Can our kids get any more inquisitive? They are natural born yogi’s, we learn from them!
No one asked little Talulah Belle to do this pose, she just mimicked and it turned out to be such a special moment.
I would like to create an abundance of “yoga moments” with you and your children, and am leading a class for you with your child ages 0-5 starting next Tuesday Jan.12th 2010.
Class will be held at the Alchemy Center #3-431 Mountain Hwy in North Vancouver on Tuesdays from 9.30-10.30 am. The aim is for parents of tiny ones to get a practice in while babes rest on blankets, mats , or in seats, while the older children participate with us.
I will run the class on a drop-in basis for the first 5 weeks, and as a signed up course after the Olympics.
Please see my schedule on my website for more information.

email me for further info  dhana@dhana.ca

I could barely contain myself when I literally stumbled  over a palm leaf right into a fully equipped Iyengar yoga studio on the beach this morning. I mean seriously, how lucky is that? I had read in the “Maui Lonely Planet” that the “Maui Yoga Path” studio was towards the South end of Kihei Rd., but I wasn’t expecting it to be right on the ocean and in the midst of my morning walk. I felt somewhat guilty at first walking in there with wet, sandy barefeet, but  it seems to be the norm here.

The 9.15am class was taught by Steve Salkin who co-founded the Las Vegas Iyengar Yoga Center in 2006. I can’t blame him for returning to Maui, the studio and the surroundings are idillic.

There were 9 of us in the  mixed-llevel class, over half of the students seemed to be regulars as they had their cards stamped upon arrival. The drop-in fee was $20 for the 1.15 class, standard for Maui. We began in sukhasana with parvattasana arms  , which made me smile, as sukhasana is translated to “joyful or happy pose” and opening up the armpits and stimulating the bodies nadis in parvattasana, throws depression miles away! A suitable pose to begin with, one I often begin class with in order to remove “dukha” (pain or sorrow) from the body.

The rest of the class was well paced and exceptionally taught, just as one would expect from a certified Iyengar Instructor. I had told Steve at the beginning of class that my left hip was nagging me a bit, so in savasana he carefully laid a bolster upon my upper thighs, followed by a 25lb weight wrapped in a blanket.That savasana was all sukha for me, glorious.

If you are headed to Maui for a holiday, this is a studio most definately worth experiencing.

Maui Yoga Path in the Mana Kai Maui Resort

2960 S.Kihei Rd, Wailea, Maui

I picked one of these up at Capers/Wholefoods the other day, and have already used it 3 times. It’s got a full range of products/foods/supplements with coupons that make it irresistible to try something new, or something you already love. Coupons are valid wherever the products are sold and the coupon book is valid for a year.Look for one in your grocery store, or order one online.

I’ve seen friends tandem breastfeeding, but never a baby and a fawn! How lovely. I am a HUGE breastfeeding advocate and this picture describes compassion beautifully.

The asanas I teach on Mondays at the Alchemy Center, I weave through the rest of my weekly classes, in different variations. Since I can’t post every class sequence of the week, I will be posting weekly under this Alchemy heading. So, if you are in Tuesday, Wednesday, Thurs. or Saturday classes, please check here!

This second week I paid attention to introducing/reestablishing solid standing poses. The “kona -asanas” (angle poses) and strong leg work. Establishing rooting, grounding and stability from the earth up.

We began in Tadasana with a focus on spreading the feet, keeping the weight even over the tops of the feet, engaging the thighs to pull up the knee caps, take the navel back and upwards to the solar plexus.

Parivrita Trikonasana (extended triangle) was next. Learning to keep both rib cages extended, while pressing the feet firmly to the ground and rotating the lower rib cage towards the upper. Observing the opening from the spine and the lengthening into the crown of the head.

From here we learned to make a kona (angle) with our front leg to take us into Utthita Parsvakonasana, keeping the knee and ankle in line to form a 90 degree angle. Pressurizing the back foot we learned to extend the upper arm way over in line with the ear and turning the torso skywards.

In Parsvottanasana I showed 4 different hand position possibilities. The hands clasped behind the back, holding the elbows behind the back, namaskarasana (hands in downward prayer) and namaskarasana (hands in prayer finger pointing upwards, the final position). We took our elbows towards one another to open and spread the chest, we looked up and back as we first surrendered the head back, then with a straight back drew an invisible line with the chin down the extended front leg to draw our chest towards our thigh. We then took the hands beside the feet onto blocks.

We then took Adho Mukha Svanasana (downward facing dog) and used it as a platform to move into a forearm asana. In preparation for Pincha Mayurasana (elbow balance) we worked in AMS from the forearms with foam blocks between our hands to train our upper backs to stay alive and strong readying us for the moment when we balance our whole bodies on our forearms and bring that glorious strength into ourselves. Some of the more advanced students went up against the wall beautifully.

Paripurna Navasana (Boat Pose)

For this pose we used an eight -foot looped strap. We put it around our upper backs and then pressed our feet into it, to train the chest to lift, the collar bones to spread, the lower back to strengthen and draw upwards!

Whew, the room was warm after that sequence!

Next we took chairs and placed the chairs against the wall, with one foot at  a time on the chair, reaching forward towards the wall to activate hamstrings and balance. From here we took bolsters and moved into a restorative Viparita Dandasana, keeping the feet in line with the ankles on the wall, and resting the head on a bolster.

