By guest author Adhyatama of Kalpa Taru, Wellington Some of you may know I have been teaching Yoga up at Rimutaka prison for the last year and Waikeria and Springhill for the four years before that. I drive up to Rimutaka every Tuesday and spend a couple of hours in a Unit with serious violent offenders teaching asana (postures), breathing techniques to calm and relax them and Yoga Nidra. All I can say is that I just love it, and I love them! That may sound weird but honestly what magic … [Read more...]
Hope for the world – Swami Muktidharma speaks
by Kara-Leah Grant The last time we had Swami Muktidharma on YLB, he shared the story of dreaming about his guru before meeting him. To our western minds, it sounds magical and mystical. But in the world of yoga, and yogis, it's commonplace. Yoga deals with many different layers of reality, and indeed, is a way of seeing clearly what reality actually is, beyond our limited sense of the material world. It's that ability to see deeper, and wider, that makes sitting in the presence of Swamis … [Read more...]
An interview with Swami Samnyasananda, a consultant neurophysiologist
Article courtesy Anahata Yoga Retreat Swami Samnyasananda is a consultant neurophysiologist whose research explores the effects of pranayama, meditation and relaxation on the heart, brain and autonomic nervous systems. He is a Certified Yoga Teacher, Life Member and Fellow of the World Society for Clinical Yoga (Lucknow, India), and has over 30 years of experience in classes, personal tuition & clinical counselling in yoga, meditation, relaxation and stress management (M.B.T.I. … [Read more...]
Learn the practice of neti and experience a clear head space
by Guest Author Do you suffer from allergies? Sinus problems? Frequent headaches? Nasal infections? How is the autumn effecting you? Find your nostrils are blocked, affecting your pranayama? Looking for a way to gently clear the mind before meditation? The practice of Neti is for you. Neti is one of the easiest and quickest shatkarmas* to learn. Its mastery can be accomplished within a couple of goes then effortlessly incorporated into your daily life. You can do Neti in the … [Read more...]
Effects of the Sankalpa in Satyananda Yoga Nidra – Manifesting the positive
By Guest Author Swami Karma Karuna, Anahata Yoga Retreat Many people on the yogic path are committed to self transformation. This active focus on growth may ignite questioning of one’s own behaviour. Sometimes, there is genuine desire to change a particular habit or pattern, but try as one may, the cause of the action can be elusive! Whether resisting or accepting those aspects of the self which seem outside of conscious control, in truth the reactions, perspectives and even external … [Read more...]
Broken Warriors – reaching out to prisoners with yoga
by guest author Adhyatma, Yoga Education in Prisons Trust I first came across the idea of teaching Yoga to prison inmates when I was staying in an ashram in the northern parts of Bihar, India. I had traveled there without much prior knowledge of why I was really going there, what I was in for, or how it had even happened so easily, and so quickly in my life. But it had! I had been attending some Yoga classes in Mt Eden, Auckland for a couple of years with a Satyananda yoga teacher before I … [Read more...]
The Benefits of Teaching Yoga
by Guest Author Swami Nishchalananda, who established Mandala Yoga Ashram in 1986. As students and practitioners of Yoga we are all well aware of the benefits Yoga can have on all levels of our being. Teaching Yoga can be a way of passing on to others what we have received. Teaching Yoga gives us an opportunity to serve others, enabling us to really be of help to others in improving the quality of their lives. Remember that service (Sanskrit, seva) is an essential aspect of Yoga … [Read more...]