Habits That Support a Home-Based Yoga Practice
[et_pb_section admin_label=”section”] [et_pb_row admin_label=”row”] [et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text”] 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 tips […]
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….
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.
5 Signs of an Advanced Yogi
When I started going deeper into my yoga practice, I began to wonder what it really meant to be an advanced yogi. I remember the frustration I had with certain poses that wouldn’t happen no matter how hard I tried. One day in a yoga class, I noticed someone transition directly from a wide-legged forward fold to a headstand. My reaction was, “Wow, this person is like a magical unicorn!” I could also hear the little voice of doubt inside my head saying that would never happen for me. Well, I was wrong. A few years later, I conquered that variation—I’d officially transformed into that magical unicorn. Did I feel any more enlightened? No. Did I feel like I’d raised the bar? Not really. Luckily for us, what determines an advanced yogi has nothing to do with yoga poses; shifting into a refined practice goes a few layers deeper, to the core essence of what it means to be a “real yogi”—whatever that means.
Yoga Teacher Spotlight: Susan
Susan (Sadhana) is one of the skilled yoga teachers that the Yogacara community feels honoured to have. This week, she has been featured in our yoga teacher spotlight in the hopes that you can get to know her and the connection she has to yoga. Do you have any favourite mantras/meditations/spiritual practices? I am fascinated with mantra, the Sanskrit language and the effects it has on not only those chanting, but all beings, plant and animal life in its proximity. Mantra is a daily practice that has become effortless and brings so much joy. It’s a very powerful tool to bring things back into balance and perspective. During extended poses when I am not cueing, I am often chanting silently, helping to raise the frequency of the room.
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!
Tips For The Busy Yogi
Daily Yoga For a Tight Schedule Let’s be real here. Not all of us have the time to commit to a 60 minute – 75 minute asana practise every single day. You know what? That’s okay! In today’s world, many of us have 40-hour work weeks, household commitments, kids, chores and so on. Before we know it, we’ve tossed our yoga practice aside to revisit it tomorrow or whenever time allows. For anyone who’s a busy yogi, I understand the struggle of balancing a quality practice with the demands of the world around us. As someone who spends up to 15 hours per a day at work, and spends my free time taking advantage of the short, but sweet snowboarding season here in Whistler, I too consider myself a busy yogi.
New to Yoga? What You Should Know
If you are new to yoga, congratulations!
You’ve made your first big step as a yogi. Choosing to be on your mat is extremely empowering. Starting out on this path into the world of yoga can be exciting but also a little intimidating. You may have a ton of questions like “what classes should I take? How do I do this pose? Am I in the right place?” We’ll break down the important parts of a yoga practice so you’ll know what to expect even if you’re new to yoga.
Be patient
This tip is key. Have you ever heard someone say “I don’t like yoga” but they’ve only tried yoga once?
Spring Sun Salutations
There’s nothing like ushering in a new season by shaking off the cobwebs with a few sun salutations. The tradition of practicing sun salutations is meant to honor the sun, our source of life and light. It’s a beautiful way to warm up the body, increase the flow of prana (a.k.a. life force energy), and honor the shift from winter to spring—or any season for that matter! Sun salutations are also known as “Surya Namaskar” which translates to “sun” (surya) and “to bow to” or “to adore” (namaskar). So what sun salutations should be practiced? Luckily, there are many variations on this ancient spiritual tradition.
