by Lucinda Staniland I’ve been practicing yoga for eight years, and while I’ve experienced many benefits from a regular practice, deep sleep hasn’t been one of them. Despite my daily home yoga practice—and the deep relaxation and release that it enables—until recently, a really good night’s sleep was an elusive thing for me. Let me get this straight; I've never been an insomniac. I've never experienced the terror of a full blown sleep disorder or extreme sleep deprivation. But I do know what … [Read more...]
Why MYOGA uses a seasonal structure to map it’s yoga classes
by Melissa Billington Over the last few years, I've been using a seasonal map to organise my yoga teaching. Until I witnessed myself gesturing the same way when I referenced the calendar year, I didn’t realize that I had an innate sense of time being egg-shaped instead of linear. For some reason I’ve always seen winter at the narrow top of the egg, summer at the wider bottom and spring and autumn on the longer sides. Growing up in the four seasons of the northern hemisphere on the northeast … [Read more...]
What’s the point of winter – whether of the soul or of the seasons?
by guest author Melissa Billington, Creatrix of the Powa Centre & MYOGA Driving into Wellington there’s a big billboard by the docks that reads, “Cancel Winter.” It’s advertising warmer climes, in this case, Nelson. I know we can travel and many with means become snowbirds following the warmth of the sun around the globe. Yet I wonder if we’re missing something crucial by avoiding the dark and the cold and the seemingly difficult. I’ve lived in equatorial countries and the monotony … [Read more...]