Retreat to go Forward by Devinder Kaur

by Devinder KaurNo Comments
Physicist Max Planck, said “when you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.” This happens with a Yoga retreat. Yoga Retreats create the perfect environment to take a step back and see our true selves, to watch our thoughts and the behaviours that hold us back. In as little as a few days we can start changing the way we are living by going beyond our ordinary routines. On retreat there is time and space to do things just for you. Many people on retreat take this as a time to make conscious change. If you are reassessing your life in any way, thinking of a career change, moving, going through a divorce or experiencing the passing of someone close, then attending a yoga retreat is a healthy and supportive way to gain deeper understanding and insight. It can help you build courage and strength to create positive change. Dietary and other changes can happen more easily...
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Kundalini Yoga has touched every particle of my being

Kundalini Yoga has touched every particle of my being

by Devinder Kaur1 Comment
To those of you who may not know about Kundalini Yoga, or wonder why you should take a class, or better yet kundalini yoga teacher training, let me enlighten you on my personal experiences. My name is Gurumantra Kaur, and I am a Kundalini Yoga instructor, and owner of Yogi Strong. After being diagnosed with anxiety and severe allergies from my surroundings, in 2004, I began looking for a Raj Yoga, a royalty yoga, as a holistic approach to address my issues. I discovered Kundalini; and it is just that: royal. Once I started, I couldn’t stop the snowball effect that Kundalini had on my life. My anxiety lessened, I was breathing easier and more deeply, and stress no longer affected me like before. I needed to know more, and thought “why not try teacher training?” Later, after talking to some of my peers, I found that many people were in the same boat as I had been; desiring to be...
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Healing Sciatica through Ashaya Yoga®, by Todd Norian

Healing Sciatica through Ashaya Yoga®, by Todd Norian

by Devinder Kaur2 Comments
I've helped many students heal their sciatica (inflammation of the sciatic nerve, which originates in the low back and runs down the back of your upper leg bones, the femur) using the Four Essentials of Ashaya Yoga®: Open, Engage, Align, and Expand. Most sciatic pain arises from standing, sitting, or walking with poor alignment; the feet are turned out and the thighbones are forward and externally rotated. When the femurs are forward of their optimal placement, the muscles of the lower back contract and can pull the lumbar spine into a flattened position. Tight hamstrings further exacerbate the flat back condition. When the natural curve of the lower back is lost, the spinal discs squeeze posteriorly (the back of your body) and can press on nerve roots. The First Essential, Open, is the act of softening and remembering your connection to the healing power of the universe. You open to a bigger energy and let go of self-limiting beliefs. In so doing,...
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What do stacked stones mean for mindfulness?

What do stacked stones mean for mindfulness?

by Devinder Kaur3 Comments
As we look forward to our autumn programming, we're always happy to have Dr. Kim Sogge back to the centre. Dr. Sogge brings a wealth of experience and information to her mindfulness-based courses, and this year we've expanded upon her original Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Course and will also be offering her Mindfulness-Based Self-Compassion Course. Whenever we start spreading the word about these beneficial offerings, we look for our favourite pictures that communicate a sense of mindfulness. We are mindful in our choosing - while we love pictures of peaceful-looking people sitting on docks or in wooded landscapes, we want to cultivate the understanding that this is a practice for your daily life. You do not need to escape the city, your job or your family to cultivate mindfulness, and so for promotion, we turn to the stone stack. You may be confused though! After all, what's a stack of stones got to do with a mindfulness-based stress reduction course? It's a great...
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The Joys and Benefits of Teaching Kids Yoga

The Joys and Benefits of Teaching Kids Yoga

by Devinder Kaur4 Comments
“Here comes Yoga! Hi Yoga! Yay ... it’s Yoga!” Bright, smiling eyes. Tight knee hugs. Tiny high 5's. Occasionally I will get an Anjali mudra greeting coupled with an enthusiastic "Mum-aste!" This is the reception I receive each week at a local Montessori school. These are the voices of toddlers, precious souls around two years old who know my name, I'm sure of it, but to them I'm just "Yoga". Big boots to fill! I teach to all ages, but my children’s classes, whether they are for toddlers or young teens, are the highlight of my week. Children derive huge benefits from yoga. Physically, it enhances their flexibility, strength, coordination, and body awareness. In addition, their concentration and sense of calm and relaxation improves. Yoga calms down their highly stimulated central nervous systems, which in turn allows better concentration on schoolwork and other activities. By practicing yoga, children exercise, play, connect more deeply with their inner life of motivations and emotions, and develop an...
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Chair Yoga: The Benefits and Surprises of a Supported Practice

by Devinder Kaur3 Comments
Chair yoga is an incredible experience for both students and teachers.  Students who don’t believe they can exercise or improve their overall heath find accessible, rewarding techniques; and teachers find incredibly devoted, grateful students who cannot make it to traditional classes. The journey for myself began by wanting to share yoga with my grandparents who were in their nineties, and I needed to come up with ways to adapt the techniques to suit them.  At the time I had never heard of "chair yoga", but it seemed like a natural way to adapt yoga for people in their early 90’s.  After a chance meeting led me to taking over a class at a senior’s residence, my student base grew from these initial two!  We started with a  monthly class and the residents kept protesting until it was offered weekly.  Their devotion to the practice and its results was second to none, and it had nothing to do with being family. Over time I've realized that chair yoga...
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The Deep Benefits of Gentle Yoga

The Deep Benefits of Gentle Yoga

by Devinder Kaur1 Comment
Gentle yoga There is a general misconception that “gentle yoga” is not as beneficial as the more active styles. However, the gentle styles of yoga, such as Restorative Yoga, Somatic Yoga, Therapeutic Yoga, can stimulate the immune system and improve one’s overall health. Gentle yoga styles help to get the body out of stress-mode, release tension, calm the nervous system, gain clearer thinking, and even restore an overall sense of balance to the body, the mind and the soul. While stress is essential in certain moments where we need to achieve a goal and the stakes are high, the body's stress aparatus (the brain, heart, lungs, blood vessels, and muscles) become chronically over or under-activated when even low-levels of stress are persistent. Chronic stress can produce mental and physical illness over time, and the list of potential effects is too long and sad to list to here. People often think that gentle yoga classes are easy, but these may be students who...
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Benefits and Bliss of Hair and Scalp Massage

Benefits and Bliss of Hair and Scalp Massage

by Devinder KaurNo Comments
From the Sanskrit words "shiras" (head, which you might recognize from the Sanskrit for headstand "Sirsasana") and "dhara" (flow), shirodhara is the gentle flow of warm oil from a brass oil fountain onto the third eye chakra (Ajna) just above and between the eyebrows. It's an incredibly relaxing, meditative practice that stimulates circulation, brain function, and a healthy head of hair. Should you not be able to get to your local Ayurvedic practitioner, you can reap the health benefits of massage with Ayurvedic hair massage oils. Massaging increases blood flow to the treated area, and helps with fatigue, stress, and pain. This is also true for scalp massages, and they also benefit the skin, scalp, hair follicles and hair to grow faster and more luminous. Only oils appropriate for the hair should be used for scalp massage. We have Banyan Botanicals Healthy Hair Massage Oil for you to try this at home, but you can also use Almond or Castor oil to...
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