By Kara-Leah Grant, Musings from the Mat Today I did something that has the potential to revolutionise my life. I set an alarm and deliberately got up before my three year old son. I wanted to be up by 6:30am and I wanted the early morning peace and quiet to do my yoga practice. This is a huge break-through for me. Once upon a time, I effortlessly arose before 7am and spent a couple of hours on the computer writing, often getting my day's work down before 9am. I loved this - it … [Read more...]
How a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis led to daily home yoga practice and teacher training
By guest author Susan Kitson, author of In Search of Health Ed. note: See the bottom of this article for a chance to win a copy of Susan's book. Fifteen years ago I had barely heard of yoga. Eleven years ago I was attending two classes a week in the hopes it would help improve my chances of conception. Now I practice every day. Here's how my yoga journey unfolded: In June ’07 I left Napier with my family for our annual winter break in Fiji. Bliss right? Not so much on this … [Read more...]
How to anchor your Forty Day practice with consistency amid fluidity
by Kara-Leah Grant, author of Forty Days of Yoga In the 40,000 words of Forty Days of Yoga I give no specific instruction on asana or set sequences. That means that if you're looking for a home yoga practice book that will tell you what to do, this is not it. I know – you're looking for a magic bullet. That perfect home yoga practice that will turn you into a yogi. I know this because at workshops and in classes, via email and in comments, student after student after student asks me, and … [Read more...]
Five Strategies for Starting & Maintaining Your Home Yoga Practice
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...]
Do too many perfect yoga images do yoga a dis-service?
By Kara-Leah Grant, Musings from the Mat Check out that image to your right. It's beautiful. A beautiful woman in a beautiful setting doing a beautiful posture. I love to look at images like that. But it's not the kind of image I've chosen for the cover of my book Forty Days of Yoga. I've chosen an image of me sitting on a chair - not even a beautiful chair - just a nondescript chair on a white background. I'm wearing jeans and a t-shirt. I'm not doing a recognisable yoga … [Read more...]
On having the courage to pull the plug at the 11th hour
by Kara-Leah Grant, Musings from the Mat Last week, I wrote the acknowledgements and officially signed off from Forty Days of Yoga, completing the final draft. It was a surreal moment - as if I'd been here before and knew what to do. And of course I have, many times, in my dreams. I've been a writer since childhood and always knew I'd write a book. What I didn't know was how many people would join me on this journey, how supportive they would be and how humbling it would be to receive … [Read more...]
The world doesn’t need another yoga practice progamme
by Kara-Leah Grant, Musings from the Mat Last week, after publishing the article outlining Forty Days of Yoga, I received an email from a reader excited about the book. She was particularly excited about having a set programme of yoga she and her students could do. Pause. A moment of clarity. Forty Days of Yoga is not a set practice programme. There is no instruction on asana at all, and for very good reason. The world does not need more information on what postures to do, how and … [Read more...]
Sharing Sadhana: Why yoga teachers’ home yoga practices can inspire
by Kara-Leah Grant Know what I love about this book? It delivers exactly what it promises. The tagline, on the top of the cover, proclaims: "Insights and inspiration for a personal yoga practice." And since reading Sharing Sadhana, my home yoga practice has been inspired, I've had several 'a-ha' moments of insight, and I've even been inspired to write a book on how to create a home yoga practice and stick to it. Not bad eh? And yet when I started reading it... I was doubtful. … [Read more...]
A simple life can lead to clarity, and creativity
by Kara-Leah Grant, Musings from the Mat I'm experiencing my ideal life right now. It's a simple life - living in a town four square blocks large, living with my mother. Everything is a walk away - the post office, the lake, the shop, the cafe, the playground and childcare. It's ideal for a single mother determined to become financially independent. It means I can focus on being the best mother possible, and I can focus on building my business. It means that I'm enjoying my son more … [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...]