Patrick Creelman makes his way to our studio tomorrow afternoon! We are excited to have him and can’t wait to see what he teaches us! Check out his flow:

Let’s talk about going upside down and what good comes out of being ‘head over heels’ in Yoga.

There are some special set of benefits that is provided by inverted poses. Because the body is put into such an unfamiliar setting, our focus and concentration (physically and mentally) becomes enhanced. For many of us, one of the first responses to being upside down is fear. It doesn’t feel safe to be inverted and it’s easy to doubt our own abilities to be stable and supported. Gradually, as we practice yoga more and more, we learn to acknowledge the physical messages of safety such as “My neck doesn’t feel good in this pose” and compare that to “I’m scared to do this pose.” This helps us identify what is our fear and how to challenge or overcome them. With regular practice, we start to challenge postures that once seemed impossible.

First of all, inversions are going to make you super strong! The shoulders, back, abdomen, and legs work especially hard (when done correctly), as they are learning to work against gravity from the opposite direction. These are areas of the musculo-skeletal system that are particularly supportive, so they are good places to be strong and have many options. These upside down poses also stimulate circulation, since everything is now moving in the opposite direction. Usually, blood from the heart has to pump up toward the head and down toward the belly and legs, this is reversed of course when you are upside down. Because the blood carries in nutrients and carries away waste, strong circulation is a very important part of good health. Being upside-down flips around the internal and digestive organs and inversions are particularly good for digestive troubles of any sort. Headstand and shoulder stand in particular also stimulate the glandular/hormonal system, bringing vitality and balance.

Above all else, it’s just a lot of fun!

If you ever want to start practising your inversions, check out our Power Upside Down class on friday evenings at 8:30pm.

The Yogalife community sends a big thank-you to our first-ever guest instructor, L.J. Milman! His energy and zest for instructing was definitely felt throughout the studio, breathing a little more life into

Yogalife! Those of you who attended his classes got to feel that energizing vibe first hand, and those who were present at his Teaching Authentically workshop got a chance to expand your instructing skills and search for that true, guiding voice. He not only made an impact on the Yogalife clientele, but also the entirety of Edmonton’s yoga community, teaching at Shanti, Noorish and Prana (to name a few).Within a matter of da

ys, L.J. developed a following, with a dedicated group of yogis touring with, and attending his classes from each location to the next. Front desk staff member, Dean Tumibay, explains, “it was great to see so many Yogalifers at yoga events outside of the studio! It’s an awesome feeling to see that people are inspired by L.J. to expand their practice into the greater Edmonton yoga community.”

A little bit about LJ
LJ has  taught  for about  8 years in Vancouver, travelled to Hong Kong to practice with Patrick  Creelman for 5 years, and has travelled to many places  spreading the joy of yoga including Bali, Australia, Toronto and Russia. He originally studied  Anusara, then wandered away from the practice to do some training with Ana Forrest.  He has now  found his way back into the Anusara world. While in Bali he had the opportunity to study very closely with Tara Judelle, who is a senior Anusara Certifed teacher, and is currently Anusara-Inspired.  LJ facilitates teacher trainings in Toronto at My Kula.

L.J., as a lover of inversions, treated our clients, to an extended, 2-hour long power upside down class! It was definitely a fun-filled workshop with laughter echoing all the way from the Sun studio to the Yogalife lounge. Yogalife staff member, Maia Benz, described the class as simply “invigorating and inspiring”.
Students attempted arm balances, as well as new variations of handstands and headstands. Many discovered an ability to do poses they never thought possible! Thanks to L.J.’s guidance, many of our students reached new heights when it came to their upside-down practice, leaving all attendees excited about their new-found abilities. Dedicated Yogalife student Chris Miller describes L.J. as one who “rocks the upside down yoga world! His instruction on ‘understanding your body balance’ had me accomplishing poses that I didn’t think I was even capable of doing at my level of practice!”. We, at the studio, are so grateful to have hosted L.J. at Yogalife. He has treated our students to a whole new perspective on instruction and we hope to have him back in the near future! Thanks LJ!

Thanks to our Raffle and 35 day Tour Challenge Sponsors:

The Melting Pot

Lux Beauty

Key Lime Athletic Wear

Stay tuned for our event photos… Coming soon!

The final step in the eight-fold path of Yoga is the attainment of Samadhi. Samadhi means “to bring together, to merge.” In the state of samadhi the body and senses are at rest, as if asleep, yet the faculty of mind and reason are alert, as if awake; one goes beyond consciousness. During samadhi, we realize what it is to be an identity without differences, and how a liberated soul can enjoy pure awareness of this pure identity. The conscious mind drops back into that unconscious oblivion from which it first emerged.

Thus, samadhi refers to union or true Yoga. There is an ending to the separation that is created by the “I” and “mine” of our illusory perceptions of reality. The mind does not distinguish between self and non-self, or between the object contemplated and the process of contemplation. The mind and the intellect have stopped and there is only the experience of consciousness, truth and unutterable joy.

