PLN Yoga - Fall Schedule 2016

Hello,

Already into August so I am posting my upcoming Fall Schedule.  I will be teaching mostly at Yoga Sublime studio in Prince Albert, but also have a noon class again at The Healing Garden Spa.  I hope to include a few classes for Christopher Lake too.

Classes are subject to change due to unforeseen circumstances or low enrolment.

Please take a look at the schedule and feel free to email or call me with any questions.
There will be an open house and registration night at Yoga Sublime on September 1st.
I hope you can attend and register for classes then or feel free to register early either online or by contacting Yoga Sublime at yogasublimestudio@gmail.com or contact me at plnyogastudio@gmail.com. 

Thank you for your support and interest.

Kind regards,
Pamela Nelson
 Instructor: Pamela Nelson – Certified Iyengar Yoga Instructor

www.plnyoga.blogspot.com – plnyogastudio@gmail.com

306-982-2737 or 306-981-4703

++Classes are subject to change due to unforeseen circumstances.++

Classes in Prince Albert at Yoga Sublime Classes at Yoga Sublime please register at www.yogasublimestudio.com *Please note class start dates and dates of no classes!
Tuesday- begins Sept. 6th	Thursday – begins Sept. 8th for evening classes and Oct.6th for the morning classes.	Saturday-begins Sept.10th
9:20-10:20am  Iyengar Flow *no class Nov.8th		9:00-10:15am A.M. Eye Opener *No class Oct.22nd
10:30-11:45am A.M. All Levels *No class Nov. 8th	10:30-11:45am A.M. All Levels *No class Oct.20th &  Nov. 10th
12:05-12:55pm – Noon Yoga @ The Healing Garden Spa  begins Sept. 20th 5 card pass - $65 Please contact Pam to register No class Nov. 8th	12:00-1:00pm – Noon Yoga *No class Oct.20th &  Nov. 10th	MINI Workshop Oct. 15th -  11am -1:30pm Inversions and Backbends Please see full poster for more details.  Not suitable if pregnant or menstruating.
	1:30-2:30pm – Backs and Joints *No class Oct.20th &  Nov. 10th
5:30-7:15 pm  Iyengar Intermediate	5:30-6:45 pm Gentle/Restorative *No class Oct.20th
7:30-8:30 pm Beginner/All Levels	SEE BELOW – Thursday Extras!!

Special Classes @ Yoga Sublime:

Thursday Extras – 7:15-8:30pm Timed Practice Sept. 29th, Oct. 13th & Nov. 10th This class is for all – levels but some yoga experience is required.  By holding postures for a certain length of time it brings the breath and mind more inward Build Your Home Practice - Dec. 15th This class will give tips for building a successful home practice as well as a few reference handouts *Class passes may be used for Thursday Extras

Sunday’s –Sept. 18th, Oct.16th& Nov.20th Calm the Breath, Calm the Mind Linking Asana, Pranayama & Meditation 1:00-3:30pm - $35/class Classes will focus on how asana help to build strength, determination and endurance for pranayama while keeping the nerves and brain calm and begin to relax the mind for meditation.

 

 

 

 

 

The Twin Pillars of Yoga

The Twin pillars of yoga are described as abhyasa (practice) and vairagya (detachment).

Patajali's Yoga Sutra's state:

Y.S. I.12 abhyasa vairagyabhyam tannirodhah
Practice and detachment are the means to still the movements of consciousness.

Y.S. I.13 tatra sthitau yatnah abhyasah
Practice is the steadfast effort of still these fluctuations.

Y.S. I.14 sa tu dirghakala nairantarya satkara asevitah drdhabhumih
Long, uninterrupted, alert practice is the firm foundation for restraining the fluctuations.

Y.S. II.16  Heyam duhkham anagatam
The pains/sorrows which are yet to come can be and are to be avoided.

Pains, sorrows and afflictions are a part of life due to our desires.  The external world has many desires that pull us, which creates more desires.  When our desires can not be fulfilled we experience pain and suffering.

Geeta Iyengar says in her book, Yoga: A Gem for Women that,

"Without rigorous practice nothing is gained.  Without practice, purity of the body and the mind cannot be achieved, fluctuations of the mind cannot be controlled.  The fruits of the material world cannot be obtained without sustained effort; this sustained effort has to be multiplied a thousand times to gain Self-knowledge.  This rigorous practice is fourfold: moral, physical, mental and spiritual."

 She also says,

"The key to success is effort.  Vairagya or absence of worldly desires can be achieved by controlling the senses, by carrying out one's duties without thought of reward and by acting with goodness and purity."

