It’s been 2 weeks now, that I have purposely not used the word “busy”. As I am a yoga instructor I am constantly observing the principals of pratyahara (withdrawl of the senses) and svadhyaya (self study). I decided to see if not using the word “busy” would actually cause me to be less busy, in turn, help me “find” more time in my days. Well, as it turns out, it worked beautifully. It seems alot of us find our identity in our work or in our accomplishments which equals “busy-ness”. Vritti in your citta (fluctuations in your consciousness) = a busy mind, and hence that is mirrored on the exterior walls of oneself. It took some time to get used to, and I noticed I was “select hearing” for the first few days. It seemed everywhere I went, in most every conversation I overheard or purposely evesdropped on (for the purpose of this experiment) the word busy came up.
It took a bit of readjusting to, and there were a moments of guilt, I too have many things to accomplish, lesson plans, laundry, administration, the breakfast dishes, but I prioritized, did what I could and then let go and let God! This is a picture I took yesterday morning. I took my little one down to Lonsdale key and we looked at the tugboats, they are her favorite thing. I cherish the time I have with her, and heck, I still made it to my staff meeting, happier and more relaxed. Try it for yourself and let me know how it goes!

This is the 2009 video of the Reiki and Yoga Retreat with Mari on Savary Island BC. We hope you can join us for our upcoming Reiki and Yoga retreat, Sept.2-6th, 2010.

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

dhana@dhana.ca

In class the other night, as often happens, the teaching came through me and I said things that were a wee bit profound, helpful and even funny!
I often don’t know where it comes from, and it’s not always channeling through me, I definately have my “off” days, but the other night I realized that in a way, I am not “Teaching Yoga” , I am merely translating what has been handed down for hundreds of years, and has made it’s way to me and my humble little world.

Are we “Teaching Yoga” or merely “Translating Yoga”?
I wonder if I could print that on a card.”Dhana-Yoga Translator”?

Well, Gilligan, this looks like an easier way to acquire an island and a community, wouldn’t you say?

It seems that Wee Cumbrae, a 700-acre island off the Ayrshire coast in Scotland, will now also be known as Peace Island after the purchase by devotees of Patanjali Yog, a brand of yoga practiced by millions.
A wealthy entrepreneurial couple, followers of Ramdev, the founder of this movement purchased the island for 2.5 million pounds in July, and are planning on making it a yoga destination.
Though it seems there is some controversy over  Ramdev’s yogic views and claims , thousands of anticipated visitors and devotees are expected to flock to the new spiritual destination. No plans yet on how to accommodate the hoped-for visitors.
Maybe some re-runs of Gilligans island will prove inspirational, those folks always came up with brilliant ideas for domestic bliss on an island!

Well, it seems that “Juicy’s” new line of yoga wear “Down Dog Couture” is getting lots of attention from magazine’s, bloggers and fashionistas!
Juicy, owned by  Liz Clairborne Inc. will launch it’s new line of splashy T’s , fold-over waist pants, zip tops and more for the holiday season! In keeping with Juicy’s fun, sparkly logos and embellishments, sayings like “Life is Juicy” will adorn the line which will be sold at Saks 5th Ave., Nordstroms, Bloomingdales and various boutiques across the USA. If anyone knows of an apprehensive teen who secretly wants to take yoga but has yet to take the leap, this may just the thing to get her motivated to try a class!

I teach children of varying ages and temperaments.I teach in schools, studios , rec centers, and come into contact with all types of children. Some of the children, and some of the things they say really stand out in my mind. They are so darn cute.
The other day I was teaching a pre-school class, it was our first lesson together. We had just learnt vrksasana (tree pose) and garudasana (eagle pose). I asked the children to make up their own bird pose. What kind of bird were they, where did they live?
One little girl, 4 years old, replied that she was a “Hannah-bird”.  I thought perhaps with her cute little accent she meant “Hummingbird”. Nope, she was adamant, she was definately a “Hannah-bird”. I was perplexed , I’d never heard of that type of bird before. Then her mother caught my eye and pointed to the little girls purple “Hannah Montana” T-shirt. Ahhhhh, a Hannah-bird, now I understood.I must admit, I did find it a bit disturbing though, how deeply pop culture penetrates our youngest.
At another class, I had a little girl who used to come with her Beanie Baby kitty. This kitty always sat on the yoga mat beside her. One day they sat on the mat together, cross-legged and looked quite peaceful. The little girl let out a big sigh and said to me,
“My kitty and I , we just love to hesitate”.
I thought that was strange. First of all, that was quite the word for a little pre-schooler, and very perceptive. I asked her again and she repeated, “Yes, we love to hesitate”.
Then it dawned on me what she meant.

She had mixed up hesitate and meditate.

Endless learning from our young ones.

I teach a yoga course for children entitled “stones of compassion”. What I do is teach the principals of yama and niyama through stories and life experiences. In order to make it creative and enticing for the kids, I give them a special “yoga stone” when they have grasped the meaning of each principle. So, in preparing for the lesson on “saucha” or cleanliness, I was sitting on the floor with my silver and gold sharpies, writing saucha and cleanliness on river rocks over and over again. After about 20 rocks my mind began drifting and I misspellt cleanliness.
I forgot the “in” and ended up with “Cleanless”. WOW! I laughed so hard at my seeming mistake, and realized it was really a message to myself. To just chill out, and literally clean-less. I find that I could spend all day cleaning, cooking,doing laundry yada yada, and never fit in time for a story, a practice or a swim.
A friend of mine recently said that a clean house is the sign of an unlived life. Well, I thrive in order and cleanliness, but of course there is truth to her words. If we spent our lives at home, polishing, waxing, dusting, mopping,vaccuuming, doing dishes,there would be a lot of “living” that we would miss out on.
Again, in my true Libra form, I say, everything in balance.
Namaste.