By Sue Furey, Tauranga Yoga Centre An Iyengar yoga class in a small town hall, some 35 years ago, was my initiation into my relationship with a yoga practice and that exploration continues. I am grateful every day that I decided to try that class. Like many people’s experience of their first few classes, I had no preconceptions or expectations of yoga; all I knew was that when I left after 1.5 hours I felt way better on every level than I had before class. During a class I was able to … [Read more...]
The Transformative Practice of Yoga Mudras
by Swami Karma Karuna, Anahata Yoga Retreat Whether consciously or unconsciously, the way we gesture or carry ourselves in physical attitudes throughout the day has the capacity to influence health, interactions, physiology and more. Using the body to express something or to communicate a feeling underlies many of our interactions in an unspoken way. Mudras, the ancient science of creating gestures with the hands, head or whole body, is a powerful and subtle yogic practice that is often … [Read more...]
On Ahimsa, Self-Reflection & Being a Dick
by Nicole Allan, Raw Yoga Yoga, like most things, was and is heavily influenced by the humans who learn it, teach it and live it. Over my years of learning, practicing and sharing yoga I believe that one of the most important things we can do, whether through yoga or ordinary everyday life, is to strive to be better humans. I believe this betterment happens through regular self-reflection. The amount of times I have been a complete dick in my life is hard to handle, let alone swallow. … [Read more...]
Life, Before and After iRest
by Una Hubbard I'll never forget my first encounter with iRest® founder - Richard Miller. I was in the Gold Coast at the first wave of teacher trainings to come to this part of the world, feeling very much out of my depth and wondering if I should even be there - I mean, who was I to think I could teach people to meditate? But there I was, and so was Richard Miller. I wasn't at all sure what to make of him, but I walked over and, with all my nervousness, the first thing I said was, … [Read more...]
A Review of the Valka Yoga Cork Yoga Mat: Non-Toxic & Eco-Friendly
by Lucinda Staniland & Cara Butler, As the editor of a popular yoga website, I receive a lot of requests to review various yoga-related products. Over the years, this has resulted in me getting a lot of practice at the all-important skill of saying ‘No’. I’ve learned the hard way to only say yes to doing a review when it’s a ‘"hell yes!" Thoroughly testing a product and writing a review takes a significant amount of time and energy and there’s nothing worse than doing it for a product … [Read more...]
How to Optimize the Fascial System to Move, Feel & Live Better
By Ian O'Dwyer, SOMA It interests me greatly to observe the various types of exercises and programs that are prepared and delivered by physical trainers, therapists, coaches and yoga teachers with comprehensive knowledge in their areas. Experience has empowered me to appreciate the difficulty in trying to create success for a large number of people, who each have varied movement challenges or goals. As a Movement Practitioner, the question still arises for me “What tissues are we … [Read more...]
When it turns out Exile was just a Sabbatical • My return to the Yoga World
by Kara-Leah Three weeks ago, after a three or four year sabbatical, I stepped back into a Yoga Studio to teach. I’d stopped teaching because my practice no longer resembled a studio yoga class, and it was impossible to teach something I wasn’t doing. It felt contrived, and wrong. Walking away from teaching felt like walking away from a core part of my identity. But sticking it out felt like a lie. So I stopped teaching. And I stopped going to studios because I was invariably … [Read more...]
Can Yoga Help with Better Sleep? A Q&A with Mark Stephens
by Lucinda Staniland In a restless world, sleep has become something of an elusive creature. Increasingly few of us get enough deep, restful sleep and as a society, we're starting to see the consequences in our declining physical and mental health. My personal experience of sleep has changed dramatically in recent years. After a lifetime of watching TV, using computers and being exposed to artificial lighting in the evening, I started to become conscious of how profoundly this affected my … [Read more...]
Overwhelm: When You Can’t Escape Your Life, Try Mindfulness
by Angelena Davies “Hello Overwhelm my old friend, I’ve come to talk to you again, Because a vision softly creeping, Left its seeds while I was sleeping.” I often break into song when I feel her coming again. Overwhelm. With her short breath, her pinched shoulders, her scratchy throat, her distracted conversations (“Mum, are you listening?”) her constant pull to the list, the bloody list, her tumble of thoughts, thinking thinking thinking, her creepy whispers of “That’s … [Read more...]
Teaching the Superpower of Rest & Reset with Pregnancy Yoga
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...]