It's the 17th annual Vancouver Farmers Holiday Market today!

Shanti Uganda is the designated Charity and they'll be wrapping gifts by donation in support of their Birth House! While you are there check out my friends Jewellery, Nancy Esworthy Designs. 

For a complete list of vendors click here

Happy Holidays! 

What would you like more of?

In the new year I plan on adding what has somehow gotten lost from my life through much of this year to crappy stuff like family stresses and paperwork etc... 

It's Nature. There will be much more nature. 

ahhh...earth chi

The Shanti Uganda Society is looking for a place to call home

***Just UPDATED this post!!-Check out Shanti's new website! 

The Shanti Uganda Society is looking or a place to call home in Vancouver and would love any contacts or suggestions you might have. They hope to find a small space within an existing business that has a little extra to spare. Enough room to fit 2 desks, a tall storage unit, a filing cabinet and 5-6 large rubbermaid bins. Desk rental, or small cubicle unfortunately won't for them.



Preferably in East Van, but able to go as far west as kits and as far east as boundary. 

 They hope to be able to find donated space and could support the business in writing it off, or giving a tax receipt for the rental. They say they are happy to discuss a partnership that benefits them with regards to promotion on our website etc. 

It is an amazing opportunity for a local business to have a substantial impact on a Canadian Charity and mothers in Uganda without making a financial contribution. If you know of anything please contact them at natalie@shantiuganda.org
And don't forget their Facebook Page  and Twitter Page

Lets face it... pregnancy isn't always the most physically "comfortable" experience right?

New 5 week session of Prenatal Yoga at Mount Pleasant starts up on Wed.

The class is on Wednesday evenings from 630-745pm and the session is $52.50 to register (and that is only $9 a class) Yes! And there is currently room. OR drop in for $12.  The session runs from Nov 21-Dec 19. Go to www.mountpleasantcc.ca or call 604-257-3080 (press 2). Class is located at 7th and Kingsway (Main and Broadway basically)

Wed doesn't work for ya? Don't forget Preantal Yoga at The Roundhouse Tues and Thurs nights from 545-715pm. The number there is 604-713-1800 (press 2)

All these classes and more are ongoing. 
See you on the mat momma's!

Yoga is superior to all other forms of exercise during pregnancy (hands down).

If you came to any of my teacher workshops at the Yoga Conference last weekend I provided you with a TON of studies on yoga and its benefits to absolutely everyone. (Luckily there are hundreds of studies and I have spent weeks compiling them.) There are still lot's that I didn't include (on prenatal yoga specifically) and here are just a couple:  

our yoga room at mount pleasant. 

A study in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine found that doing yoga while pregnant increased the odds of a healthy delivery. The 335 women studied added a yoga class during their second trimester; the result was higher birth weights and lower pregnancy-induced hypertension compared to non-yoga-practicing participants. 

*Also Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) have found that yoga is superior to other forms of exercise in its positive effect on mood and anxiety.

I just added a testimonial link to the right of this post

Just spent the morning reading testimonials that people had written about time spent with me practicing yoga. Needless to say, I have a box of kleenex beside me! *sniff*

Testimonials from people from all different walks of life. Some of them momma's (pre and post natal), some of them dads, some athletes, grandparents, folks with limited mobility, children... and even peers and other teachers I admire greatly.

And the truth is... I didn't even know where to start I have so many!

I know that I am very vocal in telling people I care about "just what they mean to me" on a regular basis, but I want to tell you again.

You will never (in a million years) know what you all add to my life.

You ALL mean the world. To those I still see regularly, and to those of you who have moved on...I still think of you all the time.

*Yoga is still waiting for you if you have been on a break (nudge nudge wink wink)

I am so blessed to have known (and to still know) so many of you.

YOU have made my life more rich than I can ever say. Thank YOU so very much.

Just realized all my current sessions are wrapping up! Register today if you can!

Daytime Yoga (Mixed levels) Mon & Wed 1230-2pm at Mount Pleasant

Mixed Levels Yoga Tues 730-9pm at The Roundhouse

Prenatal Yoga Wed 630-745pm at Mount Pleasant

Prenatal Yoga Tues & Thurs 545-715pm at The Roundhouse 

Baby and Me Yoga Mon 1045-12pm at Mount Pleasant

Baby and Me Yoga Thurs 1230-2pm at The Roundhouse
Yin Yoga Thursdays 730-845pm (generally goes til 9pm) at The Roundhouse

Mount Pleasant 604-257-3080 (press 2) 

Roundhouse 604-713-1800 (press 2)

life stressing you out? feeling stiff and achy? looking for balance?