The same idea is described in B.K.S. Iyengar's book Light on Astanga Yoga.  He says abhyasa means practice and vairagya means desire less practice.  Our practice needs to be done with detachment so that there is no expectation from the fruits of our actions.  This does not mean we do not have an aim to our actions for universal good, but to let go of our ambition to remove the selfish motives and desires.

Another way this is written that I find helps explain the twin pillars is in B.K.S. Iyengar's translation of Patajali's Yoga Sutras.  He says that,

"The twin paths to this goal are practice (abhyasa), the path of evolution, of going forward; and detachment or renunciation (vairagya), the path of involution, abstaining from the fruits of action and from worldly concerns and engagements."

They are described as twin pillars because to do yoga you cannot do one and not the other.  If either one is missing your foundation will crumble and the cycle of suffering will continue.


Namaste.
Pamela Nelson
www.plnyoga.blogspot.com
email: plnyogastudio@gmail.com

Any mistakes in trying to explain the twin pillars are my own.

Repost from May, 2011 The Importance of Water

The Importance of Water - A Water Sutra



This is a repost from a blog I wrote in 2011.  Still relevant and I hope you will read.  Send me your thoughts.  This post discusses a bit the devastation from fracking, but is still relevant with the current oil spill that is affecting many people, animals and environment.

Some places in the world the people living there get their whole years supply of drinking water during the monsoon season.  They realize how important the collection, conservation and preservation of this precious resource is and learn to use it wisely so it will last until the next season.

Here, at least where I live in North America we can open the taps and have water on demand.  We are not conscious of the amount we even use in a day, never mind a whole year.

So, today I am writing to maybe spark a thought in your mind to consider the amount of water being used and how it is being used.  This idea started a few days ago after reading and re-reading in the book You Are Therefore I Am, by Satish Kumar where he speaks about how for the Jains the wasting of water is a serious matter.  Satish's mother would tell him,

"The monsoon is a great friend of the people and the Earth.  The monsoon comes once a year and brings the gift of water. Our task is to receive the gift with gratitude, to thank the rain god, and make use of water with care and reverence.  Our task is to live in harmony with the monsoon and celebrate it.  God Surya, the sun, and God Indra, the rain, are twin brothers and all life depends on them."

How simple, yet how wise.  Our lives depend on the sun and rain, yet many of us do not even know directly where our water is coming from, what is being put into it or how much we are wasting...daily.

Then being a CBC radio fan it was another connection to hear in the last two days two programs concerning water.
On May 10th, "Your DNTO"(definitely not the opera), had Kevin Freedman on it. He challenged himself to only use 25L of water a day for a certain period of time.  It was interesting to hear how he was able to accomplish this, even carrying the water he would need with him to flush public toilets and shower at the gym.  You can listen to this episode from the CBC website.  Here is the link.

http://www.cbc.ca/dnto/episode/2011/04/14/how-have-numbers-shaped-your-life-apr-23may-3/

Here is the link to the website for the Water Challenge Kevin takes part in.  The site is full of interesting information regarding water and things we can each do to help reduce our water consumption.  http://www.howlowflowcanyougo.com/

Then, last night on my way home I heard "The Current" where the topic was about Shale Gas and Fracking.  Fracking is a fairly new process where large amounts of highly pressurized water is injected down into shale beds to help release gas.  The water is then pumped back up to the surface to extract the gas, now polluted with the fracking chemicals and other materials.  Andrew Miall was the professor being interviewed and has been monitoring the environmental impacts of fossil fuel development.  He said that in one operation that took place in B.C., they were permitted to use, therefore pollute, the same amount of water the whole city of Victoria uses in a day.  Listen to this if you wish by following the link below.

 http://www.cbc.ca/thecurrent/episode/2011/05/11/shale-gas-fracking/

So, we live in a world where we try to create inventions to save us time.  But, as Satish's mother also said to him, "Is there a shortage of time?", "You are trying to save something which is infinite, and expend things which are finite."

We are depleting our nonrenewable resources at an unprecedented rate.  Creating inventions that exploit the very earth that gives us our life.  Let's bring the conscious awareness we create on our yoga mats to our daily lives, even if only a little and become more consciously aware of what we are using, why we are using it, how we are using it and if we can do something to conserve it a bit more.

Remember, one of the Yamas in the yoga sutras of Patanjali is aparigraha - non-greed, not taking more then one needs.

I will end with the water sutra Satish's mother would tell him:

Waste not water
Nor ever spill it
Water is precious
Water is sacred
The way you use water is the measure of you
Water is the witness
Water is the judge
Your reputation rests on your careful use of water.

We must receive the gift of water with gratitude, and make use of water with care and reverence since ALL LIFE depends on it.


