Off The Mat: The YYoga Blog

Longevity in Running - 5 Great Post-Run Yoga Poses

Wed, 16 May 2012 15:08:46 -0700

What are the secrets to longevity of running? Each runner has their own unique training routines and running techniques to achieve and maintain their goals and challenges. In our advanced world, there has been extensive scientific research and studies on the bio-mechanics of the human body and design of running gear to improve our performance in running.

Are we really becoming better runners? Are we having less pain and injuries? Do we believe pain and injuries are part of running? Despite the advanced technology, is it possible it could be as simple as combining the ancient practice of yoga along with our unique training routines and techniques to maintain the longevity in running?

Without consciously knowing I had discovered the secret to the longevity of running while training and participating in Half Marathon races, I had, in fact, discovered it unconsciously. My secret being…combining the ancient practice of yoga as my cross-training tool. By being dedicated to running and yoga, I had surprised myself with achieving my goals and challenges during my training and races. As I am more consciously aware now, yoga continues to improve my physical and mental strength, focus, stamina, calmness and finding balance physically and mentally within me.

Now that my secret is out, I encourage you to explore, experiment and experience for yourself this ancient practice as your cross-training tool to maintain the longevity of your running career. I recommend a yoga practice of 2 to 3 classes per week to go along with your training. If that is not possible, the following 5 post-run yoga poses would be a good beginning to relieve your tight and sore muscles.

1. Downward Dog and 3 Legged Dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana):

In upside down “V” to release and lengthen the whole spine, pressing the heels down to release the tightness of hamstrings, calves and achillies tendon.
In ‘Downward Dog’, power up your glute muscle to lift up one leg and stack your hips to open up the tight hip as you press the opposite heel down to release the tightness of hamstring, calf and achillies tendon.

2. Cow Face (Gomukhasana)

Lying on back, bring knees towards you, stack one knee on top of the other and bring feet towards you with your hands to release the tightness of the glutes which connects to the outer hip, outer thigh and IT band.

3. Runners Lunge

In lunge position, straighten front leg with foot down, back leg down and fold forward towards front knee with long spine to stretch the hamstring and release tightness of hip.

4. Pyramid (Parsvottanasana)

Hands on hips, step one leg back and place back foot at 45 degrees to square hips, pelvis and interlace fingers behind on your back. Keeping your spine straight, fold forward towards the front knee as you release your palms away from your spine, bring shoulders down and back and squeeze shoulder blades together. The front leg will enjoy a hamstring stretch, back leg to release the calf and meanwhile the arms are releasing the tightness of shoulders and upper back.

5. Butterfly or Bound Angle (Baddha Konasana)

Sitting on mat, bring soles of feet together, allow the knees to hang and fold forward with a long spine to release the tightness of groin and inner thighs.

Amy Ho is a yoga teacher at YYoga. Click here to view her bio and class schedule!

Preet's Special Smoothie

Fri, 11 May 2012 13:31:16 -0700

Preet, the CEO & Founder of OrganicLives, wants to share his 'special smoothie' recipe with all of his friends at YYoga! With amino acid-rich hemp seed, nutrient-rich bananas, and sprouted almond milk, this smoothie is guaranteed to be one of the best ways to help you recover from any workout.

How to Make Sprouted Almond Milk

Ingredients

1/2 cup raw organic almonds
Alkaline filtered water

Directions

Put 1/2 cup almonds in a wide mouth glass jar or ceramic container.
Cover with two cups of filtered water.
Place anywhere in the kitchen away from direct sunlight to keep from overheating the water. Almonds do not need light to sprout, only normal room temperatures. Soak for about 10 - 12 hours, overnight works best. Some people like to rinse the almonds after they have soaked for several hours, then cover again with fresh water and continue the process.
After soaking for 10-12 hours, pour the water off the almonds (or directly through a strainer) and rinse with cold water. Don’t be surprised that the water is brown. This comes from the cinnamon colored skins. Drain.
Place the 1/2 cup sprouted almonds into a VitaMix (linked to our store) or blender on high with 1.5 cups of filtered water and blend until smooth. Grits in the almond milk is normal, but once in the smoothie you will not notice them. To drink this sprouted almond milk plain, some people strain.

To increase the portion of this sprouted almond milk recipe you will need 1 part sprouted almonds to 3 parts water.

How to Make Preet's Special Smoothie

Ingredients

Smoothie (serves 1)
8 oz (or 1 cup) of Sprouted Organic Almond Milk
2 organic bananas
2 tbsp organic hemp seed

Directions

Put all ingredients into a VitaMix (linked to our store) or Blender and blend on high until smooth. Garnish with whole hempseed if desired.

Nutritional Benefits

Hemp seed is probably the best source of protein on the planet due to its similarity to the protein make up of our blood. It also contains a great balance of omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids.

Bananas are one of the best fuels for our body, it delivers quick long lasting energy to our cells.

Almonds are a nutritional powerhouse containing so many vitamins and minerals and are also an alkaline nut when sprouted.

For more free recipes, nutrition tips, and educational info, subscribe to OrganicLives Updates and follow them on facebook, twitter, and pinterest!

Victoria Day Class Schedule Adjustments

Fri, 04 May 2012 08:47:58 -0700

Here are the Victoria Day class schedule adjustments for Monday May 21st. Please feel free to check our schedule online before coming to class, and have a great break!

The following classes are cancelled:

Flow Wellness:

6:30am YHot
6:30am YRide
7:00am Core
9:30pm Flow
9:45pm YHot

South Granville:

6:00am Flow
10:00pm Flow

Neoalpine:

No cancellations.

Richmond:

6:30am YHot

Highgate

6:30am Power

Northshore:

6:00am Power

Yaletown:

6:30am Power
7:00am YHot
7:45am Yin/Yang

Opening Soon!

Fri, 27 Apr 2012 18:00:00 -0700

Located on West 4th Avenue and Cypress Street, YYoga Kitsilano will open its doors in mid-June, a perfect time to enjoy the outdoor patio-lounge shown in the image above is our 3D rendering of the new space! This new center will increase YYoga classes offered to our South Granville & Kitsilano communities from 65 to 145+ classes every week.

From the outdoor patio-lounge featuring Organic Lives products, to our largest infrared sauna, to air and climate systems designed for optimal quality and maximum energy efficiency, the Kitsilano experience will be an amazing addition to our YYoga family.

