Spring salutations, fellow yogis & yoginis!

Lion’s Breath Yoga & Pilates Centers wishes you joy, peace, inspiration and renewal this season on your mat and beyond.

Enjoy the longer days. Bathe in the warmer sunlight. Drink up the endless possibility in each fresh, fertile moment.

You have the power to awake fully to the Mystery around us — new life, fragrant blossoms, cleansing rains and the perennial blessing of eternal light, within us all.

Take time on your mat to gaze inward. Stillness opens the door to heart center. As you attune to your inner truth, the soul’s whisperings will reveal the seeds of your deepest desires. Fertilize them with mindfulness, and they will take root and grow.

Awareness is power; you can breathe life into anything, by opening up to it. You can start right here, right now — on your mat, in your car, at your desk, in the grocery check-out line. That’s yoga in action. Be a brave warrior, a blossoming tree, an immovable mountain, a powerful eagle in your everyday life. Choose to live the life you want.

Just think: If we only have now, why waste this moment of pure gold?

Yoga is not just something we do on our mats. It has a way of spilling over into other parts of life.

Yoga cultivates mindfulness in the most unexpected places. Maybe you’ve noticed a change in what you eat, how you feel in your body, how you interact with others or process negative thoughts and emotions.

When we awaken to yoga’s power to inspire, heal and help us grow, like the most ancient of enlightened yogis and sages, we hold the thousand-petaled lotus of pure potential in our hands!…

Into the Deep

Here are some way you can deepen your practice and tap into the infinite richness of yoga:

• Deepen your practice with meditation. How is your practice going? Has it left the mat yet? It’s common for people to view their yoga practice as purely physical. Indeed, there are many physical benefits, but sooner or later mental benefits emerge too.
  
  Yoga helps cultivate awareness, through intense focus on asanas (poses) and breath. It’s meditation in motion, essentially. As you turn down the volume on your mental chatter, you begin to hear yourself loud and clear. What stories are you telling yourself? Maybe you’ve already begun to identify destructive or negative patterns of thinking or acting. You have more freedom than you think.
  
  A regular yoga practice and meditation will guide you in the right direction. You will gain mental space and clarity which will bring new perspective on old habits. You’ll become empowered to choose more skilful ways of thinking, speaking and acting, which will diminish the strength of life-sucking attitudes and behaviours. Overtime you will feel more light, free and happy.
  
  Consider picking up a book on meditation, or exploring meditation in Terri’s Gentle Hatha & Meditation class (Saturdays downtown from 9:30-11 A.M.) or in Kat’s preregistered Introduction to Meditation class (Wednesdays downtown from 6-7:30)
• Deepen your practice by enrolling in the Kshatriya Teacher’s Training program at Lion’s Breath. This is an amazing way to accelerate and intensify your learning on the yogic path. You will gain a deep practical and philosophical knowledge base of yoga and be encouraged to find your voice as a teacher. It’s a wonderful way to connect with a community of like-minded people and prepare yourself to share knowledge of something you love with others.
  
  “The confidence I gained through Kshatriya made what seemed at first frightening (teaching) a joy and a blessing,” says Jen Morris, who now teaches at Lion’s Breath. “The program gave me the tools, information and expertise I needed to further my own practice and extend my practice to others through teaching. I learned more about myself and got to meet others in the yoga community.”
  
  Kshatriya is a 200-hour training program recognized by Yoga Alliance international training program. Upon completion you are certified to teach anywhere in Europe, South America and North America.
  
  Another instructor, Megan Rosborough, says teacher training gave her the opportunity for self-discovery and exploration.
  
  “Now I’m more aware of what yoga truly means to me and how I’m able to express that to others. I was scared. Teaching is scary! But Kshatriya provided me with a community of peers to undergo the experience along with me… I was able to move at my own pace and set my own rhythm.”
  
  The next Kshatriya teacher training program will be offered this summer, running June 2 to July 30 (Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays 9-6 P.M.)
  
