For many people, reading is an integral part of learning about anything we are interested in. I believe every yogi should read the following books to learn more about this practice that we all love. These books are for everyone and not just for those who are doing their yoga teacher training, just click on the pictures for a direct link to buy the books. Light on Yoga, by B.K.S. Iyengar In each chapter, Iyengar digs a little deeper into…
Whether you’re on one foot, one hand, or just standing in a Warrior pose, balance is an element that we should all incorporate in our practice. Below are a few tips for maintaining strength and ease as you balance in your asanas. 1 – Drishti, or in English, the “focused gaze”. We spoke more about this in our past Drishti post which you can see in our blog archives. Put simply, it means focusing your eyes on one point. It’s very easy…
Whether you have your own personal practice, or you only do yoga in a group, there are a few ways you can find grounding in any type of practice, on any kind of day. Slow your breath. Take slower, deeper, longer breaths. Take care not to exaggerate the breath, but deepen it by breathing in for just 1 or 2 seconds longer, and breathing out for 1 or 2 seconds longer. Keep this deep breathing awareness when you’re still and…
I once read a quote that said, “Meditate for an hour everyday. Unless you’re too busy. In that case, meditate for two.” For many of us, it’s not meditating that’s difficult. It’s finding the time to do it. While taking a long period of time to meditate can seem virtuous, it’s not always practical to keep up. Try out the following ways of managing your time to include meditation in your every day. 1 – Start early. Meditation is something…
1 – Wake up every morning thinking of all the people and things you love in your life. 2 – Journal about ways you want to create and express yourself. 3 – Enjoy a good breakfast–even if it’s just a favourite morning drink or smoothie! 4 – Give yourself time to do tasks at a comfortable pace. 5 – Breathe slowly. Breathe fully. Breathe for your well being. 6 – Smile at people on the street. 7 – Ask the…
Have you ever wondered why your yoga teacher asks you to place your palms together in front of your heart? This gesture is one of many called a mudra. A mudra is a symbolic seal or gesture that we use in our physical practice to focus intention. Mudras can help to facilitate flow of movement, tune awareness, and relieve stress. One of the most common mudras in a yoga practice is Anjali Mudra. This is the positioning of the palms…
We all want to start the morning right, but not all of us have time to do a full hour-long yoga practice. Luckily, there are other simple and mindful ways we can incorporate yoga into our morning. 1 – Give yourself time. This is a difficult one. Most of us know what it’s like to hit the snooze button more than a couple of times. And no matter now many times a wake up is delayed, there never seems to be…
This week we get to talk to the lovely Emer about what Kundalini yoga is, how it can change your life, and what she’ll be offering at her summer-inspired YogaHub workshop this weekend. Hello Emer! So, what is Kundalini Yoga? Kundalini Yoga was brought to the West by Yogi Bhajan. It is considered to be one of the most comprehensive of all of the yoga traditions as it combines many practices such as meditation, mantra, physical postures and breathing techniques. It…
Step 1: Close your eyes and take 3 natural breaths in and out of your nose, counting to 3 seconds on every inhale and every exhale. Step 2: Place both of your feet on the floor. Draw your attention to the soles of your feet connected to the earth. Take 30 seconds (about 5 long breaths) to notice how this feels. Step 3: Place one hand over your belly button. Close your eyes and take 3 natural breaths. Notice the…
A few students have asked recently about one of the amazing scents that some of our teachers use. Although there are a number of different things teachers can to bring to class, Palo Santo is a favourite these days. Palo Santo is a piece of wood from a wild tree that grows in Central and South America. A small piece of the Palo Santo wood is burned to let off a medicinal smoke. Its naturally sweet smoke is light, compared…
