Would I do Reiki again? Yes – absolutely!
My friend Shona introduced me to her friend Iona who is a Reiki healer and I've been wanting to do it for so long; we made it work and I got my first Reiki session done last Thursday. What is reiki?: Reiki is a Japanese technique for stress and relaxation which also...
Why Meditate?
Meditation- according to Swami Rama- is a precise technique for resting the mind and attaining a state of consciousness that is totally different from the normal waking state. And it is often said in the Yoga and Ayurveda that sleep is rest for the body and meditation...
TURNING STRAW INTO GOLD: can it be said that to experience difficulties in life is lucky??
I felt so moved hearing the story of a sensitive, kind young woman at the Yoga Academy who periodically has extreme pain from endometriosis (a disorder where tissue normally lining the uterus grows outside the uterus). It made me more conscious of the contradictions...
Liquid Gold Honey from Yogi Bee Keeper Bryan Lang
Many Academy students are enjoying Bryan's Ponsonby Honey - and describe it as Liquid Gold ! Jude has created a bliss ball with his beautiful honey as a main ingredient! Bryan shares with us why city honey is considered by many honey eaters as being superior to honey...
Devoted Runner Penny Comins – Am I really going to Yoga?
Many runners come to our yoga classes at the Academy and we are very grateful to Penny for sharing her story about coming to yoga and the benefits she found and how they have enhanced her running experience and performance- thanks Penny! Here is her story: I...
The Ayurvedic Kitchen Pharmacy-spice up your life
In the early days studying with Guruji in Mysore India (1995), I found myself a regular visitor to the local Ayurvedic doctor in my neighbourhood of Saraswathipuram .Dr Kumar‘s enthusiasm and passion for using Ayurvedic methods to balance one’s constitution and to...
Why learn the Ashtanga Sanskrit Led Count and use it as a tool in your practice?
Some people dabble with the practice, coming and going, to-and fro, while to others the practice is all about getting poses with a grabby, anxious kind of energy. And then you meet the folk who simply do the practice for good health and to quiet their otherwise...
Lemon Zest and Coconut Cashew Bliss Balls – a winter treat
Oh my gosh these bliss balls are so beautiful. The recipe just came to me one beautiful autumn day on Kawau at our Stillwaters Yoga Retreat Centre.Give it ago - you wont regret it. 1 bag ceres organic apricots 1 bag ceres organic raisins zest of 1 lemon 2 tsps. lemon...
Can Being Too Flexible Be Harmful?
I did not come to the yoga practice at age 30 with a flexible body – in fact – I was stiff and tight in just about every single joint in my body and did indeed spend many years looking around the yoga classroom room marveling that I was the tightest person in the room...
Surviving winter – yoga-style
The choice seems straight forward: Do you contract flu after flu and pack on a few kilos chomping your way through bread, potatoes and cheese to keep warm? Or will you commit to a yoga regime, devouring a scrummy, yummy, healthy diet? It's a no brainier, right!...
SRI K. PATTABHI JOIS INTENSIVE November 2002 by Bernadette Rae:
It is six am, Wednesday, November 13, 2002: the first day of the five day workshop with Ashtanga Guru Pattabhi Jois and his family, in Auckland. The Yoga Academy has opened magically into one large practice space, the ...
Life in India – an Experiential Tale: An interview with Jude (Yoga Teacher) by Bernadette Rae
A serious commitment to the ashtanga Yoga practice inevitably precedes the decision to head for Mysore and the guru, Sri Pattabi Jois. But nothing can really prepare first-time-to-India students for life outside the super-intense but still familiar routines of...
BENEFITS OF STANDING POSES
BENEFITS OF STANDING POSES ( Images of Helen Nicholson - Senior Hatha Yoga Teacher at the Yoga Academy) Teach us to stand on our own 2 feet. Invigorate heat and strengthen the entire body increasing circulation and stamina. Corrects spinal imbalances and teach us to...
