“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 […]
On the 5th of November, in a small church in rural Texas, 26 people were innocently gunned down during their Sunday church service. On the 1st of October this year in Las Vegas, a lone gunman shot at a crowd of peaceful, country music festival-goers, before turning the gun on himself. It was the worst
I remember during my yoga teacher training being in tears. A lot. At the time I had no idea why, and I went through a range of emotions such as shame, anger, fear, embarrassment and annoyance. I woke up in the morning and often thought, “I don’t want to go to yoga.” I did go
I roll out my ultra sticky yoga mat, take off my Sweaty Betty leg warmers, light some Nag Champa incense, turn the volume up on my playlist of chilled world music, prepare a bottle of lavender essential oil, dim the lights and finally I’m ready to practice yoga. At the same time a group of
“Well, shake it up, baby, now. Twist and shout. C’mon c’mon, c’mon, c’mon, baby, now. Come on and work it on out” ~The Beatles Song stuck in your head now? Okay, good! Moving onto our twisting detox with this song in mind! These lyrics can answer the question to why twists are so good for
We all get swollen ankles — or ‘cankles,’ if you will — at some point don’t we? Maybe on those hot summer days or after a long day on your feet. Some women suffer terribly when they are pregnant and other people after some types of surgery. Older people’s legs can get swollen too when
Matthew Sanford is a paraplegic and a yoga teacher, and in the crucible of his journey he has learned something we all need to hear. When Matthew was just 13 years old he was involved in a devastating car crash on the road to his hometown of Duluth, Minnesota. The crash killed his father and
Has social media changed the way we view and do yoga? Is there something to be found in a partnership between the ancient science of yoga and the infant of social media? I’m a bit of a dinosaur when it comes to social media. I’m rubbish at tweeting, I mainly post holiday snaps on Facebook
I am many things: new mama, artist, tea drinker and yogi. Though I’ve tried a few styles, when I finally found Ashtanga, I thought, “AHA!” this is it! That was back in 2006. I started practicing with intent in 2009 when I moved to Cape Town. Pattabhi Jois and Mysore During those first years of
Necks are amazing pieces of engineering. They are incredibly mobile yet support the head in a range of positions. Yoga can relieve neck pain or it can just as easily cause more problems. Do you know how to protect your students necks? Here’s what every yoga teacher should know about yoga and necks. The Building Blocks The
