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Yoga & Transformation

YOGA – TRANSFORMATION OF THE MIND, BODY AND SOUL
By Gayatri Pathak

http://www.canadianyogi.com/yoga–transformation.html

Yoga students often look up to their teachers as Gurus, spiritual leaders or even masters. This is very true; however, people often forget that it isn’t the teacher that is holy but the yogic lifestyle the teacher emerged from that is sacred and life altering. Yoga helped me find my purpose in life. I have been practicing yoga ever since I was introduced to it, as a child, by my father. Yoga always provided me with comfort and a sense of grounding, as it connected me to my Indian roots. Yoga gave me stability and a very solid sense of presence.

At the time that I began my yoga teacher training, I was still working in the corporate field. I was living two lives. One, which showed me the true capacity of my mind and body, was guiding me to become a stronger, calmer and positive woman. And another, which made me feel negative energy and drained me, leaving me void. Yoga is a whole different world where you feel inner peace and calmness, whereas there is so much competition and stress in the corporate world. It was at that point of realization that I decided to leave the corporate world and discover myself through the yogic lifestyle. I became a yoga teacher and Reiki master in early 2018.

After leaving my corporate life for good, I completely immersed in my yoga teacher training (YTT 200-hours). I embarked on the path that my father had shown me as a little girl. I truly believe that yoga is my purpose on this earth. Yoga is like the ocean, you can learn as much as you want but never be satisfied. Yoga has shown me my purpose, and now I will continue on its path for the remainder of my life, as the lifestyle guides me towards an infinite number of possibilities for me to better my life and others’ lives as well. Yoga is the beginning of my new life, my real life.

You can grow your own knowledge by spreading knowledge to other people. In April 2018, I started my own studio in Brampton called Yoga4U and become a full-time yoga and Reiki teacher.

Yoga teaches us to live in each moment. We aren’t aware of our breathing. We never breathe deeply and calmly because we are always in a rush. Life goes by so fast, we all need to take a pause. A pause to breathe, a pause to think or even a pause to feel. Everyone lives their lives holding onto so much stress and burden that we are unable to recognize and give importance to our wellbeing. By practicing yoga every single day, I now realize I myself have wasted 44 years of my life. By doing pranayama and other yogic breathing exercises every day, I am now able to breathe deeply and completely. Our each and every breath is vital for our survival and is our main source of life. If we continue to avoid breathing to our full capacity, we are not completely alive.

The average person in this world notices the negative over the positive. I was once one of these people. I allowed my stress to get the better of me and lived my daily life picking apart the negativity in my surroundings. However, once I began yoga, it completely transformed my train of thought and the way I perceived life. It changed me mentally, physically and brought out far more spirituality in me than I could have ever have imagined.

Spirituality can sometimes scare people; however, there is a misconception with the term. Spiritualty doesn’t have to be concerned with the divine, but it does have to do with our inner self. It is all about perspective. Yoga benefits a person’s inner spirituality by cleansing the soul of negativity and blossoming a positive mindset that reflects in one’s lifestyle. It makes you realize that not everything is black or white, but that there is a whole spectrum of beautiful colours which make up our lives. Yoga teaches us to let go of the negative train of thought and grasp each moment positively, with a smile.

Everyone has fears and multiple stressors that arise during their daily lives, such as financial stress, social fears, insecurities etc. However, yoga teaches those real life lessons, which bring disciple, confidence and an element of fearlessness, that allow us to realize we can conquer anything we set our minds to.

I was always a very quiet and timid person who never spoke out in crowds. During this beautiful, life altering journey, I have learned to stand up for myself and have become much more confident. Confident about my beliefs, my appearance and my mind. I feel tall from inside, like nothing can tear me down. Many people don’t accept themselves for who they are, whether it is their appearance, family, culture or nature. Yoga teaches a huge life lesson which is acceptance. Accepting yourself for who you are and accepting situations which cannot be altered. Yoga is all about moving forward and seeing beyond the expectations. Instead of occupying ourselves and draining our energy, the yogic lifestyle teaches us to transform our minds to become invincible warriors.

Yoga is inherited from the Holy book, The Bhagavad Gita. Each and every asana teaches us something that can be directly linked to a situation or element from our daily lives. During my yoga practice and the yoga classes I teach, I feel the pose mentally, physically and spiritually. For example, Warrior poses teach us that life itself is a battleground and we all are warriors. The Tree pose teaches us to stay grounded, even if there is a storm in our lives, and to never lose focus. I have started seeing life through the yogic vision.

Yoga is my purpose in life. It transformed me into a confident, outspoken and positive person and refreshed my lifestyle to become more healing and steady. I have dedicated my life to helping others who, like me, are being drained by the fast paced lifestyle and to helping them along the yogic path to develop control over their mind and bodies.

