By Lucinda Staniland By now you've probably come across Yoga Nidra, one of the hottest trends to hit the Yoga scene in recent years. Everyone is doing it, from your trend-setting Instagram-loving best friend to your old-school internet-free great Aunt. But what is Yoga Nidra exactly, and does it deserve its sudden popularity? To the latter, I answer with an emphatic YES, which I trust will quickly become clear in the eight points below. And for an answer to the former, I turned to Swami … [Read more...]
Swami Karma Karuna on Yoga Nidra Training & Our Great Need For Restorative Practices
by Kara-Leah Grant Yoga Nidra has long been an important and regular part of my yoga practice. I found it invaluable when I had a newborn baby, as a way to rest and restore in less than twenty minutes. And, even more interesting, after doing it consistently for over a decade, I'm starting to reap some of the more esoteric benefits of the practice that Swami Karma Karuna describes below. For these reasons, I'm delighted to see that Anahata Yoga Retreat is holding a Yoga Nidra Instructor … [Read more...]
When Overwhelming Thoughts Take Over Your Restorative Yoga Practice
By Nityda Bhakti, The Yoga Wellness Space Yoga is a practice of turning inward or pratyahara (withdrawal of the senses). It can be hard to do this at times in a more rigorous yoga class, especially for those still learning the poses and therefore needing to fix their focus to others in the room in an effort to get their bodies into the right position. Restorative yoga allows us the space to hold poses for longer, with the support of props, so that we don’t have to use physical effort to do … [Read more...]
Restorative Yoga: Exploring Supported Child’s Pose In-depth
By Neal Ghoshal, Sacred Moves A little while ago I wrote an article on the eight essential principles of Restorative Yoga. Since then I've been continuing to delve deep into this beautiful practice. Deep rest is always calling! I'm happy to be sharing some more … and one of the most profoundly restful of the Restorative postures is Supported Child's Pose (Salamba Balasana). This is a posture which many find deliciously comforting and relaxing, perhaps because it tunes us into a time when … [Read more...]
The Eight Essentials of Restorative Yoga
by guest author Neal Ghoshal, Sacred Moves A few years ago I enrolled on my second Yoga Teacher Training course for a year at the Yoga Academy Auckland - I was on a mission to learn more about this practice and to equip myself with as much knowledge as I could. If I was going to teach Yoga, then I wanted to be good at it. About half way through the year, course tutor Jude Hynes gave us a new practice, brought out some Yoga bolsters from the cupboard and introduced us to the wonderful … [Read more...]
March 3: Auckland,The Open Heart – A Day-long Meditation and Rest Retreat
November 2 – 4, Te Moata Retreat, Coromandel, The Breath and the Heart Yoga Retreat
In this weekend workshop we explore the connections between our breath and our heart. Weaving somatic enquiry, yoga asana and loving-kindness practices we will restore ease-full breathing, a calm mind and an open heart. This will be a weekend in which to release into the organic soft support of the heart and the breath. Te Moata is the perfect setting for our deepening yoga practice – the beauty and spirit of the land, the nourishing and delicious food, and the sensitive kindness of the … [Read more...]
How yoga helped me… enjoy a fulfilling pregnancy
Submitted by Mandy Lawson of Cobano, Costa Rica The day I found out that I am pregnant with my first child was one of the most astounding, emotional and happy days of my life so far. In our minds we can imagine how we will feel and react when something long awaited happens, but this was much more intense that I could have guessed. I doubt that I will ever forget the amazement and disbelief that I encountered upon seeing the two little pink lines on the pregnancy test. I just kept … [Read more...]