My life right now is a fluid mix of story & yoga. I'm studying creative writing at Victoria University and I'm finishing off my Prana Flow Yoga Teacher Certification (posted off all the book work in the mail on Monday! Woo hoo... now just have the exam to sit.) This combination of story and yoga has dovetailed into a deeper understanding of how we write the scripts for our lives, how we cast ourselves and the people around us as characters, and how we react to these scripts and … [Read more...]
Search Results for: power living
I Didn’t Want This Life: Why am I Having So Much Fun?
by Kara-Leah Grant Life has been rich with opportunities to practice deep acceptance lately. Samuel is now 17 months old, generally awake from 7am to 7pm, and active, even measured by toddler standards. It's impossible to work around him anymore, or write morning pages, or meditate, or practice asana. These things were the mainstay of my waking hours - if I wasn't on the computer, I was doing some form of yoga or writing. In the last month, I've had to accept that this is just not … [Read more...]
Tantra: A system for mind expansion
by guest author Swami Muktidharma There is a huge misunderstanding about the great science of Tantra, especially in our western society. Some confuse it with witchery or black magic and a lot more think that Tantra is only related to sexual practices. As with many things imported from the East to the West, this is a gross misrepresentation of Tantra and a very limited way to understand an ancient and deep science. Tantra relates to each and every aspect of our lives, and therefore must … [Read more...]
Making peace with feeling guilty ‘cos I’m a single mum on the DPB
I'm now living in my new home, and it’s every bit as super-duper wonderful as I suspected it might be. The house is beautiful, my flatmates are wonderful, and it feels fantastic to be living in a real home with other people on the spiritual path. Yet in the midst of this heartfelt warmth and delight at moving into a wonderful home with fantastic people… I’ve noticed a lingering anxiety at the heart level. This anxiety is manifesting as a desire to rush through things. Must get the … [Read more...]
Suggestions on What to do if You’ve had a Kundalini Awakening
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 It can be scary, disorientating, dislocating and downright awful when Kundalini awakens. Sometimes a Kundalini Awakening will look like mental illness, physical illness or emotional … [Read more...]
The benefits and pitfalls of conscious community
by Aly Titchener Living in an intentional community in the city Given the discussions I often hear around me, and the positive reception from Jennifer’s recent article about family friendly spiritual communities, it seems like there are many people wanting to be involved at some level in a spiritually motivated community. Not only being a part of such a community group, there appears to be a growing swell of people wanting to live within a conscious and intentional community. I’ve … [Read more...]
How does Gangaji describe the practice of enquiry?
The path of direct enquiry is the lineage of Ramana Maharshi and what he offered as a path to his own spiritual self-realisation. It is what Papaji taught, and what Gangaji now teaches. Ramana once defined the practice of enquiry by starting with the question: Who Am I ? For all thoughts the source is the 'I' thought. If thoughts arise, without trying to complete them, enquire; to whom did this thought arise. What does it matter how many thoughts arise? As each thought arises, be … [Read more...]
Don’t look at my ass in asana
There are times I fully embrace and enjoy in the relatively hype-free existence of yoga in New Zealand. Coming from Seattle - granola metropolis, yoga studio a stone’s throw in any direction - the lack of flash, and preoccupation with being seen as a yoga practitioner is a relief. How can I worry if I’m wearing the wrong brand name practice pants when there are no brand name practice pants to be bought? In comparison, the American online community - primed by yoga ‘rebels’, issues … [Read more...]
How I Finally Kicked my Co-dependent Relationship to the Kerb
by Kara-Leah Grant, Musings from the Mat Who'd've thought? Strong, independent, courageous Moi was stuck in a co-dependent relationship. Yep, me neither. Despite getting wind of this fact about halfway through our 3 year or so relationship, it took me another 18 months to break the pattern. Which in the end meant breaking off the relationship. This relationship had been increasingly volatile ever since I got back from Prana Flow yoga teacher training in LA. I'd made a commitment to … [Read more...]
Establishing a daily mindfulness practice is easier than you think
by guest author Peter Fernando, Meditation and Mindfulness Establishing a daily meditation practice can be an opportunity for creativity and a fresh perspective on how we live in the world. It doesn't have to seem like just another thing we should be doing, but aren't... One of the most frequent struggles I hear shared by those of us living in urban environments is around maintaining a continuity of mindfulness – both in terms of times alone, sitting in silence, and also in our encounters … [Read more...]