Extreme Cold Warning

As I write this message to you, it’s December 28, 2021. I’m in Jasper, Alberta, enjoying the splendour and beauty of the Rocky Mountains, the view of the pine trees blanketed in heavy snow, the sounds of conversation and laughter. The warmth inside where I sit gazing out the window is complemented by the wonder of my 5-year-old and 3-year-old grandsons who are off on a “bear hunt”, camping out in the living room, shrieking when the “bear” is in sight. The extreme cold warning is ever present and persistent in many parts of the country and I’m incredibly grateful for the love and warmth that being with family brings.

Not everyone is so fortunate. In fact, my son and husband drove from Jasper to Calgary yesterday to support our son’s friend/co-worker who lost his girlfriend on Dec 26 in a tragic head-on collision where she was killed instantly. The 23-year-old Calgary-based nursing student was on her way to Jasper to spend the remainder of the holiday season with her boyfriend. And now her boyfriend is in Calgary grieving with her family and friends. My heart is heavy and I can only begin to imagine the pain and anguish they will experience every holiday season for a long time to come.

“Pain is inevitable but suffering is optional. This is the skill and that is what is yoga.”

— Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

The quote above may be familiar to some of you. We all experience pain in the course of a lifetime. Pain is inevitable, unavoidable, and sometimes excruciating and unfathomable. Yoga and other spiritual traditions teach us that while pain is inescapable, suffering is a choice. This doesn’t mean that the path is easy. Quite the opposite is true. Fortunately, however, there are many resources, approaches, tools and “technologies” that can help us with our suffering and this includes the many facets of yoga.

Last summer I attended a yoga workshop co-hosted by Barrie Risman and Sophie Grégoire Trudeau (yes, “the” Sophie… spouse of our Prime Minister Justin Trudeau). Sophie is a beautiful soul and at the outset of the workshop she shared with us that for her, yoga is a way of living and she practices yoga for two reasons:

1) To become a better person;

2) To learn to be at peace with her mortality and the mortality of others around her.

The workshop conversation then turned to the topic of nature. It is said that nature holds the state of yoga. Seasons. Common experiences. Breathing.

“When I exhale, I am feeding the trees and the plants. When I inhale, the trees and plants are feeding me. ”

— Indigenous saying

More conversation, and the following question: How do you keep your mind still when negative thoughts keep arising? To this Sophie replied:

“So what. Notice. Observe. Let go. It’s ok. Then come back to the breath. We’re all being breathed. It’s a gift.”

The breath always shows us where we are at any given moment. The breath is a revelation. Generally speaking we “traumatize” our experiences. Coming back to the breath is a shortcut to ease and peace. According to Cheryl Salzberg, world-renowned meditation teacher and NY Times bestselling author:

“Meeting the breath is like meeting your inner lover, your inner companion.”

With all of this in mind, perhaps you, or someone you know, might benefit from my new Morning Reset classes held on Tuesdays:

Take a morning break and reset your day with a short breathing practice (pranayama) followed by a “mini” version of iRest® Yoga Nidra. iRest is a simple form of meditation, a modern-day process of self-inquiry and self-discovery. With a focus on body sensation and the breath you will be guided into deeply relaxing states, moving beyond self-limiting beliefs and conditioning. With practice you will enhance your sense of awareness, your sense of being a whole person, ultimately coming to the realization that you are perfect just as you are. This secular practice, supported by scientific research, has been demonstrated to be beneficial for stress, sleep disturbances, chronic pain, mental health, chemical dependency, post-traumatic stress injury, cancer, anxiety, depression, and other conditions. No experience is needed and you can practice seated or lying down, with your eyes open or gently closed. This class, live-streamed via Zoom, is accessible to everyone regardless of ability or background. Everyone is welcome.

By the way, the Morning Reset 45-minute classes are FREE for Frontline Healthcare Workers, First Responders, 9-1-1 Operators & Call Takers, Bus Operators, Post-secondary Students, and current Studio71Yoga Students. Please spread the word…

The next Intro to Yoga for Better Sleep workshop is being held this upcoming Thursday evening, virtually, on January 6. You can find details here. There’s still time to register.

Having sleep difficulties but unable to attend the workshop? No worries. Register for the 6-week Sleep Recovery program which begins on Thursday, January 20, and explore your personal solutions for better sleep. To learn more about the program click here.

Take refuge from the extreme cold and isolation by joining me and your fellow yogis for the Winter 2022 regular classes which begin on Saturday, January 8. There’s a variety of options to choose from and “wellness discounts” are available when you register for more than one weekly class (conditions apply). Click here for the schedule, and feel free to contact me for more information.

