"You time" Time for you and only you. Hope you get some.

You must have a room, or a certain hour or so a day, where you don’t know what was in the newspapers that morning, you don’t know who your friends are, you don’t know what you owe anybody, you don’t know what anybody owes to you. This is a place where you can simply experience and bring forth what you are and what you might be. This is the place of creative incubation. At first you may find that nothing happens there. But if you have a sacred place and use it, something eventually will happen.
–Joseph Campbell

Yin Yoga with me every Thursday evening at The Roundhouse from 730-845pm

The Roundhouse is located at 181 Roundhouse Mews at the corner of Davie St @ Pacific Blvd right across the street from the Canada Line skytrain Station (Roundhouse stop)
 Get ready to feel delicious!  604-713-1800 (press 2)

Are you trying to conceive? Trying for a baby?

While nothing is a guarantee...
Are you familiar with Yin Yoga? I just received 'another' email this morning from a SUPER happy momma-to-be who will be leaving my Yin class to attend one of my  Prenatal classes and she is convinced that it was the Yin practice that made it happen after trying all sorts of ways.. (**And it happens all the time)

While I don't believe there are any actual studies, Yin Yoga DOES target the areas primarily from the navel to the knees and opens things up and lubricates things like never before and for conception and implantation to take place we need to be open. And relaxed. The practice removes stagnation and encourages Chi (prana) into the pelvic region in particular (reproductive organs) which is VERY healthy for the organs. And again, it's VERY relaxing and gives you more time to meditate and go within and connect with yourself on a deeper level increasing your body awareness even more than a more active yoga practice. And its the same hormones that 'get baby in there' as get baby 'out of there' if you know what I mean (nudge nudge wink wink;).
I can't recommend Yin Yoga enough for all sorts of reasons but if you are trying to conceive come to class and we'll do a special fertility flow anytime you like.

A brand new session of Yin Yoga starts up on Thursday at The Roundhouse at the corner of Davie St @ Pacific Blvd. Its super casual and all you need is to bring yourself.
To register go to www.roundhouse.ca or call 604-713-1800 (press 2)

Have you registered yet? catch the early bird prices!

**Only $160 for 8 hrs of classes when you register before Sept 30!** 
Please join us on November 9-11 2012 for the Vancouver Yoga Conference and Show! 
at the Vancouver Convention Centre (under the sails)!

**I'm truly honoured to be presenting two workshops of my own as well on Prenatal Yoga.
They can be found on Page #10.  To register go to: 
http://www.theyogaconference.com/vancouver/
Hope to see you there! 

Life is filled with suffering, but...

Life is filled with suffering, but it is also filled with many wonders, like the blue sky, the sunshine, the eyes of a baby. To suffer is not enough. We must also be in touch with the wonders of life. They are within us and all around us, everywhere, any time.

~Thich Nhat Hanh

"The affairs of the world will go on forever. Do not delay the practice of meditation." -Milarepa

In a group, alone, while eating, while walking...make friends with yourself.

It is these moments

We must remember to be present during those fleeting moments in this life where we are deeply touched, and awake, and present in our lives... for those truly are the moments. The real moments that take our breath away and break our heart wide open. Its moments like these that give our lives meaning. 
Wishing you a joyous and peaceful weekend friends. Namaste.

Ever practice Tonglen meditation? I often do. Especially lately. It's powerful stuff..

Changing pain to compassion.

Your mind is like a living room.

Sometimes guests arrive and sit down. Sometimes you realize that you don’t like them, that you don’t enjoy their company. Eventually they leave. And you vow to be more careful about the people you invite. Learning whom to invite is an art. —Thich Nhat Hanh

How do you experience Meditation and quietude?

The entire series (7 shorts) by Milo Savic can be found here

It's Spring at The Roundhouse! New sessions start tonight and its going to be grand. To register go to www.roundhouse.ca

Come and practice your self care with me.

Tuesday's its Prenatal Yoga from 545-715pm

Mixed levels Hatha from 730-9pm

Thursday's it's Baby and Me Yoga 1230-2pm and

Prenatal Yoga 545-715pm

And starting next week **starting April 5** it's Yin Yoga from 730-845pm

To register, go to www.roundhouse.ca or call 604-713-1800 (press 2)

See you on the mat xx

Did you know that yoga actually makes your brain more flexible as well as your body?

