After receiving my 200 hour certification, I decided to see what was going on with Yoga and the Older Adult. Working as a music therapist with older people, in all kinds of facilities (Cleveland, Montreal, Vancouver) for over 35 years….I was very interested. Having discovered the healing benefits of yoga for myself… it was time to spread the word beyond music.

I went to a local community center to observe a Chair Yoga class. What in the —- was that? No mention of chair yoga in my training….so far. I was pleasantly fascinated. The session was led by an inspiring teacher and the asanas were similar but different. I was certainly intrigued.

The director of the program (a wonderful lady named Leah) suggested that I was perfect for the job!
“What job??????” I exclaimed.
“Oh”, she said, “our chair yoga instructor has put in her resignation, and we are looking for a new teacher. I thought that is why you came here today”.
“Nope”, I said (quite surprised, as you can imagine). I went home to think about it all.

After a good conversation with my (soon to be graduating from Law School) daughter, I applied.
Well, the first class was a ‘let’s see if the students like me’ class. I can remember, even now, how nervous I was.
But…history was made.
I became the Chair Yoga instructor

3 years later…the program has grown and I now facilitate Chair Yoga Teacher Training at Semperviva Yoga.  This training is for Yoga Teachers with their 200 hour certification working toward their AYTT (500 hour certificate), for anyone seeking to experience the benefits of Chair Yoga, as well as health professionals, body workers, physical therapists and exercise instructors who work with older adults and persons with other issues and/or concerns.

If you are interested in becoming a Chair Yoga Teacher, or are simply curious about this practice, please join me! But…be prepared to do the Macarena (in the chair or standing). That’s how we get a little cardio going. It’s the FUN way!

Annette is a registered music therapist and certified yoga instructor, currently completing the requirements for an M.A. in Gerontology at Simon Fraser University.

She teaches Chair Yoga through Yoga Outreach, the Council of Senior Citizen’s Organizations of BC, the Jewish Community Center, South Burnaby Neighborhood House,  Poppy Residence, Windermere Care Center, at her Condo, and also privately.

Annette also presents workshops at the Vancouver Yoga Show, the Toronto Yoga Show, Semperviva Yoga Center and for the Canadian Association of Gerontology, the Canadian Nurses Association, the International Council on Active Ageing, the Council of Senior Citizens’ Organizations of BC and BC Recreation and Parks Board.

As a Baby Boomer, she is passionate about embracing aging. After all “You are only old once!” Annette believes that yoga provides this opportunity.

We rush, we dwell, we speed through the “What ifs” until we reach the journey’s end, all the while shielding our hearts from what is.  Without presence, the journey is lost.

This may be cliché, and yes we hear it all the time, but honestly, stop and smell the roses! Or the burning plastic, coals, goat dung, car fumes, rain, fresh cut grass, or whatever it is. Stop and take a whiff, and appreciate what is right in front of you.

Recently, while on a service trip to Kenya, working in the slums, orphanages and schools. I took a break – with a belly feeling “not quit right” to say the least – I listened to my instincts. I got out of our overcrowded van, and took myself back to our guesthouse to rest.

As I lay on my bed, mosquito net hovering weightlessly above me, a moment of quiet washed over me. Stillness.   However, guilt did rear its nasty head as well, “You should go to the outreach, it’s why you’re here. If you rest, you are failing. You are not giving enough. You are selfish.” However, on further divulgence, or rather, more deep and real heart/soul thought, I realized that I am here to give.  And if I don’t have anything left inside of me, I have nothing to give.

So, I rested, I lay there and appreciated where I was.  The beauty of the sun-kissed leaves, the ants going about their lives across the floor. I felt the sensations of my body releasing and pressing into the earth, releasing the stress, and finally, recharging.

For me, this is love. This is service.  Fill yourself so full of love that you can’t help but let it overflow into others.

Stop and smell the darn roses!

About Aili:  Yoga for me is about letting go of anything and everything that blocks our inner light from shinning brilliantly bright. The Asana can be playful, beautiful, creative, tough, hot, fluid, and dynamic. But in the end the Asana doesn’t really matter, it’s the simple connection with heart that matters and the ability to let go.

My classes are about being playful and challenging yourself to go into the shaky places, all the while remembering that you are sharing your borrowed breath. 

“If we wait for the world’s permission to shine we will never receive it.” -Marianne Williamson

Shine on. Spread Love. Do yoga.

*Aili trained in Australia and Canada (power Vinyasa, Yin, hatha) also an Ambassador With Africa Yoga Project in Nairobi, Kenya.

You may be thinking, “Cool, I’m not a harmful or violent person, I think I’ve got this one down”.

Well, it gets a little more specific than that. Ahimsa includes not thinking, saying, wishing or doing harmful thoughts or actions upon anyone or anything, including ourselves. In the yogic perspective, negative or harmful thoughts can be just as damaging and influential as harmful actions.

Yes, Ahimsa just became a little more of a challenge.

For those of you who hope to one day become forever enlightened, this will not be attained without somehow mastering Ahimsa. Or at the least, giving it a really good shot. But whether we hope to levitate one day or not should not determine whether we bring a little more love and kindness into our lives.

The ways we can put Ahimsa into practice is endless. But while I have your attention, I’ll pounce on the opportunity to guide our attention to the way we eat. I believe that bringing Ahimsa alone into our way of eating will kick start the journey of bringing our bodies and lives back into true balance inside and out.

HOW WE EAT

Eating with Ahimsa asks us to eat with an element of stillness and peace. It quickly guides us to the question “What is best for my body in this moment?” It guides us to make time to eat and allows time to digest. It moves us from “I don’t have time to eat healthy” to “In what ways can I nourish myself?” Ahimsa asks us to be with the food and taste the diverse flavours in each bite. It guides us to be totally in the moment with chewing, swallowing and the space in between.

WHAT WE EAT

The cool thing about practicing Ahimsa while we eat is that eventually we can’t help but wonder: Is this meal making me feel better or worse? Where did my food come from? How far did this travel to get to my plate? Is this meal going to nourish my body?  Did this meal take more from the earth than what I have been giving back?

WHY WE EAT

Bringing love into the way we eat begins to reveal to us the underlying reasons we reach for food. It helps us to notice those moments of when we are eating because we are stressed, bored or frustrated. It also helps to clarify when we are eating because we are genuinely hungry. It guides us to eat for nourishment and asks us to listen to the needs of the body. We ask questions like: What, other than food might my body need in this moment?

