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Enhance your home practice with these 3 tips.

Jul 30, 2020
3 min

Enhance your home practice with these 3 tips.

"Yoga is a powerful tool for liberating ourselves from unwanted, ingrained patterns.” ~ B.K.S. Iyengar Yoga opens our eyes to a fresh perspective. Presumed limitations are mere obstacles manufactured by the finite potential of the mind. In shifting your patterns of thought, you will change the outcome of your destiny. If you’re not sure what those patterns are, pay attention to the flavour (themes) and content (details) of your thoughts in the course of a single day. Journal

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5 Quick Ways to Improve Your Balance

Sep 28, 2018
2 min

5 Quick Ways to Improve Your Balance

Printed in Sweat Equity Magazine We often hear the word “balance” and think of the seemingly impossible goal of achieving that smooth transition between work, home, family, fitness, healthy eating, and so on (good luck with that!). But equally important is the simple ability to stand still on your own two feet. Many of my senior yoga students have told me that the greatest benefit they’ve received from the consistent practice of yoga is the CONFIDENCE that comes with feeling

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Yoga For Osteoporosis?

Sep 10, 2018
3 min

Yoga For Osteoporosis?

Last Friday a student in my seniors’ class asked if yoga could help prevent osteoporosis. I’d researched this subject before, so I didn’t hesitate to respond: The answer is both yes and no. Let me explain. Osteoporosis Defined Osteoporosis is a medical condition that causes bone tissue to deteriorate, resulting in brittle and fragile bones (not to be confused with osteoarthritis, which affects the surrounding joints and tissues). The increase of fractures escalates dramatical

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Top 10 Reasons To Do Yoga

Jul 10, 2018
2 min

Top 10 Reasons To Do Yoga

Those of us who have been doing yoga for some time don’t need ongoing encouragement to keep coming back to the mat. We’ve tried it; we loved it, and we have a hard time understanding anyone who doesn’t agree. After all, it’s been around for 5,000 years. If nothing else, the longevity speaks to its timeless capacity to improve health and well-being. But for those of you on the cusp, who remain undecided about whether to take a walk on the bright side of life, where people tot

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How to Avoid Stretching Too Far

Apr 26, 2018
3 min

How to Avoid Stretching Too Far

Published in the February/ March 2016 issue of Sweat Equity Magazine. Nobody can argue the benefits of a consistent yoga practice. Increased strength and flexibility, peace of mind and mental calm, and less angst over the “little things” that once were so bothersome are just a few. The more people that experience what yoga has to offer, the more mainstream it becomes. The more mainstream it becomes, the larger the class sizes and (quite often) the less personal attention avai

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Crow Pose, With a Twist: Parsva Bakasana

Mar 7, 2018
2 min

Crow Pose, With a Twist: Parsva Bakasana

Published in Sweat Equity Magazine November Issue Bakasana is often translated as Crow Pose, but baka is actually the Sanskrit word for crane and kak for crow. While the two are used interchangeably in many yoga classes, some yogis consider Bakasana the bent-arm variation, while Kakasana has the arms straight. To keep it simple, we’ll go with the more commonly cited Parsva Bakasana, for our Side Crow Pose. Surprisingly, the twisting variation of Bakasana is not necessarily th

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Revolved Side Angle Pose: Parivrtta Parsvakonasana

Dec 21, 2017
2 min

Revolved Side Angle Pose: Parivrtta Parsvakonasana

Printed in Sweat Equity Magazine Dec/Jan Issue Parivrtta Parsvakonasana is one of the standing postures in the traditional Ashtanga Yoga sequence. Variations of this pose, (i.e., palms together at the heart centre) are often used in Power Yoga, but the classical version, with the back foot planted, lower hand pressing into the mat, and upper arm extending along the cheek, is an advanced spinal twist that should be entered into slowly. Many experienced students and teachers c

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OM from Home: A Guide to Starting Your Home Practice

Dec 4, 2017
3 min

OM from Home: A Guide to Starting Your Home Practice

Printed in Sweat Equity Magazine Dec/Jan 2018 As challenging and refreshing as it is to enjoy classes offered at a studio, the benefits of establishing a home practice are unmatched. For me, what strengthened the spiritual bent of this ancient art form was rolling out the mat at home. That’s not to say it doesn’t come without effort! Even as a seasoned student and teacher, mustering up the energy to get moving can be easier said than done. In this article, I hope to inspire y

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Radical Self-Love: Yoga’s New Age Wave