In turn, YYoga South Granville will become home to our Teachers College and host all future teacher training programs, with continued public classes starting at 5 pm. This will allow us to offer more workshops, international special guests, and master classes to our members and the yoga community at large. Learn More

Visit us on Facebook to view the new schedules and stay tuned for our exact open date, launch party details, and a special Kitsilano opening offer.

Learn more about YYoga Kitislano's features here

We look forward to seeing you on a brand new mat!

New Teachers College Home!

Fri, 27 Apr 2012 16:30:00 -0700

When YYoga Kitsilano opens its doors mid-June, our South Granville center will evolve into a home base for YYoga Teacher Training programs and workshops!

This will allow us to offer a greater selection of workshops, international special guests and master classes to our members and the yoga community at large. Like South Granville on Facebook for updates on regularly added trainings and workshops.

While we will be welcoming teacher trainees and workshop attendees by day, we will continue to offer public classes in the evening, starting at 5:00pm. Offered class styles will be: Foundation Flow, Flow, Hatha, Yin, Yin & Meditation, and Restorative.

To view a copy of South Granville's schedule effective mid-June, click here.

Guests can continue to enjoy spa-like amenities at South Granville, including our infrared sauna, tea lounge and boutique. For our infrared sauna hours, click here.

As always, YYoga memberships are valid across all locations. Starting mid-June, current and new members are welcome to use their membership to attend one of Kitsilano's 145+ classes!

What does Kitsilano mean to you?

Fri, 27 Apr 2012 15:30:00 -0700

A picture is worth a thousand words!

Kitsilano is one of Vancouver's most unique, friendly and beautiful communities and now we want to know what you love most about it. Share a photo that expresses what you love about Kitsilano on our Kitsilano Facebook page wall and you'll be entered to win a 12 month membership with mat & towel service, a $1,558 value!

The winner will not only win a year's worth of unlimited yoga, but their photo will also appear on Kitsilano's opening schedule rack cards!

All photos will also will be proudly displayed at our Grand Opening Event later in the month, and will be uploaded to a special Facebook album and Pinterest board for our entire community to appreciate.

Friends who follow us on Facebook and Pinterest will unlock clues, which will lead to additional prizes leading up to the launch of Kitsilano!

Get snapping and submit your photo today. And, remember - think about what Kitsilano means to you.

Get involved and win:

You can submit as many photos as you'd like but your name will only be considered once for prizing. The draw will be random.
The winner of the 12 month membership will be drawn on May 25th, 2012.
Additional clues leading to other prizes will be given between June 1 - June 15th, 2012.
No purchase necessary.
The membership prize is not redeemable for cash.

Spring into Spring!

Fri, 27 Apr 2012 13:52:44 -0700

Flowers are blooming, sprouts are sprouting, and the sun is out in Vancouver, which means that it’s time to do handstand!

Inversions are asana of marvelous integration, asking us to stabilize our mobile shoulder joints and connect all our moving pieces together – no small task while we’re all topsy turvy. The opportunity to explore ourselves in an unfamiliar orientation lets us experience our cells, our blood, our organs and muscles in a new way. We literally get to turn our world upside down.

Physically, inverting gives the blood and lymph in our legs an opportunity to race back heartwards through the force of gravity. Our organs move and settle in a different orientation. Blood moves into our brain and offers these vital tissues an oxygen bath. The upper body gets a fantastic work out. And psychologically, we practice courage and a sense of play by moving into the unknown.

There are many different kinds of inversions. Downward Facing Dog and Forward Fold are great “light” inversions that we practice all the time. (In a “light inversion,” the head is below the heart, but the rest of the body and the blood column in the legs aren't adding any additional pressure.) To do a “full” inversion, the entire weight of the body is transmitted and supported through the shoulder girdle rather than the pelvis and we bring our legs over our head.

Before inverting, there are a couple of sensible precautions to keep in mind. As we will be increasing the amount of the fluid in the brain, active inversions should not be practiced if you’re experiencing high blood pressure or have a history of stroke. If you’ve had recent eye surgery or have glaucoma, raising the pressure in the eye is also not recommended. A more passive inversion – like legs up the wall – is a great alternative that imparts lots of juicy inversion benefits while keeping the head and heart at the same level.

Are you ready to invert?

Our shoulder girdle is a marvelous, mobile joint that allows us to reach out through our arms and experience the world. However, it’s only attached to our skeleton in one little place: right between your collarbone and your sternum! This lack of bony attachment means that the support of the shoulder girdle comes from the muscular stability around the joint. If we’re going to fully invert, then we need to ensure that we have enough integrity here to support our body. Additionally, we have to get our arms all the way overhead by our ears without losing the connection to our core, which requires a good bit of shoulder flexibility.

To find out if you’re ready to do handstand, investigate the following poses as a warm up:

Plank: focus on stabilizing the shoulder blades onto your back as you lift your lower ribs up and into your body. Hold for one minute. Repeat.
Downward Facing Dog: bring your arms in line with your ears without collapsing the ribs towards the floor or letting the upper arm bones wing out. Straighten your arms fully. Continue to lift through your back ribs as you draw your shoulder blades slightly towards each other. The shoulder blades and front ribs hug into the centerline of the body, connecting the back and front body towards the middle.
Dolphin: (Downward Facing Dog on your forearms, with your hands interlaced.) Walk your feet towards your shoulders without collapsing the ribcage down or towards your hands. Press the elbows forward and down to lengthen the back of the arms and draw the shoulder blades into the back body. Stretch the hips up and back.
Puppy Dog (Warrior III at the wall): Place your hands at your hip level on the wall, then walk your feet back until your hips are over your ankles and your body forms an inverted “L”. Bring your feet together, hug your midline. Keeping your hips level and your arms straight, lift one leg slowly up behind you. Pause, check to see that the toes of your lifted leg are pointing straight down. Then, continue to lift from your inner thigh until the leg is in line with your body. Draw the bottom ribs and core into the body as you press into your hands and firm the outer arms in. Hug the thighs and arms towards each other, and firm your outer hips in. Keeping all the outer parts of your body connecting into the center, stretch from the core of your pelvis out through all four limbs.

If these poses are going well, then it’s time to move onto handstand.

