One of the effects of doing yoga regularly is that you start to become more aware of things. You start to become more aware of how your body feels. You start to become more aware of thoughts and emotions. Possibly you may even start to become more aware of your reactions to things or a… Continue reading
I was driving home from teaching the other night and I was reflecting about how busy and stressed my day was and how, in that moment on my way home, I felt SO much better. So here I am, inspired to write just exactly why I think yoga makes me a better person. I’ve narrowed it down to… Continue reading
Hello and a very happy new year! Wishing you all the very best for 2016. I’m looking forward to a year with more mat time, more articles, sharing more ideas and knowledge and growing with you as you grow with me. WHAT ARE YOUR INTENTIONS FOR 2016? While I don’t necessarily believe in the tradition of making New… Continue reading
At this time of year, I always like to look back and reflect. Time goes so fast and we get so busy, that it’s easy to forget what we’ve done and how much we’ve achieved in the year. Here are my top 3 highlights I’d like to share with you. 1. Qualified as a certified Iyengar Instructor Completing… Continue reading
“Final pose is achieved when all the parts of the body are positioned correctly, with full awareness and intelligence.” The Path to Holistic Health – BKS Iyengar Looking at alignment in the context of the structure of poses – it’s when the bones, muscles, tendons, ligaments, nerves, skin and organs all work in unison to… Continue reading
The next niyama is one of my favourites because I feel it is one of the biggest lessons anyone has to learn in life, in fact, I’d say rather that it’s an ongoing lesson and practice. It’s a lesson to be learned on the mat as well as off the mat 🙂 . It’s the niyama,… Continue reading
Continuing onto the second limb of Ashtanga yoga, are the niyamas, which are the personal ethics and habits we are encouraged develop in order to propel us on our path within. The niyamas, present to us very personal traits that, if practiced, assist us in successfully overcoming a lot of the suffering and conflict we find within ourselves… Continue reading
The final yama is aparigraha which is translated as non-coveting what doesn’t belong to us, was introduced in the fifth week. This can also be interpreted as non-grasping or being happy for other people’s success in spite of your own circumstance. Nothing illustrates this better, in my opinion, than backbends.
The fourth week I discussed the yama of Brahmacharya which is traditionally explained to be celibacy. I feel that this is quite a controversial yama. While I agree that sometimes sexual energy can dissipate focus and muddy intelligence, I feel that most people don’t fully embrace or understand their sexuality. So being cautious to go into… Continue reading
In week three, I discussed Asteya which is interpreted as non-stealing – but it can also be the idea of abundance. Usually, stealing happens because of a “lack of”. By resonating to abundance and believing we already have enough or that there is enough of everything in the universe, we guide ourselves to a state of not… Continue reading