A lot of you will recognize Carol as a regular student in our daily live yoga classes. Carol is also our studios community ambassador. If you are on the In Fine Feather Facebook community page, Carol shares little doses of inspiration every day. For the last 2 years Carol has helped to organize community fundraisers and collected donations within the studio. She has become a familiar face and a welcoming friend to so many of us as well. We LOVE Carol! In this blog, she offers some of the healing benefits of writing a list and coping mechanisms for organizing her thoughts throughout the pandem ..read more

Moving Through Another Lockdown  It is now May 2021 and we’ve been living with restrictions and multiple lockdowns in Ontario for over a year. I have a feeling that many of us are struggling; our energy and tolerance is low. We are craving human interaction and a sense of freedom; we are social beings after all. Never in my life did I think giving someone a hug could be so compromising to their health. Never in my life did I have to think twice before deciding to leave my house. Never in my life would I consider an outing to the grocery store as potentially ‘dangerous’. This is EXHAUSTIN ..read more

As much as we have all experienced loss, grief and suffering this last year, I am choosing to see the good. I cherish the lessons I’ve learned because they have continued to be the quiltwork that makes me who I am. I believe your own lessons make up who you are too. You can control your perspective and see the strength and growth that it created as much as honoring the hard parts and messy bits. Let’s do that together. When I’m avoiding my yoga & meditation practice, I really need it the most.  Being still is a struggle for me at times. I like to move quickly and “get it done”. Many ..read more

Finding Yoga During a Season of Uncertainty By Assistant Manager of In Fine Feather Yoga I found yoga during a season of uncertainty. I had just finished college and felt a little lost. I was searching for a style of movement that felt safe for my knee injuries. I had 2 knee procedures during my dance career that had left me feeling disconnected from my body.  My good friend gifted me In Fine Feather’s New Student Intro Special Pass so she and I went together. My first class was with Shelley Gordon, owner of Love My Mat and I loved it. I did pay what you can/community classes for months ..read more

Local Adventures with IFF Discover  By Co- Founder Helena McKinney We all miss adventure right now. This travel blog offers you some sweet little, local gems to go check out. These are 3 places we have been going to escape the city, not feel so limited by lockdown, satisfy our travel bug and explore freely. We have discovered so many local Ontario hiking trails on the AllTrails App. If you don’t already have it on your phone you should download it for sure. It is free and gives great information on every trail, rates its difficulty level, shares reviews and photos. It’s really tough to w ..read more

with Helena McKinney, Founder of In Fine Feather Yoga At some point in our lives, we have all experienced a certain level of stress, worry, doubt, anxiety and even panic. I think it is fair to say that during this pandemic we have all experienced heightened levels of these sensations. Some days it is easier than others to navigate our way through it. Some days the unknown is enough to make us want to stay in bed and not wake up until this is all over. But it is so essential that we keep showing up, the best we can, every day for ourselves and for each other even when it is hard. It can be rea ..read more

With so moving pieces around us, it’s easy to get swept up and feel disoriented. Here are 3 steps I take to re-connect and re-focus to the present moment. 1. Go for a walk outside- rain or shine! Breathe deeply as you walk and observe the scenery in detail. The breeze, smells, what the ground feels like under your feet, etc. Think about your 5 senses and rotate through each of them in relation to what you see, smell, hear, touch and taste. You can download a walking meditation with Helena and myself here. 2. Remind yourself what you have already accomplished. Nothing gets ruled out! Menta ..read more

A Year in Review with the founder of In Fine Feather Yoga & Hamilton entrepreneur, Helena McKinney.  Every year around this time I share a personal and professional reflection of the year. I usually highlight the major accomplishments, milestone moments and successful events. (Check out the 2019 reflection). Well, as we all know this year has been extremely different and challenging in so many ways, so this year's reflection is going to have a different vibe as well. Rather than bringing to light the specific things that happened (or didn’t happen at all), I want to talk about the ov ..read more

I highly recommend reading or listening to these 5 books as we transition into a new year. I believe the messages from each of these authors will cultivate feelings of strength and empowerment, as well as calmness and peace. These are all feelings we can find on our mat and dig into deeper. Each of these books will challenge your perspective and perhaps even challenge some limited beliefs you are holding onto.  View this as being similar to practicing crow pose - it takes time and patience; sometimes it’s frustrating; you have good days and bad days. But there will be a moment when you ..read more

I’ve been practising yoga and working out at home for years now, so when Helena and I began creating the virtual yoga studio with the help of Zoom & Mindbody I was already quite comfortable with the process. I also know that many of our students landed in what felt like unknown territory. With their best step forward we have all started to figure out how to practise yoga at home. We needed yoga so we navigated it together. Now that we know that an at home practice is the safest form of movement and connection, I’m here to make it the most enjoyable and supported experience it can be until ..read more