by Lucinda Staniland, It's always a joy to come across someone who takes real pleasure in the work they do in the world. Without a doubt, Dr Scott Lyons is such a person and I could tell so immediately when I began watching his conversation with Kara-Leah Grant. Although he clearly takes a serious and earnest approach to his work, there is also an overflowing sense of delight and lightness to him, which I couldn't help but be enchanted by. Dr Scott Lyons is a Clinical Psychologist and … [Read more...]
Is It Good to Go Deeper in a Yoga Pose?
by Lucinda Staniland For all the years I’ve been practicing yoga, I’ve always strived to ‘go deeper’ into the poses. In fact, I thought this was the point of asana. In the name of depth, I’ve pursued an ‘open heart’, and ‘release’ in the hips. Whatever the pose—lunges, backbends, twists—I’ve had an image in my mind of precisely how the pose should look, and the depth that I need to reach to achieve the perfect alignment. I’ve stretched my hands to my toes in standing forward bends, sunk deep i … [Read more...]
How I Finally Found the Perfect Yoga Teacher Training For Me
by Lucinda Staniland I’ve had a serious home yoga practice for over 8 years and I’ve been working at The Yoga Lunchbox for almost as long. Over that time, I’ve been exposed to a wide range of Yoga Teacher Training programmes. I’ve interviewed many of the teachers behind the programmes, promoted their trainings on social media, and created Guides to help potential yogis find the perfect Yoga Teacher Training for them in NZ and Australia. I know what’s out there when it comes to NZ Yoga Teacher T … [Read more...]
Further Yoga Lessons in Bone Compression and Anatomical Limitations
by Kara-Leah Grant This week in my Ashtanga practice I've been exploring and playing with two joints in particular - my ankle joints and wrist joints. Thanks to a Yin Yoga workshop, I've identified that I have a limited range of movement in both of these joints - less than the normal range. The only posture that my limited ankle mobility appears to impact in the Primary Series (I'm up to Bhujapidasana (Shoulder-Pressing Pose)) is Utkatasana (Chair Pose). Prior to the realisation about my … [Read more...]
How Bone Compression Prevents Me from Doing Bhujapidasana
by Kara-Leah Grant I've been aware of the role that bone compression plays in our range of movement since watching a series of Paul Grilley videos on YouTube. Yet despite knowing this intellectually, it wasn't until I attended a Yin Yoga Workshop with Karin Sang and Markus Henning Giess of Yin Therapy that I realised how bone compression was impacting my yoga practice. Over the course of the day, Markus lead us through several bone compression tests so we could determine our natural range … [Read more...]
June 8 – 10: Gisborne, Align, Build & Breathe – A Weekend Vinyasa Yoga Immersion with Amber Spear
Align. Move. Breathe. Energise & Restore, all in the one weekend ! Join Amber Spear to explore the dynamics and subtle aspects within the breath, the body postures and the mind during a weekend immersion of Yoga practice time. Amber has a positive and playful approach to teaching. Her guidance is a chance to learn more about not only your yoga practice, but yourself - to let go of old habits, release mental/physical blocks and to develop new perspectives with what you find most … [Read more...]