Namaste.
Pamela Nelson
http://www.plnyoga.blogspot.com

Summer Yoga Schedule - 2016

Summer Yoga Schedule

    Pamela Nelson – Certified Iyengar Yoga Instructor 

Monday	Tuesday
Murray Point Campground Beach   11:00 a.m.-Noon  – All Levels     $5/per person *Please bring a mat or towel.   Dates: July 25th, August 1st, 8th and 15th	Yoga Sublime Studio – Prince Albert   5:30-6:45p.m. – All Levels   7:00-8:00p.m. – Gentle/Restorative     Dates: July 5th, 12th, 26th and August 2nd

 

For more information please contact Pamela Nelson at plnyogastudio@gmail.com

Call:  306-982-2737 or 306-981-4703

You can also find out more about me at www.plnyoga.blogspot.com

I am also available to small group or private classes at my home studio throughout the summer.  Please contact me with dates to see if available.

Thank you,
Pamela Nelson
 

Book Review: Peace and Where to Find It

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Peace and Where to Find It

Like all journey's we must begin with an idea of what we are looking for.  Chapter one begins with The Search for Peace.  In the search for peace we must become more attune to our inner awareness to bring us to the deeper reality of how to actually come to this state of peaceful within even if you are maybe not having a peaceful day or in a peaceful place.

The book is mostly set in a question and answer set up which can be helpful if you have certain questions arise as this book answers many of them. 

Below is from the Namaste Publishing website about the book:

In a world rife with turmoil and lives led in fear, this book is the road map that delivers us from our angst, sense of separateness, and fear to the place where true and lasting peace resides.  

The world has never created/manufactured peace and never will because peace is already here and everywhere, waiting for us to notice it. It is a fundamental characteristic of who we are, if we were only aware of this.


 This book reveals the deep relationship between peace and body awareness. Inhabiting the present moment through deep body awareness makes peace manifest in our lives and across the planet. Thus feeling our bodies – the outer and inner – is a radical and revolutionary act.

Giving our full and felt attention to the body helps us enter the present moment where we become aware of this ever-present peace. The body is always here in the present moment and our sensations can only be felt in the now. Presence through body awareness is the off switch to the incessant voice in our head that pretends to be us. The more present we are, the quieter our thoughts and reactions become, and we come to realize we are not our thoughts but are the peace-infused awareness that’s the source of everything.

 

Christopher Papadopoulos lives near Montreal, the city in which he was born. He holds bachelor degrees in education and history from Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, and has served as both a primary and high school teacher. Based on his desire to help create a better world, in 1993 he ran for parliament in the Canadian federal elections. Realizing that a world of peace and harmony begins within the individual, he then embarked on an inner journey toward greater self-awareness. He works with individuals and groups, guiding others to experience peace through the process of his own self-discovery.

I received this complementary copy of Peace and Where to Find It from Namaste Publishing. 

Check out their website for more inspiring books.

http://www.namastepublishing.com/

 

 

Namaste.

Pamela Nelson
Certified Iyengar Yoga Instructor

www.plnyoga.BlogSpot.com
plnyogastudio@gmail.com

 

 

The Beauty about Dharma - May Peace Practice

Peace practices at yoga sublime studio are a way to generate compassion for ourselves and those around us. Monies raised this month are going to the Prince Albert women's shelter. 

Thank you to all that attended. It is always nice to share these practices with people from the community and know will be helping those in the community - whether that is near or far. 

During the class I read a little from an article by Birjoo H. Mehta, a long time student and teacher of B.K.S. Iyengar.  

In it he gives a few definitions of dharma but the one Guruji often used and I have read in a few other of his books is dharma is that which uplifts, sustains, upholds those who have fallen, are in the process of falling or will fall."

Birjoo tells a story of how a number of Brahim priests were called for a feast. 

He writes, "The host put a condition that while the priests could eat as much as they wanted they should do so without bending their elbows. So the priests being very smart fed each other.  Because of this action everything was sustainable. Each person was fed by the action of others. A Brahmin did not feed himself. A Brahmin did not feed others to feed himself. Even if someone stopped feeding him, he kept feeding others seeing that the feeding of others had no connection to the feeding of himself. 

No person is so independent as to be able to feed himself or herself. Every person is fed by others. And in turn if you feed others in a manner that it sustains this ecological state, the that action is dharmic.  The only way you can acknowledge the bounty of the universe is by doing dharmic actions or actions that sustain, that support the ecology, the ecosystem.  This happens only when you realize that you are entirely supported by the universe and not by yourself."

Thank you Birjoo for the wise words and for me a strong feeling of being part of something greater for the good of others. 

Next Peace Practice is June 3rd with donations going to the Prince Albert S.P.C.A.

Namaste, 

Pamela Nelson

Certified Iyengar yoga instructor

Www.plnyoga.blogspot.com

Plnyogastudio@gmail.com