September 7, 2014With A Beginner’s Mind, Each Moment, Each Breath, Each Pose Is Unique
Through our whole life we learn, we accomplish, we fail and we grow. We hope to one day have “figured it all out” or to have at least answered the questions that plague us the most. It would be nice to feel that we have “mastered” or become an “expert” in many different areas of our own life. So why do we hear about the value of a “beginner’s mind” come up time and time again? Why on earth would we want to stay a beginner? Isn’t the point of being here to learn, evolve and master? Don’t we all want to move from the beginner …
September 1, 2014Don’t Panic! You Are Just Late For A Yoga Class.
It happens to all of us and we can literally feel the anxiety ratchet up with each passing minute. As you were running out the door the phone rang, or you couldn’t find your car keys. On the way to the studio it seemed like you hit every red light and the traffic was soooo heavy. With only minutes to spare, you are just around the corner from Creating Space Yoga Studio and the train barriers come down and a very slow moving freight train goes back and forth, back and forth. You can either go CRAZY in your car …
August 14, 2014A Catalyst For Truth
This is for the student who has yet begun their journey on a yoga mat. This is for all of you who have considered starting a yoga practice, have heard amazing things about yoga or who have been told by their doctors to “take up yoga”. This is for all of you who don’t know how to start or are too intimidated to take that first step. This is for you. Most importantly…when you are new to the yoga practice it’s okay to be a beginner. It is impossible to instantly know what to do, how to behave, how to …
June 19, 2014CSY Bookclub Summer Book Selections Vote
We just had the pleasure of reading two fantastic books during the spring book club and we are eagerly looking forward to the summer reading list. We have compiled a list of four pairs of books with a charitable organization that we will collectively support and voluntarily make donations. The summer/fall book club gathering will be on Tuesday, September 30th. If you missed the past gatherings, you are welcome to attend the next group. We would love to include you. But first…put in your vote! The gatherings will be informal and we ask that you have read at least one …
April 2, 2014Make The Ordinary Come Alive
Do not ask your children to strive for extraordinary lives. Such striving may seem admirable, but it is a way of foolishness. Help them instead to find the wonder and the marvel of an ordinary life. Show them the joy of tasting tomatoes, apples, and pears. Show them how to cry when pets and people die. Show them the infinite pleasure in the touch of a hand. And make the ordinary come alive for them. The extraordinary will take care of itself. By William Martin, The Parent’s Tao Te Ching: Ancient Advice for Modern Parents
March 24, 2014Spring Book Club Selections
We have counted the votes and the spring selections have been chosen. We are excited to announce the spring selections for the upcoming CSY Book Club! The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion Run out and find your copies of the new books. Then sink into a sliver of sunshine and enjoy the adventures that these new books will take you along. What joy! For the spring book club gathering, we will be accepting donations for The Oakville Galleries. Minimum donations of $20 or “donate what you can” are suggested and accepted with gratitude. The meetings …
March 12, 2014Vote for the Spring CSY Book Club Selections
The winter book club gathering was a success and we look forward to moving into the spring with an evolving group and another list of books from which to choose. We will be accepting votes till March 23rd and will announce the spring book choices on Monday, March 24th. The spring book club gathering will be on Tuesday, June 3rd. If you missed the winter meeting, you are welcome to attend the spring group. We would love to include you. But first…put in your vote! The gatherings will be informal and we ask that you have read at least one …
March 12, 2014Our First CSY Book Club Gathering
The votes were counted and the books and charity (The Covenant House Toronto) were chosen. We read and then we gathered. I was very excited to meet for the first time with the new group that was emerging at Creating Space Yoga studio. We had a brilliant group of women come together. Some of them were yoga students, some friends of CSY students, a sampling of our yoga teachers and a couple of women joined us who had attended our Mindfulness Lectures. We were an eclectic, wonderful mix. The meeting was perfectly informal. Most of us brought along yummy …
- February 25, 2014
How To Be Alone
A lovely poem and short film that I have enjoyed for years. Take a look.
January 30, 2014Therapeutic Yoga at Duke University Faculty of Integrative Medicine
In November 2013, I spent a wonderful week at Duke University in North Carolina earning a certificate in Therapeutic Yoga for Seniors. This is a unique programme for yoga teachers who are interested in working with older adults. Twice a year, Duke Integrative Medicine brings together a group of 40 yoga teachers from all over North America for lectures and hands-on work with medical experts in aging, heart disease, pulmonary disease, chronic pain, arthitis, joint replacement, osteoporosis, and physical therapy. I have been teaching yoga for 10 years, to people of all ages, but I found that I especially enjoyed …
