Summer - Fire Up Your Passions

The longest day of the year just passed & it is now summer. A time of year we all look forward to & that seems to pass so quickly. With all this extra daylight we are given more time & energy to do things. So many things tp do & it feels like before we know it, our summer is booked full.

You may be thinking that you don't have time to fit yoga into the mix. I say, adding some yoga to your day will let you keep going so you can enjoy every minute of summer. It can help you to avoid injuries or recover when you over do things. It's a great compliment to all the extra fun summer brings.

It doesn't have to be big commitment. Just take time to do some mindful movement, breath, or meditation everyday. Go to classes when you can & explore at home for at least 15 minutes every day. Below is an article that gives some great pointers on how to do this.

http://www.jasonyoga.com/2017/06/18/10-creative-ways-to-inspire-your-yoga-practice-this-summer/

When summer rolls around, yoga practice can fall by the wayside — the longer days mean we spend more time outdoors, we travel, those of us who have kids deal with changing schedules. So, to keep you inspired, Jason and I are doing a six-episode summer podcast series!

1. KEEP IT SHORT AND SWEET

Most of us are accustomed to a 60-90 minute studio practice, so it’s easy to feel like a 15-30 minute practice isn’t worth it. But Jason makes the point that doing a little bit every day can have a big impact and he uses the slightly gross but still apt metaphor of brushing your teeth. Is it better to brush your teeth for a few minutes each day? Or better to go to a dentist once a week for 90 minutes? Bottom line: Take advantage of and value short practices!

2. FOCUS ON WHAT YOU LOVE

If you have a consistent, longstanding home practice then it makes sense to work on poses that challenge you. But if you’re new to home practice, emphasize poses you love. You want to make doing yoga something you look forward to and something that’s fun, not a chore. Another Jason metaphor: If you’ve never cooked at home, would you teach yourself to cook by starting with your least favorite dishes or your most favorite?

3. BE FLEXIBLE WITH THE TIME OF DAY

There’s a longstanding recommendation to practice yoga in the morning. And for most of us, this makes sense — we start the day off feeling clear and the day doesn’t get away from us. But when your schedule changes, it’s important to be

flexible and fit your practice in when you can. Jason almost exclusively practices at night when his schedule is throwing him a curveball. If he’s teaching weekends or trainings, he does light evening practice to stay connected.

4. BE FLEXIBLE WITH INTENSITY

If you typically practice in a studio, you’ll probably normalize a certain degree of physical intensity and a different intensity won’t feel as valuable. But if you want your practice to be “portable” and accessible to you when life throws your curveballs (like when you’re traveling or when you’re sick), then you have to be willing to do a moderate intensity practice from time to time. Remember that a key component that differentiates asana practice from other physical endeavors is that it’s not just about pushing through — it’s about tuning into how you’re feeling and creating an appropriate response.

5. DON’T THINK YOU HAVE TO REPLICATE A STUDIO CLASS IN YOUR HOME PRACTICE

We’ve touched on this in the previous tips, but think of it this way: The difference between going to a yoga studio and practicing yoga at home is like the difference beteween going to a Michelin-star restaurant and eating a home cooked meal. You’re not only going to eat at fancy restaurants and you wouldn’t judge a home-cooked meal on a standards of a well-trained chef.

6. TRY AN ONLINE PROGRAM

YogaGlo has a new series of online programs that are amazing (if we do say so ourselves). You can select a program that you want to do and then schedule the weekly classes into your calendar and it will email you reminders. Jason and several other teachers like Amy Ippoliti, Stephanie Snyder, Claire Missingham, and all have programs on YogaGlo that you can check out.

7. USE YOUR YOGA PRACTICE AS A COMPLEMENT TO YOUR SUMMER ACTIVITIES

Spend more time outside hiking, biking, or swimming in the summer? Then use them as a muse for your practice. Instead of working toward peak poses, do poses that balance out the hunched position of the upper back while you’re on a bike or the tightness in your quads from hiking.

8. PRINT OUT SEQUENCES FROM OUR SITE

Find inspiration around you! Here are sequences from our site that you can download and practice with (see wwwjasonyoga.com for more info)

For those of you who attended my classes this week & did some type of sun salutation, see attachment or go to http://www.jasonyoga.com/2015/03/13/sun_salutations/ for more details & info. Remember, you can add props like yoga bricks to help you move through the poses or to feel more stable or modify it in any way you like.

