By Lucinda Staniland I started doing Crossfit because I wanted to get strong and build good bone density, not because I wanted to improve my Yoga practice. And I didn't think that my daily Yoga practice would help much when it came to the high-intensity strength training and cardio workouts that form the basis of Crossfit. Turns out I was wrong. The thing that surprised me most about Crossfit was not how hardcore it was, or how sore it made me, or how competitive everyone was, but rather … [Read more...]
How Many Years of Yoga Practice Does it Take to Get Flexible?
by Kara-Leah Grant This is an impossible question to answer - at least, to answer definitively, but I'm still going to give it a damn good crack. And with good reason. Despite the fact that yoga has nothing to do whatsoever with flexibility - that flexibility is a side benefit of one's yoga practice and no measure of the depth or strength of one's yoga practice - yoga and flexibility are intimately intertwined in the modern idea of yoga. There's a good reason for this. We are predominantly a … [Read more...]
The great debate – Which is better, Yoga or Pilates?
by guest author Jude Mahood, Suburban Yoga, Dunedin I recently heard someone describe Yoga/Pilates fusion (or Yogalates as it is often called) as the coming together of natural soul mates. I couldn’t agree more. But there are still many people out there who think that bringing Pilates principles into their Yoga is somehow tainting or contaminating. There is nothing wrong with being purist in our thinking, but it’s also important to maintain an open mind. When we close our minds, we close … [Read more...]
You’ve got to know when to hold ’em, know when to fold ’em
By Kara-Leah Grant, author Forty Days of Yoga The more I practice yoga the more I realise it's got nothing to do with "flexibility". At least - not in the way that we often think about it, as the stretching of muscles. Rather, yoga often has to do with letting go and releasing our nervous system and the patterns of holding that result from years of activating the fight or flight system. These patterns of behaviour create the shapes of our bodies, as much as our muscles and bones … [Read more...]
How to use Mula Bandha (root lock) to strengthen every pose
by guest author Carol Lux, The Yoga Life Next time you attempt Wheel Pose (back bend or Urdhva Dhanurasana) tell yourself; “Lock Mula Bandha!” You won’t believe the difference it will make. Like magic your core will strengthen, your chest and pelvis will rise toward the ceiling and your arms will feel light and airy. I hear you asking; “What miracle worker could this Mula Banhda be?” Let me tell you a little story. One day I found myself at an Ashtanga workshop and we were all … [Read more...]
The pros and cons of growing up as a yogini’s daughter
by guest author Jacinta Aalsma A question that pops up regularly for most yogis and yoginis is; 'How long you have been practising yoga?' I don’t have a clear memory of when I started practising or when I undertook that first life changing yoga class. I’ve been brought up with yoga, because my mum has been a yogini and yoga teacher for as long as I remember. Often, the assumption is therefore made that I’m super bendy and flexible and that I would make a great yoga teacher. After all, … [Read more...]
I’m not flexible enough to do yoga
by guest author Alys Titchener It took me years to turn up to a yoga class. Years and years of liking the idea of yoga before actually appearing on a yoga mat. Why? Whenever I confessed I’d never done a yoga class; I’d always append the confession with – I’m not flexible enough. Never have been. I got dropped from the gymnastics club at the age of eight because I couldn’t reach my toes. I could do handstands, I could vault, I could balance on the beam, but I couldn’t touch my toes. Perhaps … [Read more...]
Top Eleven reasons to start practicing yoga TODAY!
You have just ONE body to carry you through life from birth to death. This body is the only way that you can get around on our material world. It's the only way you can perceive ANYTHING. Because if you couldn't smell, taste, feel, see or hear... what would you be experiencing? (Pure consciousness, that's what. But that is another article.) So how do you treat this wonderful personal transportation device of yours? … [Read more...]