Savary Island retreat
I am honored to be teaching the yoga portion of this amazing yoga retreat with Mari this Sept. 2-6th 2010. We will be lodging at Hemingway cottage on Savary Island , which is known as the “Hawaii of British Columbia” and we invite you to join us on this piece of paradise to immerse yourself in the healing arts of Jikiden reiki and Iyengar yoga.
Kids Yoga
Once again I am offering the Kids Yoga Camp for children aged 6-13. This year the camp will run July 12-16th, 10.30am-12.30pm at Corebody Studio, 3120 Highlands Blvd. North Vancouver. Cost for the week is $125.
Ten hours of yoga in which we will be exploring poses, philosophy, nutrition and anatomy and meditation. Registration deadline is June 31st. To register your child/children Please contact me at
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 subscribe to a newsletter put out by the authors of “Skinny Bitch” which despite the title, is actually and excellent book that should be mandatory reading. The newsletters are typically well researched and highly informative. One recent newsletter was about New Years Fitness options and Disco Yoga was one of them. I couldn’t believe it, yet I have to keep in mind they cater to a varied demographic. Have a read and see what you think. I apologize in advance if I offend anyone, but my training and studies just don’t allow me to accept this easily. To read the article click on the image below
The main concerns I have regarding these types of articles (ehow, more about their yoga how to later) are on safety and certification. Does taking a few yoga classes qualify one to teach these days? Walk into a gym and get hired just like that? I sure hope that gyms and fitness centers are thorough in their vetting process. I know the ones I teach at have incredibly high levels of integrity. I love to boogie and dance to a hard driving disco beat in the right setting but I am partial to chanting and quiet in a yoga class. I would rather enjoy the Bee Gee’s the way they are meant to be enjoyed
This is where I spent New Years Eve last night, up at Hollyburn Lodge on Cypress Mountain. After the initial humming and hawing on whether we should indeed go or not, due to the rain here in the city, we packed up the gear and arrived at the Nordic parking lot at 7pm in light drizzle.
There were more revelers there than I expected, snowshoeing, cross country skiing and inner tubing, the little bit of drizzle wasn’t dampening any spirits. We found it surprising that it wasn’t snowing as it felt cold enough for snow, and with the Olympics so close, we did a little “Snow Dance” for good measure. The darkness, the quiet and the eery glow of Petzl lights made for a very nervous toddler on my back, but once we ran into some familiar faces and stopped for poutine and hot chocolate in the warming hut, she relaxed. There were 2 bonfires burning in front of the Hollyburn Lodge, with plenty of children roasting marshmallows and wieners. Inside the beer was on tap, mits and feet were drying by the fire and spirits ran high.
We hiked in through the back of the parking lot on the unlit free trail where dogs are welcome. There were also a lot of little lights going straight up the left hand side of the ski track, towards the Peak, indicating more seasoned snowshoers heading higher up.
It was definately a family affair, and one I am going to make an annual event for my family.
I used to roam the grassy hills of Burnaby Mountain as a small child, but haven’t been up there in ages! On this glorious morning, free of fog and mist, my mum and I bundled up my little one, and it was glorious up there. Burnaby Mountain is such a treasure, yet definately isn’t fully appreciated or utilized. Of course it is home to the famed Horizons Restaurant which seemed extremely busy this morning, but I had no idea the North Slope of Burnaby Mountain is home to the “Playground of the Gods” a wooden sculpture of about 50 Totems donated by Japanese artist Nobuo Toku . He is from the Ainu people of Northern Japan who have a very strong connection to nature and ancestral roots . A whale, an owl, a bear, this is an unbelievable piece of art framed in the backdrop of Vancouvers Burrard Inlet and snowcapped mountains. The south facing totems were heated by the suns rays this morning, and leaning against the wood of that ancient tree, my mother and my daughter beside me, I truly felt I was in Gods Playground. Check it out. This picture is taken by Skot Nelson.
Last week, while snorkeling with my daughter in Maui, we had such a magical, underwater experience. I was determined to see a green sea turtle, but wasn’t prepared to be so taken with a pair of squid. I’ve never seen squid on any of my snorkeling safaris , and I was amazed at how peaceful and communicative they were. They seemed to be a couple, floating side by side beneath me, looking at me with their big eyes, there is no way I will ever eat calamari again. Not after that connection! 
Right after the squid experience was another first, an octopus, fantastic. I would never have spotted it on my own, it was my daughters keen eye that pointed him out, camoflouged between the rocks and sand. Then, we looked up, and floating quietly above us was our friend, the sea turtle. I had to keep swimming backwards to keep a good distance away from it, so docile and friendly, that turtle had no qualms hanging with us snorklers!
And all within 10 minutes. The magic of this planet never ceases to fill me with wonder!
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
Escape Essentials, the blog post about key things I keep in my car created so many interesting responses, that I thought it would be fun to write one about my kitchen essentials. As a nutritionist there are certain things I couldn’t get by without. Here is a list:
Maple Syrup and Stevia as sweeteners ( I use Sunnydew by Sunrider) rapadura is good too.
Flax seeds (whole) sesame seeds ( I like black), Cashews, Sunflower seeds, Almonds, Dried Cranberries, Organic Cocoa (I like Camino)Brown rice, Quinoia (red is fun!), Tamari, Braggs Liquid Aminos, Oats, Dates, Miso, TVP (Textured vegetable protein)
Almond and Sunflower butter (cashew is yummy for a treat), Black Beans, Garbanzo Beans, Sprouted Bread (Ezeiekel or Manna), Amy’s lentil soup(baby loves it!),Coconut milk, Vegetable broth, Curry cubes (from the Japanese grocer) coconut oil, olive oil
Organic plain yoghurt, Umeboshi (Japanese plums), frozen blueberries, fresh kale and spinach, leeks, yams, fresh garlic and ginger, broccoli, apples, limes
Cinnamon, tumeric (fresh root and powder, the root is for juicing. So far I have only found it at Choices on Cambie, anyone else able to find this and enlighten me?) Cumin (seeds to grind with mortar and pestle) cardamon, coriander, 5 spice powder, mustard seeds
My essential Sunrider foods: NuPlus, quinary, Fortune Delight
my juicer, mortar and pestle, my lime squeezer……………………………………..
How about you?
Well, here is the proof!
We CAN be mothers and world champion athletes at the same time!
Kim Clijsters proved it to us all today in her triumphant win over Serena Williams, and this, after not playing for 2 years!
Clijsters who turned professional at 14 and found herself No.1 at 20, retired, married and gave birth to little Jada in Feb.2008.
In her mind, she had more important things to do than play tennis, like, sleepless nights,feeding, diapers and ……………… Clijsters comments that parenthood “definately made me a more complete person”.
For Clijsters becoming a mother completed her. It brought balance and harmony, which led her back to the court with a vengeance.
Inspirational for all us mamas out here, walking the fine tight rope of life on a daily basis!