So this Summer, a time that takes us out of our normal routines, find a way to enjoy summer to it's fullest! To help you do this, ask yourself some simple questions:

What is important to me?

What am I passionate about?

What haven't I done in a long time that I would like to do again?

How can I awaken my inner fire for life?

How can I do yoga in a way that compliments summer's spontaneity?

Take a cue from the sun & use your inner fire to make this summer a time to remember. Not only a time for fitness & fun, but to fire up your passions as a way to move forward into the rest of your life. PS. If you want to join me this summer for some classes, here's what I'm up to: YogaMcc https://www.yogamcc.com 403-251-YOGA (9642) 2028b 33 Ave SW, Calgary Wednesdays Gentle Yoga for Strength 9:30-11 am (drop-in) Customized Yoga Therapy 12-1:30 pm (registered Summer session - 8 weeks July 4 -

Aug 22 drop-in's available, contact YogaMcc or myself directly for details). Thursdays Healthy Backs Yoga 6-7:20 pm (drop-in) Customized Yoga Therapy 12-1:30 pm (registered Summer session - 8 weeks July 5 - Aug 23 drop-in's available, contact YogaMcc or myself directly for details).

Private Yoga, Numa Somatics Conscious Breathwork or Sound Therapy

in Calgary or Cochrane

Contact go to https://www.acyoga.net/classes for more information

or contact Anne Cox directly 403-819-9790 hello@acyoga.net

Beyond the Bolster workshop:

Saturday - July 21st, 1 - 6pm

$125 + gst

Have you wondered why a teacher uses props like chairs, bolsters, blankets & blocks in a yoga class? When yoga originated, there wasn’t such a thing, not even a sticky mat was to be found. BKS Iyengar was the ﬁrst to introduce the use of props to yoga. He used them to help his students ﬁnd proper alignment in the postures. Today, props can be used to help everyone, no matter what their experience or physical limitations to be able to access poses that would, without them, be impossible. But even for the experienced student, props can help a challenging pose to be found with safety and conﬁdence or to deepen their practice.

In this training, Anne will be taking you through the use of bolsters, blocks, straps, chairs, wall, bender balls & black strips. Through exploration of these props you will learn how the use of props can benefit and create more ease and strength within the body. Props can also enhance posture so we can experience the asanas with any support. You will discover ways to inspire and deepen your yoga practice and teaching.

Anne will discuss what props make the most sense. How do you adapt with what you have on hand if you do not have all the props available? What props can be used in a speciﬁc way to open or align the body and how are they used? Also, how to use specifically designed props like the black strip or bender ball.

From my experience as a Therapeutic Teachers, Anne has found great beneﬁt in the use of props for her own practice as well as her students. When we can allow the support to hold us, we can let go of not only stress & tension in the body, but to learn to trust the support that is given to us (on & off the mat). We cannot make it through life on our own, but when we are faced with a challenges, we can recognize when to use that support. Once we trust that support will be there when we need it, we can take the lessons we have learned and move forward on our own, with conﬁdence. The memory of that support is now within us, so we are really, never alone.

Elevate Cochrane **I will be offering Sound & Breath Therapy on Aug 11 5-6pm at Frank Wills Memorial Hall 405 1 St SE Cochrane (I'll share more details soon)**

About the event:

2018 will be the very first year for ELEVATE, a community centred, wellness event. This event will be taking part over the weekend of August 10-12. The mission is to raise the bar for personal and community well being. With a focus on health and wellness, ELEVATE aims to partner with local businesses to provide community members a unique opportunity to learn more about what Cochrane businesses have to offer, to engage with their community and elevate their sense of well being.

Participating health and wellness business’s in Cochrane will be opening their doors to the public for free classes, workshops and/or seminars. What each business offers will depend on the services each business provides. These opportunities will be scheduled appropriately so that participants can plan their days according to the sessions they want to attend. Participating local restaurants will also have deals being offered this weekend for ELEVATE members. This is a great opportunity for local businesses to have their services on display and for community members to sample the many wellness venues Cochrane has to offer.

This weekend event encourages participants to travel by foot or bike to be mindful of the environment, the limited parking at some venues and also to encourage the use of Cochrane’s amazing trail system.

Many businesses will be able to offer family friendly events with activities catered to children. The afterparty’s will be Adults only.

Doors for We Are Cochrane open at 6:00pm on August 10th

Opening Ceremony for ELEVATE is at 9:00am on August 11th

https://www.marnirichelle.com

-- Namaste,