WIN a copy of Kara-Leah’s new book ‘Sex, Drugs & (mostly) Yoga - Field Notes from Kundalini Awakening’, publishing in November 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 I started this article over two years ago... and never finished it. But thanks to suggestions from a YLB commenter, I found and read a book by Jed … [Read more...]
What did you learn today?
by columnist Gabrielle Harris, The Suburban Yogini Whenever I pick my son up from school I glimpse the little sign on the gate: What did you learn today? Life is one big yogic experiment offering us plenty of lessons to grow and learn from daily. The trick is to be aware of what we learn and then put that lesson into action. For the really slow learners like me, the lessons are presented over and over again in different forms. I’m Vata, according to the Ayurvedic* health system. We learn … [Read more...]
Why forgiveness of self is part of the yogic path toward samadhi (bliss)
Years of yoga practice has peeled away layers and layers of behaviours and thought patterns. The veil of avidya (self-ignorance) is lifting, but not without pain and discomfort. It’s this pain and discomfort that sent me fleeing from class so many years ago. It’s this pain and discomfort that has made my practice sporadic and disjointed at times. Bikram in particular used to dig deep inside to this bottomless well of tears that would erupt during class and pour forth without pause until … [Read more...]
How yoga has the power to transform and release avidya (self-ignorance)
My first experience with the power of avidya came about twenty minutes into my third ashtanga yoga class. Or maybe my second. The exact number is not important, just that I was a broke backpacker partway through a pre-paid ten week yoga course. The teacher, a long, lanky woman in her early forties, brought us into Warrior One - Virabhadrasana I. My hips were skewed decidedly sideways. My back heel struggled to connect with the floor. My arms were crooked and screamed in protest as I … [Read more...]