How to do Handstand:

Stage I:

Come into Downward Facing Dog, placing your hands about a foot away from the wall. Place the hands outer shoulder distance apart, spread the fingers wide, and press through the four corners of each hand.
Walk your feet up to your hands about halfway until your shoulders are over your wrists.
Lift through your back ribs as you hug the shoulder blades closer to each other (here’s the muscular engagement to keep your shoulder girdle strong and stable)
Lift one leg up – just like you did for Puppy Dog.
Hug the inner thighs in and lift the leg higher as you press through your hands vigorously
Stay here for 3-5 breaths, then change sides.
Child’s pose or sit on your heels.

Stage 2:

Continuing from Stage 1, keep the hips lifting up and back as you bend your standing leg. Keeping the lifted leg strong, straight, and neutral, now begin to take small controlled hops. Press strongly through your hands so that your arms remain straight. The back, lifted leg is like a rudder: keep it straight and strong.
Change sides.
Child’s pose or sit on your heels.

Stage 3:

Once both legs are up at the wall, immediately hug them strongly together
Press through your hands vigorously as you stretch up through your heels.
Roll the inner upper thighs to the wall as you lengthen your sitting bones up to your heels.
Come down one leg at a time.
Child’s pose or sit on your heels.

Most importantly, after doing handstand, take the time to absorb what you feel.

In child’s pose or seated on your heels, close your eyes and feel the rush of blood and life force that is coursing through your body. Take several deep, smooth breaths.

Enjoy!
Rachel Scott
Director of YYoga Teachers' College

Twisting to Detoxify

Fri, 27 Apr 2012 13:47:19 -0700

The seasonal shift from winter to spring often brings a sense of renewal to our spirits. As we begin to shed our winter clothing, we may also start to clear away things that managed to build up in the hibernation of the winter season and look to spring for a fresh and liberating start.

A popular habit that reflects this transition is “Spring Cleaning,” the practice of thoroughly cleaning one’s home in the springtime. Many people – especially yogis – might be interested in taking this cleaning and clearing out process inward. There are countless ways to approach detoxifying the body, but when it comes to your asana practice, your best bet are twisting postures.

B.K.S. Iyengar famously describes twists as a “squeeze and soak” action. The squeeze part of the action refers to the twist itself because twisting postures create a wringing (or compression) effect on the abdominal organs. This compression pushes blood out of the abdominal organs and creates a flushing effect that helps to eliminate toxins.

The soaking part of the action refers to what happens as you bring your body out of the twist. As the compression is released, fresh blood floods back into the abdominal organs bringing with it oxygen and nutrients. In essence, with the squeeze, you are clearing out and creating space, and with the soak, you are intentionally refilling the space.

A powerful way to work more deeply with twists is to use them as a tool to refine your intentions. As you move mindfully into your twist, ask yourself questions such as: What do I want to clear out of my life? What do I want to let go of? What about the way I am living my life right now is not serving me? As you unwind, shift your focus to mirror the soaking phase of the twist and explore questions such as: What am I creating space for? What do I want more of in my life?

Whether you find yourself focusing on more cleaning your kitchen, detoxifying through twisting asanas or clearing away things that aren’t serving you, remember to approach your pursuit with a balance of sthira and sukha (translated simply as effort and ease). Allow your body to twist, guide your body to twist, but don’t force your body to twist. If you would like more guidance on how to twist safety and smoothly, please come to class and ask!

Hope to see you on the mat.

Namaste,

Sarah Jamieson
YYoga | Yoga Teacher

Photo Credit: Chris Yakimov

April Celebrations

Fri, 27 Apr 2012 13:19:13 -0700

We believe that giving back some of the love you give to us is important so we do our best to come up with fun giveaways & contests that we think you'll enjoy. Congratulations to our April prize winners who enjoyed wellness treatments, a spa package, jewelry & yoga memberships!

Costa Rica Photo Contest

Our retreat attendees are back and have shared their photo's with us! We drew one name at random and we're happy to announce that Nada Debay has won a one month membership for her photo submission! Click here to view guest images from our latest Costa Rica Yoga Retreat.

Wellness Wednesdays

Congratulations to the following treatment winners this month:

Whitney Brennan won one Acupuncture treatment with Angel Seto, R.Ac
Keira-Ann Mellis won one Acupuncture treatment with Matthew Gindin, R.Ac.
Andrea Bull won one Registered Massage Therapy treatment with Jessica Rempel, RMT.

Join our Facebook page for your chance to win a treatment with a wellness practitioner.

F Cancer Bracelet

Thank you to our community for helping us raise $13,200 for Inspire Health. Natasha Thom won an F Cancer copper bracelet for posting her story on our Facebook page. Thank you for sharing your heartfelt journey with our community and us.

"Write for Us" March & April Winners

Last month, we asked you to submit your blog posts to us. Kelly Sallaway and Taryn Hearty shared their stories with us, and now we're sharing them with you. We hope you're enjoying your one month memberships, Kelly and Taryn!

View Kelly's post: Angel
View Taryn's post: My Personal Challenge

Absolute Spa Package

Our friends at Absolute Spa wanted one valued friend to have a Spring into Summer package, valued at $195! This package includes an Express Spa Binge Body Buff, Classic Bikini Wax or Au Courant Spray Tan, Express Pedicure, and a take home gift. Patricia Fu will be busy this month planning her spa visit! Congratulations and enjoy.

*All above prizewinners were drawn at random.

Meet Our Naturopathic Medicine Team

Fri, 27 Apr 2012 12:52:09 -0700

In celebration of Naturopathic Medicine Week this May 7 - 13, 2012, our Naturopathic Practitioners are offering our guests a chance to learn more about natural medicine, and to enter and win a complimentary initial consult, a $120 value!

Complimentary Info Session with Dr. Giselle Lefebvre, ND

What is Naturopathic Medicine? Dr. Lefebvre, ND invites you to consult with her about your health, address any nagging issues and finish with a great cleanse that is going to leave you feeling amazing.

Participants will be eligible to win a complimentary initial session with Dr. Giselle Lefebvre!

Info Session Details:
Sunday May 13th, 2012
1:30 - 3:00pm
Northshore Elements Tea Lounge

Complimentary Info Session with Dr. Marisa Marciano, ND

Join Dr. Marciano for an evening of tasting, teaching and enjoying the power of herbal medicine!

In the traditional sense, this info session aims “to please and to educate” like-minded participants to increase their knowledge of plant medicines through casual conversation in a fun and relaxing environment.

