The yoga year at DOWNdog begins in September and ends in June. It is divided into 5 7-week Sessions. The studio is then closed for July and August. Enrollment has been excellent since September. All classes were full. As we move into Session 3 (January – February) there is some availability. Drop-ins are always an option if a student is absent and a space is vacant. If you are interested in coming for a trial class or an occasional drop-in, that is definitely possible.

I would like to thank Roxanne and Mike for their continued commitment and wonderful generosity. Their dedication and professionalism cannot be surpassed. DOWNdog is most fortunate to have two of the best yoga instructors in the Ottawa area.

Dr. Maxi joined the team officially in November after a rough start. He is now honing his accounting skills but will need to stay in the background for now. Hopefully he will be introduced formally to the studio next September. His savasana continues to be an inspiration for me. Total abandonment. Total stillness. Something we all aspire to in savasana at the end of a practice.

I would like to thank everyone for their continued commitment to their practice. Thank you for choosing DOWNdog. The studio will continue to strive to offer every student the best possible practice in an environment that is conducive to creating positive energy and calm.

Our energy is more easily depleted in winter. The energy provided from a yoga practice is very much needed to keep us strong and disciplined. “You never regret the yoga!”

I would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a healthy, blessed and peaceful Christmas. All the best in the New Year!

Namaste!

Jocelyne

It was an incredible start for Year 9 at DOWNdog! All classes were full and remain so as we move into Session 2. If you are interested in coming for a trial class or an occasional drop-in, that is definitely possible.

I would like to thank Roxanne and Mike for their continued dedication and wonderful generosity. Roxanne and Mike are always happy to stay after classes to talk to students that want some advice or express some concern.

Dr. Maxi has joined the team officially after a rough start. He is working on his accounting skills and staying in the background for now. Last week he had 11 students on the roster for the Wednesday morning class!! On the up side, his savasana is to be admired during classes. Everyone appreciates his absence of barking and general calm. Thank you Maxi!

Lastly, I would like to thank everyone for their continued commitment to their practice. Thank you for choosing DOWNdog. The studio will continue to strive to offer every student the best possible practice in an environment that is conducive to creating positive energy and calm.

Namaste!

Jocelyne

For those of you who are not familiar with DOWNdog in Manor Park, the studio is located at 8 Bedford Crescent. It has been in operation since 2017. It is local, non-profit, community oriented.

Its mission: To provide a space that is conducive to the BEST POSSIBLE yoga experience.

DOWNdog is most fortunate to have two of the most highly regarded yoga instructors in the Ottawa Region: Roxanne Joly and Mike Dynie. (Please see bios.; testimonials.) Both instructors have over 24 years teaching experience.

Small classes: maximum 8 – 9 students

Gentle and All levels classes.

The venue is conducive to creating a welcoming, calming, and healing experience.

DOWNdog would like to thank Roxanne and Mike for providing the students, week after week, with challenging, energizing and relaxing practices. Their vast experience, dedication, and care keeps students coming back year after year. Who could have predicted (especially after COVID) that DOWNdog would continue to thrive. All classes this year were full.

Some spaces now available for next round that begins in September! Please check availability. You are welcome to take a TRIAL class. Mike and Roxanne would be thrilled to have you join their classes.

For more INFO:

EMAIL: yoga.downdog8@gmail.com

TEXT: 613-748-7886

Thank you for choosing DOWNdog!

Your administration,

Jocelyne and Dr. Maxi (mentor in training!)

For those of you who are not familiar with DOWNdog Home Studio, the studio is located in Manor Park at 8 Bedford Crescent. It was first established in 2017. Students have gravitated to the studio for many reasons: its location; the small class size (maximum 8 or 9); its welcoming and peaceful venue. But most importantly, students choose DOWNdog because of the teachers: Roxanne Joly and Mike Dynie. Roxanne and Mike both have over 23 years experience. Not only are they amazing teachers, they are amazing people. They inspire their students and guide them safely through each and every practice. I have known them since 2012 when they first taught me the YTT (Yoga Teacher Training) course.

