Be Yoga Therapy

I remember…

The women, girls, boys desecrated. Hospitals and Civilians being used as shields.

I remember the heroism of regular folks who went above and beyond their own capacities to save the life of another.

I remember those who chose humanity and risked their own safety to protect others.

I remember the stories of humanity. The fighter pilot being pointed in the right direction home, by one of the pilots he had just been engaged in a dog fight with. The sharing of rations, the truce for a Christmas Day football game.

Aren’t there rules of engagement? Have we become so savage we have forgotten humanity?

Monday 23 October @ 6.30am for an 8 week yoga practice. 5 days a week, for 40 days we will enjoy a 60 minute physical practice of hot yoga. The weekends are self led. This is being offered as a sadhana practice. Sadhana is an introspective meditative experience to deepen your relationship with yourself.

The most important relationship you will ever experience 💕

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We need fire to fuel our passion, our purpose.

It takes courage to follow the beat of our own drum, our heart. It also takes discipline, in yoga that is fire energy called tapas. It brings a focus as it burns away distractions. A tenacity in the moments when passion wanes.

What if we recognised who we already are…

We so often have our priorities the wrong way around.

We think we need to have something to be someone. We must do things to get the stuff we need to have so we can be the person we want to be. That feels exhausting and confusing to even read.

What if we sat still for a moment and took stock.

Every quality we admire in others is a quality we already have; it is perhaps just buried under a hefty portion of self-doubt.

This next sentence is a bit of a bitter pill to swallow, but sometimes we need to take a bit of medicine… Those annoying qualities in others … take a breath… annoy us because they are reminding us of aspects about ourselves we don’t like.

The person we want to be, we already are.

Easy.

Kind of...

We decide which aspects of ourselves we want to cultivate. NO, not a case of toxic positivity. We do need to acknowledge the totality of who we are. However, like a garden we can choose the seeds we want to nurture and cultivate and what we might like to w**d out. Both take some effort. That is the Doing.

Doing in a way that brings us into alignment with who we truly are is an act of self-love. Although it can take some effort, will come to feel effortless, because it brings joy.

What we have becomes a reflection of who we are. Yes, we might still want a fabulous car, or a massive home. But we are choosing from a place of joy of feeling full. We are not desperately trying to fill a void from a place of lack and low self-esteem.

How many times have you miserably chased having something, so you could be whatever it was you thought would fulfil you; only to find you are still not enough. When you are centred in your beingness, YOU are invisible, unstoppable and JOYFUL.

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Anger is a secondary emotion.

Anger often masks the vulnerable we experience when the primary emotions like fear, loss sadness are present. Emotions we are uncomfortable with.

Ask what is beneath the anger?

Frustration can live in an out of balance wood element. It can be reframed as learning something new, a growth opportunity.

Judgement too, when in balance is discernment.

Self loathing is the language of lack. It rage left unexpressed. It disconnects us from intimacy with ourselves an others.

Pause, an breathe when these emotions come up. Give them a little space to hear their message. These as all the emotions you experience are a part of you. Welcome them. Once you do you will notice the are ready to move on, or at the very least loosen their grip on your very being.

Grow wild and free…

Grow wild and free
Let your spirit be
taken by the wind

Run fast and far
Let your spirit soar
skyward without end

Find a space in the soil
Spread your roots without toil
amongst the tangled w**ds

Sow your seeds down deep
where the wind can’t sweep
your dreams away with the breeze.

Mia Verita

Making the impossible possible.

Although it is interesting to understand the meaning of the manta. The sound itself, the vibration that the sound creates is most important. This is a point that is often missed with manta, especially if it is put to music. CHANTING MANTRA IS NOT SINGING. It is not the words in themselves, it is the vibration that the words create.

Kundalini Yoga Mondays at 5.15pm

Favourite things. Just because…

Namaste mudra, prayer pose. What is mudra?

Mudra mead seal or gesture in Sanskrit. That are not limited to hands but hand gestures are usually what is associated with mudra.

Mudras are hand gestures that activate a certain element or energy in the body. The five fingers represent the five elements. The energy activation point lies on the fingertips. When the fingertips are connected, the subtle energy in your body gets activated. The thumb represents the fire element. This element represents agni within the body, and it serves to activate all the other

The index finger represents air (vayu), middle finger ether (akash), ring finger earth (prithvi) and the little finger represents the water (jal) element.

When different hand formations, or mudras, are formed, the combination of subtle elements has a powerful effect on the mind and body.