The study of herbal medicine is both healing and transformative. Though one of mankind’s oldest forms, herbal medicine has been experiencing a rebirth due to its limitless life-enhancing qualities.

What you will gain from this gathering is an overview of the possibilities of plant medicine, and an appreciation for the many gifts therein.

In addition, participants will:

Learn the basic principles of medical herbalism and how it can benefit you
Taste and sample various herbs in tea, liquid and food form
Understand the methods for making herbal medicines from home
Familiarize herbs which are most useful for a variety of health conditions

Info Session Details:
Thursday, May 10th, 2012
6:00 - 7:30pm
Flow Wellness, wellness room #4

Space is limited, register with a member of our Guest Experience team.

Did you know?

Our Naturopathic team offers complimentary 15 minute consultations! Book yours today through a member of our Guest Experience team.

Learn more about our Naturopathic team:

Click here to read recent posts from our Wellness team.

Socially Conscious Gift Ideas for Mom

Fri, 27 Apr 2012 08:47:02 -0700

We've made our top four picks for mom available to you in our Yboutique's this April. These will enable you to gift mindfully with local, ethical, natural and sustainable gift options. Join us on Facebook to find out how you can win one of two baskets containing OrganicLives, a Me & You bag and Tea Libre with Tealeaves tea!

OrganicLives™ "Breakfast in Bed" Baskets

Breakfast in bed this Mother's Day? Show mom how special she is by picking up a healthy, fresh, raw and vegan Breakfast in Bed Basket from OrganicLives!

Healthy Breakfast in Bed - $31.50 for members

1 bag of Sprouted Hunza Valley Granola
1 x 3 pack of chocolate macaroons
1 bag of sun-dried mango
1 bag of Golden Raisins
$3 off breakfast at OrganicLives Restaurant

Healthy Breakfast in Bed for Coffee Lovers - $40.50 for members

1 bag of Sprouted Hunza Valley Granola
1 lb of The World's Most Sustainable Coffee - Paradise Mountain Dark Roast
1 x 3 pack of chocolate macaroons
1 bag of sun-dried mango
$3 off breakfast at OrganicLives Restaurant

About OrganicLives™:

OrganicLives is an organization dedicated to promoting and supporting organic, sustainable, fairly traded food that is good for the body and good for the planet. Our vision is to reconnect us back to the food we eat and help us understand how it impacts our health, how it impacts our planet's health, and how it is connected to poverty, hunger, global warming, deforestation, water contamination and many other social issues we are faced with today. Learn More

Me & You Reusable Shopping Tote

This Tassel and Lace upcycled tote is local, natural and sustainable. Capturing 1920's wedding gown collections with pockets embossed with lace, this bag is pretty, practical and strong enough to hold any of mom's shopping items. The hanging tassel is a reminder to recycle and keep the earth as fabulous and free as her!

About Me & You:

Me & You's ultimate vision is to see everyone using reusable shopping bags that are produced in their own communities under socially responsible and ethical working conditions. Their ethical initiatives include eco-friendly products, ethical sourcing, waste reduction and sustainability education. Learn More

Libre Glass & Poly Original Tea Glass

Local, natural and ethical, Libre Tea Glasses have a health conscious glass interior for fresh taste and a durable polycarbonate exterior for 'on the go' durability.

The stainless steel tea filter is surrounded by BPA free polypropylene as is the lid interior. Each Tea Glass can be used two ways to both brew and travel with loose leaf tea. From April 30th - May 13, 2012, Libre will be donating $2 from all sales to the "Global Women's Initiative".

Health Benefits of Loose Leaf Tea:

You can let mom know that loose-leaf tea has a much smaller eco-footprint than teabags. Unlike ‘bagged’ tea, loose-leaf tea is sold by weight, easy to dispose of and biodegradable. It also requires minimal packaging, unlike bagged tea, which requires significant packaging resources and generates considerably more waste with its bags, boxes and plastic wrappers. Learn More

Tealeaves "Fleurs" Herbal Tea

Give mom a reason to stop and smell the tea this Mother's Day with an elegant, Parisian-inspired herbal blend of organic chamomile blossoms, red rose petals and organic lavender from Provence, France.

Fragrant and sweet like summer gardens, the subtle yet tantalizing scent of roses is mixed with the fragrance of chamomile flowers and lavender - both of which are proven to reduce stress and instill a sense of calm. This will be a perfectly relaxing gift for mom on Mother's Day.

About Tealeaves:

Tea embodies our freedom to choose the very best of ourselves. Through the act of making a cup of tea and taking a moment to appreciate its aroma before taking a sip, we learn to value the simple luxuries of life. Learn More

My Personal Challenge

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 14:18:15 -0700

Taryn Hearty is a member of our community. If you'd like information on how to share your journey on our blog, click here.

I was feeling fairly lethargic after a rather gluttonous holiday (who can say no to shortbread? I know I can’t). My naturopath suggested that I do a 21-day cleanse – no wheat, no sugar, no dairy. Because I am, quite possibly, the least creative chef on the planet, a highly restrictive cleanse was instantly (and literally) off the table.

So instead of cleansing my body by depriving it of food, I decided to cleanse it with a commitment to yoga – something I had never done before, despite practicing yoga for seven years. I wrangled a good friend of mine into committing with me, and we started our own personal 30-day Yoga Challenge on January 17 (yes... a Thursday – starting things on Mondays is overrated for sure). And so it began.

This 30-day challenge has pushed me to do things that I never thought feasible for myself. The most amazing things didn’t happen on my yoga mat, but off of it. I was able to get out of bed earlier to get to a class before work – and even get out of bed early on the weekends to get to class and start my day ahead of time. I was eating healthier (despite the food containing wheat, sugar, and dairy all at once *gasp*) and feeling stronger – both physically and mentally. I was able to relax more, and take time to do everything instead of rushing through my days. I also learned to respect my body and my limitations more. I understand now that some days are different than others - sometimes you will get into crow pose, and sometimes you won’t – and that’s ok. And yes of course on top of all this “off mat” achievement, there was “on mat” improvement - my downward dog improved, my core got stronger, and I’m that much closer to handstand (although still a long way off). I made myself and this commitment to yoga a priority during those 30 days and it felt amazing.

