There are the gross movements of yoga asana and the deeper nuances of silencing the mind and self-reflection - through breath or bodywork - moving through what is stuck in the body and releasing old blockages, allowing me to see the world with a fresh outlook.  I have tried them all. Yet, last month, I completed a 21-day Panchakarma in Kerala, the home of Āyurveda. In a green hospital room alone (well, 20 knocks on the door daily) but with no one but me in between. My body and mind slowed as the treatment continued, a welcome response to my natural go-go-Torontonian self.  This expe ..read more

If it didn’t happen to you, it doesn’t mean it didn’t happen. A sea of Pattabhi Jois’ images cross my screen these days. Yoga starts with the first Yama, ahimsa (nonviolence), and if we are all connected, if something happens to one of us, it happens to all of us. This is not about right, wrong, or blame but noble behaviour. This difficult subject is one I feel needs to be discussed as the images of Pattabhi Jois can trigger negative memories. This isn’t about the practice of Ashtanga Yoga but how it is taught. If we truly are a “yoga family,” we should respect, listen, and support each other ..read more

Four years ago I began to deepen my search for ways to truly help people. I began traveling to Chennai, India to learn yoga therapy in the tradition of T.Krishnamacharya.  On February 28,the anniversary (Sraddhanjali) of Sri Krishnamacarya, I became a yoga therapist in his lineage.  The journey here was not easy covering deep studies of the yoga sutras, sāṁkhya philosophy, anatomy, ayurveda, to all conditions of the body & mind; mental health (stress, tension, anxiety) knee pain, arthritis, cancer and recovery, sleep apnea, to name a few and how yoga can be applied as a tool for ..read more

It seems that we are all searching for something… may it be inner peace, to heal, to be loved, appreciated, accepted for who we are, whatever the reason yoga comes into our lives. The thing is a lot of times someone gets on the path and then they jump off, they doubt, they find excuses. There is no time, it’s yoga’s fault, “not working”, or the teachers fault, it’s not for me… change does not happen in a few weeks or even months. Real value gets confused by this desire for instant results… weight reduction, strength building, jump backs, core building, handstands yet, that is not yoga nor the ..read more