Yoga benefits everyone to transition to a stress-free life and to become far more aware of each moment. It helps you appreciate yourself and your surroundings and welcome the world with open arms. It is the holistic approach to health and wellbeing. Yoga brings you one step closer to fulfillment and harmony. Yoga is not just an exercise but a lifestyle in its entirety. Through its journey, it brings our minds down to our hearts and eventually to our souls. Yoga is a gift that everyone should accept as it embodies the unity of the mind, body and soul.

My new life as a yogi has just begun. I hope more of you join me on this beautiful journey.

Namaste,
Gayatri Pathak
CYA – RYT200 | Reiki Master
Yoga4U – The Yoga & Reiki Studio
647-628-8241 | gpathak13@gmail.com
www.Yoga4U.blog

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Yoga Poses for Upper Back Pain

We always complain about upper back pain by sitting at our desk for longer hours, spending so much time on our phone, computer and driving in a car.

Continues sitting and looking at our phone or computer, our sitting pose is really bad, leading to tightness in the shoulders and neck.

These few yoga poses will help to reverse the effects of sitting and poor posture by releasing the tightnessof the shoulders and the upper back that surround the thoracic spine.

1

Cat-Cow | 5 breaths

  • Start with a tabletop position on your hands and knees. Stack your shoulders over your wrists and both legs your hips apart.
  • On an inhale, Gaze forward, drop your belly and tilt your tailbone towards the sky and come to Cow pose. Feel a stretch through your abdomen.
  • Exhale and roll your shoulder, Chin to chest to come into cat pose. Draw your navel towards your spine. Press the ground away and feel a stretch through your mid and upper back.
  • Continue flowing between your cow and cat pose for 5 rounds of breath.

Thread The Needle | 5 breaths per side

  • Start with a tabletop position with your wrists stacked under your shoulders.
  • Inhale as you lift your right arm up off the mat and twist it towards the sky.
  • Exhale and thread your right arm under your left. Let your right shoulder rest on the mat.
  • Walk your left fingers towards the top of your mat and feel a stretch on the inside of your right shoulder blade.
  • Hold for 5 slow breaths, then come back to your tabletop and switch sides.

Double V Pose | 5 breaths per side

  • Place a block at the top of your mat and lie down on your belly.
  • Prop yourself up onto your forearms and engage your abs.
  • Turn your right forearm across your mat so that your fingers point to the left side of your mat.
  • Turn your left forearm in front of your right forearm and point your left fingers towards the right side of your mat. Shift your chest so that it is directly above your forearms.
  • Walk your fingers towards the edges of your mat so that your arms are crossed directly underneath your chest.
  • Bring your forehead to rest down on the block and close your eyes. Hold for 8 breaths, then switch sides.

2

Child’s Pose with Side Stretch | 5 breaths per side

  • Start with a tabletop position.
  • Bring your feet together and widen your knees towards the edges of your mat.
  • Sit your hips back onto your heels and then walk your hands towards top of your mat, lowering your chest towards the floor. Let your forehead rest on the mat.
  • Walk your hands over to the right edge of your mat and gently press your hips towards the left to feel a stretch through your left side.
  • Hold for 5 breaths, then switch sides.

Eagle Arms | 5 breaths

  • Fold your legs and Sit in Vajrasana on your mat with your legs together and your hips resting on your heels. Engage your abs.
  • Wrap your right arm under your left, then wrap your forearms to grab your palms. If this isn’t possible, place each hand on the opposite shoulder.
  • Lift your elbows up in line with your shoulders and press your forearms forwards. You should feel a stretch through the upper back and shoulders.
  • Hold for 5 breaths.

Supine Twist | 5 breaths per side

  • Lie down on your back and hug your right knee towards your chest.
  • Place your right arm out side with your palm facing down.
  • Place your left hand on your right knee and bring your right leg towards left across your body to come into your supine twist. Make sure you do not lift your right shoulder. Gaze towards right.
  • Hold for 5 breaths, then switch sides.

Supported Fish Pose | Relax up to 5 minutes

  • Place a yoga block on the medium height across the top of your mat. Then place another block underneath it on the same height so that it is going vertically down your mat. The blocks should be a few inches apart.
  • Sit in front of the bottom block about a foot and a half. Then, use your hands to lower yourself down onto the blocks. The bottom block should rest between your shoulder blades, and the top block supports your head.

Bring your arms to rest down alongside your body with your palms facing up. Straighten your legs long down yourmat. Close your eyes and relax for upto 5 minutes.

