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I started my home based yoga studio called Om Yoga Studio. For more information contact me at 780-634-5211, mobile 780-996-1476 or email me at omyogastudio@live.ca
Michelle Davidson, BA
Yoga Instructor
Om Yoga Studio
I’ve abandoned my 1.5 hrs asana practice. Excuses: early work day, after work duties and pleasures.
Nowadays i’m pleased to practice for 15 minutes before work. And when i have the chance to practice asana, i strategically place obstacles in my way.
I’m in the midst of an egoic struggle. I’m not living in my body - and not satisfied with the body i’m in. My body is tight and cranky. not supple and joyful.
Back on the mat today. I feel awkward. My legs stumpy, solid and unmoving like a pair of red cedars. Occasionally my wrist and rotator cuff throb (2 new injuries).
I bend into one knee while the other heel barely inches towards the floor. This used to make my heels connect with the earth - but today they’re skyward.
I am grateful for this challenge, for feeling my practice in my body as it is. While it frustrates me, it also gives me new insight into a tight body.
Conclusion = Asana is good, i feel this more than ever. It keeps me flowing and (for the most part) injury free. Laying on my mat i can feel the jumbles in my back melt into the floor.
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Obstacles naturally pop up on the yogic path to enlightenment and samadhi. Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras lists nine kinds of obstacles:
illness, inefficiency, doubt or indecision, carelessness or negligence, laziness, desires, misperceptions or assumptions, failing to attain stages of the practice, and instability in maintaining a level of practice once attained.
Although we all experience all of these obstacles to some degree, usually one or a couple tend to predominate and pop up as trends or habits. For myself, I find doubt in my choices as well as desires for other outcomes than the ones I currently have to be my most frequent traps.
I’ve found that the more I study the complexity and beauty that is yoga, the more my practice becomes an expansive, joyful celebration of gratitude for all I have. The focus of my practice has moved from putting more emphasis on external opinion and the need to work towards perfection in practice (or life!), to the allowance to do whatever I feel inspired to do at a given time, as long as I do it with integrity and awareness.
How about you? What are some of your obstacles and/or reasons for missing practice? Can you identify yourself in Patanjali’s list in your asana and in your daily life? How have you been moved to work with any of these obstacles?
According to Patanjali, awareness or ‘seeing’ and intentioned focus or ‘single pointedness’ are key to uncovering solutions to these obstacles. Now is a great opportunity to take a look!
Many postures require us to weight our hands which can cause discomfort and damage to our wrists (ie. downward dog, upper plank, hand balances). Hasta bandha allows us to both ground to the earth and to channel energy upward, through our arms.
Some imagery that I find very helpful is imagining that my palms are suction cups. As you know, suction cups have amazing grabbing power - this keeps your hands grounded. At the same time, the suctioning pull draws energy up through our wrists, arms and shoulders.
Another image that you may find helpful is that your arms are like long straws. Combine this with the upward suction-cup pull - and voila - your wrists are no longer taking the brunt of your weight.
Try the following exercise. It has saved my wrists and strengthened my arms.
- Plant your hands
- Press your big knuckles, the root of each finger, into your mat (keep this engaged)
- Make sure the area between your thumb and index finger is not popping up
- Dig your fingertips into the ground like cats claws (keep this engaged)
- Lift the heels of your hands (the ‘hand’ portion of your wrist) off of the ground
- Slowly lower the heels of you hands back down, until they are hovering a few millimeters above the floor.
With your hands and wrists engaged, you should be able to slide an envelope under the heel of your hand. Wowwie! This will make plank & downward dog much more active and tiring.
This engagement will protect your wrists. Be sure to incorporate more rests and forearm stretches into your practice as you learn hasta bandha.
...hasta la vista carpal tunnel syndrome 
The photo above shows an wrist friendly alternative to handstand. Keep in mind these yogis are practicing kick-ups. If this is new to you, practice with a spotter or a wall.
Here are a few yoga recommendations for post-hysterectomy patients.
