"Best of…" No. 3

"Best of…" No. 3

Post-Travel Sequence
Australians are inveterate travellers, so this sequence is a handy one to have tucked into your tool box for your return. Notice the interesting mixture of seated poses and backbends.
Supta Baddha Konasana (10-15 Min.)
Virasana (3 Min.)
Upavistha Konasana, hands behind (3 Min.)
Baddha Konasana, head supported on chair, then move chair to left, then right for a lateral forward bend (1 Min. each side)
Bharadavajasana 1, 3 x (1 Min. each side)
Paschimottanasana, head supported, feet apart 30 cm. (3 Min.)
Janu Sirsasana (3 Min. […]

Great Yoga Sequences – No. 1

Great Yoga Sequences – No. 1

Over the years, I have archived yoga sequences that I found really made a difference to my students. Some of these date all the way back to the eighties! And, some of them are from just last year.
This week my blog will feature “The Best Of”, starting with:
Asana and Pranayama Sequence for Anxiety
Note: These poses are based on the Iyengar approach of using props for some of them. […]

Sangha Three

Sangha Three

One of the most attractive communities I’ve been privileged to be part of is the Yoga Sangha.
I had no idea when I started on my yoga path that this community is a human worldwide web. Not long after I completed my 10 week beginners’ course in Spring City, Pennsylvania, I moved to California and looked for my next class. […]

Sangha (Part Two)

Sangha (Part Two)

A little while back, I wrote about two of my communities, my two women’s groups.
Community has been a continuous and important theme in my life. There’s an old movie called “Witness” that is set in an Amish community in America. I saw that movie 4 times and probably could see it again – no, not just for the youngish Harrison Ford – but because of the way the people portrayed worked together so well. There’s a scene of a barn-raising in the movie that made me cry every time I saw it. […]

Good

As a newcomer to country living, I thought I should join in some community activities.
Last week I went along to “Windsong” a community choir that meets weekly in Wingham, a little town about 30 minutes from us.
Can I sing? Sort of. If my life depended on it.
I didn’t have an entirely happy experience last week. I had to concentrate so hard on looking at the sheet music for following the alto harmony that I’m not sure what I sounded like. […]

Did you go to the beach today?

Did you go to the beach today?

Before I moved to Mitchells Island a few months ago, I am very sorry to say that whole summers evaporated before my feet had caressed any sandy shores. Even in the December/January holidays, it was catch up time for the rest of the year. Tasks that had been put off over the year, people I promised to see, and even New Year’s Yoga Intensives to teach were more momentous than seashore outings.
And then, poof, the vacation break would be gone. […]

Let's Talk About Sex

Let's Talk About Sex

All of a sudden sex is coming across my desk. Who am I to ignore it?
Actually it started a little while ago in the form of emails arriving from Human Awareness Australia announcing two workshops to be held in the latter part of March – “The Joy of Couples: Creating Depth in Relationship” and “Love is a Miracle”.
Daniel and I met in one of these sorts of workshops. I daresay we wouldn’t be together after 18 years if we hadn’t learned a thing or two in the various levels of these workshops. […]

Whinge

Whinge

In my life, I have nothing really to complain about. I would have to overlook that fact that I live in a brand new house in the country, not too far from the beach. I am the envy of my girlfriends because I have such an incredibly wonderful husband. I live with him in our beautiful house, and also with Heather & Rick who are the nicest, most supportive people you could know. My health is improving every day because I don’t have arthritis anymore. […]

What the heck is Yoga Therapy? (Sometimes called "Special Needs" or "Remedial Yoga")

What the heck is Yoga Therapy? (Sometimes called "Special Needs" or "Remedial Yoga")

These are terms that a keen student or teacher might run across with increasing frequency these days. They represent a specialised area of yoga that offers a holistic approach to treating chronic or acute ailments.
What sort of treatment? A range of approaches: asanas, breath work, meditation, perhaps Ayurvedic remedies, all may be used for the purpose of creating symmetry in the body and harmony in the mind. […]

Question & Answer

I joined an on-line yoga forum yesterday, thinking I could add an interesting thread on yoga and hip surgery. I guess I think I know a thing or two now 😉
I didn’t get quite the reply I expected when a respondent asked whether yoga had contributed to the hip osteoarthritis, as she/he knew of other experienced yoga practitioners who had hip problems. This isn’t the first person who has questioned the helpfulness of yoga. Here’s my answer:
“Thank you. […]