The Benefits of Outdoor Yoga
We all know how our batteries can recharge being in the outdoors. Whether we are under the warm Summer sun or hiking a new path in the misty mountain air, it’s tempting to go outside and finally explore—with friends!—now that this seemingly 2+ year pandemic has made big events possible again. It’s nice to not only feel the loving hug of a friend, but also the grass beneath our feet or see the morning sunlight streaming through the trees. There is a comfort in stretching our limbs to the sky as fresh air caresses our arms, hair, knees. Even in the solitude of a glacier, people are keen to dress appropriately, hit the slopes and hike up a mountain to remind themselves of their freedom and vitality. Most of my yoga practice is either indoors at home via a virtual instructor lesson or YouTube video (if I’m feeling like I want to stick to home base) or indoors yet again at a yoga studio (typically for a certain practice, like hot yoga, or an instructor is favored).
Yoga Outside of the Mat: Bringing Yoga Into Real-Life
You have your regular classes, your favourite teachers, and your go-to yoga videos… now what?
Support helps a yoga practice flourish, but no one should have to sell themselves short by staying restricted to a mat. The real magic happens through taking the epiphanies from the experiences on the mat and integrating them into everyday life.
So, how can you make yoga outside your mat happen? Here are a few tips to weave the teachings into real-life situations.
Find Your Happy Place
When you step away from the mundane and give yourself the space to receive, it gives you that extra breathing room to remember what’s important. Whether it’s meditating in the woods, a well-deserved….
How Yoga Can Help You Through Major Life Transitions
The benefits of yoga speak for themselves. From reducing stress, to getting fit, to socialization, there are tons of reasons to get into a daily yoga routine. Most importantly, yoga can get you through some really tough times, such as moving to a new city, switching careers, or even starting a family. Whether you’re taking an online yoga course, or you’re joining a class at your local studio, you should always make time for your yoga routine during particularly stressful or dynamic times. If you relate, here are some major life transitions along with how to make yoga fit into those changes in order to effectively manage stress.
How to Connect with Nature Through Yoga
Yoga at its deepest core and oldest pillars is about connection. Yoga connects you with the natural world, the spiritual, and yourself. All of which come together for a holistic experience.
Practitioners can connect with nature through yoga through breathing and grounding techniques. Yogis can also embody the history of connection with nature by observing and imitating elements found in the environment.
As a bonus, they may take their sessions outdoors for direct connection.
Here are some of the ways we connect with nature through yoga. We’ll go from what we mean by connection and then into the individual aspects.
Boost Your Yoga Routine With These 4 Creative Tips
Yoga is a wonderful form of exercise that combines benefits for both mental and physical health, and one of the best things about it is that there’s always room to grow. With varying degrees of difficulty and lots of tools and techniques to try, yoga is the perfect workout for people of all ages and abilities. If you’re looking to take your routine to the next level, there are some things to consider that encompass your overall well-being. For instance, your surroundings and mental state both play a role in your success. If you’re interested in taking a class, consider the benefits of a smaller, more personalized experience with Yogacara. When you’re practicing at home, make sure your environment is conducive to a relaxed workout.
4 Key Ways To Nourish Your Body this Winter
This year, more than ever, taking care of our health will be at the very top of our priorities. As temperatures begin to drop, now is the time to start creating habits that will really nourish your body and cultivate a positive state of mind. These acts of self-care are sure to strengthen our immune systems and improve our general well-being.
Here are 4 of the best things you can do to nourish your body with the love it deserves:
1. Eat nutritious meals that heal
Think heart-warming vegetable soups, stews, and curries— not only do these types of whole food meals lift the soul, but they have physical benefits too….
Yoga & Extreme Sports: a Match Made in Heaven?
They may seem like an unlikely duo; one encourages you to slow right down and enter a relaxed state, the other is rigorous and adrenaline-fuelled. One pushes you to your physical limits, the other asks you to be kind to yourself and promotes healing. Both require presence and will often create a meditative state. Although it may come as a surprise to many, yoga and extreme sports do in fact go hand in hand, and can benefit one another immensely.
Here’s why it’s well worth treating yourself to some yoga sessions after sending it off a cliff in the winter or ripping through the bike park in the summer.
4 Reasons To Get Into Yoga This Year
No longer a workout seemingly reserved for zen masters and flexible fitness buffs, yoga is becoming more popular than ever. In fact, industry statistics from Loud Cloud Health predict that more than 55 million people will start practicing yoga by this year, around the world. Indeed, yoga knows no age, gender, or fitness level. Almost anyone can reap its many benefits—whether it’s a clearer mental space or a healthier body you’re after. With the new year in full swing, there’s no better time than now to try this life-enriching activity. Here are more reasons why you should join the yoga craze. It’s the perfect time to detoxify—both your body and spirit. The beginning of the year is always the best time to let go of last year’s woes and start with a clean slate. Previous research here at Yogacara reveals how yoga is an excellent way to detoxify yourself, both of negative feelings and actual body toxins. Poses such as twists and inversions are good for increasing blood circulation and stimulating the lymphatic system.
Why We Should All Know About Bewildher
I recently discovered an amazing locally-owned company, creating the most gorgeous athletic leggings over in Squamish. Initially I noticed the tights for their visual appeal, when I saw my yoga teacher wearing them. When I asked where she got them, she passionately began telling me about the company and its ethical practices, along with the eco-friendly materials used to create the tights. I decided I absolutely had to go and check out the website to see for myself. Before I knew it, I was subscribed to their mailing list, and had ordered my own beautiful pair of tights. So why is this company such an inspiration to me and my yoga teacher? There are almost too many reasons. Bewildher was founded by Nadine Manson and has been operating in accordance with the slow-fashion movement. In contrast to fast, throw-away fashion, Nadine aims to reduce the wastage of excess stock by making her products to order, with the use of a pre-ordering system online. She creates long-lasting…
Focus on Yourself this Fall
For many of us outdoorsy folk in Whistler, summer time is go, go, go. With an abundance of fun activities to choose from, we let chores build up, and we may let self-care fall to the backburner in favour of spending every moment in the radiant sunshine for the short time that it’s here. When it suddenly comes to an end, we don’t quite know what to do with ourselves, as we are encouraged by rainy and cold weather to retreat indoors. I have recently come to realize, through some inspiring yoga classes, that this can be the perfect time to check in with yourself, and focus a little more on your own well-being. There is nothing wrong with slowing down, and creating new habits in your life. For me, this has taken form in finally…
