Ottawa Yoga Blog - PranaShanti Yoga Centre Ottawa

My Ottawa Yoga Story: Margarita Garcia

December 27, 2017December 27, 2017 by Rich Media Architects2 Comments

My Yoga Story - Margarita Garcia. How did you get started in yoga? I have been doing yoga on and off for about ten or fifteen years, mostly hatha based or hot yoga but it wasn't until I got into Kundalini Yoga that I realized how much I loved it and how it became a way of life. Kundalini yoga helped me find my own way through life's challenges, helping me heal. My son's caregiver at the time had just begun her Kundalini Yoga Teacher training and I remember thinking every time I saw her how radiant she looked, how driven with passion and joy. So I asked her what it was all about, and attended one of her classes, the seed was planted and for the next five years while I navigated the painful, difficulties of a separation with three young children at home, I knew I needed Kundalini Yoga. What does yoga mean to you in your life today? For me...

300 Hour Hatha Yoga Teacher Training Program Launch

December 14, 2017November 5, 2018 by Devinder KaurNo Comments

We're excited to be featured in the December 2017 issue of ON Yoga Magazine. There's a great article about our upcoming 300 Hour Hatha Yoga Teacher Training Program that we are launching in January 2018. The program is set and registration is OPEN! PranaShanti Yoga Centre’s HYTT 300-Hour Program is a comprehensive course of study that delves deeply into all aspects of Yoga, thus, building on the knowledge and skills developed at the 200-Hour Level. This self-paced modular approach to advanced Yogic education allows you to customize a pathway based on your own unique needs. Believing in studying with a variety of highly trained teachers increases everyone’s knowledge and depth of experience, our dedicated and skilled faculty deliver a well-rounded curriculum that enables you to refine your expertise in particular areas of interest due to their areas of specialization. Read the ON YOGA article Learn more about the 300 Hour Program Meet the Teaching Team Program Schedule Program Registration...

My Ottawa Yoga Story: Jeffrey McGuire

November 22, 2017 by Rich Media Architects10 Comments

How did you get started in yoga? My intro to Yoga came with a curiosity about stretching. I used to run long distance and slowly began to explore different styles of stretching more deeply. Around this time a good friend introduced me to meditation. As a result, I was lead to Yoga asana and began reading books and watching videos and DVDs. Eventually I gave up running and began to focus more deeply on Yoga and meditation gradually developing a consistent practice over the past 17 years. What does yoga mean to you in your life today? Yoga to me is all about striving for sacred balance in all areas including mind, body and spirit. It's also about establishing and learning to maintain authentic connections to self and others. I'm a recovering addict working a lifelong program of recovery from active addiction; this life path and Yoga practice compliment one another beautifully. One of my spirit guides always reminds me that spiritual...

Winter Wonderland – Winter Solstice Celebration

November 13, 2017April 22, 2020 by Devinder KaurNo Comments

Our Annual Winter Solstice Celebration is Thursday, December 21! Midwinter's day has been an important time for celebration throughout the ages. On this shortest day of the year, the sun is at its lowest and weakest, a pivot point from which the light will grow stronger and brighter. This is the turning point of the year. To celebrate this sacred time we will begin with an inspirational intention setting, followed by yoga, a meditation, and immersive sound experience. Live music will enhance our sacred experience with ambient soundscapes as we practice. The Spirit Room will be magically transformed into a full sensory Winter Wonderland experience...complete with live tress, twinkling white lights, snow and more! Warming and delicious drinks, a vegan gluten free dinner meal and desert are included and catered by Whole Foods. Please come dressed in white clothing to further add to the ambiance of this sacred time. Cost: $65.00 per person. Limited space for a maximum of 50 participants. To plan for participant take home...

300 Hour Hatha Yoga Teacher Training

November 8, 2017January 7, 2024 by Devinder Kaur4 Comments

300 Hour Hatha Yoga Teacher Training Announcing Our Program Launch – January 2018 PranaShanti Yoga Centre’s HYTT 300-Hour Program is a comprehensive course of study that delves deeply into all aspects of Yoga, thus, building on the knowledge and skills developed at the 200-Hour Level. This self-paced modular approach to advanced Yogic education allows you to customize a pathway based on your own unique needs. Believing in studying with a variety of highly trained teachers increases everyone’s knowledge and depth of experience, our dedicated and skilled faculty deliver a well-rounded curriculum that enables you to refine your expertise in particular areas of interest due to their areas of specialization. Join us for our FREE Information Sessions Bring your questions, learn more and meet our Program Co-ordinator, Kathleen Burr, Our next dates are: Monday, January 15, 2018 – 6 pm to 7 pm Sunday, January 28, 2018 – 2 pm to 3 pm Sign Up HERE! PranaShanti Yoga Centre is a Registered Yoga School (RYS) and Registered Yoga...

