11 Insights on Taking a Yoga Training

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Yoga teacher training can and will change your life, and here's why.

Our 200 hour Foundational Teacher Training is just around the corner.  Facilitated by Sarah Zandbeek, this course will guide you to transform your practice and deepen your understanding of philosophy and history of yoga.  Moreover, this course is an invitation to self: self love, self knowledge, self illumination.  The following post is from your teacher, Sarah.

For full details on this offering, head here!

Get in touch: trainings@yogalifestudios.ca

Here's 11 reasons to dive in deep with a yoga teacher training.

Any yoga teacher or human I know that has taken a yoga training has said they believe that this should be a mandatory life program.

 

1) Remoulding Reality: There is so much we don’t know about what we know. Having been raised in a culture that deeply values hierarchy and money, we have been secretly trained to hold rules that might be enslaving us instead of propelling us forward. Our idea of success is buried in things that don’t touch the Soul. Yoga trainings begin to ask more, begging the question again and again, “is that true for you, are these ways of existing true for you?” Some how in some way, something opens and all of a sudden the need to hustle and feel stressed about not having enough transforms into “holy shit, I am so taken care of.”

2) Space Holding: Ever feel like no one ever really quite listens to what you are saying? Their physical ear is there, but they’re not hearing the words or the frequency beneath the words? Well, Yoga Training, helps you to not be that friend. As Teachers, we become guiders in Life, whether we chose that or not. When we begin to look at our lives with a higher resolution microscope, we learn things about life and the way it works and in that, we gain empathy, understanding, and compassion. So, when friends and family come to you, you can actually listen with a tuned in ear to the pains they are speaking of without needing to try and push it away with statements like, “it’s going to be all good, he is a jerk any ways, or you’re going to be fine.” Being able to listen is one of the greatest gifts you can give yourself, your community and humanity.

3) To Live: Yoga training helps you to understand life. In this you gain the courage to really start living it – outside the bounds of who and what someone told you you were suppose to be/do. When we start to observe what the body is experiencing, it becomes a beautiful guide that moves you towards your authentic truth. When we are in line with truth, ease arises, and the dance of life begins underneath our feet.

4) Freedom: I bet you often hear a calling for something more and you have been ignoring it for a while. There is something deep within you that is getting louder and louder, asking you to listen; the Soul’s cry for freedom. Answer that call. The time for change is NOW.

5) Strength and SURRENDER: Learning the pulsation of life can help you move through the tough times with more grace. Unfortunately (fortunately), tough times are an essential part of life and learning; imagine learning from the rough patches in a much less stressful and tumultuous way. Not everything needs to be dealt with head on: yoga can teach us to surrender to that which we can not change and to look a little deeper in order to see the truth of the matter, which is always humbling and filled with powerful teachings.

6) Re-Inhabit Intuition: Living in a society that is mostly based on lies, we have grown to stop trusting our intuition – that which guides us to who we are and our highest purpose. This can lead us to wondering, “what am I doing, what is the point?” Not knowing your purpose can make it really hard to wake up each day, moving through the motions that aren’t moving you. Yoga training helps build Self-trust and confidence to stand up for what you are feeling. It offers a space for others to drop their lies and start moving toward speaking truth and having the strength to say the hardest of things. Moving lies out of the body makes space for deeper movements and more profound moments in life. Life becomes much more juicy!

7) Dissolve Suffering: Suffering exists due to undigested emotional experiences, which tend to inhabit the tissues of the body in the strangest ways. As we practice asana, engage in breath work, and meditate, these stagnancies begin to move. This brings emotions to the forefront, giving us a chance to dissolve past happenings and release them from there grip on our day to day perspective of life.

8) Threshold meets Change: Often, when we reach the edge of something, there is that friction has built and it’s hot, frustrating, and it feels like it might collapse us. We turn around and go back to what we already know and that courageous part of us turtles once again – the cycle ensues. What if we learned to meet these thresholds and had skills to yield through them? We may start to desire these times of great change instead of fear them. Grace may begin to exist as a consistency in our personality.

9) Authentic Self: Who are you? Be that. Scary? Maybe. Impelling? Most definitely. Yoga training can help you begin to move through life guided by what really serves you in all senses: food, relationships, work, and love life. Live in complete accordance to that which you were designed for.

10) Navigation: Yoga training teaches us how to begin chipping away all the built in patterns that we have created over time through our experience in this life. How does one begin to “listen” to the inner guide, to have courage to follow it no matter what, to speak truth even when the voice quivers and the truth is hard. Observing the journey of Yoga in the body-mind-spirit continuum teaches us so much, allowing us to start observing moments in a much more profound way.

11) Life becomes an Offering: Empathy. Through working on your Self, the vastness of what makes you begins to reveal itself. Within that, we start to see that we are all things: crazy, wild, kind, and free. It is only through allowing yourself to experience all of Life’s emotions, that you begin to make space for the uncalculated pathway of others. Each life, each soul is having a different experience than you and your way and learnings may not be their way. Once this is realized, there is space for you to not attach to their experience but rather joyously (and sometimes frustrating) observe them as they unfurl, at their own special pace, way, and time. Not to be corrected or fixed, only loved through the process. The Ultimate offering.

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Festival Season Kicks Off With A Pre-Stretch!

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Once Summer hits, there is no lack of amazing events around our city and beyond! Music festivals are growing beyond just music and there is an integration and overlap into many other offerings. Yoga has become a huge part of the festival community, and every year you can find a few Yogalife Studios instructors heading up workshops and related local events.  