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Core Awakening

Core Awakening – All Asanas that are primarily focused on the activation of muscles in the abdominal core. As the core is strengthened, opened and refined, it becomes a source of balance, stability, ease and levity. Core awakening practice generally warm the body while bring in to more targeted warming to the spine, pelvis, belly and back. Deep and sustained core awakening  practices are largely contraindicated for pregnant women and should be approached very gingerly by people with lower back issues.

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Yoga & Migraines

Migraines and Other Headaches

Limit:

  • Coffee, Tea, Colas and other beverages containing caffeine.

Avoid:

  • Alcohol, especially red wine, vermouth, champagne and beer.
  • Any food shown to trigger your attacks.

Known Migraine Triggers

The triggers that can set off a migraine vary widely from one person to another. A number of the following triggers can be avoided entirely; others can at least be minimized.

  • Environmental triggers : These include glare, bright lights, loud noises, strong odors, cigarette smoke, and changes in temperature, weather, or altitude.
  • Hormonal triggers: These are experienced by women and are usually related to the menstrual cycle; they can also be caused by the use of estrogen supplements or high-estrogen oral contraceptives.
  • Activity triggers: These include irregular or no exercise, inadequate or excessive sleep, eyestrain and motion sickness.
  • Emotional triggers : These tend to be the negative ones, such as anger, resentment, depression, fatigue, anxiety and stress.
  • Dietary triggers : These may be the easiest to control. Keep a food diary, note what foods seem to prompt symptoms and then eliminate them. Eat regular meals, because hunger or a low blood sugar can trigger a headache.

How yoga can impact migraines

Yoga is more than just physical fitness. Yoga brings joy, peace, steadiness & calmness to your mind and body. And through certain poses of yoga, you can ailments anxiety, depression, and pain. People and Technologyat its best-3

Migraines are more intense than common headaches. They’re typically characterized by a throbbing pain on one side of the head. They’re often accompanied by nausea, dizziness, and sensitivity to light and sound. Migraines can last anywhere from a few hours to a few days.

Not only is yoga a holistic approach to fighting migraines as they’re happening, it’s also a proactive approach to reduce the pain.

 

 

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Reiki

Healing With Reiki

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Book your appointment at Yoga4U for a one hour reiki session! Reiki will detox your mind and body and help you experience the healing of your inner self.

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YIN YOGA – THE YOGA OF SURRENDER

In Yin Yoga, you let go of any tension, resistance and tightness you have in your body and melt on your yoga mat. When practicing Yin yoga, the goal is not to find a deeper

variation of each pose. The goal is instead to let go of control. When we do this, something beautiful happens. When we let go of control, the body softens and the depth we were striving for occurs naturally and comfortably.
Know that you created this inward silence. Accept this peaceful quietude into your heart, and know that it will only grow deeper as you grow in your practice of yoga’s quiet side — Yin yoga.
YOGA4U – THE YOGA & REIKI STUDIO
WWW.YOGA4U.BLOG

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New Class Announcement

Hello everyone,

Yoga4U is pleased to announce that we are now offering weekend Yoga classes which run Saturday and Sunday mornings from 8:30-9:30 am. IMG_0253This is a great opportunity to refresh and detox during the weekend with the spirit of yoga.

Check out pricing and further details on our website @ http://www.yoga4u.blog. Looking forward to continuing the spiritual journey with you all and sharing the mutual passion for yoga!

Yoga4U – The Yoga & Reiki Studio
http://www.Yoga4U.blog

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Stress

Stress

When we talk about stress, we are usually referring to tension/emotional distress. fullsizeoutput_332f
Medically, stress means any condition/situation which can strain on the body. The sources can be a physical illness or injury, as well as numerous psychological factors including fear, feelings of anger or frustration and even unusual happiness.

Tips for eating during stressful periods:

There is no diet can make stress disappear. But you can change your eating habits during stressful times:fullsizeoutput_3331

  • Eat breakfast. If you are running on empty, stress can be more difficult to handle.
  • Eat slowly. Eating quickly is often associated with digestive upset and this coupled with stress can make your food difficult to digest.
  • Don’t diet. Changing eating habits is stressful at the best of times.
  • Limit your intake of caffeine & alcohol. They can affect your mood and sleep patterns. Alcohol can also heighten feelings of depression.
  • Listen to your body and avoid foods that cause you discomfort for digestive upset.

The De-stress & Stretch WorkoutFacetune_10-07-2018-13-25-20

Slowly and gently move into the yoga postures below. Once you’ve settled into the full pose, focus on slow, controlled and deep breathing from your belly, inhaling to a count of five
and exhaling to a count of three. Take five to ten deep and slow breaths in each pose (on both sides when applicable) before
moving onto the next.

 

 

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