Jude’s story – how I became a yogini and yoga teacher – by Jenni Mc Mannis
In 2014 on Kawau Island at the Stillwaters Yoga Retreat the journalist Jenni-Mc Mannis asked Jude to talk about how she came to yoga and then became a yoga teacher. Here is Jude's response: I came to yoga at 29, after separating from a 10-year relationship. My older...
Struggling to open your hips enough to do lotus safely?
As westerners our hips are typically tight from having been raised sitting in chairs, engaging in athletic endeavors such as running, cycling and skiing, etc. And being competitive in nature it is not uncommon that western yoga students damage knee ligaments by...
Taking responsibility for your own yoga practice:(Self responsibility = Your ability to respond)
With proper intention and an heathly attitude of self responsibility you can practice safely while enjoy in the fruits of the ultimate self care practice - yoga. The benefits of a regular yoga regime are more energy, calm nervous system, improved sleeping patterns,...
CHOCOLATE FIG AND SESAME SEED BLISS BALLS
Now Xmas is over and summer is in full swing it is time to be consciously consuming foods full of anti-oxidants and nourishing vitamins and minerals. There is nothing like a post Xmas clean up campaign! It's now or never. So start by easing off the sweeties by...
Being “at home” within ourselves- an overview of our Monday 7pm-8pm Meditation Class
Please note: Jude is teaching the three week teacher training block course right now and due back to teach Meditation Monday in February. Barry is relieving for her. The aim of our 7pm Meditation/Philosophy Monday class is to teach you about the key theories,...
Karma Yoga – changing attitudes from “give me” to “me give”….
One day after many, many lifetimes, we get wise. We decide that the fun in life is to give. You can tell a person's level of spiritual development simply by watching how much they give.It’s easy to get so wrapped up in fixing your own life that you forget about...
Self Care at Xmas- indulge, have fun and maintain wellness
Eat, drink, be merry and indulge: it’s good for the soul and, after all, it is the festive season. Over Xmas we let go to merriment, abandon our usual dietary discipline, stay up later than normal and generally surrender to having fun with those we love. But there is...
Super Luscious and Super Healthy Xmas Dessert
The comment: "OMG its divine - are you sure its healthy" is universally repeated at every Stillwaters Yoga Retreat, that I have served this breakfast/dessert at. Every one asks the same question in 108 different ways! That is how I know its a winner - a wide range of...
Aiding your motions to flow freely- yoga relief for constipation
Traveling to India year after year and living there for between 2-3 months at a time I became well versed in the Yogic and Ayurvedic approach to addressing constipation! OMG I recall so vividly my visits to Dr Kumar and my insistent pleading with Guruji to let me come...
10 Yoga quotes that spin my Chakras!!
1. “The success of Yoga does not lie in the ability to perform postures but in how it positively changes the way we live our life and our relationships.”Krishnamacharya 2. “The quality of our breath expresses our inner feelings.” Krishnamacharya 3. “The ultimate goal...
Yoga trend – or practice with a higher purpose?
Interview with Peter by journalist Keith Whitten in September 2015. Seeing Auckland Yoga teacher Peter Nilsson in an advanced yoga pose like Virabhadrasana Two is a jaw-dropping moment. All the more so when you learn that this lithe, flexible 69-year-old man had polio as a child, suffered juvenile osteoarthritis, and in recent years has had both hips replaced.
Yoga for insomnia-my mind works the night shift
Next weekend on Saturday September 5th 1.00pm-3.00pm I am running a 2 hour Restorative Workshop with a theme about how to use breathing exercises to overcome insomnia and self induced worry. I’d love you all to come along and share the teachings of yoga!
The Yoga Connection Article: Featured Yogi – Jude Hynes
Featured Yogi – Jude Hynes (Yoga Academy) http://theyogaconnection.co.nz/ Name: Jude Hynes Studio: (Auckland) Yoga Academy established 1991 Years teaching: 27 years Years practicing: 28 years Favourite yoga style: Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga as taught by Sri K Pattabhi Jois...
Pose pause – blockages stopping you? Get massaged!