Astral Harvest is a celebration of music, art, knowledge, community and the human experience.

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We are just under a month away from Astral Harvest Music and Arts Festival, a 4-day gathering in Driftpile, Alberta that boasts international musical acts, yoga and movement workshops, art, seminars and beyond. This family friendly event is in its 9th season, running from June 30 - July 3. The Astral Harvest crew hosts an assortment of pre-festival events throughout the summer; this year you can find a "Pre-Stretch" series added to that line-up!

"Astral Harvest offers so much more than music - yoga is such a big part of the festival and our community. This year we wanted to showcase this in our pre-festival series to give that part of the festival the same exposure."

- Jordan Smoliak, Festival Director and Founder

With over 100 different "Experience" workshops, ranging from Crochet 101 to Psychedelic Light Meditation, Astral Harvest really has something for everyone. Peruse the full line-up of unique offerings here!

Astral Harvest Pre-Stretch #2

The next event in the pre-festival series is coming up this Friday, June 10 with Caitlin Varrin and Jen Maio at Be Hot Yoga Wellness. The evening kicks off at 7pm with practice casually commencing around 7:20. Expect a live DJ, snacks and treats and the chance to win a weekend pass to Astral Harvest!

-Facebook event link here-

Astral Harvest Music and Arts Festival 2016 ticket winner!

Astral Harvest Music and Arts Festival 2016 ticket winner!

Find Your Yogalife Instructors at Astral Harvest

Graham Parsons | Laughter Yoga: Re-Igniting Your Joy Circuitry

This workshop is an opportunity to learn how to employ laughter the same way we employ breath in a yoga practice: to enliven, to harmonize, to clarify. Through interactive laughter exercises, we can play off of one another to unearth a plethora of benefits. Laughter sends strong signals of well-being throughout the body & mind, nurturing our respiratory, immune & endocrine systems, to name but a few.

Myrah Penaloza & Robindra Mohar | Align To Your Source: Deep House Nada Yoga

Join Myrah & Robindra for an immersive journey through Kundalini & Sattva Yoga set to the sounds of a Global Journey of Deep House, Tribal and Bedoiun sounds taking you from Alberta to the moon, India and back.

The experience will begin with talks by Myrah & Robindra about aligning your life to the source of your joy. We talk about alignment in the physical practises of yoga for a reason. The body, breath and mind share the same space and when we learn to use the concept of alignment in all areas of our lives we will find ourselves awakening to the life of our dreams much faster than any 5 or 10 year plan you might have.

We will explore the astrology of the time/day that this experience begins together, we will practise activating kundalini yoga kriyas, we will DANCE like no one is watching and we will end the class with a grounding & deeply healing Gong Meditation.  

We are so excited to connect with our community on the dance floor and on our mats/in the grass, under the sunshine and stars. Find tickets to Astral Harvest Season 9

here!

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Studio Information, What's Going On Yogalife Team Studio Information, What's Going On Yogalife Team

VIRYA CHALLENGE

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Virya means diligence, effort and enthusiasm

Yoga is an inward journey for all of us so allow yourself the time and space to develop your own personal practice.

VIRYA CHALLENGE

VIRYA CHALLENGE

COMMIT TO 3 MONTHS TO MAINTAIN A CONSISTENT PRACTICE JULY 1ST - SEPTEMBER 30TH 3 X WEEK FOR 13 WEEKS

USE EXISTING MONTHLY PASS OR SIGN UP FOR $99 PER MONTH COMPLETION OF CHALLENGE GIVES YOU 15% OFF THE $99 MONTHLY MEMBERSHIP VALIANT EFFORT & PARTICIPATION GIVES YOU 10% OFF THE $99 MONTHLY MEMBERSHIP

FOR OUR ORIGINAL REGULAR MONTHLY MEMBERS WE HAVE PRIZES FOR YOU FOR COMPLETING THE CHALLENGE

WRAP UP PARTY SWAG FROM OUR AWESOME PARTNERS PRIZES TO DRAW

BUY MONTHLY PASS


You can sign up at the studio. Find the board and put your name on it. Start counting on July 1st.

Summer Yoga Challenge

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Vitality Kitchen Workshop Series

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Yogalife and Vitality Kitchen are teaming up to bring you healthy workshops

Yogalife Studios is known for offering you yoga (makes sense, we ARE a yoga studio!), but we believe that yoga is one fraction of a balanced, healthy lifestyle. We want to share more than asana, pranayama and meditation with you; we want to give you the tools to create the healthiest, happiest life! In an effort to keep you connected, we're teaming up with Bianca Osborne of Vitality Kitchen to bring you a series of hour-long workshops to inform and enlighten.

 

Bianca Osborne of Edmonton's Vitality Kitchen

 

We want to help you create a lifestyle that suits YOU.

 


The first event is coming up this Saturday, March 5 at our south studio. 3:30-4:30 pm. $5

(yep, only $5)

Space is limited so be sure to pre-register HERE!


 

Vitality Health Workshop Series 1: Essential Oils for Digestive Health

essential oils and medical flowers herbs

One of the biggest health concerns affecting people is digestive distress from bloating, gas, indigestion, constipation, diarrhea and more. As essential oils and their benefits have grown in popularity, it’s time to to harness their healing benefits for your gut and promote abundant digestive health. This workshop we will cover the top essential oils for healthy digestion and how to use them safely.

