Devinder Kaur, Author at PranaShanti

Prenatal Yoga: Prepare and Connect

January 14, 2016April 23, 2020 by Devinder Kaur16 Comments

This is a guest post from PranaShanti Yoga Teacher Jen Gillean, a Prenatal Yoga instructor. It is no surprise that many women are drawn to yoga practice during their pregnancies. Most of us now know that yoga means union or connection to the universe through our physical being. And most pregnant women would agree that this is what they feel is happening as nature takes the driver's seat in their body. I mean think about it, each day a pregnant woman wakes up to find a stranger eating her food and literally claiming VIP status in her body! And yet, society expects pregnant women to "keep up" with the rest of us in this crazy, busy world. In just 9 months, women must wrap their minds not only around what is happening to their body but also to prepare for their new role as mothers. Pregnancy is often a time to reflect on the types of values with which to raise your...

Max Strom: There’s No App for Happiness

January 13, 2016January 14, 2016 by Devinder KaurNo Comments

Start the new year by furthering your self-development and yoga education with Max Strom. If you love proven methods for living a happier, calmer life, and enjoy an accessible, intelligent yoga practice, this weekend is exactly what you need to start your year off right. On January 15-17, we’re hosting Max for a four part series of seminars that will explore a transformational breath practice and gentle yoga, self-healing through strong vinyasa practice, and lectures and writing workshops inspired by his book: There is No App for Happiness – How to Avoid a Near-Life Experience. Read on for praise for There is No App for Happiness, and learn more about Max’s weekend in Ottawa here. In There Is No App For Happiness Max focuses on the many methods we are employing daily to isolate ourselves further from each other, and compares the effects of these trends to a kind of mass autism. Note he is not a Luddite: he offers examples of the...

40 Day Yoga Challenge

December 22, 2015April 17, 2023 by Devinder Kaur4 Comments

Beat the Winter Blues with the PranaShanti 40 Day Yoga Challenge! The Challenge runs from Wednesday, February 10, 2016 to Sunday, March 20, 2016 The PranaShanti 40 Day Challenge is a commitment to attend yoga classes for 40 consecutive days. Yogic science confirms that it takes 40 days to fully develop a new life-promoting habit or to drop a current destructive habit. The PranaShanti 40 Day Challenge is a great way to strengthen the body, unburden the mind, and begin a daily commitment to yourself. In 40 days, you can create a whole new way of being. Start with any class on Wednesday, February 10! There are 3 optional team gatherings! 1. Wednesday, February 10, 5:45 PM - 7:15 PM ~ Kick Off Class Join us for our Kick Off class. We’ll follow the class with healthy snacks. This is a great opportunity to get to know your fellow participants so that you can encourage each other along the way. You’ll be seeing a lot of...

Winter Solstice at PranaShanti

December 15, 2015February 14, 2021 by Devinder KaurNo Comments

The Winter Solstice is the longest night and shortest day of the year in the Northern hemisphere, and so follows it’s the reverse in the southern. The solstice is considered auspicious in many cultures, including the Romans’ “Day of the Unconquerable Sun”, the Druids’ “Light of Arthur” and the Hindus’ Diwali and Lohri. This year it falls on December 22, when we’ll have just over 9 hours of daylight. In many places, obviously including Ottawa, solstice marks the distinct shift into winter. While the days are getting longer with increasing sunlight after solstice, we enter a season where we desire hibernation. These cold, dark days remind us of the reverence and gratitude we have for sunlight and our perfect position in relationship to the sun for the abundance it provides. Like all things, there are dual, overlapping aspects to all creation, and so we embrace the necessary darkness and dormancy winter provides for renewal in the spring season. The natural drawing in...

10 Reasons to Do YTT at PranaShanti

December 7, 2015December 7, 2015 by Devinder Kaur3 Comments

10 Reasons to Do Yoga Teacher Training at PranaShanti A Spacious Centre Our Centre has four practice Studios, which means that Teacher Training is always in the largest space reserved just for trainings. The consistency and preparation of a space makes training a comfortable experience! You’ll always have the kitchen available to you so you can bring your own food to prepare, and there’s no moving around to other spaces to accommodate classes. We’re Well Equipped We’re really equipped because of the diversity of trainings and classes we host! Whether you want to teach Hot Yoga or Restorative Yoga in the future, your Teacher Training will have many yoga props so you can be supported in your training and learn the full spectrum of how to support yoga students. In A Great Neighbourhood Enjoy free parking evenings and weekends, so if you’re not locking your bike up outside, you don’t need to fuss with parking tickets. There are two vegan restaurants, two locally owned coffee shops,...

