Yoga Centres are scattered around the world and are considered the schools of yogic learning. Small, medium and large in size, each centre has it’s own unique combination of offerings, settings and flavour. Programs are geared to different styles of yoga and various levels of students seeking a variety of outcomes.
Centres offer an environment for comprehensive yoga study, specific body related courses, teachers certification programs, on going teacher-training, meditation instruction, retreats of various lengths and a range of complimentary curriculum for every level of student in the exploration of spiritual growth and well-being.
Annually, Yoga Journal and Yoga International magazines publish a comprehensive guide to classes for certified and budding yoga teachers. Books like Yoga for Dummies, have less exhaustive lists of centres published in their indexes. And of course, word of mouth is another excellent way of finding out the skinny on an ideal yoga centre or teacher training program for you. Ask other yoga instructors for their opinions.
If you do decide to go for your yoga teacher certification, you will be opening yourself to a life time of learning, a wonderful, portable vocation and your own better health. And even if you simply want to deepen your own understanding of yoga, a yoga centre will offer the ultimate experience.
Tuesday, January 09, 2007
Sunday, January 07, 2007
We Love Yoga: Yoga Retreats
Making a longer commitment for a retreat that includes travel should be thought through like any other trip or study you take. Ask other yoga students or your teacher if they can recommend a retreat. Read yoga magazine reviews on various retreats. Check your daily newspaper’s travel or style section for ads or stories. Search the web. There are a growing number of yoga retreats available in a number of wonderful locations.
Prices will vary depending on style of accommodation requested and duration of the retreat. If you choose a spa type setting, prepare to pay more. An ashram is usually the most affordable choice. You may be asked to contribute your own labour in the upkeep of the facility or help with meal preparation and serving.
If you are a single female, and want to travel, a yoga retreat may offer you just enough community and structure to eliminate any worry. You may also opt to travel with your non-yogic partner, spouse and or children. There are retreats out their willing to accommodate you and your family.
Prices will vary depending on style of accommodation requested and duration of the retreat. If you choose a spa type setting, prepare to pay more. An ashram is usually the most affordable choice. You may be asked to contribute your own labour in the upkeep of the facility or help with meal preparation and serving.
If you are a single female, and want to travel, a yoga retreat may offer you just enough community and structure to eliminate any worry. You may also opt to travel with your non-yogic partner, spouse and or children. There are retreats out their willing to accommodate you and your family.
Saturday, January 06, 2007
We Love Yoga: Yoga Workshops
A yoga retreat implies a combination of the length of time yoga will be practiced and the location where the practice takes place. A retreat usually includes sleeping over, having meals, outdoor walks, meditation, breathing exercises, chanting, journaling and daily yoga study. It may last a weekend, week, month or more. You may decide to travel to another location, time zone or hemisphere. I’ve gone on retreats in my city, a few hours from my home and at an ashram in India. I’ve tried a weekend and week long stints. And once again, as seems to be the case with yoga, each experience offered me value and learning. Experiment and see for yourself.
Your local yoga studio may offer a half or one day yoga workshop (sometimes called retreats) in their space that focuses on a particular body part like the back or on an intention like cultivating loving kindness. This is an excellent way to check out what an extended period of yoga feels like. The fee depends on the duration of the workshop and the size of the group. The price range for a workshop is $25.00 to $75.00.
Your local yoga studio may offer a half or one day yoga workshop (sometimes called retreats) in their space that focuses on a particular body part like the back or on an intention like cultivating loving kindness. This is an excellent way to check out what an extended period of yoga feels like. The fee depends on the duration of the workshop and the size of the group. The price range for a workshop is $25.00 to $75.00.
Friday, January 05, 2007
We Love yoga: Nude Yoga
This is pretty obvious. Nude yoga is the practice of yoga with no clothes on. If this is your preference, there are a couple of things to think about. Will you be distracted from your practice by your own nudity or the nudity of others? Will the environment support me? Another words, will you be chilly doing the slower paced poses.
Doing nude yoga as your home practice can be very satisfying and help you tune in even deeper to your bodies flow and rhythm. Watching your muscles move and noticing your own alignment can help provide information for making pose adjustments and corrections. You will likely learn things about your body that you did not know by observing it au natural.
If you sleep in the buff, doing a nude yoga routine just before bedtime will make the transition from practice to bed easy. A restful sleep will likely follow.
And just being nude and doing an activity can be a liberating experience in our somewhat prudish and sexually confused society. Clothes after all, are an invention. We arrived on earth bare naked only to be forever swaddled. Be free. Try a nude Tree Pose and see how your limbs feel.
