by Cathryn Monro, Spilt Milk Yoga What does self-knowledge mean? What is inner work and how do we DO it? How does one actually self-transform? Motherhood is like the most intense, long haul retreat you could ever go on; you meet your best and your worst behaviours, and no matter what you have to show up every day and be “Mum”, even when you don’t feel up to it. And yet, it’s especially when we don’t feel up to it that we have an opportunity to find a new way forward. If we choose to … [Read more...]
The Only Two Things Your Children Really Need From You
by Ben Ralston I’ll tell you straight: I didn’t have a clue what to do when my son was born. I had good instincts, I’d read a number of books and done my due diligence, but the stress of the situation I found myself in overwhelmed me. I didn’t have the internal resources to be able to cope because I wasn’t yet a man. I was really a 30 something year old scared little boy, and I found myself way, way, way out of my depth. This is true for the vast majority of Fathers: they aren't men … [Read more...]
Saying No to the Cult of Busyness
by Kara-Leah Grant I've long been aware that I've had a particular way of operating in the world that doesn't serve me. I'm addicted to getting things done. To being productive. And it comes from being in my head, rather than from being. There are some big gains from this particular behaviour - like prodigal production. Given the limitations of my life, I have produced an extraordinary amount of output. Websites, articles, books, classes, workshops, retreats, videos. This on top of single … [Read more...]
There is No Space for Me. A Short Journey into Depression
by Kara-Leah Grant On Sunday afternoon, lying on the grass outside under fluffy white clouds and a lazy blue sky, I felt the snaky tendrils of depression slither into my heart and settle in my being. One moment, everything was as it was. The next, I felt a heaviness of being, a reluctance to move or act or even be, a dragging at my insides, a rising of emotion. Usually the arrival of depression is not so noticeable. It sneaks up on me and I'm not aware until it's taken me down and I'm … [Read more...]
How Living Your Yoga Can Mean Taking Parenting Lessons From The Rock (Dwayne Johnson)
by Kara-Leah Grant First night in Napier, staying at my Uncle's house. The TV's on. I haven't lived with a TV for three years. It's novel. I sit to eat my dinner and catch the beginning of a movie. By the time I've finished my dinner, I've grasped the plot and I'm chuckling at the weirdness of the Universe. The movie is about a high-achieving, selfish, self-centered football player who discovers - when she shows up on his doorstep - that he has an eight year old daughter. The plot revolves … [Read more...]
The Terror of Single Parenthood
by Kara-Leah Grant, Musings from the Mat Three years ago this New Year's Eve I took my year old baby boy and left my mentally unstable and addicted partner. I had zero dollars in my bank account, and an ambivalent attitude towards motherhood - something I had chosen under duress because of the pathetic belief it would make my partner happy. Stupidity to the nth degree. It did not make him happy. Instead, a child was brought into an already unstable and messed up relationship. And … [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...]
I’ve fallen off the Yoga Practice Bandwagon
by Kara-Leah Grant, Musings from the Mat My practice has fallen by the wayside. Oh, something's happening every day, be it Yoga Nidra in bed before falling alseep, or a snatched moment of pranayama while my son watches a DVD, or a moment of standing backbends at the bench while doing the dishes. But rolling out a yoga mat, putting on yoga clothes, and doing a sustained practice? Twice a week. Maybe. I miss it. I yearn for it. I stop for a moment and tune into my breath and feel the … [Read more...]
I Didn’t Want This Life: Why am I Having So Much Fun?
by Kara-Leah Grant Life has been rich with opportunities to practice deep acceptance lately. Samuel is now 17 months old, generally awake from 7am to 7pm, and active, even measured by toddler standards. It's impossible to work around him anymore, or write morning pages, or meditate, or practice asana. These things were the mainstay of my waking hours - if I wasn't on the computer, I was doing some form of yoga or writing. In the last month, I've had to accept that this is just not … [Read more...]
How to use yoga to help you be a better parent
Yoga is 'union' and there is no greater path to union than that of the relationship between parent and child - and a parent's relationship with themselves. by guest author Amanda Reid of Samadhi Yoga Where else do you have the challenge and opportunity to be your most mindful at each moment? Where your every communication has the potential to create conflict or upliftment? Children respond either consciously or unconsciously to each moment and can make us painfully aware of our gaps … [Read more...]