Blazing the Trail

Posted by Brian on January 5, 2009

 

As leaders of the Toronto yoga community, Cynthia Funk and Kimberly Sopinka are featured in The Toronto Yoga Guide through a four-part series of short videos. Describing their origin coming from the small town of Milton, the sisters explain the growth of the studio thanks to their community-orientated approach.

“A lot of people feel when they get to the top of the stairs that they’re home, they’re relaxed,” says Funk.

Sopinka addresses initial anxiety that precedes most of those trying yoga for the first time: “We take the time to talk to them.” Through this process, reassurance and confidence ensues.

View the videos online: part one, part two and part three.

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Come together now/Yeah let’s gel

Posted by Brian on

 

Last Saturday, the Danforth location of The Yoga Sanctuary was host to a very special guest– Vancouver teacher Eoin Finn. Taking advantage of the newly renovated fourth floor, a crowded room of participants was buzzing with anticipation and energy over Finn’s visit to Toronto.

The morning began with a partner stretch exercise. As we moved along with a massage technique, Finn explained ”You’re going to see why cats enjoy being stroked.”

His thesis for the day’s seminar was the aphorism, “Don’t dwell, just gel.” When dealing with any negative situation, people have a tendency to excessively focus on the problem to the detriment of moving on or finding solutions.

An eight-stage process was outlined to help move forward: 1) Healthy Venting; 2) Recognize Self-Destructiveness; 3) Opportunity to Love/Grow; 4) Trust Outcome; 5) Understand Causes; 6) Humour; 7) Communicate Clear Strategies; and 8) Do Yoga.

“Is anger good or bad?” asked Finn, to a room where every opinion expressed was recognized and valued. Rather than demonize the emotion itself, Finn described how it could be a strong motivator for change, relating anger to the irritating grain of sand that finds its way into an Oyster and becomes a pearl.

There is a danger in being controlled by negative emotions, as Eoin explained happens to those in the service of the Dark Side in Star Wars. Telling the story of a Samurai seeking revenge for the murder of his master also illuminated some truth: When the Samurai has the assassin cornered and is preparing to kill him, the killer spits in the Samurai’s face, forcing him to put his sword down and walk away. Queried as to why he had to abandon his cause, the explanation given was that the Samurai would have been acting out of anger rather than “a change called justice.”

Taking everything back to our practice, Finn recommended that we read an article by Joel Kramer called “Yoga As Self-Transformation,” first published in a 1982 copy of Yoga Journal (available in PDF format here) that describes a discourse over pushers vs centralists.

The event concluded with an intense session of yoga that took us to new heights. Truly, it was a great experience, the kind that left the participants eagerly awaiting Finn’s next visit to the city.

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YTT 2008-2009: “Evolving Spirit”

Posted by Brian on December 24, 2008

Over 40 people of all experience levels and backgrounds comprise this year’s contingent of students from the Yoga Teacher Training (YTT) program that is run at The Yoga Sanctuary’s College location. We started in September and are now approximately midway through the course that we expect to complete in May 2009. Thereafter, we will be fully certified to teach yoga.

Why did most of us sign up for this program? Recalling the first class back in September–which included chanting and a puja–the answers given were as varied as the participants. From talking to my fellow YTTers throughout the last few months, I’ve deduced that most had commitments to their careers, education and relationships, but were looking for something more out of life.

I can only speak for myself when I mention the compromises that I have constantly been asked to make. The often repeated mantra chanted by society is that to do something creative and interesting with your career, you must give up financial security and play a game of roulette that ends with most people abandoning their dreams unfulfilled.

They say that “The journey of a thousand miles starts with one step.” For most of us, that step was our very first time taking yoga where we fumbled through the postures without really knowing what we were doing. Now we’ve begun a process of refining our technique and bringing new awareness to our practice. It’s not just in what we do in the studio, but in how it’s changed our lives– one step at a time.

