Category: Modo Yoga Teacher

Compassionate Practice

Posted on by admin

Compassion for others begins with kindness for ourselves. -Pema Chodron

I have been reflecting lately. As I look back on the last year, I strongly suspect that the theme of my 28th rotation around the sun was the realization that we’re all just trying to be our best selves using what we have. I feel as if that’s true enough statement for most of us. When I use the term ‘best’, it’s really just a quick and easy way of describing a state in my body, mind and heart that is safe, content and calm: like my own brand of homeostasis. It’s not just on a chemical or physiological level, it’s on a mental, emotional, physical and long-term sustainability level, too.  My ‘best’ state is my most ideal way of being, if you will.

 

I think a lot of people struggle not only to achieve their best state, but to even try to wrestle with what it means to be their best self. It’s such a unique thing, person to person, day to day. How am I supposed to know what that even is or looks like and how do I even begin to deal with maintaining it because it’s constantly changing? Eep. Just eep!

 

The last few years have seen the rise of trends such as mindfulness. The idea of being awakened, the rise and popularization of positivity as an often stringent mindset (Good Vibes Only!).  There is a proliferation of ideas relating to self-care: anything from the ‘Art of Tidying’ (thank you, Mari Kondo), to the increase of therapeutic strategies and concepts, due in large part to social media.

These include things like self-parenting, self-soothing, care relating to triggers, creating and maintaining boundaries, cultivating a practice of self-awareness or checking in. The list goes on and on, but at the core, aren’t these practices really things that people subscribe to or adopt in an attempt to deal with their lives? Or to try to find and ultimately maintain a state of calm, contentedness, safety, support and joy? 

The above are by and large coping mechanisms or mentalities that people adopt in order to make sense of this world, to better manage the anxieties and challenges that come with modern living. Are they bad? Are they good? Does it matter? At the end of the day, aren’t we all just gunning towards being able to feel healthy, happy, safe and confident in our own skins and within the constraints that create the lives we lead by doing what we can, when we can do it?  

Isn’t this all about trying to just be our best selves?

I can’t begin to describe what the point of life is. I don’t know the answer. I don’t even know what my own calling or purpose is, what my life is meant for.  Maybe that’s for me to discover during my 29th rotation around the sun. We are all muddling through life.  I am muddling through too and I can’t claim to be able to plot a trajectory or a course of action that works for everyone.

Like everyone else, I  cope with life in ways that are a unique blend of the resources that I have at my disposal and the concessions I’m willing to make to feel good in my body and in my mind while also maintaining an economic position that makes me feel safe in general, ultimately affording me the ability to worry less about actual resources and focus more on how I am really feeling. Priorities, resources and goal differ for each individual.

What is an effective way for me to achieve my ‘best’ is not the same for others. I’m a workaholic; it’s true. I don’t encourage anyone else to select that particular path, but it’s one that presently works for me. Will that always be the case? Only time will tell.

What I can say more broadly, though, is that when I realized that we’re all just literally trying to live our best lives, it allowed me to become more compassionate. I may not understand your choices, your rationalities or your decisions but frankly, it’s none of my business. I may not know your struggles or your challenges, but I can appreciate that life is hard, the struggle is real, and that given what you have, you’re doing your best.  When I am seeing that, feeling that, knowing that, then I can certainly do my best to try to be more understanding, more accepting, and more supportive. While I don’t know your specifics, I do believe in my bones that you’re doing your best. And that’s enough, valid and amazing.

 

Here’s some real talk now:

When we step onto our mats, when we enter the hot room or any type of practice space, we’re making a commitment to become a healthier version of ourselves: mentally, physically, spiritually, emotionally. This is a fact. We acknowledge the feelings in our bones; the tightness or stiffness of our joints or the fluidity of the muscles as they move against one another.  We are assessing our bodies and we’re taking inventory on what we have to work with in that moment, on any given day.

When we modify a posture or take a child’s pose, when we try a new pose for the first time, fail, try again, when we nail that posture for the first time, when we pause to take a breath, give ourselves permission to take a sip of water, ask for help, reach for a block to make a pose more accessible or when we look for options that suit us more and take those alternative poses because they serve us better even though no one else is, we’re acknowledging the resources we have at our disposal. We are recognizing our capabilities. We’re doing our best with what we have in that moment, in that day. Acknowledging that is a way of expressing compassion to ourselves.

