by Kara-Leah Grant The guru model is dead in modern Western Yoga. And the list of scandals involving gurus, or teachers, or swamis just seems to be growing longer. Where the hell are all the enlightened and perfect teachers? They don't exist. Our teachers - known and unknown, big and small, experienced and fresh, revered and loved, skilled and talented, wise and powerful - they are also human. Which means that our teachers, like us, have unconscious shit that can get in the way of their … [Read more...]
Search Results for: bikram class
What the Hell Happened with YEANZ Ltd & Wanderlust Australia New Zealand?
by Kara-Leah Grant It's the news that has ruptured the New Zealand and Australian yoga community and shattered the dreams of thousands of people. On January 12th, 2018 YEANZ Ltd, the company that held the license for Wanderlust in Australia and New Zealand, went into liquidation. Eleven days later, the worst was confirmed - Wanderlust Great Lake Taupō was effectively cancelled. The Yoga Lunchbox has been part of the Wanderlust journey right from the beginning: I've interviewed many Wanderlust … [Read more...]
9 Questions To Ask Before You Host a Travelling Yoga Teacher
by Kara-Leah Grant Hosting a travelling yoga teacher can be a successful and profitable venture for a yoga studio - if done right! It can use up "dead time" in the studio. It opens up an additional income stream. It can bring in students that don't usually come to the studio, some of whom may come back. It can increase the exposure and awareness of the host studio in the marketplace. It can educate and inspire the studio's student base. And it can be the beginning of an … [Read more...]
Patanjali’s Five Key Attitudes for Committing to Your Yoga Practice
by Kara-Leah Grant Today was Day 300 of a Tantric yoga practice I'm doing, which got me reflecting on what it takes to commit to yoga. Every day, no matter what, I sit and do this particular yoga practice, which consists of seated spinal rotations with pranayama, chanting with visualisation and mudra, and meditation. My intention is to do 1000 days in a row - that's almost three years of dedicated, committed practice. If I miss a day, I have to start again on Day 1. It's taken me over fifteen … [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...]
How Do I Know if a Yoga Teacher Training is Good Value for Money?
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...]
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...]