It’s a no-brainer that a regular massage has enormous benefits but it is perhaps less obvious that massage can be a key to mastering those yoga poses you struggle with. Everyone has genetic tendencies that lead to mastering some poses with ease: you work on the...
Baked beans
1 can Ceres cannelloni beans 2-3 cloves organic garlic chopped finely 2x can Ceres Organic Tomatoes 2 Tbsp. maple syrup or rice syrup or honey Small jar organic tomato paste 2 tsps. freshly ground cumin seeds (dry roast in pan till brown then grind in coffee...
Brazil nut and Rocket Pesto
120 g Brazil nuts 50 g pine nuts 50 g Rocket leaves 1 ½ avocados 2-3 crushed cloves garlic 30 g basil leaves Juice of 1 + 1/2 lemons 9 tablespoons olive oil Grind the Brazil nuts and pine nuts till they are completely crushed. Add avocados, garlic,rocket, basil, oil,...
How does a trainee know that they have become the teacher?
Barbara Schaffer PhD talks about her experience on Yoga Academy Teacher Training Course Behold, A “Perfect” Stranger By How does a student know that they have become the teacher? December, 2010 “Perfect” strangers shape us forever. More than a memory of a chance...
You are what you listen to: 6 Yoga Artists I enjoy
Of course we all know that to keep the body well, you nourish it with wholesome foods and exercise it. But what about the mind? We forget to clean and train the mind in order to make it focused, steadfast, light and joyful. Steven Halpern was quoted as saying:” If it...
Peter’s yoga story
I damaged my back quite badly when I was 23 – a severe prolapse of my lumbar spine (the L4-L5 joint) - and I was in continual pain for several years. A guy called Stephen Gale had started teaching Iyengar yoga in Wellington and I went along to his class. It gave me...
Food – where goodness, healing and loves exists
The power of good food Food has the power to prevent much of the chronic illness people everywhere are experiencing today. And, in many cases, it can treat chronic illness in a safer and more balanced way than most pharmaceuticals. I’m not saying we should never use...
Want a substitute for eggs?
This is written (with love) for Milica who is allergic to eggs and for Emmy who is a vegan. Adding eggs makes food better but that doesn’t mean we can’t find a substitute for them. I notice a definite compromise in taste and texture but the result is still acceptable....
Yanna shares her experience- YA 500 Teacher training Course 2015
When applying for the 1-year part-time YA 500 Yoga Teacher training course at the Auckland Yoga Academy I was unaware of the significance of joining the 5,000 year old Ashtanga Yoga lineage and studying the pure essence of the eight limbs approach. I distinctly...
Restore balance to a fast lifestyle – the rational for restorative yoga
Living in the Canadian mountains as a young ski bum, I was fascinated that when days became shorter and colder, the rodents and bears hibernated. And when, many years later, we would stay in a hut on Kawau Island that had no electricity, I had a first-hand experience...
Grilled Mushrooms and Tempeh with “Make in a Minute Tomato Sauce”
Method Steam very thinly sliced broccoli heads. Grill mushrooms whole and grill very thin strips of tempeh. When done drizzle tamari over them. For the sauce Dice a red onion, and 2-3 cloves of garlic Fry them in 2 tablespoons of olive oil When they are slightly...
Holy WOW chai
Serves 5-6 people Ingredients 4-6 Bell Kenya Bold Tea bags or 8 red bush tea bags (spice variety is good too) 2 cups water Pinch white pepper 1/2 tsp freshly ground cardamom powder (optional - expensive) 2-3 inch slice of ginger root (optional) 1 tsp ginger powder (or...
Mindfulness is wise and affectionate attention
I very much like this comment by Jon Kabat-Zinn: Mindfulness is often spoken of as the heart of Buddhist meditation. It’s not about Buddhism, but about paying attention. That’s what all meditation is, no matter what tradition or particular technique is used....
It’s not about the drugs
61 year old Dr Barbara Schaffer graduated from our YA 200 Teacher Training Course in 2010. Here she makes the point that regularly practicing Ashtanga Yoga has had a therapeutic effect on the condition osteoporosis, that she suffers from. It’s not about the drugs:...
