by Nicole Allan, Raw Yoga Modern Yoga has become like therapy for a lot of us. Far from the traditional goal of gaining enlightenment, most are simply looking for a tool to help us stay sane. When it comes to our sanity there are many factors to consider, for now, I have focused on a societal foundation - The blame/shame model of modern societies. Blame and shame have become so ingrained it’s hard to know where it all began... It is embedded in our thoughts, language and … [Read more...]
Cultivating Unshakeable Peace & Wellbeing with iRest Yoga Nidra: An Interview with Fuyuko Toyota
Fuyuko Toyota, certified iRest® Yoga Nidra Senior Trainer, Retreat Leader and Supervisor and Mentor. by Neal Ghoshal Ten years ago I had the great pleasure to meet Fuyuko Toyota. We were both assisting our teacher Donna Farhi on a long 21-day training and I was immediately drawn to Fuyuko for her warmth, her humility and humour and her deep, compassionate wisdom. Over the three weeks, we developed a beautiful appreciation for each others' teachings, and a delightful friendship … [Read more...]
Top 10 Best Yoga Articles of 2019
by Lucinda Staniland As the new year begins, I like to take a moment to reflect on all the amazing content that has passed through my hands in the last twelve months. As Editor of The Yoga Lunchbox, I'm blessed to regularly engage with a range of yoga teachers, thinkers and writers, many of them based right here in New Zealand, and to share their reflections with our community of yoga-loving readers. This year, our most popular articles covered some topics that were big talking points in … [Read more...]
Vincent Bolletta on Developing Physical Intelligence Through Yoga
by Lucinda Staniland, Vincent Bolletta, one of New Zealand's foremost yoga instructors and teacher trainers, has decades of experience in working with movement and yoga. With 30 years of teaching and practice experience, Vincent spends much of his time travelling internationally to teach hañsa Yoga, a unique style of yoga, of which he is the founder, that integrates both eastern and western thought and methodologies. We were lucky enough to catch Vincent for this video interview, where … [Read more...]
Resolutions for 2020 Guided by Yoga
by Sonya Simpson At this time of year, I find myself stepping away from the Asana of yoga and sitting within contemplation of the Yamas. Perhaps this is due to the fact that I stop teaching around now and spend some time living in my caravan at the beach, it could be that school holidays mean that each time I move through the poses my five-year-old decides that he should be on my back, or maybe it’s due to the fact that one calendar year is drawing to a close and I can reflect on how my … [Read more...]
Shambhavi Sarasvati on Direct Realization Tantra & The Play of Awakening
by Kara-Leah Grant Shambhavi Sarasvati I discovered Shambhavi Sarasvati when I went looking for Tantra books to deepen my knowledge of the Trika Shaivism lineage. I found The Play of Awakening, which is an accessible, enjoyable, gem of a book. I felt like I was sitting in satsang with Shambhavi, and had many insights and a'ha! moments through reading her words. I love her approach to Tantra and Self-Realisation - it feels relaxed and grounded in day-to-day life. She says that direct … [Read more...]
Dr Scott Lyons on Somatic Stress Release, Trauma & Boundaries
by Lucinda Staniland It's always fascinating to touch base with Dr. Scott Lyons (DO, PhD, MS, MFA, CHT, BMCP/T, RSMT, SME, BMCP, IDME, SEP, CST, BFA, RYT-500), co-founder of Embodied Flow. Scott has done a lot of academic learning (as evidenced in that extremely long string of letters after his name!) but the thing that is so refreshing and surprising about Scott is that, above all else, he prioritises learning and teaching from an embodied, experiential place. As you'll quickly notice in … [Read more...]
Why Meditating WITH The Body is So Important
Screenprint by Dyana Wells by Dyana Wells, Open Ground School of Meditation & Somatic Enquiry In the modern world, there is a tendency for us to live exclusively through our conceptual minds. We live in bubble worlds of thoughts and emotions, rather than in the world of direct experience. The body, however, experiences itself and the world directly. It is shaped – moment to moment – by its direct interaction with life. The conceptual mind sees the world through the filter … [Read more...]
Tongue Scraping: Does it Really Work?
by Lucinda Staniland If you try to sell me something, I will always approach it with a healthy dose of skepticism. And for good reason. In our consumerist world, I am constantly bombarded with “life-changing” devices and programs, many of which fall more than a little short of their magnificent marketing claims. In my experience, it ALWAYS pays to ask: What is the history of use behind this product? Who is making and marketing it and what motivates them? Are their claims … [Read more...]
A Return Home – I hoki mai ki te wā kāinga
by Jase Te Patu, Awhi Yoga & M3 Mindfulness for Children They say that the practice of yoga is a return to self, our true nature, a return home! Almost four years ago, I packed up my life in Australia and returned to Aotearoa to share my personal love and practice of yoga with our people. Little did I know that that decision was going to be the biggest yoga practice I had ever undertaken. I had fallen in love with yoga, since being in Australia. Yoga was my preferred way as a … [Read more...]