Ahimsa is a lifetime practice of loving ourselves and others. Through starting with our own thoughts, actions and patterns with the way we eat, we explore the opportunity to bring love and respect to our bodies. This can be so much more beneficial physically and spiritually than any cleanse, diet or fad food trend could ever dream of.

Susanne is a Yoga Instructor at Semperviva. She teaches yoga, develops corporate wellness programs, leads nutrition workshops and works with clients towards better health.  Susanne’s approach to Yoga and Holistic Nutrition is to connect people back to their natural selves. When we bring awareness and listen to that piece of who we are, we naturally eat, live and act in ways that support ourselves and each other. www.susannemueller.ca

Even though we don’t always name them in class, the yoga practice is underpinned by the ethical precepts known in Patanjali’s classical Eight Limbs of Yoga as the Yamas. These five “don’ts” in yoga philosophy look a little like the Ten Commandments to Western eyes. They are as follows:

1. Ahimsa: Don’t harm anyone.
2. Satya: Don’t lie.
3. Asteya: Don’t steal.
4. Brahmacharya: Don’t be excessive.
5. Aparigraha: Don’t grasp.

Each Yama is a little sprout on a small branch on the larger yoga tree, and there is a lot to say about each one. But why bother? They look simple enough. We’re yogis, we got this: I don’t go around punching people or lying to them, and the last time I stole something it was a gumball and I was 5 (and I felt really bad about it). I’m definitely not excessive or attached. Seventeen pairs of yoga pants is enough, right?

Yoga teachers tend to project an image of calm, organic health and radiance while we are selling the sweet snake oil of eternal happiness and bliss. When we get sad or injured or heartbroken or have to use antibiotics when acupuncture doesn’t cure our kidney infections we smile and say, “I’m great!” if anyone asks. We don’t like to be seen wobbling on our yogic path.

Janet Stone (who doesn’t like it when you call her a Master Teacher) recently came to Semperviva to set us all straight. “If you don’t let your students see you wobble,” she said, more sternly than she said anything else the whole weekend, “You are not doing yoga.” A true practice of ethical inquiry and action, she told us, requires that we look at the very places inside ourselves that are already breaking these ethical precepts. We have to be willing to wobble.

She was serious. She asked us, several times, to turn towards another person in the room, often a stranger, and tell them the reasons we lie, the places we steal from our own or other people’s resources, the ways we protect our egos, and generally that we admit to being puny humans. This exercise was not about shaming–quite the opposite. Looking someone in the eye and sharing with them honestly was a surprising relief. We all struggle, we all have flaws, and that’s okay. It takes a lot of energy to hide, and look: we’re all the same under there!

Stone picked up our yoga veils and playfully fluttered them. She asked us to look courageously at our own shadows and bow to them. When we do this, we can see the ways covering them up can keep other people at a distance. When the only answer to “How are you?” is “Great! Fabulous!” what we are really saying is, “Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain!” and everyone walks away wondering what Great and Fabulous has that they don’t.

I don’t think anyone left this workshop feeling like they had conquered the parts of themselves that struggle. But we are armed with a deeper awareness of our own shadows, which can often be enough to drain away some of the power these shadows hold over us. Our work now is simple, if not easy: keep watching and asking questions. Perhaps the next time someone asks, “How are you?” the answer will come out a little differently.

Julie Peters has been practicing yoga from the tender age of 12, and it’s gotten her through everything from the horrors of teenagedom to a Master’s degree in English Literature. She is a performance poet, freelance writer, and Vinyasa Flow and Yin yoga teacher. She brings a creative style, warm energy, and food for thought to every class. www.jcpeters.ca

If you can get past the “sting factor,” these plants are nutrient dense with Vitamins A, C, iron, fibre and flavanoids. Flavanoids are powerful antioxidants which help fight against free radical damage in our bodies. This plant has an affinity for the kidney’s by helping to break down and flush out uric acid which can build up in our bodies from a diet high in alcohol, sugar and acidic foods. Basically it will help the kidneys to eliminate any build up from all those Christmas parties! It also flushes and detoxifies nasty toxins from our entire system. Oh, and it’s an anti-inflammatory and high in protein. It pretty much has it all.

To get rid of the sting, all you have to do is cook it slightly or grind it up in a blender. It has a really dark, satisfying, green taste and goes really well in lasagna’s and pasta. My favourite way to eat nettles is by lightly steaming them and then making a pesto. The flavor is so rich and delicious, it’s hard not to eat the whole bowl. Pick up nettles at your local farmers market, after this recipe you will be eager to go back for more.

Ingredients

• 2c Nettles
• 1c fresh basil
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1/4 red pepper
• 1 lemon
• 2tbsp miso
• 1/4c olive oil
• pinch of chilli flakes
• S&P to taste

Preparation:
Lightly steam nettles. Place all ingredients into a high powered blender and blend on high. Enjoy

By Melanie Emlyn www.freerunkitchen.com

Off the yoga mat Melanie is a Holistic Nutritionist with a passion for educating people on how eating healthy can help change their lives. She believes that the quickest way to inspire a healthier way of living is by introducing people to the concept that healthy food can taste good! Check out her cooking classes which focus on allergy free, plant based meals for people on the go. Upcoming classes are May 9th, June 20th and July 11th. Check out her website at www.freerunkitchen.com for information and registration to the cooking classes as well as her weekly blog full of nourishing recipes and nutritional advice.

Currently three weeks into my 200hr Yoga Teacher Training this opportunity for weekend study is part of the incorporation of Master Teachers into our curriculum, (something else Semperviva offers that is unlike any other studio in town). The word ‘master’ though was still making my brow furrow. To call me a skeptic might be a bit of an exaggeration, I prefer to think of myself as being quietly vigilant about things unfamiliar to me. I just think it wise to listen to others and then look inside yourself for the answers; I liken it to waiting on that sound that resonates when someone or something strikes a chord with you.

Janet Stone has been on the Yoga path since she was seventeen and perhaps it’s all the treading and trailblazing she’s done that has kept her so grounded and so thoroughly down to earth. The first thing she did at the beginning of our weekend workshop was dismiss the ‘Master Teacher’ title, saying simply that she’s passing on knowledge she herself has learned from teachers that came before her in the hope that something of value will resonate with us.  I like her already.

The weekend is built around the Yamas and how to incorporate them into a Yoga practice.  These are a form of moral imperatives that represent a series of “right living” or ethical rules. Let’s take Satya, or truthfulness, for example; how would that apply to you while you’re in a Yoga posture? Well, how about when your thighs are burning in a lunge but you refuse to listen because you are determined to hold the pose? Are you listening to what your body is telling you? Are you being honest with yourself? Hmmm, the kinds of values we work to uphold in life also apply when we’re doing Yoga? The answer is yes… and then some.