Savasana was deep and well-deserved.  I allowed the class 6 minutes overtime but not without taking the opportunity to explain about ‘asteya’ in the context of non-stealing. When teachers (or students) arrive late to a yoga class, this is actually a form of stealing– it is the stealing of time from oneself and from others. When teachers go overtime, we have to aknowledge that our students time is paramount, they could have a sitter booked, an appointment to get to, a meter running out of coins, any number of scenarios could be possible.

One of my students emailed me later that evening and wrote that she saw the extra few minutes in savasana as a gift of time, and deeply appreciated it. Pointing again to our countless differences and characters, and that yoga, truly does unite and harmonize.

The pictures in this post are from yogajounal.com. It is an excellent resource for yoga practitioners.

Our first yoga session at Alchemy Center last night was amazing!

Thank you all for making it a wonderful space to
practice in. I know that some of you had some troubles finding our
little sanctuary, but now that problem is solved and it should be
smooth sailing from now on. It’s always interesting, teaching in a new
room, to a group of people that have to mesh energetically with each
other, the space and of course their teacher.

We unpacked brand new straps, blocks
and bolsters and some of you even purchased a set to take home for your
journey into the world of “home practice”. I will put on a workshop
around building a home-practice in the near future, for today though, I
will attempt to relay the basic asanas (poses) we covered last night.

Ahimsa (non-violence), the first “yama” on
the eight limbed “tree of yoga”, was our base from which we moved.
Staying within a safe practice, extending and releasing, but only
within a certain “non-violent” framework in the body. Trying to avoid
under or overstretching in the body, thus avoiding nervous tension from
developing.

We began by exploring Adho Mukha Svanasana
(downward facing dog) beginning with the legs bent and then gradually
coaxing some freedom into the backs of the legs and spine. For sore
wrists or to make this generally more accessible in the beginning,
elevate the hands on a chair or blocks. Don’t worry about the heels not
reaching the ground , just think about creating space and mobility in
the body.

Adho Mukha Virasana (kneeling on
floor, knees apart big toes touching, arms outstretched, sitbones to
heels) was our resting pose and alternately stretching point for the
ankles, knees and hips. I definitely encourage everyone to place a
blanket under the knees if there is any discomfort here. If the hips
don’t reach the heels, try placing a foam block between the sit-bones
and the heels.

Urdhva Mukha Svanasana (upward
facing dog) this was done from the knees as stage one, then the full
pose from the toes. Remember, hips to wrists, shoulders back and down,
open throat and neck, surrender the head.

Tadasana (mountain pose) Against
the wall, once with a block just above the knees to work the tailbone
down, then without the block. Basic foundational pose this one! (And
not that easy to do correctly)

Chatturanga Dandasana (you will
always remember this one! 4 limbed plank pose) A lift off the floor
with the arms bent, the hands at your sides, toes tucked under, 1-2-3
breathe and then lift! (only a few inches!)

Paschimottanasana (seated forward bend on the bolster) legs straight forward, reaching towards the toes.

Lay back over the bolser with
the bolster crossways at the shoulder blades. Sit bones, shoulders and
head to floor. This is a backbend prep with emphasis on opening the
frontal body.

Marichiyasana 1 (seated twist on
bolster) I leg bent the other straight and strong. Opposite arm to
knee. Work to releasing in the thoracic spine and chest.

Dandasana with urdhva hastasana arms (Danda=staff urdhva=upwards hasta=hands)

Here you were seated with legs straight out front,
a strap on your arms to press sideways and up into, energizing the
spinal column.

Seated Baddha Konasana (Feet in prayer position, knees out sideways “seated butterfly”. Strap under the feet and crossed for the hands to catch.

Gomukhasana Arms (Gomukh=cow) This
is the pose where you try to touch your fingertips behind you at the
upper spine, a strap is highly recommended.

Viparita Karani (legs up the wall, pelvis on bolster) Inverted lake posture.

Savasana =corpse pose

For detailed instructions on how , when and why to
do these poses correctly please visit www.yogajournal.com. Click on
poses, you can pick a pose by name, therapeutic application, anatomical
focus etc. It truly is a wonderful resource you should befriend,

Enjoy the rest of the week and weekend, we are so
priveliged to be hosting the Vancouver Yoga and Pilates Conference and
Father Joe Perreira here in our beautiful city. Yoga, yoga, everywhere.

Namaste.

GlobalTV BC Morning Health Guru Dr Art Hister

Watch The Video Here

I almost couldn’t believe my ears this morning when Dr.Art said “For those of you with back pain, I have one word.”Yoga” I thought he must have been joking, but he wasn’t . Watch the video, he figures a large percent of the population can cure their back pain simply by practicing yoga. Finally, what I’ve been trying to tell people all these years!

Apologies for the telus commercial

The weekend of October 2-5th 2009 is proving to be a busy yoga weekend! Father Joe Pereira will be teaching his Iyengar workshop at the Yoga Space, and it is the weekend of the Yoga Conference and Show down at Canada Place. There are so many classes , styles and workshops to choose from, definately something for everyone. As well, it is my birthday weekend, so I plan on taking in one of the evening concerts offered through the conference. The website for the Yoga Conference is theyogaconference.com.