When you allow that compassion to show up in your practice, when you let yourself make adjustments or pause to just breathe even at times when you’re not on your yoga mat, you’ll start to be more compassionate to yourself in general as a result. Not just in the practice, but for moments in your day. In practicing compassion for yourself, you’ll likely be more compassionate to those around you. We can really help each other by being supportive in the ways that we can, knowing what we have to give in the moment. Or learning to communicate better during the times when we can’t. Maybe that’s a step towards understanding. Maybe that’s a step towards connection. And maybe, just maybe, that’s how you build community.

 

With love, Rose

Why I Chose (Choose) a Heated Practice… all year ‘round!

Posted on by admin

It was the summer of 2012 and I was in Montreal for five weeks. If you’ve never been to Montreal in the summer (or at all for that matter), Montreal summers tend to be hot (averaging around the 36 to 40 range).   By virtue of location they end up quite humid at any time during the year, hovering around the 60% mark for ambient humidity.

To give you an idea of scale, our hot room’s average temperature is steady at about 37 to 38 degrees Celsius, and the humidity tends to fluctuate based on time of day, outside temperature and humidity, the amount of practicing bodies in the hot room prior to and at the time, etc. Generally, the hot room humidity trends from 20% (first thing in the morning) to about 45-50% later in the day. During the summer months or after particularly rainy days the humidity may climb higher, although we do our best to keep it steady.

Montreal 2012 was like walking around in a hot room except there was no exiting the room after an hour to a nice shower. Rather, it was a lot like waking up in the hot room, and eating and working in the hot room, and then sleeping in the hot room… and waking up as a hot sweaty mess to start it all over again. 

Really glamourous, right? 

At some point someone had made the passing remark that ‘if you practice hot yoga, the heat outside won’t bother you as much.’ And that, my friends, spawned something else entirely.

I started practicing yoga at Moksha Yoga NDG and went a hand full of times before coming home – just imagine my surprise when I realised that ‘home’ was also the same ‘home’ shared by Moksha Yoga Saskatoon, the only Moksha studio in the province of Saskatchewan? 

Practicing in the summer is Saskatoon is a different experience from Montreal, but still similar in all the best ways… and arguably the reasons are even juicier here.

… I mean that very literally. While the ambient humidity in Montreal is high, I think anyone who has been to or has the pleasure of calling this sweet province home knows that we’re not exactly known for our luscious sea air. We’re a dry province. The hot room is not a dry space. This is a good thing. Because humans are primarily made of water.

Practicing in the summer in Saskatoon does wonders for reminding my body what it feels like to not always be dry. It also has a really great perk of reminding me to keep a close eye on my hydration day to day, something that I lacked prior to taking up a regular practice.

I find a summer practice to be favourable also because it does actually make the outside temperature seem less intense and I believe this is so for a few reasons –

  1. Hydration is key
  2. It makes me a more efficient sweater (in part due to hydration), but it’s almost as if my body is more familiar with the idea. Sweat, believe it or not, a normal bodily function and is one of the main ways that your body cools itself when it overheats. It’s a good thing.
  3. It makes me more efficient at breathing and it also makes me more cognizant of the pace of my breath, my heart, how much activity I’ve had, when to rest, when to nourish and eat, etc. Being more mindful of the breath opens up doors to other ways that the body operates to keep you healthy, whole and hale- especially in the summer heat, which is a good thing when activities pick up and you’re running around in ‘go’ mode
  4. It also serves as justification for a nice cold treat. 2012 also happened to coincide with the frozen yogurt boom, and I have no regrets about the amount of frozen yogurt I consumed that year. 

A heated practice (specifically here at Modo) is a great idea in the summer because (and this is Modo’s best kept secret I’m about to let you in on…) the classes are less rambunctious, hot room real estate is suddenly wide open – you can take up as much space as you want. 

You want three blocks? You take three blocks. 

Maybe even four. 

You can use the wall space fairly easily for modifications, whereas in the height of the winter months, it might not be possible. There’s more parking. The sun still shines when you leave, even when you leave at the end of the last class of the day- do your yoga, eat the ice cream and watch the sunset. Dreamy, right? 

Fast forward to summer 2019.

The heat doesn’t bother me much these days and the practice is much more familiar today than in 2012. And although it’s been 7 years of a set series, the practice is never boring (a question I get asked every so often). Modo is a practice that remains something interesting to watch even after seven years (and here’s hoping they’ll be many more), whether it’s summer or winter, night or morning, week day or weekend. 

No man (or woman in my case, but really any person or thing) walks in the same river twice – and this is a theory in practice every single day I come to my mat. 

Thank goodness for steamy Montreal.

Love, Rose

Yoga & Music: Is it a good thing?

