7 Great Reasons to do a Yoga Retreat
A yoga retreat is a great way to fully experience the power of yoga, and the impact it can have on both body and mind. A good yoga retreat should take you beyond your mat and offer you an experience of the broader practice of yoga – which you simply can’t get from a class […]
Meditation for Kids & Teens
Meditation for Kids & Teens ‘I’m bored!’ It could be the mantra of youth. In our fast paced, technology driven world our kids are conditioned to expect constant external stimulation. With hundreds of TV channels and movies on demand, constant pinging of messages on mobile phones, 101 different social media accounts to keep updated with […]
Vipassana Meditation – Nirvana or Torture?
There are thousands of people all around the world who have apparently gained significant benefits from the Vipassana …. but I’m not one of them! My intention in writing this blog post is not deter anyone from attending the Vipassana, it is to present an alternative view to the pro-Vipassan zealots, and to caution anyone […]
Yoga for a Balanced Life – 5 Principles for Well Being
Yoga is so much more than the postures we perform in class! I find it very difficult as a teacher to share the huge amount of wisdom that forms the basis for the practice that we know as yoga in the West. Yoga is both deeply spiritual and very practical. It’s an all-encompassing philosophy that […]
This Too Shall Pass
Contemplating the nature of impermanence. I have had several occasions this year to contemplate one of the central themes of yoga and of Buddhism – the idea of impermanence. That all things and all states of being, be they positive or negative, are temporary. While the adage ‘This too shall pass’ seems to have originated […]
Yoga Nidra ‘The Sleep of the Yogi’
Yoga Nidra At the simplest level there are 3 keys to good health: 1) good diet, 2) exercise, and 3) sleep. During sleep our body goes in to a heightened anabolic state, accentuating the growth and rejuvenation of the immune, nervous, skeletal and muscular systems. However, sleep is far more than a state of energy conservation and […]
Meditation
What is Meditation? The fundamental purpose of yoga is “moksha” or liberation. This can only be achieved when we have learned to manage the mind. The Yoga Sutra’s of Patanjali are the foundational text of yoga, believed to have been written around 2,000 years ago. The second sutra defines yoga – it states “yoga citta vritta nirodha”. […]
Pranayama (Yogic Breathing)
Pranayama Breath is the principle vehicle for cultivating prana – universal life energy. Pranayama, the practice of conscious breathing, is one of the most important aspects of Hatha yoga. The ancient yogi’s developed this practice because they knew what modern science has confirmed – that the cells of our body need oxygen. And once the […]
Mantra Meditation
Mantra The literal translation of the Sanskrit word ‘mantra’ is ‘instrument of the mind’ or ‘instrument of thought’. Mantras are used in yoga and in mediation to anchor the wandering mind. The repetition of a mantra (known as performing ‘japa’) helps pull wayward thoughts back to the present moment. According to tradition there are 70 […]
