by Kara-Leah Grant How do I find a good yoga teacher? How indeed? First, start by defining what a good yoga teacher means to you, as it will be different for everyone. What values and factors matter to you? What do you want in a teacher? Things you might want to consider include: location price skill set training style age sex attributes (kind, stern, funny...) experience For example, if you've never done yoga before, and you have a limited budget but plenty of time your … [Read more...]
How to Make your Kundalini Awakening a Positive Event
By guest author Tara Springett, Buddhist Therapist and Teacher My own Kundalini awakened at the age of twenty four during three courses of bioenergetic therapy, in which we held painful body postures while screaming our heart out. It was a rough approach and it achieved what it set out to achieve: it ruptured my repressive ‘body armour’ and allowed the life-force and Kundalini to flow more freely. Fifteen years later I tried to purposefully increase the amount of my Kundalini through methods … [Read more...]
How to Open Your Heart Chakra in One Simple Step
by Kara-Leah Grant, avid promotor of home yoga practice. It'll change your world (because you are your world). So my gorgeous and most-wonderful man left on Thursday for six weeks. And on Friday I had a brilliant idea. Six weeks! 42 days! I'll do a specific Forty Days of Yoga practice while he's away! Perfect! Now what will I do... how about one of my old favourites, a Heart-Opening Kriya (see below for a PDF of this kriya) I learned many moons ago? Nothing like a little … [Read more...]
Kundalini Awakenings: Symptoms, Process, Benefits, Support & Help
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 Whether you've had a Kundalini Awakening, are curious about the process of awakening Kundalini, think you might have some of the symptoms of a Kundalini Awakening or are looking for … [Read more...]
Getting on the man mat for Forty Days of Yoga
By guest author John Falepau, Yogi John My yoga journey has very much been a progression of listening, learning, watching, inquiring, listening more, learning more, experiencing and assimilating the effects from yoga into my life and being. A lot of what seemed daunting at first - asanas that felt uncomfortable, Kirtan (pronounced keer-tahn, with a slight rolling of the rrrrs), words that I couldn’t pronounce or remember - I am now mastering. I feel the expansion of my ribcage as I inhale … [Read more...]
Sun Salutations Video Series: How to do Standing Forward Fold (Uttanasana)
by Kara-Leah Grant For years and years and years this posture has been my nemesis. I hated it. I sucked at it. It challenged me in every way. When I first started yoga, back in 1995 at a ten-week Iyengar course, I was so incredibly tight that when we went into a standing forward bend, I couldn't even reach forward and touch my knees. I had no forward movement in my pelvis at all - my hamstrings were just way too tight. And that's the first part of the body that must be freed up for a … [Read more...]
Five things a yoga instructor should never say in class
by Vanessa Roberts I love me some yoga, and have loved it (albeit sometimes a little inconsistently) for a good solid ten years. While I always seem to learn something new – a new posture, technique or way to relax into my poses – I have also been privy to some cringe-inducing, nose-scrunching phrases muttered by an instructor (or five) of mine. Though most of them can be shrugged off with a simple “ew”, others have left me questioning my instructor's reasons and shaking my head in … [Read more...]
What does it mean to “breathe into it” in yoga?
by Kara-Leah Grant There's loads of phrases which yoga teachers toss around willy nilly that after time cease to have any real meaning. Phrases like: Surrender into the pose Let your heart open Find your centre Honour yourself Let yourself come into a place of... Honour yourself for committing to your practice today... I know, I say these things. Thing is, many of these phrases have value and depth, and - in the right circumstances - apply to the practice. In particular, … [Read more...]
Sun Salutations Video Series: How to do Mountain Pose (Tadasana)
by Kara-Leah Grant Welcome to the first in a series of articles & videos exploring the foundations of an asana practice through sun salutations. But first... In my ideal universe - besides living next door to Johny Depp and and down the road from Einstein (imagine that dinner party!) - every yoga student would be encouraged to start a home yoga practice the very first time they ever went to a yoga class. Yes, the first time. In fact, every yoga teacher would teach with the … [Read more...]
Sacred Feminine and Yoga: Practical Tools. Part 4
by guest author Swami Karma Karuna, Anahata Yoga Retreat There are more practical tools than can be described belonging to tantra and yoga that are beneficial for a woman’s body, mind and support the connection to the inner sacred space. The practices all work in different ways with the ultimate goal of helping one to reconnect with their higher self or the inner Shakti, which in fact is the sacred feminine. Shakti is the life force. When it is blocked or out of balance, physical and … [Read more...]