Registration is now open for Session 4. In the interim, if you have any questions and/or would like to try a class, please do not hesitate to contact me at: yoga.downdog8@gmail,com

The 2024-2025 year is divided into FIVE 7-week Sessions.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the students of DOWNdog. You have, each of you, contributed to the success of my humble venture. I would like to thank you, Roxanne and Mike for your dedication, generosity, and professionalism. You are the positive driving force behind DOWNdog. Your passion for yoga is truly an inspiration for one and all. To my family and friends, your support and confidence in me made it all possible. Thank you. Namaste!

Jocelyne YTT 200hr

“Yoga is about creating healing energy… Dr. Jake was the master.”

During the first four years after the opening of DOWNdog yoga studio in 2017, Dr. Jake was co-instructor with myself. He was four years old but had already mastered the most important pose in yoga: savasana. Subsequently, he and I became the co-administrators for three years from 2021 to 2024.

I don’t think I would have had the courage or the oomph to start the studio if it hadn’t been for Dr. Jake, a beautiful Australian Shepherd. One lady I met on our many walks, confided,”Your dog is the most beautiful dog I have ever met.” I always believed this to be true. He had such a big heart and sensitive spirit. He was beautiful inside and out! And what a smart dog he was! He had you pegged from the moment you walked in the studio. One student told me the following story: “I wasn’t feeling well that day. My arm was giving me lots of pain. When I came into the room, Dr. Jake came and sat on my mat and stayed there. He knew!”

Some of you may remember the classes when I taught and students would enter the studio and be tacitly greeted by my companion who remained quietly lying at my side. Sometimes, during the practice, he would get up and share someone’s mat. Everyone was more than happy to share. Students were honoured to have been chosen. His beautiful energy was so healing.

When I was teaching yoga with Jake, I sent out weekly emails in which I shared some Dr. Jake wisdom. He was my mentor you see. I would ask him…”Ok Jake! What bit of wisdom should I share with the students this week?” Invariably, he would guide me, inspire me. Students looked forward to his wisdom. There was no wiser dog.

When I look back on the very special bond we shared, I miss him so much. I sometimes feel his very real presence, or hear a bark, a quiet woof. (Once in the middle of the night, he came back to me as real as in dear life. There was no difference. It was as if he were alive again. I was awake in the night and there he was, coming back from his noon time walk, at the patio door, running up the steps and saying,”Hey, where’s my lunch? I’m hungry!”)

I sometimes wonder why it had to happen. Why so young? Why so suddenly? There are no answers to these questions. We all have questions that will never be answered.

My only consolation is that Jake will not have to move into old age with all its challenges. I often talk to him and tell him how I miss him. I ask him how he is doing. He reassures me that he is watching over me.

His spirit will always be with me. This I know.

He will be remembered by so many for his big heart. He was a beautiful, kind, and sensitive soul.

I would like to thank everyone who shared my loss. Please know that your words of condolence meant so much.

Jocelyne

September 17th, 2017.

I remember that day so very clearly. It was a beautiful not-a-cloud-in-the-sky day. Family, friends and neighbours had gathered to celebrate the opening of DOWNdog on the patio in my backyard at 8 Bedford Crescent. Not in a million years would I have imagined myself the owner of a yoga studio! It was a dream come true.

(The joy on that day was compounded tenfold by my son’s phone call announcing he was getting married! Married!!! Not in a million years had I imagined my free spirited son taking the leap! Lol!)

I had backed out of the idea of building my own studio in the spring of 2017 and hemmed and hawed till June…. Like the Iowa farmer, Ray Kinsella in A Field of Dreams who questioned whether or not he should pursue his dream of building a baseball field on his farm, I questioned myself. “Will students come?”

The day I let go of that fear, I could breathe. It was great not be afraid. I moved forward and never looked back. I knew I had to do this. They say the more you are afraid of doing something, the more you need to do it. This definitely was true in this situation.

Yoga is about so many things. It calms and restores the body, mind and heart. It helps us connect to our self and to others in a meaningful way. It helps us be more open and to let go of the stuff that is preventing us from moving forward. It is about finding balance in this crazy life that tosses us and gives us some surprising turns.

