**By Optimum Health Vitamins**
One of the many buzzwords in the holistic community is “balance.” What is balance though? I could ask ten different people and get a completely different response from each one. As I’ve reflected on what balance means in my own life, it seems to me that “balance” can be effectively symbolized by a person learning how to walk on a tightrope. At first the tightrope walker starts close to the ground, learning how to redistribute his/her weight carefully to stay balanced on the rope as it moves. As the tightrope walker gains skill and confidence the rope can be moved higher off the ground. Balance is not static or un-moving. It’s more like constant movement from right to left, forward and back, similar to the motion of a tightrope walker. Read more >>
Bottle Drive
Make a difference abroad, make a difference at home… there really is enough to go around. Even though Christmas is over, Pat Dobberthein, our Massage Therapist and Sivananda Yoga Instructor has been likened to “Santa Claus” more than once and for very good reason. For the past 6 years Pat has collected bottles from friends, relatives, acquaintances, whoever he can so he can make a difference in the world. For Pat it’s been a humbling and rewarding experience to stack his car with as many bottles as he can fit in, drive to the inner city, wait and watch until he sees those who are in real need of help and hand out a bag or two of bottles. It sounds like a little thing, but for some this simple gesture has meant a lot….the gesture, the bit of help when least expected and Pat’s kind ear that willingly listens to their story. Pat’s gesture is so touching we’ve decided to get involved by bringing this to your attention and asking you for your bottle donations to Yoga for Today. As you know, we’re not a bottle depot, so for things to work out well, if we could receive only clean/washed out bottles properly bagged and sealed tight. During the week of Feb. 13 (Mon.-Sat) bring your bottles on the way to class. Come through the east entrance doors and place your bottles downstairs along the south wall (from the window side to the mail box area) and Pat will come and collect each day. We’re hoping for success and for clean, sealed and tight bags. Little things mean a lot, and we can be the difference that counts.
Kate Potter
Kate Potter is a very special yogini who has been to YFT many times over the years. You may know any one of her DVD’s or know her from her very popular TV program, Namaste Yoga. This year Kate was scheduled to return to the studio for an April workshop but instead became very ill, cancelling all workshops.
Hearing of Kate’s ordeal, it was hard to imagine that life could turn so suddenly and yet it has that ability… for Kate or for any one of us. Every day after reading her e-mail I found myself wanting her well, and imagined the yoga community around the world coming together to send our love and wishes for her steady and full recovery. Believing, together, we can influence the rebuilding of Kate’s physical strength, vitality and health.
Please read the post, linked below to Kate’s website, where she openly shares this most intimate journey. Needless to say – our yoga community will miss her coming this year – miss her beautiful, kind, compassionate spirit. Her message holds the experience of what she’s been through as well as her warrior strength and the faith and love for life she holds close.
My hope is that we will come together as a yoga community and be a womb-like blanket of support for Kate to draw upon. May we send her our heart-felt prayers and thoughts, whether we’ve had the pleasure of meeting or knowing her, or not. In out yogic hearts let’s unite and be with her each step of the way… sharing our OM’s, the ultimate universal vibration, for Kate…. OM Recovery…. OM Health…. OM Vitality.
Message from Kate: http://www.katepotteryoga.ca/street.html
3 Simple Steps for a More Restful Sleep
by Survivor Bootcamp.
Please visit www.survivorbootcamp.com for more great fitness articles.
Picture this: It’s 5:27 PM. You’re hungry after a busy day at work, itching to get home to see your family, and now you’re stuck in traffic. Frustration sets in. But you’re used to it since this is an every day occurrence.
You finally stroll into your house at 6:04 PM, your children are clamoring for your attention, and they’re hungry too. You pop some frozen dinners in the microwave knowing they’re not healthy, but also knowing that you just don’t have time to think, much less cook. After a quick dinner your day’s not even close to being over.
Now it’s time to do laundry, read with the kids, and of course a day’s work left over from the office. When do you have time to rest? At night you keep telling yourself.