The best thing to recommend would be Restorative yoga in the style of Judith Lasater.
I have a student who recently had a large cyst removed from her ovary in major abdominal surgery and is doing Restorative once weekly with fabulous results in comfort, energy level, peace and calming.
There is great value in these supportive postures for reducing swelling, edema, muscle strain or pain and generally supporting a return to balance after such a major assault such as abdominal surgery.
The book, Rest and Renew by Judith Lasater is a good bet for home practice or hopefully one can get out to a class regularly.
"What kind of yoga is right for me?” What a great question! I have been practicing yoga for nearly 10 years and I’m still asking it.
On the most basic physical level - the ‘kind’ of yoga you practice may reflect your desire to get hot, cool down, open up, tighten up, move quickly, flow slowly...etc.
On a more fundamental level, you may find yourself called to a particular path of yoga (ie. Kundalini, Ashtanga and Bhakti Yoga).
To add to this mix of schools, many Western brands of yoga have evolved from their traditional Indian roots (ie. Anusara, Jivamukti and Power Yoga).
The different yoga schools simply adhere to different applications of inner discipline, all of which ultimately lead to the liberation of the soul and to a unique understanding of the Divine Unity. The schools are merely named according to the yogi’s objective of self-transformation and the instrument chosen for such anticipated change. http://www.experiencefestival.com
The “kind” of yoga that you practice may be defined by name - but truly, it is your body and your practice.
If you’re like me - you may find that your taste changes from year to year, and even day to day.
You may be attracted to a vigourous style (i.e. Ashtanga or Power Yoga) only to find that your practice is injurious.
At other times you may feel a strong calling to surrender into a restorative practice.
Ultimately, the right kind of yoga is one that brings you into balance.
For more insight check out Mary Jo’s articles: Is Yoga For You? and A Brief History of Yoga.
Here’s a link to a video that parodies materialism in the suburbs. It contrasts the woes of middle class teens to the struggles of third world children.
Some days I forget to count my blessings. I moan about being squeezed out of the housing market and the rising cost of living.
Then there are days when I clearly see that I am rich beyond measure. I have access to clear air, water, wilderness, food and jobs.
This video is an embarrassingly familiar reminder that we have very little to complain about - and so much to do.
I reluctantly entered my first climbing competition yesterday. I dragged my heels getting there, convinced that I was too tired to climb. I moaned and dramatized my moontime apana, knowing that fear the root of my lethargy.
I love climbing and I’m quite competitive. Sounds like a perfect match for a climbing competition. The only problem is that I’m not comfortable with failure.
While I do not openly compete, I do compare myself to others. When I do this I shake myself off centre. I lose touch with my intrinsic love of climbing.
And so there I was at the competition, yawning between attempts - putting around, half removed. The risk seemed to great to put in 100% effort. If I gave my all and lost, I would lose my egocentric supremacy.
To my delight and horror, I made the finals. The final route was a mystery on the outside wall. The finalists, all friends, descended down into the pit to await their turn. With time to spare, I trotted home for a hit of Floradix (liquid iron) and a bowel evacuation.
I returned to the gym, assumed savasana and visualized myself climbing strong and smooth. Clueless to what the route looked like, I figured pseudo-imagery was better than none.
After a few rounds of nadi shodhana. I felt calm and focused. My fatigue paid off - I lacked the energy to wind myself in a nervous tizzy.
After the competition Rik told me that he was nervous for me. I remember that feeling while watching loved ones perform. That’s what the finals felt like, performing in front of an audience of supportive climbers. The stage, a gently overhanging wall; the cast, a sprinkling of multi-coloured holds.
I climbed the wall with my eyes, miming with my hands and feet to mimic the moves. I did my best to decipher the route from the ground, roped up and gave it my all.
I surprised myself and stuck several lunges. I hit a tricky section and attempted to climb a corner arete with no holds. I changed my mind and lost my feet. My effort and fall were greeted with excited cheers.
