Forrest Abs

At my yin training this weekend, one of my teachers, Louise, got us working our core on the final day with some Forrest yoga style abs (she's the only teacher in Ottawa trained in Forrest yoga, and I am still looking for one in Toronto to try out this style of yoga! Have you tried it? Thoughts?). We did this move plus another one which I am still looking for a video for. (*edit: i found a whole Ana Forrest ab workout!) I can actually feel my core today- success, which is rare! Try it out.

* I think the beginning is cut off, the instruction should be to let your hands act as a hammock for your head and ensure the head isn't being pulled up on.

** We alternated elbows to knees as well to make it really slow bicycles with the resetting in the centre to re-lift the tailbone.

Enjoy the burn!

Namaste,
Callah
article and personal photos copyright of Callah at callahyoga.blogspot.com

freshly made mala

Occasionally i find myself in the perfect mood for mala-making. Calm, creative, with rare free time on my hands (which also translates to a blog post, yay!)!

Today I made a rose quartz and amethyst mala. I love rose quartz- it's called the "love stone", and is supposed to aid with finding love- romantic, platonic, self-love... you name it. (So, fitting that I love it?) To work with romantic love, it is best given or received as a gift. I can say that it truly worked for me -  I talked my mom into buying me a gorgeous huge stone that i made my very first mala with, and lo and behold, I am happily in a relationship now after 5 years of singledom! Maybe it was timing, maybe it wasn't - either way, it's gorgeous! So, i thought i would share my freshly made mala with you, in case you are looking for love (and a gift ;) ) or looking to share some. Check out the etsy link, and use the code YOGALIFE for 10% off in my shop!

I also got a lovely email from a musician named Neil Middleton, sharing his new CD, Sunrise Music, with me. I don't usually receive a lot of relevant emails but I am always on the lookout for new yoga music so I thought I would build up some good karma for myself and share it with you/ It's a great soundtrack for your practice, and I've added it to my playlist for mala making! Check out a sample track here.

Namaste,
Callah
article and personal photos copyright of Callah at callahyoga.blogspot.com

warrior dash... in photos

I recently ran the "Warrior Dash", a run that is basically an obstacle course, in which you end up completely covered in mud. Climbing up wooden barricades, up & over cargo nets, jumping over fire...

Of course I couldn't resist breaking out into a few yoga poses for some snaps, as I usually do when near a camera. (Anyone else like that?) Luckily, one of my running buddies, Ryan, is great at multitasking running and taking pics (and wearing a sweet helmet cam to boot!) so i have lots and lots to share, courtesy of his great photog skills!

my self-selected team nickname

first pose of the day!

(clean!) group shot, pre-race!

 i'm in the middle, jumping over fire... i was so scared of this and the flames were maybe 1-2 feet high, ha!

success! so close!

the shirt is not allowed to stay white...

made it! my comrades and i post run (aka, the guys who stuck with the slow girls!)

warrior, in more ways than one!

fireman hose down. actually painful!

  

cleaned up, viking dancer (on a downhill!) :)

Namaste,
Callah
article and personal photos copyright of Callah at callahyoga.blogspot.com

yin, here i come!

the first yin class i took was actually during my moksha training... which exactly one year ago, i was just in the beginning stages of! i can't believe a year has already passed by, seeing lots of changes in my life. I "celebrated" today by teaching FIVE classes! Yes, i felt a little crazy. I'm not quite sure how full-time teachers do it on a regular basis, although I'm your body does get used to it. Tons of water, electrolytes and coconut water later i am ready for an early bed time! of course, it is the middle of summer, HOT, and i am a little over the heat in this moment!

so what is a more perfect thing to do than expand... i am all signed up for a yin yoga teacher training weekend intensive in October. Yin classes always feel so delicious to me... they have the same effect as a restorative class, leaving me refreshed. I wasn't quite sure where I would take my training but some web searching led me to the Rama Lotus studio in Ottawa. After a few days of deliberating, consulting with my family in Ottawa and ensuring I could take a day off work... I am officially registered :)

image Rama Lotus  

I can't wait to expand my teaching knowledge, and hopefully delve into teaching outside of the hot room. What styles of yoga do you love? What kind of class do you consider a "treat"?

Namaste,
Callah
article and personal photos copyright of Callah at callahyoga.blogspot.com

a yogic summer in the GTA

I've finally been recommitting to my practice, both on and off the mat... and it feels fantastic! Yoga is definitely what was missing in my life when it got crowded out by stress, to-do lists, sleep deprivation... but I'm back in the game!

