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Tag: Students

When Your Stronger Than You Think… And Why Yoga

Posted on by hamiltonadmin

two womenLast August, Modo featured me in a blog post for Social Worker Awareness Month. I spoke about how yoga helped me manage my stress at work. What I failed to mention in that blog was that I had just been diagnosed with breast cancer and I am convinced my yoga practice literally saved my life.

I first realized something was wrong during a cobra pose almost a year ago. Over the years, my yoga practice has made me so aware of my body that I intuitively knew something was wrong. It was during this time, I realized Modo was so much more than yoga to me. It was always a huge part of my life but now it became an invaluable outlet for all my fears and anxieties. It helped me stay positive and smile when there were days I definitely wasn’t smiling on the outside. After every class, I felt mentally stronger and it helped me to visualize my fears melting away with every drop of sweat. My yoga practice has also recently taught me the necessity of reaching out to people and accepting support which isn’t something that comes easy to me. So much of this support I found came from my family, friends, colleagues and the Modo community.

Being a part of the Modo community assisted me in finding the peace in my heart and the strength that I needed to fight for my life. It’s unusual to say, but I think having breast cancer was one of the hardest things I’ve experienced but also one of best things to ever happen to me. I was committed from the moment I was diagnosed to have an open dialogue with my family, friends and colleagues about my fears and anxieties. I strongly believe we connect with each other through sharing our stories and our personal struggles, and for this reason I decided to share my story in this blog.

In my previous blog with Modo, I admitted to having a very type A personality and at times living my life on autopilot. I still catch myself making to do lists in savasana, but I’m trying to be more present in everything I do and to let go! I have found a renewed love and respect for my yoga practice and the way of life this practice has gifted me. I am full of gratitude for everything it has taught me and the community of support, which has surrounded me.

For a moment last August I thought my life was over. Now, I realize it has just begun and everyday is a new beginning to start again. I hope others that find themselves on a similar path as I did when I was 40 years old are lucky enough to have the support which was extended to me. Modo Hamilton has generously dedicated February’s karma charity to the YWCA Hamilton Encore Program. The Encore Program is FREE and specifically designed for women who have experienced breast cancer. Through gentle exercise, relaxation, peer support and information sharing it helps women with the after-effects of breast cancer surgery and treatment. I feel so fortunate to be participating in this program in the spring. I hope by sharing my story it inspires you to support this incredible program so other women like me can have this same opportunity.

For more information or general inquiries about the Encore program contact Anne Marie Collingwood, YWCA Hamilton Encore Coordinator T 905.522.9922 ext. 158 acollingwood@ywcahamilton.org

(Originally published February 5, 2018)

A Dragon Slayer’s Journey to Yoga and What That Looks Like

Posted on by hamiltonadmin

Teachers and students alike all have different reasons why they arrive on their mats. For some, it is battling an old injury, for others, it is their defence to battle negativity and stress. Often the very thing that brings a student to practice, is not what keeps them coming back.

For one student, Kyle Andrew, landing on his mat is actually for work! You see, Kyle is an actor and doing his own stunts, his career can be very physically demanding. Adopting a practice of mostly SSU classes, he comes to his mat to repair and prepare his body for whatever might be around the next bend … even if it is a dragon!

More from Kyle:

kyle the dragon slayerWhen you are called into a meeting and told that the world needs you, that you must prepare for battle, become Dragonborn and save the world from an onslaught of dragons, you would imagine that about a million thoughts go racing through your head. Me? I had only one: I need to step up my yoga game. Allow me to explain.

When I was cast to play the hero in Sony’s global launch campaign for their Skyrim VR game, I learned immediately that the role would be very physically demanding. I would be learning sword fighting, performing my own stunts (both firsts for me) and doing so while wearing a very heavy and stiff costume. Now, I am not a 20-year-old man anymore, and it occurred to me that the physical demand being placed on my body would require careful preparation. My weight training intensity was increasing in the month leading up to the shooting days, my diet was changing, I was going on long exhaustive hikes wearing a 30lb weighted vest. But all any of that was doing was breaking me down. I needed to heal and recover from that schedule. And for that I doubled down on my yoga practice, specifically the SSU classes offered at Moksha.

I began attending classes 3-4 times per week instead of my usual once or twice. I realized early on that the pliability of my body was going to be the key to getting through this unscathed. And I was right; the SSU classes were the perfect compliment to the hectic and intense schedule. The hot yoga sessions aided my recovery from the other training greatly. Further, being on that mat so many times each week kept me centred and focused mentally, and with so many moving parts in a production like that, finding mental calmness may have been the most important aspect of all.

