by Ben Ralston I’ll tell you straight: I didn’t have a clue what to do when my son was born. I had good instincts, I’d read a number of books and done my due diligence, but the stress of the situation I found myself in overwhelmed me. I didn’t have the internal resources to be able to cope because I wasn’t yet a man. I was really a 30 something year old scared little boy, and I found myself way, way, way out of my depth. This is true for the vast majority of Fathers: they aren't men … [Read more...]
Yoga doesn't just exist in yoga studios. It can also be out there in the community, reaching and serving a wide range of people. Join the conversation about making yoga accessible to all.
Will Power Living Ravage the Wellington Yoga Scene?
by Kara-Leah Grant The same month that the new owners of Power Living Wellington signed a lease on their Johnston street premises, unbeknownst to them, Hot Yoga Wellington signed a lease on their second premises just around the corner on Featherston Street. Two new yoga studios, both featuring heat, one with the capacity for 60+ students in class, in a city already bulging at the seams with yoga studios and teachers. Has the market finally reached saturation? Will Power Living, with the … [Read more...]
An Interview with Tom Myers of Anatomy Trains on the New Anatomy of Interconnectedness
by Kara-Leah Grant Back in 2001, movement specialist Tom Myers published a book called Anatomy Trains. In it, he put forward an idea that was to forever change the way that people understood "stretching" - a systems-oriented view of our musculo-skeletal anatomy. That is, that when we stretch, we're not just stretching separate and individual muscles, but that we're also working with fascia, which is a webbing overlaid and connecting all muscles. This book was born out of the work that Tom … [Read more...]
Emma Mildon on How Jade Eggs can Help You Find Mula Bandha
by Kara-Leah Grant I've been seeing Emma Mildon and her new book The Soul Searcher's Handbook all over social media for the past few months. And then at Wanderlust, in the Presenter's chill out space, there it was, on the coffee table - The Soul Searcher's Handbook. Published by Simon & Schuster - a MAJOR American publisher. Who was this woman? And how had she landed this publishing deal? And damn... what a great idea, leaving your book on the coffee table for everyone to check out! … [Read more...]
Reflections on Teaching a 12 Hour Yin Class
by Nik Robson On Sunday the 17th of January I taught Yin Yoga continuously for 12 hours. My experience that day was paradigm shifting and has led to me creating a new way to offer my teachings. We need not limit ourselves to linear, hour or even 90 minute yoga classes when possibilities are infinite. Imagine Socrates back in the days of Ancient Athens, sitting around all day with an openness to share his philosophy with anyone and everyone. This is how I'm now offering my Yin Yoga … [Read more...]
A Review of Wanderlust Great Lake Taupo 2016
by Kara-Leah Grant Holy Wanderlust. What a trip. It began like it ended last year - with Pete Longworth. We’ve become amazing friends over the last year since meeting at Wanderlust Great Lake Taupo 2015 (one of the best things about this gathering - the quality of friendships you form) and this year, Pete flew out early to hang with me. We drove over on Wednesday, stopping at Kerosene Creek to do a four hour photo shoot. There’s almost a novel in that experience alone. Suffice to say that I … [Read more...]
Why the World needs You to go on Retreat
by Ben Ralston, co-facilitating The Heart of Freedom in May, 2016 I started this year with a vision quest. 4 days and nights without food, water, or shelter, alone on a mountainside. In those four days and nights I remembered what it is to be a human; the simplicity of what it is to be alive between the earth and the sky. I reconnected with an essential part of myself. Yes, it was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done – I thought I was going to die and almost, almost quit. But … [Read more...]
How to En-lighten Yourself through Yoga Practice + Shadow Work
by Kara-Leah Grant Over the last eleven years I have done some deep personal work. At times it has been difficult and heart-wrenching, but always it has been rewarded and en-lightening. That work has brought me into a clear and lighter space within my own being, plus it has given me the ability to shift states of being almost at will, through the power of attention and intention. Yoga has been the cornerstone foundation of this work, but it has not been the simple act of moving through the … [Read more...]
Why I’m Bringing Yoga & Meditation to Teenagers with The Soul Laundry
By Nina Rogocki, The Soul Laundry About three years ago I was new to Auckland from the UK, and embarking on a new journey that was unexpected but welcome. To settle into my new environment, I found myself a gym, as you do, and I started to attend classes and set my routine. One afternoon in a daze, I got in the lift and ended up on the wrong floor. The doors of the lift opened up to reveal a welcoming, warm environment that was quiet and felt like total calm. Upon investigation I realised … [Read more...]
Win a Scholarship to The Great Emptying Out Spring Yoga Retreat
by Kara-Leah Grant One thing has become very clear to me over the past year or so - how very complex our lives have become, and how full we are as human beings. Very few of us have space on a daily basis to just sit and chill - without a phone, without a book, without the TV on, without a hundred and one things running through our minds, without even a practice we feel like we should be doing. When Helen Thomas and I sat down to discuss how we should theme our yoga retreat, my … [Read more...]