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Blog | Stay Connected with our Kula

Join us on our blog as we dive into the explorations of yoga on and off the mat, we explore Meditation, Mantra, Philosophy including topics such as the Yoga Sutras and the 8 Limbs of Yoga. We reveal how all of these things affect not only your asana practice, but also your practice off the mat and into your life. Writing is not only a way for us to express ideas and reflections but a way to teach ourselves in each moment. We are inspired by yogic living, straight from our beautiful community in Whistler, B.C.  Do you have a topic that you would like to know more about, an idea or series that you would like to see us explore on our blog? Contact us and let us know!

Wanting to learn more about Yoga Teacher Training and how your practice can go much deeper, stay tuned for tips on how to refine your practice. Do you have an questions, comments or want to know more? Please feel free to comment on any posts and start the conversation.

Articles

Habits That Support a Home-Based Yoga Practice

Practicing yoga at home is a great way to keep yoga in your routine. You can develop discipline, improve your fitness level and deepen your yoga practice from the convenience of your house. If you want to start a regular yoga practice at home, consider the following...

The Benefits of Outdoor Yoga

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).

Confidence Builders for Overcoming Setbacks

Confidence Builders for Overcoming Setbacks

Life’s challenges have a way of getting us down. There’s only so much a person can do to prepare for the twists and turns that fate throws our way. When unexpected events happen, our sense of self sometimes takes a beating. Returning to normalcy sometimes proves elusive. The good news is it’s possible to rebuild self-confidence through conscious decision-making. Here are a few choices that’ll have you brimming with optimism.

5 Health Tips to Remember While Doing Yoga

5 Health Tips to Remember While Doing Yoga

Yoga is one of the best forms of exercise you can practice for your body. Not only are you stretching your muscles, but you’re also working on strengthening them while using your own body weight. Additionally, yoga is one of the best ways to clarify your mental health. The calmness and practice of yoga not only benefit you physically, but also significantly help you through major life transitions along with decreasing feelings of stress, anxiety, and depression. Additionally, taking steps to prepare and introduce healthy habits into your exercise routine can make a good workout turn into a great workout.

Yoga Outside of the Mat: Bringing Yoga Into Real-Life

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

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

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

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.

5 Ways to Help You Do Yoga Online

5 Ways to Help You Do Yoga Online

Practicing yoga online has opened plenty of doors for today’s yoga practitioners to access their practice.
Whether your local yoga studio has temporarily closed or you enjoy the convenience of practicing from home there are many reasons to turn to the web for online yoga classes. While doing yoga online has plenty of upsides, that doesn’t make mean it’s smooth sailing all the time. There are some challenges to getting on your mat at home so we wanted to give you our best tips on how to do yoga online with ease.

4 Key Ways To Nourish Your Body this Winter

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?

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

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

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

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…

How Exactly Does a Plant-Based Diet Help Your Athletic Performance

How Exactly Does a Plant-Based Diet Help Your Athletic Performance

The plant-based scene is booming in Whistler and we’ve listed some of our favourite spots here on Whistler Yogacara where you can get your fill of delicious smoothies, salads, soups, wraps, burgers, pastries, and even lots of international dishes. While some of the diners are just vegan-curious, many of the patrons are health and fitness enthusiasts. A plant-based diet offers many positive aspects related to physical fitness as well as athletic performance. It can minimize the risk of illnesses related to eating animal-derived products, like hypertension and heart disease. In addition, a plant-based diet can boost your energy levels, manage weight, and reduce joint pain— benefits that many athletes can stand to gain. What is a plant-based diet? Before going into how a plant-based diet can change lives, let’s first talk about what it is. It’s similar to a vegan diet wherein a person abstains from eating any products sourced from animals.

Whistler Plant-Based Options You’ll Love

Whistler Plant-Based Options You’ll Love

Yogis aren’t shy to trying out or sticking to plant-based options. Whether you’re vegan, vegetarian, or flexitarian having a place where you not only feel welcomed but can find delicious eats is a top priority. Luckily, Whistler has plenty of options when it comes to a plant-based selection if you know where to look. Whistler plant-based foodies will appreciate this list from budget-friendly to a fancy night out. Here are our top Whistler plant-based picks For lunch: Naked Sprout Our neighbors below us have plenty of tasty plant-based options. From smoothies and juices to salad bowls and soups you’ll definitely want to stop here for lunch after class. Plus, they’re all organic and source from many local farms so you can feel good about what’s going into your body and supporting a community-minded local cafe. Local’s tip: A few times a year they offer a local’s lunch deal where you can get everything you want–food and smoothie–at one low price. Perfect for lunch dates!

Inspiration for Yogacara Teachers: Q & A

Inspiration for Yogacara Teachers: Q & A

“What is your practice like?” “What got you into yoga?” “Do you practice the same thing everyday?” These are just a few of the questions yoga teachers are asked by their students. To offer you some insight into the everyday life, practice, and routines of your favourite yogis we’ve asked a few of our Yogacara teachers to share their inspiration for 2019. Emily Kane What does your yoga practice consist of? (i.e. what style, influence, or essential parts of your practice) My practice changes everyday. It depends on what is going on in my life which determines what I need more focus on. Some days it’s a lot of movement and breathwork (like vinyasa or kundalini) while other times being still and going inwards with a yin or restorative practice is what nourishes me. I also regularly integrate mantra and meditation. When I’m travelling I like to meditate on planes, trains, or buses–I even do a short hatha sequence at the back of the plane when I’m flying!

Yogacara Featured One of the Best Yoga Studios

Yogacara Featured One of the Best Yoga Studios

Yogacara has been featured as one of the best yoga studios in Canada by Stylight Magazine. What makes Yogacara so special you might ask? Here are a few reasons why students love joining us for yoga classes, holistic health sessions, yoga teacher training, and more. 1.) Always small class sizes This is a rare opportunity for a yoga studio to cap classes at only 15 students. This allows for a unique connection with your teacher and community. You’ll always receive attention and care you deserve, plus you’ll never feel self-conscious about taking up too much space. There’s always enough to go around! 2.) Compassionate, caring, and skilled teachers We understand yoga is for all and we encourage everyone to practice the values of yoga, on and off their mat. This is what inspires our teachers to hold space for everyone to enjoy their yoga practice. Those vibes can be felt right when you walk through the door.