I think we all know by now thanks to fMRI's etc. that we can continue to mold and change our brains as we age and there's not much better news than that!

There has just been so much research on the plasticity "changeability" of the brain in recent years and there is absolutely no denying it. It is just so thrilling that we can continue to expand pathways in our brain, and adapt and learn as we age. And many folks are living sooo much longer these days (interestingly, I just read that there are "48,000" centenarians living in the United States alone right now surprisingly).

And although none of us knows how long we are going to live I do know one thing for sure... as long as I live I really hope and pray I can take care of myself and "think" up until the end whenever that may be.

Yoga is brilliant in so many ways:

Did you know that stem cells that form new neurons in the brain come from the bone? (the marrow of our bones)

When we practice yoga we are "literally" creating the stem cells that form new neurons in our brains. We are stimulating the brain to grow so we can have more available pathways.

Its truly fascinating, and too amazing for words.

And combine that with all the other brain benefits of meditation? Its just so incredibly huge. (Almost too much to wrap my brain around haha)

So remember, even if/when we're elderly our brains can keep rewiring themselves protecting against cognitive decline both structurally AND functionally, and thats wonderful news!

See you on the mat friends! Namaste.

Mindfulness=Stress Reduction

HERE is an article I wrote for Vancouvermom.ca last week on stress reduction and mindfulness over the holidays (and anytime).

Its full of self care tips and things that have helped me.

And if they have helped me,they can help anyone! Believe me. I have a stress disorder!

I love Vancouvermom.ca and I believe its the greatest resource out there for mom's, dad's and families. If you haven't already, check it out HERE

Hope you are keeping your cool this holiday season. Namaste.

We can't always change our outer world but we really can change our inner world.

Meditation makes us more resilient. One moment at a time is all it takes. Whether you have a formal meditation practice or not, just "be here now" as often as you can.

If you 'd like to meditate/learn to meditate in a group setting I'd love to show you. Thats exactly what we do when we practice our Yoga. We not only change our body, we change our brain. Its never about perfectionism, and thats why its called a "practice". All of my classes are perfect for beginners and affordable. Registration at Mount Pleasant CC (Main @Broadway) is on now. Registration for The Roundhouse starts this Friday Dec 9 (online) and Sat the 10th in person/by phone.

Meditation is simply about being yourself and knowing who that is.

“It is about coming to realize that you are on a path whether you like it or not, namely the path that is your life.” ~ Jon Kabat-Zinn.

Are you in pain? Have a loved one in pain? Exciting research coming out of the neuroscience lab.

So sad to hear that Vicodin is the the most prescribed drug in the US right now but I totally believe it, and I'm sure pain killers are right up there in Canada as well. Being in pain really impacts your life on every level and I just love all the research coming out of the neuroscience labs. I am not the most 'mystical' yoga teacher out there. I am a lover of science and of course yoga, as well as psychological research so I really love these studies and every single day there are more and more and more of them. Our brains really are like plastic and with practice a.k.a. yoga "practice"/meditation etc. (why its called a practice) we really can rewire our brains and suffer less on every level.

Mindfulness meditation truly makes us not only more resilient, but less reactive and compassionate to ourselves, as well as others, so we can be more tolerant of the experience.

Be your own scientist and see for yourself. Meditation is like a muscle that you strengthen each and every time you practice. Come and practice with me anytime. I keep my classes very affordable and there is a mat with your name on it. Just bring yourself.

Yoga provides us with tools for our whole life. Free ones. All you need to do learn and then practice them. Namaste.

Love this.

“Just as treasures are uncovered from the earth, so virtue appears from good deeds, and wisdom appears from a pure and peaceful mind. To walk safely through the maze of human life, one needs the light of wisdom and the guidance of virtue.” ~Buddha

Beryl Bender Birch

Beryl Bender Birch "Transformation Happens" from Omega Institute on Vimeo.

Only the man who learns to relax is able to create, and for him ideas reach the mind like lightening. Cicero

Even if you don't have time for anything else, take a few minutes each day to stop and focus on your breath. Incorporating a daily breathing practice into your routine builds a tremendous resource for bringing yourself back to centre when you are stressed, upset or disturbed. The ability to sit easily and quietly even for a few minutes frees you from tensions which drain your energy. Bringing your attention to your body and your breath brings you into the present moment.