Posted on by admin

“Music gives soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything.” Plato

Music is a universal language. It is healing and inspiring; music has the power to elevate our mood.  Music is certainly divine in its ability to transcend individual experience and to draw our consciousness inwards.

Yoga is a universal practice.  The practice of yoga, unites our breath with our movement, in turn creating balance, healing, and peace from within.  It is certainly divine in its ability to awaken consciousness and draw awareness inward.

Woah.

Now think of the two together. It’s a pretty beautiful pairing, right? From my personal experience, music and yoga are my two greatest loves in life.  To me my yoga practice set to music can be the most incredible combination.  However, it is such a highly personal topic and really a matter of preference. There are factors which could make it magical, and factors which could make it unfortunate.

What we’re trying to accomplish in yoga is a stilling of the fluctuations of the mind through breath and body awareness.  We practice a series of physical poses to distract our thoughts from the daily buzz. We then can focus our thoughts on the simplicity of only one physical movement at a time. If a student steps on their mat with that very intention, and the teacher begins to play music that they do not like, well, then their practice could be mediocre at best.

The music and the lyrics, and perhaps the volume could all have a negative effect. It could in fact speed up a student’s mind thought distractions.  The reality is if a person regularly practices in a quiet space, there is a very high probability that this will happen to them.

However, to build mental strength on and off their mat, they can accept their challenge for that particular class.  By tuning awareness inward their breath can act as an anchor and turns an obstacle into an opportunity to strengthen mental focus.  There is always noise around us, and being a bit of a metaphor for life, yoga teaches us to be at peace no matter what is happening outside of our bodies.

The effects of yoga can truly be magnified if the music that is being played is timed right, at the appropriate volume, and if you like it.  In your practice music can keep you rooted in the moment. It can pull your attention away from a busy mind and into the melody. Music can add grace and ease when poses become challenging.

The power of yoga combined with the power of music can really help elevate our experience in a yoga class therefore tuning us back into ourselves allowing for introspection.

I’ve been carried away by music.  I’ve been moved to tears on my mat as a song plays at just the right time, in just the right pose, at just the right time in my life.

It’s not always that way and music can add an unanticipated layer of effort to our practice sometimes.  But when the moment is right and the music strikes the right nerve, it’s simply magical.

Love,

Anna xo

 

Modo Family Spotlight- Mallory

Posted on by admin

The always lovely Mallory sits down with us and lets us know how her love of Moksha over the years has evolved, what she does to balance the work/life juggling act, her favourite book and shares a stunning example of how her practice created room for peace in her heart in moments of grief. We love you Mal.

1)How do you balance being a business owner, and still remain rooted and committed to your practice?

Practice! One of my teachers once said to me “balancing, never balance” this little phrase rang true to me then and still does today. To say that I am always balanced and rooted wouldn’t be honest, balance is something I am continuously learning about and re-evaluating as I grow and my life evolves. One tool I have been using for a few years is to give myself one day, the same day each week where I plan nothing, absolutely nothing for the whole day! Having this open space really allows me to jam pack my other days if need be, knowing that I will have that day where nothing is needed of me and I can do whatever it is that I feel I need in that moment.

2)You’ve been practicing at MYS since the doors opened, starting as an ambassador and then becoming an instructor, how has your practice evolved over the years?

I feel like I’ve gone through the whole spectrum of experience on my mat. When I first showed up at Modo I was living in a really uncomfortable body, full of pharmaceuticals and feeling depressed because of how they were affecting my life. As I continued to practice I began noticing myself change in areas off my mat, I started eating better, and as a result I felt more alive and more full of energy on my mat. While I was away at teacher training I made the decision to go off my meds, this was scary and empowering at the same time. Once I got home my practice took on a whole new layer of experience, I felt more accountable as I was practicing not only for myself but also for those who were coming to the classes. Over the years I have witnessed my practice create healing physically, mentally and emotionally. My practice has always been and continues to be a source of insight, a place to for me to reconnect to what matters most and gain clarity when I am faced with confusion or adversity.

What are you passionate about outside of yoga?

I absolutely love psychology, specifically the psychosomatic approach. It absolutely fascinates me that our thoughts have the ability to literally change our physiology and that by becoming more aware of the way we move that we have the ability to change the way we think about ourselves, the way we interact with others and the way we see the world.

What is your favorite book?

Oh man, I love all books! I love different books for different reasons. Right now and for the past couple years a book that I have come back to time and again is called The Shared Heart. It is such a special book to me, one that focuses on life transitions and celebrations from a spiritual perspective.

