By Kara-Leah Grant, Musings from the Mat It is so common to lie in our day-to-day lives that most of us don't even know we're doing it. It is so acceptable to withhold truth in order to gain advantage that it's considered good business practice or smart politics. Truth is seen as something that gets in the way of a good sale, it gets in the way of what we want to do, or where we want go. Truth is simply, as Al Gore put it - inconvenient. It is true that we can not sustain the lifestyle … [Read more...]
Why nothing is a problem anymore
My work mates thought I was nuts. A four day meditation retreat, three and a half days of which were in silence. Doing nothing but sitting meditation, walking meditation, eating and sleeping. To me it sounded like bliss. No work. No website. No teaching. No relationships. No internet, tv, media, newspaper, books, magazines. Just unadulterated being, led by one of New Zealand's most prominent meditation teachers, Stephen Archer in a beautiful retreat house in Otaki. The day's … [Read more...]
Completion of a loving-kindness sadhana, Day 30 to Day 40
This was the easiest sadhana (daily spiritual practice) I've done. Simply sitting cross-legged and repeating four lines (in English no less!) over and over. May I be filled with loving-kindness May I be well My I be peaceful and at ease May I be happy I finished yesterday, with a twenty minute meditation. Yet this morning, getting stuck into work, I couldn't wait to do my meditation. So I did. Day 41. This may just be a daily practice for me until... well who knows? … [Read more...]
The Benefits of Teaching Yoga
by Guest Author Swami Nishchalananda, who established Mandala Yoga Ashram in 1986. As students and practitioners of Yoga we are all well aware of the benefits Yoga can have on all levels of our being. Teaching Yoga can be a way of passing on to others what we have received. Teaching Yoga gives us an opportunity to serve others, enabling us to really be of help to others in improving the quality of their lives. Remember that service (Sanskrit, seva) is an essential aspect of Yoga … [Read more...]
Inside the experience of a Loving-Kindness sadhana to day 29
Kundalini, or prana, rising up the spine Meditation is a cumulative experience. That is, the more you do it, the more you get it, the more you want to do it, the more you get out of it... creating this constant feedback loop of encouragement. Unfortunately, it also works the other way. We begin to meditate, never having done it before, likely with many expectations of what meditation is "supposed" to be like. … [Read more...]
Inside the experience of a loving-kindness sadhana to Day 20
This practice was inspired by many things. A conversation with friends after a heart-opening Bhakti practice about the nature of the spiritual path. An understanding that opening the body was all very well, but unless the heart also opened, essentially meaningless. A desire to experience more equinimity, more joy, more bliss, more love. And a book called A Path with Heart. … [Read more...]
How to connect to other people while holding your centre – a new loving-kindness sadhana
Perhaps my biggest discovery this year has been the power of sadhana. I started my new years with a Forty Day Sadhana of Sodarshan Chakra Kriya. It took me a bit longer than forty days to finish it, as I missed a day at day 35 and had to start all over again... but boy was it powerful when I finally finished. I was super excited when I started my next sadhana - all about accessing infinite energy and prosperity. Unfortunately, I had to stop that one at Day 15 because I discovered I was … [Read more...]
How to unleash your inner Goddess
There is a Goddess that lives inside each and every woman. In some women, the Goddess is obscured by thick, heavy clouds of fear. Posture is weighted, cramped and hunched. Skin is pale. Eyes dart. In other women, the Goddess has been laquered over with a mask of perfection. Glitz, glamour and gloss strut their stuff, leaving no time nor room for the sensual, knowing, easy delight of a Goddess. Then there are those women who fear for the safety of their Goddess in this (apparently) … [Read more...]
What is a Sadhana and Why Do I Need One in My Life?
By Kara-Leah, Regular readers will well remember I started a forty day sadhana (spiritual practice) oh... a few months ago. It was an Infinite Wealth and Prosperity meditation, and I was loving doing it. But then something happened. I found out I was pregnant, and as this particular meditation involved stomach pumps (a no-no for pregnant women), I had to stop. But I couldn't write about it immediately, because I had to wait to tell people I was pregnant. Now I can tell people... so I can … [Read more...]
How yoga practice teaches you to listen to your intuition through life’s transitions
by guest author Lynda Miers-Henneveld of Yoga Unlimited Yoga teaches us to embrace the natural rhythms of life. Through our practice we can ground ourselves in times of instability, or motivate and energise ourselves when we feel stuck. A personal practice has to reflect our changing circumstances if it is to support us in our journey through this life. If we stay present to what is happening in our bodies, minds and hearts, we can adapt our practice intuitively. … [Read more...]