The achievement of samadhi is a difficult task. For this reason the Yoga Sutra suggests the practice of asanas and pranayama as preparation for dharana, because these influence mental activities and create space in the crowded schedule of the mind. Once dharana has occurred, dhyana and samadhi can follow.

These eight steps of yoga indicate a logical pathway that leads to the attainment of physical, ethical, emotional, and psycho-spiritual health. Yoga does not seek to change the individual; rather, it allows the natural state of total health and integration in each of us to become a reality

Dharana means “immovable concentration of the mind”. The essential idea is to hold the concentration or focus of attention in one direction.  “When the body has been tempered by asanas, when the mind has been refined by the fire of pranayama and when the senses have been brought under control by pratyahara, the sadhaka (seeker) reaches the sixth stage, dharana. Here he is concentrated wholly on a single point or on a task in which he is completely engrossed. The mind has to be stilled in order to achieve this state of complete absorption.”

In dharana we create the conditions for the mind to focus its attention in one direction instead of going out in many different directions. Deep contemplation and reflection can create the right conditions, and the focus on this one point that we have chosen becomes more intense. We encourage one particular activity of the mind and, the more intense it becomes, the more the other activities of the mind fall away.

The objective in dharana is to steady the mind by focusing its attention upon some stable entity. The particular object selected has nothing to do with the general purpose, which is to stop the mind from wandering -through memories, dreams, or reflective thought-by deliberately holding it single-mindedly upon some apparently static object. B.K.S. Iyengar states that the objective is to achieve the mental state where the mind, intellect, and ego are “all restrained and all these faculties are offered to the Lord for His use and in His service. Here there is no feeling of ‘I’ and ‘mine’.”^xiv

When the mind has become purified by yoga practices, it becomes able to focus efficiently on one subject or point of experience. Now we can unleash the great potential for inner healing.

Pratyahara means drawing back or retreat. The word ahara means “nourishment”; pratyahara translates as “to withdraw oneself from that which nourishes the senses.” In yoga, the term pratyahara implies withdrawal of the senses from attachment to external objects. It can then be seen as the practice of non-attachment to sensorial distractions as we constantly return to the path of self realization and achievement of internal peace. It means our senses stop living off the things that stimulate; the senses no longer depend on these stimulants and are not fed by them any more.

In pratyahara we sever this link between mind and senses, and the senses withdraw. When the senses are no longer tied to external sources, the result is restraint or pratyahara. Now that the vital forces are flowing back to the Source within, one can concentrate without being distracted by externals or the temptation to cognize externals.

Pratyahara occurs almost automatically when we meditate because we are so absorbed in the object of meditation. Precisely because the mind is so focused, the senses follow it; it is not happening the other way around.

No longer functioning in their usual manner, the senses become extraordinarily sharp. Under normal circumstances the senses become our masters rather than being our servants. The senses entice us to develop cravings for all sorts of things. In pratyahara the opposite occurs: when we have to eat we eat, but not because we have a craving for food. In pratyahara we try to put the senses in their proper place, but not cut them out of our actions entirely.

Much of our emotional imbalance are our own creation. A person who is influenced by outside events and sensations can never achieve the inner peace and tranquility. This is because he or she will waste much mental and physical energy in trying to suppress unwanted sensations and to heighten other sensations. This will eventually result in a physical or mental imbalance, and will, in most instances, result in illness.

Patanjali says that the above process is at the root of human unhappiness and uneasiness. When people seek out yoga, hoping to find that inner peace which is so evasive, they find that it was theirs all along. In a sense, yoga is nothing more than a process which enables us to stop and look at the processes of our own minds; only in this way can we understand the nature of happiness and unhappiness, and thus transcend them both.^xii

Pranayama is the measuring, control, and directing of the breath. Pranayama controls the energy (prana) within the organism, in order to restore and maintain health and to promote evolution. When the in-flowing breath is neutralized or joined with the out-flowing breath, then perfect relaxation and balance of body activities are realized.

In yoga, we are concerned with balancing the flows of vital forces, then directing them inward to the chakra system and upward to the crown chakra. Pranayama, or breathing technique, is very important in yoga. It goes hand in hand with the asana or pose.

In the Yoga Sutra, the practices of pranayama and asana are considered to be the highest form of purification and self discipline for the mind and the body, respectively. The practices produce the actual physical sensation of heat, called tapas, or the inner fire of purification. It is taught that this heat is part of the process of purifying the nadis, or subtle nerve channels of the body. This allows a more healthful state to be experienced and allows the mind to become more calm.x As the yogi follows the proper rhythmic patterns of slow deep breathing “the patterns strengthen the respiratory system, soothe the nervous system and reduce craving. As desires and cravings diminish, the mind is set free and becomes a fit vehicle for concentration.”