When I put the last sticker on my progress calendar I had a mix of emotions – happy that I had accomplished what I had set out to do, and disappointed that the commitment was over. I feel that it is so much easier to let things go when you don’t specifically commit to make time for them. This is why my yoga challenge buddy and I are ramping up for another 30-day yoga challenge starting March 1. Yes, it’s tough, and yes, sometimes you get tired but it is super worth it. It so quickly becomes a habit instead of a chore to get out of bed and get your yoga clothes on, mat in hand, and head out the door – and it leaves you feeling like you can conquer anything. Perhaps at some point in the future I won’t have to reward myself with daily stickers (although the penguins are cute…) and it will just be part of my daily routine. My hope is that it will become and inward commitment to myself and for myself, but until that happens, I’ll need to find some new stickers for my new 30-day challenge calendar!

Angel

Tue, 17 Apr 2012 15:04:35 -0700

Kelly Sallaway is a member of our community. If you'd like information how to share your journey through our blog, click here.

Fear trickled down my back; my hiking boots too loud on the asphalt. I tried to hurry but all the streets looked the same. I needed to find the path. I needed to find it now. I turned the map around again, searching for a street sign. My heart pounded against my backpack as I walked alone through the streets of Pamplona, Spain.

Months prior, sipping Bacardi Breezers at a quaint tavern in Scotland, the idea of walking the Camino de Santiago seemed like a grand idea. A medieval pilgrimage? A mystical experience with the promise of adventure? That sounded right up my alley! Walking 800km across the north of Spain? I loved walking, how hard could it be?

Right then, lost on the streets in Pamplona, I realized some of my shortcomings in the planning process.

I had failed to take into account my poor map reading abilities. I have blond hair, blue eyes and a whimsical look that screams ‘Tourist’. And then there was the small matter of not being able to speak Spanish.

All of these had seemed like minor inconveniences back when I was enjoying the fourth Bacardi Breezer. But standing on the street corner, turning my map around, not able to ask for directions and having visions of my decapitated corpse lying in a ditch in the middle of nowhere - I realized I was truly a stranger in a strange land.

That’s when I began to lose it.

This was the perfect storm all of my personal fears and limitations had been waiting for. My palms turned wet with fear, and my head was swimming through a dark lake of negative chatter. I was so afraid, and so alone, but also determined. As I am wont to do in dark and desperate moments, I took a deep breath and said a prayer to the universe:

“I could use a bit of help right now,” I prayed, “I’m a bit worried about finding the path.” (Understatement of the century – but I figured the universe knew that.) “Actually, I’m a bit worried about hiking alone across the north of Spain for the next month. If you wouldn’t mind - and if it’s possible - a bit of reassurance would be greatly appreciated! Thanks very much!”

I took another deep breath. That’s when I noticed one of the street names matched up with one of the names on my map. I followed it, my heart still racing, my mind still projecting gruesome images better suited to a splatter movie.

Just at that moment, something made me look down, and at my feet was a little bird.

I looked at the bird.

The bird looked at me.

I didn’t know what to make of the situation. What was it doing? It didn’t look afraid. Had it hurt itself? What should I do?

I scooped up the small creature and it snuggled into the warmth of my body. No fighting, no biting, no protesting. It just made itself at home like it had lived with me its whole life. At a loss as to what to do next and worried for the little bird, I kept walking.

I sang to the bird as I walked along, my shyness abandoned. I didn’t feel so alone anymore and my heart was too full to notice people’s peculiar looks.

Up ahead I saw a path and a scallop shell blaze (the trail-marker for the Camino). In the distance I could see some fellow pilgrims and hear the steady click-click of their hiking staffs as they dreamed their way towards Santiago. With a surge of relief I looked down at the little bird and wondered if I could bring it with me.

After a careful inventory of my current situation I concluded it would be very difficult, and I could cause the bird further harm. Instead I decided to find a safe place to put it so it would be protected from the elements and potential predators. I settled on a dense bush not far from the path.

That’s when the miracle happened….

I opened my hands to release the bird, expecting it to hop onto a branch or sit on the ground as it had when we’d first met. Instead, without a backward glance, it flew straight down the path and up into the blue Spanish sky.

Wonder turned to amazement as I realized that while I’d been carrying the bird my fear had melted away. And so on I went, heart a little braver and a little brighter, down the path towards Santiago.

Raghunath Visits YYoga this July

Tue, 10 Apr 2012 16:15:53 -0700

About Raghunath

Raghunath describes himself as an "ex-punk, ex-monk, husband, father of four, inversion ambassador, bent on Bhakti, detox junkie, evolution assistant, coalesced by kirtan, cacao consumer, puranic story teller, reciter of Gita, potential excavation, fixed on elevation, take a deep breath, beyond birth and death, prana hunter, animal friendly, transcendence in training, born to give, live today, full contact fighter, devours durians, likes to chant, likes a challenge, servant of the servants, harmonium hugger, conscious of Krishna".

Workshops Being Offered

Pranayama Primer + Purify Flow
Heaven & Earth– A Weekend of Getting Grounded and Earning Your Wings
Friday, July 6 | 7:00pm - 9:00pm | South Granville | $40
Register Now

Asana and Pranayama (regulation of breath) are ancient & powerful methods of cleansing the gross and subtle body and are the foundation of the yoga system. In this vinyasa workshop, Raghunath a breathwork junkie, will explain the mysteries of pranayama which are often misunderstood. He will also share methods of upgrading your asana practice - no matter what level you are at via incorporating breath technique - to create more benefit in your practice from the same effort. Simple yogic practices for diet and hygiene that can revolutionize your over all health and will be discussed for practical application. Chanting as breathwork also included.

Refining Advanced Transitioning
Heaven & Earth– A Weekend of Getting Grounded and Earning Your Wings
Saturday, July 7 | 9:30 - 11:30pm | Yaletown | $40
Register Now

Raghunath is known for his challenging and inspiring classes that ask people to step into their potential. To float fluidly from one asana to another makes our practice less mechanical and more like a seamless dance. His gift in advanced sequencing is his ability to translate and break down the complicated asana into its most simple elemental parts and have them appear in the sequence in places you’d never imagine – demystifying the poses. This vinyasa workshop is sweet for both keen practitioners and teachers who want to use and practice creative transitions. Chanting included as a transition in transcendence.