 


I started using essential oils as a way to to make my home smell good without the use of chemicals often found in candles and air fresheners, which kickstarted my adventurous discovery into the best essential oils. Certified, pure, unadulterated and sensibly sourced reinforces that these really are the best essential oils and they have changed my life. I use them in cooking, in my home and as a part of my wellness routine- these AMAZING essential oils are life changing.

 

- Bianca Osborne

 

Follow Bianca and The Vitality Kitchen on Facebook and be sure to stay up to date with other events here and on her website, www.thevitalitykitchen.ca

 

Upcoming Vitality Kitchen workshops at Yogalife Studios:

Boost Your Immunity with Essential Oils, Yogalife Studios North, March 12, 3:30-4:30

How to use essential oils to support immunity all year round.

 

Relax and Rebalance with Essential Oils, Yogalife Studios South, March 20, 3:00-4:00

Learn how to calm the body and renew the nervous system with essential oils.

 

Total Body Cleanse with Essential Oils, Yogalife Studios North, March 26, 3:30-4:30

Learn how to support the detoxification process naturally with essential oils.

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Community Yoga Class For Keiran

Com·mu·ni·ty /kəˈmyo͞onədē/ A feeling of fellowship with others, as a result of sharing common attitudes, interests, and goals.

Community Yoga for a Dancer's Dream

Yogalife community, meet Keiran. Kieran is fourteen years old and loves to dance. He started taking ballet when he was four years old in Vancouver. He danced for several years there and then took a few years off after becoming self-conscious of the fact that he was the only boy in class. He started again three years ago and is now working towards his dream of becoming a professional dancer. Currently, he spends about 20 hours a week training in studios, at home, as well as performing on stage.

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community-yoga

Kieran started coming to Yogalife last February and absolutely loves it! He can be found in class in positions that show his flexibility and strength, alongside his mother. Kieran enjoys adding yoga to his dance practice to enhance his breathing, and add calmness to his very busy schedule.

He recently auditioned for the Alberta Ballet’s summer school intensive, which is held in Calgary in July for three weeks.

He was not only accepted, but also awarded a full scholarship for the tuition!

Unfortunately, he still is required to come up with residence fees, which are over $2000. The opportunity to participate in the summer program means the possibility of acceptance into the full-time professional program, which would give him the training he needs for attaining a career in dance.

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melissa photo

Join Melissa Perret for a karma class at Yogalife Studios North on March 5 at 3:00pm. Melissa is leading a vinyasa-style flow class with all the proceeds going towards Keiran's dream.

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We Want To Give You Yoga!

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Here's how we're going to do it

Feeling loved, appreciated and comfortable in a yoga studio is incredibly important. This is perhaps where you spend your calmest hour or so of the day; where you may open up and become more sensitive to yourself and your needs. It's where you sweat, grow, challenge yourself and even change. This place can grow to be your second home, your family, your team!

We want to make your connection to our studio really easy and affordable, and keep you excited about us! Here's a few ways we're going the extra mile to keep you on our team:

 

30 Days of Unlimited Yoga for $39

 

Yogalife unlimited trial pass for new students

 

The best way to become acquainted with a studio is to go as much as you can! Get the most out of your 30-day trial: try new classes, meet the instructors, make friends in the tea lounge, have an apple after class (we provide those!).  Your membership includes mat and towel service if you need it, on a first come first serve basis.

 

Our new student trial price equals less than the price of two drop-ins and comes with a mat and towel if you need. Bonus.

 

12 Class Challenge

 

Yogalife new student 12 class yoga challenge

 

This is where things get interesting. The 12 class challenge is just like it sounds, completing the goal of 12 classes within 30 days. We offer such a variety of classes; warm foundation, yin, meditation, vinyasa flow, acro, hatha flow and happy hips, just to name a few. You may fall in love with hot yoga or prefer to practice in a non-heated space; this trial period is your time to explore.

Once you complete your 12 classes in 30 days we will excitedly gift you with a free month of yoga (one month auto-renew = $99 - we're giving you two!).

 

We hope your curiosity and connection to yoga and Yogalife will continue to flourish as you deepen your practice.

 

Save On Your Monthly Membership

 

yogalife membership perks

 

When you get into the groove of a steady practice and come to the studio multiple times a week, it makes sense to do an auto-renew membership. To help with this commitment, we'll cover $10 of your monthly fee. Sign up in the first month of your 30-day trial to snag this deal.

 

We know this is a lot of information but at the end of the day we just want to give you yoga. We want you to feel valued and supported as you get more serious about your practice. Whether that involves 3 sweaty flow classes a week or a variety of hatha/yin/meditation, we want to make this as accessible as we can. Never hesitate to ask our staff and instructors about the details.

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New Year Tibetan Singing Bowl Meditation

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Sound healing meditation to reflect and renew

Many cultures recognize the importance of music and sound as healing power. In the ancient civilizations of India, the Orient, Africa, Europe, and Native Americans, the practice of using sound to heal and achieve balance from within has existed for years. The Tibetans use bells, chimes, bowls and chanting as the foundation for their spiritual practice. In Bali, Indonesia, the echoing, gamelong, gong and drum are used in ceremonies to uplift and send messages. The Australian aboriginals and native shamanists use vocal toning and repetitive sound vibration with instruments created from nature in sacred ceremony to adjust any imbalance of spirit.

 

singing bowl meditation workshop

 

We are excited to bring this healing practice to Yogalife Studios this holiday season with a New Year Tibetan Singing Bowl Meditation with Neil Haggard.

