Stories to Inspire Your Inner Guru

Stories to Inspire Your Inner Guru

by | Oct 21, 2011 | Community, Wisdom, Yoga Media, Yoga practices, Yoga teaching 

One reason we are drawn to and want to commit to yoga, I believe, is that we find the practitioners of this age-old art are inspiring to us.
In the yoga retreats I led outside of Sydney I’d reserve a time for the individuals participating in the weekend to introduce themselves to the group by telling who they were, what they did for a living and what their yoga experience was. There was a discernable difference between the veteran practitioners and those who were relative beginners in terms of their well-being and centeredness. […]

Stories to Inspire Your Inner Guru

Healthy Hugs

by | Oct 20, 2011 | Anatomy, Healing, Health, Pleasure, Yoga practices, Yoga teaching , Yoga Therapy

I’ve been doing some research for the workshop I’m leading on the Gold Coast in a couple of weeks entitled “Pelvic Freedom: Yoga Poses and Practices for Women’s Well-Being”. The day-long program is pretty rich, I think, and encompasses information on anatomy, pelvic problems, and asanas and practices for various stages of a woman’s life. I thought I’d pass on something I read today (isn’t Google wonderful?) about the importance of keeping the pelvic floor muscles healthy – something we all know we should be doing, but perhaps need to be reminded of occasionally. […]

Stories to Inspire Your Inner Guru

Specks and Beams

by | Oct 18, 2011 | Healing, Philosophy, Wisdom, Yoga practices

Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but don’t consider the beam that is in your own eye?
In the yoga spirit of self-study or svadhyaya, I’ve been thinking about the above quote in relation to a couple of judgments I’ve been harbouring.
Sigh.
I notice I get super critical about how much screen time my hubby spends between iPad, iPhone, Mac and a little episodic t.v. watching. When I finally took my attention off vetting his activities, I realised I do a lot of that stuff too. […]

Stories to Inspire Your Inner Guru

Gentle Advice to New Yoga Teachers

by | Oct 17, 2011 | Wisdom, Yoga practices, Yoga teaching , Yoga Therapy

Does one student equal a yoga class?
I know it’s sort of a silly question, but it’s one beginning teachers commonly face for many reasons.
One problem is that newbie yoga teachers are often given timeslots that are hard to fill, so they are unlikely to generate big attendances. Or, the new teacher is standing in for a more popular teacher, and then as the weeks go by, they watch class sizes dwindle. Or, the small class numbers and lack of experience erode confidence and,  as a result, one’s teaching ability is shaken. […]

Stories to Inspire Your Inner Guru

Yoga for Back Care – No. 5

by | Oct 15, 2011 | Healing, Yoga practices, Yoga teaching , Yoga Therapy

Here’s the fifth and last in a series of programs that can gradually get the yoga practitioner back on her feet after back strain or ache.
You’ll recognise these poses from the earlier sequences, presented in a slightly different order.
Adho Mukha Svanasana is done here with a strap looped around the hip creases so I’m able to traction the student’s legs away from the pelvis. You can also do this yourself by looping a strap around a railing to achieve a similar tractioning. Hold for 1 – 2 min. […]

Stories to Inspire Your Inner Guru

Yoga for Back Care – No. 4

by | Oct 14, 2011 | Health, Yoga practices, Yoga teaching , Yoga Therapy

This series of programs that aids you in looking after your back is sequential and relies on gradual improvement from doing the very simple first practice published earlier the week on this blog.
Once any back strain is better, this sequence can be undertaken to build strength through the legs and hips.
Baddha Konasana*, seated on a folded blanket, 1 -2 minutes

Trikonasana, 30 – 60 seconds […]

Stories to Inspire Your Inner Guru

Important Yoga Poses for Back Care – No. 3

by | Oct 12, 2011 | Yoga practices, Yoga Therapy

Many studies have shown that yoga, practised regularly, can relieve back soreness and improve back function. 
While yoga is contraindicated if you have severe pain, it can be a back care lifesaver with when you suffer from occasional soreness or even chronic aches. Yoga lengthens your spine, stretches and strengthens your back muscles and contributes to proper spinal alignment.
The Supta Padangusthasana Cycle, sometimes just called leg stretches or hip openers, is often “prescribed” for managing backs. These simple poses accomplish three important things. […]

Stories to Inspire Your Inner Guru

Cattleroo

by | Oct 9, 2011 | City Life, Nature

I may have just tipped the balance towards being a true country girl as I noticed this weekend on our trip to Sydney that I couldn’t get my heart into the city lifestyle at all.
Well-distracted by seeing the musical, “Jersey Boys”, taking in a excellently reviewed film, and dining on artisan breads and barista coffees, I still felt homesick for our forest and gardens. More so, for the simple life.
And, the surprises Nature dishes up here. […]

Stories to Inspire Your Inner Guru

How to Put on a Yoga Retreat: Part Three

by | Oct 7, 2011 | Community, Healing, Nature, Yoga practices, Yoga teaching 

Be prepared!
In leading a retreat, a yoga teacher has duty of care for any number of people. Most retreats will proceed from beginning to end with no hiccoughs, but you still, as the leader, need to be mentally and physically prepared for different situations.
On one retreat I ran, a participant became gravely ill and I had to arrange for her to be driven home in the middle of the event. […]

Stories to Inspire Your Inner Guru

How to Put on a Yoga Retreat: Part Two

by | Oct 6, 2011 | Nature, Yoga Media, Yoga teaching 

Advertising and Promotion
Once you’ve gotten the basic information you need for advertising your yoga retreat, make up a flier. Here’s what pioneer advertising executive Leo Burnett says your promotional material should do:

“Say to people: ‘Here’s what we’ve got. Here’s what it will do for you. And, here’s how to get it.'”
Along with your text, you’ll want to include an enticing photo of your venue. Then, get your flier out to the relevant people in your data base, onto “Events” on your Facebook, and create a Twitter link. […]