Annual Unlimited Holiday Savings!

December 1, 2015April 23, 2020 by Devinder KaurNo Comments

Make a commitment to yourself! This package is truly UNLIMITED! With the PranaShanti Annual Unlimited Package Holiday Special you will enjoy: No limit to the number of classes you practice in a day, week or month 80+ weekly drop in classes 10% off special events, workshops and trainings 10% off all boutique purchases and Infrared Sauna sessions 10 complimentary yoga class passes to bring friends & family to class with you! Complimentary yoga mat rentals A PranaShanti t-shirt This special is available from December 1, 2015 to January 31, 2016, with the holiday special price of $1,275.00 (HST included) which includes all the goodies listed above for 365 days! A $300 savings just on the package price with more savings all year long! Sign Up!...

Black Friday Sale!

November 26, 2015April 20, 2021 by Devinder KaurNo Comments

Save the HST on Friday, November 27, 2015! To support your yoga practice in this season of lights, we're offering you the opportunity to bring some more light to your winter this Friday. For one day only, we are offering a 13% discount or SAVE THE HST on 5, 10, 20, 50, Family, 1 Month Unlimited and Annual Unlimited Class Packages. Buy Online with the code FRIDAY2015 or in person at the Centre. Note: Drop-In and Monthly Auto-Renew packages are not included....

Buddhism and Yoga

November 24, 2015October 31, 2017 by Devinder KaurNo Comments

Considering the shared terms, histories, and desirable outcomes of Buddhism and Yoga, it’s not surprising that their similarities are clearer than their differences. They share many commonalities, particularly because of Yoga’s inextricable history with Hinduism from which it was born. “The Buddha”, born Siddhartha Gautama, was born a Hindu and considered an incarnation of the Hindu god Vishnu for a time. Like other great spiritual leaders of varying traditions, Hindus and Yogis acknowledge Buddha as a great teacher whose wisdom is worth consideration, even if it is not a part of their system. The Vedas a large body of texts from ancient India and are considered the oldest records of Sanskrit literature and the oldest scriptures of Hinduism. Depending on who you’re asking, the Vedas are divided into four or five texts that are then subdivided, but Yoga can be traced back to the first of all of these texts: the Rig Veda, which speaks about yoking (yoga) our mind...

What is Conscious Communication?

November 12, 2015November 3, 2015 by Devinder KaurNo Comments

- Yogi Bhajan, Excerpts from KRI Level 2 Conscious Communication Manual Do you know what real communication is? Real communication is when after uttering, saying, or communicating, you stand fully one hundred percent by whatever you said. Real communication does not give you any right to change it afterwards, no matter what. Anything which is not real is a lie. It is not whether it is right or wrong, good or bad, or moral or ethical. Person A talks to person B and between A and B, the talk is real. Then A and B are bound down to put their totality in it until infinity. You should not say anything that you cannot put your totality behind. The total value of you is that whatever you say, you stick with it. When you don't stick with what you say, you have no value, and your decoration and your jewelry and your sex and your person have no value. Real communication is the faculty...

The Effect of Aging On Muscle

October 14, 2015April 17, 2023 by Devinder Kaur1 Comment

A study by the UPMC Center for Sports Medicine in Pittsburgh of athletes between the ages of 40 and 81 demonstrated that muscle loss considered typical in adults after the age of 40 has more to do with lack of use than aging alone. The study showed that the muscles used by the athlete's chosen activity were nearly indistuighsable from an athlete at the age of 40, proving that studies on the effect of age of muscle mass have focused too much on sedentary adults, and that the caliber of our golden years is quite self-determined. (They hypothesize a 70/30 ratio between lifestyle and genetics!) It joins a growing body of evidence on what types of exercise are most effective for preserving muscle mass. While overall motor units (a group of muscle fibres commanded by a single motor neuron in the spine) decrease in the body over time, it's true, these can be preserved through use. Which means an activity with...