Yoga is a rich philosophy that has been practiced and studied for thousands of years. In this workshop we'll explore the 8 Limbs of Yoga as described by Patanjali in the Yoga Sutras. In the second half of the workshop we'll apply this philosophical knowledge to an inspiring asana and meditation practice. All levels are welcome.

Space is limited for this pre-registered session. Call the studio to register and save your space. 

Date: Fri, April 15th Time: 7:00-10:00pm  Instructor: Meaghan Burridge, RYT Cost: $45 +tax

As a tribute to the strength and perserverence of the Japanese people in the wake of the recent earthquake and tsunami in Japan I thought that I would seek out my inspiration for this months article from the rich and beautiful Japanese culture. As we move about in the midst of a seasonal change I am reminded of how, despite often living in crowded cities surrounded by skyscrapers and neon signs, the Japanese lead  the industrialized world in maintaining respect and reverence for nature. This is reflected in so many different ways, in their artwork, their food, and endearingly, the way the whole country follows the blooming of seasonal flowers on the daily news. In a similar way, the exquisite form of Japanese poetry called the Haiku works to accentuate nature and evoke emotion and connection to the world around us .

The Haiku was given its name by the writer Masaoka Shiki in the 19^th century. While it is well known that this style of poetry has 17 syllables and is arranged into 3 short sections of 5, 7 & 5 syllables, there is more to this poetic art from than simply the syllable count. What makes the haiku so suitable for a yoga related article in the month of April is the almost manditory seasonal reference. This, along with their suprising turn of phrase makes them beautifully simplistic yet often extremely complex at the same time. They reflect the Japanese aesthetic of leaving out all that is unnecessary so that the focal point is able to shine in a most subtle but moving form.

As I was recently reading through a selection of haiku, I began to think that this tradition of accentuating the beauty of nature in poetry was just what we need in the month of April. Instead of waiting for spring by anticipating the warmer days and flower blossoms, we could use the haiku as an opportunity to sit and enjoy being in the midst of this transition. Even the most poetically challenged can pull together one of these by just pausing and pondering the the moment they are in and putting it into the 5-7-5 format. Haiku do not rhyme, and the act of sitting long enough to pull one of these together simply cements the beauty of the image into your mind. Here is one of my most recent attempts, written as I was looking out my living room window watching my little boys play in the front yard.

Snow slowly melting

boys jumping in a puddle

Spring stretches and yawns

Ok, so I am not expecting to win any haiku contests but the time and effort it took to put the image in front of me into a haiku format deepened my appreciation of this beautiful moment and transformed this snapshot of everyday life into art. I have begun to make an effort to pause whenever I notice a moment of transitory beauty and try to fit it into a haiku. I challege you to do this and not feel at least a few moments of wonderous pause for fleeting moments that might otherwise have been lost forever.

I will end this article with a sampling of haiku by Matsuo Basho, a 17th century Japanese poet who is given credit for making the haiku an elevated form of poetry. While the act of translation tends to remove the clever turn of phrase which often packs a powerful impact into a few short syllables these will hopefully give you a taste of haiku imagery in it's most traditional form. The first poem is written in Japanese and English with the English translation maintaining the 5,7,5 syllable structure. The other poems are translations that do not follow the same haiku structure in English in order to accurately preserve Matsuo's images.

Shizukasa ya
Iwa ni shimi-iru
Semi no koe
Calm and serene
The sound of a cicada
Penetrates the rock

The old pond:
a frog jumps in,-
the sound of water.

Spring too, very soon!
They are setting the scene for it --
plum tree and moon.

Singing, planting rice, 
village songs more lovely 
than famous city poems 

Have a wonderful April everyone! 

On Friday March 11th, 2011, a 9.0 magnitude earthquake hit the east coast of Japan. This was followed by a devastating tsunami that wiped out whole towns and left devastation in it's wake. Thousands of people are dead, many more injured or missing. Hundreds of thousands of people are now without electricity or even shelter. To make matters worse, there is the ever present and ongoing worry about radiation levels from the damaged nuclear plant in Fukushima, leaving those affected unable to begin piecing together their shattered lives as they worry about the impact of the radiation on their families' health, as well as the food and water quality. 

As we pause to enjoy individual moments of seasonal bliss this month, it is difficult to think of a more meaningful reason to take time to appreciate the heat, safety and security that we are also all enjoying right now.

If you would like to make a donation to aid those affected by this disaster you can go to the Canadian Red Cross site and donate online in the conveninece of your home.