A Studio of One’s Own. And Why We Need this

Creating a quiet or sacred space for one’s self, or specifically, for one’s yoga practice, is a challenge for many of us. Add a busy career, relationships and /or children and it becomes this beautiful chaos.  One way I chose to simplify this juggling act was letting go bit by bit of solitary time, be it in a yoga studio or at home. That was a recipe for irritability.  So finding a cozy studio that feels like “home” is rare, yet 889 has easily achieved this.

As a yoga teacher and mother, I often passed on my own practice to make that extra special dinner or snuggle on the sofa as per my children’s common request. I regarded this sacrifice as “being yoga,” or selfless service. This inevitably didn’t work, as the benefits of daily asana are keenly felt.

Yoga practicioners feel on a cellular level just how often their body craves dynamic flow or deep slow stretching. Maintaining a balance is easy in theory, yet often challenging as a mother and wife. Choices are made. Husband frowns, “yoga again? Didn’t you take care of that stretching last week?” Women do tend to sacrifice of their own free will, yet not exactly martyrs.

In Virginia Woolf’s extended essay, “A Room of One’s Own,” the author laments that women could achieve so much more creatively if given fair and equal circumstances.  The one phrase we all recognize is “A Room of One’s Own” . Loosely translated it is Woolf’s assertion that a woman needs both financial stability and a room with a lock and key if she is to thrive intellectually as a writer.

There is a common thread in Woolf’s catch phrase for the yoga practicioner. If there is a desire to deepen your knowledge through the hatha, Raja , Bhakti, and Jnana traditions we need precious time, an inviting space and the resources to support your studies.

So I can only share my experience. There is never enough time in the day, so I have accepted my life rhythm, knowing it is in a constant state of flux. Without guilt I sneak away to the nearest yoga studio, where I find space without distraction. This is glorious. It feels extravagant to steal away when I am always emotionally needed at home.  I am the classic “ yogi householder.”  So perhaps I haven’t cultivated a sacred space in my home as small fingers scribble on journals, jab objects in my candles, and throw yoga blocks in the swimming pool! My safe haven is running to a yoga studio!

889 Yonge sets the standard. There was no intention to gush on about this , yet 889 provides this sanctuary as their members can attest to. When I arrive, sans children, I sit down, tea in hand.  As I inhale 1000 Mysteries herbal blend , I realize I have olfactory memory of the fragrant tea with this studio, it is one and the same, bliss. Little things like this create excellence, as aromas have had their place in therapeutic use for centuries. Everything smells yummy and clean. I begin to decompress . I leaf through the pretty yoga books, not analyzing anything. All multi-tasking is put on hold, letting my thoughts pass through me, I am grateful to have found that room of my own.

http://889yoga.com/blog/yoga-movement/a-studio-of-one%E2%80%99s-own-and-why-we-need-this/

Posted on September 21, 2014

Global Seva Challenge 2012

On the spectrum of fundraising there are the polarities: huge corporate functions such as SickKids Mistletoe Ball to the grassroots initiatives such as Indiegogo. Both wonderful. We all strive to help one another because it is the “right” thing to do, with a sense of obligation to our friends and family. We donate on behalf of a friend’s cause. Sometimes it will be a cause that feels personal. Occasionally,  it is sponsoring a cause that will bring your business into prominent display.

The initiation into activism feels like this yet amplified. This willingness to step into action arises when feeling emotionally charged for the cause, or the community in crisis. This is how it began for me, with a bit of insomnia, yet unequivocally certain I had to understand the issue of sex-trafficking. My call to activism began in a hair salon in May 2008. It was fast, and affected me deeply. There I was sitting in a salon in Toronto, flipping through New Yorker magazine. I recall missing Long Island and the salty beaches I grew up on.

And then I encountered with this article:

http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2008/05/05/080505fa_fact_finnegan

The link above leads to William Finnegan’s feature, entitled “The Countertraffickers: Rescuing the Victims of the Global Sex Trade.”
Reading Finnegan’s article was a direct hit on my sheltered existence. I finally understood gratitude on a very deep level, knowing my children run free, safe and nurtured . Yet in an alternate universe, there are millions of children, as young as six years old, that are sold into brothels. What!

Can you imagine a child suffering such an unnatural experience. For the first few weeks after reading this article, I had insomnia and a flow of tears. When one cannot rationalize a thing, it can be channeled into activism. This is far more effective than shedding tears.
What does this have to do with wellness,  nutrition and daily affirmations in 889 Blog, you might wonder?

Everything. As we know, yoga means simply to yolk, or unite. Quite often yoga students become immersed into yoga through asana. Some are quite content to stay with the physical practice . Some of us tentatively embrace Yamas and Niyamas. It is these precepts of social and personal disciplines that  Pantanjali’s Yoga Sutras suggest we embrace first, as it is the first and second limb of the Eight Limbed Path.
On the path, we sense that we’re all in this together, breathing as a collective. We are reminded that all beings come from one source. In this way, one can embrace karma yoga. Karma=action. Karma yoga is the path of selfless action, yet without design. It is to give yourself wholeheartedly to your task, and not feel burdened.
Seva = selfless service. I absorbed seva as a new mother, so when I see these little girls in crisis, the mother in me responds swiftly.

