by Kara-Leah Grant For the last four decades, Ana Forrest has been bringing her particular brand of fierce medicine to the yoga world. She's long woven Native American ceremony into her classes and workshops, calling on the forces that helped her heal from an abusive and challenging childhood. So it's no surprise that when she met and fall in love with the man who would go on to become a co-director of Forrest Yoga that he too would have a long history with shamanism and healing - just in a … [Read more...]
How to Break a Pattern of Attracting Emotionally Unavailable Men
by Kara-Leah Grant It began with Ana Forrest's class Tracking Transformation at midday on Thursday, the first day of Wanderlust Great Lake Taupo. I was wary of taking her class that afternoon as I was doing a Speakeasy at 4:30pm and Ana has a reputation for breaking people open. However, it was my only chance to make one of her classes so I took the risk. Early in class, Ana had us scan through our body, tracking sensation, and seeing what was going on. We were instructed to choose a part … [Read more...]
A Review of Wanderlust Great Lake Taupo 2015
by Kara-Leah Grant Wanderlust Great Taupo 2015 - everyone I spoke to agreed it was a resounding success and totally exceeded expectations, on all fronts - even the weather! Despite a forecast that promised solid rain for four days, the festival was mostly dry and sunny, only succumbing to drizzle on the final day. Then, it felt therapeutic and atmospheric. The finale event, Xavier Rudd, was held in The Greatest Place (mainstage) - a large tented space with portable flooring and stage … [Read more...]
Ana Forrest on Breaking Down the Barriers With Yoga {video}
by Kara-Leah Grant Meet Ana Forrest. Ana is the creatrix of Forrest Yoga, an internationally renowned yoga teacher and medicine woman, and the author of Fierce Medicine. She's also headlining Wanderlust NZ 2015. Ana's approach to yoga could be summed up in this quote from her: "If you want to use yoga to heal emotional pain, you must find out where it resides in your body and learn to take your breath there. I don't teach yoga to help people to transcend. I want people's Spirits to … [Read more...]
Forrest for the trees – no bullshit, just yoga
by guest author Seka Ojdrovic-Phillips The planted seed of a fruitful vine is a memorable moment. For me, it was hungrily reading through old issues of Yoga Journal on the second floor of the Wellington library. After starting to feel yoga as a lifestyle decision, not just an exercise regime, I wanted to learn everything I could. My body still bore the inflexibility and weakness of someone brand new to the practice, but my soul had expanded immediately. In the haze of too much … [Read more...]