By Lucinda Staniland It's the holy grail of the yoga world: A Yoga Teacher Training that is transformative, comprehensive, and great value for money. But how do we find such a thing? Currently, the price of Yoga Teacher Trainings can vary hugely, from (very rare) free or koha based trainings, to $4000 for an average NZ or Australian based training, to upwards of $16,000. As someone who is seriously considering undertaking a Yoga Teacher Training (but just hasn't found the right one yet) I've … [Read more...]
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Testimonials: The No-More-Excuses Guide to Yoga
Order The No-More-Excuses Guide to Yoga ................ The No-More-Excuses Guide to Yoga is getting Rave Reviews from Across the Globe "Kara-Leah has a rare ability to write about yoga in a way that is accessible, relevant and entertaining, without oversimplifying or sensationalising her subject. Her passion for yoga, and for setting straight the many myths that surround and obscure the practice, gives vitality to her writing and her ability to cut through our excuses to the real … [Read more...]
Donna Farhi on Why Your Yoga Teacher is Not Your Friend
Editor's Note: Since this article was published, several accounts of sexual harassment and assault have been made public by Mark Whitwell's female students. We do not in any way condone Mark's behaviour. You can read more about the accounts here. Donna Farhi, author and yoga teacher, as interviewed by Kara-Leah Grant Donna Farhi is a world renowned yoga teacher who has been practicing yoga for thirty nine years, and teaching it since 1982. She lives here in New Zealand but teaches intensives … [Read more...]
The Definition of a Yoga Teacher: Nothing More than a Friend, Nothing Less than a Friend
Editor's Note: Since this article was published, several accounts of sexual harassment and assault have been made public by Mark Whitwell's female students. We do not in any way condone Mark's behaviour. You can read more about the accounts here. by Kara-Leah Grant I was fortunate enough to attend one of Mark Whitwell’s classes at Wanderlust Great Lake Taupo 2015. Mark is teacher of considerable standing who spent many years with Desikachar and studied directly with Krishnamacharya, the teacher … [Read more...]
The Real Stories Behind The Top 4 Yoga Myths
By Lucinda Staniland The internet is full to bursting with articles debunking the ‘Top Yoga Myths’. They tell us that contrary to poplar belief, Yoga is not a religion, that it’s not just for skinny, rich, flexible young women, and that it really is good exercise, as well as a holistic spiritual experience. Opinion is divided in these articles as to whether yoga really does or doesn’t give you great abs and fantastic orgasms. But, in general all these articles paint the same picture. Don’t … [Read more...]
Getting Out of the Yoga Studio: What I’ve Learnt Teaching Yoga in Prisons
This is the second article is this series looking all the ways in which people are excluded from yoga - reasons like social class, race, money, incarceration or general access. In this article Adhyatma shares how the Yoga Education in Prisons Trust (YEPT) got started, what the challenges have been and what she's learned from the experience. by Adhyatma, Yoga Education in Prisons Trust After I finish teaching my Yoga classes, the men in my class often come up respectfully and shake my hand … [Read more...]
Launching a Foundational Guide to Yoga for Beginners and Beyond
Pre-orders now open. Shipping September 24. See below. by Kara-Leah Grant Cast your mind back to your very first yoga class. What did it take to get there? Did you have to overcome any fears or hesitancy? Were you nervous? Did a friend take you? Was it a great class - or a bad experience? Did you keep going to yoga, or did you walk away for a few weeks, or months, or years before finally going back? Did it take you a while to find the class and the teacher that was right for you? Most … [Read more...]
Because Yoga is for Every Body – Right? Not just the Young, Slim, Bendy and Gorgeous
by Kara-Leah Grant I'm casting my mind back to Auckland, New Zealand in 1995 and it seems a long, long time ago. I had just dropped out of my second year at Uni - ostensibly because back issues and serious sciatic pain made it impossible for me to sit for lectures, but there were other, deeper reasons too. (i.e. my habitual response when facing serious challenge - run!) Regardless, I was in chronic back pain. A good friend suggested we go and do a ten week beginners Iyengar yoga course that … [Read more...]
What are Vasanas and How Do They Affect Your Yoga Practice?
by Kara-Leah Grant, Musings from the Mat Earlier this year I took a short workshop with Duncan Peak from Power Living. In the workshop he mentioned the term 'vasana', defining it as character traits or tendencies and he talked about how our practice stirs up these tendencies and brings them into consciousness. Now I'd never heard of vasanas, and struggled to remember the term after the workshop, which happened the day before Wanderlust. The day after Wanderlust, I was driving from … [Read more...]
Why a Great Yoga Teacher is Sometimes Crucial to Progress Your Practice
by Kara-Leah Grant, Musings from the Mat Six weeks or so into regular Mysore-style classes with Peter Sanson and I've having some serious insights and openings - not just on the physical level, but also on the emotional, mental and energetic level. But of course - how could it be any other way? These things are all intertwined and I've known this for a very long time. Before I found Peter, I'd been searching for a yoga teacher for a decade or so, while doing a home practice and sporadically … [Read more...]