the yoga teacher goes to yoga class

Well...today at lunch, I went to a yoga class with my manager. She is such a great influence on me! We walked over to the Yoga Plus studio at Yonge and Eglinton. The class was in the Anusura yoga style which is a type of Hatha yoga focusing on proper alignment. Anusara means 'flowing with grace' and Anusara yoga was founded in 1997 by John Friend. (see http://www.anusara.com/ for more) So, the teacher was very intuitive and helpful. She walked around the room and applied her knowledge by adjusting students as they needed. I was nervous going into the class because I recently hurt my shoulder while diving in Costa Rica. I left feeling relaxed and my shoulder hasn't felt better in a week! I can't believe how great I feel. Actually, I can because I know that yoga is magic. I will be back next week for sure. It seems that as a teacher, I still need my own yoga practise.

http://www.yogaplustoronto.com/

the nights are long...

So. They say that February can be the darkest and most depressing month for many people. I personally don't feel more depressed in February, but I do grow tired of the dark mornings and the cold.
I wanted to post my January/February article for the Voice. It speaks to the fact that yoga can help us feel better when we feel down and dark. It can lift your spirits and lighten your mood!

Yoga during the dark days or happy new year

During the darker months at the beginning of the year, some of us feel like we have the blues. During this time, we need to stay positive and light hearted. Yoga can help us do this. Among the many poses in yoga, my favourite Standing Forward Bend or Uttanasana, can help to calm us, relieve stress, reduce depression and improve sleep. Stand tall in Mountain Pose or Tadasana, arms at your sides; chin level with the floor, straight spine. Once you feel centered, inhale through your nose and reach your hands up to the sky. Turn your gaze upward, lift your heart and smile! Exhale, hinge at your hips and fold forward. As you fold, reach away; engage your legs for strength and support. As you move further, allow your back to release. Lower your head and allow your arms to hang towards the floor. If you feel tightness in the back of your legs, bend your knees slightly. Those with back injury can walk hands down a wall for support, only until arms are parallel with the floor. Become aware of your body releasing during the exhale. Hold the pose for 10 breaths. When you are ready, it is important to come out very slowly. Place your hands on your hips and start to inhale up. Keep your legs strong to support your lower back. Close your eyes and take a few moments to regulate your breathing. Please refrain from practising the Standing Forward Bend if you suffer from irregular blood pressure. By practising Utanasana, we can start the new year off by reaching for the stars, opening our hearts and letting go!

sit down already

So...as you know, I love http://www.yogajournal.com/. I receive daily e-mails from yoga journal and recently, I opened one that had a really interesting article written by someone who abandoned her regular seat at work for the floor! I loved the article and wanted to share it. Can you imagine how coworkers would react if you did this too? Anyways, this year, I am going to try to sit on the floor even more than I do know. Currently, I bet I sit on the floor one hour a day already. In yoga, we sometimes start our classes seated and at the end we return to our seated easy pose. At the beginning of our lives, when we were children we sat on the floor all the time and now later in life we are trying to get back to the floor. Now we often find sitting on the floor during class difficult. Sitting on the floor is probably the easiest pose to attempt but one that we spend the least time in. Sitting cross leg on the floor is often called Easy Pose or in sanskrit Sukhasana. (go to http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/2481 for more info on Easy Pose)

Here is an exert from the e-mail and I have given you the link to the article below.

"As it turns out, spending more time on the floor in your daily life can have some real benefits. People living in floor cultures have more supple joints and stronger backs, not to mention far better posture.
Try spending some time today on the floor—squatting, kneeling, or just sitting. It might seem uncomfortable and awkward at first, but if you spend a little time doing this each day (try a little reading or office work on the floor), you'll find your joints begin to loosen, squatting will become more comfortable, and you'll see your yoga practice improve. Maybe some day you'll ditch the desk and chair altogether!"

http://www.yogajournal.com/practice/1228?utm_source=DailyInsight&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_content=b&utm_campaign=DI_2009-01-02

"the breath" - December Article for the Voice

Breathing is something we share with the earth. Trees, oceans and all living things on the earth breathe.
When I was a child, I would spend long periods of time trying to hold my breath. Through my yoga practice I learned to breathe again. From this renewed discovery, I learned that I could control my life if I could control my breathing. If anxiety gripped me, it was the breath that got me through. While learning to speak in front of a large group, it was the breath that kept me focused. Learning to control your breath not only causes a distraction, but also allows the body to regain composure and to relax. I welcome breath, I love it. It can take me where I need to go and is a constant comfort to me.
Fighting the need to breathe is something that we do everyday. The body reacts to stresses in life and we find our selves shortened on breath, while some of us do not breathe at all. Let’s look at the breath of a child. You will usually see a breath that is deep, a belly that moves to the breath and a fearless and primitive reaction in the need to feed the body oxygen.
The next time you are faced with a difficult situation, stop and take a moment to tune into your breath. Is it rapid? Erratic? Retained? Forget your situation and start from the basic inhale. Take your awareness to the depth of your belly and down into the root. Begin a deep inhale through your nose, imagining the breath filling your belly with calm and strength. Continue your inhale, slowly filling your belly and then your lungs with air. Once you have a full breath, begin the exhalation. As you exhale through your nose, become aware of the anxiety and the stress leaving your body. Watch it go. Continue this breathing until you feel a greater feeling of calm.
I use this technique almost everyday, effective at work or in my personal life.
When visiting the ocean, I am reminded that my breath is one with nature and the earth. A very simple way to see this clearly is to listen to the ebb and flow of the ocean. Become aware of the movement and match your own breath to that of the ocean. As the tide retreats, you inhale. As the tide moves into shore, you exhale. The tide’s repetitive movement is mesmerizing and relaxing, the awareness of the constant ebb and flow of your own breath can be relaxing as well.