Welcome!

Join me for a weekly immersion into Direct Realization Yoga practice & philosophy that is suitable for beginners, and experienced practitioners alike.

In these 60-75 minute classes, you'll learn practices, tools and techniques to apply to your daily life that will allow you to generate more connection, ease, and joy. Classes vary week-to-week but often include an arrival practice followed by 15 minutes of philosophy shared via Satsang (question and answer) before diving into a variation of Ucchāra Practice. Classes are held every Tuesday at 9.30 am, New Zealand time / Mondays at 2:30 Pacific Time. When you sign up for class, you also get access to 100s of recorded classes, dating from 2020.
Sign up for weekly classes now • $1 for your first month. Cancel anytime.

Philosophy • Practice • Connection

  • Philosophy

    Learn and ask questions about the Tantrik teachings of Trika Shaivism and how you can use them to generate more connection, ease and joy in your daily life

  • Practices

    Practice Direct Realization Yoga practices including seated floor postures, meditation, chanting, and visualisation.

  • Connect

    Ask questions about your practice in a supportive space and join a community of dedicated practitioners.

Who is Kara-Leah?

Direct Realization Yoga Teacher & Mentor

Kara-Leah Grant

Kara-Leah is a much-loved Direct Realization Yoga Teacher & Mentor. Her path with yoga began in the late 1990s, and she started teaching in 2006. She trained with Shiva Rea, completing her 200HR TT with Shiva in 2011. Kara-Leah has impacted millions of people over the last decade through her articles, books, videos and teaching. She practices and guides people in an integrated householder path of spirituality that has emerged from her decades of practice, study and self-study. This path is primarily influenced by Trika Shaivism. Kara-Leah's path focuses on knowing the self, resolving trauma and patterns, and rejoicing in daily life. She lives in Canada, with her teenage son, and is the author of three books.

Course curriculum

  • 1

    Background Information for Practice • WATCH FIRST if you like more detail!

    • Ucchāra Practice • Text Instructions

    • VIDEO • Complete Breakdown of Ucchāra Practice for Newbies

    • VIDEO • Ucchāra Practice (standalone) • Nov 1, 2022

    • Video • What is Ucchāra Practice? Reflections from Practice (recorded for YT Feb 2023)

    • IMAGE • Ganesh the Elephant Headed God

    • AUDIO • The Prayer for Pure Motive & The Impure Motives

    • VIDEO • Christopher Tompkins and Shiva Rea • An Introduction to Ucchāra Practice

    • VIDEO • Christopher Tompkins on The Ascent of Sound Current in the Subtle Body (AUM)

    • VIDEO • Christopher Tompkins on Ucchara, Pranayama and the Divine Pose - Part One

    • VIEO • From a Satsang • Diving into aspects of Ucchāra Practice (Nitya Puja)

    • VIDEO • What are the the Bandhas and how do I engage them? An Interview with Kylie Rook
  • 2

    2024 • Direct Realization Yoga Classes

    • Direct Realization Yoga Class • February 2 • Fluidity of Being

    • Direct Realization Yoga Class • February 9 • Continuity and the Social Media Practice

    • DRT Yoga Class • February 13, 2024 • Using a Thorn to Remove a Thorn

    • DRT Yoga Class • February 20, 2024 • Why Orientation to Awareness is the Foundation to Practice

    • DRT Yoga Class • February 27, 2024

    • DRT Yoga Class • March 5, 2024

    • DRT Yoga Class • March 12, 2024 • If it's all made up, what's the story you're living into?

    • DRT Yoga Class • March 19

    • DRT Yoga Class • March 25 • Orientation to Awareness - Why this is the ONE teaching to remember & practice daily

    • DRY Class • April 1 • Increase & Maintain High Levels of Energy

    • DRT Yoga Class • April 1 • Sensory Practice

    • DRT Yoga Class • The ABC Practice • April 15

    • DRY Class • April 22 • Digestion of Emotions Discernment in Sharing

    • DRY • April 29 • Invoking Desired Energy

    • Direct Realization Yoga Class • May 6 • What is True?

