strange and the butt of all kinds of jokes. Plus, making a sound like … [Read more...]