 


Celebrate the New Year with an Asana and guided Meditation practice to reflect on the important things in life. Wellness. Peace. Health. Family. Renewal. Movement. Focus.


 

When we hear inspiring stories and take time to reflect on what is important in our lives, taking stock, we can see our lives in new ways, focus on what is great about life! Taking some time to relax, listen to our hearts, move the body, calm the busy mind, restore the senses and learn to breathe - a sure way to being healthy and a great practice to take into the year to come.

 

Walk away with a renewed sense of well being and deep commitment to the important things in our lives! Click here to register!

 

new years singing bowl meditation workshop

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Community Spotlight || Pura Botanicals

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Pura Botanicals: In Pure We Trust

Pura Botanicals, in pure we trust.

 

This month we're featuring local apothecary and potion professional Pura Botanicals. This green beauty apothecary & natural perfumery boasts a collection of non-toxic, vegan, and eco-friendly skincare and wellness potions centred around the ancient art of the beauty ritual. Pura Botanicals is incredibly conscious; check out their amazing ambassador tribe (which includes the lovely Myrah Penaloza!) and learn about why the founder, Lane, was destined to create this company.

 

Pura Botanicals workshop and creative space.

 


"From an early age, I was fascinated with making potions on a little step at the side of our home. I spent hours concocting healing tinctures for my mother, whom was kind enough to test almost anything I snuck into our home. It was my love for nature and probably her nurturing instinct that guided me down the path to becoming a green beauty skincare alchemist and perfumer."

- an excerpt from Lane's 'Love Letter'


Natural Beauty

Pura Botanicals' collection encompasses skin care, body care, aromatic elixirs and yoga potions. Only the finest, skin-friendly ingredients go into these products, with the intention of unveiling and celebrating natural beauty.  At the heart of this process is finding the luxury in nurturing yourself, the planet, and the community.  Pura creates with mindfulness and consistency.

 

A display of natural skincare products from Pura Botanicals.

 

Custom Fragrance

Another interesting niche of this company is the Bespoke Perfume program.  Pura's extensive library of essential oils offers something for everyone and the intimate process of selecting the right combination for you is truly unique.  They conduct an in-depth scent analysis to ensure the most authentic inspiration is arrived at.

 

A collection of essential oils used to create bespoke perfume in Edmonton, AB.

 


"My first memory of perfume comes from my childhood. At night, on the occasion that my mother would go out, she would mist her heart centre and pulse points with her special perfume, and then kiss me goodnight before leaving. Up close, her soft, moist skin and signature scent would enrapture me with her elegance and beauty. Now as a woman and mother, I wear her favorite perfume to remember her by... to savour those bedtime kisses again and again. That's the power of perfume. It can be something dabbed on for an evening outing, never to be repeated again, or it can be an unfading part of one’s identity, recalled decades later with bracing clarity & awe."

- Lane Edwards, Pura’s founder, perfumer & alchemist


 

Natural ingredients used to make Pura Botanicals products.

 

We are stocked with our favourites at both studios.  Come try a sample and see why we fell in love!  To learn more about this amazing company in our community, head to www.purabotanicals.com.

 

The lovely images featured on this blog were provided by Jenn Crebas Photography.  Check out more of her work at www.jenncrebasphotography.wordpress.com, and find her on Facebook and Instagram!

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YOGA FOR ANXIETY, FEAR AND STRESS RELIEF

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Finding the tools that work for you to manage and overcome anxiety.

Yoga is a practice of many things: self-love, awareness, quiet, patience, balance.  We often refer to our mats as a sanctuary where we can escape into peace.  For some of us, this may be the only place we feel this relief.  Yoga aims to teach us to live our practice off the mat and into the world, but the power of anxiety and stress can overshadow the positive qualities of our practice in our day-to-day lives.  Anxiety disorder (and the stuff that comes along with it) is very real for many people - around 12% of Canadians to be exact!  This goes beyond pre-exam nerves or date jitters; this form of stress can be debilitating.

 

Being a human is a work in progress and our yoga practice is just that, a PRACTICE! (not a perfect).  Sri Swami reminds us “practice becomes firmly grounded when well attended to for a long time, without break and in all earnestness” in The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali.  In other words, keep at it.  Sometimes we just need the tools, and then to be reminded of them.

 

Yoga triangle pose in autumn.

Talk about your anxiety

Anxiety has been a prevalent topic on our blog because it is a very real issue.  We believe in the commitment to self through the regular practice of self-love, meditation, asana, pranayama, and whatever else works in YOUR toolbox of life.  Above all, it's important to talk about it.  If you're feeling alone, know that you don't have to be.

 


A bit from a past blog:

 

"The thing that kept me coming back [to my mat] was the knowledge that there was a quiet place within that offered a sensation of control and self-patience I had never quite been able to harness. I guess you could simply say it offered me SOURCE.  I found that even when I was off my mat I could slip into this place and enjoy my inner sanctuary.  As yoga has become a huge part of my life, it is most certainly a deeply-rooted impulse to honour why I’m here. I absolutely fall off course, have the occasional panic attack and most certainly have bad days, but I know deep down that the place I first fell in love with – that sanctuary in my heart – exists."


 

Learn more about managing anxiety

If this is something you would life to learn more about join us December 5th for an in-depth offering, Yoga for Anxiety, Fear and Stress Relief with Michelle Chung.