  If you would like to apply for a Kshatriya scholarship you can submit an application, including a 1,000-word essay explaining how yoga changed your life or how you plan to use it as a vehicle to improve the world. All applications go to dawn@lionsbreath.ca. See the website for details or call Dawn at 990–6247.
• Deepen your practice on retreat. Getting away can be just what you need to feel refreshed, refocus in your life, or connect more deeply with yourself and a community of like-minded friends. Lion’s Breath hosts an annual retreat at Sheiling Mountain Lodge, in Nordegg, Alberta, April 25 to 27. Enjoy the Rocky Mountains, five yoga classes, kirtans (chanting/singing), meditation, outdoor activities and massage services (extra cost). Register by April 12 by calling 488-4433. There are also tons international retreats offered online. One very reputable company is www.milagroretreats.com.
• Deepen your practice through reading. Lion’s Breath now has a library of donated books that you can sign out to explore a wide variety of topics including spirituality, self-discovery, philosophy, poetry, personal growth and transformation and more. Linger after class and peruse the books. Donate one to the library if you have a book you’d like to share.

 

Here are some great ideas for reducing your environmental footprint.

• Put a bucket in the shower with you to save water for flushing the toilet or watering plants.
• Use old Christmas/Birthday cards as gift tags for presents. Cut them into shapes and punch a hole in them to tie to the present.
• Gather litter as you walk for exercise. The bending helps your fitness and removal of trash helps the environment. (Wear gloves).
• Opt out of being on mailing lists. When you join a club, register for a conference or fill out a form of any sort, tell the organization not to sell, trade or rent your contact info. You can often do this by checking an “opt out: box on a paper or electronic form.
• Plants are natural air filters. They suck out indoor air pollutants (like formaldehyde) and break them down. So by adding a few houseplants to your living or working area, you can help to clean the air. Try one of these plants: Lady Palm, Peace Lilly, Arrowhead vine, Bamboo palm, English Ivy, Rubber plant or Dwarf date palm. They’re easy to care for, remove chemical vapours, resist insects well and act as natural humidifiers.
• Coffee to go without the paper. Take your own coffee mug to work.
• Compost. It is amazing to see how table scraps, leaves, grass clippings, etc. become a product that is usable.
• Unplug. Unplug your phone, ipod and other device chargers when not in use. This is wasted energy.
• Neither paper or plastic. Keep a canvas tote in your car ready to be used when you go shopping.

Lentil Dal

Often mistaken for a soup, dal is served over rice and/or with chapatis as the standard meal of northern India. From The Yoga Cookbook by the Sivananda Vedanta Yoga Centers. (Available at Ascendant Books)

• 1 cup red lentils
• 3 1/3 cups water
• 1 tsp. turmeric
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 to 2 Tbsp. ghee, butter or oil
• 1 tsp. mustard seeds
• 1 tsp. cumin or fennel seeds
• 2 tsp. ground coriander
• 2 tomatoes, coarsely chopped
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/2 to 1 tbsp. lemon juice (optional)
• 4 tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
  

Directions:

1. Place the lentils in a pan with the water, turmeric and bay leaf. Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, until the lentils are tender.

2. Meanwhile, heat the ghee, butter or oil in a heavy skillet. Add the mustard and cumin or fennel seeds and cook over high heat until they ‘pop.’

3. Add the ground coriander and tomatoes and cook for 5 minutes longer, then add the mixture to the cooked lentils. Add more water if the mixture is too thick, or cook a little longer to make it thicker. Add the salt and lemon juice, if desired. Stir in the chopped cilantro and serve at once.

Each of our bimonthly newsletters features an interview with a different Lion's Breath instructor so you can get to know each teacher's style, yoga philosophy, personality and practice better. Video footage included of the featured instructor doing their least-favourite pose.

Interview with Terri Taylor

When did your yoga journey begin?

I tried out yoga 30 years ago but didn’t find it active enough. Twelve years ago, my husband was sick, my mother had just died, and I was searching for something to help me through it. I went to the Yasodhara Ashram in Kootenay Lake, B.C. for five days and rediscovered yoga. I came back and started taking classes here in Edmonton.