Janet is known for her strong Vinyasa practice so I know many of us were bracing ourselves for an all out sweatathon.  This did happen of course, I don’t think it would be a Janet Stone workshop without a good dose of oomf, but this developed only after a slow and insightful build that incorporated teaching, posture work and music. Friday night really set the tone with Janet’s uncanny ability to put you at ease, push your buttons and invite you to participate all at the same time.  And a one man band by the name of Shane, perched on a Turkish rug in the corner of the studio blowing into a didgeridoo helped us all keep the gravitas of introspection light.  If it all sounds a little Yoga crazy cool, it was. It was also intelligent, challenging and insightful. All in all the weekend was a welcome balance of principles and play.

Workshops may not be something you think about if you have a daily practice, or if you feel an entire weekend of Yoga-esque stuff sounds a bit intimidating. I understand because I can relate to both. Having experienced my first and with more coming as part of YTT I’d say dive in and try to ‘master’ the art of learning something new.

Elisa joined the Semperviva team as a YA at the Kits Beach location this past July. She had been working in the film and television industry here in Vancouver as a casting associate and more recently as a television script writer before deciding it was time for something new. Elisa first looked to yoga a decade ago after searching for something to compliment her athletic training and found it to be a surprising touchstone while dealing with the serious illness of a family member. She believes yoga and meditation are simple ways to find answers to life’s complicated questions.

Mats can range in price from $30 to $130 and the same principle applies when choosing a Yoga mat as it does with all things we purchase; quality counts and you can spend a little a few times or a lot once.

Deciding on one can be somewhat daunting – there are all kinds of makes and models. Textures vary, colours too, and there are natural rubbers, synthetics and the like. When it comes right down to it they are as individual as the person using them so it pays to take your time and shop around.

Consider how often you practice as well – is it every now and then or every day? Consider as well what style of Yoga you practice – hot, Hatha, home. All these factors will help determine what you need and from there you can make decisions about colour and style. Also, ask the salesperson about the best sellers and if you’re buying from a studio it doesn’t hurt to ask which ones seem to be popular with teachers and staff. It’s an investment purchase so treat it like one and you and your practice will be the better for it.

Semperviva provides mats and props that are free for you to use during class and if you’re new to Yoga it’s nice to try out what the studio has to offer so you begin to get a sense of what you need. And we’re always happy to answer any questions you may have about anything that may help you improve your practice.

What we’re working on in our Yoga practice is the realization of this truth.  That you always have been, and always will be present.  What happens in Yoga – as we drop deeper and deeper in to the experience of being alive – is a total sense of this truth.  A deep, kinesthetic awareness that you are actually here, right now, occupying space and time.  That this is not some kind of philosophical endeavour, but instead a journey into the very real realm of embodiment as consciousness.  When you have even the slightest taste of this awareness, all concern about achievement, all struggle, all resistance to life naturally drops away.

And it is really so easy.  The next time you step onto your mat, simply set the intention to stay with your breath, and to meet the moment-by-moment experience of being alive exactly as it arises, and as it passes.  Realize, every moment…wherever you go, there you are.  A breathing, feeling, living, entirely present metabolic manifestation of this mysterious universe.

Cameron Gilley has been teaching yoga for over 8 years and has a vested interest in yogic philosophy. He is a faculty member of Semperviva Yoga College, and will be greatly involved in the 200 Hour Yoga Teacher Trainings. Cameron draws from his deep well of esoteric knowledge and endeavors to communicate it in an open and expressive manner.

There are 42 of us in the Spring session – forty two individuals who, like me, are looking for something more in their lives and are willing to stretch themselves to find it. We are from different backgrounds, all shapes and sizes, different ages and each unique in how we move through this world. The one common denominator is that we all have a story, and that story has brought us together in the here and now to write our respective chapters about the journey into body and mind that is Yoga.

For a group of almost fifty we’re a pretty quiet bunch so far. That’s the nature of the beginning of any journey inwards I suppose, everyone quietly grappling with their own ideas of what lies ahead. There’s a nice solid feel to the room and as we listen to the faculty, flipping through our books and binder, I’m reminded of how long it’s been since I’ve had the luxury of simply being given a space in which to learn. No phone. No computer. No desk. No distractions. Just me and pages and pages of the most interesting, enlightening, inspiring information any student could ask for.

Within the first two days of the course we are already up and ‘practice teaching’. No time is wasted in communicating that we are the vessels by which this information will be passed on. We are encouraged to both find our voice and understand what’s required of us, whether it’s our intention to teach others or teach ourselves.

There’s also a 40 day meditation that began on the first day of training and was  introduced by Gloria, owner of Semperviva and inspiration to many. She may be tiny but she packs a wallop and hits the bull’s eye when she tells us that Yoga is a discipline. The 40 day meditation is required to pass the course and its intention is not to put us in a trance like state of being, its intention is to remind us every day for 11 minutes while we have hands clasped, arms overhead, chanting our little hearts out, that life too requires discipline. If we are to get the most out of any journey we must set an intention, commit to it and move with it come what may.

I knew going into the program that I was underestimating both myself, the course and what I may have to offer as a teacher so I’m not sure yet how this chapter is going to unfold.  But as I climb into my little boat and push off shore I’m beginning to realize that even if I capsize there are 41 other people in their own little boats who will throw me a life preserver. And even if all they can find is our YTT course binder I have no doubt that that alone will keep me afloat …or at the very least it will be a rock I can cling to.

Elisa joined the Semperviva team as a YA at the Kits Beach location this past July. She had been working in the film and television industry here in Vancouver as a casting associate and more recently as a television script writer before deciding it was time for something new. Elisa first looked to yoga a decade ago after searching for something to compliment her athletic training and found it to be a surprising touchstone while dealing with the serious illness of a family member. She believes yoga and meditation are simple ways to find answers to life’s complicated questions.

Part of the purpose of yoga is to increase joy in our lives and we can elevate this joy further with essential oils.  I have heard more than one yoga instructor proclaim the “strange phenomena affecting yoga in Vancouver,” that yoga has become very serious.  Whenever this is mentioned in a class I’ve attended, joyful laughter erupts.  We know that we take ourselves and our lives too seriously sometimes and for many, this is why we practice.

Since breath is integral to our practice, what we breathe in can affect our practice on many levels.

