I was speaking with a friend the other day about a situation that was bringing up a lot of anxiety. After a while, we both started to laugh about where the present moment was when this seemingly so problem felt so big. I think we all have these times. On occasion, the present moment seems totally there–maybe while you’re in your yoga class, or while you’re having fun talking to a friend, or doing an activity you really enjoy. But other…
Here it is! Chakra number 2. I’m sure you’ve all been waiting with bated breath since you learned all about Muladhara (the root chakra) with me over here. So now that we’re all good and grounded, let’s start movin’ on up. To Svadhisthana – the Sacral Chakra. Where is it? Our (sacred) second chakra is located above the pubic bone and below the navel, and is home to our deepest emotions, creativity, sexuality, and intuition. A balanced sacral chakra brings a…
There are so many times I need to remind myself to remember and enjoy the simple things. These times are a proper stop-in-my-tracks kind of reminder. And what I’m always so surprisingly surprised about is how these reminders of simple things can be found in the simplest of places. There’s a security guard who works near my apartment. I pass him most days and wave. On occasion, we’ll talk, but often I’ll cut the conversation short or it will go…
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…
The heart is known as our seat of compassion. It’s where we love from. It’s what floods us with joy when our heart beams. Physiologically, the heart is connected to our central immune system. Just at the centre of the chest is the Thymus Gland. This gland is our immune regulator. Additionally, the area of the heart is connected to the lungs and our breath. So when we do heart openers, we are working with expanding and clarifying the breath,…
Muladhara The root chakra, or Muladhara, is located at your tailbone, and extends to include your legs and feet. Representing the beginning of your spiritual development, the root chakra is literally your root, your base, there to ground you. Representing who you are at your core, who and what you trust, and your sense of belonging and tradition, the root chakra’s desire is survival, self-sufficiency, and stability. It governs how we deal with things like family, money, basic needs, and…
Do you remember your first yoga class? Do you ever remember trying a new pose or a sequence and laughing to yourself about what-on-earth it was that you were doing? I think we’ve all had these moments at one point or another. It’s that little thought of being silly or moving your body in a way you’ve never tried before. Yoga is FULL of poses and practices that may, at first, make you feel a little strange. But the beauty…
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…
Find out more about Barbara and her upcoming Restorative Yoga workshop through our Q and A below! Hello Barbara! So, what is Restorative Yoga? There’s a quote from the renowned Restorative Yoga teacher, Judit Lasater that I like “We work very hard in our lives, and while we may sleep, we rarely take time to relax. Restorative yoga poses help us learn to rest deeply and completely.” And that, in a nutshell is was restorative yoga is: a slow, gentle…
Have you ever been in the park, or on the beach, or just in your kitchen waiting for the kettle to boil, and thought, “hmm, I’d like to do about 1 minute of yoga now.” Here are a few yoga poses that you can do almost anywhere, without any props or a mat: Arms Overhead, with Slight Back Bend This one is great for expanding the breath, and getting a wonderful stretch along the back, spine and torso. Remain with…
