Yoga and Being a Healing Presence

Yoga and Being a Healing Presence

I don’t pretend to be enlightened in any shape or form. The fact that I am a yoga teacher doesn’t mean I am immune to frailties and suffering. In fact, I may be more sensitive to them. I end up paying attention to things somebody else might sweep under the carpet. Perhaps exposing my stumbling blocks is better than tripping over them.
I’m 72 years old and still doing personal development. To that end, a few years ago I did a course that had me journaling, reading and pondering. […]

When the Temperature is Hot, Do Cool Yoga

When the Temperature is Hot, Do Cool Yoga

Regarding yoga practice, when the temperature is hot in the extreme, do you go to ground? I’ve learned that you don’t necessarily need to skip your yoga practice. Just do cool yoga.
In Australia now, we are experiencing a summer where the atmosphere is heavy with humidity and heat. It’s not as humid here in NSW as it is in the buildup to ‘The Wet’ of our tropical north. […]

Yoga Teacher Training: It’s Decision Time!

Yoga Teacher Training: It’s Decision Time!

 
Decision time: yes or no?
This is the exciting time of year when you might be considering learning something new. Cuban dancing, contract bridge, an on-line undergraduate course…. Or, you may have been thinking about deepening your understanding of a subject about which you are already knowledgeable.
If you are a keen yoga practitioner, you probably have thought about doing a yoga teacher training at one time or another. […]

The Beauty of Yoga Practice

The Beauty of Yoga Practice

Recently I taught an ‘intensive’ week at the Yoga Shed. I based my teaching on the abstract concept of Beauty. I wove in poses that I considered appropriate to the theme and developed a sequence for each day. The first day we followed a sequence of standing poses. The aim was to experience the beauty of being grounded.

Hot Weather Yoga: Do Flop-asanas!

Hot Weather Yoga: Do Flop-asanas!

In the heat, keep your brain cool
One of the definitions of the word ‘flop’ is to fail at an endeavour. Another meaning for the word is to crumble or collapse. Flop-asanas are not poses that you do and then you fail; nor are they done simple by flopping over soft props. Rather, they are supported poses that help you open up your chest and your breathing when the hot weather becomes stifling. […]

Too Many Yoga Teacher Trainings?

Too Many Yoga Teacher Trainings?

There’s a lot of controversy in the yoga world about the quality of yoga teacher trainings right now. It was inevitable. The explosion in the popularity of yoga has meant that not only do more people want to do yoga but more want to teach it. So, we see the proliferation of yoga brands with the various ‘styles’ offering their own spin on yoga teacher training. There are short courses, long courses, on-line courses, part-time, diplomas, advanced diplomas, and I don’t know what-all.For my part, I have a teaching certificate from Martyn Jackson (1980), another from B.K.S. […]

Temperatures Rising? Try Cool Yoga

Temperatures Rising? Try Cool Yoga

Regarding your yoga practice, when temperatures start rising, do you go to ground? I’ve learned that you don’t necessarily need to skip your yoga practice.
In Aussieland, we are experiencing a summer where the atmosphere is heavy with humidity and heat. It’s not as humid in NSW as it is in the buildup to ‘The Wet’ of our tropical north. […]

Meditation: The Clock with No Hands

Meditation: The Clock with No Hands

via pinterest
Have you ever notice how we humans get hypnotised by time. As we mature into being adults, it’s as though we develop an internal clock, something like an invisible heart pacemaker.
For instance, when I go for a 30 minute beach walk, I know pretty much to the second when the halfway point, 15 minutes, has gone by. […]

Remedial Yoga in a Holistic Context

Remedial Yoga in a Holistic Context

In this morning’s yoga class there were six students: one with a pinched neck nerve, one with a strained rotator cuff, one with dodgy knees, one with an arthritic ankle and elbow tendonitis, one with a sore back, and one ‘normal’ (at least for the time being).
In looking at a group ‘remedially’, I saw a collection of ailments. Looking through the holistic lens of yoga, I saw students who are totally fit to practice yoga according to their ability.
For my money, I believe everyone should adapt yoga according to their individual needs and constitution. […]