Both yoga and climbing have taught me how to fall and get back up. When I teeter and totter in balancing poses I no longer fear falling over. I’ve grown to love the sense that I’m losing my balance. I know that this shaking and rocking, helps me develop grounding and poise.
Through my Trinity trainings I have learned how to let loose and dance freely. When I climb I dance between my desire to maintain control and to take risks.
Success is not necessarily about getting to the top or the end of a climb. My greatest accomplishments in climbing come when I drop my ego-striving. Sometimes falling is the most rewarding achievement of all.
I recently received an email urging me to stop buying gas from Petro-Canada. The goal, effectively, is to see if us consumers “can bring this giant to its knees and force them to lower their prices.”
I’m all for consumer activism - but it seems like we’ve got this one backwards. In my mind, the best thing for the planet (and our growing obesity) is to reduce our reliance on cars.
Raising gas prices is an effective way to get us to walk, bike, carpool and take public transportation. It encourages me to shop, work and recreate locally.
I remember when cigarette prices went up and the moaning that ensued. I’m not sure on the stats, but I hope that cancer rates have gone down. And it’s not just the smokers - it’s the second-hand smoke inhalers who’ve also benefited from the price increase.
Perhaps we’re thinking with our wallets and fragile bank accounts rather than with our intelligent foresight. Yes, gas prices hurt, but our children and their children will suffer the illest effect of our greed.
So will you join the Peto-Canada boycott? Do you think your consumer choices can change the world? Do you want gas prices to go down?
I’m curious to find out.
Here’s an excerpt from a mind-boggling New York Times article:
I GREW up watching my father stand on his head every morning. He was doing sirsasana, a yoga pose that accounts for his youthful looks well into his 60s. Now he might have to pay a royalty to an American patent holder if he teaches the secrets of his good health to others.
The United States government has issued 150 yoga-related copyrights, 134 patents on yoga accessories and 2,315 yoga trademarks. There’s big money in those pretzel twists and contortions — $3 billion a year in America alone.
Click the link for the full article. The Big Stretch - New York Times
Thanks again for the link Paul!
Before I met Rik, I thought that Vanity Fair was a fashion magazine. I soon discovered that it’s brimming with awesome, intellectually stimulating material.
Of course, it has an tasty amount of eye candy. Here’s a link to their yoga slideshow, “Spiritual Stretching"(wow - Iyengar has a supple spine!). These photos were taken by Micheal O’Neill.
Thanks for the link Paul!
Are you thinking of becoming a teacher? Perhaps you’ve registered for a yoga teacher training program; you’re currently training, or you’ve recently graduated. Now the question is swimming in your brain - am I ready to teach?
I myself wondered: am I prepared for the responsibility of guiding a yoga practice? Do I have enough wisdom to impart?
These questions kept me stuck for a while. I was waiting for the conditions to be perfect, my knowledge to be vast, my personal practice to be advanced.
I soon discovered that teaching was the ultimate learning tool. I’d study and spend an exorbitant amount of time creating class plans - only to discover that - like life - classes were full of surprises.
On a technical note - I spaced my three levels (60 hours/each) out over 1.5 years. After Level One & Two I dabbled in some teaching. I taught yoga in the park (by donation) and graciously accepted subbing offers when they arose.
I know teachers-in-training that jump right into teaching after Level One. A lot has to do with ones confidence and willingness to take risks.
When I say “risk” I do not mean this in an injurious way. If you are considering teaching prior to completing your certification - please be aware of potential health hazards (i.e. contraindications).
Yoga injuries are becoming more prevalent and because of this - many studios require yoga teachers to have insurance.
Apprenticing with a senior teacher is a wonderful way to gain hands-on experience. Once you have learned physical modifications of asanas it is great to have the opportunity to practice them.
Many teacher are more than happy to have an assistant. Be sure to clarify what both of your expectations are.
So are you ready to teach? The key is to teach what you know to be true from your own practice. Have confidence in your ability and be humble before your students - they will become your teachers.
