Category: Modo Yoga Wpg

As you are probably already aware, the COVID-19 Coronavirus strain is making its way around the world. We want to inform you of the steps we’re taking at the studio to maintain a healthy and safe environment.

What We’re Doing:

• Increasing how often the studio areas and restrooms are being cleaned. This includes wiping down all surfaces, door handles, lockers, etc.with an effective cleaner.
• Ensuring that mats and blocks are disinfected daily after every class.
• Stocking up on disinfecting products and making them readily available to our students and teachers.
• Monitoring the situation and adjusting protocol as recommended.

What Do We Use To Disinfect?

• We always clean our studio spaces after every single class using stabilized aqueous ozone, brand name Tersano. This progressive eco friendly system is widely used in hospitals, universities, and airports.
• Eliminates germs, odors, stains, mold, and mildew.
• Quickly kills viruses and bacteria including E.coli, Salmonella, MRSA and more. Kills 99.999% of Escherichia Coli and Staphylococcus Aureus within a 60-second contact time.
• Safe and effective with no toxins, carcinogens, or chemical residue.
• Converts safely back to tap water and oxygen.

What You Can Do:

• If you are feeling at all unwell, stay home and speak to your primary care provider.
• Thoroughly wash your hands upon arriving at the studio, before class, and after class – especially after going to the bathroom; before eating; and after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing.
• Scrub your hands for at least 20 seconds. Need a timer? Hum the “Happy Birthday” song from beginning to end twice.
• Short on time? Use the hand sanitizer we have provided around the studio, though you should still opt to wash your hands whenever possible.
• As much as possible, avoid touching your mouth, nose and eyes.
• If you find yourself sneezing or coughing, please do it into a tissue or your elbow. Please then wash your hands and be aware that the novel coronavirus can live on your clothing for up to a week.
• Keep yourself healthy and well rested. (And how wonderful is it that yoga can help with this!)

Let’s all work together to stay healthy and safe.
Please feel free to reach out with any questions!

This month marks 10 years since I went to India for my Modo Yoga training. It all started back in 2007 when a friend of mine invited me to her place to do yoga. She had met this couple at the dog park and the man had just returned from a yoga teacher training in Hawaii and was getting some practice teaching in. I went over to her place and that’s where I met Ryann and Phil. The three of us would practice yoga together while Phil guided us and we ended the evenings eating delicious vegan food. I was instantly hooked. Ryann took me to my very first hot class at the studio and I knew right then that I had found something amazing.

I became an Energy Exchanger at the Donald Studio (back when there was only one location) and then worked in the cafe at Waverley. I still vividly remember being at the studio the night before it officially opened and feeling all the excitement and anticipation. (Fun fact: I got my husband, then boyfriend, hooked on yoga and he became an Energy Exchanger and also worked in the cafe).

A few months after Waverley opened, I flew to India to become a teacher myself and as cheesy as it may sound, it truly was a life-changing experience.

Modo has been there for me through so many big moments in my life over the past almost 13 years. From graduating university to getting engaged and then married, to having three children and teaching all throughout my pregnancies. Modo has also been there through challenging and difficult moments in life.

Modo has given me a community and strength; both physical and mental. I feel like I have so much more confidence since finding Modo; the community support and practice gave me the space in which to grow. There is a reason one of our pillars is community support.

I’m also forever thankful for MYW for the ability to support my family while still being home full-time with my children. My practice has helped me be calmer and more peaceful in my everyday life, which my children definitely reap the benefits of. The peace we work towards cultivating on our mats truly does have a ripple effect.

My physical practice has changed over the years, and I’m not able to make it to the studio as often as I’d like to, but that’s one of the many benefits of the Modo practice; it’s accessible and you can practice anywhere. Now when I practice, it’s mostly at home and I have three little ones that love to join in and tell me how they know way more about yoga than I do. Hey, live to learn, right?

— Jocelyn Gordon

What styles of yoga do you teach?

I teach the Modo Yoga series.

How long have you been practicing yoga?

I have been practicing for about 7 years.

Three words that you use to describe yoga to a brand new friend?

1. Breath
2. Sweat
3. A way of life!

What brought you to yoga for your very first visit?

About 7 years ago I decided that I wanted to try hot yoga, but didn’t know where to start or which place to try. Around that time I met a friend who has been attending Modo for some time and highly encouraged me to try it out. So I did. I fell in love with it immediately. It was everything, from the studio environment to the hot room, to the instructors, to the way I felt during the class and after class.

What is the posture you are working on right now? Also what keeps you interested in yoga goals?

I am working on all of the poses consistently and yet at different times (if that makes sense?) Each of them allows me to experience my body in a different way. But if I had to choose, Dancer’s Pose is the one that is most challenging in the Modo 60 series and the one I try to progressively listen to my body in, as well as rely on my breath to do successfully.
As I get older, I realize the importance of consistent practice. I’ve noticed that when I stop yoga for a week or two, problems in my body start to pop up (especially in my lower back). This notion keeps me interested in continuing my yoga practice. I also really like to challenge myself and see how far my body can go in terms of flexibility. It makes me feel proud and successful, which also translates to a happier life outside of the studio.

Advice for a brand new student who just stepped into a Flow class for the first time?

Hmm. I’d say – stay with yourself for the entire class. Check-in with yourself and do what you absolutely can without going overboard. It is typically a faster-paced class, so expect it to be a workout! And even if you can’t follow the sequence completely, have fun with it anyway! Do a version of a pose that feels good to you if you can’t do what the instructor is saying. If you feel frustrated or not happy with yourself, tune in or reset in a savasana or any other meditative pose, and come back to practice with a positive mindset.

How has yoga changed your day to day life?

It has absolutely, undeniably taught me how to breathe. Especially in tough situations. It has also made my body more flexible, my mind is more positive and my energy more loving.

Name a book that you share with all your friends! Whether they are into yoga or not.

A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle.