Author Archives: Jocelyne Campbell

Innovate…don’t hibernate!

Posted on by
Reply

 

“Innovate, don’t hibernate!”

The cold weather just keeps hanging on.  Welcome to DOWNdog this week for some warmth and feeling good inside kind of heat.  This week’s yoga practice will be soothing and centering like a cozy warm blanket.

We will start our practice with breath of fire: Kapalabahti.  Kapalabahti pranayama stimulates the solar plexus which lights up your internal flame and releases natural energy from your head to your toes.  It might feel weird at first but with practice it feels amazing!

We will then move into the repetition of forward fold flows (as we did last week).  Forward fold flows are introspective, calming, soothing, and grounding, all of these, while opening and warming your body from the toes right up to the finger tips. (Resting the upper body on the thighs for the warm up rounds will be used to create a wonderful release.)

The practice will also include planks, rainbows, many different dogs (up dogs, down dogs, three-legged dogs) chairs, and warriors to stoke that inner fire.

Eagle pose, Garudasana, (a focusing, strengthening, centering pose) will be the peak of our warming sequence.  We will end with a twist to detoxify, warm and soothe the entire body, and a restorative legs up the wall to create stillness and  prepare us for savasana.  

Savasana will be followed by alternate nostril breathing and meditation.

Staying warm and cozy on the inside is an innovative way of dealing with winter. And who knows… maybe when life throws us those curve balls we will be able to draw from this warm centering energy and deal with those curve balls in a positive, innovative way.  More on this theme at this week’s practice where it’s all about feeling good on the inside!

Have a great day!   

Namaste!

Jocelyne and Dr. Jake

logo downdog.jpg

Let’s salute Surya Namaskar!

Posted on by
Reply

Let’s Salute the Sun!..

(It’s like Rice and Beans!)😉

There are many different stories about the origin of Surya Namaskar (Sun Salutation).  Some believe  it was the  King of Aundh who introduced Sun Salutations first. He instructed that Surya Namaskar must be maintained on a regular basis and without fail under his reign in the Maharashtra region of India. Whatever the true story is, Sun Salutations have become the most popular exercise across the world to start the day!   

Surya Namaskar, is a beautiful sequence of asanas that when practiced regularly, can make such a difference in your daily life.   It is a beautiful sequence of asanas that I would easily compare to a musical composition.  The instrument is our body, mind and spirit uniting as one to strengthen and balance our energy.

Surya Namaskar means “I bow my head with gratitude before the Sun”.  In bowing to the Sun without, we are in fact celebrating, bowing to the Sun within us, the fire energy that is in our hearts.

Finally, Sun Salutations will give you a complete workout.  They help tone, strengthen and stretch all the important muscles of the body.  They are a wonderful way not only to fire up the energy but to relax the body, mind and spirit. They improve digestion, circulation, and will promote weight loss. When practiced regularly, they provide equanimity (emotional stability).   These are just a few of the benefits.  The bottom line is: they will make you feel great!

Today the sun is shining.  And so on sunny days, doing Sun Salutations is especially powerful to both boost and calm our energy.  It’s like rice and beans. You put them together and the nutritional value increases exponentially!

See you tonite for a great energy boost and deep relaxation!

Namaste!

Jocelyne and Dr. Jake

logo downdog.jpg

Take a load of your shoulders

Posted on by
Reply
We are moving into Week 6 at DOWNdog!  This week we will be going into more depth with regards to the shoulder joint.
The shoulder joint enjoys the greatest mobility of all the joints, but also has the least stability and is the joint most frequently dislocated.
I will go  into more detail with respect to how the rotator cuff works and what we can do to stabilize it.  It is also important to understand what we can do to avoid impingement of the bursa, a fluid-filled structure that facilitates the gliding of the rotator cuff.
Please be careful when you come up the walkway.  Despite the salt, the walkway is still slippery.   The street is especially icy. 
Have a great day!
Jocelyne and Dr. Jake
logo downdog.jpg

Yoga for Anahata …the heart chakra!

Posted on by
Reply
The winter sunshine warmed our hearts this weekend, and we will bring some of that sunshine into our Yoga for the Heart (Anahata)Chakra practice this week at DOWNdog!
It’s Valentine’s Day on Thursday so I thought it was fitting to do a heart warming, heart opening practice.   From the root (muladhara) chakra, our foundation chakra,  we will explore the connection to the heart.
This week we will focus not only on how to do the poses but how the poses nourish a more open and braver heart.  For example, in low lunge Anjanyasana), the heart opens and is lifted from a place of strong rootedness.  In child’s pose (Balasana) the heart learns to trust as it surrenders to the present moment.  When bringing awareness to the heart, this is when the pose truly opens up and transforms into a wonderful sense of just being.
The Warrior poses (Virabhadrasana) will be our apex poses. Sinking into the warrior heart can be quite empowering especially when we imagine ourselves as being Virabhadra*, the fearless warrior!*  We will conclude with Fish pose (Matsyasana), a classic heart opening pose.
In yoga, the heart and the mind work to become more aligned.   When strong, this alignment gives clearer direction to our lives.  We feel more empowered. It helps us better deal with the twists and turns along the way.
 An AWEsome practice awaits you this week at DOWNdog!
Jocelyne and Dr. Jake
logo downdog.jpg
*Who is Virabhadra in Hindu mythology?  Next week in the DOWNdog post!

