YYoga

“Do not squander time, for that is the stuff life is made of.” - Benjamin Franklin 

One of the trainings we will be running this month is on “Time Management”. Ironically, the training is less about time management than it is about the management of our lives.

Aside from the dedication to our own personal practice, wouldn’t you agree that what draws you to the mat may often be the people around you?

All of those who create what we are, whether it is a teacher, a student, or even a stranger, regardless of who it may be that paints a smile on your heart, we should celebrate all who encompass our communities of like-minded, open-hearted people, for after all, what would life be without friends?

"Remembering and focusing on all of the many things I have to be grateful for, lightens my step, gives me joy, and energizes me to work more passionately at what I am creating." Lara

It is a saying that most of us have heard of, “Stop and smell the roses".

Stopping and taking note of what we are most grateful for is something that we do, now and …

Editors Note: Will Blunderfield is a yoga teacher for YYoga and has a regular series on 'Off the Mat - the YYoga Blog' called 'Wisdom & Words from Will Blunderfield'. Check back here or join YYoga on Facebook for regular pieces of wisdom that spark the spirit.

"I think being at peace means being able to know I'm enough in this moment, and there's still so much for me to learn, but I'm enough." ~ Will

Show me when you were in this place that I'm in now. Show me how you got out.

I'm moving fast, and im doing enough. I want to do more, but i'm doing enough. I want to be loved, but i'm loved enough. I want to love, but i'm loving enough.

Yoga is about this surreal place of it's enough, I'm enough. I'm ok. I'm tall enough. I'm beautiful enough, I'm smart enough. I'm ......

Intention is a frequent word in yoga classes, in spiritual study, and especially at the beginning of a new year. But what is it?

Throughout the class she intuited, as yoga instructors often magically do, exactly when our minds were wandering. Then she would remind us of our intention: Breathe.

The first time I heard a YYoga instructor ask, in class, “What is your intention today?” I remember thinking: I’m here. I’ve got my water. I can do a decent camel, but inversions scare the crap out of me, and, yes, I have a difficult relationship with chair pose. There’s more?

I didn’t really know what intention meant. It felt complicated.

Thinking about intention released an instant, potatoey cloud from my Pandora’s box of bad and uglies: my secret fantasy about becoming that girl on the other mat (the one with the dragon tattoo/incredible half-moon pose/insert-enviable-attribute here), my desire to be a better person (read: you’re not good enough yet), help the world (you’re not doing enough), be more successful (what about that novel?).

Like dominos, each thought knocked hard on the edge of the next: lose weight, make more money, behave more appropriately when cut off in traffic.

Then I heard the instructor’s voice, as if through a fine mist: “Intention,” she said, “can be as simple as a word: Breathe.”

In each yoga class, there always seems to be an element of practicing balance - or as the yogis say sattva. Whether we are balancing on one foot, establishing the breath where the inhalation mirrors the length of the exhalation, or sitting in meditation, one of the goals is to catch a glimpse of the quality of balance and equanimity – you know, it's the state of being calm, stable and composed, especially under stress/ both on and off the mat.

What's a Mala?
Will Blunderfield is almost never seen without them. The “108” from YYoga’s “Journey 108” challenge was inspired by them. Author Elizabeth Gilbert structured her bestselling book, Eat, Pray, Love, around them. What are “they”, you might ask? Why, they’re mala beads.

And now you, the YYoga community, has a chance to set an intention for the New Year and design an exclusive YYoga mala from Tiny Devotions, a Canadian designer of handmade malas! The chosen winner will not only receive a mala ($108 value), but it will become the exclusive YYoga mala offered in Eco-Boutiques!

Give the gift of Health ... for your loved ones and the planet

Live simply. Live healthy. Live the good life! This holiday, help your loved ones live the good life by giving gifts that help them consume less, preserve natural resources and simply feel good. When buying gifts this Holiday Season be aware of the meaning behind gift giving rather than focussing on material value. Reflect on where your energy and money is being spent and give with purpose.

If you're looking for a thoughtful gift that will help you or your loved ones relax during this busy season, you won't have to stretch your wallet to help somebody else stretch their body. There are just a few days left to purchase our YYoga holiday memberships (5 classes for $50 in 5 weeks) so head on down to your nearest YYoga Center Guest Services for this gift that keeps on giving: the gift of health.

And while you’re there, be sure to stop by the eco-boutique for those last minute gifts (new shipments arriving as we speak). Undecided? How about a YYoga Gift Card! Available in any amount, this card can be used at any center for products in the eco-boutique, yoga or wellness services. Give the gift of health and help your loved ones manage holiday stress off the mat as well as on.

Don’t forget it's that time of year when we glance over our shoulders to reflect on the year past and, more importantly, look forward to the ambitions of the coming year. It's a time to reflect on the changes we want (or need) and resolve to follow through on those passionate, optimistic, and sometimes desperate pledges we make to change ourselves for the better - and healthier. Here are our Top Five Practices for (Positive) Change as we journey into the New Year:

The Holiday Season is a time for celebrating the gifts of life and simply being with loved ones. However, as we scramble to wrap up 2010 and prepare for the onset of a new decade, the holidays can also be a time of year where stress and anxiety are heightened. Whether shopping for gifts, travelling, financial stresses, Winter Blues or even dealing with uncomfortable family situations, it can be easy to lose sight of the magic of the Season. In the current swirl of commercial and social pressures, it's easy to forget the meaningfulness of this time of year when holiday stress leads to impatience, feeling tired and being overwhelmed.

It's also the time of year where there's a tendency to put our own health and wellness on the back burner until the Holiday Season is through. We tend to shove our yoga mats into a corner and instead parade from one holiday party to the next succumbing to the temptation to (over?) indulge in holiday sweets and treats along the way. By the time New Year’s Eve rolls around, we're well ready for those New Year's resolutions and reversing the tide of over-consumption. 

In the hopes of a healthy and happy Holiday Season, consider taking time out for yourself. One of the easiest ways to reduce this stress is to simply relax and, fortunately, yoga offers the perfect remedy with techniques to ease your holiday worries and energize the body. Yoga offers ancient wisdom on staying calm in challenging situations, while also fostering a sense of happiness and harmony.

While yoga has a strong effect on the physical body, it has an even stronger effect at regulating the emotions and subtle energies of the body. The meditative and mindfulness practices of any type of yoga are excellent tools to bring awareness to our emotional states to help conquer holiday stress. Yoga also teaches us to look inside and to focus less on the material things and more on what truly makes us happy.