A sweet student of mine had an article published and she is a really great writer.

The article is by By Lisa Marie Sterr and it's on Page 7 of the Fall issue of the Networker

Lisa Marie is really talented and lovely and open and honest and I cherish our relationship very much. We go way back have shared many a yoga class together. She inspires me. She wrote this one evening after a yoga class with me and I am glad she shared it with me. I can certainly relate in a huge way to much of what she says. 

It’s nice that yoga is always there for us through challenging times AND happy times. *All we have to do it show up. 

It isn't always easy, but we always feel better for it on every level. That’s the promise of yoga.

Here it is: Sometimes help comes from the most unexpected places. I’ve been feeling so tormented lately; full of raw emotions. About an hour before leaving for my yoga class, I have the most intense cry. I am so sad. Yet somehow I manage to eat, put on my yoga clothes, and head out the door.

Entering the classroom, I notice the soft lighting. My yoga teacher says hi to me by name, and I feel like she’s happy to see me. I settle on a mat. As the class begins, I focus on breathing. Still, it is a struggle to stay present, since I’ve been floating away from my body so much lately. I tell myself it will be a victory if I can have even moments of being grounded.

In the quiet room, all I can hear is my teacher’s voice, the yoga music and the sound of people breathing. Everything else falls away. I focus on my body and on following the poses. My neglected body, so alienated and uninhabited, is now moving and stretching. I feel it freeze, as it has been doing so often lately. I take a moment to notice it, then start moving again.

In the “downward dog” pose, I push all my tension, all my feelings of being trapped, into my arms. In “warrior,” I stand tall and feel my feet rooting down. My vision sharpens and I am present in the room, for the first time in weeks. I twist and bend, feeling the rawness in my joints, the heat rushing through my body.

And then the reward: relaxation.

I relax into my teacher’s voice – a pleasant melody soothing all the discordant notes inside me; into the supports under my head and knees and the cushioning of the yoga mat beneath me. The floor is smooth and cool under my hands. It is safe here. For the first time in weeks, I can rest.

Fluid, juicy sensations float through me as I leave the class. I’m melty, like the most exquisite piece of chocolate, and also warm and tingly, like feeling really close to someone. My body has been craving this sooth- ing – which I found, not in a bag of cookies or in my therapy group, but at yoga. I found it inside my body, where I’ve been feeling so much torment. I don’t know how long it will last; the anguish may come flooding back tomorrow. But for now I revel, and rest, in the relief.

Nothing bonds women quite like pregnancy and new babies

My yoga classes (pre and post natal in particular) are very much about community building and thats what makes my life and my profession so very rich and rewarding. I get to witness first hand, new friendships among moms be formed in every single class. And many of these connections will be lifelong. Some of my sweet moms have a great meet up group going on and they all seem to be enjoying it greatly. 

If it interests you go to www.meetup.com and search "Vancouver moms to be". Click on the b&w pregnant belly (if its your first time you may have to make a free profile -only takes a sec). Some examples of meet up's are: Saturday morning social breakfast, Sunday a seawall walk and Monday a Thai lunch downtown.  One mom told me "I have found this group has answered a lot of questions for me and given me the added confidence to accept that my changes are normal and average …nothing to worry about."

Hope your weekend is a little like this!

And if you missed the start of any of any of my new class sessions that started last week there is always time to register and join in anytime during a session at the lower price (or drop in)!

Costs are always prorated.

See you on the mat friends. Giv'er this weekend!

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

New Mount Pleasant sessions with me start tomorrow and Wednesday!

So register away!

Mondays

Baby and Me Yoga 1045am-12pm

Daytime Yoga 1230-2pm

Wednesdays

Daytime Yoga 1230-2pm

Prenatal Yoga 630pm-745pm

Call 604-257-3080

Or go to www.mountpleasantcc.ca to register online.

See you on the mat!

Oh..I have the most exciting weekends haha.