 

This workshop is specifically designed to help those that suffer from anxiety and stress. Using LifeForce Yoga ® principles and techniques, you will learn to move into more balanced (sattvic) state and move towards positive emotional, mental, physical state of equanimity and self-awareness. You will learn yoga practices that calm feelings of anxiety, which includes asana (postures), pranayama (breathing techniques), relaxation (yoga nidra), yoga chakra sounds and mantras. No previous yoga experience necessary.

Mountain pose to calm the mind.

 

LifeForce Yoga is a practice of compassion that creates a big enough container to embrace and accept all the dualities of mood.

 


Saturday, December 5, 2015 2:00 PM - 4:30 PM Yoga for Anxiety, Fear and Stress Relief with Michelle Chung Yogalife Studios South


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Yoga For Trauma and PTSD

edmonton yoga workshop PTSD 3 The following is a guest post from Yogalife instructor Gabi Weaver. Gabi brings a special element to our team with her experience in Therapeutic Yoga and her involvement with helping at-risk groups begin to stabilize and heal.

Gabi is excited to share a special 3-hour workshop with the community October 31 at Yogalife Studios North.


My name is Gabriela Weaver, RYT, RHN, YoR. I am a practicing Yoga therapist. I have used Yoga’s many tools to heal and support others with anxiety and depression, alcohol and drug addiction, eating disorders and PTSD. I have worked with people who have cancer, fibromyalgia, HIV, high blood pressure, multiple sclerosis and neurological and neuromuscular diseases. I have used Yoga countless times to support and strengthen thousands of practitioners, and lead them back to better lives, happier lives, with better health, and a new vitality for living that is so exciting and wonderful to see.

I’m going to ask you to think of yoga as medicine - a concept which may be new to you. You have probably seen many pictures of yoga practitioners in very advanced postures and have heard about the sauna-like conditions that accompany many modern yoga practices. This has convinced many people that yoga isn’t something that could possibly be for them. But take a closer look; you will find yoga being used in ways you may have never thought of before. Yoga is now being used in many capacities to heal both body and mind. edmonton yoga workshop PTSD 2

Yoga may be the most powerful overall system for healing ever discovered. The relief of suffering has been the central aim of yoga for thousands of years. Part of the reason that yoga is so effective is that it aims to heal the mind, body and spirit together. Yoga not only addresses the symptoms of PTSD, but has the tools to do it. A number of yoga practices, starting with simple breathing exercises that almost anyone can do, can reliably shift the body from the flight-or-fight response to relaxation (Colonel David Grossman -Tactical Breathing author of ‘On Combat’). It is even possible, using yogic tools, to shift your mind and body into a relaxed state when you are experiencing PTSD symptoms. Keep in mind though, that while powerful, yoga isn’t a quick fix. Yoga becomes more and more effective over weeks, months, and years of practice.

edmonton yoga workshop PTSD

Therapeutic yoga awakens in you the ability to heal yourself. Therapeutic yoga is supported by psychology and neuroscience. It is brought to life by my students who share their stories of struggle and healing. By connecting with your mind and body, you’ll gain a glimpse of what lies beyond the emotional pain of PTSD, trauma, and heightened states of anxiety. Yoga opens a window to a new world. This includes a connection to a deeper part of you that lives within and also transcends your mind and body: your spirit or vital essence.


Yoga For Trauma and PTSD w/ Gabi Weaver Yogalife Studios North Saturday, October 31 || 2:30-5:30pm


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The Yogalife App Is LIVE!

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yogalife app We like to consider ourselves somewhat tech-savvy and are always looking for ways to make your lives a bit easier. Behold, the newest edition to the Yogalife Studios collection of things digital: our very own app!


APP /ap/ noun a self-contained program or piece of software designed to fulfill a particular purpose; an application, especially as downloaded by a user to a mobile device.


Now you can book your classes, find out who's teaching, learn about new workshops and all things related to the studio from anywhere. yogalife app 2

 

Find us in the app store:

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It's (almost!) Time To Bloom

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 BLOOM 2015. A 2 DAY RETREAT & CELEBRATION OCTOBER 3-4TH WINSPEAR CENTER EDMONTON, ALBERTA  


www.itstimetobloom.com


  bloom edmonton 2015 - 3

  The third annual Bloom is right around the corner and for the YEG yogi community this is like Christmas (plus there really is something for everyone at Bloom)! Yogalife Studios is so thrilled to be on the supporting team for this amazing event again this year and we simply can't wait to experience Bloom 2015's offerings.

  bloom edmonton 2015

  The line-up this year is incredible: music, yoga, knowledge, inspiration.

  Keynote speaker Marianne Williamson is a pioneer of a worldwide spiritual movement. She has written four #1 New York Times Best Sellers and her teachings have influenced millions around the world to lead happier and more fulfilled lives. In 2014, Marianne ran for US Congress in an attempt to start a bold new conversation in politics. She is the founder of Project Angel Food that serves over 1,000 meals per day for people suffering with AIDS in Los Angeles. Marianne co-founded the Peace Alliance and sits on the board of RESULTS that works to end hunger and poverty throughout the world.  

bloom edmonton 2015 marianne  

www.marianne.com

 


Marianne offers a free weekly talk via live stream on her website!


