Yoga News 94 - 05/2015

Yoga practice

Yoga & Emotions
We don’t always feel love and peace within ourselves after a yoga practice. Sometimes, as tension is released, repressed or difficult emotions also come to the surface. How can we deal with these in a healing way? By Angelika Doerne.

Asana: Kurmasana
Fly or stay grounded—three variations of the challenging turtle pose and why it can symbolize our yoga practice. By Ronald Steiner.

Meditation: Reading the Book of Nature
We can deepen our connection with nature by expanding our objective, detached observation to include emotional sensations and meditative empathy. By Bernhard Spirkl.

Breathe Freedom: Tibetan Breath Yoga
Ute Lama—student and wife of breath yoga teacher Chumba Lama—on the benefits of Tibetan pranayama practice

Asana: Yin Yoga and Storytelling 2
Encountering the shadow to become whole: A Yin Yoga practice with an accompanying story that leads us into the darker realms of our being. By Ranja Weis.

Yoga in Times of Grief and Loss
The loss of a loved one triggers indescribable grief that manifests in many ways. Can yoga actually help us during the deepest moments of pain? A personal account by Katharina Middendorf.

Respecting traditions
Mindfulness-based methods have become an integral part of yoga practice. How can we preserve the essence of these ancient methods while adapting them to our modern needs? By Doris Iding.

The spiritual dimension of the pineal gland
The pineal gland—a misunderstood center of consciousness in the body that is not only an organ but also a gateway to higher realms and, under certain conditions, is said to even produce the legendary nectar of immortality. By Dr. Friedrich Demolsky.

Voluntary celibacy
Many priests, monks, and nuns have great difficulty with celibacy. Even Hildegard von Bingen believed that not everyone is cut out for lifelong abstinence. By Doris Iding.

Intimacy with the creative force
In an interview with YOGA AKTUELL, Mark Whitwell highlights the unifying power of sex, the importance of intimacy with existence itself, and the nurturing quality of life. Interview: Stephanie Schönberger.

The Encourager
Despite the obstacles fate has placed in her path, Britta Lange is forging her own way in an inspiring manner. In this interview, the young woman talks about the sources of her strength, overcoming fear, and the importance of yoga in her life. Interview: Doris Iding.

The asana as an invitation to look inward
The well-known American yoga teacher Judith Hanson Lasater has been practicing for 45 years. She spoke with YOGA AKTUELL about the development of yoga in the West, about B.K.S. Iyengar, whose student she was for many years, and about the necessity of grief. Interview: Anne Voigt.

Awareness gives us a choice
Bryan Kest has become one of today’s most influential yoga teachers thanks to Power Yoga, which he founded. In YOGA AKTUELL, he explains the meaning behind his famous saying, “Don’t bring your shit to yoga and turn yoga into shit!” Interview: Etan Boritzer.

Communicate effectively
In an interview, Max Strom explains how yoga teachers should teach so that their students truly understand them. Interview: Melanie Müller.

Yoga and Spiral Dynamics
Spiral Dynamics® as an anatomically grounded movement concept for a safe and therapeutically effective yoga practice. By Lilla N. Wuttich.

Yoga in drug therapy
Yoga classes teach people struggling with addiction how to develop a positive body image and constructively deal with difficult thoughts and feelings. By Andrea Stolz.

A great start to the day
What breakfast is recommended from an Ayurvedic perspective? Tips from nutritionist Daniela Wolff.

Smoking with local herbs
Incense appeals to all the senses. Now in the fall is traditionally the time for this ancient ritual that affects our bodies and souls. By Melanie Müller.

Mantra
A Matter of the Heart Ganesha
He is extremely popular and has a sweet tooth: Ganesha is one of the most colorful deities in Hinduism. What does the story of this beloved elephant-headed deity teach us? By Dr. Michael Nickel.

Music & Sound
A prayer with the body
Renowned jazz singer Lizz Wright recently released her new album, “Freedom & Surrender.” In an interview with YOGA AKTUELL, she spoke about the vocal benefits of yoga and its ability to unlock truths hidden within the body. Interview: Nina Haisken.

Yogawelt
Dates, trends, and news
News from the yoga scene. By Nina Haisken.

Shiva
Sex, Yoga, and Gurus
Many yoga instructors eventually find themselves attracted to a student—and, of course, vice versa. Is it okay for a relationship to develop? By Cameron Shayne.

Shamanism
Ritual postures – a gateway to the otherworld
How to enter trance states through the combination of specific postures and special rhythms, and what characterizes these states. Health. By Doris Iding.

Travel
Wine, Ayurveda & Buddhas
There is much to discover in Traben-Trarbach: from the highly recommended collection at the Buddha Museum to profound Ayurvedic treatments and the vineyards with their delightful harvests. By Doris Iding.

Oh Prague, you’re a blast!
Yoga and lifestyle blogger Madhavi Guemoes has fallen in love with the Golden City of Prague and has compiled a list of the most beautiful yoga spots and health food restaurants for you. By Madhavi Guemoes.

Philosophy
Do humans descend from animals?
A critical examination of the theory of evolution, which contains fundamental flaws because it is based on a materialistic worldview. By Armin Risi

Zoom
YOGA-AKTUELL readers worldwide
Marion Bachinger was inspired by the vastness of the Sahara to practice yoga in the sand dunes