Doing nude yoga as your home practice can be very satisfying and help you tune in even deeper to your bodies flow and rhythm. Watching your muscles move and noticing your own alignment can help provide information for making pose adjustments and corrections. You will likely learn things about your body that you did not know by observing it au natural.
If you sleep in the buff, doing a nude yoga routine just before bedtime will make the transition from practice to bed easy. A restful sleep will likely follow.
And just being nude and doing an activity can be a liberating experience in our somewhat prudish and sexually confused society. Clothes after all, are an invention. We arrived on earth bare naked only to be forever swaddled. Be free. Try a nude Tree Pose and see how your limbs feel.
Thursday, January 04, 2007
We Love Yoga: Yoga Do's and Don'ts
Do’s and Don’ts: Do try to arrive 10 minutes before class so you can get your mat out and get settled on the floor.
Do turn off cell phones, pagers, clock alarms or any other buzzing technology that you are wired to.
Do not use your class as a business networking opportunity.
Do tell your instructor if you have an injury, or are feeling tired or low.
Do not wear scented products like perfume. Do practice good hygiene.
Do eat lightly or not at all before your class.
Do not be embarrassed if ‘Wind Reliever’ pose actually works.
Do turn off cell phones, pagers, clock alarms or any other buzzing technology that you are wired to.
Do not use your class as a business networking opportunity.
Do tell your instructor if you have an injury, or are feeling tired or low.
Do not wear scented products like perfume. Do practice good hygiene.
Do eat lightly or not at all before your class.
Do not be embarrassed if ‘Wind Reliever’ pose actually works.
Wednesday, January 03, 2007
We Love Yoga: Yoga Classes
Classes come in different levels, geared to various ages and physical conditions, offered at numerous times of the day or night, in coed or single gendered groups, at varying paces. Another words, you have a cornucopia of choice in front of you. And there are some do’s and don’ts to respect too.
Levels: Classes are usually divided into beginner, intermediate and advanced levels. Teachers will often offer a bridge type class to move the slightly seasoned beginner closer to the intermediate level.
Ages and Conditions: Prenatal, postpartum, and even baby yoga class for moms and infants are common. Kids and teens can enjoy their own peers in specific classes. Seniors or those with health concerns may find gentle classes suit their needs.
Times of Day: Sunrise is a big yoga practicing time and helps set the tone of your day. Day, evening and weekend classes are also available.
Class gender: Ask yourself if you want to practice with your own gender or will you be happy in a coed group? I find that I’m so focused on what I’m doing, I rarely notice my classmates so it doesn’t really matter.
Levels: Classes are usually divided into beginner, intermediate and advanced levels. Teachers will often offer a bridge type class to move the slightly seasoned beginner closer to the intermediate level.
Ages and Conditions: Prenatal, postpartum, and even baby yoga class for moms and infants are common. Kids and teens can enjoy their own peers in specific classes. Seniors or those with health concerns may find gentle classes suit their needs.
Times of Day: Sunrise is a big yoga practicing time and helps set the tone of your day. Day, evening and weekend classes are also available.
Class gender: Ask yourself if you want to practice with your own gender or will you be happy in a coed group? I find that I’m so focused on what I’m doing, I rarely notice my classmates so it doesn’t really matter.
Tuesday, January 02, 2007
We Love Yoga: Yoga Studios
Yoga studios are dedicated spaces for the practice of yoga and meditation. Studios that I’ve enjoyed have an abundance of natural light and are quiet, temperate sanctuaries with little exterior noise. The space is clean and clear of clutter and furnishings and very tranquil in interior design. Some rooms are large and able to hold classes of 20 or more students. Others small and intimate for smaller groups.
Yoga studios are often owned and operated by yoga teachers with the assistance of administrative staff. Staff tend to be yoga students as well. It is a very supportive environment.
You can also take classes in made-for-the-moment studio spaces like church basements and recreation centres with yoga instructors that move from place to place. While a studio will likely have blankets, blocks, ties and bolsters, a more transient space will not and you will be asked to bring your own gear.
Finding a yoga studio to take classes should be relatively easy. The yoga magazines listed in our magazine section have studio indexes that include much of North America. Checking the bulletin board at your local health food store, bookstores or cafes should provide some clues. Or let your fingers do the walking through the Yellow Pages of your phone book under Yoga.
Deciding on which studio is another easy task simply because yoga studios tend to let you take a complimentary class in order to try them out. This is a wonderful way for a beginner to get their toes stretched and to feel the vibe.