    • DRT Yoga Class • May 20 • Shame & I'm Not Good Enough (Don't Believe it)

    • DRY Class • May 27 • Shame & Power + Grief & Love
  • 3

    2023 • Direct Realization Yoga Classes

    • Direct Realization Yoga Class • February 7

    • Direct Realization Yoga Class • On Community • February 14

    • Direct Realization Yoga Class • Burning Attachments to Safety and Comfort, Living in the Unknown • February 21

    • Direct Realization Yoga Class • February 28 • Clear mind Meditation, Tantra as a Unified Path

    • Direct Realization Yoga Class • March 7 • Recognising Subtle Patterns of Karma and Stopping the Ball Rolling

    • March 14 • An Example of Blaming Circumstances for Suffering & Then Realising it Was Attachments

    • March 21 • Orientation to Awareness and Merging with Shiva Consciousness

    • March 28 • Spiritual Materialism & the Difference between Self-Improvement and Self-Realization

    • April 4 • What are the Fruits of Practice, Really?

    • April 11 • Equality of All Phenomena + The Story of I am Guru, He is Thief

    • April 18 • Direct Realization Yoga Class • Purification of Motives

    • April 25 • Direct Realization Yoga Class
  • 4

    2022 • Tantrik Yoga Classes

    • Tantrik Yoga Class • January 18 • Sankalpa Mudra and Desire

    • Tantrik Yoga Class • January 25 • Lotus Mudra and Setting the Seated Posture

    • Tantrik Yoga Class • February 1 • Spanda, Sahaja and the Tale of the Girl and the Electric Fence

    • Tantrik Yoga Class • February 8 • Samana Vayu Mudra, Consciousness-Only View, no Objective Reality

    • Tantrik Yoga Class • February 15 • A reading from Tantric Quest by Daniel Odier

    • Tantrik Yoga Class • February 22 • The Tattvas of Perception

    • March 1 • Tantrik Yoga Class • How any aspect of life becomes a porthole to awakening

    • Tantrik Yoga Class • March 8 • Embracing Ecstasy and Abandoning all Concepts

    • Tantrik Yoga Class • March 15 • The Tantrik approach to other lineages, traditions and religions

    • Tantrik Yoga Class • March 22 • Reading from Tantric Quest • Dissolving the barriers between Others

    • Tantrik Yoga Class • March 29 • Knowing Intrinsic Awareness • Willingly Feeling What's Challenging to Feel

    • Tantrik Yoga Class • April 5 • Immersion in Reality, and All That.

    • Tantrik Yoga Class • April 12 • The Golden Column, detailed breakdown on the stages of it's practice

    • Tantrik Yoga Class • April 19 • Working with Impermanence and Resistance to Change

    • Tantrik Yoga Class • April 26

    • Tantrik Yoga Class • May 3 • Why there's no 'Problems' anymore

    • Tantrik Yoga Class • May 24

    • Tantrik Yoga Class • May 17 • The Covid Edition

    • Tantrik Yoga Class • May 31 • Empowering a Practice, Working with Magic

    • Tantrik Yoga Class • June 7 • The Nature of Attention according to Krishnamurti

    • Tantrik Yoga Class • June 14 • The Power of the Teaching on Spanda

    • Tantrik Yoga Class • June 21 • Dissolving the One Who Controls

    • Tantrik Yoga Class • June 28 • The Importance of Orientation & Practices to Orientate

    • Tantrik Yoga Class • July 5 • What is the Quality of this Moment before you have a Thought About it?