Have you ever wondered why some yoga instructors use essential oils before, during or after class?

Because our sense of smell is directly connected with our memories and our emotions, we can elevate joy in our practice with pleasant smells.  While some feel that incense enhances the practice, I ask you to consider this: do you really want to breathe in smoke while you are maximizing the capacity of your lungs?  Smoke undoubtedly cleanses on many levels and incense and smudging are an important part of sacred ceremonies in many cultures.  However, for some more than others, smoky incense can disrupt an entire practice.

As many of us practice to calm our minds, it seems logical that our intention for that glorious 60 to 90 minutes of minimal brain activity on the mat would be nurtured by a calming smell as opposed to a disruptive smell.  Essential oils, natural, fragrant pure plant essences enhance the quality of the air we breathe in and they help us to expand our lungs, enabling us to breathe more deeply.

Beyond amazing scent, essential oils can connect us with a sense of peace, calm and wellness.  For example, what is the first thing your memory recalls when you think of eucalyptus?  Most people associate it with wellness, either the spa or as a tool used during the healing process from a cough or a cold.

My personal ritual is to dab a blend of Saje’s Goddess Blend over my 3^rd eye and onto my wrists about 30 minutes before practice.  Goddess is a beautiful blend of floral and citrus oils.  Our memories instantly associate citrus oils with sunshine, which brings a smile to most.  Floral oils in particular instill feelings of euphoria.  The ritual of walking to the yoga studio while breathing in my Goddess blend puts me in a place of joy before I arrive on my mat.

Since yoga increases the level of joy in our lives and there is no limit on how much joy we have access to, why not elevate that?  We spend so much time making life more intense than it needs to be so balancing that with elevated joy, using essential oils is a gift to oneself I encourage you to find some that work for you!

We’ve gathered our kits, started a Facebook support page and high fived the start of our next 14 days. We are ready to get the winter out of our bodies and refresh our cells for the summer. Yeehaw!

Detox and cleanses are quite possibly two of the sexiest words in the health scene. They are also often promoted in a way that all we need to do is buy a kit off the shelf take a pill or two everyday and Tada! We’re cleansed.

I feel like we are missing a few integral pieces if we’re seeking honest cleansing.

Cleansing goes back. Way back. The purpose of it back in the day seemed to have been a deeper approach and it often carried a more spiritual context. Think of our ancient yogis, some of which lived in caves and ate little. Their purpose was to purify the body in order to receive spiritual messages and teachings. Many found the reception quality for these messages would be tainted had they not cleansed.

Now most of us aren’t currently in caves waiting for profound messages from above but perhaps our humble cleansing process could add a little sprinkle of sacredness and a touch of added effort on the physical, spiritual and mental levels.

Here are some ways you can do just that:

Physical

If you are following a cleansing kit, I highly recommend removing processed foods from your diet. I am amazed when kits don’t even suggest this. It is a time for us to lighten the toxic load on our body so the systems can fire up again. Have a party in the produce section and stick with foods that were pulled from the ground, picked from a tree or taken from a plant. Then drink lots of water to help the liver and kidneys flush the extra debris out of you. See ya later, toxins!

Mental

Couldn’t we all cleanse a layer or two of negative thinking? Especially those ones that tell us we are not and will never be; good/smart/kind/pretty/thin/enter your personal favorite here enough? Oh yeah, those ones. Meet them with compassion. Perhaps during your cleanse note them down under the title ‘Toxic Thoughts’, then write a refreshing one under the title ‘Refreshed Thought’.

Spiritual

Go outside. Touch the grass. Hug a tree. Journal. Have an evening of silence. Reflect. Breathe. Practice Yoga. Go to a cave or do ten cartwheels on the beach during a full moon. Whatever spiritual means to you now is the time to really give it some time and love.

Taking your cleanse that extra step further can make a profound difference in how you feel and how effective your cleansing process could be. Avoid falling into the “all I have to do is take a pill” trap and show your body you love it by eating, thinking and breathing loving things into it.

Susanne is a Yoga Instructor at Semperviva. She teaches yoga, develops corporate wellness programs, leads nutrition workshops and works with clients towards better health.  Susanne’s approach to Yoga and Holistic Nutrition is to connect people back to their natural selves. When we bring awareness and listen to that piece of who we are, we naturally eat, live and act in ways that support ourselves and each other. www.susannemueller.ca

The throat is a fascinating place in the human body. We hold an incredible amount of tension in the jaw, throat, and neck, and for many of us, this is the first place stress manifests itself. I know I’m having a stressful week when my partner wakes up to the terrifying sound of my teeth grinding.

In our yoga practice, we have an opportunity to see the body as more than just a vehicle for our brains. We understand that, in many ways, our physical bodies are manifestations of our inner selves. When something happens in life, we feel it in the body (they are called “feelings,” after all, not “thinkings”), and sometimes, even once we’ve come to a logical conclusion and taken rational steps to deal with it, we still carry an echo in our flesh and bones of whatever happened to us.

The chakras represent a vocabulary for understanding the relationship between the physical and the spiritual/emotional. We have seven main chakras, or energy centres, starting at the root of the spine and moving all the way up to the crown, floating just above the head. Each energy centre is related to a specific physical place and emotional resonance.

On this chakra map, the throat represents self-expression. The throat, neck, jaw, and ears house our creativity, our ability to listen, and, literally, our “yes” and our “no.” Often, when the throat gets tight, when the neck twinges, or the jaw locks up, there is something that needs to be voiced. We want to speak up, but don’t know what to say or, perhaps, feel silenced and powerless. Maybe we did speak up, and just don’t feel like we’ve been heard.

Yoga practice is an excellent way to do some self-exploration around what might be stuck in that throat lump. Shoulderstand and fish pose are excellent for stimulating the throat chakra, but any practice involving extra attention to the neck and jaw can really help. The next time you go to a class with a teacher you trust, for example, just keep your awareness on what it feels like in your throat. Move your head and neck around in different postures, even if you are not specifically doing neck stretching postures. Notice if you are clenching your jaw, and exhale out your mouth often: a lion’s breath or a sigh with some sound can be very stimulating to the throat chakra and can help loosen up the tight vocal cords holding back whatever it is you’ve wanted to say.

When your asana practice is over, try some unfiltered journaling: have a pen and paper near your mat and, once you’ve done your practice, roll over and write down absolutely anything that comes to your mind. You may discover the lump in your throat is finally gone, or you’ll have a lightbulb moment about what you really feel. You may even discover what you need to say, and along with it, the strength and courage to go ahead and say it.