But it doesn’t stop there. No matter what level of yoga you are studying at, drop in classes are a universal option. This means that for the price of a single class, usually under $20.00, and no further commitment, you can try out a studio, a teacher and a yoga style by joining in a regularly scheduled class. This bodes well if you find yourself traveling on a regular basis and want to keep up your study. Yoga teachers welcome fresh faces. Be sure to confirm class times and drop in protocol by calling in advance.
Yoga studios are often owned and operated by yoga teachers with the assistance of administrative staff. Staff tend to be yoga students as well. It is a very supportive environment.
You can also take classes in made-for-the-moment studio spaces like church basements and recreation centres with yoga instructors that move from place to place. While a studio will likely have blankets, blocks, ties and bolsters, a more transient space will not and you will be asked to bring your own gear.
Finding a yoga studio to take classes should be relatively easy. The yoga magazines listed in our magazine section have studio indexes that include much of North America. Checking the bulletin board at your local health food store, bookstores or cafes should provide some clues. Or let your fingers do the walking through the Yellow Pages of your phone book under Yoga.
Deciding on which studio is another easy task simply because yoga studios tend to let you take a complimentary class in order to try them out. This is a wonderful way for a beginner to get their toes stretched and to feel the vibe.
But it doesn’t stop there. No matter what level of yoga you are studying at, drop in classes are a universal option. This means that for the price of a single class, usually under $20.00, and no further commitment, you can try out a studio, a teacher and a yoga style by joining in a regularly scheduled class. This bodes well if you find yourself traveling on a regular basis and want to keep up your study. Yoga teachers welcome fresh faces. Be sure to confirm class times and drop in protocol by calling in advance.
Monday, January 01, 2007
We Love Yoga: Studying Yoga
A yoga practice can easily become an integral part of your day to day and be the continuation of life long learning. You might start by taking a weekly class at a beginners level and end up studying to become a yoga teacher and opening your own centre. Or you may adopt your own home practice. That’s one of the beautiful things about yoga. Not only does it help to stretch and open your body, but your mind and thoughts about yourself expand too.
You can start studying yoga at any age. You might consider yourself overweight and unfit. You may be in the midst of struggling with a serious illness or recovering from an injury. Perhaps you are pregnant. No matter what your physical condition, there will be a natural entry point for your yoga learning to begin.
Yoga classes tend to last from 50 to 90 minutes. You may choose to study yoga in a group setting or take private instruction. I do both. I love the attention and assists that I get in my private class. And I love the sense of community and connectedness I get from my group study. Private classes are more expensive but offer flexibility to fit my schedule perfectly. Group study is regularly scheduled and cheaper.
Three words resonate for me with my yoga practice. Breath. Gentle. Relax. Imagine being reminded and making space for such self care. In a world that is more hurry up than rest back, this is precisely what yoga is. The ancient practice of genuine self care.
There are many styles of yoga to choose from and many different yoga teacher personalities to experience. Over my 15 years of study, I’ve enjoyed at least a dozen teachers, in a wide variety of settings, under very diverse conditions and every teaching has been worthwhile.
For your added pleasure, our bookstore, magazine rack, video and music store offer a selection of titles. Yoga lovers love yoga instruction in many forms.
Welcome to the wonderful world of yoga. Enjoy your journey.
You can start studying yoga at any age. You might consider yourself overweight and unfit. You may be in the midst of struggling with a serious illness or recovering from an injury. Perhaps you are pregnant. No matter what your physical condition, there will be a natural entry point for your yoga learning to begin.
Yoga classes tend to last from 50 to 90 minutes. You may choose to study yoga in a group setting or take private instruction. I do both. I love the attention and assists that I get in my private class. And I love the sense of community and connectedness I get from my group study. Private classes are more expensive but offer flexibility to fit my schedule perfectly. Group study is regularly scheduled and cheaper.
Three words resonate for me with my yoga practice. Breath. Gentle. Relax. Imagine being reminded and making space for such self care. In a world that is more hurry up than rest back, this is precisely what yoga is. The ancient practice of genuine self care.
There are many styles of yoga to choose from and many different yoga teacher personalities to experience. Over my 15 years of study, I’ve enjoyed at least a dozen teachers, in a wide variety of settings, under very diverse conditions and every teaching has been worthwhile.
For your added pleasure, our bookstore, magazine rack, video and music store offer a selection of titles. Yoga lovers love yoga instruction in many forms.
Welcome to the wonderful world of yoga. Enjoy your journey.
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