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Sesame oil massage is great to balance out the doshas, and is the best oil for absorption into and underneath the skin, aiding in drawing toxins out of our joints. But does it aid in healing a broken bone once the cast is off?
I recently broke my wrist. The cast has just come off and I am looking for ways to accelerate the healing process, and am curious if anyone knows whether sesame oil would be functional in the healing process...? I know sesame oil balances the doshas, and is well absorbed by the body, but does it absorb right down to bone level? Would thorough sesame oil massages on my wrist aid in its healing? My logic tells me yes, it will aid the healing process, especially since Ive heard sesame oil goes right down into the joint. What do YOU think??
By noah krol
Traveling with my partner Mairen, Trevor and Ally a few weeks ago I noticed a very interesting difference. A seeming division with Trevor and I on one side of the car and Mairen and Ally on the other.
The discussion, primarily around global warming, was split down the middle and yet there was this balance between emotional, tangible and witness, acceptance.
I have been doing a fair bit of reading lately on Tantric belief and philosophy, including “The Way of the Superior Man” by David Deida, and this has all got me to thinking.
I am curious to know your experiences around your life and practice.
Women: in your daily life and yoga practice do you find caught up in your bodies, in the sense you very much identify your self by what it is doing. Notice a tendency to be so absorbed in your Shatki that you lose your witness, the ability to distinguish self between your thoughts and feelings?
Men: In your daily life and yoga practice do you find that it is possibly being somewhat narrated by a third person, this tendency to want to watch the entirety of what is going on without making a strong connection to the sensation of it.
I would also be interested in how you think your practice could bring about further balance. A complete comfortablilty in both polarities, so to allow for your fullest expression of being/
Much Love
Noah
The inaugural Yoga for Pregnancy and Beyond weekend intensive was unveiled in Calgary April 20-22 with 9 students taking part.
Imagine our world where starting back as early as when you were a wee being beginning to grow and swim around in your momma’s womb, you had a deep connection to ‘AUM’ and the fluid nature of reality.
Well, naturally we all do have the inner memory somewhere inside our cells. Imagine a world where all mommas to be, whether for the first time or not, gather to share their sacred journey. Co-creating a deeply healing and empowering experience in their bodies, souls and minds with the ancient tools of breath, yoga asana, sound, drumming, color and celebration.
The Yoga for Pregnancy and Beyond is based on this vision and was created to both address the very important physical changes and inherent challenges while opening the field of ‘prenatal yoga’ to a more holistic experience for all. The women who attended came with eager enquiring minds to learn how and what to share with this special and sacred group of women and babies in our world and left empowered, totally excited and full of vision for transformative classes held far and wide.
Imagine Yoga for Pregnancy and Beyond classes for women in the public who have a team of instructors, two or more skilled yoga teachers who are able to provide top level care, attention and knowledge for any size class. That is also what Trinity Yoga’ Yoga for Pregnancy and Beyond intensive workshop holds as a new vision.
The course is being ‘tweaked’ and improved to include more hours, more attention to the ‘beyond’ or after baby arrives experience. Stay tuned for upcoming course dates and if you would like to have this course in your city or area, please make that request directly to Jennifer Steed or to the main office.
The next scheduled weekend of YPB is in September in Vancouver and again in Edmonton later in September. Stay tuned to the site for correct dates as some things change. Or rather, all things in life change and that is what yoga is here to help us weather.
Blessings
Jennifer Steed
In response to a forum question here are some thoughts on swollen and painful adenoids, immune tissue in the deep throat region. These tissue clusters are often removed at the time of a tonsilectomy however in some people there is recurrent swelling and related throat pain.
The swelling indicates an infection which must be addressed. The body will be heavily taxed by trying to fight off the infection and many factors could be pre-empting this. Dietary factors could be considered crucial in this regard along with emotional stagnation in the expressive center.
For dietary factors one can use a clove of garlic held in the mouth to fight the common streptoccal bacteria that may be present. Ginger tea is very potent as well. Reduce or eradicate foods that are pre-packaged, over cooked, stale or other wise void of nutrients. Go with fresh, whole and vital foods. Avoid all sugars, especially refined. Drink plenty of purified water to flush the system. Avoid coffee, black tea or other stimulants.