What was your ultimate traveling experience?

I would have to say my time spent in Brazil. I was gone for three months, one of which was spent in Modo training. We took a boat across a river then a 45min buggy ride through the jungle to our very remote location. The water was heated by the sun, the electricity generated through solar panels and if you showered too long or left your lights on then it meant your neighbor would go without hot water or the ability to read at night. The people of this community lived with little to no material possessions and were some of the happiest, most welcoming individuals I had ever met. I learned through my time spent in Brazil that happiness wasn’t something money could buy, or you could acquire through anything external, that it was truly an internal experience.

What do you love about the Modo Series?

I love that it is not rigid and there is nothing absolute about it. I love that it is accessible to all and that it continues to challenge me in new and dynamic ways. I used to get frustrated and bored by doing the same postures day in and day out, then I had this realization. If I am bored, if I am frustrated, or resisting what is being offered these reactions are no ones fault but my own. The Modo series is repetitive for this exact reason, to unveil the various layers of our experience to us. If I become mad/sad/bored/frustrated on my mat, then this is an opportunity to ask myself, where am I mad/sad/bored/frustrated in my life that I am not paying attention to? The Modo series is like one big reflection that can give me insight into all other areas of my life if I am willing to allow it.

What posture do you struggle with?

Prayer Twist for sure! My knees become vulnerable and my mind becomes very impatient, its always been a challenge for me to stay truly present in this posture.

What is your favorite thing about teaching yoga?

No two classes are the same, kind of like the snowflake thing. It doesn’t matter how much I practice, study or teach, each and every class is truly unique. I can walk into a class with a full plan of action and then once everyone starts moving and breathing its like the class takes on a life of its own and I get to be a part of this living work of art. I am blown away by the way I observe people showing up for themselves, by the courage, the strength, the vulnerability and the passion I witness in others as they move through the practice. It inspires me to keep digging deeper in my own life and in my own practice.

What is the greatest thing you have learned in your yoga practice?

My dad passed away this last November and I was fortunate enough to be with him in those last moments. I was really scared, I didn’t know if I could do it and even left for a moment to go to the bathroom secretly thinking maybe he would pass during my absence. No one else was there, just him and I and in those last moments and as he left his body I felt the deepest sense of peace and calm wash over me. I sat there for a while just suspended in time, feeling similar sensations to how I feel a lot of the time on my mat, especially in those really deep layers of Savasana. Learning that I can in no matter what situation I am in bring myself into a place of peace, a space of total calm, is the single greatest thing I have learned in my practice. No matter what experiences life brings, I am so incredibly comforted by the fact that I can at any moment stop, breathe and connect to that space of peace within.

What are your favorite things about Saskatoon?

I haven’t always loved Saskatoon. I moved to Vancouver for a year and it was during my time living in Van that I really started to appreciate Saskatoon living. I love that it seems to be the biggest small town you will ever live in. It seems like no matter where I go, I will more times than not bump into someone I know. I love that I can be in the grocery store line and chat with a stranger without feeling like a weirdo. I did that once in Vancouver and the person looked at me as if I was from another planet! I also love that there is this growing community of locally owned businesses supporting each other. I especially appreciate this now that I am a business owner myself, it feels really good spending my money supporting others that are working to make their dreams a reality.

Hands-On Yoga Adjustments: Communicating Information through Touch

Posted on by admin

What is the purpose of a hands-on adjustment in a Modo Class?

I once read in an article that through hands-on adjustment, the teacher’s goal is to transmit information to the student using their hands. Just like with a verbal adjustment, the teacher is attempting to tell you something about your body in relation to the posture you are performing. While practising yoga, we can’t always see what we’re doing in each pose, and until we develop body awareness, we may not even be able to feel what we’re doing. I can’t tell you how many times I thought my shoulders were relaxed, only to realize I had been tensing muscles when an instructor touched my shoulders and guided them an inch down my back. When an instructor physically touches you, the intention is always to create some sort of benefit for the student. The reason for the physical touch can vary:

• An attempt to adjust the student into a more efficient or beneficial version on the posture: Like I said before, we can’t always see what we are doing in the yoga room. Sure, there is a mirror, but depending on which posture you’re performing, you may not get the best angle to check your alignment. When a teacher approaches you in a posture and guides your torso or limbs into a certain position, they are trying to pass their knowledge on to you by showing how to do the pose in a more beneficial way. Sometimes that might make the pose easier, or it may challenge you to practice more muscular containment instead of collapsing in to the shape of the posture.