  The concert series showcases some of the world's finest, most inspiring artists. If you were a part of Bloom 2.0 you know how fun this portion of the weekend is. This year Bloom has invited back favourites DJ Drez, Marti Nikko, and Sheela Bringi for musical stylings and workshop offerings.  

bloom 2015 edmonton yoga  

New to the bill this year is Grammy-nominated musician Jai Uttal. He'll be sharing a concert and workshop: Awakening Bhakti on Saturday and a workshop talk on the Ramayana on Sunday. Jai Uttal is a pioneer in the world music community. His eclectic east meets-west sound has put his music at the forefront of the world fusion movement; his musical roots embrace a rich variety of cultures and traditions that span the globe and the centuries.

  bloom 2015 edmonton yoga music

  From the hillbilly music of the Appalachian Mountains to the passionate strains of Bengali street singers, from the haunting rhythms and melodies of ancient India to contemporary electric rock sounds, Jai’s music distills the essence of diverse musical forms.

 


Explore the full musical line-up here!


 

Be sure to say hi at our Yogalife Studios homebase in the marketplace!

Grab your tickets to Bloom 2015 HERE.

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'Smitten With Life' Nicaragua Retreat || Destination Feature

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nicaragua yoga retreat playa escameca 


Breathe In Life Destination Feature Playa Escameca, Nicaragua


  Yogalife Studios and Breathe In Life travel/adventure/yoga/all-around amazing company are teaming up to bring you a special offering in a beautiful corner of the world. The following is a feature on Playa Escameca, the breathtaking area of Nicaragua that Yogalifers Caitlin Varrin and Graham Parsons are taking yogis to get a little more smitten with life. You can find more destination features on the Breathe In Life blog, alongside tons of cool yogi/yoga features, recipes, festival reviews and more.  

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In the deep south of Nicaragua, just a stone’s throw from Costa Rica, there is a special beach you can only hope to stumble upon while traveling – Playa Escameca. Arguably one of the nicest beaches in Central America, you won’t find Playa Escameca in any travel books and that’s because this spot is unique. This incredible stretch of beach presently only has 1 eco-resort where we will be staying named ‘Costa Dulce’ which means ‘Fresh Coast’. It boasts not only gorgeous scenery but some seriously gnarly surfing conditions that you can enjoy all to yourself. You are about as far away from honking horns, pesky sales people, crowded waves and booming late-night parties as you can get. That’s why Free & Easy Traveler (Breathe in Life’s sister company) jumped all over the opportunity to start building our own little sanctuary for the travellers we know are out there looking for something peaceful and off-the-beaten-path. Many of you actually may have seen it before and not known it; Playa Escameca was the setting for the TV show Survivor Nicaragua! You know this show always finds the most beautiful, remote paradise locations so this says a lot about this special spot.  

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At the beach-house we stay in you will experience resort living in an ecological reserve teeming with wildlife and natural beauty. This private villa has been custom designed using green building concepts, native hardwoods and stones. High ceilings and large overhangs provide shade from sun and rain showers. Boundaries between indoors and outdoors blur when sliding walls open kitchen and bedrooms to large decks overlooking the beach. The yoga studio has a stunning view as soothing sounds of jungle and ocean intermingle. Monkeys sometimes even make an appearance at our sessions!

We can't wait to practice with you, laugh & co-create with you, root down & uplift with you. Come partake of something special, and re-acquaint yourself with the wonder that's always quietly humming in the world around us. All we need to do is listen. And get smitten.

 


SMITTEN WITH LIFE with Graham Parsons and Caitlin Varrin November 13th – November 23rd, 2015 Playa Escameca, Nicaragua Click here for more information on this retreat!


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Yogalife Studios 5 Year Anniversary Celebration(s!!!)

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CELEBRATE 5 YEARS WITH US!


Can you believe we’ve been open in South Edmonton Common for 5 years!? We definitely can’t! But we’re ready to celebrate! Join us for a free week of classes (both locations) from May 23 – 30th.

Remember to reserve your spot ONLINE.

We’re also having a party.


May 30th | 4pm – 8pm, Yogalife Studios Edmonton SOUTH


Community, Food, Drinks, Boutique Shopping Experience, Tarot Card Reader, Photobooth, and really awesome people to come hang with.

Enter your name to win some draws!

We can't wait to celebrate with you! Thank you for your support and love.

RSVP to the celebration HERE!

#YogalifeLove

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The Details on Smitten...

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Join us this Wednesday, May 6th at Yogalife Studios South to learn more about our upcoming November 2015 retreat to Nicaragua with Graham Parsons and Caitlin Varrin!  We can't wait to share our smittenness with you and yes, I think we just made up that word.  Chit chat starts at 7pm! websmitten-with-life-1

 


10 DAY NICARAGUA 'SMITTEN WITH LIFE' YOGA RETREAT
November 13th – November 23rd, 2015

Amongst the myriad of definitions for the word, most would likely agree that to be a Yogi is to be lovingly immersed in the craft of being alive.

On our mats, we cultivate a wise attentiveness toward the little things like the conscious grounding of our feet, the steady circulation of our breath, the alignment of our spines. Over time, off of our mats, this also manifests as an awareness of grounding into the present moment, the steady circulation of Nature, the alignment of how we may serve the well-being of those around us.We are so blessed to be able to find and cultivate these things in our own homes, our local yoga studios, our own backyards. But sometimes, we are also well served by venturing out into the wide world, seeing sunrises from new latitudes with fresh eyes, lovingly recalling in ourselves and each other what it is to be Smitten with Life.