Julie Peters has been practicing yoga from the tender age of 12, and it’s gotten her through everything from the horrors of teenagedom to a Master’s degree in English Literature. She is a performance poet, freelance writer, and Vinyasa Flow and Yin yoga teacher. She brings a creative style, warm energy, and food for thought to every class. www.jcpeters.ca

 Julie Peters is teaching a workshop on yoga and writing from the body called Creative Flow: Yoga and Writing on Saturday April 27th at Sun Studio.

Homeric Hymn 8 to Ares (trans. Evelyn-White) (Greek epic B.C.) :
“Ares, exceeding in strength, chariot-rider, golden-helmed, doughty in heart, shield-bearer, Saviour of cities, harnessed in bronze, strong of arm, unwearying, mighty with the spear…” … found peace and rejuvenation on a mat next to me at Semperviva.

Now it’s not every day that a God of War practises yoga. It took some time and effort to get him into the studio but I’m happy I succeeded in encouraging such an unyielding figure to try to be ‘flexible’. Aris is a strong man yes, in mind and body. He’s also done a class or two so he had some idea of what he was in for.

Like most of us, my friend is not as flexible as he’d like to be. He works hard to keep himself healthy and keep his body in good shape and, also like many of us, stretching physically and mentally doesn’t always come easily. I knew he liked yoga but I really wasn’t sure why he wasn’t doing more of it, especially considering he’s been working on specific areas of inflexibility that have been plaguing him for years. So as he walked through the front doors and greeted my friend Alexis and I, I was looking forward to seeing how ‘Non Yogi Two’ was going to do.

So we three – ‘Non Yogi One’, Alexis, ‘Non Yogi Two’, Aris, and ‘Beginner Yogi’, me – made our way to the back of the studio where I’d laid out our mats and some foam and chip blocks. Foam blocks are used in yoga to provide supplementary support and comfort in various postures and I’d given us three a piece just in case we were in need of any additional ‘props’ other than the moral kind we were about to provide each other.

Aris wasted no time diving in and I was surprised to see how quickly ‘Non Yogi Two’ began to go with the flow. I was not surprised however to see how many female yogis noticed ‘Non Yogi Two’ going with the flow. Now, let me clarify a point I’m trying to make lest someone take offence; one of the reasons I encouraged Aris to come and do a class with me is because men still seem to be the minority when it comes to practising yoga.  This is a shame because the benefits are universal and they do not discriminate between male or female, young or old, flexible or inflexible. And in this west coast yoga ‘style’ saturated culture I think the more we all invest in doing what is good for us as opposed to what we look good doing the better off we’re all going to be.

So here’s a new mantra for you; there is no perfect body, there is no perfect pose.

And in that spirit the God of War moved through the postures, tuning in to the benefits and tuning out the chatter that was beginning to march into his mind. There is a tendency to fight what you encounter while doing yoga, whether it be mental or physica,l and as Aris shared with me later it seems he’s no exception.

As we packed up after Shivasana I checked in with my friends and noticed a particular glow on Aris’ face. Knowing he didn’t practice often I was intrigued. He’d told me before how he dislikes holding postures for too long, it’s a challenge for him that’s more mental than muscle, so why the smiling face?!

‘I liked it’, he says. Wow. I’ve barely begun our conversation. I look over at Alexis, surprised.

‘Oh?’ I say, ‘I wasn’t sure you would.’ ‘No, I think it would be a very good balance with my training, and with the exercises I’m doing at home.’ This is good news. ‘And what about the class itself? Holding the poses, the teacher’s style…’ ‘Well Elisa, you know I don’t like holding the poses for so long and maybe a little more quiet time would have been good.’ He pauses and then, ‘But I think I would like to come maybe once or twice a week?’

Alexis and I look at each other and I give Aris a hearty slap on the shoulder. ‘Well then let’s look at a schedule and I can recommend some classes that might be a better fit!’ (FYI; One class does not a perfect yogi make and trying a few teachers and styles on for size is a wise practice).

And with that the Greek God of War embraced some yoga and the idea that mortal or immortal we are all… ultimately …flexible.

Elisa joined the Semperviva team as a YA at the Kits Beach location this past July. She had been working in the film and television industry here in Vancouver as a casting associate and more recently as a television script writer before deciding it was time for something new. Elisa first looked to yoga a decade ago after searching for something to compliment her athletic training and found it to be a surprising touchstone while dealing with the serious illness of a family member. She believes yoga and meditation are simple ways to find answers to life’s complicated questions.

Turn Off Your Phone. Yes, Off. Not just on silent. Power that puppy right off.  A few weeks ago, I put to rest yet another phone—this time to a wet day at Whistler. I learned three things from the experience I would like to share with you:

“Checking in” at Symphony Bowl is really not worth purchasing a new phone. But more importantly, technology is killing our ability to be spontaneous and mindful. Let me expand on this one: Between my iPhone’s drowning and finding a replacement, I went about a week without. I found the experience frustrating, thrilling (yes, thrilling… guess I don’t get out much), liberating, and enlightening all in one. At times when I would have been bored or anxious and pulled out my phone to distract me, I couldn’t. Walking from one place to another became just walking, rather than walking and texting or walking and listening to music or a podcast. I didn’t have a constant urge to “check” my phone between clients or out with friends. I learned that I had to pay attention rather than distract. To stay in the moment rather than disappear into intermittent “conversation” or review my calendar.  I learned to observe and experience rather than see what’s happening on Facebook or my News App. And so, instead of tuning out, I tuned into my own experience: my breath, the sensations in my body, my feet on the ground, my the leaves on the trees and clouds and sounds and smells—experiences I never would have paid attention to (or appreciated) if I had a phone on me. So, try practicing some phone-abstinence in your day. Leave it behind or turn it off. Give yourself permission to not respond, or check, or browse. Look up and see what you’ve been missing.

Make Uncomfortable Experiences Mindful Ones:  There was a time in my life where I despised nothing more than wet socks. I now recognize how fortunate I am that it was my biggest concern, rather than, oh, I don’t know, constant hunger or chronic pain. Still, trekking across the GVRD via several buses and skytrains in poorly chosen footwear made for many evenings of temporary discomfort. I used to feel so angry and victimized when I became aware that my “waterproof” shoes weren’t doing their job. But, when mindfulness entered my life, I began to take these negative experiences (such as wet cold feet) as opportunities to feel the sensations without judgment, ultimately resulting in gratitude for being able to feel at all. Observing without judgment allowed for the experiences to be tolerable, informative, and sometimes even enjoyable (sometimes).

