Mindful Mobility Yoga

SUPPORT COVID-19 RELIEF EFFORTS IN INDIA Yoga and Ayurveda’s roots are in India. These deep traditions from this ancient culture have added great value to my life. Visiting and working in modern India for a few months was also a life-shifting experience for me. As the country faces challenges far more difficult than anything we have faced in Canada, I feel called to help. All fees collected from my May Yoga classes have been donated to support COVID-19 relief efforts in ...India. There are many charities dedicated to India COVID-19 support to choose from on the CanadaHelps.org site. I chose the Canadian Red Cross, a highly-rated Canadian Charity delivering assistance and support to the Indian Red Cross (IRCS), one of the largest and oldest indigenous humanitarian organizations in the country. This is a very small giving back for the Yoga India has so generously shared with the world. I invite you to join me in making a donation to help India through this tragic health crisis. https://www.canadahelps.org//donate-to-covid-19-in-india-/ See more

Barrie Risman describes 3 layers of our heart: 1) The physical blood-pumping muscle level 2) The energetic chakra level 3) The transcendent level - I like to think this is where we go in Savasana; deep into this innermost resting space that holds the sacred essence of our being, the seat of our inner wisdom.

Honour and Restore Our Magnificent Earth "There are numerous profound ways of making our daily actions a dedication to skilful, wholesome, compassionate, fair and just living" #TakeCareofourPlanet #EarthDay2021

Chronic inflammation is pervasive and underlies too many of our health challenges. This is a good article to raise awareness of what we can do to minimize inflammation risk. Unless you need an immediate detox, choose one or two things to shift. Changing choices a step at a time will likely have better long term success than trying to turn everything upside down all at once.

I've shared this visual in my workshops to highlight the impact of head posture. This free talk on the subject Tuesday April 6th should be very interesting.

Taking a Conscious Pause... What a mystical, magical time -- Advent, Winter Solstice, Jupiter and Saturn’s Planetary Alignment, Waning Moon! The energy of winter is that of going within. It's the fruitful darkness and silence out of which our soul's yearnings and new inspirations can eventually emerge. Use this time to rest and reflect; to become still, to open yourself to Peace, Love and your deepest truths. <3 This video clip is from my favourite Ragged Falls in Musko...ka, running fast and full from the Autumn rains. With Apple’s help, it goes slo-mo in the middle. This is what yoga is for me a conscious pause, a luxurious flow inward. Enjoy watching, then reflect: What happened to my breathing when the rush slowed down? What did I see and feel when the pace was slowed? Could I allow time to stand still? Can I identify with being a drop of water in this current? Do I resist and try to control, or do I enjoy the flow? See more

A few additional poses and movements are incorporated into the basic knee-friendly yoga flow to complement the poses of Sun Salutation. We use the support of a chair instead of the floor. It avoids any strain on the knees from going to the floor, and it’s a great alternative anytime you don’t have your yoga mat and don’t want to go down onto an icky floor. Just be sure your chair is sturdy and won’t slide out from under you. Choose any, all, or none of the additional poses that feel good and right for you, noticing how you feel "before" and "after" :-) Create a Sun Salutation Flow that is personally yours! <3

A strange Christmas to end a very strange year! May we all find unique ways to celebrate safely with joy and gratitude for what we do have far from what we’d ideally like, but still full of lots to be grateful for

This knee-friendly yoga flow uses the support of a chair instead of the floor. It avoids any strain on the knees from going to the floor, and it’s a great alternative anytime you don’t have your yoga mat and don’t want to go down onto an icky floor. Just be sure your chair is sturdy and won’t slide out from under you. I do one full round at an easy pace, then one full round at a faster pace. Choose what works for you, and take time to notice how you feel "before" and "after" :-)

Christmas is the season of giving and serving. I wonder if it is also the season of oxytocin generation <3. The longevity hormone oxytocin is released not when you receive, but when you give, love, touch, and care for others rather than yourself. It is produced when the nervous system feels safe, not in anticipation of the next reward. Read on for more about the impressive effects of Oxytocin

Great article on the power and importance of nose-breathing in yoga and exercise.

