Sail Loft Studio Spring 2011 Newsletter

Sail Loft Studio, #2105 Rte 329, The Lodge, 857-1224, April 2011

Cathy’s classes ongoing: Mondays and Tuesdays, 7-8:30 p.m., Thursdays, 10:30 a.m.-noon. Classes are all levels, everyone is welcome. Tuesday night’s class is dedicated to the practice of Ashtanga yoga (see below); Mondays and Thursdays, we explore yoga as a multi-disciplinary practice. If you have never done yoga before, and have some questions, call or write Cathy anytime.

 Exploring Breath, an eight week yoga study with Cathy, begins on Wednesdays, 8:30-10 a.m., April 20^th until June 8^th. All are welcome, even if you have never practised yoga before. These sessions might be particularly beneficial for singers, and would certainly enhance any athletic training that you are currently undertaking. We will be working with breath focus, which we will incorporate in some gentle yoga postures to fully access the breath potential. Cost is $75 for the eight sessions: call or write to pre-register. You are also welcome to drop in to any class for $10.

Family Yoga is a great way to spend time with your kids, with everyone benefitting. We meet on Fridays, 3:30-4:15 p.m., excepting Good Friday. Sessions will carry on until June 10^th, drop in: $4 each per session. Please note that our “generosity policy” applies: if you are interested in family yoga, but feel financial restraints make it uncomfortable for you to participate, please speak to Cathy. All ages are welcome. Bring your own mat if you have one. (For information about kids and yoga, visit Cathy’s Yoga Blog, April 2011.)

Bras Bras Bras!: Mother’s Day, May 8^th, 12:30-2:30 p.m. My good friend, Margaret Armour, has been helping women (and men!) with clothing for their fitness endeavours for 30 years at her store, Aerobics First, on Quinpool Road. She and her associate, Jenn, will come with an assortment of sports bras for all shapes and sizes, and share with us why fit is so important, as is choosing the right bra support for your activities. We’ll have a lot of laughs, do some gentle yoga, and, of course, have a yummy snack. $35, includes tax.

Saturday morning open studio is coming to an end with the Hubbards Market opening on May 7^th. Come and try out personal practice in our beautiful sail loft. We meet at 10 a.m. for meditation, 10:30 a.m.-noon for asana practice. There is no charge, but donations are welcome.

Paul Collins Yoga: Tuesdays, 8:30-10 a.m. Strength and Flexibility for all ages and abilities.

Gentle Yoga with Susy MacGillivray: Saturday classes will continue with Susy until June 18^th, 12:15-1:30 p.m.;

Yoga during Pregnancy, 1:15-3 p.m.

Frivolous Fridays: Join DeNel Rehberg Sedo for a special Friday night happy hour beginning April 8^th. After a long work week, nothing can be sweeter than knowing there are two days of bliss ahead. Let this creative and dynamic flow class help you transition into the weekend. We’ll restore, enliven, align and observe from 5:00-6:30 with awareness, laughter and music. Suitable for advanced beginners and intermediate students.

Summerville Beach Weekend Walking and Yoga: Visit our Freewheeling website for details on this weekend, coming up May 12^th-15^th. We will offer the weekend again in October, and for private groups anytime.

Bicycle events upcoming: Ride of Silence, Wednesday, May 18^th, 7 p.m. Bayswater Beach, 12 km ride, no charge; Annual Father’s Day Ride Around the Loop, Sunday, June 19^th, support van/sweep provided by Chester Recreation, no charge, Hubbards Barn, 12:30 p.m.  Both rides are supported by the Route Enhancement Committee of the Aspotogan Peninsula (RECAP). All riders are welcome.