I look forward to sharing my virtual yoga space with you in 2022.

Yours with humble joy and gratitude,

Jeannine

P.S. Since writing this I returned home safe and sound on December 31. Happy New Year!

Affirmation and Shifting Perspective

I’ve been feeling quite overwhelmed over the last few weeks with an ever-growing “to do” list, something that you can probably relate to. This is undeniably the busiest time of the year as we prepare for the holiday season. On my agenda today is a family brunch, a visit to an appliance store to place an order for an oven range that might arrive in 8-12 months, last minute shopping, cooking, plant watering, and more. I have to move the equipment of my virtual yoga studio (desktop computer and accessories, ring light, large-screen TV, microphone, cables, etc.) from my office to the dining room for tomorrow’s Studio 71 Yoga holiday gathering on Zoom, finalize the guest list and planned activities, touch base with my son and daughter-in-law about travel plans to Jasper (Alberta) to spend time with them and our two beautiful grand-sons.

I also have all of you lovingly in mind so I’m finalizing plans for the Winter 2022 session, and of course I have to teach a few yoga classes, do the laundry, clean the house, pay the bills, do the book-keeping, bake some cookies, visit with friends and family, deliver gifts, reply to emails, and the list goes on. I bet this sounds very familiar and I’m sure that the related stress rings true for you.

It’s at times like this that I return to my morning “sitting” practice (pranayama and meditation) and focus on an affirmation that I’ve adopted of late: “I have abundant time and energy”. After I repeat this affirmation several times and then send it into the universe, things begin to fall into place and my worry, fretting, and impatience are replaced by gratitude, joy, and peace. How wonderfully freeing it is to make this shift in how I view my to-do list, grateful for these opportunities rather than feeling overwhelmed by them.

Sending you this newsletter also provides a sense of relief since I have been putting it off until now. Without further delay or hesitation you’ll find the upcoming 10-week Winter 2022 schedule by clicking here. There are a few new classes (see below), which are a small attempt on my part to be of service to the larger community as we continue to deal with stressful life events associated with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and related sleep problems, stress and anxiety.

Thursday 7-9 pm INTRO - YOGA FOR BETTER SLEEP $40 with 2-for-1 pricing available until Jan 2, 2022 (Workshop Date: Jan 6)

Tuesday 10-10:45 am MORNING RESET $49 (Jan 11 - Mar 15)
Thursday 1-3 pm YOGA FOR BETTER SLEEP $229 (Jan 20 - Feb 24)

To give thanks to a few special groups of people please note that TUESDAY MORNING RESET (breathing practice and yoga nidra guided meditation) is FREE for anyone registered for the Winter 2022 session, as well as Frontline Healthcare Workers, and First Responders, so I invite you to spread the word. Click here for the class description.

By the way, when you register for two or more weekly classes you’ll receive a “wellness gift” discount of up to 30% (conditions apply). Also, if you or someone you know would benefit from my yoga offerings but payment is not financially feasible at this time, feel free to contact me in this regard.

I look forward to seeing you in the New Year.

With love, joy, and gratitude for your continued presence and support I am sending heartfelt best wishes to you and yours for a Merry Christmas and a peaceful, safe and healthy 2022.

Jeannine

Remembrance and Meditation

As I write this, I am aware of the changing weather. But snow is not yet in the forecast. More often than not, it is already on the ground by November 10th. A hint of a smile emerges as I await the first blanket of white, which always seems to instill a deep sense of peace within me.

Monday, November 11th, is Remembrance Day. In my household, it is always a day of heartfelt, quiet reflection as we watch the televised ceremony in Ottawa, our nation’s capital. Across this country, it is a sombre day of reflection and gratitude in recognition of those who have lost all or part of themselves, forever changed by their courageous efforts.

A few years ago, I learned that many younger veterans cannot participate in the Remembrance Day ceremonies. The painful memories and flashbacks of their time of service to Canada in wartime, military conflict, and peacekeeping are too fresh, too raw for them to endure. Many of them suffer from PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder), a relatively recent diagnosis involving a real disorder that was previously recognized but not adequately described, understood, diagnosed, or treated.

This leads me to reflect on a journey I have embarked on: learning to practice and teach iRest Yoga Nidra. This secular practice is a research-informed adaptation of the ancient practice of yoga nidra, a meditation for deep relaxation and healing. The origins of iRest (Integrative Restoration) Yoga Nidra date back to 2003, when its founder, Richard Miller, PhD, was invited to consult on a research project at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.