This is a modified Sun Salutation yoga flow I love to do. A few additional poses and movements are incorporated to complement the poses of Sun Salutation -- Plank knee-taps, Side-plank, Cat-Cow, One-legged down-dog, Child-pose side-stretch, Twist, Bicep curls. - Set aside your To-do’s for these 20 minutes. - Allow yourself to just feel and go with the flow, calming your mind as you wake up every cell and muscle in the body. - Notice how you feel "before" and "after" :-) Choose any, all, or none of the poses that feel good and right for you - Create a Sun Salutation Flow that is personally yours! <3

This is a great daily yoga flow you can do at home in 10 minutes to open and wake up every cell and muscle in the body. Done at a faster pace than Sun Salutation #1, we complete two rounds in 10 minutes. If you have more than 10 minutes, do a third and fourth round! Notice how you feel "before" and "after" :-)

I've registered! Join me on Zoom for Margot McKinnon's Pilates Pop-up Clinic Tue Dec 1st 5:30 PM? FREE Pilates Classic Clinic for Advance Leg Circle https://www.bodyharmonics.com//pilates-classics-pop-up-cl/

Heavenly Angels Send Love in Heart-Shaped Clouds. Sometimes we get whispers from our angels to look up now! It happened to me today. May you also feel the little nudge from this heart-shaped cloud through me, to you for whatever you may be going through, whatever may be weighing on you. We are often too busy with our lives to take the time to notice, and our angels sometimes give us little nudges. When you allow yourself to listen, life becomes magical and deeply meaningful, and the realization that we have angels around us causes us to know we are never alone. So keep looking up, for the love, the little winks from above, the messages, the validations, the beautiful energies, the guidance

A project from my Diploma in Yoga course at Annamalai University in 2013. A great kickoff to our November Sun Salutation Saturdays

NOVEMBER PICK-ME-UP - JOIN ME? SUN SALUTATION SATURDAYS on ZOOM Summer and Fall have given us a refreshing break from indoor COVID lockdown, but now many areas are in Wave 2, the glorious Fall colours are fading, temps are dropping and skies are greying. I find myself dreading a dreary November, so Anyone want to join me for a weekly pick-me-up with Sun Salutation?! Saturdays through November I will take 35 minutes to go through the classic Sun Salutation flow, nice and slo...w, with a few additional poses and movements interwoven. By repeating it over four weeks, you will build familiarity, flexibility and strength. Sun Salutation wakes up every muscle and cell in your body. Each week, I will do the flow for 25 minutes for you to follow along with me, then take 10 minutes for any questions, comments and specific practice tips. DATES/TIMES: Saturday Nov 7, 14, 21, 28 10:30 to 11:05 AM COST: $25 for the entire series by eTrfr to [email protected] (Half of all proceeds will be donated to Donway Covenant United Church’s Refugee Sponsorship Program) REGISTRATION: email [email protected] I’d love you have you join me!

Yoga studios are unique, and can operate safely. They also offer wellness skills so badly needed during COVID. Please consider signing this petition to have that recognized.

28 minutes of neck exercises?! YES - Because we go slow, and because it is a buffet of exercises to choose from -- NOT to be done all at once. I was asked for tips to relieve neck tension, which is a common problem many of us face. All the blood and nerves that feed our brain flow through our neck, so it is vitally important to keep it healthy, strong and flexible. This video puts together exercises that I do at the beginning of my yoga classes, as well as exercises reco...mmended from various sources that I personally found helpful. I DO NOT recommend doing all of these at once! Especially if you suffer from neck strain or pain. Start slow, do just one or two of the exercises a few times before moving on to add more. As always: Honour your own unique body Never push yourself into pain or strain Consult your health professional as appropriate See more