Fall Into Practice

I fell into the practice of yoga several years ago when a coupe of friends of mine had invited me to attend a Moksha Hot yoga class. I remember walking into the studio and feeling like I stepped into another planet. The culture was so different compared to what I had known outside the walls of that building. A calm came over me as I placed my mat down in the sweaty hot room and waited for class to begin. I remember feeling very self conscious as the instructor entered the room and started referencing words I had never heard of. “Savassana this and Udyana that”. My mind raced into overdrive as I didn’t want anyone to look over and see me in the corner trying to keep up with the next to impossible stretches the people around me seemed to be so easily doing and yet somehow after the experience, I couldn’t stop thinking about how good I felt. I left the studio that day feeling so light, open and completely present. Everything seemed clearer and made more sense. To this day, I can’t completely explain it in words. I continued to make my way back to the studio every week and the practice became a regular routine for me. It was then that my life began to change. I started absorbing more of the information being instructed to me in class; from physical cues to specific intentions and inspirations spoken to relate to the postures I was doing in my body. The yoga world became a magical place for me. It made me feel alive and free. I graduated my practice into teaching yoga and have been for several years. Although I am now in the role of a yoga instructor, I have come to see that we never stop growing. Everytime I step foot in the studio as a student or instructor, there are so many opportunities to learn and grow on so many levels. Such is life. Yoga is a remembrance of what life is really all about. It reminds us to take things one moment at a time, to breath, to stay present, to surrender our tension and holding patterns, to love and be grateful. At first, at least in my experience, it all appears to be kind of impossible. How can something so basic like stretching lead to such deep insights? I have come to see that yoga is so much more then just people stretching their bodies. It is a reflection of life. I am a big believer that we are all on a journey back to oneness. In sanskrit, (the language associated with the yoga practice), th word “yoga” means “union”. Underneath all that appears to separate us on the surface, whether it be our body size or shape, the way we look, the way we think, the choices we make, there is a deep connection that we all share. Think about it. We are all sharing this planet, we are all breathing the same air, we are all able to be present in this body because we all have beating hearts. This practice of Union deepens us and will eventually lead to a realization that we truly are all connected in a way much deeper then the physical reality that we think we are. I am passionate about making yoga accessible to everyone. It is a game changer worth trying. Over time it will improve the quality of your life. For that reason, I am launching a 30-Day yoga challenge on Instagram with my good friend Rachelle Taylor (Editor of Prairie Yogi Magazine). Together for 30 days we will be posting a picture of a yoga posture once a day for you to try and then post up a photo version of you doing the pose at the hashtag #fallintopractice. We purposely decided to put postures in this challenge that could be accessible to as many people as possible. So this is your chance! If you haven’t attempted this practice before but have been curious- try out a few postures and take that extra step to share your journey with us. Even if you have been practicing yoga for a long time- even better to encourage others to fall into their practice. There are some great incentives attached to this challenge that you can win simply by posting your photos to the hashtag including spa certificates from Thermea, NHL Jets Gear, Yoga Studio Passes at Moksha Yoga Winnipeg Lianne Gail Jewelry and some great swag from Prairie Yogi not to mention a few copies of my new yoga dvd that just got released. I hope you will take the risk and dive into to meet our invitation for you to try yoga. After all- this is the perfect time to try something new. Life is here waiting for you to expand and grow! I look forward to seeing what you come up with and hearing what you think of the practice!