Water is a unique element, it is fluid in it’s liquid form. It becomes solid when in a frozen state and can diffuse in to a mist, a fog.

This week we play in the realm of the kidney and bladder meridians.

Kundalini energy is Shakti. The Divine Feminine. Shakti is Primordial cosmic energy. Our creative power. Shakti is PRAKRITI.

Divine Masculine and Divine Feminine has been somewhat maligned. We translate them without divinity. We tend to be too literal, as in male is masculine, a man, HE, and female is feminine, a woman, SHE. And at last, we are remembering that not all folks resonate with a binary system. This has not always been the case. Masculine and Feminine are the two polarities. The end points of the spectrum.

PURUSHA. Pure Consciousness is the Divine Masculine aspect, or Shiva. Unchanging. Unlimited. The observer. Purusha is the soul, the SELF. It is the intangible. The word Purusha literally means "man".

PRAKRITI is that which creates. It is nature in all her aspects. Prakriti literally means “creatrix”. Shakti is our essential nature. Prakriti is movement, change, energy, power. Our drive to create. Tangible. Unlike in the Western religions, Purusha did not create Prakriti.

Energy without consciousness is aimless and ignorant. Consciousness without energy remains dormant. Shiva and Shakti are in a cosmic dance; they complement and contrast each other. They are the two sides of the same coin. Oneness.

Yoga helps us move energy within ourselves to reconnect with Pure Consciousness. In a Kundalini Yoga practice, we are very much engaging with the subtle energy anatomy within us.

I had forgotten how much I love the practice of Kundalini Yoga. For the next 10 weeks I am teaching a series for the Ten Bodies. Each class is a independent class, so it is fine if you can’t make all of them…. But it would be great if you could.

Mondays 5.15pm

oxo

To be able to let go, we must be courageous and be with what it is we would like to release.

Sometimes we aren’t ready. Somethings need a little time.

Working with the Lung and Large Intestines meridians we have an opportunity to create an inner space to explore what we are ready to acknowledge, accept, forgive and let go off with gratitude for the growth it brought.

To let go we are required to be with what it is we would like to release.

Suppression is constricting and requires a get deal for effort. It is ultimately far more uncomfortable than the discomfort of embracing head on what needs to be attended to.

Be courageous, create inner space, honour yourSelf with your innate integrity.

Myth of the impossible…

These fuzzy fellows create tiny hurricanes as they move their wings to create the lift they need to fly.

So often we are told things are impossible. And when we are told often enough we believe, especially when the tag of ‘science’ is added. Science is the pursuit of the truth of things. It is not a dogma, nothing is permanent, everything changes, evolves or becomes extinct. Even truth shifts when you shift your perspective.

When you are told something is impossible, ask yourself if that is true for you in this moment. Just because it is deemed true for the other, they perhaps don’t realise they can create tiny hurricanes.

Can you?

Through the lens of the earth element stimulating the spleen and stomach meridians.

Each week we will have the opportunity to approach our practice through different lenses. Journey inward and rediscover yourself from different perspectives.

Remember & Reclaim
As you Practice coming home to Self

Join me on Wednesday evenings at 5.30

Just because sometimes you need a sweet companion to remind you of all the joy you are surrounded by.

This handsome boy protects me on my darkest days and inspires me back into the light.

Sleeping off his post surgery pain meds. This sweet boy had to have some teeth out.

The guys at Westview Vets in Powell River were awesome as ever.

The Practice of Being Kind begins with ourselves.

Steadfast, happy, sit in a peculiar position….

Although Patanjali only mentions asana directly three times in his 196 sutras, we tend to equate yoga with asana, poses. His sutras are aphorisms, and in the beautifully layered Sanskrit language their meaning evolves with your practice.

STHIRA: stillness, unfluctuating, not wavering, steadfastness, stability, resolute, durable, undoubting, trustworthy, calm.

SUKHA: comfortable, happy, prosperous, gentle, virtuous.

SU: conceiving, permitting, distilling

KHA: space in the heart

ASANA is sitting, abiding, halting, dwelling, resolute to sit, sit in a peculiar position.

Sthira is the effort we put into cultivating our stability. Sukha is the fruit of right effort, you feel good you feel happy. Sthira and sukha are not static ingredients that balance each other out domesticating the poses. Rather they are in constant dynamic play as they dance with the breath.

Do you move with intelligence, accepting yourself in the moment. Each pose welcomed into the body to give you an experience of yourself. Remaining present and engaged.

