Right before attending to your garden or doing any hard work outside, do a few sun salutations
to warm up your body. Before and after would help your body focus on all the muscles.
Remember if you use the computer or text on your cell phone, be aware of your body alignment.
Your shoulders round out and your spine begins to curve. Try to pay special attention to your spine and line up your vertebrae one on top of the other.
This will give you perfect posture, reduce painful shoulders and help to minimize stress.
Because there is less daylight during the winter months, depression can creep up on you.
Staying away from these feelings, can be very easy.
Do a few rounds of sun salutations and a few stretches.
Give yourself a few minutes to sit quietly and do some deep breathing.
Try to do all of this before your day starts and before it ends.
Namaste
To bring in the New Year, remember to consider yourself first.
Before shoveling, organizing the house, or taking down the tree and ornaments, do a few sun salutations. This way you will not have such stiff joints the next day.
And with the bills creeping up, from the gift of giving, do some breathing exercises to reduce your stress levels.
Namaste
Don’t feel intimidated to start practicing. It has been proven to reduce many health issues.
Even if you are not flexible, it is all about the breathing. You will be shown how to breathe properly and as you keep practicing, you will gain flexibility.
Come join my Hatha evening program classes. If you want a challenge, join us in my Power classes at 10:20am on Tuesday and 5:30pm on Thursday nights. Theses classes are offered at Ray Friel in Orleans, Ont.
If you want a bigger challenge, I am teaching a Spinning and Ashtanga class at the Bob MacQuarrie Centre in Orleans, Ont. This class can be for beginners, as well. We do indoor cycling for 45 minutes, followed by a more intermediate yoga class.
Namaste!
I will be teaching another Hatha Yoga class.
This class will be very gentle and will be conducted at the Bob MacQuarrie Centre in Orleans, Ontario.
The class will start at 7:45-8:45pm in Hall D on Septeber 16th.
Hope to see you there!
Namaste!
I came across a beautiful shop last month.
It is called Three Trees.
The store has been there for years and I am sorry I hadn’t discovered it before.
They sell, beautiful Om jewelry, silver, music and other lovely trinkets.
It is beside the Green Door Restaurant on Main Street in Ottawa, Ontario.
I was very saddened to hear of the loss of Sri K Pattabhi Jois.
He brought Ashtanga Yoga to North America and was a great mentor to many teachers.
I did my Ashtanga teacher’s training with David Swenson. David was taught by Pattabhi Jois in the early seventies.
Bless his soul.
Namaste
I am teaching a spinning and Ashtanga yoga class at the Bob Macquarrie Centre.
The Centre is located on Youville Drive in Orleans, Ontario.
It will start on May4th until June 29th, from 8-9:30pm.
The class consists of 45 minutes of indoor cycling, followed by 45 minutes of short formed Ashtanga yoga.
You do not have to be experienced and when you leave class, you get the same relaxing feeling.
Hope to see you there!
Namaste.
Coming soon, I will be posting some live videos of my own, so you can follow along.
In the mean time, here are some recommended DVD’s for you to practice with.
Yoga for Beginners by Rodney Yee
Yoga at home by Yogi Hari
Moving Into Bliss With Yoga by Vishvketu
Namaste!
Julie Lefebvre is a health & fitness instructor and published illustrator. Julie has been practicing and teaching Yoga for over five years, sharing her unique and simple style with everyone.