Vote for PranaShanti Yoga Centre! Top Yoga Studio of 2018 in Ottawa!

November 5, 2017November 5, 2018 by Devinder KaurNo Comments

Vote for Us! PranaShanti Yoga Centre has been nominated as Top Yoga Studio of 2018 in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, by Top Choice Awards! Thank you for your nominations and your support of PranaShanti Yoga Centre! We are deeply touched that so many voted for us as Top Yoga Studio for 2017 and we are in deep gratitude for being nominated as Top Yoga Studio in Ottawa for 2018! We are here to set high standards within our category and within our community. Your vote is important. It helps Top Choice Awards discover new, noteworthy businesses, and helps other people in Ottawa enjoy better overall products and services. By voting you are also thanking those who proudly serve you and our community every day. Please show your support and vote for us! Voting is OPEN until January 2! Vote HERE!...

My Yoga Story: Meghan Perry

October 25, 2017October 25, 2017 by Rich Media Architects2 Comments

How did you get started in yoga? My first introduction to yoga was when I was four years old. I would watch my Mom practice in our living room and she would show me some of the postures. It was so beautiful and quiet and felt so special. I rediscovered yoga in my early 30's. I'd tried running, team sports and the gym but those didn't work for me. I wanted something that would help me feel stronger in body and mind. I decided to try out the yoga centre in our neighbourhood, PranaShanti. As soon as I walked in the door, I recognized that special feeling I'd felt as a child doing yoga with my Mom. After that class, I felt strong, calm and relaxed. It was great! What does yoga mean to you in your life today? Yoga is not just something I do sometimes, it has become an important part of how I live. It supports my body by...

Meditation

October 23, 2017February 14, 2021 by Devinder KaurNo Comments

Meditation Spelled Out! By Devinder Kaur M - Mantras, mudras and asanas are the concentration points. They provide you with the form and focus for the meditation. Mantra is a repeated sound rhythm that directs the mind. Mudra means ‘seal’ used to seal the body’s energy flow into a particular pattern and asanas are the body postures. E - Eliminate Mental Intrigues. Mental Intrigues are what happens when the mind is left on automatic and thoughts and feelings dominate you. The combination of the subconscious and thoughts start the mental intrigues and self-defeating patterns. Meditation helps to clean the mind of these thoughts and break your old patterns. It is a sort of mental housekeeping. D - Don’t over analyse or intellectualise. This takes you away from the meditative process. Intellectualising thoughts expands the intrigue and your mind weaves the thoughts into an elaborate story that goes to all parts of your mind. You lose track of your real self and then become...

What is Toning? By Kathleen Burr

August 30, 2017January 7, 2024 by Devinder KaurNo Comments

Please join us in welcoming Kathleen Burr back to teaching at PranaShanti Yoga Centre. Kathleen returns to the Class Schedule with regularly scheduled classes and will be offering a variety of workshops and events. Known for her enjoyment of sound and mantra, please find below an article by Kathleen about toning. "At the heart of each of us, whatever our imperfections, there exists a silent pulse of perfect rhythm, a complex of wave forms and resonances, which is absolutely individual and unique, and yet which connects us to everything in the universe. The act of getting in touch with this pulse can transform our personal experience and in some way alter the world around us." – George Leonard Sound has been used as a healing tool for thousands of years in many cultures. Modern science confirms what the ancient mystics knew: everything in the universe is in a constant state of vibration. Think of the body-mind system as an orchestra with the potential to...

Prenatal Yoga for the Perfect Birth

August 23, 2017April 17, 2023 by Devinder Kaur11 Comments

Prenatal Yoga for the Perfect Birth by Jennifer Gillean Wouldn’t it be nice if we could guarantee a desired birth outcome in some way-with yoga?! Insert EASY button here! As most of us have discovered, at least for the bigger events in our life, rarely do things unfold as we expect or can possibly plan for. So why do so many health professionals recommend yoga and meditation? Could this be the same reason behind the natural draw many women feel towards yoga when expecting? Practicing yoga during pregnancy gives you a renewed opportunity to connect with your mind, body and heart, accepting all that arises during this transformational period in your life. During the Prenatal Series, we aim to support you at every stage of this exciting time while helping to build on skills of coping and more. In each session of the Prenatal Yoga series we will wade through mindfulness and breathing strategies (aka Pranayama) to align with where you are...