Toronto and the GTA is a great place to be for the summer of 2011 for yogi events... check them out!

What: Yoga Meltdown
When: July 17
Where: Centre Island, Toronto
Toronto is on the brink of a yoga revolution! For well over 40 years, Toronto’s Hare Krishna Centre has been the hub of exploring the deeper facets of yoga. The city's yoga community spoke loud and clear about their desire for a spiritual yoga festival and thus we are presenting the Fourth Annual Yoga Meltdown - a free outdoor yoga extravaganza!

What: Yoga4Change
When: Tuesday, July 19, pm
Where: Twist Gallery, 1100 Queen St W Toronto

I won't get into too much detail on this awesome event, as my friend will be writing a guest post soon! In a nutshell though, it's a yogathon fundraiser for the New Leaf foundation... and you'll have a chance to win one of my very own handmade malas!

What: Ananda Fest
When: July 30-31
Where: Keswick, Ontario
A weekend combining yoga, nature, music and lifestyle. The owners of Chrysalis Yoga, a great new studio i've recently fallen in love with in Burlington, will be teaching at this event, Canada's very own Wanderlust!

What: yoga practice on Rogers field
When: August 18
Where: Rogers Centre, Toronto
"On August 18th, in conjunction with the Toronto Argonauts, we invite you to participate in theFIRST EVER Yoga practice to happen on Rogers Field! The event will combine a yoga practice, charity barbeque and Toronto Argonauts game…what a great way to bring yogis and sports lovers together! Yoga will begin at 2:30pm, followed by the 5pm charity BBQ and the evening will end with the 7:30pm kick-off of the Toronto Argonauts vs. the Saskatchewan Roughriders game. Tickets for the practice, entrance to the BBQ and the game are $30 each and can be purchased from the front desk at Moksha Yoga Downtown. If you would like to reserve a block of tickets, please email Erin at erin@mokshayogadowntown.com to make arrangements."

What: Yoga Festival Toronto
When: Aug 19-21
Where: National Ballet School, Toronto
I'm excited to be able to attend this event! An "urban retreat", yocoto organizes this weekend full of meditation, asana, lectures and more, right in the city. I volunteered last year and loved it. I'll be taking asana classes with Eoin Finn amongst many other great classes offered!

Namaste,
Callah
article and personal photos copyright of Callah at callahyoga.blogspot.com

lotus heart

One of my favourite things about exploring new classes and teachers is discovering new yoga music. I took an amazing class at a brand new studio, Imprint Yoga in Toronto (conveniently a few blocks down Spadina from Fresh) and Sunny, the instructor, played this song by the Desert Dwellers in final savasana. I love all the different elements... I think i even hear a didgeridoo in there? Best savasana I've had in a while!



I ended up buying the whole CD on iTunes... great music for an at-home asana practice!

Namaste,
Callah
article and personal photos copyright of Callah at callahyoga.blogspot.com

play by play

So, apparently it's possible for my blogging to go downhill even more? I'm currently finishing up my Moksha requirements for grad - to be officially certified. The final project was a 30-day savasana challenge, previously mentioned i'm sure. I'll include the journal entry from my first day - a play by play, broken down by the minute (although I'm a cheater, this was seated meditation), some light reading for you. Reminds me of that scene in Eat, Pray, Love.

1: This is so comfortable.

2: Hmm, I need to stop writing the journal entry out in my head.

3: Just focus on your breath.

4: Next time, shut the cat outside of the room.

5: I wonder if this itch will go away if I keep focusing on my breath.

6: Oops, I should have told my boyfriend not to text me for 20 minutes.

7: What the heck is my cat doing behind me?

8: Oh hey, I guess that itch did go away.

9: Breath. Feel it through the body.

10: Another text? Keep eyes closed!

11: I should have peed before sitting.

12: Ok, seriously stop writing the journal in your mind.

13: This isn’t so hard.

14: I must be getting close to 20 minutes.

15: My back is getting sore.

16: Oh wow, it’s because I’m slouching so much!

17: My back feels so much better sitting tall again!

18: Ok, don’t peek. 10 more breaths.

19: Ok, this timer must be broken. I’ll peek… damn, 5 more breaths and I would have made it!

20: Next time I won’t peek at the clock! 

All times approximate of course (except the last minute!) :)

Namaste,
Callah
article and personal photos copyright of Callah at callahyoga.blogspot.com