It also about conquering our fear. Having faith. Trust if you will. Faith changes everything.

Roxanne and Mike look very much forward to starting up again in September.

In closing, I am reminded of a quote in the book, “The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse” by Charlie Mackesy. “Imagine how we would be if we were less afraid.” If you have never tried yoga, perhaps it’s time to give it a try? DOWNdog is the perfect venue for your first experience.

On this final note, and on behalf of Roxanne and Mike, the amazing teachers at DOWNdog, I would like to wish everyone a healthy and happy end of summer. Until we meet in September.

Jocelyne

(September is Free Trial month. Text me if you have any questions or would like to register for a trial practice. The offer is based on availability. Thank you for choosing DOWNdog!)

It has been an amazing season! It all started back in the fall, in September! Hard to believe we can finally put the cold wind behind us and look forward to some beautiful warm days in May.

WHERE: For those of you who are not familiar with DOWNdog, the studio is located in the heart of Manor Park, at 8 Bedford Crescent.

WHEN: The 2023/2024 season is divided into 5, 7-week rounds. DOWNdog will soon be starting Round 5 (May/June). There are spaces available in the Monday morning and Friday morning classes. There are drop-in spaces available in all classes when there is availability.

Roxanne teaches a wonderful Monday morning class that is focused on mindfulness and healing. The wisdom of her teaching is well-received by her students! I attend this class myself and will highly recommend it to all levels of students and to anyone who needs a relaxing, mindful and gentle practice. (1 space)

Mike teaches the Friday morning class. His sense of humour and positive energy radiates throughout the class. All the practices are creative and challenging for one and all. Variations are given to help beginner students move through a safe practice. (1 space)

For more info about a drop-in or a tryout class:

email yoga.downdog8@gmail.com or text 613-748-7886

Thank you for your interest! Have a WONDERFUL Spring!

Jocelyne

It’s a beautiful morning. The sun is shining. The forecast is for more sunshine. After a grey winter, the weather certainly puts us in the mood to get out more, exercise and embark on new adventures.

For those of you who have never tried yoga, and who would like to get some stretching and strengthening in, the Monday morning class may be perfect for you.

The focus of this class is on healing. Healing simply meaning opening up and learning to relax with the breath. Roxanne guides the practice expertly with her precise cues. The movements are gentle although they may be challenging at times.

Roxanne’s many years of experience, over 24!, will ensure that you are introduced gently, and safely to YOGA!

Questions?

TEXT: 613-748-7886

yoga.downdog8@gmail.com

downdogyoga.ca

I am always happy to hear from you.

Jocelyne and my mentor Dr. Jake wishing you a wonderful March Break!

That’s me on the right! Cheers!

I am very excited to announce the next session, Session 4, at DOWNdog for the 2023-2024 season! For those of you who are not familiar with the studio, it is a home studio at 8 Bedford in the heart of Manor Park. There are now five classes (2 evening classes and 3 morning classes). Each class can accommodate 8 or 9 students. It was first opened 7 years ago.

The home studio is very fortunate to have two of the TOPMOST teachers in the Ottawa region:  Roxanne Joly and Michael Dynie.

Roxanne told me that she enjoyed the warm and welcoming atmosphere of the small studio. “I especially enjoy the chats that I have with the students after the class. Sharing topics that I feel passionate about with students is very special to me.” 

Mike, in one of the emails he sent me, wrote, “The studio is the kind of studio I always wanted to teach at. It offers the opportunity for me to connect with the students in a way I have never been able to do in other studios.” 

After its temporary closure during COVID, students started to gravitate back towards a place where they could find stillness and some peace. COVID divided us. DOWNdog was a place to find the connection with each other and ourselves that we needed.

I have the good fortune to live in a warm and close-knit neighborhood. I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has supported my venture from close and from afar. Your support is what continues to make DOWNdog the wonderful yoga venue it is.  

I would especially like to thank my family and friends who have always believed in me. 

Welcome to DOWNdog!

TEXT (613-748-7886)

EMAIL: yoga.downdog8@gmail.com

THANK YOU for supporting DOWNdog!

VOTED BEST venue!