Dharma

Posted on 29/07/2014 by in Uncategorized

Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bhavantu
‘May all beings be peaceful, happy and free’

NL1Dharma is an integral part of a living a truly yogic lifestyle, honoured by Hindus and Buddhists alike. Dharma is an ethical way of living, thinking, acting and relating to others and the world. It means ‘right way of living’; ‘living within cosmic law and order’ of nature, leading to a sense of balance, harmony and truth, satya, in our lives and the universe.
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Summer Solstice – A Celebration of Light, Life, Love and Joy!

Posted on 23/06/2014 by in solstice, summer, sunrise, sunset, Uncategorized, vinyasa flow, yoga

picture4The sun is celebrated all around the world as a symbol of life, light, energy, vibrancy, happiness and abundance.

The day with the longest period of light and sunshine is June 21st: Summer Solstice. This ancient festival is celebrated worldwide with blessings, salutations, revelry, dance and yoga. Read More…

Vinyasa Flow Celebrations

Posted on 11/06/2014 by in cleanse, healing, nutrition, psoas, retreat, spine, sunrise, vinyasa flow, workshop, yoga

I have just finished my second Teacher Training Diploma (200 hour Yoga Alliance), specialising in Vinyasa Flow Yoga. I celebrate and live this beautiful experience everyday, as it truly was transformative, rich and inspiring. Our group of 22 beautiful yogis were guided by Claire Missingham, a wonderful teacher and human being, who instilled passion, knowledge and confidence into each of us. I feel wholly grateful for this enlightening and enlivening experience, which I intend to share with the community yogis around me.

Vinyasa Flow Yoga is a creative, energising, flowing form of yoga, guided and led by the breath. Graceful movement rises with the inhale and falls with the exhale, creating fluid, flowing transitions between classical yoga postures. Read More…

Alignment Enlightenment

Posted on 11/06/2014 by in psoas, spine, vinyasa flow, workshop, yoga

image Anatomical alignment of yoga asana creates a sense precision and presence in the body, ensuring that the sadhaka (yogi) experiences the optimal physical benefits of each pose. When a yoga posture is performed correctly, the skeletal and muscular systems are safely aligned and supported; organs and glands are massaged and stimulated; the body is opened and stretched; the breath is deep and rich, purifying, oxygenating and energising the body. This is annamaya kosha, the physical layer of our being.

The esoteric body, the layer of our being beyond the physical, the spiritual body, is pranamaya kosha. This layer of our being has its own complex esoteric anatomy, consisting of seven major chakras, or energy centres; 72 nadis, or channels which distribute prana throughout the body and chakras; marma points, or smaller energy centres. There are a myriad of other aspects, which create our unique being. Read More…

Tapas

Posted on 20/05/2014 by in retreat, sunrise, sunset, vinyasa flow, workshop, yoga

‘Yoga is a light, which once lit will never dim. The better you practice, the brighter the flame’ – B.K.S Iyengar

This is a burning desire to go deeper, to know ourselves and our spirit more. It is the fire inside the drives the Sadhaka, the yogi to explore their Sadhana, the disciplines of yoga practice. Tapas is what brings us to our mats, to read our yoga books, to study ancient, traditional scriptures, to become vegetarian or to make changes to our life style such as, practising ahimsa, non-violence . As our connections to yoga awaken, our tapas deepen and our inner, burning desire to go deeper strengthens. This is tapas:

‘Yoga is a light, which once lit will never dim. The better you practice, the brighter the flame’ – B.K.S Iyengar

I began my first yoga Teacher Training diploma in November 2011 Read More…

Yoga – A Healing Practice

Posted on 20/05/2014 by in healing, vinyasa flow, workshop, yoga

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How does the practice of yoga serve to heal the human body, mind and spirit?

The great sages, spiritual leaders and ancient yogis have explored and revered the deeply healing and transformative effects of yoga through the ages. Yoga has survived and revived to serve humankind from east to west, as a physically and spiritually developmental practice. Patanajli explains, ‘By dedicated practice of the various aspects of yoga, impurities are destroyed: the crown of wisdom radiates in glory’ (sutra 2.28), on which B.K.S Iyengar reflects that ‘yoga can cure or lessen physical, mental, moral or spiritual suffering’. This essay will consider how sadhana creates this process of healing and purification in the body, spirit and mind.

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Radiance Juice Cleanse

Posted on 20/05/2014 by in cleanse, detox, juice, nutrition, vinyasa flow, workshop, yoga

image-1Every equinox, every change of season, our body, mind and spirit flow with the natural changing cycle of our beautiful world. It is a perfect time to cleanse our system so that it is open and fresh to embrace the new phase of the planet.

I completed a three day juice cleanse, whilst on an Intensive Yoga study retreat and I can thoroughly recommend the Radiance Juice Cleanse. It provided every nutrient and nourishment my body needed, allowing me to do intense physical practice and mental concentration, whilst cleansing my physical body, digestive system and organs. Read More…

The Psoas

Posted on 20/05/2014 by in psoas, spine, vinyasa flow, workshop, yoga

imageI was delighted when I first came across Liz Koch’s amazing work because it confirmed much of what I’d been intuiting on my own. I had begun to open and close my yoga practise with hip opening poses with the specific intention of releasing tension in my psoas and hip flexors. I’d breathe and imagine tension flowing out of constricted muscles to be released as energy into the torso.

It worked, I’d feel my body soften yet somehow grow stronger.

Reading Liz Koch I instantly realised what I was doing – by learning to relax my psoas I was literally energising my deepest core by reconnecting with the powerful energy of the earth. According to Koch, the psoas is far more than a core stabilising muscle; it is an organ of perception composed of bio-intelligent tissue and “literally embodies our deepest urge for survival, and more profoundly, our elemental desire to flourish.” Read More…