by Kara-Leah, It's the Holy Grail of Modern Life, the never-ending quest for the elusive fountain of youth. That potion or procedure or diet that will keep one looking and feeling young forever. Pity the poor celebrity, faced with growing older in the glaring light of public scrutiny, forever surrounded by images of themselves as a younger, brighter star. But it's not just celebrities that fight the ever-advanced march of time. Regular citizens like you and I pour millions of dollars into … [Read more...]
Search Results for: Ashtanga yoga
Pranayama – It’s Your Medium to the ‘Super Soul’
by guest author L. Farrah Furtado India… the place that heightens the sense of penetration into another worldly reality, or the world beyond this one; a world within a world. I am currently in Mysore, India taking a pranayama, mudra and philosophy course at the Krishnamachar Sri Patanjala Yoga Shala with the famous Guruji, B. N. S. Iyengar. (Not to be confused with B. K. S. Iyengar). This entails taking an hour class with him every day and practicing pranayama six days a week for four … [Read more...]
The pros and cons of growing up as a yogini’s daughter
by guest author Jacinta Aalsma A question that pops up regularly for most yogis and yoginis is; 'How long you have been practising yoga?' I don’t have a clear memory of when I started practising or when I undertook that first life changing yoga class. I’ve been brought up with yoga, because my mum has been a yogini and yoga teacher for as long as I remember. Often, the assumption is therefore made that I’m super bendy and flexible and that I would make a great yoga teacher. After all, … [Read more...]
The Gratitude Project – a week of practices to manifest your dreams
By Joleen Lunjew, of Asia Pacific Yoga Gratitude. What a simple practice. Yet, so powerful. My partner Steve and I have always practiced gratitude. If you’ve been on one of Asia Pacific Yoga Teacher Trainings or dinners with us, you know that we’ll always practice ‘joyasana’ before eating – our way of saying thank you for our meal and all the things that we are grateful for. I recently came across a book The Magic by Rhonda Byrne (author of The Secret) at a book fair at our … [Read more...]
Time to Thrive: How I Learned to Take Deep Care of My Body, Heart & Mind
by Kelly Fisher Our lives are so out of synch with nature; it's no wonder that sub-par health and even chronic degenerative diseases are the new norm. Diabetes, autoimmune disorders, adrenal issues, thyroid conditions, weight issues, menopausal issues, post-partum issues, insomnia, perpetual exhaustion… the list goes on. Chances are you know someone who suffers from at least one of these things, and maybe a few of you know someone for each of the above. Even those of us who consider ourselves … [Read more...]
The Real Meaning of Aum and Why We Chant It
by Kara-Leah Grant An extract from 'The No-More-Excuses Guide to Yoga' The number one thing that freaks out new yoga students is the thought of opening their mouth and making a vowel sound followed by a consonant in a room full of strangers. Yes, the simple sound of OM makes people want to run screaming from the room. There are a few reasons for this - one is that Aum (as it's correctly written) has a bad rap. It's weird, strange and the butt of all kinds of jokes. Plus, making a sound like … [Read more...]
How Bone Compression Prevents Me from Doing Bhujapidasana
By Kara-Leah Grant I've been aware of the role that bone compression plays in our range of movement since watching a series of Paul Grilley videos on YouTube. Yet despite knowing this intellectually, it wasn't until I attended a Yin Yoga Workshop with Karin Sang and Markus Henning Giess of Yin Therapy that I realised how bone compression was impacting my yoga practice. Over the course of the day, Markus lead us through several bone compression tests so we could determine our natural range of … [Read more...]
Drishti and The Relativity of Truth
by Melissa Billington How you’re looking is how you’re going to see it. And how you’ve seen it is how you think it should be. Unless you see it and change it. A story is not just a story. It’s your view to life itself. Your interpretation creates your world. This is a quote from my play, PocaHAUNTus—shapeshifting history into Herstory, that I’m in the middle of writing. Writing this play has been an enormous challenge because one of the main premises is the relativity of truth, as the … [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...]
How to use Mula Bandha (root lock) to strengthen every pose
by guest author Carol Lux, The Yoga Life Next time you attempt Wheel Pose (back bend or Urdhva Dhanurasana) tell yourself; “Lock Mula Bandha!” You won’t believe the difference it will make. Like magic your core will strengthen, your chest and pelvis will rise toward the ceiling and your arms will feel light and airy. I hear you asking; “What miracle worker could this Mula Banhda be?” Let me tell you a little story. One day I found myself at an Ashtanga workshop and we were all … [Read more...]