Freewheeling Adventures Extraordinary Active Holidays
www.freewheeling.ca/activity/yoga

adventure@freewheeling.ca
tel: 902-857-3600 /home: 857-1224
fax: 902-857-3612
800-672-0775

Frequently asked questions: 

Is Cathy’s Tuesday Ashtanga class for me?  If you are drawn to practice yoga to facilitate recovery from an injury, to embark on a fitness regime after some periods of self-neglect, or if you suffer from chronic and debilitating pain, this may not be the best class for you. There is a lot of movement in Ashtanga yoga, and so people who are relatively fit already are drawn to it. In fact, any one: any size, shape or age, can practice Ashtanga safely and enjoyably in class and at home. Whereas many yoga classes are focused on learning a range of postures for balance, strength, flexibility, and so on, Ashtanga yoga is a practice that teaches you to work with energy in the body using breath and mindful attention.  You learn a series of postures which flow from one to the next, with breath as the movement cue. Your first instruction, after the breath, is to create a solid foundation for the posture. Then you are led through core strength cues to find the “state of the asana” with your dristi, or gaze focus, creating a meditative state. It seems that you hardly have time to “get comfortable” in the asana before you are moving, with breath, into the next posture. Circulation of energy is ongoing, and you are invited to explore many postures over your practice time, instead of just a few. You are encouraged to find your own “state of the asana” according to your foundation and core strength abilities.  – Cathy Guest

Excerpts from “Conversations with Danny Paradise” from Mysore Yoga Paris: 

 “Can a person with physical limitations or an elderly person practice Ashtanga Yoga? I´ve been teaching for over 30 years, (since 1979)…I´ve had people in my classes from the ages of 7 to 80. Anyone can learn the practices but they have to be modified according to individual ability, age, physical problems, previous injuries, accidents, history etc. I’ve met men and women around the world who have even started Ashtanga Yoga in their mid 50′s and within 4 or 5 years they’ve become very advanced and are practicing 2nd and 3rd series. When one becomes regular at the practices then the limitations of the mind and body fall away very quickly. This is a quantum science. At the same time it’s important to recognize that the primary series is also a lifetime practice. These practices also teach us how to age with grace, vitality and health. People are discovering these are the ways in which to age slowly and gracefully…and consequently never ending up in a deteriorated condition over many years in an old age home being wheeled around. Ultimately the purpose of Yoga may be to teach us how to pass through aging and death with clarity, tranquility and wisdom.

How do you look upon the idea of having a teacher or Guru? To me it´s important to have teachers for periods of time but not teachers who create dependence, followings, disciples etc. The Buddha said `You are your only Master, Who Else? No one purifies another’. The Guru may light your candle….but you have to carry it yourself. Everyone who does Ashtanga Yoga for period of time recognizes that the practices are designed to be self-teaching and self-correcting after a certain amount of classes. The real key is doing the practices alone and developing a personal, private practice. Then a different experience and understanding emerges. As Krishnamurti told Desikachar…
 `Don´t become a guru….another monkey´! I feel Krishnamurti had the true message. The Yogis have always been known as anarchists, freedom thinkers, outside the regular order of life and advisors to the kings. When I first heard Krishnamurti speak in Ojai in the late ’70s after I began learning Yoga my instincts were confirmed that following anyone in a spiritual lineage was a mistake and not the real path of evolution. Watching how ‘disciples’ of many spiritual lineages behave was also very illuminating. As one of my friends taught me…’Each teacher draws the students whom he or she deserves.’ Teachers who desire to create dependency draw needy people. Those who wish to create independence and freedom draw individuals who wish to be independent and free. It’s not about how many students one has but rather how many masters one is helping create and nurture.”

I’d like to go for a bike ride, but haven’t ridden in years, and am afraid to venture out on my own. What can I do? Get your bike out of the garage, and start cleaning it. Shine it up, put oil on any moving parts, and go through the gears to make sure they all work. Try the brakes, check your tire pressure, spin the wheels to make sure they look “true”.  If it looks out of your comfort range to deal with, bring it to your local bike shop (Freewheeling Adventures HQ has a fully equipped shop with experienced, helpful mechanics) and get it tuned up. Then you’re ready. Ride of Silence: easy ride with others, an out and back ride from Bayswater Beach to The Deck, about 12 km. The Annual Father’s Day Aspotogan Ride may be too far for you (52 km), but you can go as far as you’d like and hop in the support vehicle. This ride, with the support van, is sponsored by Chester Rec and RECAP, and is accessible to all. Bike Skills and Yoga is a five hour workshop offered by Cathy Guest (on demand throughout the year) to practice bike skills, and to learn how to safely warm up for a ride. Check with her if you are interested. Join us for monthly Girls Rides during the summer, exploring in and around the south shore of Nova Scotia.  – Cathy Guest