Holiday Specials | Feature Instructor | Feature Student | Ideas | Eco-tips | Feature Recipe | Pilates at Lion’s Breath | Events

Holiday and winter greetings, yogis and yoginis. Lion’s Breath Yoga and Pilates Centers wish you bountiful blessings, now, and in the fast-approaching new year.

In this season of giving, it’s our goal to continue offering you a strong, vibrant yoga community in which to cultivate your practice, both on your sticky mat and in your life!

That’s why in the coming year’s newsletters, starting with this one, we’ll hear from the amazing people who make up our dynamic Lion’s Breath community — you!

This edition’s FEATURED STUDENT is Stephanie Hendin. Learn how yoga has changed her outlook on life, and is the gift that keeps on giving.

In IDEAS, read about how giving up tight-fisted control over your life and replacing it with mutual give-and-take, can bring strength, surrender and contentment into your relationships and your yoga practice.

Lion’s Breath massage therapist Paul Cramer also shares thoughts on how Ayurveda can help in the transition between seasons.

In ECO-TIPS, we suggest ways in which to cultivate a give-and-take relationship with Mother Earth and play a more benevolent role in our universe. Our FEATURED RECIPE this issue is yummy eggplant gratin.

Also, learn about new classes, upcoming workshops, current holiday promotions and gift-giving ideas in EVENTS.

Give the gift of peace and serenity this holiday season. Yoga is an effective way to increase strength and vitality, improve flexibility, reduce stress and bring balance and harmony to body and mind. Many of its benefits may be felt immediately, and endure with on-going practice. What better way to share the love than with the unique and special gift of yoga?

Choose from three inspiring gift packs, available at all three Lion's Breath locations.

• Our Om for the Holidays gift pack includes a 10-pass card, yoga mat and stylish tote bag for $150 + GST.
• Our Merry Savasana gift pack includes a 10-pass card, block and tube of aromatherapy lotion scented with lavender, peppermint and chamomile, for $155 + GST.
• Our Happy Namaste gift pack includes a 10-pass card, music CD and 2009 calendar for $160 + GST.

10-pass cards with be dated for Jan. 1st–Mar 1st, 2009.

Interview with Stephanie Hendin, property management and an active volunteer.

When did you start practicing yoga, and why?

I started practicing yoga when the Lion’s Breath studio opened in the west end, close to my home, about two years ago. I had taken a few classes downtown but wanted to practice on a more regular basis to introduce something new to my fitness routine. Fitness has always been a part of my life, whether it’s a cardio step class, weight training or a fast walk with a girlfriend. I just love the way yoga fits in to my life.

What is the single biggest change you've noticed in your practice, in your life, or in your body, since taking up a yoga practice?

My flexibility has improved over time and I find I am just much more comfortable “on my mat.” There is no competition — just the ability to focus on you for a period of time and turn off the outside world — something I have learned to really benefit from.

What aspects of your yoga practice currently interest you most at this moment?

My favourite class is Ashtanga. I love the pace and the familiarity of the flow of the sequences. I do always enjoy when the instructor adds different positions, new challenges, or throws in something just for fun.

What is your greatest challenge currently in your practice?

Maintaining a flat back when required!

What keeps you coming back to the mat?

I always look forward to my yoga class — as I do mostly Ashtanga, it always feels like I have worked hard and challenged myself — but at the end of class I also feel a sense of peace and relaxation after those special moments of savasana.

What do you enjoy most about Lion's Breath, as a studio and community?

Everyone is always friendly — whether it is the instructor, the receptionist or your fellow students. I just seems everyone is just happy to be there.

As soul singer Marvin Gaye croons, “Life’s a game of give and take.”

It’s so true! We can’t always have our cake and eat it too. Life and relationships, both work-related and personal, require our on-going flexibility, negotiation skills and surrender to keep things harmonious and in balance. Yes, at times it’s important to stand firmly in your truth in the face of adversity, like a strong mountain in Tadasana. Yet, other times it’s more appropriate to bend and compromise, concede or surrender to a greater picture.

Like the river of the breath, our universe ebbs and flows, gives and takes, and if we are willing to flow with it, we become part of that abundance.

Here are some suggestions for nurturing “give and take” in your life, relationships and practice:

• The more you give to your yoga practice, the more you will receive. But giving doesn’t necessarily mean practicing every day for two hours, or pushing through every chaturanga or upward-dog when your body’s screaming ‘No!’ Sometimes a 15-minute stretch or meditation may be what you need that day. Other times a longer or more vigorous practice may be more appropriate. Practicing through the peaks and valleys of your life will give you the strength, flexibility, balance and grace you’ll need along the journey. But sometimes ‘giving’ means responding benevolently to your body’s needs for moderation or rest in the moment.
• Introduce a significant other to partners yoga. The notions of “give and take” and communication are essential for bending in twos, whether you’re assisting each other to deepen or extend a stretch or offering support in a balance posture.
• The best gift you can give to anyone, including yourself — on or off the mat — is your full attention in the moment. That’s why they call it the present! (Cliche, but true!)
• If doing something hurts you or another, be willing to examine and modify it. Investigate the problem: Is it a bum shoulder, an over-bearing ego, or unresolved anger or pain that’s causing the conflict or hurt? Are you willing to change, or do you expect others to bend while you stay in your comfort zone? By choosing to work through whatever obstacles face you with a spirit of “give and take,” you deepen your practice, relationships and connection to life.

