We are looking forward to inspiring you for 2012 with our amazing lineup of courses and trainings. Stay tuned for details on our upcoming yoga teacher training and personal development course.  A modern, cutting edge approach that gives you insight into the business of yoga and how to thrive in the industry as well as a full self-development itinerary.  It’s going to be incredible!

On the forefront of this new year is our lifestyle & wellness coaching.  Do you want to turn your new year’s resolutions into long-term habits? Making the decision to get healthy and change for the better is a powerful first step but sometimes we need support and guidance.  It can be overwhelming and daunting to let go of our old ways and make room for the new.  We bring all the different aspects of your day to day lives together with a holistic approach.  From a specialized yoga practice to easy food shopping direction, we will help you transform.  Ask about our personal (skype, phone or in-person) consultations or for a 1 month online at home program our “30 Day Wellness Journey” is available for download online soon! Easy to fit into your daily routine.

Here is a link to Fajo Magazine with a great article on how she has turned her health challenges into positive change and created  successful businesses based on sustainability and wellness.

Fajo Magazine

Hurry, hurry don’t be late. Go here, do this. Go there, do that. Don’t forget this and don’t forget that.
Did you remember to do what you were supposed to do, or did that errand slip by you?
Does any of this ring bells of familiarity?

Often our days are crammed with so many things to do and so many places to go and a host of people to see, that it seems like it might be easy to forget to breathe.

Here’s a few ideas to consider that can help slow the pace and help us touch base:

• Stop.
• Breathe.
• Be.
• Savor the moment.

Ahhhh. . . being in the moment. It is so easy to forget, yet it is most important and it is really what makes up the fabric of our lives. A moment in time. Momentary. A piece of time. Do we know exactly what a moment is? Can it truly be defined?

Capturing and enjoying a present moment isn’t so easy when you find yourself in a pressure-and-stress filled situation, like being caught in a jam of city traffic. Those are the moments where the good habits I formed in meditation and yoga practice come in very handy.

There is one central key that is very helpful:

• This is where we call on the breath.
• The breath is the key to the moment.
• We cannot breathe in the past.
• We cannot breathe in the future.

Think Outside the Box

The breath is an excellent tool to take us into the present. The breath helps us to move more mindfully and slowly. Fast is an illusion. Slow isn’t so bad. It may seem surprising, but when we move slowly we are able to get more done. Everyone knows Aesop’s Fable, “The Tortoise and the Hare.” Slow and steady wins the race. Be a turtle and try it sometime, and just observe the outcome.

If the present is truly all there really is, why are we so caught up in what could be or what could have been? Perhaps the element missing in our lives is the ability to be free flowing human beings. Maybe we are too uptight and spend too much time confined by the “box” of our habits. It’s complicated, made more so by deadlines, appointments and, well, this, that and the other.

I am being fully in the moment as I write this piece. But what about taking this task “out of the box” to a free flowing, freeform writing exercise? What happens? Disclaimer: Please do not try this at home unless you are prepared to be in the moment!

Here goes: The truth is all there is. The moment is all there is. Discover the power of being present. Being in the now. Listening. Being. Breathing. Feeling. Ahhhhh. Letting go. Breath. Listen. Honor your place. Letting be. Tuning into our intuition. Playing. Seeing with fresh eyes. Gratitude. Grace. No goals. No desires. Contentment. Surrender. Freedom to be. Singing. Dancing. Playing. Now I am in the moment. . . with very short sentences!

The truth is that there are so many ways to just “be.” But often we are stuck in the only way we know. Part of the beauty of our journey is experimenting and finding new modes for self-expression that give us new or expanded abilities to be who we are, while staying present and fully awake, aware and in the moment. We really can’t live in the past or the future. We can only live in the moment. Today as you walk in you present moments, don’t draw from the past or project to the future; do your best to stay in each of those moments. Allow yourself to experience a kind of temporary amnesia and watch your day shift.

I leave with one last thought to gnaw on: if the answer is being in the moment, then what is the question? Hmmmm……… Thank you for your precious time! Thank you for sharing this moment with my words.

It’s time for these 3 words: Health, Retreat and Ontario.

OUTDOOR YOGA!

YAY! Summer is here with a big swoop and it’s time to GET OUTSIDE and get healthy and fit and really love ourselves! So why not do yoga outdoors, we do!

We are excited to inform you about the upcoming amazing Yoga and Raw Food Retreat (Great for Gluten and Wheat free Diet) we are having in the summer months. So here it is…our summer retreats are coming up at the end of June, end of July and then one in the end of August as well.

Those of you that know my indoor classes know, I do my best to create a total experience for my students. I play inspiring music and often use smells and sounds of nature to help people relax and let go of their day. Nothing can really come close to doing yoga outdoors. Taking your class outdoors is inspiring and gets people out of their routine, after all you never know when a bird will sing or a soft breeze will set in.

Outdoor classes add a whole other dimension to one’s practice and bring yoga back to its roots. “Yoga means ‘union,’ and when it’s practiced outdoors it seems to remind us to connect to ourselves and all that is around us.

Embrace the Experience

Being outside can intensify the yoga experience in many ways, since nature inspires all the things that I teach—focusing awareness, breathing deeply, practicing stillness. Sometimes I find students want to battle the elements instead of embracing them. I like to get people to notice the bird singing and the gentle breeze and then take it back to their breathing.

Many aspects of yoga are in fact about being in the moment and at one with nature or the universe. That’s why so many yoga postures (asanas) were inspired by animals and nature. By standing in tree pose outside you really get to explore a new way of being in the pose.

I love getting my students to breathe outdoors, they can actually smell the cedar, the flowers and the grass. They can see the blue sky and feel the breeze and really get a deeper connection to self and the earth.

So…I hope we have given you one good reason to come do yoga with us.

If you want to get out of the city, do yoga outdoors and experience nature with the comfort of staying at a beautiful Eco B&B then visit the retreat section of our website for more info.

Check out the fun video of our Yogagurl Past Retreat below that we made based on the last 3 annual yogagurl retreats; So you can get a flavour for the good old fashioned fun we are creating on our Weekend Yoga retreats.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FD5GEt3cc5I

A testimonial from a fellow retreat-er
“The yogagurl retreat was not only relaxing but packed with cutting edge information on health, food and breathing that armed me with new tools and inspiration to bring into my daily routine, thank you!” Sarah, Toronto

PS. The retreat is very personal as it is on a private property and is limited to 6-8 women so it is quite one-on-one in terms of being able to work with your specific health goals. While also giving you the freedom to have alone time and group time.

Thank you and see you at our next retreat!

Welcome to our new website and blog, we are excited to announce
the opening of our new studio at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Toronto this Spring.
Take a peek at this video to experience a taste of our classes…

With heart,
Alex Leikermoser
Director