Join Graham Parsons and Caitlin Varrin from Yogalife in a very special corner of the world, the lush southwest coast of Nicaragua, for ten days of revivification. New memories & bonds will be made, natural wonders will be seen, amazing food will be enjoyed. Two classes a day will be on offer in a diversity of styles from Yin to Rocket Ashtanga, from conscious dance to the art of Savasana. And off the mat, everything from surfing lessons in the waves on our front doorstep, to rocking contentedly in a hammock after a day well-lived. Also: dolphins.

We can't wait to practice with you, laugh & co-create with you, root down & uplift with you. Come partake of something special, and re-acquaint yourself with the wonder that's always quietly humming in the world around us. All we need to do is listen. And get smitten.

Please register at Breatheinlife.com

http://www.breatheinlife.com/trainings/nicaragua/welcome

 

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6 Tips For A Digital Detox

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DIGITAL DETOX


 

Feeling overstressed and over tired are all too common in our collective work and family lives.

What are we doing wrong?

We are more connected via technology but somehow not connected to ourselves.

We have become focused on whats outside of us, what is external, instead of whats in here.

How can we connect to that inner voice and find balance?

Do you spend too much time on social media? on your phone?

Have you been out for lunch with a friend and interrupted the in person connection to check your phone, maybe more than once? Do you feel disconnected to your creative work?

Digital technology is forever changing the way we communicate, connect and develop relationships. The problem is that we have become so accustomed to instant gratification of our curiosity and our mental whims, that we have undermined our own ability to focus. The average human attention span is now less than 9 seconds, worse than that of a gold fish, we are giving ourselves ADD through our abusive relationship with technology.

 

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Join us this Saturday, May 2 at Yogalife Studios South from 2:30 - 5:00 for the Digital Detox Workshop. This offering kicks off with a conversation led by Robindra followed by a yoga class led by Myrah (founders of the Bloom Festival), all designed to bring your attention back.

We will go through the 8 limbs of yoga to find a new balance and new relationship with technology, practise a few addiction breaking kundalini yoga kriyas, and have a group conversation about what's working and not working and come up with how we can redesign our every day lives to be free of our addiction to technology.

The digital detox is not a total technology black out, rather we will outlay a 7 day program to study ourselves, our compulsions, and to give ourselves space from technology during power times of the day.


Here are 6 quick steps to getting your digital detox started immediately, borrowed from the geniuses over at MindBodyGreen.


1. Turn the phone off or into airplane mode before bed.

2. Shower and get dressed before you check your email or social media.

3. Resist the urge to check social media during a meal, especially dinner with family and friends.

4. Buy a real newspaper or magazine and get your fingers dirty from the ink.

5. Leave your phone at home or at the office for at least one walk or errand a day.

6. Stare into space at least one minute a day, without grasping your gadget. Call it meditating or simply "spacing out." Either way, it will be productive and challenge you to loosen your grip on technology.

You can do it! See you this weekend.

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A little bit about Kevin Naidoo

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image2 Yogalife Studios South is excited to welcome travelling yogi Kevin Naidoo this Sunday for a unique 3 hour workshop. Come explore a non-dogmatic, contemporary, compassionate approach to Ashtanga Yoga.

Moving slow and mindful together creating a powerful vibration as we support each others Greatness.

Includes: Pranayama, Philosophy, Asana, and Yoga Nidra

 


Love Light Liberation with Kevin Naidoo Yogalife Studios South Sunday, April 19, 2:30-5:30 $35


   

Kevin is a true yogi traveler. He hitchhiked across 50 countries, discovered yoga in the Caribbean, lived on remote islands, trekked across Africa, and bathed in the Ganges. He truly lives his life through his heart.

Through Yoga, Kevin discovered a deep mind-body connection, and an increased sense of mental clarity and purpose. He travels, practices and teaches Yoga, with the intention to spread that sense of Oneness, firmly believing that the ancient practice of Yoga is for everyone. Spreading the message of yoga to the next generation, he has also taught yoga to children, inner city youth, and children with disabilities.

 

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Kevin teaches Hatha, Yin, and Vinyasa flow classes, inspired by positive island vibes. His classes are both creative and challenging, focusing on igniting the Prana, and finding stillness and oneness in each asana. Woven with Indian Vedic Philosophy, each class is a journey in itself, culminating in Yoga Nidra that will leave you feeling bliss as you float your way home.

 

Kevin completed his teacher training in Classical Hatha Yoga, at the Sivananda School in India, has completed a 200 Vinyasa TTC with Ryan Leir, and has certifications in Yin and Yoga Nidra. He continues to study, and teach yoga around the world, and teaches in a studio when at home in Canada.

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Personal Progress: keeping track of YOU

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edmonton yeg yoga 3  If you've been around the studio lately you've probably seen our Virya Challenge poster in the hallway, chalk FULL of checkmarks.  This "challenge" is intended to create accountability to a steady practice; students can see their progress and feel the benefits.  When you track your progress you have a tangible account of your journey.  It serves as a guide for the process, and although it's just a checkmark - or a journal entry or perhaps even a sticker! - it is a visual representation of your accomplishments.     edmonton yeg yoga 2   Tuning into your progress is a huge part of achieving goals.  Nothing happens overnight, especially when it comes to self-study and growth, so keeping track along the journey is helpful to stay on the path.  Keep on keeping on and remember, it's never too late to join the team or create your own commitments!  As per usual, the family at Yogalife Studios is mega proud of all of you and so thrilled to be a part of your progress.   edmonton yeg yoga  

 

 

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Therapeutic Yoga with Gabi Weaver

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Yogalife Studios North is pleased to introduce a regular Therapeutic Yoga class with Gabi Weaver, starting this Sunday, April 5, 1:00-2:15pm. Learn more about this beneficial practice below in this guest post written by Gabi.  