    • Tantrik Yoga Class • July 12 • Exploring How Formal Practice Flows Into Daily Life

    • Tantrik Yoga Class • July 19 • Connection to Guru Tattva

    • Tantrik Yoga Class • July 26 • Being with Pain, and the Granthis

    • Tantrik Yoga Class • August 2nd • Surrender to the Play of Breath and Prana

    • Tantrik Yoga Class • August 9th • Dhumavati, Mahavidya Goddess + Void Practice

    • Tantrik Yoga Class • August 23rd • Chinnamasta, Addiction to the I-Self and Brahmacharya

    • Tantrik Yoga Class • August 30th • Deity Yoga - How to work with Shiva

    • Tantrik Yoga Class • September 6 • Embodiment Practice from a Tantrik Perspective • Diving Into the Unknown

    • Tantrik Yoga Class • September 13 • Shadow Work with Inquiry

    • Tantrik Yoga Class • September 20 • The Golden Column Practice & Liberated Decision-Making Process

    • Tantrik Yoga Class • September 27 • How to Orientate to Phenomena Arising in Practice

    • Tantrik Yoga Class • October 4 • The Guru Tattva & Guru / Student Dance

    • Tantrik Yoga Class • October 11 • What are View Teachings & How Do I Apply them to my Life?

    • Tantrik Yoga Class • October 18 • The Nature of Identification & Working with Desire

    • Tantrik Yoga Class • October 25 • Nadi Shodana Pranayama • How to Orientate to Phenomena Arising in Practice (involuntary movement, sounds, pressure etc)

    • Tantrik Yoga Class • November 1 • The Equality of all Phenomena Practice & View Teachings

    • Tantrik Yoga Class • November 8 • Teaching on Recognising Your Real Nature, Returning to Your Real Nature and Abiding in Your Real Nature

    • Tantrik Yoga Class • November 15 • Exploring the Practice Landscape & Principles for Practice Orientation

    • Tantrik Yoga Class • November 22 • Exploration of Eagle Arms Yoga Pose

    • Tantrik Yoga Class • November 29 • On The Function of Defending, Rationalising, Explaining or Protecting

    • Tantrik Yoga Class • December 6 • Shifting from Controlling/Manipulating/Managing Reality to Responding to What is

    • Tantrik Yoga Class • Dec 13 • The Hammerhead Shark Meditation Practice & Navigating the World with Increasing Perceptual Abilities

    • Tantrik Yoga Class • Dec 20 • Inhaling & Exhaling with Universe Practice + Working with Deities
  • 5

    2021 • Tantrik Yoga Classes

    • Tantrik Yoga Class • January 5, 2021 • The Devouring of Inner Demons

    • Tantrik Yoga Class, January 12, 2021 • Cultivating Awareness

    • Tantrik Yoga Class • February 2, 2021 • The Three Skilful Means to Liberation.

    • Tantrik Yoga Class • February 9, 2021 • Essence Nature

    • Tantrik Yoga Class • February 16, 2021 • Shifting Habits & Tendencies

    • Tantrik Yoga Class • March 2, 2021 • Opening the Gates of the Heart

    • Tantrik Yoga Class • March 9, 2021 • Gates of the Heart & Roots Practice

    • Tantrik Yoga Class • March 16, 2021 • Shiva Sutra 3.9

    • Tantrik Yoga Class • March 23, 2021 • Heart & Root Opening Breath Practice

    • Tantrik Yoga Class • April 6, 2021 • On Responsibility

    • Tantrik Yoga Class • April 14 , 2021 • Parādevī, the Supreme Goddess of the Trika Lineage

    • Tantrik Yoga Class • April 20, 2021 • The Student Teacher Relationship

    • Tantrik Yoga Class • May 4, 2021 • Unhooking From Drama

    • Tantrik Yoga Class • May 11, 2021 • Using Curiosity and Exploration to Directly Experience Reality Beyond Conditioned Mind

    • Tantrik Yoga Class • May 18 • Does the external world exist independent of you?

