Some thoughts on Sun Salutations and a Lesson in Pictures

I recommend sun salutations as a good way to get a quick yoga session in if you're away and can't make it to my classes or if you just have a little time to yourself and aren't sure what poses to do.

Here's a quick explanation in pictures of how to do sun salutation.

This is just one variation of sun salutation; you can add on poses to shake things up. I like to add warrior III after forward fold, for example, or three-legged dog before stepping through to bring the leg forward before forward fold. 

The secret to being able to add on to the basics is simple; learn to control your breath to calm your body, brush up on your technique and know your foundation poses (mountain, downward dog, forward fold, etc.) 

Eventually, once you have the basics figured out, you can really have fun with poses or sequences, jumping forward instead of stepping and switching out upward dog for cobra or adding in a few yoga push-ups. 

Sun salutation is the perfect use of foundation yoga postures, combining everything that yoga is: balance, breath, flexibility and strength. 

Until next time...

T.

October at BoT Yoga

Where Did August and September Go?

Somehow, August and September got away from me. What were we up to? Let me count the things!

We were busy camping, going to events and parties and visiting in August. Then, we got ready for school and the grand opening at Forge Training Centre, where I now have classes three times a week. 

In September, the kids started school. Two of them were in classes that got completely rearranged in the second week ("the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry...")and got back into the swing of things by the end of the month. 

We also have three September birthdays in our house and a few relatives' birthdays to celebrate. Lia even got her own pink yoga mat. 

In September, I started my classes at Forge, where members have helped me to feel welcome and things have been going great so far. As soon as I set up my mat and my little Bluetooth speaker there, I felt like I was in the right place. My husband, kids and my best friend (and her hubby) have been so supportive; I don't even know how to express how much it has meant to me to look out at my classes and see them there. 

And now it's October...

Moms and Daughters, Dads and Sons

In September, I had a few new additions to my classes. A mom and her daughter joined one of my weekly home studio classes and my oldest son and my husband joined another at Forge (he brought our youngest once but, as much as she loves yoga, we thought maybe she should wait just a little bit longer before she comes again.) 

As we neared the end of our sessions at Hopkona Farms, we had grandparent night at the farm; the grand-kids didn't join for long but it was fun seeing grandparents, kids and their mom all on their mats as the sun went down over the fields. 

Though I don't offer yoga for younger kids at this time, I love seeing families in yoga, enjoying quiet internal reflection but also time together, with their mats side-by-side. 

Speaking of that...

In November, I'll be travelling to Toronto to take a course in postnatal yoga, so that I can offer yoga to parents/caregivers and babies. I'm looking forward to spending time with two of the girls I did my 350-hour training with again and also to learning something new. We'll be focusing on learning how to incorporate babies into yoga practice and also learning about areas such as the pelvic floor, the core and diastasis recti. 

Looking Forward

That brings us to October...

In September, we focused on meditation and gently reminding the wandering mind to return to the breath. We also worked on alignment and balance. 

We worked on accepting the challenge Forge's mats add to our balance, accepting that sometimes we have to let go of our wish to control the balance, drop our feet and just switch sides. My own teacher taught me that, and though sometimes I really want to just hold a balancing pose, I know that it's not always possible. Some days, I just feel more balanced than I do on other days. 

In October, we'll continue focusing on breath and meditation. As always, I will try to balance flexibility, strength and balance in my classes, offering a blend of the three.