But every night it’s the same old story. You flop into bed past 1 AM and close your eyes. Your mind is still racing from the day that just passed and the busy day ahead. So you toss and turn, hoping that you’ll be able to get at least a little shut-eye before your 6:00 AM wake up call (an annoyingly loud alarm clock you’ve had for 15 years).
And the next day it starts all over again. You’re tired at work, you don’t have time to eat, you’re stressed, and you can’t get out of the vicious cycle.
So what do you do?
First thing’s first: take a deep breath. You’re probably stressed out just reading this far.
To get a more restful sleep tonight do the following:
1) Get a notebook and take 5 minutes right before laying down to free write. What you want to do is get every thought from the past, present, and future out of your head and on paper where it’s safe and secure. This will free the clutter from your head and allow you to rest easier.
2) Get a new alarm clock that wakes you up gradually with classical music. This will do absolute wonders for your morning routine. What you want to do is set the alarm to go off 15-20 minutes earlier than you usually wake up. It will turn on very quietly and slowly bring you out of your slumber.
3) Add a few very healthy snacks to your daily routine. One of my favorites is a 2 oz pre-packaged bag of baby carrots. They taste good, they’re good for you, and they take no prep-time. When you’re hungry at work or on the way home, munch on these. Another great snack is raw almonds. Eating healthier works amazingly well to help you sleep better.
Please use these 3 simple tips to enjoy a more restful sleep every night.
by Survivor Bootcamp
A Taste of Raw Food
*This is a guest post by Keltie*
Are you searching for a healthier way of eating? Have you ever wondered what a raw food diet is? Does it mean eating uncooked eggs, fish, meats, cheese and milk? For some raw foodists or raw fooders it does mean that.
The world of raw food opens up a world of possibilities; the chance to re-examine what healthy eating means to you, the chance to evaluate individual food choices, and most importantly an insight into what exactly it is that we’re putting into our bodies on a daily basis.
I would like to tell you a little about eating a raw vegan diet or following a raw vegan lifestyle, which I have been doing for about the past year and a half and I have never felt better! Read more >>
In Honour and Celebration of Gerda Krebs’ 80th Birthday
*This is a guest post by *
Thank you to everyone who contributed to and participated in the 80th birthday celebration of Gerda Krebs, held at Yoga for Today on Friday June 17th. The love, appreciation, and reverence for Gerda could be felt in the air. She has contributed an unmeasurable amount to Yoga for Today, to our teachers and students and to yoga in the community and the entire province.
A special thanks goes out to Lisa Hickman and Martina Roemer for the delicious birthday cakes, Marie Casey for gift organization as well as the wonderful local flower shops which generously donated flowers for the occasion:
Panda Flowers, Klondyke Flowers, Flowers in the Park, Purple Daisy Flowers, Grower Direct Sherwood Park.
And now, a few words to honour Gerda, as written by :
“Do you know anyone 80 years of age still working in the occupation that supported them all their years through? At Yoga for Today in Sherwood Park we have the honour of knowing such a woman. Gerda Krebs, turning 80 on June 12th, 2011, began her yoga career in 1971 at the age of 40 and today is still going strong. Read more >>
Yoga for Asthma
There are currently over 3 millions people in Canada who suffer from asthma. They come from all walks of life and all age groups. Medical inhalators meant to relieve asthma symptoms are now being questioned, as it is believed by some that these medications, while relieving asthma symptoms almost instantly, may actually lead to increased attacks and symptoms in the long run.
Like most diseases and disorders there is a plethora of medication available both over the counter and with a prescription. Some of these just relive or mask symptoms without actually getting to the cause of the problem. Read more >>
Welcome!
Welcome to our new website! We have worked very hard alongside the talented folks at Paper Leaf Design to make sure this new website is user-friendly, informative and most importantly, good looking. We are thrilled with the results and we hope you will be too! Read more >>