Flight School
Heaven & Earth– A Weekend of Getting Grounded and Earning Your Wings
Saturday, July 7 | 2:00pm - 4:00pm | Flow Wellness | $40
Register Now

Raghunath is a professor of flight, and Flight School is his wildly popular NYC based anti-gravity workshop for bona fide asana geeks. Arm-balancing asanas are dissected, while experiments with variations and transitions are taught. You will catalyze your own dynamic signature practice, melt your fear, push your edge and realize your potential, no matter what level you are at. Take YOUR practice to its highest. The workshop will be interlaced with chanting and stories from classic Indian texts; rooted in down to earth spirituality, and instructions for living a contemporary yogic lifestyle. Fasten your seat belt, Flight School is in session.

Unique Copper F Cancer Bracelet New to Yboutique's

Tue, 03 Apr 2012 15:56:20 -0700

To help spread awareness this April during Cancer Awareness Month, jewelry designer and cancer survivor, Susan Fiedler has designed a special, copper cuff bracelet with "embrace life" engraved on the underside.

Thanks to our community, we have helped raise $13,200 in donations to date for Inspire Health through the sale of F Cancer bracelets.

Available sizes & pricing:

small silver: $150
medium silver: $170
large silver: $190
extra large silver: $210

small copper: $75
medium copper: $85
large copper: $95
extra large copper: $105

About Inspire Health:

Operating in Vancouver since 1997, InspireHealth is a world leader in cancer care. InspireHealth focuses on patients’ health using an integrative approach that combines nutrition, exercise, emotional and spiritual support with standard cancer treatments. InspireHealth’s programs are evidence-based, they apply leading-edge immune system research to optimize cancer healing and recovery.

Headstand: A Lesson in Patience

Sun, 01 Apr 2012 14:28:44 -0700

Vancouverites in the winter know all about patience. As we wait for the days to slowly get longer and the clouds to clear, we have an opportunity to slow down, soften our impatience, and rest in the process. During this time, headstand can be an excellent choice in asana - not just because the additional circulation to the brain is a welcome refreshment, but because the pose unfolds only when we can be patient and calm.

Headstand is like the grandpappy of inversions. Unlike the 5-year old exuberance of handstand, or the slightly more moderated enthusiasm of forearm stand, headstand requires a necessary dignity and poise in the practitioner to be practiced safely and effectively. Kicking up into headstand is a big ol' no-no, primarily because the head is rooted into the floor and any instability in the body can translate into torquing of the delicate cervical spine. Unlike other inversions (where we can willy-nilly get ourselves up there without too much of a problem), handstand requires us to move slowly from a deep connection to our core. Without momentum, how do we safely get up into the darn thing?

Well, the point is, maybe we won't. Maybe not today. But by calling upon our reserves of patience and a deeply felt commitment to process, we can eventually find our way into a headstand that is light, stable, and sustainable. (Please note that those who have glaucoma, high blood pressure, or neck or shoulder injuries should refrain from this inverted practice unless they receive approval from their doctor.)

Step 1: Set the foundation

If this pose is new to you, practice at the wall until you find your inverted center. Interlace your hands up to the webbing and tuck your bottom pinky in so that the foundation is flat. Keep a small space in the center of your hands so that the bones of your arms creates a straight line through your to your knuckles. Place your elbows directly beneath your shoulders. Look at your wrists. See how you can roll them in and out? Instead, position the wrist so that the inner wrist is stacked directly onto the outer wrist.

Place the top of your head on the floor between your hands and pause to make sure that you are really on the plumb line top of your head. Your chin should be level with the floor and the natural curve of your cervical spine should be maintained.

Step 2: Cultivate stability

Lift your shoulderblades away from your ears and hug the scapulae onto your back. Press down firmly into your forearms as you curl your toes under and lift your hips. Press into your forearms to de-weight your head, and make sure that you can lighten the burden on your neck by using the strength of your shoulder girdle.

From here, walk your feet towards your arms, continuing to lift your shoulder blades into the back of your body. Press down through your forearms and lift your hips high into the air.

Step 3: Taking flight

Pressing into your forearms, draw one knee into your chest. Hug your knee in towards your face until your hips move past your shoulders and you can de-weight your other toes. This is not time for jumping. Practice finding the subtle lifting and gathering of your core that you need to stabilize your center and give your legs freedom. Often this step is the one requiring the most patience, so take your time so that you can organically find the opening and stability that you need to unearth your feet.

Once you have found lightness in both legs, bring both feet to the wall above you and slide your feet up. Press down firmly into your forearms so that your neck can continue to be spacious. Breathe smoothly and calmly. When you are ready, come out the way that you came in. Slide your feet down the wall, then very slowly bring one foot at a time back to the floor.

Parts of your body that need to be awake, or opened, to do headstand

Hamstrings - need to be warmed and open
Upper arms - are in flexion and external rotation (think of the position of the upper arm in Gomukhasana, or Downward Facing Dog on your forearms)
Shoulder blades - need to be stabilized and lifted away from the floor
Core - needs to be awake and connected
Inner legs - need to hug towards each other

When preparing the body for headstand, consider practicing the following poses to help warm up your body:

Standing twists
Small backbends
Prasarita Padottanasana with or without a twist
Crescent with a backbend
Gomukhasana arms
Dolphin: an excellent preparation and modification of headstand. Feel free to practice dolphin until you have enough scapular stability and upper body strength to hold the pose for a minute. It's a wonderful pose for both opening and strengthening the shoulders.

Happy Inverting!

Click here to learn more about our Teachers' College programs.

Rachel Scott
Director, Teachers' College

Flow Into Sleep

Sun, 01 Apr 2012 09:58:45 -0700

We all know how important good sleep is for our health. But are you getting enough?

Insomnia affects 3.3 million Canadians according to a 2002 study (8). Not getting enough sleep at night can make daily life feel like a bad dream. Needles and rest might not seem synonymous, but in fact there is considerable evidence of the efficacy of acupuncture in treating insomnia (1,2,3,4) especially when the insomnia is connected to anxiety (1). How does this work?

Natural Rhythms

Evidence has shown that acupuncture may increase the secretion of melatonin in the brain (1). Melatonin is a naturally occurring neurotransmitter which helps the brain to recognize the cycle of day and night . This recognition appears to be a key factor in healthy sleep patterns. According to Chinese medical theory the flow of energy in the meridians is intimately connected to the cycle of day and night (9). By harmonizing the qi (energy) of the channels the body’s rhythm in time can be restored. So whether we look at it in terms of qi flow or neurotransmitters, acupuncture can help to return your body-mind to its natural daily rhythm.