Similar to physical discomfort, emotional discomfort can bring about opportunities to be mindful as well. The other day I was at the DMV (don’t ask), and naturally I arrived there at the time when every other person in Vancouver decided to go to the DMV. For few seconds, I felt frustrated, and annoyed, and impatient. Then, as I do sometimes practice what I preach, I transformed it into a mindful experience. I scanned my body and brought attention to the sensations I was feeling. I observed the room décor and wall fixtures with curiosity and openness.

So, try taking experiences that might be met with frustration, impatience, discomfort, or judgment, and turning them into mindful experiences. Waiting in traffic? Feeling lonely? Stomach ache? Observe with the COAL state of mind.

“Un”multitask : I know, I know. This goes against everything we’re taught about efficiency and productivity. But, multitasking is the antithesis to mindfulness. It makes it nearly impossible to be present with ourselves and our experience. And I’m not just talking about obvious multitasking (e.g. taking a phone call while checking your email, listening to music, eating your lunch, and stretching out your hamstring all at the same time…yes, to be a fly on the wall in my office…). We multitask when we’re thinking about the future, or the past, while doing any of those individual tasks. So, consider doing one thing at a time and bringing your attention into the present. You don’t have to remove all multitasking from your life, but challenge yourself to do a couple of things in your day mindfully. For example, in the morning, take a mindful shower, brush your teeth mindfully, drive mindfully. Tune into your breath, the sensations in your body, the rich colours of the world around you. During breaks, drink your coffee mindfully, eat mindfully, walk from your office to the washroom mindfully. “Un”multitask, and you might notice you feel calmer, more recharged, and more a willing participant (rather than a powerless victim) of your world.

I hope you’ll be able to incorporate some of these strategies into your day and, as a result, get to be present for your beautiful life. I encourage you to comment and share your own strategies or ideas for being mindful off the mat.

Megan Bruneau (M.A, R.C.C.) is a Registered Clinical Counsellor, former Yoga Advisor, and avid yoga practitioner. She draws upon her personal and professional experience to inspire people towards healthy balanced living. See more posts by Megan athttp://www.oneshrinksperspective.com/.

“On the approximation of 150,000 generations of human species, the probability of you being you accounts to 1 in 10^45,000. That’s ten to the power of forty-five thousand – an odd which exceeds the total of all known particles in the universe. And so, out of all the stars we gaze upon, and out of all the galaxies we observe, we still fail to find anything near what you are; a multi-celled organism that can understand the very laws and forces of quantum theory that, even to this day, are in monumental favour of you not being so well ordered, with a mind that can imagine things that defy those very forces; a universe of thoughts within the universe.”        – unknown

Mind blown.

That we are provided the ideal venue (Yoga) to explore the astronomical mystery that is our own existence is further proof to me that the universe (aka you and me) is somehow hard-wired for realization.  We have always intuitively known that something larger is going on.  Something so incomprehensibly huge, so indescribably profound, yet so intimately ingrained into our very DNA, that the development of a practice such as Yoga was an inevitable birthright.  Even when we are lost in the more superficial concerns of our practice (alignment, flexibility, strength) the loom of enlightenment continues to weave deeper and deeper understanding into every cell of our bodies.  Then one day, from one breath to the next, it happens: you – a 1 in 10^45,000 impossibility – suddenly wake up from the dream of the everyday reality.  Profound insight radiates from the depth of your heart, mind and gut, and nothing is ever the same again.  You will forever see life (yours and others) from the grandest possible perspective; you were lucky enough to be born in the universe, of the universe, in order to experience being the universe.

The next time you give yourself the gift of your practice, remember as you step onto your mat that you are doing so as part of something much bigger.  A universe of thoughts, feelings and insights within the vastness of eternity.

Cameron Gilley has been teaching yoga for over 8 years and has a vested interest in yogic philosophy. He is a faculty member of Semperviva Yoga College, and will be greatly involved in the 200 Hour Yoga Teacher Trainings. Cameron draws from his deep well of esoteric knowledge and endeavors to communicate it in an open and expressive manner.

The somewhat grey, blurry, intangible and unstructured subject of feelings are, in my opinion, not respected or explored enough. I believe that poor eating habits are often a result of not respecting what our bodies are telling us day in and day out. In our attempts to establish lasting health it is not only helpful but crucial to know and understand how your body speaks to you. Here’s a hint: it communicates not through words or thoughts but it reaches and teaches us through feelings.

There’s that word again. Feelings. Embrace it; we are going to move deeper.

My most recent lesson in the importance of ‘feeling’ was so simple but so powerful. Being quite sensitive, anxiety visits me regularly. I had developed a pattern where the rise of it would lead me towards food to calm and comfort the intensity of the uninvited, erratic sensation. It was a somewhat unconscious and definitely ineffective pattern which I knew I wanted to change.

Change and growth in our yoga practice happens through patience, awareness and breathing with intention, not through pushing, pulling or forcing ourselves deeper. I knew this also was one of those experiences I would need to approach with a yogi mind and heart in order for it to evolve and change.

And so last week I summoned as much patience and awareness as I could and when anxiety arose, I didn’t run, I didn’t hide, I didn’t snack, I didn’t check my emails or send a text. I sat down, closed my eyes and felt it. I stayed there until I was able to pinpoint the exact place the anxiety was coming from. It sounds easy and simple right? But wow, it took so much patience and commitment to be still and sit right into the discomfort.

I suddenly realized the origin of the anxious sensation was on the upper part of my stomach. The feeling, when not felt, grows and takes over, but the feeling felt was actually very small and almost insignificant. The coolest part was that this feeling lives so close to where the feeling of hunger lives that of course I got them confused! I would lose myself in the anxiety and mindlessly thought I was hungry. Not surprisingly, the need to distract myself with food or electronics diminished when I realized what the sensation really was.

It can be so important to stay ever present with ourselves. How can we feel safely into emotions such as anger, irritability, jealousy, anxiety? Sit into it. Feel it. It will show you something and then pass through. Sit not only into the fire of anger, the deep pit of jealousy, but also be still with overwhelming love and humbling gratitude when it arises. They are all teachers for us. By respecting and honoring their ability to communicate we can heal the root of our undesirable eating habits which can then lead us to true and lasting health.

For those of you like my partner who appreciate numbers and measurements, here is the perfect recipe to feel your emotions.

