Yoga To Raise Your Vibration - Christopher Lake

I hope you can join me for this fun and informative class on the many things that can help to raise your inner vibration.

We all experience many stresses throughout the day that contribute to how we think and feel. Even the foods we eat can affect our vitality.

We can help mitigate this with many things to keep ourselves feeling more positive and uplifted.

This class is in Christopher Lake on October 25th - 6:30-8:30p.m.

Please register early!

 

Namaste.

Pamela Nelson

Certified Iyengar Yoga Instructor

www.plnyoga.blogspot.com

plnyogastudio@gmail.com

 



 

Fall Yoga Classes in Christopher Lake

I now have my fall classes for Christopher Lake posted.

Please see the poster below for dates, times, location and prices.

I will be offering a Beginner/All Levels class Monday mornings and Wednesday evenings and new this fall is a Mom and Baby class on Monday mornings.

Classes will run if minimum numbers registered are met.  Please register by September 4th.

For more information or if you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.
plnyogastudio@gmail.com 

I will also be having a special class on October 25th.
The poster will be out soon.

For now here is the title:
Raise Your Vibration

The Camino ~ A Journey of the Spirit

 

 

 

The Camino ~ A Journey of the Spirit

By: Shirley MacLaine

 

 

Ultreya is my new favorite word.  It is a Spanish word, derived originally from Latin.
I love how it sounds and the definition makes me like it even more.  In the book it was defined as: Moving forward with courage.    I think most of us do this every day.

I had a coupon for a free book at a used bookstore.  There were many great books to choose from, but I was drawn to this one. I have been interested in the Camino trail, thinking I would maybe one day like to hike it, and the title - A Journey of the Spirit - was quite inviting as I feel I was needing this  lately.  I finished the book quite quickly but have been trying to write this post for almost a month.

This book was published in 2000 and starts with the story that led Shirley MacLaine to make the pilgrimage along the Santiago de Compostela Camino in Spain at over the age of 60.

From the jacket cover it is explains a little about the journey. 
Many, many pilgrims from all over and for many centuries have made this trek. People like St. Francis of Assisi, Charlemagne, Ferdinand, Dante and Chaucer have been said to walk this trail.

It is a 500 mile trek across highways, mountains, valleys, cities, towns and fields. It is not only extremely physically challenging but also mentally and spiritually.  It is said that the 'Camino' lies directly under the Milky Way and follows ley lines that reflect the energy from the star system above it.

This book is an interesting read, especially growing up knowing Shirley as a Hollywood actress and activist.  If you read her biography or look her up on Google you can see she has lead quite an interesting life.

I did find some parts of the book a bit hard to completely grasp.  Shirley experienced many visions during her walk and some weren't as clear to me what she was experiencing and you have to let yourself be very open minded.  In many ways though I felt an understanding and connection to what she was saying and explaining from many of the yoga books I have read.

It is incredible that this trail has continued to be active and hiked for many centuries and that people along the trail will be there to help and support you.  It is also incredible to think of the history that has taken place along this long and arduous trail. After reading the book and researching more, I'm not sure I'm yet up to the task.  I too may need another 20 years to be ready.

Here are some quotes I took away from this book:

"If one does not feel love for animals and birds and fishes or feel cool breezes upon the skin, one never knows the God within.  Without knowing that, one cannot really love another."

"Remember the trail enables you to recall who you are.  You are the repository of many experiences along the road of time.  And as you move forward, you are in effect going within, which you would term going backward in time.  In truth, you are seeking to travel forward to the beginning.  Ultreya....have courage, because all roads lead to the beginning.  You will see some of that in due course.  Thus you must travel your road, out of time, until you make the symmetrical loop of understanding what went before.  All lines loop back to the beginning."

"I remembered what a great teacher had told me about fear: "Never ask yourself what it is you fear -instead, ask yourself what it is that concerns you.  A fear thought, put out, will return, because all energy returns to the sender.  Any energy always makes a loop until it regains the source.  A concern thought will return also.  At that moment discern why you're concerned.""

"When I stopped, I listened to the sounds of nature.  Then I learned to see the sounds and hear the colors.  Was this freedom?  No, it still wasn't.  Real freedom would be to walk without shoes or a backpack or a staff or food or water , and mostly without thoughts.  The thoughts were what created pain and anxiety and suffering." 

As I go through this book and read the passages that I have left markers in, I see that I would benefit from re-reading much of this book and probably get even more out of it.  It is interesting because whoever read it before had underlined many passages that I would not have. 

 

Oprah did an interview with Shirley MacLaine regarding her trek on the Camino.  Here is a link.
http://www.oprah.com/own-super-soul-sunday/shirley-maclaine-on-hardest-part-of-walking-the-spanish-trail-video


If you are reading this and have made this trek I would love to hear your stories.
I can hope one day to make this trek myself.


Ultreya.
Pamela Nelson
www.plnyoga.blogspot.com



Being a minimalist to the max!

 

I've always been a less is more kind of person, so I wouldn't say I was a minimalist but that is just the way I am.  When I looked up the word minimalism,  one definition I found was that it is a tool that can assist you in finding freedom. Freedom from fear. Freedom from worry. Freedom from guilt. Freedom from depression. Freedom from the trappings of the consumer culture we’ve built our lives around. Real freedom.

So, that may not really define it but I did find a website that explains it quite nicely.
https://www.becomingminimalist.com/what-is-minimalism/

This is what I feel yoga does also, so I think finding the yogic path was always something that was meant to happen.  Mr. Iyengar has written that he wouldn't tell his students to stop drinking, smoking, over eating, etc., but following a yogic path those things just fell away and were no longer important.

