It's one week into my forty day Sadhana and I am loving it. No matter what is going on in my day, no matter how I am feeling, I know I can take eleven minutes out to myself to do this practice of sodarshan chakra kriya, and afterward I always feel better. One of the most noticeable benefits has been clarity in the mind. I've been dealing with a lot of mind chatter in the past week, and the difference after my eleven minute practice is like the difference between the height of a downpour … [Read more...]
Search Results for: prana flow
Committing to a Forty Day Sadhana of Sodarshan Chakra Kriya
As an avid reader of Steve Pavlina's blog, Personal Development for Smart People, I have long admired his tenacity in determining a course of action and sticking to it. He is the champion of the thirty day trial - a process whereby he'll try something out for thirty days to see how it impacts his life. After thirty days, the practice is sufficiently ingrained into his day so that if the results have been beneficial, it is simple to carry on. It's a great way to make a lifetime commitment to … [Read more...]
About The Yoga Lunchbox
The New Zealand Yoga Teacher Training Guide 2024
Looking to train as a Yoga teacher? We've put together the annual New Zealand Yoga Teacher Training Guide 2024 to assist you in your path. With an abundance of Yoga teacher trainings on offer, it’s hard to know where to invest your time and money. We’ve created this Guide to make your research that much easier, compiling a comprehensive list of trainers you can trust to deliver quality Yoga teacher training, enriching you on your path to developing as a Yoga teacher. Can anyone list in … [Read more...]
Practicing Yoga for more than the physical postures
An exploration of the Anusara Yoga method By Kristina Wischnowsky, co-founder of Yoga to Transform Yoga is a wonderful practice to help you reveal and step into your authenticity... that is, if you are willing to practice Yoga in a way that offers you more than a focus on the practice of the physical postures (asana) alone. There is so much more to Yoga than the physical practice. I’ve learnt the richness a Yoga practice can offer my life through my practice of Anusara Yoga, which … [Read more...]
Yoga for [that thing we utter in hushed tones because, you know, women’s stuff]
By Fi Riley As I came into a deep forward fold, the teacher’s voice invited us to let go of anything we were holding onto, and within seconds my mat was wet with a flood of tears. You could have offered me $1,000 to stop and I wouldn’t have been able to. This thing was bigger than me and I was tired of it. What I had been holding onto was my diagnosis of menopause before the age of 40 and after a challenging few weeks of rollercoaster hormones I was done. I felt flat, broken and I utterly … [Read more...]
Teachers – are your cues creating dysfunctional breathing?
by Dr Jane Hardcastle, Movewell: therapeutic yoga, massage, and movement Hearing “take a deep breath in…and out” is ubiquitous in many yoga classes, as yoga teachers encourage students to better access their breath, become aware of 'chest breathing' and use their breath as a barometer of where, and how they are. Classes are often accompanied by publicly audible ‘ujjayi’ breath. We witness bellies expanding as students believe they are ‘doing’ great breathing. But should we ever ‘do’ … [Read more...]
Mastering Your Mind With Raja Yoga & Pratyahara
by Swami Karma Karuna, Anahata Yoga Retreat The depth of yoga that is understood and shared in our modern times is primarily touching the tip of the iceberg. In a goal-oriented, pleasure-mad world, the dynamic postures of Hatha Yoga have captured many and become synonymous with the word 'yoga'. While postures are an important base, often the greater expanse of yoga remains like hidden gems in the ocean of wisdom. As yoga teachers and practitioners living in times of incredible … [Read more...]
Vedanta: Why This Ancient Yogic Philosophy is Relevant in Modern Times
by Swami Karma Karuna, Anahata Yoga Retreat The term ‘Vedanta’, or ancient texts such as the Upanishads, may ring a bell, but for many they are shrouded in mystery, scholastic views, or firmly wedged in history. Perhaps one wonders how these ancient philosophies relevant to the modern-day yogi, engaged in holding a Warrior II Pose? According to Vedanta, anything that is changeable or measurable, or which has a beginning and end, is Maya. It often translates as illusion or magic, … [Read more...]
The Transformative Practice of Yoga Mudras
by Swami Karma Karuna, Anahata Yoga Retreat Whether consciously or unconsciously, the way we gesture or carry ourselves in physical attitudes throughout the day has the capacity to influence health, interactions, physiology and more. Using the body to express something or to communicate a feeling underlies many of our interactions in an unspoken way. Mudras, the ancient science of creating gestures with the hands, head or whole body, is a powerful and subtle yogic practice that is often … [Read more...]