Category — Yoga

Chances are you probably don’t watch Rogers Daytime TV, so I thought I would pass along this great Rogers clip which is all about Passport to Prana! Passport to Prana is this great concept which allows you to check out a number of yoga studios in Toronto for only…$30! Such a great deal. Check out their website for more details!

So, as you all know I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with yoga. I’m still waiting to have that Jennifer Aniston moment of yogi bliss transformation. That said I do know that yoga is a sport I should learn to incorporate more into my life. Even though I do Pilates on a somewhat regular basis (three times a week or so) I don’t think it has the same stretching benefits that yoga has.

I need to get myself to a yoga class soon…

Only issue is that I have already spent my monthly “fitness allowance” already for June, so don’t really want to spend $20 or so on a drop-in yoga class. Thankfully King West Fitness is running an “All You Can Yoga” this weekend.

This weekend and a few other weekends this summer King West Fitness in Liberty Village is offering free yoga classes Saturday and Sunday (at 10, 11:15, 12:30, 1:45 and 3:00). All you need to do is drop by before one of the classes – no need to register. Take one class or take as many as you want.

I’ve never been to this gym before, but looking forward to checking it out & seeing what the yoga they have to offer. Curious to see if it will similar to taking a class at a yoga studio.

Before signing off today I thought I’d share a quote from something I read that really resonated with me.

“The best ideas come from imagining the possibilities otherwise you’ll just get more of the same.” ~ H. Ferrara

Always good to be reminded that your imagination is a good thing!

The first thing on today’s agenda was a trip Hamilton to pick up the race kit for tomorrow’s Around the Bay Race. This will be my third year doing this race, but will be the first time I have not done the full 30 km. I’ll be running the two person relay, so it is 15 km for me.

Race expo I thought was a bit toned down this year and as per usual no race kit swag for Around the Bay. To be honest I usually end up throwing out most items that are put into my package, so this might not be a bad thing. However, I think I’ll actually wear this year’s t-shirt as I tend to wear anything that is pink!

The one bonus of going to the expo today was getting to find out more about the Island Girl 1/2 marathon in September and the Niagara Wine run. Sign me up now. I think this will be my summer of “fun” races. I tend to usually do these bigger races and I think it may be fun to do some that are not a mainstream.

Followed up this trip to Hamilton with a Pilates Reformer class and then a quick visit to the Yoga and Pilates Conference. For the last few months I have been determined to find a pair of these. Unfortunately, ToeSox were not an exhibitor so I ended up with another version of these socks that are supposed to help people who tend to slide on mats. I have hunted high and low for these in Toronto and have never found them. Can’t wait to try them out and compare them to the Yogitoes towel I normally use.

A while ago I purchased an introductory pass for Energia Athletics on the Danforth. I’ve been wanting to go here for a while now as I have been intrigued by their concept – an interesting mix of yoga, spinning and running offerings. Oh and kettlebell classes!

I tried three different classes during my week there:

• Spin/Core
• Spin/Yoga Journey
• Spin

Of the three the one I enjoyed the most was the Spin/Core combo. They teacher was intense (very Lance Armstrong-esque!), the music appealing and the workout was just the right intensity. The additional draw to this class for me was that I had no excuses to not do any core work which I sometimes very conveniently avoid.

The one thing I’m still a little curious about is their run group. They do have a run club, but I didn’t get the opportunity to try it out yet. I think one of the draws for running out of here is the fact that you can complement your running with yoga and spinning.

The one downside to Energia is their bathroom/change room facilities. If you can change before. Trust me.

Credit: stock.xchng

This week I had my first beginner’s yoga class at 889 Yonge and I loved it. The studio was welcoming as was the teacher and I also had some personal “Aha” moments for the first time in a yoga class – I actually know now what it feels like to have all parts of your hands on the ground if that makes any sense. I loved the non-competitive atmosphere and being with others who were learning with me. I’m also proud of myself for trying something new.

I’m actually really glad that I have waited this long to take a beginner’s workshop. I think if I had tried to do this at any other point in my life I would not have been ready. Now, I feel that I am ready to take this step and at least try to embrace what yoga has to offer. The other main reason that I’m happy that I have waited this long is that I have found the right studio and teacher for me. I’m looking forward to what the next three classes in this workshop bring.

Some people have asked me why I chose to do enroll in a beginner’s yoga when I have done at least 100+ hours of yoga. You see I think sometimes it is not a bad idea to take a step back and learn the foundations of something and in my case…I truly needed to learn the right way to do these poses.