Nov 30, 2017
5 min

Radical Self-Love: Yoga’s New Age Wave

Printed in Sweat Equity Magazine December / January 2018 She’s not what you expect to see on the cover of a fitness and lifestyle magazine. In today’s world, heavy black women fall far on the spectrum of cover models. I did an Internet search using the phrase, “women in fitness,” and of the 160 images that came up (that’s where I stopped counting), two were black. Two! That is a gross misrepresentation of a nation with over 14.5% people of colour! The vast majority of the fem

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Why I Do Yoga

Nov 4, 2017
1 min

Why I Do Yoga

“Letting go is the hardest asana.” Anonymous Recently I was asked why I do yoga. The obvious reasons came to mind: it keeps me strong and flexible. It’s challenging, relaxing, and anything else you need it to be. It quenches my thirst for philosophy, language, anatomy, and spirituality. But in reeling off those reasons, I realized none of them capture the real essence of what brings me to the mat, day after day. There are many ways to get strong, toned, and flexible and ma

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Feature Pose: Upward Facing Staff

Aug 15, 2017
3 min

Feature Pose: Upward Facing Staff

Printed in Sweat Equity Magazine August/Sept 2017 Upward Facing Staff Pose is considered an advanced backbend. One should be proficient in practicing Chakrasana (Full Wheel or Upward Bow Pose) and also Sirsasana (Headstand) before attempting Dwi Pada Viparita Dandasana, which, from a technical standpoint, is a combination of these two. In Light on Yoga, B.K.S. Iyengar says, “Action is movement with intelligence.” This comment is especially relevant to Upward Facing Staff Pose

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Feature Pose: Compass/ Parivrtta Surya Yantrasana

Aug 3, 2017
2 min

Feature Pose: Compass/ Parivrtta Surya Yantrasana

Printed in Sweat Equity Magazine June / July Issue Commonly called ‘Compass Pose,’ the English translation of Parivrtta Surya Yantrasana is Revolved (parivrtta) Sun (surya) Instrument (yantra) Pose (asana). This is an advanced yoga posture requiring a good amount of both strength and flexibility. If you’re navigating your way through this complex pose for the first time, a roadmap can be useful for guidance along the way. It’s a good idea to warm up your muscles and move your

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Headstand Tips

Jul 28, 2017
2 min

Headstand Tips

Alongside Padmasana (Lotus Pose) Headstand may be considered the exemplar archetype of yoga. Perhaps it seemed simple and even “fun”when you were a kid, but a graceful entry into and exit from this dignified pose might prove to be more challenging than expected. However, it’s well worth practicing, so stick with it! A headstand practice (or any inverted posture) should be a routine part of your practice. Here five reasons why: 1. Reversing the flow of blood by raising the

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40-Day Sun Salutation Challenge

Jun 26, 2017
2 min

40-Day Sun Salutation Challenge

I challenge you to bring a new perspective to your mat today. (If you'd like some group support and inspiration for a daily practice-one Sun Salutation a day-come find me on Facebook.) The ultimate goal of yoga is to reduce and eventually eliminate suffering. Ancient yogis believed the Eight-Fold Path of Astanga Yoga was the best means to achieve this state of deep and infinite joy. Because the mind is the source of ALL frustration and hardship, if we can still the mind, we w

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Yoga Pose: Urdhva Prasarita Eka Padasana

Jun 1, 2017
2 min

Yoga Pose: Urdhva Prasarita Eka Padasana

Published in Sweat Equity Magazine April/May Issue For some, the word “splits” belongs with two bananas and vanilla-flavoured Rice Dream—not a yoga mat. For others of us it conjures up flashbacks of cheerleading tryouts gone wrong or desperate attempts to survive Gymnastics 101. Or maybe you’re a born yogi and sitting cross-legged for an afternoon doesn’t require three friends to peel you off the floor. Kudos to you. But flexibility has never come easily to me, and I’ve alway

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Feature Pose: Kurmasana

Mar 12, 2017
2 min

Feature Pose: Kurmasana

Slow and Steady Wins the Race Published in Sweat Equity Magazine Dec/Jan 2017 Issue Have you ever said something out of line to a friend? Had one too many cocktails at the work Christmas party, or over-shared on a first date? Most of us don’t have to reach too far back into the recesses of our mind to find examples of scenarios we’d rather forget. But as painful and anxiety-provoking as these occurrences may be, they are an inevitable and even retrospectively funny, part of l

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9 Ways to Nurture Self-Love!

Dec 1, 2016
3 min

9 Ways to Nurture Self-Love!

Published in Sweat Equity Magazine October November 2016 Issue As a single yogini for the last two years and a twice-over fiancé whose cold feet just never warmed up, you might think I have nothing to offer in the realm of relationship advice. But I beg to differ. There IS one relationship I’ve been in, wholeheartedly committed through thick and through thin, for the last 37 years. And it’s arguably the most important relationship you can have: it is with my SELF. Now, befor

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