I have always loved being a part of nature and doing things to try and protect nature. 
The quote, "Living simply so others can simply live." is really what I strive for. Traveling as a teen really helped me to see this both in terms of how little I really needed to live and how fortunate I was to have the home and conditions I did have.

 

That being said I think there is a flip side to the coin.  I have to really watch my mindset when I am in the cleaning out the house mode.  I know it is also a form of control, what I do when I feel I don't have control in the other areas of my life.  I clean, throw out and give away. 

 

That is not freedom.  It is still an area I must work on and I find yoga has helped me during these anxious times.

 

Our house is far from bare, but what we do keep we do try to make it something that has meaning.  I have had to accept that for the kids it might mean keeping a sticker or item of some sort that to me seems like garbage but to them has value and realize that living with 4 other people I may not have the perfect and uncluttered house in a day.

 

 

Namaste.

Pamela Nelson

www.plnyoga.blogspot.com

plnyogastudio@gmail.com

 

 

Upcoming Fall Classes and Workshops - 2017

My fall schedule, special classes and workshops at Yoga Sublime have been posted on the Yoga Sublime website. I will also be teaching a noon yoga class at the Forest Centre in Prince Albert.
I will post my other classes in Christopher Lake in the near future.

Classes begin in September! Registration open now though.
My evening classes begin the week of September 5th and the Tuesday morning class begin September 12th.

Tuesday's:
10:15-11:30a.m. - Iyengar A.M. All Levels - begins September 12th - at Yoga Sublime

12:05-12:55p.m. - Noon Yoga - begins September 12th - at Forest Centre

5:30-7:00p.m. - Iyengar All Levels - begins September 5th - at Yoga Sublime
7:15-8:15p.m. - Iyengar Basic/Level 1 - begins September 5th - at Yoga Sublime

Thursday's: at Yoga Sublime
5:30-6:45p.m. - Gentle/Restorative Yoga - begins September 7th
7:00-8:30p.m. - Women's Health Yoga Workshop - Thursday's in October - see poster below
7:00-8:30p.m. - Building a Home Yoga Practice - Thursday's in November - see poster below

Saturday's: at Yoga Sublime
9:00-10:15a.m. - A.M. Eye Opener - begins September 9th
1:30-4:30p.m. - Yoga From the Core workshop - October 16th - see poster below
10:30-Noon - Yoga For: Necks, Shoulders, Backs and Knees - September 23rd, 30th & October 14th &21st (see poster below)


Here are some other Workshops and Special Classes I will be offering at Yoga Sublime.
If you have any questions about them please feel free to contact me.

 

 

 

 

 

Noon Yoga Class Poster:

 

 

 

Thank you and I hope you have been having a great summer!

Namaste.

Pamela Nelson

www.plnyoga.blogspot.com

plnyogastudio@gmail.com

Summer Solitude - The Importance of Solitude

"Solitude is where one discovers one is not alone."  - Marty Rubin

Summer is a wonderful time!  More daylight and warmer weather allows more opportunities to get outside and enjoy spending time with family and friends and connecting with nature.

For me it can also be a bit overwhelming too.  We have acres to mow, gardens to plant and weed, and this year the weeds are plentiful :)  There is the yearly house maintenance - sanding and painting, window washing, etc. and that doesn't include wish list things which usually get pushed to the next year list.  Summer is also the time when I attend a few yoga teacher training workshops because I don't have to take as much time off when regular classes are running. I am fortunate and am not complaining but it means time away during the summer from family which changes their plans too.  Along with all this there is the expectation of going places, doing things and of course having FUN doing it.
I know, stressful right?  Which isn't what summer is meant to be. 
 
So, for me it is just as important to keep up my home yoga practice and find times of solitude. 

There are many studies, articles and books you can find on this subject too.
I found one pdf book - The Importance of Solitude for a Balanced Life that is short but has many great suggestions.  Here is the link:

http://www.interdimensionalhealinglight.com/the-importance-of-solitude.pdf


There is even a Dummies book out there - The Importance of Solitude for Happiness.
http://www.dummies.com/relationships/happiness/the-importance-of-solitude-for-happiness/

Here are some key reasons highlighted in an article on the book.

Solitude allows your body to catch up with your mind.

Solitude allows your brain to rest.

 

Solitude jumpstarts the parasympathetic nervous system (the branch of the autonomic nervous system that calms you down).

 

Solitude prevents burnout.

 

Solitude enhances creativity.

 

Solitude can be a time of self-discovery.

 

Solitude allows you an opportunity to deal with the big questions in your life. Solitude provides an opportunity for perspective.

So knowing this and doing this can be two different things.  But like all worthwhile things making and taking the time can be done by just doing it.

I encourage you to take even 10-15 minutes today in solitude.  Do a few stretches to loosen tight muscles and then sit with the breath.
Close your eyes and relax the face. Bring attention to the breath as it touches the nostrils on the inhalation and on the exhalation.  Without forcing allow the breath to become slower and deeper. Gently relaxing the throat and jaw and any hardness in the chest.  Feel how that release in the face and brain allows any tightness in the abdomen and diaphragm to also release.
Stay with that for even 5 minutes.

Ahh. I feel better already...


Happy Summer! 
Namaste.
Pamela Nelson - Certified Iyengar Yoga Instructor
www.plnyoga.blogspot.com

July Classes:

Here are a few of my Fall Offerings:

This September I will be teaching a 3 hour workshop at Yoga Sublime Studio - www.yogasublimestudio.com  in Prince Albert. 
This workshop will begin with the outer body to help one move inward towards the inner core.

You can register online using the Mindbody app. for the studio.

"The physical body is not only the temple of our soul, but the means by which we embark on the inward journey towards the core."  B.K.S. Iyengar

And a few other classes :)