by Lucinda Staniland
As the new year begins, I like to take a moment to reflect on all the amazing content that has passed through my hands in the last twelve months. As Editor of The Yoga Lunchbox, I’m blessed to regularly engage with a range of yoga teachers, thinkers and writers, many of them based right here in New Zealand, and to share their reflections with our community of yoga-loving readers.
This year, our most popular articles covered some topics that were big talking points in the yoga world in 2019: Sonya Simpson offered practical approaches for developing interoception and proprioception, I explored my personal journey with chronic pain, biomechanics, and alignment, and Australian movement expert Ian O’Dwyer wrote for us about fascia, and how we can optimize the fascial system.
We also published thoughtful reflections on yoga as a tool to navigate menopause and an Ayurvedic approach to food from our always popular contributor, renowned yoga teacher Donna Farhi. And the increasingly well-known practice of iRest Yoga Nidra was the focus of two articles from local yoga teachers.
Enjoy!
The Yoga Lunchbox’s 10 Most Popular Articles of 2019
10. The Power of Just Being: Reflections on a Silent Retreat
by Sandra Palmer. I am a talker, a chatterbox even. So, I received some surprised responses (shocked, disbelieving and even amused!) when I informed people that I was attending a seven-day silent retreat. Some friends were plainly envious and thought it sounded divine. Many were curious: But why? They asked. Why would you do this? What is the purpose of being silent? Others wanted to know how hard it would be for me. I did not have answers to these questions. I was too … [Read more…]
9. Proprioception: Some Practical Tips to Reconnect the Disconnected
by Sonya Simpson. Early in my yoga teaching career, I guided a group of five website developers in a corporate ‘one-off’ that a young, confident business owner from Sydney arranged. He called it a chance for his staff to do ‘something different’. Within the practice I guided a tall lanky man with an awkward gait through a chilled, gentle practice. He was clearly uncomfortable on the yoga mat. I got the impression that he felt anxious … [Read more…]
8. How to Optimize the Fascial System to Move, Feel & Live Better
by Ian O’Dwyer, SOMA. It interests me greatly to observe the various types of exercises and programs that are prepared and delivered by physical trainers, therapists, coaches and yoga teachers with comprehensive knowledge in their areas. Experience has empowered me to appreciate the difficulty in trying to create success for a large number of people with varied movement challenges or goals. As a Movement Practitioner, the … [Read more…]
7. When Yoga Isn’t Enough: The Importance of Varying Your Movement
by Lucinda Staniland. Movement. It’s a big deal. Humans move often, and in varied ways, and when we don’t do this (like when we sit for 8+ hours a day which is the norm in many countries now) there are consequences. Most of us will have experienced some of these consequences in our own bodies to some extent, whether that’s through pain, injuries, disease or other physical challenges. In recent times, yoga has become increasingly … [Read more…]
6. How to Claim Back the Freedom of your Body with Interoceptive Awareness
By Sonya Simpson. Interoception, sometimes considered the 8th sense, is the felt sense or mindfulness of the body, and Interoceptive awareness is the ability to process the signals you receive from your body. Some examples of this are; levels of energy and how to respond, pain and what to do with it, and sickness and its interpretation. Well-developed interoception has been shown to increase resilience [1], help with emotional regulation [2], improve health and wellbeing [3], support pain … [Read more…]
5. Finding Hope in Chronic Pain: Why I’m Rethinking Biomechanics & Alignment
by Lucinda Staniland. I used to think that alignment and biomechanics were the answer to the riddle that is chronic pain. If only I could work hard enough to correct my hyperlordosis, strengthen my weak glutes, and reverse my scoliosis then my pain would ease – right? At least, that’s what I was told. Now, I’m not so sure. In fact, I’ve found that I’ve been able to reduce my chronic pain significantly without changing my biomechanics or alignment at … [Read more…]
4. Life, Before and After iRest
by Una Hubbard. I’ll never forget my first encounter with iRest® founder – Richard Miller. I was in the Gold Coast at the first wave of teacher trainings to come to this part of the world, feeling very much out of my depth and wondering if I should even be there – I mean, who was I to think I could teach people to meditate? But there I was, and so was Richard Miller. I wasn’t at all sure what to make of him, but I walked over and, with all my nervousness, the first thing I said was, … [Read more…]
3. Low Energy? Ayurveda Has Some Answers
By Donna Farhi. My colleague and co-teacher Ayurvedic Clinician Melissa Spamer tells me that the most common reason that women come to her for consultation is that they “want more energy”. Poor digestion, insomnia, high-stress levels, and dramatic hormonal and metabolic shifts with accompanying weight gain, are all conditions that respond well to simple Ayurvedic practices. In this article, you’ll learn how implementing one of the golden rules of Ayurveda can radically improve your energy … [Read more…]
2. A Review of the Valka Yoga Cork Yoga Mat: Non-Toxic & Eco-Friendly
by Lucinda Staniland. As the editor of a popular yoga website, I receive a lot of requests to review various yoga-related products. Over the years, this has resulted in me getting a lot of practice at the all-important skill of saying ‘No’. I’ve learned the hard way to only say yes to doing a review when it’s a ‘”hell yes!” Thoroughly testing a product and writing a review takes a significant amount of time and energy and there’s nothing … [Read more…]
1. The Beauty of Maturity: Perimenopause, Menopause & Yoga
by Donna Farhi. All my life I have had a dream that I would live in a house with a long winding driveway lined with oak trees. In my early forties, I bought thirty acres of bare land in the South Island of New Zealand with no water, electricity, septic system or house. Over a period of seven years, the task of building a house and putting in the infrastructure of power, electricity, fencing and a water recycling system was all-consuming. Once … [Read more..
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