Are you a Spiritual Warrior or Spiritual Worrier?
When my first year Teacher Trainees begin to practice Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga and the accompanying Mindful Meditation Practice, five days a week, two hours a session, they begin a trans-formative journey that changes them forever. It allows them to realize their full...
Learning to let go
Article by Sarah Moyes; Yogini, journalist and blogger on Life at Five Foot Two. I came across a quote recently in a yoga philosophy book by Stephen Cope that really explained it all: “Yoga should come with a warning: these practices will change your life.”...
Idli and coconut chutney
Treats and Tantra featured dish of the day by Jaya. We had a meet up at Jude and Peter’s house to share our yoga experiences and everyone got some food. I knew I couldn't go wrong with idli and chutney. Idli is full of proteins with the lentil contents in it...
Jude’s WICKED VERSION of Jay’s Pure Bliss Fudge for Yogis
This takes 5-10 minutes maximum to make. You keep it in the freezer, cutting off chunks to eat when required. Jay Evans is the wonderful yogi who introduced us to this idea. Many thanks to her! Jay came on a working party to the Yoga Retreat we are developing on Kawau...
Turning ouch to oum: how to learn from an injury
Eight years ago I was intensively practicing dropping back (into a back bend) and coming up again, when I felt something tear in my ankle. I had torn a ligament and a tendon. It developed into an excruciating pain and I did not walk again with ease for four years. The...
Ujjayi breathing tips
Years ago when just beginning the practice I researched Ujjayi breathing and found these two excerpts deepened and enhanced my practice. May they inspire and direct your practice as they have and do mine! Source: ASTANGA YOGA BY SRI K PATTABHI JOIS AND LINO...
Tips for entering and mastering Bhudjapidasana
Setting up - to enter the pose: squat down, knees bent and lean the weight of the body slightly forward and over to the right (hands as a support on the floor) and then lift the left heel up turning the calf muscle outward and bringing the upper torsos – shoulder –...
Mind matters: Yoga’s promise that the turbulent mind can be brought to peace
Bridging the gap between a physical practice to a spiritual practice was always my intention, but I never understood, so clearly as I do now, the fact that yoga is all about the mind. I always felt instinctively that I was doing the practice to bring myself peace of...
Tofu burgers
For 6 people, or 3 people wanting 2 burgers each There are three stages to creating tofu burgers: Creating the salad platter Mixing and cooking the patties Oiling and toasting the buns Creating the salad platter Create stacks of salad goodies each with their own...
Yamas: bringing compassion, generosity and kindness into your life
Detachment and befriending the destructive perfectionist within In the advent of rampant yoga materialism one can certainly look the part of an urban spiritual yogi. You can sling on your latest Lululemon purchase and throw your self selected yoga mat bag over your...
Ayurveda in my life: Survival skills for Ashtanga Yogis in Mysore, India
Each time I went to study Ashtanga Yoga in Mother India, I would stay for a minimum of 2 months and set up an apartment very close to Guruji’s Yoga Shala. 16 visits later, I have developed many survival skills for enduring unsanitary conditions and air pollution. Some...
Asana: de-coding poses
Questions asked by yoga students What stops us from doing some asana in their full and mastered forms? Why can we do some asana more easily than other asana? How can we master yoga asana intelligently and without causing injury? Answers I have based on my own...
Linseed breakfast cereal
This breakfast cereal is prepared in the traditional way the Swiss do their muesli and the Scots do their porridge, which is to soak it overnight. Soaking helps make whole grains, nuts and seeds easier to digest and less capable of binding with key minerals and then...