Calming The Spirit

Acupuncture is known to have a calming effect on mind and body. In the words of one acupuncturist, “The words I hear most often in my office from patients receiving an acupuncture treatment is, ‘I feel so relaxed.’” (5) The same clinical study that found that Acupuncture may increase melatonin levels also found that acupuncture is effective in reducing anxiety, and this is backed up by other studies as well(6). From a traditional point of view, many acupuncture points have the function of “dispelling agitating wind” or “calming the spirit” (11)

Treating The Root

Anxiety and disruption to natural body rhythms are not the only causes of insomnia. Heartburn, depression, chronic pain, aging, and weight gain are also associated with disrupted sleep (7,8). These causes are all also recognized as causes of shi mian, or insomnia, in Chinese Medicine (10). They are understood as imbalances in the organs of the body (zangfu) which disrupt the ability of the mind to settle and the body to be at ease. Acupuncture can help to effectively address these imbalances, thus relieving underlying physical and energetic causes of insomnia. Alright, so it may be effective. Is it safe?

Safety

In an article on acupuncture for insomnia by Judith Peterson, MD, Dr.Peterson points out the relative safety of acupuncture as an insomnia treatment compared to some other common treatments. Insomnia is often managed by medications such as benzodiazepines and tricyclic antidepressants. As she points out, “Sedatives and oral hypnotics have a high abuse potential and can be addicting” and tricyclic anti-depressants carry the risk of a wide variety of side effects. As she writes, “acupuncture... has an excellent tolerability and safety profile. Increased awareness of the potential utility of acupuncture for the treatment of sleep impairment may result in improved patient care (4).”

Treating Root and Branch

Being an acupuncturist is a little like being an electrician of the human organism .The acupuncturist opens up or redirects the flow of intelligent energy in the body/mind. Acupuncture can balance the body’s natural rhythms, reduce anxiety, promote relaxation, and address underlying causes of insomnia like chronic pain, digestive problems, weight gain, and the effects of aging. In the hands of a skilled practitioner, acupuncture treatments are not painful and promote balance and calm. So if you’re not getting the sleep you need, you might consider seeing your friendly neighbourhood body/mind electrician!

Matthew Gindin is a Registered Acupuncturist. Beginning April 1, he is accepting treatment appointments at Flow Wellness!

References

1) http://psychiatryonline.org/data/Journals/NP/3927/19.pdf

2) http://www.thiagovilelalemos.com.br/downloads/Acupuntura/acupuntura%20e%20insonia.pdf

3) http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1440-1819.1995.tb01874.x/abstract

4) http://www.medicalacupuncture.org/aama_marf/journal/vol13_3/article4.htm

5) http://blog.nicholassieben.com/?p=207

6) http://www.anesthesia-analgesia.org/content/92/2/548.short

7) http://www.34-menopause-symptoms.com/digestive-problems-may-lead-to-insomnia.htm

8) http://www.statcan.gc.ca/daily-quotidien/051116/dq051116a-eng.htm

9) http://taoism.about.com/od/themeridiansystem/a/Meridian_Clock.htm

10) Shi, Anshen. Internal Medicine. Hong Kong, Bridge Publishing Group 2007.

11) Maciocca, Giovani. The Foundations of Chinese Medicine. China, Elsevier Health Publishing 2005.

Foods That Fit You

Sun, 01 Apr 2012 08:42:22 -0700

Spend 10 minutes in the health section at Chapters and you’ll find about a hundred experts claiming they have the perfect diet for you. It’s amazing how often a “perfect” diet on paper, can in reality be the culprit behind all kinds of bodily discomfort or dis-ease.

So what’s one to eat?

Whether it’s raw food, macrobiotic, vegan slash vegetarian, gluten-free, dairy-free, sugar-free or breatharian, not a one of these creeds necessarily makes you immune to the wrath of the gastrointestinal gods.

This is partly due to the fact that food allergies (or more accurately “hypersensitivities”) seem to be on the rise, and depending on how sensitive your body is to allergens, an immune response can occur either in the blood or the digestive tract with all kinds of unhappy downstream effects.

It’s important to first get clear on what food allergies actually are, and to understand that not all of our adverse reactions to food are created equal. There is a range of responses that can occur over variable amounts of time, and with variable adverse effects.

Immediate Hypersensitivity Reaction – This is a “true” food allergy that will cause swelling, itching, hives, and potentially anaphylaxis right after exposure to the food. The most serious of food allergies, common triggers are often eggs, shellfish, and peanuts.

Delayed Hypersensitivity Reaction is an immune response with widely variable effects that occur within 2- 24 hours of exposure, and is more common with foods like wheat, gluten, dairy and soy. Often blood tests for “food allergies” are looking to identify these potential foods triggers.

Food intolerance – the best example of this is lactose intolerance, which is the inability to break down the sugar molecule lactose found in dairy foods. Unable to make the enzyme that cleaves lactoses’ chemical bond causes gas, bloating, and discomfort within 2-24 hours as it makes its way undigested through the intestinal tract.

Food sensitivities are often reactions to chemicals we consume with our food such as sulfites, MSG, additives and preservatives. They occur within 30 minutes to 12 hours of exposure and will have varied responses, but often headaches are common.

Most of us have a sense of which foods are “bad” for us. Sometimes it’s a physical reaction that we’re unable to ignore, and sometimes it’s an intuitive response that we might choose to ignore. Monitoring your symptoms and having greater food awareness are the first steps towards identifying which foods perhaps aren’t sitting right for you.

Wheat, gluten and dairy have an especially bad rap sheet these days. This is partly due to the fact that our typical Western diet treats them both as staple foods, and constant exposure to the same food proteins can mess with us immunologically. However, these foods are not necessarily a problem for everybody, and what’s relevant is how they feel in the body for you.

Some signs that you may be reacting adversely to your foods:

Bloating and excess gas
Stomach pain during or after eating
Unhappy poops (diarrhea and/or constipation)
Headaches
Lack of energy
Skin complaints

All of these can be indications that your digestive, immune and assimilating abilities are not working quite right. Identifying which foods are causing your symptoms can be accomplished in a couple of ways:

Elimination & Challenge Diet – This involves removing suspected foods from the diet and then re-introducing them individually over time while monitoring your symptoms. This option does take some time and some diligence, but when done properly and under professional guidance, is considered the gold standard in detection.