Flying through the air and being jerked by the crane cables (yes I was jumping off a cliff, that wasn’t green-screened) can wreak havoc on your spine, I’m guessing. But not mine. I was ready. And long nineteen hour shoot days wearing a heavy costume can take its toll, but if you haven’t seen a Dragon Slayer perform a pigeon pose in a barren post apocalyptic landscape, then you haven’t lived. I made it through one rehearsal day and two very long shooting days (thirteen hours and nineteen hours) unscathed, and of everything I did to prepare for that shoot I have Moksha Yoga Hamilton to thank the most.

With a hectic and unpredictable lifestyle, my practice centres me and brings me calm amidst chaos. Namaste.

(Originally published January 30, 2018)

Student Life Can Be Hectic – But There’s Yoga For That!

Posted on by hamiltonadmin

Front desk staff, Anisha, tells us about her journey to her mat and what that meant and looked like for her.

What does Modo mean? To some, it means salvation or freedom. For others, it means a safe place to exercise and practice yoga. To me, Modo means family.

This summer I was given the incredible opportunity to become a full-time member of the MYH community by working at the front desk. I have been practicing at MYH Dundas since 2012 and I’ve always felt like there was something special about coming into the warm studio being surrounded by even warmer faces greeting me before and after classes. It was my escape from the cold, my escape from reality; it was a mini-vacation (it was certainly hot enough to be one!).

As a full-time student during the year, I can never make it to my mat as much as I’d like so I decided that this summer I was going to change that. Since I’d be coming into the studio almost every day to work, I thought I would just do a class (or two, or three) around each of my shifts to get back into the habit of practicing. I set a goal to complete 100 classes before school starts in September. I completed almost 70 classes during my 3 months of practice. Every time I was in the studio someone asked me how my 100-class challenge was going. It amazed me to see how supportive everyone at MYH was, whether it was a student, staff member, or teacher (especially since everyone comes to their mat with different intentions).

Each smiling face motivated me to come in for more classes to ultimately make my goal. Although I couldn’t successfully complete my summer goal, I was proud of my efforts of even making it to my mat in the first place because it was 70 more classes than I probably would’ve done before.

Sometimes the challenge comes in being able to accept the fact that we can’t always complete every goal we set for ourselves. Or we may even need to learn to change our goals in the process to make it something more attainable to achieve. I have seen many mental, physical, and spiritual changes in myself due to my steady practice this summer; changes that never would’ve occurred without having yoga in my life. Although I had to change my perspective and change my goal, I didn’t give up or lose, I’m still a spiritual warrior, a spiritual winner, and know that I have the MYH family supporting me every step of my journey!

About the Author:

Anisha started practicing yoga 5 years ago in 2012, when she was just 15 years old.  She turned to yoga to help keep her grounded, focused and giving balance to a hectic school schedule. Now, a full-time student at McMaster University, she uses yoga to destress!  Anisha refers to her hour in the hot room as a ‘mini-vacation’ for her mind.  She also loves that yoga is a great exercise for the body.

(Originally published September 12, 2017)

Meet Neanette! Talking about work, stress and yoga…

Posted on by hamiltonadmin

Neanette has been a member with us since 2014. She sought out yoga to help calm her busy mind and to heal her body. By day, Neanette is a Quality Assurance Supervisor for a non-profit social service organization, that is a fancy way of saying she works in social services.

friend and nanetteNeanette has worked for the same organization for 17 years, she started 2-weeks after graduating with a degree in developmental psychology and honestly had no idea upon graduating what she wanted to do with her degree. There was one thing Neanette did know, and that was she wanted to work in a helping profession. Her role has evolved over the years from supervising a group home to working as a behavior therapist to her current role as Quality Assurance Supervisor.

“It’s rewarding to me and I feel very fortunate to have developed my career working for the same organization. I’ve always been socially conscious and passionate about education and activism. My position as the Quality Assurance Supervisor is a perfect blend of all those things. I’m able to help people and advocate through establishing policy standards and educating staff. I love that through training I can inspire someone to change how they think about something and this can improve the quality of care our clients receive,” commented Neanette.

Although Neanette finds her work incredibly rewarding, it can also be stressful. “For me yoga is my therapy. I believe very strongly that anyone working in social services must take care of their own mental health. Yoga is my outlet for releasing stress and any negative feelings. I also love that yoga helps balance my extremely type A personality. Yoga doesn’t come easy for me;” explained Neanette. “I do it because it challenges me to change how my brain is wired. However, I have to admit that sometimes I still make to do lists in my head while in savasana (lol).”

nanette and puppy

Neanette continued to explain that her favourite class these days is the Moksha/SSU75. She loves that Moksha isn’t just a class, but we are built on a strong foundation. “I love the pillars that Moksha is built on. I love how charitable they are in our community. I love the variety of classes and schedules. I love how clean the studios are. I love the staff and that the environment is welcoming and isn’t intimidating.” She said.

Well, we love Neanette and we also love all the great work that people like Neanette do in the Hamilton community. This August we are saying thank you to Social and Human Service Workers by offering free, unlimited access to yoga classes at both of our studios for the month!

(Originally published August 2, 2017)