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Therapeutic Yoga

Gabi Weaver


Yoga has long been practiced with therapeutic intentions as a way of healing and awakening both the body and the mind.  Therapeutic yoga is a particularly effective practice for those recovering from, or living with, injury or illness. Therapeutic Yoga blends restorative yoga (supported postures) gentle yoga, subtle strengthening exercises, breath-work, hands-on healing adjustments, and guided meditation techniques. It is excellent for those who need something gentle -yet effective for reducing pain, bringing the body into balance, opening it, strengthening it and reducing stress.

 

Therapeutic Yoga can be a deeply restorative experience and can help to access the deeper wisdom that resides within-to awaken our bodies’ own ability to heal itself.  Therapeutic yoga differs from a regular yoga class by focusing on the needs of students instead of the student modifying to fit the class. The class is catered to benefit the needs of students. Health issues ranging from chronic pain and injury, to cancer, depression, digestive issues, heart conditions and stress-related symptoms can be effectively addressed using yogic techniques.

 

Healing is a process of bringing the entire being into wholeness, not just relieving symptoms. Western or allopathic medicine diagnoses and then treats the symptoms of disease, but often ignores the root cause- which may be physical (due to a lack of movement or injury) emotional, (brought on by stress or negative mind chatter) or spiritual (expressed in feelings of despondency, depression or a failure to thrive).  Yoga’s broader approach reminds clients that they are not defined by their diagnosis and symptoms. It recognizes healing as a multi-faceted journey toward greater health and wellbeing. Therapeutic Yoga is not intended to be a substitute for modern medicine, but is a complementary and alternative method that enhances the healing process.

 

Yoga Therapy and Therapeutic yoga are only now emerging as a discipline in itself.  More and more health care practitioners are starting to include yogic techniques in their approach to healing-and more yoga teachers are giving a therapeutic intention to their teaching. People who have never tried yoga before are starting to consider including yoga in their treatment plan. Yoga is beneficial for our health in ways that modern science is just beginning to understand, though it has been applied with therapeutic intention for thousands of years. More and more research is being conducted on helping science and the medical community to understand and accept the benefits of Yoga Therapy.

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Laughter Yoga With Graham Parsons

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If you've never partaken of a laughter yoga session, chances are you've maybe pondered already what it could entail: Do we practice belly laughing while we do headstand? Do we sit in pigeon and tell each other off-colour jokes? Maybe we just get lifted on our own manic delight & float through the universe like this crazy human:    

 

In the end none of these three truly get close, it's more so something you have to experience for yourself. But to do so is well worth it, because in exactly the same way that we yogis strive for years to harness the subtle energies of our breath to cleanse & revivify ourselves physically, mentally & emotionally, getting deeply immersed in laughter can offer these same treasures in mere minutes.  


Some tangible benefits of laughter itself:

~Tones the core - When we laugh freely we are rapidly contracting our abdominal muscles in a way that promotes stability through center

~Improves Respiratory & Cardiac Health - Ever laughed so hard as something that you felt near passing out with sheer joy? Hearty laughter quickens the breath & blood circulation, allowing more efficient circulation of oxygen throughout the body. This is why we feel that warm afterglow long after the belly laughs have ceased & we've wiped the tears from our eyes.

~Reduces Stress- The physical act of laughter naturally reduces the prevalence of hormones like cortisol and epinephrine, thus greatly reducing the state we sometimes find ourselves in of being 'wired for stress.' Reduction of these hormones has a wonderfully beneficial effect on immune system health as well

~Dissolves social conditioning - Milton Berle once said that 'the shortest distance between two souls is a shared laugh.' When we're really absorbed in a moment of mirth with someone, so much social patterning as resistance freely falls away


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Graham leading the laughter at Astral Harvest Music & Arts Festival, photo by the talented Tinka Kalajzic

 

Now, all of these benefits and more are derived from incidental laughter as we move through our day, and this laughter usually requires a stimulus: a witty meme, an inside joke from a friend, someone letting a fart go in an elevator, etc.

But something odd & unexpected happens when a group of people get together & start laughing for no reason whatsoever: the act of laughing is mechanical at first, but the more we share the collective sound & sight of laughter around us, the more the analytical mind quiets down , the more the laughter flows freely without particular stimulus, and the more the body & mind are able to reap these benefits enduringly. Think about how good you feel when you stop to take a few deep, mindful breaths. Now think about how good you feel after a 90 minute yoga class of mindful breathing. The benefits deepens into our very cells, and patterns us toward continuing to be receptive to this same nourishment in times to come.

Laughter Yoga as a specific practice was begun by a Physician in Mumbai, India a few decades back, and since then has expanded to untold numbers of laughter gatherings and clubs all over the globe. Think of the sun just rising over a pristine, tree-filled park in India. Now think of it filled with hundreds of men, women & children, washing their hearts with laughter to start their day. It may seem ludicrous, but that is precisely why it is of such benefit.

So come join this mirthful gathering of humanity, make a joyful noise, and heal, both inwardly & outwardly. All it takes is a chuckle.

 


Join Graham this Saturday, January 24, at Yogalife Studios South from 2:30-5:30 for the giggle-fit of a lifetime! Register here.


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