Do you move from ego? Forcing, hardening, stern and relentless, feeling discomfort.

Or a rote practice, collapsing into the shapes from habit as your mind wanders off to contemplate a to do list, a worry.

How we show up on our mat for practice reflects how we show up in our day.

I love to practice in the morning. I gain insight into my attitude. How am I practicing? Am I agitated, forcing the practice and getting cross with myself, we all know how those days go! Am I distracted, perhaps I am feeling overwhelmed or worried and I am avoiding something? Either way, I have the time on my mat to explore what is behind my attitude, and with the acknowledgment I can bring myself towards balance.

As I explored the Sanskrit, I enjoyed creating a few of my own translations. My favourite…

Dwell in the space of the heart without wavering.

I think the world needs a little of that right now.

Inhale, 2, 3, 4… exhale, 2, 3, 4


Breath is medicine, when we breath we create space. In the body, conscious breathing helps us release tension. In the mind, our breath creates space between our thoughts giving us clarity. With clarity we are always aware of our choices.

Try laying on your back, bend you knees if it is uncomfortable for your legs to be straight.

Place one hand on your belly and one on your chest. Breathe into the hand on your belly and then the hand on your chest. You want a sense of expansion as you inhale. Exhale let your body slowly relax.

Each count is about one second long, you may even want to start with a 2 or 3 count to maintain a sense of ease your body.

Be Yoga Therapy updated their address.

There is a sweet excitement brimming just beneath the surface. An anticipation, but without the thorns of expectation.

2021 a quiet year of introspection and acceptance. I am not the same person I was; I feel a deep shift within and a gathering momentum moving me forward to into a transformative 2022.

Happy New Year my lovely friends. May each of you be blessed with a wealth of gratitude. Our life is full of choices, even when we choose not to choose that too is a choice. How we feel about our choices, our altitude and our perspective on our truth influences our health, well-being, and vitality. Gratitude is not sugar coating, or supressing thoughts and feelings, it is an acknowledgment and acceptance of what is, and then choosing to rise to the challenge of what’s next with a fabulously helpful mindset.

We have many versions of ourselves, and they are all welcome.

La tête pèse environ 5 kg.
Le cou supporte le poids de la tête qui, selon l'angle de l'inclinaison, augmente. Plus on regarde en bas, plus notre tête pèse. Selon le segment cervical qui prend le poids et le stress, le poids de la tête fluctue à moins de 5 kg, mais si vous le penchez en avant, il pèse de plus en plus. Quand il est plié à 60 degrés, il charge 22-27 kg sur les vertèbres cervicales inférieures et vers le bas dans le thoracique. En effet, toute la colonne vertébrale.
Qui plus est, la pléthore de soutien des tissus mous, des fascias, des muscles, des ligaments et des tendons devient tendue et fatiguée, ce qui accroît la tension sur les articulations et les disques. Si ce n'est pas maintenant, alors en bas de la piste, cela aura un impact sur le cou à mesure qu'il devient plus raide ainsi que sur la probabilité de créer des problèmes ailleurs.
Prenez soin de vous en utilisant des smartphones. Nous sommes totalement absorbés par ce qui se passe et nous ne vérifions pas notre position corporelle et ce que ce petit appareil peut nous faire avec le temps.
Source: health traditions.
courraudflorian.com

Every Child Matters

In Canada, the term Indigenous comprises First Nations, Inuit, & Métis. 1876 Indian Act gave the Federal Government full control over most aspects of Indigenous life. Much of the Indian Act is still in place today.

Residential Schools were a government-mandated policy. These schools were designed to 'kill the Indian in the child." Laws dictated that families must send Indigenous children as young as 4 to these boarding schools. RCMP officers forcibly removed children from families who would not comply.

The schools were operated by churches. Children were not allowed to speak their language or practice any of their cultural traditions under threat of beating. Religion was used as just one form of abuse.

The schools were overcrowded & often unheated. Children were underfed. Sexual assault was commonplace. Many healthy children wasted away from depression & homesickness. Some drowned trying to swim home. Others froze to death as they tried to walk home.

In 1907, the Department of Indian Affairs' 'Bryce Report' documented a 40-60% mortality rate at these institutions. The same report showed that 90-100% of children suffered severe physical, emotional, and sexual abuse. However, the schools remained open for another 90 years.

The graveyards we are finding are filled with unmarked graves. Some include mass graves. This is not new information. Residential School survivors have been telling us they're there for generations.

