Blog Archives - Inner Revolution Yoga Studio

This has been one of my favourite yamas. Asteya can take many forms. How can I be of service in this world? What can I give instead of take from people? I choose to move and give love. I choose kindness and peace. I choose to live my highest self each day. ASTEYA.

Exploring our creative side helps us open our right brain. Interacting with the world in different and new exciting ways. Moving out of the box helps us connect in different ways to who we are. We get to know ourselves better. You get to meet you!

Here are some mantras or sayings that teens can use to help them cultivate positive images of themselves.

I AM BEAUTIFUL

I MATTER

I AM FEARLESS

I AM HAPPY

Spirituality is part of the whole being. Connecting to levels deeper then ourself. Connecting to the subtle energies inward and outward.

The temple bell stops but the sound keeps coming out of the flowers.

-Zen Haiku Master Basho

Lit review “The Bad Seed” by Jory John

Emotional IQ is defined as being able to express all of your emotions and feel all of your emotions. Having a high emotional intelligence children and adults are able to express all that they feel allowing for balance and centred vibration. We believe that everyone is good. Sometimes we make a bad choice which may lead to a bad behaviour but the key message we need to send our children is that these choices do not make us bad.

This book “The Bad Seed” sends a message that rings loud and clear that there are “bad seeds”, this to me is not something I want to read to my kids or a classroom of open loving children. If we teach our children that they are a “bad seed” how do they feel or think about themselves as they grow up? The cycle continues and they self fulfill and our thoughts become our actions. To raise conscious connected children we need them to hear positive messages about themselves. They need to know that they can make bad choices but that they themselves are not bad. Even though at the end of this book the “bad seed” does want to change the message is not positive. We as a society need to look at the books that our children are being taught with and ask ourselves is this a positive message? Does this teach our children emotional intelligence? Are we raising conscious children?

Here are some tips to help you change the language in which we speak to our children:

1. Instead of telling your child they are bad, tell them that their behaviour (age 2-6) is bad age (7-21) their choices are bad.
2. Listen to children and allow them to tell you how they feel. Acknowledge their feelings just they way they are. This will help prevent a total melt down. As melt downs usually represent the child does not know how to appropriately express how they feel.

If you want to learn more about emotional IQ check out our family yoga. We do lots of discussion, poses, meditation to help parents and children bond and express themselves.

One of the noble truths that comes with this life on earth is suffering. We are all suffering. It is through this suffering that we learn the lessons we are supposed to to teach. Suffering is unavoidable so how to we cultivate joy when there is pain?

Through this pain there are breaks and during these breaks in our suffering we can choose to find joy in these moments or continue to wallow in our suffering. It is when we choose joy we learn how valuable human life is. We are all worthy of joy and love.

Many of us do not realize how powerful words can be. Our voice has a vibration that carries out into the universe. Words that others say and also words that we say to ourselves. Are you aware of what you say to yourself? Ahimsa is non violence. Be kind with your words. Create words to inspire yourself and others. Choose joy. Choose love. Choose kindness.

Over the past few months my yoga practice has become more physical. My postures are more yang and powerful. I have found my way back to the foundation of ashtanga yoga. Ashtanga is a type of yoga based on eight principles and consisting of a series of poses executed in swift succession, combined with deep, controlled breathing. Finding some balance in the same series of postures can offer participants a solid foundation to grow and evolve. As each class you begin to lay stronger roots in each posture until it becomes a floating dance.

At Inner Revolution we have two yogis who have studied in ashrams in India with this style of yoga. We will be exploring a 4 week series routed in ashtanga. Practicing with a guide Monday, Wednesday and Fridays from 6am-7am.

This 4 week Inner Yoga Bootcamp starts today!

Sign up for all 12 sessions or drop in!

The yamas are our studio theme for March. They are sort of ethical guidelines in how we live our life and how we treat others. They are very personal and can be shaped to what you need to help better guide your direction in your yoga practice off mat.

Brahmacharya: This yama refers non-excess (often interpreted as celibacy). In our modern day being celibant is not always an option, in fact my computer did not even pick it up as a word. It is important to have healthy intimate relationships as long as we are not in excess. We refer to excess as taking more then we need. This can be regarded as more food then we need, more “things” then we need. This first world concept of needing new things and the newest and latest gadget is one of excess. If we reflect on what we truly need we need not want.

Here are some tips to practice Brahmacharya off mat:

1. Simplify- Only take and ask for what you need
2. Reflect on what you truly need to make you happy
3. Find joy in the simple things your life offers