by Lucinda Staniland Meet the delightful Justine Hamill, co-owner of Wellington's Power Living yoga studio and a Senior Facilitator of the Power Living New Zealand team. With eighteen years of Yoga practice under her belt, as well as training in Gestalt Psychotherapy, watching Justine in action makes it obvious that she brings a very deep level of experience and nurturing care to Power Living's Yoga Teacher Trainings, which she's been involved with for the last four years. Yoga Teacher … [Read more...]
Philip Shepherd on What It’s Really Like To Experience Radical Wholeness
by Lucinda Staniland What is radical wholeness? This is a question that Philip Shepherd has spent many decades exploring and experiencing. As an international embodiment expert and the author of "New Self, New World," "Radical Wholeness," and creator of The Embodied Present Process™, Philip has studied wholeness through scientific, historical and anthropological lenses and through the felt intelligence of his own body. Kara-Leah Grant caught up with Philip to explore his nuanced and, to … [Read more...]
Dr Scott Lyons on The Art of Being Human & Embodied Flow™ Yoga
by Lucinda Staniland, It's always a joy to come across someone who takes real pleasure in the work they do in the world. Without a doubt, Dr Scott Lyons is such a person and I could tell so immediately when I began watching his conversation with Kara-Leah Grant. Although he clearly takes a serious and earnest approach to his work, there is also an overflowing sense of delight and lightness to him, which I couldn't help but be enchanted by. Dr Scott Lyons is a Clinical Psychologist and … [Read more...]
Ana Forrest & Jose Calarco on Bringing Mysticism, Magic & Indigenous Culture to Yoga
by Kara-Leah Grant For the last four decades, Ana Forrest has been bringing her particular brand of fierce medicine to the yoga world. She's long woven Native American ceremony into her classes and workshops, calling on the forces that helped her heal from an abusive and challenging childhood. So it's no surprise that when she met and fall in love with the man who would go on to become a co-director of Forrest Yoga that he too would have a long history with shamanism and healing - just in a … [Read more...]
Leslie Kaminoff on Why Asanas Don’t Exist
by Lucinda Staniland Meet Leslie Kaminoff, a Yoga educator with forty years experience in the study of Yoga and the breath. Leslie studied with T.K.V Desikachar, a teacher renowned for his emphasis on the therapeutic aspects of yoga, and he is the co-author of the bestselling book Yoga Anatomy. In Leslie's conversation with Kara-Leah Grant, I was struck by his particular brand of what I would call respectful realism. This is a man with a deep belief in the power of the work that he … [Read more...]
Sarsha & Sandi of Nadi 200 Hour Vinyasa Flow Yoga Teacher Training on the Incredible Intelligence of the Body
by Lucinda Staniland Sandi Murphy and Sarsha Hood are two passionate, intelligent and, most of all embodied women. These are characteristics that serve them well as co-leaders of the Nadi 200 Hour Vinyasa Flow Yoga Teacher Training, an immersive month-long training for dedicated yoga students. Watching their interview with Kara-Leah Grant, I was greatly struck by the incredible synergy and resonance between them. Sarsha and Sandi are the epitome of the saying 'on the same wave length'— … [Read more...]
Amy Ippoliti on Why 60-Minute Yoga Classes Might Be Watering Down Yoga
by Lucinda Staniland Meet Amy Ippoliti—yoga teacher, author, earth activist and founder of 90 Monkeys, an online professional development school for yoga teachers. One of the first things I noticed when I watched this video interview with Amy was her irrepressible enthusiasm for the practice of yoga. Yes, there's no doubt in my mind that this woman loves yoga, and loves sharing it with the world. And yet, while Amy is incredibly open hearted and enthusiastic, she also cultivates a sharp … [Read more...]
The Inside Story on Jayayoga Teacher Training
by Lucinda Staniland I already knew that Jennifer Allen, and the Jayayoga Teacher Training she leads, were awesome. But I didn't quite realise how awesome. The Yoga Lunchbox has interviewed Jennifer before, so I was aware that she is an unusually perceptive and gutsy teacher, with a teaching methodology that offers a different perspective on yoga from much of the contemporary yoga scene. Yes, Jennifer teaches straight from the heart with a focus on alignment and safety. It's not flashy … [Read more...]
The Community Speaks: What’s The Greatest Challenge Facing The Yoga Community Right Now?
by Lucinda Staniland We want to generate more meaningful and constructive dialogue in the yoga community, especially around the hard questions we face, and to create a space for the community to share their stories and perspectives. So here it is: The Yoga Lunchbox's first edition of our Influencer Roundup, The Community Speaks. This week we asked a handful of influential people in the yoga community to respond to the following question: What's the greatest challenge facing the yoga … [Read more...]
Jase Te Patu on Embracing Vulnerability & Power Living’s 200Hr Yoga Teacher Training
by Kara-Leah Grant I adore Jase Te Patu - he's a man with so much heart, and so in love with New Zealand and his Māori culture. Plus he's passionate about yoga - both the practice and the teaching of it. When he and I sat down to have a chat about Power Living's Yoga Teacher Training here in New Zealand, it was immediately apparent how Jase has grown since we last spoke two years ago. The passionate boyishness has matured into grounded strength, tempered with an open vulnerability. And, … [Read more...]