    • Tantrik Yoga Class • June 1 • Natural Presence and Sahaja

    • Tantrik Yoga Class • June 8 • When You Don't Want What's Happening

    • Tantrik Yoga Class • June 15 • On sahaja (spontaneous arising of movement)

    • Tantrik Yoga Class • June 22 • On Meeting Fear and Pain

    • Tantrik Yoga Class • July 6 • On living as a 21st Century Tantrika

    • Tantrik Yoga Class • July 13, 2021 • Underlying Principles of Tantrik Practice

    • Tantrik Yoga Class • July 20, 2021 • The cleansing nature of Tantrik Practices

    • Tantrika Yoga Class • August 4th • The Equality of All Phenomena

    • Tantrik Yoga Class • August 10 • Tripura Sundari & Desire

    • Tantrik Yoga Class • August 17 • How to ride the rollercoaster of liberation and life

    • Tantrik Yoga Class • August 24 • Increasing your Capacity to be with expansion AND contraction

    • Tantrik Yoga Class • September 7 • The Equality of all Phenomena + Kali Origin Story

    • Tantrik Yoga Class • September 14 • Contemplation on Impermance

    • Tantrik Yoga Class • September 21 • Dissolving Body Images and Conditioning

    • Tantrik Yoga Class • September 28 • Cultlivation of Awareness, the Kanda & working with sexual energy

    • Tantrik Yoga Class • October 5 • How to develop your daily sadhana (practice)

    • Tantrik Yoga Class • October 12 • Finding a teacher - reflections on connecting to Shiva Rea

    • Tantrik Yoga Class • October 27 • Inquiry Practice "Where do 'I' begin and end?"

    • Tantrik Yoga Class • November 2 • Five Vayus and Warrior II Archery Variation

    • Tantrik Yoga Class • November 9 • Practice āsyanta-koti-nibhālana

    • Tantrik Yoga Class • Wednesday November 17 • Void Practice

    • Tantrik Yoga Class • Wednesday November 24 • Hissing Breath Practice & Shifting into Awareness plus the Skillset & Desire to recognise Karmic Patterns

    • Tantrik Yoga Class • Wednesday December 1

    • Tantrik Yoga Class • Wednesday December 8 • Yoga Spandakarika & Navigating the Spiritual Path

    • Tantrik Yoga Class • December 15 • There is No Doer & Jed McKenna's Map of Reality
  • 6

    2020 • Tantrik Yoga Classes

    • Tantrik Yoga Class • May 12, 2020 • The Play of Awakening

    • Tantrik Yoga Class • May 19, 2020 • Working with the Nervous System

    • Tantrik Yoga Class • May 26, 2020 • Navigating Reality

    • Tantrik Yoga Class • June 9, 2020 • Cultivating Power

    • Tantrik Yoga Class • June 16, 2020 • The 3+1 Teaching

    • Tantrik Yoga Class • June 30, 2020 • Give Everything Equal Importance.

    • Tantrik Yoga Class • July 7, 2020 • The Three Impurities

    • Tantrik Yoga Class • July 14, 2020 • Reality & Conditioning

    • Tantrik Yoga Class • July 21, 2020 • The Tantrika's Soft Belly

    • Tantrik Yoga Class • August 4th, 2020 • Surrender to What is Unfolding

    • Tantrik Yoga Class • August 11, 2020 • Orientating to Awareness

    • Tantrik Yoga Class • August 18, 2020 • Practicing While Being Sick

    • Tantrik Yoga Class • August 25, 2020 • The Practice of Secondary Attention.

    • Tantrik Yoga Class • Sept 1, 2020 • Ancestral Karma

    • Tantrik Yoga Class • September 8, 2020 • You Can Choose How to Respond

    • Tantrik Yoga Class • September 15, 2020 • Check Yourself, See Yourself, Dissolve Yourself

    • Tantrik Yoga Class • October 6, 2020 • How to Use Life as Your Guru,

    • Tantrik Yoga Class • October 13 • Direct Experience of Reality

    • Tantrik Yoga Class • October 20, 2020 • Simply Be With Whatever's Arising

    • Tantrik Yoga Class • November 3, 2020 • Death & Dying

    • Tantrik Yoga Class • November 10, 2020 • Awakening & Liberation as a Destructive Process.

    • Tantrik Yoga Class • November 17, 2020 • Becoming Loving-Awareness

    • Tantrik Yoga Class • Dec 1, 2020 • Working with Fear

    • Tantrik Yoga Class • December 8, 2020 • The Impurities of Individuality

    • Tantrik Yoga Class • December 14, 2020 • Contemplating Life