Two years ago my partner and I left Arrowtown to seek our fortunes in the big city. I'd been following my twin passions of writing and yoga as a freelancer in Queenstown, but was struggling financially in a big way. Everything I tried to do, I came up against brick walls- left, right and centre. Nothing seemed to be working for me at all. After a short three day trip to Wellington over the summer of 2008, I knew that Wellington was where I needed to be. Fortunately, it was where my … [Read more...]
Search Results for: prana flow
The beginner’s guide to yoga: Part 2
Part 1 of this series in the Beginner's Guide to Yoga gave you a heads-up on things to be aware of before rocking along to your first yoga class. You might have been to a few classes now and so have got your head around the right clothes to wear, how to fuel your body before and after class, how to position yourself on your mat and how to forget about what other people are thinking. Now it's time to start investigating the process of posture (asana) a little more deeply. It's so easy to … [Read more...]
How to fit well-being into your holiday season
Ah, 'tis the season to be jolly, and merry, and over-indulge, because by golly you've earned it. 'Tis also the season to rush around like crazy, attending parties and drinks, buying presents and gifts, and squeezing as much fun and leisure into your holiday break as possible. In short, 'tis a time of madness, when long established patterns of well-being - think solid eating habits and regular yoga practice - fall by the wayside like Christmas wrapping paper on Boxing Day. To make it … [Read more...]
Why sangha (spiritual community) is the most precious thing on your path
In Buddhist practice, the three jewels of life - or the three refugees - are what you turn to for support, for guidance, and for friendship. These are: The Buddha nature - the ideal or highest spiritual potential that exists within all beings. The Dharma - the teachings of Buddha, or the path one walks in following the teachings. And finally, Sangha - the community of other spiritual folk walking that same path, albeit in their own individual way. While these are Buddhist concepts, … [Read more...]
What’s it like to do 108 sun salutations in a row?
by Kara-Leah, Mention doing 108 sun salutations in a row to most people, even regularly practicing yogis, and their eyes widen as their mind says "No way!" Yes way! Not only can your average yoga practitioner easily complete 108 sun salutations, but it's such an energizing practice, that at the end of 108, some people actually feel like they want to do more. Remember, yoga is not "exercise". It doesn't wear out the body, but energises the mind, body and soul. Sun salutations open and … [Read more...]
Inside the experience of a Loving-Kindness sadhana to day 29
Kundalini, or prana, rising up the spine Meditation is a cumulative experience. That is, the more you do it, the more you get it, the more you want to do it, the more you get out of it... creating this constant feedback loop of encouragement. Unfortunately, it also works the other way. We begin to meditate, never having done it before, likely with many expectations of what meditation is "supposed" to be like. … [Read more...]
How to unleash your inner Goddess
There is a Goddess that lives inside each and every woman. In some women, the Goddess is obscured by thick, heavy clouds of fear. Posture is weighted, cramped and hunched. Skin is pale. Eyes dart. In other women, the Goddess has been laquered over with a mask of perfection. Glitz, glamour and gloss strut their stuff, leaving no time nor room for the sensual, knowing, easy delight of a Goddess. Then there are those women who fear for the safety of their Goddess in this (apparently) … [Read more...]
How to access infinite energy and prosperity using a sadhana
I'm so excited! Today I started a new sadhana. The results from the last sadhana I did, Sodarshan Chakra Kriya were fantastic, and I'd been waiting for another sadhana to make itself known. What's a sadhana? Simply a daily spiritual practice like meditation done for forty consecutive days. On the weekend, while cleaning out my bedroom, I stumbled across a copy of Infinite Energy and Prosperity Meditation, taken from Anmol Mehta's wonderful website. … [Read more...]
Day 40: Completion of my Forty Day Sadhana of Sodarshan Chakra Kriya
by Kara-Leah, I've done it! Yes, on Saturday, 94 days after I made a commitment to complete a forty day sadhana, I did my forty days in a row. After a couple of false starts, I was back into it and truly committed. I'd failed once, and knew this time what it took to complete the sadhana. Every day when I woke up, one of my first thoughts was, "When am I going to do my sadhana?" It became the one concrete action in my day that everything else had to bow down to - and this was good. I looked … [Read more...]
Day 22 to 31: Forty Day Sadhana of Sodarshan Chakra Kriya
I'm a-changin'... of that there is no doubt. And it's the most wonderful thing. In situations that I would have run a mile from just three or so weeks ago, I find myself stepping up to the plate, beating heart and all, and dealing with calmly and clearly. This week during my eleven minute practice of sodarshan chakra kriya, I have found myself breathless far more than last week. It's important in pranayama not to force anything, so when I feel breathless, I have a choice. Do I push on … [Read more...]