• To assist the student into a deeper expression of the pose: As the body becomes stronger and more knowledge is developed in regards to the postures, we tend to settle into habits of practising: only placing the body in the place that feels most comfortable. While the intention is never to feel pain in a yoga class, staying well inside your comfort zone inhibits growth. Sometimes, the skillfully placed hands of a teacher can guide your body deeper into a posture. They are simply helping to show you the space you already have or the expression you are capable of exploring . We often create limitations for ourselves and our bodies that are not truly reflective of our capabilities. You may be surprised at the strength and flexibility of your own body when you are encouraged to test your boundaries under trusted guidance.

• Sharing the power of touch: There is a powerful connection created through physical touch. When a teacher provides a hands-on adjustment, their intention is always to create a positive and beneficial experience. For some, simply being touched is a way to affirm that you are noticed in class; that your teacher sees your practice and wants to give you some special attention. If you are someone who has a hard time relaxing, touch can help bring attention to areas you unknowingly tense up, helping you to become more aware of your patterns of holding, and soften. And all self-consciousness aside, sometimes a foot rub just feels amazing!

At MYS we love hands-on adjustments, but we also want to create a safe and comfortable space for everyone. That is why we have implemented the Adjustment Chip system.  Please grab a chip on your way in to class even if you don’t intend to be touched, it will help to eliminate uncertainty.  If you are open to being adjusted or assisted in your postures, place the chip face up. It will give the teacher the green light to guide you in your postures with physical touch. If you would rather not, place the chip face down. Maybe what you need or prefer will change from day to day, and that’s okay! Teachers don`t need to know why, and would never be offended by a face down chip. The most important thing to your teacher is that you feel safe in our studio to move through your yoga practice and get the benefits you need.

with love,

Sarah

Modo Family Spotlight- Maddy

Posted on by admin

What are you passionate about outside of yoga?

I am passionate about health, wellness and the amazing ability our bodies have to heal themselves under the proper guidance.  I’m passionate about travel, getting outside your comfort zone and challenging myself to continue to grow and learn. I’m passionate about the oneness that encompasses all beings, that makes our earth a haven for us all to live and co-exist in.

What is your favorite book and why?

Ever since I read Wild, I can’t get that crazy woman’s words out of my head! Cheryl Strayed’s journey to find her purpose is not only inspiring but also unbelievably mirroring of the rut that many of us fall into living our lives. It can be easy to just coast the sails of life and not take a hold of your destiny, but HEY… when you get tired of that and you do take the reigns of your life, it can lead to amazing things you couldn’t have even imagined could be your reality.

What was your ultimate traveling experience and why?

I recently just took a month off of “real life” and spent a month in Costa Rica & Nicaragua! And what an amazing adventure it was! Spending a month dedicated to yoga, surfing, feeling, being and allowing myself to be fully present to all the healing nature around me made me feel so alive!

What do you love about the Modo Series?

What I love about the Modo series is that every single time you come to your mat, even if the postures are the same – there is something COMPLETELY different that either you need, is being offered or that you’re taking away with you. It’s in the daily routines, in our daily lives that we can find the light to illuminate our most destined path.

What posture do you struggle with?

I struggle physically with half locus; in the 60 minute Modo it is usually the one posture to get skipped, but in the 75 minute and 90 minute Modo’s it’s a pretty big staple. It’s a toughie for me because you can’t see your legs lift you can only do you best to feel them… sensation and visualization, key parts of a practice.

What is the one thing you can’t say no to?

Hmmm… Homebrewed Kombucha; if anyone has been to Hawaii, you know exactly what I’m talking about! Its everywhere and its so fresh and delicious and did I mention amazing for your belly and immune system?! UNREAL!

What is your favorite thing about teaching yoga?

My ultimate favourite moments when I’m teaching are made up of all the opportunities to see and hear and experience when cues, analogies, jokes or knowledge lands in someone else’s body. It’s like this visual and energetic AH-HA moment that is beyond priceless to experience as a teacher.

What are your favorite things about home, and also what are your favorite things about Saskatoon?

My favourite thing about HOME, Toronto – is a place called the Evergreen Brickworks; an old quarry that has been repurposed into walking trails, a Saturday market, quaint restaurant, brewery and amazing lookout point of my city. I love going here ALL times of year – but fall is the very best, when the leaves are colourful and the warm sun shines.

My favourite thing about HOME, Saskatoon – is the foodie/coffee scene! Its amazing here… Some great locally run places that have such authentic Saskatoon vibes. A few faves: Leyda’s, The Citizen Café, Thrive, Collective Coffee and the Night Oven, just to name a few.