Rainedanceyoga - east end Ottawa

At the request of some students and friends, I made some quick videos with tips to develop your inversions. Let me know what you think, and I hope it help your yoga journey! https://m.youtube.com/user/hooprainedance?desktop_uri=%2Fuser%2Fhooprainedance Also, be sure to steady yourself in the intermediate postures before moving onto the more advanced versions. I like to hold the intermediate postures until I can comfortably take 10 long breaths. Have fun! a few more videos to come....

Since fall of 2011, I've been including ball rolling into my yoga sessions with wonderful results and feedback. To expand further on all of the questions after a ball rolling session, here's more information for you! *I learned these methods initially from my friend, massage therapist, yoga teacher, Kristine Karpinski in the summer of 2011. She was greatly influenced by the work of Yamuna Zake,  www.yamunabodyrolling.com In September 2011, I brought the balls to my classes and learned from my students how to integrate this therapy into practice. I've taken occasional workshops with local YTU teachers, and Jill Miller, the founder of  www.yogatuneup.com. YTU is a very comprehensive system based on anatomy knowledge and compassion. I continue to learn from both Yamuna and Jill Miller through their abundant internet resources. *Rather than expensive and specific yoga therapy balls, I use playground balls, 6" in diameter, that I've deflated to half so they ca...

A student requested this for her home meditation. Please feel free to share. Love to all - Jenny Chakra Pranayama -breathing through the energy centres of the body. This is the opening breath sequence of a Chakra focused yoga workshop, developed by Jenny Anderson with much respect to Anodea Judith and her illuminating teachings of the chakra system. I highly recommend her book, Eastern Body, Western Mind. Sit comfortably in easy seat. Close the eyes and breathe. Bring awareness into the body and breath, stilling the mind. Visualizing a red square at the base of the spine, begin to rock forward and back to feel the tailbone and pubic bone, then rock side to side, feeling the sitz bones. From this conscious base, inhale as you draw the knees and hands up, then pull knees and hands down as your focus remains on the base of your spine, your Muladhara chakra, the root. Do this breath cleansing action at least 21 times, inhaling and exhaling through the nose. Then chant the bija (seed sound...

The Eight Limbs of Yoga start with the Yamas (ethical restraints) and the Niyamas (ethical observances ). I consider the Niyamas to be how we relate to our Selves - with a capital S! The first of the five Niyamas is Saucha , or cleanliness. Saucha reminds us to treat our body as a temple, and honour our divinity with good hygiene. Staying healthy and clean in body and mind will improve our quality of life both on and off the yoga mat. In these times of flu fears, it's important to remember to keep our nasal passages functioning optimally. Many yoga practitioners use a neti pot daily to keep our sinus passages clear. This helps our nose to flush out any airborne viruses. A neti pot is a wonderful addition to your daily self-honouring ritual, and may be a vital preventative to maintaining good health this winter. Check out http://www.himalayaninstitute.org/Netipot/NetiPotGateway.aspx or ask me for more neti pot info. They are available at most drug stores and Jean Coutu. The second ...

Patanjali was an Indian mystic who first wrote down the ancient wisdom of the Himalayan yogis into the Yoga Sutras , concise threads of knowledge on how to live a life in union with God or Cosmic Consciousness. It amazes me how this ancient knowledge is so relevant in our world, society, families, and individuals today. Patanjali outlined an eight-fold path to living skillfully, and only one of these paths relate to asana practice - the classes I teach about the physical postures we take to strengthen and ease our bodies. Patanjali offers the physical asana practice as a tool to settle our bodies so we can sit comfortably for long meditations! Of the eight-fold path, or Ashtang system of yoga, the first path towards a direct relationship with the Divine is Yama, or restraints. I consider the Yamas to be how we relate to the world. There are 5 Yamas, and the first is Ahimsa - or non-violence. Ahimsa , or non-violence, is the practice by which Ghandi liberated India from British rule...