by Rosalind Atkinson, “If you want to teach people, you have to love them,” said the tall figure seated near me on the floor. Shit, I thought. What am I doing here, then? I don’t love people… I hate them! I feel them frozen in fear and radiating phoney bullshit, and I can’t bear it! I looked around the room at the other bodies. No-one else seemed to be freaking out. The apparently casual comment began the Heart of Yoga teacher training in the Chief’s Meeting Hall on the island of … [Read more...]
Has Modern Yoga Been Dominated By The Masculine?
by Lucinda Staniland It's interesting what happens when you ask a difficult question. You'll note that there is only one man featured in this edition of The Community Speaks, our roundup of perspectives from influential people in the NZ and Australia yoga communities. This is not for lack of trying on our part—at least 11 men were invited to be part of this, but the majority of them didn't reply to emails. Perhaps it's an indication of how uncomfortable and challenging this question can … [Read more...]
Mark Whitwell on the True Function of the Bandhas (and his Fiji Retreat) {video}
by Kara-Leah Grant Every year, for two weeks, Mark Whitwell retreats to Fiji, to the island of Taveuni. He invites students and potential teachers to join him, for as long as they can. They can choose to just retreat, or they can clock up teacher training hours. Mark chose this particular location because it's accessible to the entire Pacific Rim, plus there is a Hindi influence with the local Indian population. (Originally brought over as indentured labour in the late 1800s). During the … [Read more...]
Mark Whitwell on the Definition of a Yoga Teacher {Video}
by Kara-Leah Grant New Zealand born yogi Mark Whitwell has been teaching for a couple of decades and studied with both Desikachar and Krishnamacharya. He is also the author of Yoga of Heart, and The Promise of Love, Sex and Intimacy and editor of TKV Desikachar's book The Heart of Yoga. You can see a Skype video interview we did with Mark on his book The Promise here. A month or so ago I wrote an article about my experience of attending one of Mark's classes at Great Lake Taupo … [Read more...]
The Definition of a Yoga Teacher: Nothing More than a Friend, Nothing Less than a Friend
by Kara-Leah Grant I was fortunate enough to attend one of Mark Whitwell’s classes at Wanderlust Great Lake Taupo 2015. Mark is teacher of considerable standing who spent many years with Desikachar and studied directly with Krishnamacharya, the teacher of teachers and the godfather of Western Yoga. His approach gets right to the heart of yoga. Unfortunately, despite being a born and bred Kiwi, Mark’s many years spent overseas means most New Zealanders don’t know who he is. Plus, now based in … [Read more...]
How Wanderlust Helped Me Become the Best Yoga Teacher
by Kara-Leah Grant And by that I mean the best yoga teacher I can be, not the best yoga teacher in the world. :-) Yes, the four days of Wanderlust were the best four days of my life. It's my ideal way to spend time - hanging in community surrounded by literally hundreds of heart-open people, practicing yoga, listening to music, dancing, eating amazing food and spending time in nature. Oh, and having the privilege of speaking and teaching too. Last year, watching the teachers deliver … [Read more...]
J. Brown on the Three Sensibilities that Shape Our Yoga Practice {video interview}
by Kara-Leah Grant I've been following J. Brown for a few years now, inspired and impressed by the consistent and constant magnifying glass he applies to the yoga world. J. has no qualms about challenging the accepted flow with his articles, calling into question elements of yoga teaching and practice that he finds problematic. But then, J. Brown is an upstart who has always gone against the grain right from the beginning of his career, deliberately taking a different approach from the … [Read more...]
What’s it like to attend Lightning in a Bottle Festival?
by guest author Jonnie Halstead, Picnic Events Lightning In A Bottle is not a festival... It's another freak’n planet! A fourth dimension where only the weird and wonderful flourish. This is not for the faint of heart. There’s the odd eye-opener mixed with a lot of near nudity. But the beauty is not just beheld by the lithe young bodies in the audience - the production and theming is without a doubt the best I’ve seen in a fifteen year career in events. So where else would the yogic … [Read more...]
May 4 – 5th: Wanaka, Pure Yoga Autumn Retreat
Join Anna and friends at the beautiful Edgewater Resort on the shores of Lake Wanaka for a nurturing and inspiring weekend of yoga. As a Senior Heart of Yoga teacher, Anna will be teaching in the tradition of Krishnamacharya. Attention to breath and linking breath to body movements will create a moving meditation that is ease-full and power-full! The retreat is held on Saturday the 4th and Sunday the 5th of May. Saturday morning session will run from 9am - midday and the … [Read more...]
Five strategies for starting and 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 … [Read more...]