For some people lockdown has been a great way to increase the amount of exercise we do. For those people working from home, there’s less time commuting and more time fitting in an extra yoga practice. This has been great, but without the usual pattern of the year, it’s easy to overdo it, because rest […]
There are many reasons to give yoga a go. My fellow Zen Monkey writer, Rob Cook, who’s never done yoga before is about to dive into yoga with both feet by doing 30 yoga classes in 30 days in July. An inspirational, if extreme, idea. You might have a friend who’s been saying how great
“In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities. In the expert’s mind there are few.” ~Shunryu Suzuki, Zen Monk Mindfulness, meditation, chanting; there is a myriad of ways to bring calm and serenity to our lives. However, a very simple and useful concept when it comes to our yoga practice is ‘Shoshin’, a Zen Buddhist
Born in Riga, Latvia to European aristocracy in 1899, Indra Devi was the first female to been allowed into an Indian ashram (let alone the first woman to study in an ashram) in the 1930s. Studying with the “godfather” of modern Hatha Yoga, Krishnamacharya (famous for also teaching Iyengar and Pattabhi Jois), Indra Devi is
This week gives us the opportunity to move from a passing acquaintance to an established relationship with yoga. Moving From Stage Two To Three In my last article for this series, I talked about the four stages of the yoga journey: commencement, intent endeavour, intimate knowledge and consummation. Having covered ‘starting out’ and ‘staying on
What’s it like going to a big yoga convention or festival? Can you really learn anything amongst hundreds of other yogis? Is it worth the money, time and effort? Poppy Pickles writes about her experience at the Iyengar Yoga UK Convention in Harrogate in May this year. Going to a yoga convention or festival away
It’s easy to find Valentine’s Day annoying. It’s just another excuse for shops to sell us stuff we don’t need. For single people it’s a sick-making reminder of just how single they are. Then there’s the clichéd gifts of flowers and chocolates, the over-priced meals with lots of other couples desperately trying to look happier
Halle Berry is the evergreen Oscar winner, who just so happens to be 51 years old. But despite hitting her half-century, she couldn’t look further from being middle-aged. And one of her latest Instagram posts paid homage to her incredible youthfulness as she stripped down to just a pair of knickers to demonstrate her latest
Becoming a yogi is like being given the secret to gaining superpowers. There are ways that we can work the physical body to summon up superhuman sources of energy, vitality, and strength. One of these super-yogi methods is ‘THE BANDHAS’. So, what exactly are the bandhas? Translated into English they mean bondage, restraint, joining together,
Yoga is a vast subject, and just when you think you know all about it, a whole new yogic practice hoves into view that you know nothing about – step forward, kirtan. So what’s the story of kirtan? Put simply, it is yogic chanting, meditation through song, or communal meditation. It is an ancient practice
