Where Do You Find Your Inner Teacher?
I went to Saskatoon at the end of May, to the Iyengar Yoga Association of Canada’s conference and AGM. What I found there, along with the aforementioned magpies, gophers and lilacs, was friendly people, good conversation, and something more: another piece of the Inner Teacher puzzle. The Inner Teacher is the innate intelligence that, among […]
Five-Minute Yoga Challenge: meet Chaturanga at the wall
For more than 25 years, I’ve felt bullied, oppressed and pushed around by Chaturanga Dandasana, the yoga push-up. I’d watch other people push up off the floor, or lower themselves from plank pose, and wonder why I was such a weakling. Yes, it’s a hard pose. Yes, after looking through a few hundred photos on […]
Five-Minute Yoga Challenge: sit at a corner to strengthen your core
From the first time I met them, I have had two demon yoga poses: arm balance and Chaturanga Dandasana. Kicking up into arm balance scared me silly for years, but over time I’ve had recurring breakthroughs. Chaturanga has remained an unpleasant mystery. Every time it came up in class, it affirmed my inner suspicion that […]
Squeeze a Brick for Strength and Clarity in Your Legs: Five-Minute Yoga Challenge
Every once in a while I read a description of Iyengar yoga that says something on the lines of: “This style of yoga uses props to make the poses easier and more accessible.” Oh no, dear hearts. Indeed, there are times when a cushy bolster, a stack of blankets or a well-placed chip foam block […]
Find Your Bungee Cord: Five-Minute Yoga Challenge
The Five-Minute Yoga Challenge started as a response to two of Gretchen Rubin’s Rules for Adulthood: “What you do EVERY DAY matters more than what you do ONCE IN A WHILE,” and “By doing a little bit each day, you can get a lot accomplished.” That, in a nutshell, is the philosophy of My Five […]