 

Move over into rest and digest mode!

Posted on by
Reply
Moving into the “rest and digest” mode
 

Most of us have heard of the “fight or flight”  response of the nervous system, the way in which the body reacts to stress or danger.  It is the sympathetic mode of the autonomic nervous system (ANS).  Many, however, may not have heard of the “rest and digest” response or parasympathetic mode. This response activates the more tranquil functions of the body; those that help restore a state of  calm,  and balance.  It is in this mode that the body heals. In a nutshell, spending more time in this mode, will lead to a healthier and happier life.

Most of our day is spent in the ‘fight or flight” mode.  Yoga is an opportunity for all of us to find more balance, feel more centered and calm by moving into the parasympathetic mode. For this reason, I will always include some if not all the following at the beginning of the yoga practice to help students move into the “rest and digest” mode.

Connection with the breath.  Being aware of how we are breathing before we begin the practice is important.  Time is taken to create a full  and relaxed yoga breath.  Savasana pose or simple arm movements or an asana can help us achieve this. Secondly, a full body stretch where we engage our muscles is an excellent way to help us relax.  When we engage our muscles, the brain tells these same muscles to relax.
Lion’s breath is sometimes also used.  It is amazing how much tension some of us  carry in our jaw.  Lion’s breath relaxes the jaw.  When the jaw relaxes, the entire body is more relaxed.  It relieves tension in the hips, the lumbar spine and the sacroiliac joint,
The chanting of the 3 ohms.  The ohm is the most powerful and calming mantra in the yoga tradition. The chanting of the ohm helps us to calm the body, mind and spirit.  It encourages to bring our focus inward and to deepen the exhale.  It connects all our energy as one.  It may be uncomfortable at first to chant the ohm.  I invite you to welcome the new experience and enjoy the relaxed feeling the sound creates.
By setting an intention, we give direction and a sense of purpose to our practice.  We are more grounded.  All of which help us to relax into the present moment.
Lastly, a seated twist, a challenging asana to awaken our core and a centering pose are always included.

I look very much forward to our first practice this week!  It is my  hope that you will find  each and every practice challenging,  empowering and relaxing.

To all returning students, welcome back!   It is great to have you on board for the Winter Session.  And to all of you who are new to DOWNdog, a very warm welcome.

Namaste!

(If you wish to do a drop-in, please let me know via email.)

This week’s sequence will floor you!

Posted on by
Reply

WINTER SESSION (January 15 – April 2nd)

(2 spaces are available for the Thursday evening practice)

Get yourself ready for another AWEsome practice this week at DOWNdog!  After a 2-week absence,  the warrior in me is set for the battlefield.  Ready to guide you in a sequence that will floor you!  Our focus will be the pelvic floor.

Emphasis remains centred on the root chakra, the foundation chakra.  It is the most important chakra and it will be given priority for the first 4 classes of the sequence.

Without a strong foundation our house would surely crumble.  It is our foundation that gives us the necessary stability to weather the challenges, the stormy weather or in other words, the curveballs that are sometimes thrown at us unexpectedly on our journey.   A balanced and strong root chakra allows us to stay centred,  better able to face the vicissitudes of life.

At the very base of our foundation is our pelvic floor.  The pelvic floor muscles stretch like a hammock from the tailbone  to the pubic bone (front to back) and from one sitting bone to the other sitting bone (side to side).  They support our abdominal organs.  The muscles are normally firm and thick. A strong pelvic floor needs to be both flexible and strong.  When used in a yoga practice, (and in our daily life) we gain more strength and stability.

We will take the time at the beginning of the practice to gain a better awareness of how to relax and engage these very important muscles in dynamic bridge pose, chair pose, goddess pose.

Looking very much forward to our practice this week at DOWNdog!

Namaste!

 

 

Life is a balancing act!

Posted on by
Reply
DOWNdog Sunday Morning Yoga POST
Sunday,     February 4th, 2018
Drop-in spaces available this week

Monday, February 5th: 1 space

Thursday, February 8th: 1 space

Life is a balancing act

OK.  I would like to be honest with you and tell you the truth:  despite all my attempts at balancing in tree pose, I more often than not, fall.  In the past, I would find it  intimidating as a teacher to watch some students move effortlessly into tree pose  while I struggled up in front of the room in a precarious perch!  More often than not, I just avoided doing tree pose.

As my teaching practice evolves,  I have come to appreciate and understand more and more that what is going on inside while doing yoga is more important than the pose itself.  And today, this has become the foundation of my teaching:  the inner warrior in all the poses.

In other words, it is not only the cues and guiding students in finding their balance in tree pose that I am teaching, but it is also the falling.   Let me start from the beginning.

