by Kara-Leah Grant, author of Forty Days of Yoga If you'd rather watch a video than read an article, skip to the end of this article and you'll find a short video of me going over these same five points. These are simple and effective strategies for creating and maintaining your home yoga practice and it's the type of thing we explore in more depth in Forty Days of Yoga. None of these strategies are rocket science - it's all plain common sense, but these strategies can challenge underlying … [Read more...]
Search Results for: yoga nidra
Help Yoga Education in Prisons Trust fund a free yoga manual for prisoners
By guest author Adhyatama of Kalpa Taru, Wellington Some of you may know I have been teaching Yoga up at Rimutaka prison for the last year and Waikeria and Springhill for the four years before that. I drive up to Rimutaka every Tuesday and spend a couple of hours in a Unit with serious violent offenders teaching asana (postures), breathing techniques to calm and relax them and Yoga Nidra. All I can say is that I just love it, and I love them! That may sound weird but honestly what magic … [Read more...]
How to Cure a Hangover With Yoga or a Spiritual Practice
by Kara-Leah Grant I know, you practice yoga, 'you're not supposed to drink', and you're definitely not supposed to drink to excess. But it happens. And when it does, best you know how to handle it. Fact is, we live in a culture that drinks heavily, and it can be hard to break out of that mindset. Yoga most definitely helps, and so does being kind to yourself as you transition away from regular heavy drinking to mindful samplings of delicious beverages. What can help even more is applying … [Read more...]
I’ve fallen off the Yoga Practice Bandwagon
by Kara-Leah Grant, Musings from the Mat My practice has fallen by the wayside. Oh, something's happening every day, be it Yoga Nidra in bed before falling alseep, or a snatched moment of pranayama while my son watches a DVD, or a moment of standing backbends at the bench while doing the dishes. But rolling out a yoga mat, putting on yoga clothes, and doing a sustained practice? Twice a week. Maybe. I miss it. I yearn for it. I stop for a moment and tune into my breath and feel the … [Read more...]
Why do I resist my yoga practice when I know it’s good for me?
This is something that's come up a few times lately from readers - why is it so hard to get on the mat when I know it's good for me and I feel so good afterwards? Oh boy, have I been there! Here's my experience, what helped me bust through that resistance once and for all, and what I learned in the process. My first yoga experience was a ten-week Iyengar course in 1995. I knew, without a doubt, that yoga was going to be an integral part of my life. That it was Super Duper Important and … [Read more...]
How to maintain a home yoga practice with a baby (or generally demanding life)
It's something other mothers have been asking me for the last few months - how do I maintain my home yoga practice (crucial as a yoga teacher) when I've got a 9 month old baby boy, and shared custody of a seven year old girl? It's simple really. I make my practice the priority for the day. It's my one must-do every single day. Everything else can wait. In practice, this isn't easy, and requires discipline. But it is simple, and it applies not just to parents with young children, but … [Read more...]
How to Apply the Right Yoga Practice to Your Daily Life
by Kara-Leah Grant Life is busy. Most of us are juggling some combination of work, family, socialising, passions & hobbies and health & well-being. Sometimes, despite our best intentions, the things that we know make us feel the best - like regular yoga practice - can be the most difficult to maintain. This is especially true when we go through a life change, or a particularly stressful period. Right when we need it most, our yoga practice falls away. Our job changes, or we … [Read more...]
Getting back on the bandwagon: The evolution of a home practice
by Kara-Leah Grant, Musings from the Mat I'm practicing again, most days. Happened as soon as I arrived in Glenorchy and put Samuel back into childcare. It happened because I made it a priority. It happened because I knew I needed it. Craved it even. It happened because I wanted it. It wasn't that I'd ever stopped practicing - I still was. Every day I taught yoga, I practiced asana. At home, I practiced bits and pieces or asana here and there, a seated session after dinner, a … [Read more...]
Sanctuary Hill Retreat
The Soothe Method: Somatic Restoring Education, with Bhavani Davies E-RYT® 200, RYT® 500 This Training is designed for Yoga Teachers, Therapists or Individuals who wish to receive an education to reorganize the nervous system, calibrate and reset the body. This Training consists of a blend of:• Somatics• Restorative Yoga• Breathing techniques• Yoga Nidra• 6 days in-person immersion• 3 post-training online monthly meetings to follow up the trainingYou will learn the Restorative Yoga style … [Read more...]
Clean Your Glasses with Meditation
“The way one see’s life, is like looking through a pair of glasses, formed at a young age. The colour of the lenses distort what is seen. Meditation is a method to clean the glasses so that the view is clear” By Swami Karma Karuna Saraswati Perception of life is based on everyone’s unique societal, cultural, and family programming, called samskaras in yogic terminology. Much like software on a computer, this programming creates an interface by which one views and experiences their life. … [Read more...]