I was first exposed to yoga about 12 years ago when I walked past a studio window at the Halifax YMCA where the woman (who would later become my first teacher) was leading an Ashtanga Primary Series class. As I watched the synchronized movements and became mesmerized with the way one pose flowed into the next, I thought to myself, “Wow…that looks like it feels really good.” Continue Reading…
Every January I like to look back on the people and events that made the greatest impact on my life during the previous year— especially the teachers who shed light on everything I couldn’t see before. The past twelve months have been incredibly transformative, so having a record of what brought me to where I am now will not only be beneficial to me but hopefully you as well.
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You can teach a student a lesson for a day, but if you can teach him to learn by creating curiosity, they will continue the learning process as long as they live. – Clay P Bedford
In just over two months, the first class of Yoga Detour teacher trainees will walk through the doors of the beautiful Mindful Movement Centre to embark on a 10-month program that will change the way they look at the yoga practice. Continue Reading…
A few months ago I read a post online from Dewey Nielson, someone at the forefront of the new generation of movement specialists in North America. Nielson’s article addressed the common misconception that in order to become more proficient at a specific movement, like a squat, we just need to practice squatting more. Continue Reading…
Can you think of the last time you did something that, despite being good for you, made you feel absolutely, completely 100% uncomfortable?
That most recent something for me was going to Montreal last month for the first instalment of a course I feared would have me feeling “out of my element”, to say the least. Continue Reading…
In yoga classes, there’s often mention of “being in the moment”. You know the cues, the ones that tell you to ground into your feet and really feel the earth; to pay attention to your breath and stay present; to turn your awareness inward. If I were to add together all the classes I’ve ever taken, with all of the classes I’ve ever taught, and then counted the times I heard someone (including myself) talk about being present and in the moment, I would have nowhere near enough fingers and toes to keep track. Continue Reading…