The atmosphere of a YTT class is carefree and gentle, so unlike many institutions of learning that I have previously attended. You can often hear laughter and chuckling as our main instructor, Cynthia Funk, tells jokes and stories (”I’m a vegetarian. Except when I eat meat.”). The various assistant teachers bring a quiet sense of confidence to the room and are always there to help us.

Next year, we’ll continue our journey and get a chance to open up a new set of possibilities that come with certification. It’s hard work, but it’s also a year that I can always look back on and smile knowing that I was doing something I enjoyed with people who cared about each other.

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No Visa Required

Posted by Brian on December 16, 2008

Above and beyond our own personal practice, there is a vibrant community of studios operating in Toronto. Among the initiatives to bring new members through their doors is Passport to Prana, a deal that lets you try 30 different studios for $30.

I recently wrote a brief synopsis on fifteen studios chosen by an independent readership poll at BlogTO as Toronto’s Best Yoga Studios. The Yoga Sanctuary was included in the list as one of the best in the city:

“Living in Toronto, where can one go to find the best studio? It’s no different than shopping for clothes in that there are many options, but it’s best to hit up as many places as possible in order to choose one that feels like the best fit. The list below is a start - it’s based on the results of our recent reader poll - but I should point out there are many more classes, programs, events, initiatives and attitudes at each studio than what I’ve described.”

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Recommended Reading

Posted by Brian on November 30, 2008

The November issue of Canadian Living features seven yoga postures chosen by The Yoga Sanctuary’s co-owner Cynthia Funk. She does a great job demonstrating the poses in a four-page feature in the magazine. The moves shown include Half-Moon Pose, Palm Tree, Exalted Warrior, Standing Forward Bend, Head Massage, Simple Seated Twist, and Corpse Pose.

 

“Relaxation techniques are part of every yoga style. Regular practice can lead to a more relaxed state all the time and improve ‘your “response-ability” to your particular stressors,’ says Cynthia Funk.”

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Enter the Hidden Dragon

Posted by Brian on November 21, 2008

You ever eat at the same restaurant, wear the same clothes, fall into a pattern of the safe and familiar– and you enjoy it all, it’s great, but you just know that there’s something else you’re missing out on? Then you venture outside your comfort zone and discover something wonderful and new.

When I first met Vanessa Bell, she told me about her experience with Jeet Kune Do (JKD), the martial art invented and developed by Bruce Lee. Lee called it, “The style of no style.” If you attend one of Bell’s classes on Friday evening, you’ll see the philosophy on motion, transposed onto the fabric of her teaching methods.

Tonight during “Freedom Fridays,” a special class that occurs only once per month, she began by playing music from Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and ended with some fresh hip hop beats. You could really feel a sense of excitement and awe as the class progressed through a series of known postures linked together in an unconventional style.

 

I look forward to next week’s class. I have no idea what we’ll focus on or how it will be presented. It’s a pleasant kind of surprise that constantly shifts form, but never ceases to bring you joy.

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Inside the Actor’s Yoga Studio

Posted by Brian on November 17, 2008

Sunday night, there was a Kirtan at The Yoga Sanctuary by Lila– a collective created by sisters Jesse and Deena Robertson, as well as other members. Mainly, it was about music, with a far different atmosphere and focus than your typical yoga session.

In attendance was actor Woody Harrelson. A household name thanks to the recurring character of Woody Boyd on the hit sitcom Cheers, it was nice to be able to tell Harrelson personally how great he was in No Country For Old Men.

I asked him if he was reading any scripts, he explained, “I’m still putting out movies that no one watches.” He also told me that he had been practicing yoga for 18+ years, and that it helped him as an actor because “you need to be very relaxed to perform.”

It was an unexpected bonus, but time and time again, these chance meetings occur.

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Tags: Event

Best In Show

Posted by admin on November 14, 2008

According to an online poll, The Yoga Sanctuary has won Now Magazine’s Best Yoga Studio category for 2008. It’s a great commendation, one picked by readers rather than any individual judges or other criteria. Certainly, it speaks volumes about the great staff, ambiance and experience of the studio.

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