On the weekend I went to a retreat to learn more about Kirtan, or devotional yogic singing…it was a restorative weekend in a beautiful place. I learned a great deal and even got to have a go at leading a Kirtan (very briefly!) which was terrifying and exhilarating all at once. There were very talented … Continue reading Church of Green
I saw a little video the other day about how ‘yoga ruins your life’. It is about how after you get on the yoga path, your world view changes. You check-out of the stress-rat-race-wheel, you become more interested on your inner-life than accumulating stuff and status, and you kind of live in yoga-time, which is … Continue reading yoga ruins your life
I went on a yoga retreat a while back, down in the Kapiti hills. I was so full of everything that happened there, that I couldn’t blog about it right away. It was a wonderful three days – lots of yoga, herbal tea, hill walking, confronting aloneness, confronting togetherness, restful, tiring, thought-provoking, detoxing…..oh yes, detoxing! … Continue reading yoga retreat
There is a gap opening up in my life soon. Nature abhors a vacuum, right? My tendency is always to fill spaces up with more things, new things, ways to make money/art, projects, whatever. This time, though, I promised myself I would sit with the space, lean into the quiet, listen in and see what … Continue reading the rush to fill the empty spaces
Anna Guest-Jelley of Curvy Yoga has edited and launched a terrific e-book called ‘Curvy Voices’ – an anthology of short essays from ‘curvy’ yoga practitioners. I have an essay in there, too. I tried to be as honest as possible in my essay. There are lots of great women in the book and I really … Continue reading Curvy Voices
I spent two days over Easter at a yoga retreat at the studio where I practice, train and teach. We did many hours of yoga, grilled our teacher, Nat, about yoga matters, and did walking and sitting meditations – a lovely way to melt into the Easter break. I fought with a lot of my … Continue reading my first yoga retreat
Above is Zing Yoga Studio – where I spend a lot of hours every week getting my sanity back and where I’ll be teaching my first yoga classes. Pivara is a sanskrit word meaning both ‘an abundance of’ and ‘stout and strong’. Monday 12 March, 6.30pm, Zing Studio, Palmerston North sees the launch of Pivara … Continue reading Pivara Yoga
I’m planning to start teaching yoga in January and I’m not feeling ready enough. I go to three classes + one meditation class per week at Zing, where I’m training, go to Ashtanga class with another teacher when I can, and I do some at home, but a regular, rigorous daily practice is the best … Continue reading everyday
Do you keep a journal? Sometimes I feel like my journals keep me. They keep me sane, keep me engaged, keep me feeling creative even when I don’t have time for larger creative endeavours. I’ve been teaching journal-writing for years, and most recently as part of the Day Retreats at Zing. Teaching is a good … Continue reading my journals keep me
I walk a lot and am rarely without my iPod. This week I’ve been on a bit of a Madonna binge as I walk around. I know Madonna is kind of naff and boring these days, but I’m old enough to have first loved her when I was 11 and she was singing ‘Like a … Continue reading power from cheesy pop
Helen Lehndorf 