by Kara-Leah Grant In February this year I spent five days at Wanderlust and then rolled straight into an Immersion with Shiva Rea. Now, a month or so later, everything around me is the same as it was. But I am not. I have deeply changed. I can feel it in the way I stand upon the earth. I can feel it in the way I wear my clothes, the way I walked my son to school, the way I'm sitting here now. Something in me has awoken - I have found my ground. Stepping back into training with Shiva was … [Read more...]
Donna Farhi on How to Find True Alignment in Your Yoga Practice
By Donna Farhi, Yoga teacher and author When I first began formal Yoga Teaching Training, yoga postures were taught as a series of check-lists, with a point-by-point focus on each and every body part. While this Simon-Says approach of monkey see, monkey do led to a pretty successful replication of a picture, it seemed to bypass the internal process of feeling one’s own body experience and learning how to find one’s alignment from that felt experience. As the years went on I began to feel … [Read more...]
On the Dilution of the Genuine Transmission of Yoga Part 2
by Kara-Leah Grant, Musings from the Mat I've been contemplating the many reactions I received to this article over the past week or so, On the Dilution of the Transmission of Yoga. One person unsubscribed from the website (or at least - one person told me they had because of this article, more people may have!) saying that I had made some good points but she found the article judgemental and unyogic. Other people rejoiced that someone was speaking such things out loud. It does feel … [Read more...]
What do I do when a Student Complains about Wrist Pain and Wants to Leave Class?
by Kelly Fisher, Urban Yoga Kelly is our resident yoga teacher mentor, answering questions from readers about how to teach and what to do when issues come up. You can email Kelly your question here. The Yoga Teacher's Question: “There it was yesterday: my first and rather frustrating setback in my teaching experience. I have a student who suffers from a lot of wrist pain. She comes along to my 45 minute class that is short, sharp and energetic. Because I know she requires special … [Read more...]
How to build your confidence (and resume) as a new yoga teacher
by guest author Cailen Ascher, owner of CALMbiz If you’re currently in, or fresh out of, yoga teacher training, chances are you’re thinking about landing your first teaching job. When I was first ready to teach, I dreamt about the kinds of classes I’d have, the sequences I’d prepare, and the kinds of students I’d love to serve. Then I was faced with an all-too-common predicament: No one would hire me because I didn’t have experience. But, to get experience, I needed to teach… It’s your … [Read more...]
Why yoga teachers are either shot, or placed on a pedestal
by guest author and Wellington Yoga Teacher Bruce Foley Being a yoga teacher feels like two opposing forces pulling at me simultaneously. I am attracted to the act of teaching and derive great pleasure from it. It makes me feel good about myself as it tests my sense of courage and self-belief. It answers the question as to whether it is OK to trust my instincts because an intuitive class structure rarely lets me down. I see validation; recognition and understanding [of the path chosen] in … [Read more...]
How to help kids stay longer in yoga poses
by guest author Gopala Amir Yaffe, Rainbow Kids Yoga The benefits of the Yoga Poses increase as you stay longer in them. But staying for a long time in the poses is not easy for kids simply because, for them, it is totally boring… unless you do some of the following: Counting You can count to 10 when you bake a Yoga Pizza (Seated Forward Bend with legs apart), when you go under a yoga tunnel with your imaginary car while in the Yoga Bridge Pose, count down to launching a Yoga Spaceship … [Read more...]
How to help kids do yoga better
by guest author Gopala Amir Yaffe, Rainbow Kids Yoga When you teach yoga to anybody, remember this: Open your eyes, your ears, your mind and your heart, and really look. Look at who is standing in front of you and start from where they are. If you start from where they are, there are no limits to what you can achieve together. If you start from where you expected and planned for them to be, or from where someone told you they are, or from where the book says…man, you’re in trouble! … [Read more...]
Time to give up on asana, old man
by Mike Berghan, Te Aro Astanga For a long time now I have never really asked myself why I do my Ashtanga Vinyasa practice 5 or 6 days a week. If anyone asked me I would say because it is who I am and that I enjoy it. As the result of a couple of recent conversations, and these cold Wellington winter mornings I have been thinking about it a bit more. A friend and student of mine recently said to me after I explained that I try to do 2 Intermediate, 2 Advanced A, and 1 Primary Series Practice … [Read more...]
October 3 & 4: Auckland, The Yoga of Professor T Krishnamacharya, Two Intimate Masterclasses with Dr Kausthub Desikachar
Due to family reasons, this event has been cancelled. Apologies for any inconvenience. Join Dr Kausthub Desikachar for two masterclasses about the the yoga of Professor T Krishnamacharya, one of the most influential yoga masters of our time The Evolution of T Krishnamacharya’s Yoga - 3rd October. Dr. Kausthub Desikachar, grandson of T Krishnamacharya, and Researcher of Yoga, will lead participants in a journey to explore the evolution of the grand master’s teaching, commencing … [Read more...]