Monthly Archives: September 2017

“Baby, it’s hot outside!”

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Before I begin, some info…

Tuesday, September 26th (5h45-7h00): No drop-in available this week.
Thursday, September 28th (7h15-8h30): 2 drop-in spaces available.   Please notify via email. 
 
Registration is ongoing.  The fee is pro-rated.  
 
Next week, you will be receiving the blog via Mail Chimp.  If you would prefer not to receive the “Monday Downdog Yoga Blog”, you can simply delete yourself from the mailing list.
 
Yoga Studio opens 15 minutes before class time.  
 
And now for  the blog!
I hope you enjoy the read…
 
“Baby it’s hot outside!”
Trying to beat the summer heat? This week’s yoga practice will do just that.  Altghough it may seem counterintuitive,  you can actually cool down your body with asanas that both help restore and rejuvenate your body!
The practice will begin with relaxation in supine butterfly pose.  Deep controlled and relaxed breathing will not only help you slow down your heart rate, it will relax your body and reduce body temperature.
Water and earth mudra will be used to further cool us down.
Our practice will stay away from sun salutations which create heat and focus rather on  poses such as mountain, upward mountain, low lunge, low lunge with a twist, cobra, up dog.
We will use child, Warrior 2, thunderbolt, extensions, butterfly, squats, boat  and head-to-toe to ground ourselves in the present moment. 
 
A grounding/heart opening practice is cooling not only physically but mentally.  It helps us to let go and to focus on the present moment (be less scattered, more centered).  Cool is the rule when we are able to surrender to the present and welcome whatever the future holds.  Trusting that the only place we need to be is in the present moment with our breath is one of the important lessons yoga can teach us.  When we achieve this, our practice becomes mindful and meditative.
 
Focus poses for this week:
Tadasana: Mountain 
Urdhva Mukha Svanasana: Upward Facing Dog 
 
Stay cool,
 
Jocelyne
 

“I knew that would have been cheating.”

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Good day dear students,
Before writing the weekly Monday blog, I thought I would give you the important dates, schedule and fees.
September 17th: 3h-5h Open house Wine and Nibbles!
 
September 19th classes begin.  Last class December 7th. 
 
Santa comes early this year classes! December 12th and 14th
 
Tuesdays (Intermediate): 5h45-7h 
Thursdays (All levels): 7h15-8h15
(Studio opens 15 minutes before class)
 
6-week session $72
12-week session $120
Drop-in $15
If you like to register, please send me an email.
 
 
And now for the blog!
I hope you enjoy the read….
 
“I knew that would be cheating” 
The renovation for the studio was to begin in June, 2017.  I had been thinking of opening my own studio for a few months. In June, I backed out.  I made up all kinds of excuses to not go ahead.  Foremost,  (like the Iowa farmer, Ray Kinsella, in Field of Dreams who questioned whether or not he should pursue his dream of building a baseball diamond on his farm) I questioned myself, “Will students come?”
 
My dream of opening a studio stayed in the background of my mind through June and July.  And then, on August 9th, I read an article in the Globe and Mail about Kyle Miller. The article spoke directly to me. It was about defying the odds and about the importance of pursuing your dreams.
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The following is a quote from the Globe and Mail, August 9th, 2017 about Kyle Miller.  The article began,

“When he tees up Thursday with his eye on history, he won’t be thinking of the rusty putter he found in the family garage, the childhood link to the game he believes saved his life. He won’t be thinking either of the kindly teaching pro who took him in or the 14 surgeries he underwent to rebuild his left hand and rotate his left leg, operations that left him with permanent numbness along the left side of his body.

Instead, Kyle Miller’s thoughts will be as honed as a scalpel’s edge: head down, alignment set. Ready on the downswing for his body to shift to its numbed side. Finish in a position he describes as a matter “of trust and commitment to the shot.” (italics mine)

It is how Miller has made himself into a defying force – the first golfer with cerebral palsy to compete at a PGA Tour-sanctioned event.”

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It was when I read this article that I decided, after months of hesitation, to go forward “with trust and commitment to the shot”: creating a beautiful, warm and welcoming space in my home for students to practice yoga. I never looked back.  I knew that if I didn’t go ahead, and chose to let my fear win, that would be cheating.  It would not be true to the spirit of the conquering yoga warrior.
I cannot put in words, the energy that has been fuelled inside as I pursue my dream and let go of my fear.   It is an energy, I believe, that is in all of us.
It is my hope that the yoga practices at Downdogyoga will bring you positive energy, an energy that is “honed as a scalpel’s edge: …alignment set.”  Most importantly, I hope this space will provide you with a space to find stillness in the fast-paced world we live in.
On a final note, I would like once again, express my gratitude to all of you who have supported me in the pursuit of this dream.
Cheers,
Jocelyne