This is a fast-paced class designed to help kids develop their strength, flexibility, coordination, concentration, focus & relaxation. 

9-13 years.  $60 for 6 week session. No drop-ins.

A Visit with Ajahn Sona  

Friday, October 12  Public Talk 7:00pm

Saturday, October 13 9:00am - 4:00pm
One Day Meditation Retreat

There will be a lunch break, so please bring a potluck item to share.  The admission to these events are by dana (donation).
     

Born in Canada, Ven. Sona's background as a layperson was in classical guitar performance. His encounter with Buddhist wisdom as a young man initiated a spiritual journey that led him to become a lay hermit for several years. He subsequently ordained as a Theravada monk under Ven. Gunaratana, at the Bhavana Society in West Virginia, where his first years of training took place.  Ven. Sona further trained for over three years at Ajahn Chah's forest monasteries in northeast Thailand, particularly Wat Pah Nanachat. Upon his return to Canada in 1994, he founded the first 'Birken Forest Monastery' near Pemberton, B.C.  As its spiritual guide, Ajahn ("teacher") Sona has led the monastery through each stage of its growth.  In 2001, Ajahn Sona established Birken (or, 'Sītavana', 'cool forest') to its final location just south of Kamloops, B.C.  www.birken.ca    

Timed Practices

Sundays: October 21 and November 25

12:00-1:30pm

A deep and quiet practice, the teacher guides you through a sequence of asanas (yoga poses) each held for a specific time. Pre-requisite: 1 year of Iyengar Yoga.  By donation. All proceeds go towards a defibrillator.  See sidebar →

Contact Tracy for more information.    

Workshop Participants should have at least one year of Iyengar yoga experience, and know how to set up for Sarvangasana. 

For more information on this workshop or to download the registration form please click here 

Louie Ettling is the Director of The Yoga Space (www.theyogaspace.ca) in Vancouver, BC.  She has been a keen student of Iyengar Yoga for 27 years. Louie has regularly studied with B.K.S Iyengar and his family in Pune, India as well as during their intensives in North America. She serves on the Iyengar Yoga Association of Canada's Professional Development Committee as a trainer of teachers.  

Smrti is explained in Light on Yoga as "memory, the holding fast of the impressions of objects that one has experienced". Iyengar then goes on to suggest that this can be a negative thing, especially if people are so caught up in their good or bad memories that they become entrapped by them: "they cannot break their fetters".

I think memory does not have to be as much of a prison as that, although my own experience with it has been instructive.  

At my age, there is lots of memory to work with-or memories, to be more accurate. It is easy for me to spend more time thinking about the past than the present; I often find myself trying to figure out why things happened the way they did, especially things that happened within my family. Trying to imagine how my parents' lives were shaped is a something that I have spent a lot of time doing, in recent years. Because there remain questions without answers, I try to fashion the answers out of whatever evidence I can call to mind. This line of thinking inevitably brings feelings of regret--I could have asked my parents more about their early years than I did; I could have listened more closely when they did talk about their lives. The regret has been instructive in so far as it has helped me place more value on relationships. But I have also had to acknowledge that my time is not unlimited, and that too much time spent searching for answers is time wasted. When I find insights into the past which help me with my current problems, then I can justify inhabiting the past. More often, it is an interesting and comfortable place to be and it is easy to lose myself there.

As my yoga practice progresses, I find that I am having to move away from that comfortable refuge. It simply is not possible to explore the path of yoga while remaining obsessed with the past. Yoga forces me to come to terms with the past, or at least to let things go, while pushing me forward on the path to better self-knowledge. This is not to say that it discounts the usefulness of the role that memory can play. Rather, it puts in perspective the value of things learned. Yoga helps remove the limits imposed by memory, and encourages a healthy curiosity in the future.

Are you excited about starting a new yoga class to energize your fall routine? A weekly yoga class can help to keep you flexible, strong, vital and calm. Yoga is an excellent complement to an existing exercise program or an inspiring first step on the path to wellness. Long term yogis (yoga practitioners) learn to fit their life around their yoga class. Until then, here are some ideas to get in your yoga practice on and off the mat.

1. Start your day with three deep breaths and an intention to enjoy your day no matter what arises.

2. Five minutes of yoga stretches or Sun Salutation in the morning can awaken your body before you reach for the coffee or tea.

3. After every hour of sitting in front of the computer, stand up and do a one minute shoulder stretch or stay seated for a chair twist (Bharadvajasana, great for the low back!)

4. Standing in line at the bank or grocery store? Practice Mountain Pose for perfect posture in public.

5. Going golfing? Try Warrior 2 to stretch out groins & Warrior 1 to stretch hip flexors.

6. Cycling enthusiasts can do the hip stretch in the photo above at the bike rack.

7. Difficulties arising? Come back to the breath. Take three deep breaths to engage the parasympathetic nervous system, clear the mind and speak with awareness.

8. Got a wall handy? Try this spinal stretch. Press palms on wall. Spread your fingers. Chest parallel to floor. Hips in line with ankles.  Neck in line with your spine. Breathe.

9. How's your grip on the car steering wheel? Tense and tight or loose and relaxed?

10. Try this ancient Tibetan technique for happiness. Lift up the outer corners of your lips. Works everytime!

See you in class this fall to help bring a little yoga lightness & awareness into your day!