yoga notes

September 2008

Fri, 12 Sep 2008 19:36:09 -0800

Clearly I spend very little time in front of a computer.. . .The summer ended with a wonderful evening of art, music and photography, a beautiful gathering attended by over 60 people. I love these kinds of events, bringing people together who have never met before and sharing in uplifting activities. Many connections were made that night and one very exciting one is that I met Allanna Dow, who plays the cello and who will now be bringing her friends here for another concert on September 27. Nomad Kinoche and Michael Waters along with another special guest Diana Halter, this promises to be an uplifting evening. In October this studio will be graced by the presence of a very respected yogi from the Satyananda tradition of yoga in India, Swami Maheshananda. Please see details about this program in the schedule section. Try not to miss this opportunity, this is a rare one. The studio classes are underway this week and the University programs begin next week, all are off to a healthy start with many new faces. This fall I will be offering a Monday noon class at the Conservatory of Music on Selby St. Please contact them directly if this fits with your schedule. Thank you for bringing your energy to the events and classes here at this studio, your presence is what allows it to continue to grow and prosper. Namaste Sandra

April 2008

Wed, 09 Apr 2008 12:41:15 -0800

Yes I did spend two months in India and now have been back on the Island for longer than that. It was an extraordinary time and I will share that with you as I integrate and fully digest the experience.

I am reading a book by Mukunda Stiles called Ayurvedic Yoga Therapy, thats what I am, an Ayurvedic Yoga Therapist, I am finding it interesting. Often people ask what 'kind' of Yoga I am teaching, mostly because they want to talk about it with their friends, so I thought this would be a good forum to put my answer in print. Mukunda has a section on 'The varieties of Yoga' in his book and he explains this so well that I am going to be paraphrasing him, read the book if you want more explanation or please come and talk to me in person or call or email. .

With all these different forms of yoga being promoted it is difficult for a beginner when searching for a class. Some of the brand names come from creative teachers names like Sivananda, Iyengar, Kripalu and Bikram. Others are based on a method like Ashtanga Yoga, Power Yoga, Jivamukti , Anusara,and Vjnana. All of these forms are varieties of Hatha Yoga, they all have wonderful health benefits.

August 2007

Tue, 07 Aug 2007 14:06:14 -0800

Hari Om Friends and Yogis!
We have been home for a few weeks now and enjoying being back on beautiful Vancouver Island. Our trip to the Ashram took us also to Nelson to visit good friends and then a slow meander up the Slocan Valley to Revelstoke, my old home town. It is refreshing to venture away from the usual and I certainly feel rested now and ready for the next season of classes. It is only the beginning of August but already time to make plans for the fall session.

With all of this time to reflect on changes that I would like to make in the program and in my personal life I have come up with a few thoughts that I would like to share. Each summer I undertake to immerse myself in a yoga program, either another teacher training or a retreat. This has been an essential part of my journey, especially as one teaching yoga. After an immersion in yoga like this the challenge is always to keep the practice and ideals alive in ones regular life. I know many of you face the same challenge. A weekly class gives us connection to others with similar ideals as well as a renewal to the practice, yet sometimes there still needs to be more.

Most teachers will recommend at least a three week stay yearly in a spiritual environment like an Ashram as a break from the distractions of everyday life and an opportunity to go deeper into the practice of yoga. What I realized for myself on this short summer excursion was that for me it is time to return to India. It has been almost five years since I have been there. This will affect the program here just a little. I will leave early in December and return early in January. My destination is Rikhia, at the Alakh Bara(place of sadhana) of Paramahansa Satyananda and the Festival called Sat Chandi Mahayagna, an uplifting, powerful and auspiciuos event with a tantric fire ceremony called Raj Sooya.. I will stay on at the Ashram after the event and be involved in further training in Kriya Yoga and Tattwa Shuddhi. If you are interested in knowing more about any of this please visit www.yogavision.net There is still apparently a little accomodation left at the Ashram, if anyone would like to join me, now is the time to make the commitment as it will be full soon. This is a very exciting opportunity! continued. .

August 2007 continued

Tue, 07 Aug 2007 14:05:27 -0800

The fall program this year will be one 12 week session beginning September 11 and ending November 29. I will teach five classes at the studio and four at Malaspina College. I am finding that with the interest in individual sessions increasing that 8 classes a week is plenty for me to take on. Nicole is still in Taiwan so Angelina has agreed to help me with one class at the College. The schedules are now out and around town or you can pick one up here at the studio. Hopefully soon my web maintenance person will be back from her holidays and the web site will be updated to reflect the new schedule. I will email out the details to all regular students soon.

Yoga Nidra will be offered as a full hour class, partnered with Parks and Recreation, to help me get the word out there about this amazing practice. My regular classes include a short version of Yoga Nidra at the end of each class, and that will continue, however the hour long offering will allow those interested, to explore and experience the practice in more depth.

The Fall Schedule at the Studio
Tuesday Level 2 5:30 - 6:45pm

Wednesday Level 1-2 9:30 - 10:45am
Introduction Level 1 5:30 -6:30pm
Yoga Nidra 7-8pm

Thursday Level 1-2 5:30-6:45pm

One more thing to mention for now is that the feedback I have received about not offering the Summer Immersion Program this year has been very interesting!. I also missed it! So thank you for your thoughts and I promise to bring it back to life next summer. With all your suggestions it will be better than ever so I thank you once again for your support and hope that you all enjoy the rest of the summer.

I look forward to seeing you soon!

Namaste
Sandra

Summer 2007

Mon, 18 Jun 2007 15:27:22 -0800

On June 28 my daughter Julia and I will leave for Yosodhara Ashram in the Kootenays. This is our first adventure of the summer and marks the end of weekly yoga classes at Island Yoga Vista until we resume in early September. I will keep you posted with our experiences and would love to hear about yours! All regular students will receive, by email, the dates of the fall session and any other news. If you are not currently on the email list please just send me a note and I will add you. This 'yoga notes' weblog will be for changes and news that you might find interesting or that you would like to share with others in our yoga community.

Many have asked where Nicole and Diane, two of this studios long time teachers, have gone. Nicole left for Taiwan in January and has no definate plans to return to Nanaimo, though we likely will see her again, probably teaching here! Diane is enjoying retirement and likely will resume her Kundalini classes in the fall. I will keep you posted on that. One thing we can know for sure is that everything is always changing! Here is a nice quote . . .

" The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and science."
Albert Einstein

I will post our experiences at the Ashram when we return around mid July. Hope you all have a wonderful summer. I am grateful as always for your continued support.
Namaste
Sandra