Meet Cliff!

I began my yoga practice by taking advantage of the Unlimited Hot Yoga Auto Renew Membership in September, 2012 - and I haven't been able to stay away since. My daughter, who I am proud to say, just this week, achieved her certification as a yoga instructor, brought me downtown in the summer to introduce me to a couple of hot yoga classes and when she went back to school, I timidly started at Moksha Orleans. Although this sounds cliché, I am realizing that this was one of the best decisions I have made.

As the fall came and the cold weather set in, I began to notice a slow but significant physical improvement. Over these initial months, with regular practice and a sounder focus on healthier eating, I was able to lose about 25 pounds and slowly increase my flexibility and general fitness. Since my teenage years, I have suffered, with Osteoarthritis and from the end of my first month of hot yoga, I have been practically pain free - and miraculously, my forehead gets closer to the ground each "child's pose"!

I have also noticed certain positive emotional effects over these past 5 months. I believe that one of the most significant benefits I am experiencing is an increased general feeling of well-being and calm. I have actually had work colleagues comment on how I seem to project a greater sense of personal happiness and contentment; I attribute this directly to my yoga practice. A complimentary effect of both these physical and emotional changes has been a reduction in my blood pressure.

Finally, and I recognize I sound like I am delivering a testimonial :), I confess that I now look forward to going to yoga as often as I can. Everyone at Moksha Orleans is friendly, warm and welcoming, and I enjoying seeing new acquaintances each week and comparing our experiences, both the serene and the frustrating! My next personal goal, although I am learning not to rush my expectations, is to remove the literal element from my "toppling tree pose" - and stay upright without toppling, for the entire pose.

Yogassage is back!

You asked for it and we're bringing it back! Yogassage - the next session will be March 3rd at 2 PM. This sold out quickly last time, so sign up soon!

Charity Classes in February: The Rotary Club of Orleans

Every Friday night during the month of February from 6:15 -7:15pm, enjoy one hour of hot yoga and your donation of $6 or more will go to the Orleans Rotary Club “Dictionaires4Life Project”.  Join us in helping grade 3 students in need receive their own dictionary.  Come and benefit from a hot yoga class, sweat out your week and help out those less fortunate in your community!
The Rotary Club of Orleans is a service organization with a special focus on children and youth, health and education programs in our community and abroad.  Visit them on Facebook.

Kids Yoga: Drop Ins Welcome!

Our Kids yoga program (kids ages 5 – 12) started on January 27, from 10-11am 2013 and there is still space for more kids! Consider that the benefits of yoga for kids are endless and include calming the mind, relieving tension and stress, increases concentration and focus and builds confidence and self esteem and encourages a fit and healthy lifestyle.

We all want the best for our kids, so why not expose them to an activity that is not only becoming a core component in all professional or amateur athletic training regimen, but one that has proven to encourage participants to live a balanced, happy and healthy life style both physically and mentally!

Register your children in our current Kids Yoga Program or just drop-in for $14 and have them try it! The program is taught in the “non-heated” room. As for the parents, you can practice or try hot yoga in the hot room while your kids are doing their thing! Don’t hesitate share the benefits of yoga with your kids!

Being Present

You’ve all surely seen the intention tree in the studio. Have you written down your intention? When I was last in the studio, I took a moment to look over the intentions written on the tree. Thinking myself quite clever, I chose, “Be Present” as my intention. Looking at the tree, I realized that my intention was not quite as unique as I had thought. ;) The intention to Be Present is the root of our practice, and one that will benefit us greatly.

Being present opens our minds to understand the world as it truly is - without superimposing our stories on the moment. When we are present in the world, we perceive without bias or prejudice. We may not always enjoy what we perceive, but this is a good thing. We will not hide from negative feelings, but rather we can accept them and take action if necessary. Being present also allows us to live in the positive moments that we sometimes miss.

When we are present, we see the beauty of the falling snow on a winter day; we hear pleasant notes in a friend’s laughter that we’ve never noticed before; we are reminded of why we fell in love with our significant other and do so all over again.

Feeling brave? Share your intentions with us! Let us know how it’s going. We love to hear from you!

David Suzuki thanks Moksha Yoga for its "Speak Your Peace" campaign!

Yogassage!

Have you heard about our Yogassage workshop on January 27th? This one is full, but we'll be hosting another one in the near future! Keep your eye out on our blog and Facebook page for the next session!