Due to the study's successful results, wounded service members were invited to participate in iRest as part of their healing care plans. The Defense Centers of Excellence in the United States currently recognize iRest as a complementary and alternative medicine for treating PTSD. Based on research with iRest, the U.S. Army Surgeon General has listed Yoga Nidra as a Tier 1 approach for addressing pain management in military care.

In the general population, iRest studies have also been shown to be effective in treating chronic pain, insomnia and other sleep disturbances, as well as depression and anxiety. It is an effective set of resources for well-being, and iRest can be practiced by anyone.

I offer complimentary iRest classes on Tuesday mornings, which include healing guided meditation. Click here to learn more. I hope you’ll join us in the new year.

Yours with loving kindness,

Jeannine

Tired of Feeling Tired

Browsing in the “wellness” section of a local bookstore the other day I was amazed at the number of self-help books on the topic of sleep, or rather, lack thereof. Upon further reflection, I realized that I shouldn’t be surprised at the number of publications on this topic since sleep deprivation, insomnia, and sleep disturbances affect most, if not all of us, to various degrees throughout our lives. What has changed, however, is the realization that sleep matters much more than we once thought. We now know that sleep has important restorative, repair and regenerative functions that are necessary to keep the body and the brain healthy.

If you read articles and books, or listen to podcasts, on this topic you’ll find that one of the most important strategies for sleeping better is to become aware of and be in sync with our natural internal clock, the circadian rhythm. Sticking to a regular sleep-wake schedule seven days a week will help you feel more refreshed and energized. Is this easy to do? Not likely. However, once we understand how we can better adapt our lifestyle, and learn what to do when things are out of sync, then we can rest easy.

There are many pieces to the puzzle when it comes to getting better sleep. Reading articles and books can be very helpful but often it’s not enough. Just like learning to play a musical instrument; it’s a whole lot better when you work with a qualified and experienced teacher. If you’re tired of feeling tired, join me for an introduction to Sleep Recovery™, and find out how this holistic, practical, five-step program can equip you with knowledge, tools and resources for better sleep. The two-hour workshop (evidence-informed information, discussion and practice) will provide an overview of Sleep Recovery™: an integrated framework that addresses the connection between body, energy, mind, heart and soul which all affect our ability sleep well.

I believe that with practice this life-changing program will help repair your natural ability to rest more deeply, and reduce sleeplessness. You’ll awaken with an enhanced sense of happiness and wellbeing.

By the way… you don’t need any yoga experience, nor do you need to be fit or flexible, to fully participate in this program.

Two-for-one pricing is available until Oct 8 so act quickly and sign up with a friend!

When: Friday, Oct 15, 2021 @ 6:30-8:30 pm (Central Time)
Where: Live stream via Zoom
Cost: $40 CAD (2-for-1 pricing available until Oct 8)
Register: Email studio71yoga@gmail.com (by October 12, 2021)
Cancellation Policy: Full refunds up to 3 days prior to the event. No refunds will be given after that time.

You can also sign up for the 5-week Sleep Recovery program without attending the workshop. Click here for more information.

Feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

Jeannine

Autumn Equinox and More

September is here. We’ve turned the corner and many of us have returned to established and trusted routines. For some there is a longing for the summer that is now behind us. For others, myself included, the rhythm of the seasons brings welcome changes. 

In a few weeks, the Yin cycle, the darkest time of the year will begin with the autumn equinox, the day of the year when light and dark, day and night, are perfectly balanced. As we move further into late fall this will herald the composting phase of the year, a time for harvest and gratitude, a time rich with symbolism that can be integrated into our yoga practice, and our life. As the autumn equinox approaches there is a shift of emphasis from outward achievement to inner reflection and contemplation. In this phase of the year, we move from:

Sun to Moon

Light to Dark

Yang to Yin

Outer Achievements to Inner Reflection

Action to Contemplation

Fire to Water

Growth to Dormancy and Incubation

Fruitfulness to Composting

Building Up to Letting go 

Alchemist and author Glennie Kindred further reminds us to “balance all parts of ourselves, the active and the passive, the known and the unknown, the outer journey and the inner journey, the seen and the unseen, the logical and the intuitive, the conscious and unconscious. From this place of Unity, new doors open, new directions, and new possibilities are revealed.”

What a perfect time to renew your sense of purpose, to reflect on what lights you up, to ponder what might help you to move forward, motivated and enthusiastic. With this in mind perhaps you’d like to join me for the Seek, Reflect, Restore workshop scheduled for this Friday, September 17 @ 6:30-8:30 p.m. There’s still time to register if you act soon. Click here for more information.

By the way, if you had intended to register for the Fall 2021 regular session, classes began yesterday (September 13) but you can still register if you contact me right away. See details here. 

With joy and gratitude,

Jeannine