When and why did you start teaching? What is your style?

I never intended to become a teacher but after my husband died I decided that I’d worked hard for years and it was time for a change. I went back to the ashram for a three-month teacher training course. Following that, I travelled to Nepal, India and Tibet. I realized that teaching was a way of sharing what I have gained from yoga. It’s not just a physical practice. It’s a way of life for me. I teach radha yoga. The style is reflective, introspective and about building awareness to take into your daily life. It’s about taking yoga beyond the physical and bringing it to mind-body-speech.

What is your most inspiring read lately?

To Love Is To Know Me, by Eknath Easwaran, a translation of The Bhagavad Gita, an Indian sacred text. Also, The Inner Life of Asanas by Swami Lalitananda, a disciple of Swama Radha’s. It’s a lovely book about the symbols, secrets and metaphor in hatha yoga.

What is your favourite saying?

I try to repeat mantras, like The Divine Light Invocation. Mantra is a way of getting past the intellectual mind and connecting with something deeper and wiser.

The Divine Light Invocation mantra

I am created by Divine Light.
I am sustained by Divine Light.
I am protected by Divine Light.
I am surrounded by Divine Light.
I am every growing into Divine Light.

What is your favourite pose?

Shoulder stand. I have a thyroid condition and it’s good for that. Symbolically, it reminds me only to shoulder what is my own responsibility, and not anyone else’s.

What is your least favourite pose?

The Rooster. My arms aren’t that strong and it takes intense concentration to do this pose. It gives me a trapped feeling because your arms are stuck inside your legs. (See video at side.)

What are you listening to these days?

“Lift” bhajans from Yasodhara Ashram. It’s a compilation of songs from the people and visitors of the ashram. It reminds me of being there. It’s a big part of my life. CD is available at www.yasodhara.org.

Do you have another job?

Teaching yoga isn’t employment for me. I donate everything back to the ashram. I am a communications consultant professionally.

Terri teaches Gentle Hatha & Meditation downtown on Saturdays from 9:30–11A.M. Stay tuned for her upcoming workshop on the Hidden Language of Hatha Yoga this spring.

 

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Yoga in action

Support Lion’s Breath in their sponsorship of the Edmonton Journal’s Little Big Run, May 30th - June 1st. Join one of three Lion’s Breath teams to train for, and run/walk a 5-km race, in support of better health for Edmontonians.

Sherie — captain of the Wolf Willow Warriors, 5km run
Practice Sundays 6-7 pm before Ujjayi Drum class
beginning Sunday April 13th.

Michelle — captain Perron Street Pranayamas, 5km run
Practice Wednesdays at 6:00 pm and Sundays at 3:45 pm
beginning Sunday April 6th

Dawn — captain of the Downtown Die hards, 10km run
Practice Saturdays 12:00 pm before Inspired by Iyengar, 10km run
beginning Saturday April 5th

“For each Lion’s Breath studio there’s going to be a team,” says LB teacher Michelle Desnoyers, who is helping to organize the teams. “With the nicer weather it’ll be nice get out there and active again. Those who sign-up are invited to train for the event together with weekly runs. It'll be a lot of fun and a great way to connect.”

You can sign up to be a team member at any of the studios now. Check out www.littlebigrun.ca for more info.

 

Partner Yoga Workshop

Date: Sunday April 13th
Time: 7:30pm – 9:00pm
Location: Downtown
Cost: $30 + GST (per couple)
Instructor: Megan Rosborough

Partner Pre-Natal Workshop

Date: Sunday April 20th
Time: 7:00pm – 9:00pm
Location: Downtown
Price: $50 + GST
Instructor: Clare Newman

 

Lion's Breath 4th Annual Retreat at Sheiling Mountain Lodge, Nordegg

Date: Evening of Friday April 25 to Afternoon Sunday April 27th.
Cost: $325 + GST

Includes shared accommodation, food and yoga instruction. Massage services and outdoor activities not included. For more information contact Dawn at dawn@lionsbreath.ca. The registration deadline is April 10th.