Blood Test – A blood sample is taken and sent to a lab that specializes in testing it’s reaction to up to 350 foods and chemicals associated with symptoms of food sensitivities. Though a cost is involved, this route is quick and will display your individual degrees of reaction to foods, providing more detailed information about your triggers in the process.

There is no such thing as one “perfect” diet, just the best diet for you. Physiologically, we aren’t so much what we eat, as we are what we absorb, and ensuring that we are extracting the most nutrients that we can from our foods is vital to ensuring a lifetime of health. Moderation and identification of potentially harmful foods are important ways to build your best diet. Feel health-full and fantastic; find out what foods fit you.

Allow Your Body to Heal

Sun, 01 Apr 2012 08:30:30 -0700

Not too long ago a picture of a little cat lying on its back was regularly showing up in my Facebook news feed. The text at the top of this image read:

I may look like I’m doing nothing but on a cellular level I’m very busy.

Not only cute and comical, but true. The practice of Restorative Yoga, which can also be described as a practice of active relaxation, is based on an awareness of what happens (on a cellular level) when we allow the body to rest, when we lay on our backs and do nothing – just like the little cat.

I want to specifically address using Restorative Yoga to address injury in the body. If you’re like me, you’ve probably spent hours (days, weeks or even months) of your life trying to “solve” your injuries. Perhaps you too have bounced from practitioner to practitioner trying one approach after another in search of something that will help you find your way to feeling healed. I don’t want to devalue to the wisdom and insight we can gain from practitioners of all different modalities, but I believe that in this outward seeking of healing we may lose sight of our greatest source of healing.

Having an injury can be very stressful. An injury might prevent you from staying active (which helps to combat stress), it might impact your ability to work (creating financial stress), and it might make day-to-day tasks more challenging and more tiring. Seeing someone for your injury can also be a large source of financial stress – especially if things don’t improve with the first practitioner you see. A number of things happen in the body when it is under stress, and one of those things is that the body directs energy away from systems that are not an immediate priority, including digestion, elimination, repair, and reproduction. Simply put, the stress of an injury can prevent our body from repairing that injury.

In contrast, the soothing and quieting poses of Restorative Yoga help our own internal healing processes to work. The body has an incredible ability to heal itself and Restorative Yoga offers us the possibility of connecting to this source of healing. By resting deeply in the poses, we can begin to release ourselves from the destructive and limiting forces of chronic stress.

Restorative Yoga often involves a paradigm shift from “doing, fixing and solving” to “being and allowing,” and if you are habitually an active problem solver, Restorative Yoga can require a leap of faith. I am incredibly grateful that I took this leap because among other things, Restorative Yoga has empowered me to believe deeply in my body’s ability to heal itself and it has taught me to value taking time to rest so that my body is able to direct its energy in this way.

If you would like to explore this approach to healing, I teach Restorative Yoga on Sunday evenings at South Granville YYoga. I would love to see you there.

Namaste,

Sarah Jamieson
YYoga | Yoga Teacher

Photo Credit: Chris Yakimov

Three Quick Ways to Get Ahead

Sun, 01 Apr 2012 01:00:00 -0700

Ever get tired of hearing “slow and steady wins the race”?

Ever question whether the tortoise really finishes before the hare?

Ever just wanted a few quick ways to get ahead in life? Like, a guaranteed lotto ticket…

If so, I have some great news for you! Good things come to those who don’t wait, too!

Here are three tried and true solutions that can work for anyone, anywhere, at any time to quickly get ahead. If you’re not exactly where you want to be in life, it might be because you haven’t properly applied one, or a number, of these life strategies.

1. Cheat

When you were a kid, did you ever cheat at board games, or play with kids who did? Didn’t the cheater usually win the game? And didn’t these game finish in no time at all? Sure, there was some upset by the honest kid that the cheating kid won. But think about it – the real upset was probably because the honest kid was just jealous that they didn’t know how to win more quickly (i.e. cheat). Even when the honest kid did win, didn’t the game go on and on as everyone meticulously played by the rules? Bo-ring!

Bottom line: cheating worked like a charm back then, and works just as effectively to this day.

The best thing is that even if you get caught, people work to forget about it in an effort to see you in the good light that they saw you in the first place. The technical terms for this is ‘Cognitive Dissonance’. This theory proposes that people are motivated to reduce their inner conflict by altering existing thoughts, or adding new ones, to create a more consistent belief system. Use this to your advantage!

An example of this is Martha Stewart. She cheated, got caught, and people have pretty much forgotten about that lil’ incident. Well, maybe Martha’s not the best example. But you know what I mean. The bottom line is that if you cheat, you get ahead way faster than all those slow moving truth tellers.

2. Lie

Let’s be honest, sometimes the truth is just not what’s going to get you ahead in life. Sometimes, it is simply in your best interest to put on your poker face and flat out lie.

If you’re having trouble with this one, here is a quick fix solution: label all your “untruths” as “white lies” or “kind lies”. These labels seem to be more acceptable to the ol’ conscience. Do this until you get comfortable calling a spade a spade. But don’t worry, it shouldn’t take longer than a few weeks. Before you know it, you won’t even need to put on your poker face. It will become your default.

The trick with this one is to lie for as long as you can. Just keep at it. Focus on your end goal, champ! If it seems like you are going to get caught, keep lying. Any ground lost if you get caught will be more than made up in all the ground you gained during your strategic lying days.

3. Steal

This one is a simple three-step process. If:

1) you’re clear about what you want, and

2) you don’t have it, then simply get within proximity, and

3) claim it as yours!

If you really think about it, people only “own things” because they say they own them. Think of stealing as an “unexpected change of ownership”.

As the saying goes “it’s yours for the taking”. Consider shifting perspectives – even just for a day – and see how far this one takes you.

So there you have it folks, three quick ways to get ahead in life. Cheat, lie and steal to get more of what you want in life, and faster than the masses who are either in denial about these truths, or get some sort of satisfaction being goody too-shoos.

I encourage you to pick the one that speaks to you the most, and put it into practice as soon as possible!

* April Fools :)

Love,

Steph Tait
YYoga | Manager of Learning and Development