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EMPOWER YOUR BEST 31-DAY YOGA CHALLENGE
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We are only days away from the start of Yoga Studio South's very first Yoga Challenge, starting July 1! All you have to do is commit to coming 5 times a week for the month of July to get your name entered for a draw for a 6-month unlimited pass.
Going on holiday for a week? Don't give up. You can still take the challenge and reap the benefits for your physical, emotional and spiritual health. You will only have to pass on the draw.
Sign up for free at the desk at either Wellington Square or the JCC. Read more details here.
Rob
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Yoga Studio
South's own free day of yoga
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At Yoga Studio South we had our own free day of yoga June 22
to launch the Summer Sizzler program. Two extra classes were added to the
Calgary JCC Sunday schedule. Prizes were handed out at the end of each class
and then two lucky people won free Summer Sizzler passes each worth $179 plus
GST. They were Susan Katsiroubas, new to the Yoga Studio and new to Calgary
from Winnipeg, and Stephanie Vagan.. Congratulations!
Together with our Mothers' Day celebrations we raised a valuable contribution
for Calgary Women's Shelter.
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| IYENGAR YOGA FOR BETTER BACKS: THE PROOF
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Some of us have known it all along - that Iyengar Yoga is great for sore backs. But here is the proof in the John Hopkins Health Alert.
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Comings and Goings at the Studio
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Rick Kline on a recent trip to India.
A big congratulations to Yoga teacher Gaylene Fisher, whosuccessfully challenged the Iyengar Yoga Association of Canada international
certification this past weekend. Michele Gunderson and Peter Cary heard they had been accepted to go for
the same certification next year. Congratulations to both of them too. Yoga student
and now teacher Rick Kline has just returned from a three-month trip to India and
has now left again, this time for Israel to fulfill a life dream to train as a rabbi. Yoga Studio South teacher Sharoni
Fixler heads for China with her partner Chris for a couple of years in August. Good
luck to both of them.
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Dear Friend of Yoga Studio South
Imagine a day where everyone in Calgary who loves yoga can
come together and share their enthusiasm.
Well it just happened and I am proud I was a part of it!
June saw this fascinating first for yoga in this city with
Calgary Yoga Day, June 21, where more than 100 yoga enthusiasts came together
at Mount Royal College to celebrate the wonderful growth and diversity of yoga
in the city.
Four other teachers and myself taught classes in different
styles of yoga, there was dancing and other celebrations, money was raised and
donations made for the Calgary Inter-Faith Food Bank and Calgary's Project
to End Homelessness. There were a total 142 people in attendance, raising
$2,249 and 5 full boxes of non-perishable food bank donations!
I loved having the opportunity to share Iyengar Yoga with a
lot of people who had never been exposed to that before.
Sophie Davies, the organizer and inspiration behind the
event, appeared with me on The Breakfast Show on City TV the Monday before to
talk about Yoga For Men and why that is becoming increasingly popular.
After the day was over Sophie was tired but excited. "The
right people, at the right time, with the right intention... that's all it
took! And I feel that for a first attempt, it was a great success. Believe it
or not, but I've already started thinking about next year... and how to do it
better, or simply improve on what we did well!" she said.
Rob Walker
Director
Yoga Studio South
403 862 6042
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Summer Sizzler Program
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Unlimited classes all summer long
The Summer Sizzler program has got off to a great start. All
the classes at the four Yoga Studios are
available until September 7 for one
price of $179 plus GST - equivalent to the cost of one class a week!
You can sign up for this by phoning 402 228 5808 or online at : The Yoga Studio
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| Pose of the month: Standing Spinal Twist
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Uttitha Marichyasana
Even experienced yoga students sometimes have difficulty
keeping their spine 'tall' while they are doing twists. I know I do. So this
standing spinal twist can be a boon for anyone, but particularly for someone
with low back pain. With his amazing creativity BKS Iyengar came up with this
configuration for the pose with one foot on a curved block to raise the heel
and the other foot on a high stool. This pose "works the paraspinal muscles and
ligaments which rarely get exercised in our normal, day-to-day routine," he
says in Yoga, The Path to Holistic Health. "The props allow the twist to be
achieved without strain." If you doubt it give it a try. You may not have the
exact props in the picture but you can improvise to get as close as possible to
that configuration. If you have questions about this, ask me or your yoga
teacher. We have the curved blocks in the Wellington Studio.
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Announcements
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Clean feet for summer!
At this time of gardening and other outdoor activities, please be
mindful of your bare feet before you enter the Wellington Square studio with its light colored carpets.
No perfumes in the Studios!
The Yoga Studios are scent-free environments. Please be mindful of those around you and refrain from
wearing perfumes and strong scents when you come to class.
No more Pilates from July
There will be no more Pilates classes on Sunday at Wellington Square.
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| Teacher and Student of the Month
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Teacher: Michele Gunderson
Michele only started to teach for me in the past year, but her infectious enthusiasm is everywhere at Wellington Square. It would be hard to find a more dedicated yogi. Always ready to stop and talk with students after class or flash a smile at anyone coming through the studio door, she is already a popular teacher at Yoga Studio South. "Yoga is an amazing practice and the more you do it the more you'll want to do it," she says. "Come often and watch your life transform." Thank you Michele!
Student: Cindy White-Elliott
Michele suggested Cindy as student of the month and I agreed! Cindy is a phenomenal yoga student; very devoted to her practice. She comes faithfully to class and was the first person to sign up for the 31 Day Yoga Challenge. She has a great smile and encourages everyone around her!
"A lot of people, myself included, came to yoga for
its remarkable physical benefits," Cindy says. "I have since learned that if you do
yoga long enough, you live it. The physical limb of yoga represents but a
piece of the extraordinary power this deeply spiritual practice has become for me.
Ultimately yoga is about coming home - when the Self abides in its own
essence. This is the gift of yoga. Live your yoga!"
Well done Cindy!
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| Yoga Intensive
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Five Day Intensive in July with Rob
A 5-day 30-hour intensive with Rob Walker. A great opportunity for
anyone who wants to study asanas, pranayama and philosophy more deeply in a fun atmosphere with an experienced teacher. Click here to register.
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A thought to ponder. . .
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Bhagavad Gita
"Act without any thought of results,
Open to success or failure.
This equanimity is yoga." 2.48
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Watch out for my next monthly newsletter towards the end of July! Look forward to seeing you in the studios soon. Stop by for a chat with your yoga friends or myself and have a cup of our wonderful Bengal Spice tea!
Namaste,
Rob Walker
The Yoga Studio South
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