by Kara-Leah Grant One month ago I wrote about creating a new vision to orient The Yoga Lunchbox behind. Normally when I set sail on a course of action like that, things move fast. Normally that vision would be laid out clear by now. But these are not normal times, at least, not in my world. Over the last six months I have been on the super-highway to facing reality as it is. At least, that's what it's felt like. A perfect storm of people and circumstances have given me ample opportunity … [Read more...]
Kara-Leah Grant gets up close & personal about life on and off the yoga mat as she puts her life back together after a Kundalini Awakening experience.
The New World Paradigm: Get Clear, Create a Vision, Take Action
by Kara-Leah Grant Eight years ago this week I began The Yoga Lunchbox with a vision in mind - to Bring Yoga to the People. Daily practice had made an enormous difference to my physical, mental and emotional well-being and I envisioned a world where everybody knew about yoga and meditation, and 10% of the population was practicing regularly. That vision has now been fulfilled. Yoga is everywhere. And people are practicing. So now what for The Yoga Lunchbox? That's what I've been … [Read more...]
Can You ‘Make Up’ a Yoga Pose?
by Kara-Leah Grant Recently I read a post on social media which went something like this: Here's so & so teacher making up a new yoga pose for you. WTF? Since when were yoga poses - asana - 'made up'? Since they began being taught through intellectual understanding rather than embodiment, that's when. Yoga postures are a physical result of an energetic process. They emerge from the flow of Prana within the body. Or here's another way to put it. Yoga is a state of presence. In that … [Read more...]
The Key to Ageing Gracefully
by Kara-Leah Grant I watched Madonna on the Grammy's a few years ago and I almost wept. Who was this shell of a woman, her papery-thin and paper-coloured skin stretched tight across her face? We all know she's nearly 60, where's the deviant wrinkles, the glorious salt & pepper hair, the relaxed winks as she settles into enjoying her undisputed reign as Queen of Pop? Instead, she's morphed into a caricature of her once saucy and irreverent self. I yearn for the Maddy of old, who was … [Read more...]
How Love’s Shadows Invite Us Into Deep Intimacy
by Kara-Leah Grant I didn't expect to feel this way when he arrived in my life. But this man who I'd been friends with for four years online before finally meeting in person landed in my heart with the softness of a blown dandelion flower gone to seed. Looking back, I asked myself, when did I know? When did I realise that we had this connection, this intimacy, this opening into relationship? Was it when he stayed at my house after getting off the plane? Was it when he got off the … [Read more...]
When Kundalini Awakens. Now What?
WIN a copy of Kara-Leah's new book 'Field Notes from Kundalini Awakening', publishing in 2018. Guaranteed to take you on an intimate journey into the depths of the Kundalini experience. Click here to sign up for the book launch list and go into the draw to win one of THREE print copies. by Kara-Leah Grant Recently, I sat down cross-legged to do my daily Kashmir Shaivism Tantric* practice as I have done every day for the past 150+ days. More if you count my first attempt at hitting 1000 Day … [Read more...]
The Mysterious Case of the Mala Beads that Weren’t
by Kara-Leah Grant A beautiful set of mala beads made their way into my hands a year or so ago. They are gorgeous. I've put them on so many times, tried them with this outfit and that. Yet every time... I end up taking them straight back off. They look amazing. But there's something about it that doesn't feel right. Maybe it's the colour of the beads. Maybe it's the way they hang slightly off centre. Maybe it's because I'm not used to wearing something with 108 beads. Or something that … [Read more...]
How I Dropped the Ball on Day 338 of My 1000 Day Practice
by Kara-Leah Grant Today is Day 138 of a 1000 Day practice I'm doing. It should be about Day 500. But earlier this year, on Day 338 something happened and I dropped the ball. I've been doing Forty Day practices for nearly a decade now. At first, it took great dedication, commitment and mindfulness to practice yoga every day for forty days in a row, especially when I was doing the same practice each day. I learned so much about myself, how my mind worked, and where I was sabotaging … [Read more...]
Saying No to the Cult of Busyness
by Kara-Leah Grant I've long been aware that I've had a particular way of operating in the world that doesn't serve me. I'm addicted to getting things done. To being productive. And it comes from being in my head, rather than from being. There are some big gains from this particular behaviour - like prodigal production. Given the limitations of my life, I have produced an extraordinary amount of output. Websites, articles, books, classes, workshops, retreats, videos. This on top of single … [Read more...]
A Personal Exploration of Vairagya (Non-Attachment) in Romantic Relationships
by Kara-Leah Grant There is a man I was recently immensely attracted to - on all three levels, sacral, heart and wisdom. It felt like that attraction was reciprocal. It felt like we had a similar depth and perspective on life, similar histories, values, vision and lifestyle. So potential and possibility arose, and on my side at least, intense desire. He and I had several conversations around relationship, sexuality, purpose, life visions and purpose. It felt like we were feeling each … [Read more...]