I took a test this weekend that I didn't have to study for. One that apparently only 32% of Canadians take. The test is for people over 50 (generally), and although I'm not there yet age-wise I have had food sensitivities and some stomach issues (and even colonoscopies) so they thought I might as well take this test a little early.

I'm not worried about the results. And I don't want you to worry!

Its just that this test is soooo easy it's ridiculous and according to The Canadian Cancer Society 8,900 Canadians will die this year from colorectal cancer and 22,000 more will be diagnosed while only 32% of people over 50 take this test!

I'm here to tell you how easy it is after doing it. It was literally nothing. (and don't worry, you don't have to handle anybody else's poop!) It literally takes 5 minutes and is completely painless in every regard. You just take a "teeny tiny sample" and put it on a slide and voila! Its done. Drop it in the mail or take it to your Doctors office (depending on whether your Doc wants it directly etc.)

And lets face it..We all love somebody over the age of 50. AND we live in Canada so its available to all of us, so there's no reason to not take this test.

Caught early enough the survival rates are better than some cancers, such as lung cancer, according to the CCS.

Best video I have ever seen of our fine city.

Captures perfectly where we walk, ride, drive, and play each day. Fitting song too!

Come to the movies with me!

Shanti Uganda Society (www.shantiuganda.org) will be hosting a special screening of Yogawoman (www.yogawoman.tv) and holding a silent auction at Denman Cinema's on February 28th from 6pm - 9:30pm in order to raise funds towards improving infant and maternal health, providing safe women-centered care and supporting the well-being of birthing mothers and women living with HIV/AIDS in Uganda. Featured in the film, Shanti Uganda uses yoga to improve the spiritual, physical and emotional well-being of communities impacted by HIV/AIDS, poverty and war in Uganda.

YOGAWOMAN is a groundbreaking feature film about the powerful impact of yoga on women's health, fitness, emotional well-being, and personal growth. In record numbers, women are finding strength, vitality, peace and power through yoga. Reclaiming this ancient spiritual path from its traditionally male form, the result is a radical transformation of modern yoga as we know it.

YOGAWOMAN gathers 50 of the world’s leading yoga experts in an exploration of this global phenomenon that has changed the face of yoga forever.This screening will benefit Shanti Uganda (www.shantiuganda.org) and tickets can be purchased through Event Brite or at the Cinema on the day of the event.

You really want to go to this, and it's this weekend!

The details are on the poster and its going to be fab! (you can click to enlarge).
A lovely yoga student pal of mine puts this on each year and has even donated "free of charge" a booth for my beloved Shanti Uganda Society! There will be some really truly amazing local craft vendors too, so if you are around and in the hood... grab a toonie and go!
Can't believe the holidays are so near. Have fun!

Let's help those less fortunate stay warm over the winter months.

Do you have any blankets, hats, mitts and scarves etc that are just taking up space in your closets that you'd like to donate to keep someone warm this holiday season?

My partner Silas and I can make it really easy for ya...

If you come to any of my classes on a Tuesday Wednesday OR Thursdays (sorry not my Monday classes), you can bring them to me and we would happily take them to a shelter for you!

Some years we are more successful than others in doing this, but we are hoping to collect lots, and we always have plenty of time over the holidays to make deliveries.

If you do not come to my yoga classes and live in in the Vancouver area feel free to Facebook me OR email me at yoginilori@gmail.com and we can arrange for a pick up!

Please DO NOT drop items off at my workplaces. They can not accept them. Happy Holidays friends. Stay safe xx

Have you had a C-section recently?

Free Postnatal massage- A small group of BC registered massage therapists who study under Paula Jaspar (also an RMT and mentor), will be studying/ practicing massage therapy care of women “after birthing by C-section” Sunday Nov 20^th from 2-3pm if you are interested. Must be 6 weeks post-partum.

Baby is welcome to come too of course! Each mother will receive treatment by one massage therapist for one hour, free of cost. (Under the guidance of Paula Jaspar).

For more info or contact regarding this : Marie Arcand, RMT at 604 732 7272

P.S. You will love Marie! She is a fellow gardener from my community garden and a wonderful RMT!

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 and Shadow at OCCUPY Vancouver-with Michael Stone

Two days ago Michael Stone took a stroll down to Occupy Vancouver and had this to say.