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How I spend my yoga privilege

2021-09-14T17:04:42+00:00

Depression and anxiety are frequent visitors for me. The trick is to wait them out, not battle them directly. Instead I meditate daily and practice yoga asana - either through my gym membership ($35/month) or online (internet access $80/month). In my yoga teacher training (approximately $3500), I learned to meditate. Practicing regularly reminds me that I’m not my thoughts, especially not the ones that say, “You suck. You’re a horrible person.” This is only depression talking.  Yoga asana reminds me that I am patient and strong enough to wait out this enemy. Physical practice connects my mind to my body and [...]

How I spend my yoga privilege2021-09-14T17:04:42+00:00

Relationship is priority in trauma-informed yoga

2020-05-11T12:03:23+00:00

Nicole Marcia’s self-esteem tanked after she was assaulted by a neighbour more than two decades ago. She shut up the negative voices in her head with drugs, alcohol, and cigarettes. In her early 20s at the time, she didn’t connect her behaviour with the assault. Essentially, she just thought she sucked.  One day she heard a celebrity talking about yoga on TV, and thought, ‘Huh! I should try that.” A few classes turned into a regular yoga practice, and after a while her mood started to lift as well. But it wasn’t her mastery of  backbends, or attaining Madonna's yoga body. [...]

Relationship is priority in trauma-informed yoga2020-05-11T12:03:23+00:00

Why I’ll always find time to volunteer

2020-04-23T10:57:39+00:00

Volunteerism is an important family value of mine. From as early as I can remember, my Grandma and Mom have been avid about donating time and financial resources to their communities. There was an expectation that, if we had privilege, we should reinvest in our communities to help elevate the people who didn’t. The benefits of volunteering are plentiful. Here are four reasons I will always make time to volunteer. Purpose We are all searching for purpose in our lives.  My personal “purpose mission” is to leave the world in a better state than I found it. Caring about others is [...]

Why I’ll always find time to volunteer2020-04-23T10:57:39+00:00

Yoga at home for depression and anxiety

2020-04-13T09:30:39+00:00

“Isolation makes any problem bigger,” says Leslie Wilkin, a clinical social worker. Normally, Leslie Wilkin sees her clients at Island Health in Nanaimo face-to-face for depression, anxiety, addictions, and other mental health challenges. Due to Covid-19, in-person therapy has ceased, and her clients have less access to personal supports because of social distancing. Wilkin worries that this disruption to routine could make existing conditions worse. “We look to the people in our network for cues of safety and reassurance. If you can’t get a hold of your counsellor, you can’t go to your group, you’re not meeting friends, and all you’re [...]

Yoga at home for depression and anxiety2020-04-13T09:30:39+00:00

Christmas Mourning

2019-12-11T15:47:45+00:00

Last week I attended our workshop with Alica Forneret on grief. I was really looking forward to digging in and talking about grief, how it can swirl around a drain slowly, and then suddenly burst the pipes when you’re not expecting it.  You might think this is a bit late as a marketing attempt for a workshop. That would be true. But grief doesn’t let you meet your deadlines. Grief has its own interesting timeline.    When my father died December 7th was the one-year anniversary of my father’s death. His death was a surprise, but not unexpected: he was 85. [...]

Christmas Mourning2019-12-11T15:47:45+00:00

Do grouchy, judgemental smokers belong at yoga? Yes!

2019-03-11T18:49:16+00:00

Q and A with Julie Peters In preparation for Yoga Outreach's first conference (May 25), we asked the scheduled panelists what turns people OFF about yoga. Here's a thoughtful response from Julie Peters, yoga teacher, writer, and owner of Ocean and Crow Yoga studio in East Vancouver. YO: Can you smoke, drink, or eat McDonald’s, and still claim to practise yoga? JP: Food and substances aren’t good or evil; the important thing to consider is why we are consuming them. Lately, I’ve been working a lot with the differences between desire and craving, pleasure and distraction. True desires move us [...]

Do grouchy, judgemental smokers belong at yoga? Yes!2019-03-11T18:49:16+00:00

Chew on this, Blue Monday

2019-01-21T13:48:26+00:00

If Blue Monday is a duvet day, Depression is a bare mattress, a pile of stinking sheets and a coin washer four flights down.   This is not a typical Blue Monday post with five tips for overcoming the most depressing day of the year. Because real depression is NOT a case of the Mondays. It’s a relentless case of the every-days.   Usually - but not always - solutions are a combination of approaches, including medication, diet and/or exercise. But even following your treatment plan to the letter, doesn’t prevent relapses. Some 80% of people with diagnosed depression will experience [...]

Chew on this, Blue Monday2019-01-21T13:48:26+00:00

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