Smoothie for Feeling

4 cups of pure love

2 cups of awareness

1 cup of patience

20 dashes of deep breathing

Plenty of time

1. Pour pure love into a blender.
2. Add awareness and mix.
3. Stop blender and slowly drip in patience, stirring with a wooden spoon.
4. Sit on a chair, on the floor or on your kitchen counter and slowly add deep breathing to the mix.
5. Allow plenty of time to settle in.

***This recipe may produce variable results, we have never seen two outcomes the same.

Susanne is a Yoga Instructor at Semperviva. She teaches yoga, develops corporate wellness programs, leads nutrition workshops and works with clients towards better health.  Susanne’s approach to Yoga and Holistic Nutrition is to connect people back to their natural selves. When we bring awareness and listen to that piece of who we are, we naturally eat, live and act in ways that support ourselves and each other. www.susannemueller.ca

A few years ago, when I was deciding on whether or not to move to Australia (a last minute invite by a best friend from high school who was visiting Canada at the time), I was asked by someone who I now consider to be one of my Angels, “Does it scare you?”  My answer was of course “Yes”.  She then asked if I was “Scared, scared or excited scared?”, ”Excited scared!” I replied.  In that moment something clicked inside of me.  Something that said that no matter how much I wanted to stay comfortable where I was, adventure was about to sweep in.

That was the best decision I have ever made.  What was meant to be a three month trip, living with my best friend in Melbourne, turned into a yearlong life changing experience in Sydney. An experience that allowed me to step into my own, get to know my heart, and find what I really love.  All the ideas I had of who I was, and wanted to be, got chucked off the boat and I was left simply with what was inside me.  My year in Australia was my year of returning to love, self-love.  Something that living in Vancouver and struggling through the acting world had never taught me.

All my hesitancy and fear about making the decision to leave the country, and move to another one half way around the world, was really this inner knowing that something big was about to change. Call it ego, call it preconceived ideas of self, it was scared to be told that I no longer needed it to be happy.

I have learned to recognize that feeling since. Smaller moments in everyday life, and the larger decisions too.  Whenever I get that excited-scared feeling, as much as I want to run away in fear, I have made a conscious choice to follow my spirit and move towards it.

So, it is with faith and an inner knowing that I approach yet another change that scares me. It’s that excited-scared. Knowing that change is going to happen, big change, and change is what feeds the soul.  It’s the reminder that nothing is permanent and that god, source, Jesus, Muhammad, Baha-u-lah, the universe, whatever you believe in, is on your side.

Jump into what scares you. And believe me, you’ll love what you find.

About Aili:  Yoga for me is about letting go of anything and everything that blocks our inner light from shinning brilliantly bright. The Asana can be playful, beautiful, creative, tough, hot, fluid, and dynamic. But in the end the Asana doesn’t really matter, it’s the simple connection with heart that matters and the ability to let go.

My classes are about being playful and challenging yourself to go into the shaky places, all the while remembering that you are sharing your borrowed breath. 

“If we wait for the world’s permission to shine we will never receive it.” -Marianne Williamson

Shine on. Spread Love. Do yoga.

*Aili trained in Australia and Canada (power Vinyasa, Yin, hatha) also an Ambassador With Africa Yoga Project in Nairobi, Kenya.

And so it began. One of these Non -yogis suggested (after a few glasses of wine I think) that I should take her to a yoga class and then write about it in my beginner blog. I was shocked. She’s one of my closest friends; smart, athletic, and soooo not interested in yoga. So, I did what any good friend would do when presented with a once in a lifetime opportunity and agreed it was a great idea before she had a chance to change her mind.

Now Alexis, or ‘Non-Yogi One’, is one of the most direct, reliable and loyal people I know and she’s not one to back down from a challenge… EVER. The fact that she offered to be one of the subjects of my blog is a gesture I do not take lightly. And the fact that she is actually participating in a yoga class for the first time is not a gesture she takes lightly. You see, Alexis is one of those people that sees anything in life as an opportunity to best herself or whatever force she happens to be up against. She relishes being tested and expects to be the champion every time. She seeks victory and will not capitulate to anyone or anything. Ok. I’ll stop with the poetic bull@#%^ and just quote her outright; ‘Everything is a competition’.

As we settled into the studio, waaaay at the back of the class as requested, I felt pretty grateful to be flanked by a pair of human beings who were both willing to stretch themselves beyond their normal limits just to make me happy. (‘Non Yogi Two’ is my good friend Aris, a health club manager who quite frankly resembles some of the colossal Greek statues of his homeland… I’ll be writing about his experience in the next blog).

We are no more than five minutes into the Hatha class when I begin to realize this is maybe not the best day to be test-driving yoga on my friends. It is shaping up to be a hard one, even though I thought I was feeling pretty strong. Now, if the ‘Beginner Yogi’ in this story is feeling the burn I wonder what the non-yogis are experiencing?

I look to my left and Aris is holding his pose well. There’s a bit of a shudder beginning to take shape but this is plank, or high push up, and the day my core is so strong I do not shudder in plank is the day pigs will fly. I look to my right and Alexis is holding strong in the same pose. I can tell by the expression on her face she’s focused and determined to get the most out of being here. As she gives me a sideways glance I notice a singular bead of sweat slowly moving down the length of her little nose. She blows her bangs out of her face, turns forward again and presses on. Ok. They both seem good. Whew. And then I remember something and wince; Alexis played over three hours of volleyball the night before… she is tired… her muscles are sore… she doesn’t like to feel weak… ‘Oh no’, I think to myself, ‘She’s going to kill me.’ I have a brief flash of being pummeled by one of our cylindrical bolsters after Shivasana and quietly return to my breath.

The three of us work our way through the postures retreating into child’s pose when needed, (which turned out to be more than once), and I feel as though we’ve managed to stick together, beads of sweat, shudders and all. It was a new experience for me. Practising alongside familiar faces has its rewards and is also pretty humbling. These two people know me, know I work here, and know I practice, so it was tougher for me at times to get beyond my ego which was telling me I had to get everything ‘right’. I also had to let go of being their Sheppard and remind myself that my friends are anything but sheep.

We chat briefly after class and I ask for their honest opinions. Alexis is forthright and can see I’m eager to hear what she really thought of it all. ‘It was hard’, she says, ‘and I’m not taking anything away from the benefits of it but…’ She pauses for a moment and then… ‘I still don’t get it’. And this is why we are friends; because she will tell it like it is and because she tried. She may never ‘get it’, but the fact that she was willing to trust me enough to venture into a studio is enough for me. If there was any kind of battle going on over on her mat I hope she realizes that she was a champion long before she ever tried yoga with me. Thanks Alexis!