2008-15, Canada engaged in Truth & Reconciliation Commission. It concluded with 94 calls to action, most of which have not been actioned.

27 May ‘21, the remains of 215 children were found. "We had a knowing in our community that we were able to verify. To our knowledge, these missing children are undocumented deaths,” stated Kukpi7 Rosanne Casimir. “Some were as young as 3 years old."

4 June, 104 potential graves were discovered by the Sioux Valley Dakota Nation at Brandon Indian Residential School in Manitoba.

And now, as many as 751 unmarked graves were located near the former site of Marieval Indian Residential School in Saskatchewan, associated with the Cowessess First Nation.

Excerpt FB post Jessica O’Neill

Who are you? Do you know?

Behind the masks we carefully wear to be liked and accepted. Beyond the roles we believe we are expected to play by every single person in our life.

Do you remember who you are?

We come from a culture that exalts busy-ness. We are approved of when we excuse ourselves with exclamations of “I am so busy right now!” and the right now never seems to end. There is no time to remember… there is only the next thing to do… the next role…

What might happen if you sat for a moment, and just breathed.

Still...



If in the stillness you got to take a peek behind the busy, the roles, the masks.

There is treasure here… in the stillness… if you are courageous enough to look... There is freedom…

Perfection is not a prerequisite for anything but pain…

Awaken Now
The moment your eyes are open, seize the day.
Would you hold back when the Beloved beckons?
Would you deliver your litany of sins like a child’s collection of seashells, prized and labeled?
“No, I can’t step across the threshold,” you say, eyes downcast.
“I’m not worthy, I’m afraid, and my motives aren’t pure.
I’m not perfect, and surely I haven’t practised nearly enough.
My meditation isn’t deep, and my prayers are sometimes insincere.
I still chew my fingernails, and the refrigerator isn’t clean.”
Do you value your reasons for staying small more than the light shining through the open door?
Forgive yourself.
Now is the only time you have to be whole.
Now is the sole moment that exists to live in the light of your true Self.
Perfection is not a prerequisite for anything but pain.
Please, oh please, don’t continue to believe in your disbelief.
This is the day of your awakening.

by Danna Faulds

Thanks to the for doing a great article on Thrive Community Fitness!
https://www.prpeak.com/standout/new-powell-river-fitness-centre-offers-a-variety-of-specialty-programs-and-services-1.24268911

Human Beings are designed to Remember. In mindfulness practice we experience the wonder of being Present, a sense of expansion, of loving kindness. And as much as we want to hold on to it, life happens, and we contract… until we remember again…

We are designed to Remember. Our heart beats, it contracts to empty and expands to fill itself. Our torso contracts to let go of our breath, a tiny death, and then our lungs fill, and we receive life. Over and over, we remember. We contract and we remember to expand, we contract so we remember the joy of expansion.

I love creating altars, a little sacred space. They are a wonderful way to remember. To become present again. In the business of the day, they are a reminder to pause, just for a moment. To observe contraction. To breathe, to feel the connection between mind and body and to expand into the spaciousness of the present moment with clarity and choice, with kindness and compassion.

expectations of who we think we should be vs reality of who we are…



I love the idea of sitting down to work my space clear, as a reflection of the clarity of my mind… but this is not my reality. Somewhere along the way I developed the belief this was how it was supposed to be. Clear, tidy was the right way. On the surface it seems harmless enough; except it burdens me with a should. It triggers a binary mindset, yes no, right wrong, good bad. A binary mind is not a bad mindset, it is helpful in making decisions, it is a safe mindset. It also limits our capacity for creative thinking. When we are in the world of should we are out of step with who we are in the most genuine sense.

I am Chaos incarnate. I function best when I am juggling three things at once. I am not talking about multi-tasking; as humans we are not wired for that. I digress. Chaos is an archaic word for darkness. Chaos is not a word considered to be a virtue. I have been reprimanded, I have been berated, and I have been rejected for my chaotic nature. I have tried my best to supress my chaos to the point of chronic pain.

I have finally learned to accept my chaos. I am not afraid of the dark. There is a movement to chaos, a creative serge. I can breathe. I thrive. I focus, and it is the soft focus of curiosity and possibility. It is intentions rather than goals. Chaos is the divine feminine at play, and I have unleashed her, wild and unfettered. This is my reality, my chaos. It is who I am, I am that with all my heart.

Are you ready to be you?

oxo