Zinc lozenges can be very helpful as are propolis or grapefruit seed extract sprays for the throat area.
One may need to assess whether there is an underlying smoldering dental infection as well.
Using cold cloth neck wraps can also bring the heat and swelling down.
For yoga postures, work with the Restorative style practises for deep relaxation and stress reduction while gently opening the throat area. Go slowly and sensitively and you may be able to fully realize any underlying causes therein.
Jennifer
By Anna Colin
Yoga is no different from other forms of exercise in that you should be sufficiently warm before beginning strenuous postures within a sequence of exercises.
However, with this said, yoga often focuses on different aspects then simply increasing heart rate and breaking a sweat. The breath in yoga is very important and if done with awareness can heat the body from the inside out.
Ujjayi breath is preformed through the nose with the mouth gently closed. The back of the throat is slightly constricted narrowing the passage for the air and bringing an audible sound to your breath.
This sound can be a guide throughout your practice letting you know when you can go deeper or back off in a stretch. Also it is important to practice yoga or any stretching in a warm room. The temperature will help to soften and allow your fascia and tissue to stretch and open.
Keep in mind that most of the heat will come from within and only aided by the external temperature. If you still find that the beginning stretches are too strenuous then do a few minutes of your own exercises that you know will warm you up before you start. Yoga is all about finding what is right and true for you, be honest with yourself and take things one day at a time.
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I have often heard the question “why do we roll to the right after savasana?” When I’ve asked the question I’ve received several answers.
These are the theories Ive come across:
1. Rolling to the right side of the body is rolling away from the heart (less pressure and weight on the rested and open heart).
2. When rolling to the right the left nostril, which is the yin side remains more open thus balancing yin and yang after a yang practice (It should be noted: to activate the sinus reflex by rolling to one side or the other, you may need to stretch the lower arm out, over your head, and use it as a pillow)
3. The right side of the brain is more meditative. The left side is more active.
4. We roll to the right because the sympathetic (active response) nervous system is primarily associated with the right side of the body, and the parasympathetic (relaxation response) nervous system is primarily associated with the left. Rolling to the right activates the meridians on the sympathetic side, creating more wakefulness and linking back to the active world. Rolling to the left would activate the parasympathetic meridians and keep one just a bit too dreamy and sleepy, in theory.
There was also something I heard once about acidity in the stomach but it wasnt fully explained.
Another related point is that pregnant women are advised to roll and rest on their left side (for circulation reasons?)
I welcome any ideas or further theories!
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Yes, I know we would all love to share the gifts of yoga for free. However, in reality us yogis have bills to pay too. So what is the reality for teachers? Trinity students enquire - how much can we expect to get paid?
If you are currently teaching let us know - what is the average wage at studios in your region? how much do clients pay for privates? is corporate yoga the most profitable? If you rent a space what is the cost?
In my experience Ive known studios to pay between $30 and $75/class. I know of a studio that pays $6/student. i also know of a teacher making $1000/week (teaching many privates). quite a wide range!
I’m heading back to Vancouver, to complete the second weekend of the Level One course. The first weekend infused my practice with mindfulness.
I’ve had a wonderful few days with my brother and sister-in-law. What a pleasure to walk in nature, to sit in stillness, to read under the sun, and to be alone. I love being in the company of kindred souls. I also savour my solitary time.
I spent my first solo morning immersed in a sutra-inspired practice. So moved by the reading, I transcribed the sutra and poured my emotions onto paper. I folded this special note and tucked it into my back pocket. I lost it on route to the Sunshine Coast.
Bummed by the loss of my next class plan - I blamed my awkwardly small jean pockets. A few thoughts later I pondered how excited I would be to find a handwritten sutra and poem. Its somewhere out there, perhaps in a garbage can or in someones hands. I wonder if they have deep pockets?