One of the questions I receive most often from students is, "What yoga can I do from home?" Without hesitation, my answer is always one of two things: 1) Do what you love. Practice what feels good. Whatever will get you to the mat, that's what you should do. When you climb out of bed in the morning and raise your arms overhead with a deep breath in, that counts! Add a stretch to the right and to the left, then bend over towards your toes (Uttanasana) and you have a yourself a

“Health, success, and wisdom depend in great part on the battle between good and bad habits.” It is impossible to be upset while breathing deeply. If I asked you to “get angry,” think about how you'd respond. You’d probably hold your breath or make fists with your hands, clench your teeth, contract your facial muscles, and furrow your brow." You would not likely take the time to think of something that angers you. The body is a much faster vehicle for accessing the emotions.

Who you are is a compilation of the things you do every day. Every single action you take was at first a thought in your mind. When you get up for a drink of water, the thought “I’m thirsty” came first. Meditation reveals our subconscious thoughts, allowing insight into what drives our emotions and behaviours. With introspection, you will find that even seemingly random acts are the product of long-held often deeply engrained beliefs or automated habits. In recognizing and de

Taking a step away from the “norm” as defined by cultural, educational, or familial standards is rarely an easy task. You might find yourself negotiating a fine balance between your old “unknowing” self and the new, more inquisitive you. Questioning the meaning of life and challenging our assumptions of what is “real” demands a certain amount of courage and a level of awareness that aren’t readily found in the corner cafe or among common conversations. In a society where “thi

Printed in Sweat Equity Magazine Dec/Jan 2018 No longer considered an esoteric practice for spiritual devotees, meditation has made its way into our homes, schools, and offices. And although the methods are as varied as the reasons why people meditate, the results are consistent. Research says it’s so! With so many people exploring the practice, scientists have set out to evaluate its benefits—and meditation is empirically demonstrating its power. Here are the Top 3 scientif

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

We don’t have to be told that certain changes take place as we get older. If climbing out of bed in the morning requires a touch more ‘awareness’ than it did a decade ago, if forgetting where you parked the car, where put your glasses, or why you just hopped online are common occurrences, then you know what I mean. To an extent, these changes are natural and inevitable. Past the age of 50, most of us wouldn’t dream of attempting the positions of the lithe bodies we see in yog

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), anxiety tops the list of most common mental health disorders worldwide, second only to depression, and rates continue to escalate. Between 1990 and 2013, the number of people suffering from depression and anxiety increased by nearly 50%, from 416 million to 615 million worldwide,1 with over 5 million cases of anxiety disorder (18.17%) in the UK population alone.2 A total of 8.2 million cases of anxiety in the UK were reported

It’s natural to feel a bit . . . blasé about something you’ve done committedly for a long period of time. Meditation can be challenging on the best of days; sitting still for 20 minutes when 100 other things need to get done shows remarkable discipline. That being said, small changes to your practice can reignite your passion for meditation and prevent you from slipping into the dull realm of habitual behaviour. Here are 6 simple ways to re-inspire your commitment to meditati

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

Published in Sweat Equity Magazine April/ May 2016 Issue Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra tells us that a belief in “God,” loosely speaking, is one of three requirements for success in the practice: “tapah svadhyaya isvara pranidhanani kriya yogah”(Chapter 2, Verse 1). This sutra states that Kriya Yoga consists of discipline, self-study, and devotion to God. Many people are driven to yoga by back pain and stress, not a deep longing for Self-realization, and that’s perfectly fine. Somet

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), anxiety tops the list of most common mental health disorders worldwide, second only to depression, and rates continue to escalate. Between 1990 and 2013, the number of people suffering from depression and anxiety increased by nearly 50%, from 416 million to 615 million worldwide,(1) with over 5 million cases of anxiety disorder (18.17%) in the UK alone (2). Statistics Canada states that 2.8 million people, or 10.1% of Canadian

Avoidance of pain is one obstacle to the spiritual freedom of yoga. Naturally we do everything we can to avoid pain—or our sanity could rightly be called into question! But when this avoidance overwhelms our willingness to experience life (we’re scared to enter a new relationship based on old baggage) then we limit our potential for happiness by obstructing our view of the truth. The film, “What the Bleep Do We Know” explores this concept of living our life on “autopilot.” To

Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra tells us that a belief in “God,” loosely speaking, is one of three requirements for success in the practice: “tapah svadhyaya isvara pranidhanani kriya yogah”(Chapter 2, Verse 1). This sutra states that Kriya Yoga consists of discipline, self-study, and devotion to God. Many people are driven to yoga by back pain and stress, not a deep longing for Self-realization, and that’s fine. Sometimes the stress relief opens new doors, and other times, it serves

"You have no problems, though you think you have . . . " ~ A Course in Miracles Published in Sweat Equity Magazine Dec/Jan 2017 Issue Problems exist only in the mind and are a prime example of how language determines our reality. The Oxford English Dictionary defines a problem as "something that is difficult to deal with." Conversely, it defines a challenge as "a demanding task or situation" and an opportunity as "a favourable time for achieving something for advance." Nothin

“Don’t Should On Yourself.” ~ Louise Hay Cookie Jar Crimes Remember when you were a kid… sneaking an extra cookie from the cookie jar when mom wasn’t looking? You’d rush back to your room and gobble down every last morsel before anyone found out. And when all the evidence was gone, when you’d brushed the crumbs under the bed and rinsed your hands of chocolate, nothing else remained but an adrenaline-fuelled sense of accomplishment. There was no lingering regret or deep disapp