Finding Harmony Through Chakra Balance
Let’s be real here. Life often takes a toll on our bodies both physically and emotionally. Whether it be emotionally traumatic experiences or general stress and anxiety, everyday experiences can cause a chakra to get thrown out of whack. When our chakras are underactive, or overactive, they are not able to work together harmoniously resulting in an overall imbalance. The negative effects of an over or underactive chakra can be reduced thanks to certain poses that target particular chakra systems. In my experience targeting the first and second chakra have been the most effective in allowing me to balance the remaining chakras – by starting from the ground and working up!
Change and How it Affects Your Yoga Practice
There’s nothing like fall to remind us that change is in the air. The air is crisper, the leaves change colour and we’re left to reflect on how this shift affects us in other aspects of our lives. Ayurveda is widely known as yoga’s sister science; in this system, there are multiple constitutions originating from different elements. Fall is recognized as the “vata” season which is made up of air and ether. This is evident in the cooler, dryer, windy and unpredictable conditions that dominate the autumn months. So how can change be embraced during this time of transition?
Yin Yoga 101
Yin Yoga 101: learn the basics about this beautiful practice from Yogacara Yoga Teacher Training
Yin Yoga has the same goals and objectives as any other school of yoga. Most practices of yoga are utilized to work the muscular portion of our body (Yang), where as Yin yoga lets us dive deeper into the yin tissues of our bodies, ligaments, bones and joints. Yin yoga can have the same objectives as another school of yoga and some students can find this style of class boring and passive but quickly discover that this can be the most challenging style of practice due to the long duration of poses.
Yoga Poses to Practice Daily
Yoga is such a unique practice that can vary day-to-day. Even if you go to the same yoga class regularly, you’ll notice that most teachers will alter what they share with students. There’s an infinite amount of yoga poses and sequences to choose from. We give you a few yoga poses that you may want to add to your daily practice.
Anatomy in Yoga
An understanding of anatomy is key for the safety and development of your students. Integrating this knowledge can encourage injury prevention and facilitate the healing process. It can connect a deeper understanding of the philosophies in creating yoga sequences for public and private classes. For private classes, if there is a specific area of focus, then you can design a practice that addresses those concerns. An anatomical awareness also prepares you to take on students with injuries in a safe and effective manner. Using variations, props, and mindful sequencing to compliment this information can create an inclusive yoga class.
An understanding of anatomy also gives you the tools to analyze your practice and teachings to create effective movement patterns. This encourages proper sequencing techniques that include adequate warm-ups and poses with appropriate counterposes. It also reinforces the importance of alignment for the purpose of safety for our joints, muscles, tendons and ligaments rather than for an esthetic appeal. The patterns we create on our mat have the ability to affect how we progress outside of yoga, meaning that our muscle memory creates healthy habits to impact other activities in our daily lives.
The Journey of Yoga Teacher Training
Written by Emily Kane – owner of Yogacara Whistler and staff member of the Yogacara Yoga Teacher Training program I used to think Yoga Teacher Training was out of my grasp. Seeing the respect that yoga teachers had for leading classes with confidence, awareness and grace is what drew me towards yoga teacher training, […]
Restorative Yoga – Relax, Restore, Renew
Yoga has the ability to create bliss on many levels – physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. The key to this state can come from a variety of practices, but one form seems to stand out when it comes to relaxation. Restorative yoga uses long, supported holds to relax the body and restore the nervous system, […]
Connection Celebration Meditation Yoga
Connection Celebration Meditation Yoga. Everyone has their own interpretation for the individual experience, or collective experiences, that relate to these values. Although each word can be explained in a unique way, there is a unified nature in their meaning. A meditation yoga experience can include many ways to connect and celebrate, whether that’s to yourself […]
Gratitude
Psychology Today defines gratitude as an emotion expressing appreciation for what one has. They also refer to studies that show how cultivating gratitude can increase our well-being and happiness. So how can you cultivate gratitude or what makes it so important? When we take time out of our busy lives and reflect on what we are […]
The Importance of Small Yoga Classes
It is only in recent history that public classes have been popularized and relevant in yoga. Many of the traditional teachings were translated orally from teacher to student. Notice the wording there – teacher to student. The recent phenomenon of public classes are a long stretch from the private teachings of previous traditions; however, there […]