Tree pose (Vrksasana) is one of the loveliest yoga poses.  It’s a beautiful balancing act.  Deepening your roots while in tree pose can help improve not only your balance physically but it will empower you:  it can teach you how to  weather the vicissitudes of life by keeping calm and focused while balancing on one foot.  

While in Vrksasana, you may lose your balance and fall but within (where your warrior resides) you can learn how to remain calm, steady and confident  no matter what the outside circumstances may be.  The more you practice Vrksasana, the more calm, steady and confident you will become. This inner mental power will move into your body and help you gain  greater balance, strength and flexibility.

That’s working from the inside out!

Empowerment can be defined as courage:  the willingness to take a risk and then, sometimes fall.  Often, when this happens, instead of a feeling of failure, yoga teaches us a new sense of inner power.  We can learn to conquer our fear of not succeeding and know that hey, life continues and just maybe next time, we will stand up tall and rooted and weather the storm.  Stepping out into our courage becomes liberating. 

If, when in tree pose, you fall and you can remain calm and steady, and the falling fuels the desire to try again and again, you are learning to do yoga from the inside out!

Namaste,
Jocelyne
I look very much forward to our fourth practice this week!
Stay warm!

Your DOWNdog Monday Morning POST

Posted on by
Reply

Flexibility and strength go hand in hand

I have always given great importance to strengthening in my yoga classes.  Strengthening not only empowers you, but will bring you more focus, centerdness, stability.  It was enable you to stretch more deeply and safely.  

(I give particular attention to hamstrings because they are an area in the body that is particularly tight for many of us.  Tight hamstrings can contribute to lower back, hip, and knee problems. They can prevent you from having that tall, strong and healthy spine that is so essential.)

At the beginning of a practice focused on the hamstrings, certain poses are used to strengthen the quads for the following reason.  If you engage your quads while stretching your hamstrings,  you will be able to get a deeper stretch in your hamstrings.  For this reason, when moving into a forward fold, I will sometimes use the following cues: ”Strong legs.” “Internally rotate your thighs.” “Root down into the earth.”

When we do a forward fold, the quads are the antagonist of the hamstrings. (The hamstrings are the agonist: they initiate the action.)  When we engage the quads  in a forward fold, we are in fact, helping our body get a deeper and safer stretch into the hamstrings. It’s the physiological Yin/Yang. Furthermore, working with both muscles helps to create balance. stability and ultimately, better alignment.

Secondly,  certain poses are selected to strengthen and to stretch the hamstrings themselves.  Doing Sun Salutations and classic poses that both  strengthen and stretch is so beneficial.  One reinforces the other. Some of the poses are:  Warrior 2, Triangle, Side Angle,  Runner’s Lunge, Wide-Legged Forward Fold.

Thirdly, certain poses will simply give your hamstrings a good stretch.  Poses such as  Leg Raises, Leg Raise/Twist, Runner’s Stretch, and Head to Toe, are  excellent.

As the days get shorter, and there is less sunshine, we need inner strength.   We don’t have as much energy from the sun.  We need to draw our energy from within.

Strengthening will help you draw everything toward your center; it will help to keep you mind focused on your body; it will help draw attention inward where you find inner strength and stability.

Strong body=strong mind.  They are inseparable.

Have a great day!

Being mindful with Surya Namaskar

Posted on by
Reply

Your Monday Morning DOWNdog Yoga POST!

Good morning dear students,
Our focus for the last four classes and remaining four posts will be on Sun Salutations, Surya Namaskars.

This week I will talk about mindfulness.  In the final three weeks, I will explore balance, extension, and relaxation.

BEING mindful when I practice yoga has been the most important key to discovering just how much yoga can be beneficial:  among the many benefits, it has brought more mindfulness into my daily life.

INHALE.  EXHALE.

When I do Sun Salutations, I am mindful of the breath, of the energy, (prana) that I am drawing from the earth and that is expanding from my core throughout my body, “into every pore,” (Iyengar)  as I inhale.   I am aware of the beautiful sensation of letting go, releasing, the “Ahhhh” as I exhale.

INHALE.  EXHALE.

The two most important words in the yoga philosophy.  Staying connected to the breath,  I am mindful of what I am doing with my body. During Sun Salutations, as I come into a low lunge, I am aware of my arms coming up in synchrony, together, parallel, as I keep my centre, evenly drawing up energy from my toes, the pads of my front foot, my knee and the top of my back foot.   I am aware of my arms going up together, reaching up evenly towards the sky as I remain and feel rooted into the earth.

INHALE, EXHALE

As I try to find and maintain balance, stability, I am mindful or aware of differences between the right side and the left side of my body.  My mindfulness is allowing me to learn about my body and discover my strengths and recognize my limitations.  I am listening to what my body is telling me.  My mind becomes quiet.  My body is speaking.  I need to give it all my attention.  My body is very intelligent:  it has a wealth of knowledge to impart.

In sum, bringing the mindfulness you  experience on your mat into your daily life, is one of the most important benefits that yoga can offer you.

I look forward, as always,  to our practice.

Namaste!
Jocelyne

Please note: There are no drop-in spaces available at this time.  If you would like to know if a drop-in space becomes available, please send me an email.  Thank you.