Elisa joined the Semperviva team as a YA at the Kits Beach location this past July. She had been working in the film and television industry here in Vancouver as a casting associate and more recently as a television script writer before deciding it was time for something new. Elisa first looked to yoga a decade ago after searching for something to compliment her athletic training and found it to be a surprising touchstone while dealing with the serious illness of a family member. She believes yoga and meditation are simple ways to find answers to life’s complicated questions.

The word I used to describe this state was homelessness. I can’t say that I welcomed this feeling with open arms. I wanted to belong somewhere, anywhere! I didn’t feel at home at work, in my body and in the many relationships I’d cultivated. Everything I’d accomplished to date looked meaningless and unappealing. How could this be? I had spent years building and working towards all of this – this is what I wanted, right?

What I didn’t know then but I know now is that these feelings of homelessness and discomfort were the signs of my shifting perception. A new way of life was emerging from my deepest core but I was too caught up in my thoughts and too busy being impatient to notice the guidance from my soul. Once I listened to what was coming up, I was surprised and intimidated by the magnitude of dreams and vision I was capable of creating for myself.

The process of getting clarity and integrating that clarity into day-to-day life is rarely easy or clear cut. It’s a process of becoming vulnerable, open and curious with no agenda or fear. Sounds so easy, doesn’t it? It’s worth it in the end though! Here are a few insights that helped me tremendously in getting the clarity I longed for.

Acceptance is Key: You are where you need to be. Don’t judge yourself; just accept that this is where you are right now. Doubting and criticizing myself didn’t clarify anything for me, and it certainly didn’t energize me to act lovingly. All of us have periods of extreme clarity and productivity, which necessitate periods of recalibration and reflection. Spring WILL come, trust me! It’s not that you don’t know the answers; you just haven’t discovered them yet.

Create Space: You need space to listen to yourself and to see the path. You need space to have the epiphanies. So, slow it down as much as possible. I started to practice walking meditation when I was really stuck. Since I had not idea where I was going (literally), I focused on where I went one step a time. The slower I walked the louder my mind screamed to justify its existence; however it just felt so luxurious to have all this space! Once I allowed myself to feel that spaciousness the magic started to happen, and the urge to be busy and to occupy myself with tasks, even if they were meaningless, simply disappeared.

Feel the Shakiness and Stay Curious: Once you feel a little opening of space, start tuning into what comes into focus for you and how you feel about it. Murkiness is a part of this process. It may feel uncomfortable to be directionless in your thoughts however; learning to embrace the shakiness and to remain curious has its rewards. In order to create something new you need to go somewhere you’ve never been before.  This is creativity in action!

Share, Share, Share:  As I opened up to people, I quickly realized that I wasn’t alone in this process. Everyone knew exactly what I was talking about. I felt stronger and more secure in my own vulnerability. Having been there, people honored the place I was at by listening, clarifying, supporting and encouraging me to stay true to the process.  I invite you to share yourself with people who can honor the gift of your trust and be open. Keep sharing until you’ve have assembled a tribe of people who support you unconditionally, hold you to your greatness in the moments of doubt, and cheer you on when you are ready to take action.

Natalia is a life clarity coach, soul-centered writer and an advocate for healthy living. Her life’s purpose is to help her clients create bigger, richer and happier lives filled with vitality and laughter. Between her coaching appointments, Natalia enjoys going to yoga, hiking, long walks on the beach and cooking. More on her work and writing at http://achievetheimpossible.ca   Facebook  Twitter:@nataliapower

Our digestive systems are naturally capable, complex and they perform many intricate functions. However, they rely on us to provide it with good food and a calm environment so they can function at their best. Here are a few ideas on how to keep your digestive system on track.

Slow & Steady

Ever eat your meal like it’s a race to the finish line? Well, in terms of proper digestion, there is no trophy for the winner. Eating quickly means we chew less and bypass the first crucial step in healthy digestion. Chunks of food get sent prematurely to the stomach and since those strong grinders in our mouth don’t exist anywhere else along the digestive tract, we are unable to digest the nutrients as effectively. The best thing you can do for digestion is to slow down, taste and enjoy every… single… bite.

Say No to Seconds

An empty stomach is about the size of our fist. I’ll repeat that. Our stomach is as big as one of our fists. That’s not very big. Although it does expand when we eat, it would rather we keep our meals small and frequent. Our smart bellies produce hydrochloric acid to help break down our food but, just like tending to a fire, it needs to be stoked slowly and frequently rather than overloaded and suffocated.

Listen to the Signal

This segues beautifully into my next point; our stomach sends our brain clear signals when it is satiated. When the belly starts to expand, it cleverly sends chemicals to the brain cueing us to stop eating. But they have little control as to whether we actually do or not. So, they cross their fingers and hope we respond to their message. This is where it is crucial to listen and adhere to its request. 

Small Intestines Love Probiotics

The stomach often gets mistaken as the most important part of the digestive process, but in truth our small intestine is where it’s at. This is where most of what we eat gets broken down by enzymes and where nutrients are absorbed. If the small intestine is not functioning at an optimal level we are not absorbing the necessary nutrients our bodies are asking for. Help your small intestine out by supporting it with probiotics. Certain fermented foods naturally contain the probiotics we need but if you are not eating them on a regular basis, supplements can help.

Anxious, Nervous, Stressed, Angry?

Our body is not in its best digestive state if we eat while we are upset. Our attention becomes less focused on chewing and tasting and in turn the stomach secretes smaller levels of digestive juices. We need to be in a somewhat calm and peaceful state for our bodies to be on board with digesting. Before you eat put your hands on your stomach and breathe at least three breaths into your belly. Let any lingering tension and emotions subside and bring your attention to the meal. This small step can make a big difference in the way your meal is digested.

Luckily we don’t have to be in command of every stage of the digestive process; our organs already know what to do. But it is up to us to provide it with healthy food and healthy eating habits to let digestion work its best. Through bringing love, awareness and attention to our digestive tracts we just may be able to provide a more supportive foundation and move from ‘the root of all disease’ to ‘the root of excellent health’.

Susanne is a Yoga Instructor at Semperviva. She teaches yoga, develops corporate wellness programs, leads nutrition workshops and works with clients towards better health.  Susanne’s approach to Yoga and Holistic Nutrition is to connect people back to their natural selves. When we bring awareness and listen to that piece of who we are, we naturally eat, live and act in ways that support ourselves and each other. www.susannemueller.ca