There can be great satisfaction in the daily give-and-take of things: whether that’s letting someone merge in front of you in traffic, or smiling at the bank teller who has processed your transaction. Are you flying through your day, week or life, with tunnel vision? Do you seek to understand others’ points-of-view as well as your own, especially when you feel attached to a desired outcome? Despite your desire to give or get, do your actions and intentions come from a place of respect, compassion and love?

 

Lion’s Breath’s in-house massage therapist says applying ayurvedic principals to your life can help in the transition between seasons.

“Have you noticed how early the sun is setting? It took me by surprise this year but as I began to think about it, I realized that it’s the beginning of October and fall is upon us. Hitting the snooze button, It also occurs to me that I’m sleeping a little bit more than usual and enjoying it.

According to Ayurveda, our health and well-being is related to how well we live in balance and harmony with our own nature as well as with the natural rhythms and cycles of the seasons. As the heat and energy of summer begin to wane it is natural to slow down, eat warmer foods and think longingly of curling up with a good book on a Sunday afternoon.

Of particular importance is this time right now: the transition between seasons. It’s said to be a time when we should take extra care of ourselves, when it’s easy to get a bit out of balance. Ayurveda is based on the idea that everything that exists is created by a blending of five elements: Earth, Water, Fire, Air and Ether (space). Each of us has a unique blend of these elements, as intuitive we grasp that some people are more or less “earthy,” while others are “fiery” or “airy.”

Finding the balance: Ayurvedic medicine teaches us that opposites heal. So as we enter these cooler, dryer months, we can achieve balance by keeping warm, using more oils or creams to counteract dryness and giving ourselves permission to slow down. It’s the perfect time for walks through the river valley or treating yourself to a massage.

Eating warming, earthy foods is also recommended. Isn’t it interesting that the time of year we most need to eat earth foods — squash, pumpkin, potatoes — is right when they’re ready for harvest?! Here’s a recipe for grounding warming soup from the Ayurvedic cookbook by Maya Tiwari, A Life of Balance.

How can you create a sustainable relationship with Mother Earth, and play a more benevolent role in our universe?

• How heavy is the recycle bag you take out each week? Can you buy that much in recycled goods also? All recycling helps, but it means very little unless you buy recycled products too. Complete the cycle. Earth’s General Store is a good place to start.
• Everyone’s heard it, but how well do we really appreciate the benefits of using public transit? Start small: pick one trip a week you usually take by car and instead bus it, or take the LRT. It’ll save you gas, reduce harmful emissions on the environment and buy you some free reading time.
• Visit your local blue bin recycle depot and do your own sorting. A lot of resources go into the sorting process, which begins at your blue bin and ends at a plant which uses recycled materials. If you make a trip once every couple of weeks to a depot and sort yourself, not only will it make you a more conscientious consumer, it’s helping the recycling process become more efficient.
• More and more places are charging less for a cup of coffee, tea or Chai if you bring your own cup. People drink a lot of java, and it adds up! Get on board, and start toting a travel mug. Save yourself a few cents and donate it to your favourite environmental cause – and save trees in the process.
• Energy-efficient light bulbs are four to eight times more efficient. People aren’t used to how they look and they give off a slightly different colour. Plus the initial investment has been a deterrent in the past, but the price has come down considerably because more people are buying them, allowing companies to mass produce them. Support the culture shift and reduce your energy bill immediately.

Pilates at Lion’s Breath is not just in the name! We are launching a dedicated pilates equipment studio complete with a cadillac, a reformer and small equipment and mat classes for beginners and more advanced students.

This will launch January 3rd with a free info session, free equipment trials and mini classes.

Pop in and meet Marti Thomson Saturday January 3rd, 12:00-3:00pm, Downtown location.

$5 Kshatriya Classes

Come encourage our Ksahtriya teacher trainees… click here to download the schedule and teacher bios.

Holiday Schedule

The Holiday schedule for December 15–January 3 is now available. For class choices per location click here.

Solstice Celebration

Take time out of the rush to honor the return of light. The season to build friendships and love is upon us. Join us for chanting and drumming, Sun Salutations and meditation. Experience the brilliance of our community by sharing with the Food Bank-bring an non-perishable item to share with those in need. Music by Marcus Fung.

Sunday December 21st, 2008 | 5:00 PM – 7:30 PM
$25 + GST, $20 + GST with Food Bank Donation

An Introduction to Jivamukti Yoga

Jivamukti means "liberation while living." Jivamukti yoga is a path to enlightenment through compassion for all beings. The founders, Sharon Gannon and David Life, are pioneers in teaching yoga as spiritual activism/activation. Their passionate focus on the original meaning of the Sanskrit word "asana" as seat, connection, and relationship to the earth is as practical as it is radical in this time of global crisis and consciousness -shift.

Saturday, December 20th, 2008 | 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM
$30 + GST per person, pre-pay by December 6th

Partner Yoga

Saturday, January 17th, 2009 | 2:00 PM — 3:30 PM | Downtown | with Sherie Cormier
$40 + GST per couple