Seane Corn, internationally known yoga teacher, activist and 889 guest teacher has been spearheading these international service projects, Off the Mat, Into the World (OTM).  OTM’s 2012 Seva Challenge addresses the issue of sex trafficking in India and worldwide.   Corrie Teahen and I accepted the challenge, and hope to to raise $40K collectively.

If I have to adopt, hold fundraisers until people run for the hills as I approach, then this is where the river flows. The topic of trafficking is a vision we recoil from, yet recoiling is precisely how it proliferates. Great strides have taken place with the incredible dedication of Somaly Mam. Somaly Mam is an activist, heroine and former child slave. Her auto biography is both harrowing and inspiring in equal measure.

Please help us achieve our fundraising goal, so that we can go to Calcutta, and bare witness. Hopefully we will see a healing process for the survivors. We have less than 100 days to make this happen.

If you wish to donate to  889 yoga teachers Jodi Fischtein or Corrie Teahen, please help by clicking this link, scroll down until you see our names.

http://www.offthematintotheworld.org/give-to-global-seva.html

On September 22th, 2012, 889 Thompson will host their annual Global Mala. They have graciously offered to support our fundraising initiative! Global Mala is also held on the fall equinox. Lots of fun on the Thompson deck! The class is karma, so it is a donation based class. Big hearts make big changes for these young victims.

Many thanks for reading this. Special thanks to Emily, Christine, Nicky and the 889 family for their ongoing support to the global community.

 http://889yoga.com/blog/yoga-movement/global-seva-challenge-2012/

Posted on September 21, 2014 in Article

Delight on the Mat

August 13, 2013

What brings us to our yoga mat each day? As practitioners, we cultivate agility, fluidity, and acceptance. These are just a few descriptives. I was asked to explain the concept of delight and how it weaves into our yoga practice.

Delight is the sensory experience that all sentient beings seek. Initially, I sensed delight as a color. I see tangible shades of pink, e.g. Laurent-Perrier Rose and Maison Ladurée. To move beyond the material, delight within our practice can be experienced as Bhavana which alludes to a feeling or cultivation.

Delight can arise when we are in a state of creativity, and with yoga, we thrive in creativity through fluid movement, altruism, and self-realization. Onwards we endeavor to feel that tribal connection. We observe yoga tribes as seekers of the truth, “being” with the truth, or satsang, which quiets a busy mind.

This cultivation or Bhavana can be traced to an early Buddhist Canon, the Pali Canon: Metta-Bhavana translated “cultivation” or “development of loving-kindness.”

As we move through realms of happiness and unhappiness, we assemble memories of bygone delights. We return to the diversions that gave us pleasure. We return to our yoga mat, time and again. Delight can evolve from self-seeking to sharing. The delight of helping others thrive brings us to Metta-Bhavana, or loving kindness.

Yoga in Toronto is plentiful and joyful. Many yoga teachers are quite passionate about their practice and find delight in watching their students evolve. So I asked: “What gives you delight in your yoga practice right now?” These were the answers I got.

I bask in delight, with gratitude, as my yoga practice continuously informs me of who I am, what I value and what I am learning today through a physical and spiritual experience.”

– Sari Nisker, Spynga. She holds a calm space for all.

“The sun shining through my stained glass window and altar gave me delight this morning.”

– Nicky Poole, 889 Yoga. Her generosity is beyond, as I witnessed.

I helped a student overcome their fear and they did a yoga asana they never thought possible. Now they will ask themselves, ‘what else can I do that I never thought was possible’.”

– Daniel Lacerda, Mr. Yoga.

“When I can really drop-in and get completely lost in my practice, I feel a sense of warmth and connection that is nothing short of delightful.”

– Kate Gillespie. So strong, kind and inspiring.

“Honestly, heat and dripping onto my mat in a room full of other yogis with good jams.”

– Corrie Teahen, 889 Yoga. Corrie keeps it real. Authenticity.

“My practice and meditation are keeping me healthy, happy, vibrant and bring a smile to my face and peace to my heart.”

– Michael Siddall, Y-Yoga. Michael’s guidance is sought out in many communities.

“In my daily meditation practice, I experience delight from simple yet profound insights to life that I receive from simply ‘being’. Makes everything more clear in my life.”

– Michael DeCorte, Jock Yoga. Uplifting. His path is a cleansing fire.

So when you see the yogi huggers closing in on you, maybe you embrace their bear hug, with metta-bhavana having a cumulative effect on your well-being.

Yoga in all its manifestations should feel delightful, introspective and disciplined all at once. Come together and experience joy.

Jodi Fischtein is a mixed lineage yoga teacher, loving the many aspects of Ashtanga and Vinyasa yoga. She has also completed Thai Yoga massage training. In 2010, Jodi visited Kerala, India with world renowned teacher Shiva Rea, to immerse herself in local Ayurvedic traditions, as well as the ancient South Indian martial art Kalarippayattu. Jodi has near completion of 500 hours in Prana Flow Yoga which builds on her foundation 200 hour training that she received from Cynthia Funk at the Yoga Sanctuary in Toronto. Jodi is committed to raising money and awareness for projects she believes in.

http://parvatimagazine.com/2014/07/yoga-delight-on-the-mat-by-jodi-fischtein/

Grasshopper Pose

Learn poses that build to grasshopper pose from 889 Principal Teacher, Jodi Fischtein. Jodi also demonstrates some great and safe ways to enter the pose. Have fun!