Here we are, already at the end of January 2024! Classes have been in full swing with many of you venturing out of your cozy nests to join me for a class or two or three to keep body, mind and soul nourished! There are a few new faces that have joined us both at the Lakefront Studio and at the ABC Hall in Bolingbroke. So nice to have you join the sangha!
Coming together weekly is a wonderful way to move the body, stimulate the brain and stay social for overall well-being especially in the winter months when we tend to want to hibernate like bears. Participating in social activities and exercising promotes brain health and reduces the risk of developing dementia and other illnesses as we age. Learn more at DementiaRisk.ca
I am so very grateful that you join me, again and again, week after week, on the path to health and wellness. Om shanti shanti
"May you find lasting happiness and true peace. May all of us who share this planet go forward together into the new year in harmony. May we live this year with mutual love and respect for one another and for the earth that is our common home. - - Thich Nhat Hanh
New Year Ritual
Another new year, another 108 rounds of Surya Namaskar A (Sun Salutation A)! Each "Choose Happy Card" that you see on the floor represents 9 rounds of Sun Salutations for a total of 108. Before the practice and after a quick shuffle, I randomly drew 12 cards (9x12=108) from the deck. This was to help me keep track. After a round of 9, I paused for 9 complete breaths standing in Tadasana to observe mind/body/breath. I then stepped out to the side in Malasana and turned over the top card and placed it face up on the floor at the top of my mat and returned to Tadasana for the next round of 9. It was interesting to see the themes unfold card by card. I went into doing the 108 Sun Salutations with an open mind and an open heart. As I progressed through the rounds, I felt tapas (heat) building. With my breath as my guide, I paced myself in and out of each of the 9 postures breath by breath. At the end of the 108, I spent a few breaths in prostration giving thanks for this new day, this new year, to all of my relations past, present and future, to my teachers and their teachers, and to the teachings of yoga. The practice left me feeling cleansed of impurities, the body strong, the mind calm and the heart open and with a happiness card for each month to guide my intentions, starting with this card.
Winter 2024
Lakefront Studio Schedule
Yoga classes to keep you both stable and mobile this winter!
Morning Awaken, 4-weeks, Mondays, February 5 to February 26, 9:30-10:30am - $80
Beginner Yoga, Mondays, 4-weeks, March 4 March 25, 9:30-10:30am - $80
Much gratitude for your choosing to be a part of the Journey Fitness + Wellness Lakefront Studio community/sangha as we continue the journey to wellness together in the New Year!
Other Classes
Gentle Yoga, ABC Hall, Tuesdays, 9:30-10:30am, January 9 to March 12 (10 weeks) - Register here!
Gentle Pilates, ABC Hall, Wednesdays, 9:30-10:30am, January 10 to March 13 (10 weeks) - Register here!
Weekly Meditation, ABC Hall, Wednesdays, 10:45am-11:45am, February 7 to March 13 (6 weeks) - Register here!
It's never too late to register!
Book Review - - Making Great Relationships by Rick Hanson, PhD
In this book, Rick shares 50 ways on how great relationships can be made. The book is an easy read with short chapters lending itself nicely to an inspirational start to your day if you like to read in the morning with your coffee. The book is divided into six parts/themes: Befriend Yourself; Warm the Heart; Be at Peace with Others; Stand Up for Yourself; Speak Wisely; and Love the World. Throughout the book, there is a nice mix of both Rick s personal and professional experiences with ideas and sample dialogues to help improve and better your relationships with yourself, a partner - in life or business, a family member or friend, a boss or co-worker, You might just see yourself in one of the sample dialogues! I did.
We live in anxious time and when we are tired, stressed, irritable our conversations might get side railed and heated with emotions and words. In Making Great Relationships, there are ideas on how to lower the heat and talk in ways that don t add to the tension already present including having rules for engagement - most beneficial in relationships with significant others.
At times, your relationships can be your greatest source of joy and at other times, frustration and stress. If you are looking to improve your relationships, including the one with yourself, why not give the book a read and give some of the ideas a try? All good relationships take time and work. It starts with you, the reader.
Relationships are not given, they are made. - - Rick Hanson
Yoga Wisdom - - Sangha
"Sangha" is a Sanskrit word meaning community . By coming together in community, in sangha, in a space where we feel safe, we can help each other navigate the ups and downs of daily life with conscious intention.
Connecting with other people is necessary for healing our wounds and transforming the suffering of loneliness into connection and belonging. - - Elephant Journal
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