Registration Now Open: Spring Session and Workshops

After considerable thought and consideration I have decided to continue with live, virtual classes on Zoom for the upcoming Spring 2022 session. The word “spring” really jumps out at me as I look out my office window. It is cold, snowing and blustery but I know that spring will arrive as sure as the earth turns on its axis so I remain cheerful and optimistic.

I am counting my blessings of late even more than usual, increasingly aware of my privilege and incredible good fortune, grateful for my family and friends, and especially for your presence. Our cozy little yoga community continues to thrive as we spend precious time before and after our classes, sharing thoughts on recent events both near to and far from where we live and love. Some of you I have not seen for over two years yet you still reach out after receiving my newsletters and it always warms my heart to know that we are still connected in this way.

The Spring 2022 session begins on Monday, April 4 and registration is now open. Please confirm your attendance and I will reserve your spot. If you have not been able to join us but would like to, let me know. We will gladly welcome you to our sharing circle.

Perhaps you were hoping for a return to in-person classes. If that is the case I ask for your patience as we move forward and tread carefully amid the lifting of covid restrictions. That being said, I have decided to offer a special in-person Restorative Yoga workshop on Sunday, March 20 @ 2:00 - 4:30 pm. Your investment is $50, proof of full vaccination is required, and space is limited to 4 participants. I am not posting this workshop on my website so this is the only place where you will read about this offering. If you would like to attend, please contact me by email at studio71yoga@gmail.com.

Class descriptions, details about the Spring 2022 session, and an upcoming Reflect, Discover, Restore workshop are available on my website. More information will follow in my next newsletter.

With joy and gratitude,

Jeannine

Winter 2022 Offerings

Winter 2022 yoga classes and workshops got underway this week and I must say that I was incredibly pleased and grateful to spend quality time with you. It was wonderful to see your smiling face and to share some screen time with you. Yes… screen time. It might not be ideal but I don’t know where I’d be without Zoom. It’s the next best thing from my perspective. And much of life is about perspective, isn’t it?

Anyway… this is just a quick note to let you know that there’s still time to register if you’d like to join me and a few other warm-hearted souls for regular live, virtual weekly classes. I’m also available for in-person, private classes if that suits you better.

By the way, how are you sleeping these days? The 6-week Sleep Recovery course begins on Thursday, January 20 (1-3 pm) so there’s still time to register. If you’d rather fly solo I totally understand. If this is the case, I highly recommend Lisa Sanfilippo’s book by the same name, Sleep Recovery, which is the backbone of the course. It’s available in print, electronic and audio formats. That being said, many people benefit much more with personal guidance which is where I come in. I’d love to help you so feel free to contact me to further explore how we can work together.

Details regarding all of my current offerings are available at studio71yoga.com.

Yours with joy and gratitude,

Jeannine

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