CYA Member Reyna Puri- Athlete of the Week!

March 10, 2010@7:44:PM

Hi Everyone,
A small victory I wanted to share with all of you. I am athlete of the week on
http://www.exercisetoronto.com/
www.exercisetoronto.com

--
Reyna Puri
Director
Breath Yoga Shala
51 Lauraglen Cres. Brampton ON.
416-272-2573
www.whatisom.com

CYA mention in Maclean's Article, March 4, 2010

March 10, 2010@7:30:PM

Isn’t it bad karma to stalk a Yogi?

The aspirations at yoga studios may be high-minded but some seek more than a workout
by Joanne Latimer on Thursday, March 4, 2010 12:12pm - 3 Comments

Isn’t it bad karma to stalk a yogi?

It’s not unusual for handsome young yogi “Ben” to receive tokens of affection from his students. Sometimes he gets books. Sometimes it’s herbal tea. But recently, one student sent him a box of four dead rats after a private yoga session at her home. “She asked me to stay for dinner but I could see she set the table with silverware and candles, so I declined,” recalls Ben, who doesn’t want to draw negative energy to his studio by using his real name. “Soon after, the box of rats arrived. It also contained a long letter explaining how the rats were a reflection of her love for me. I had to get a restraining order.”

Yoga studios may have high-minded aspirations, but the sexual component won’t go away. Transgressions occur on both sides. Witness the popular YouTube series, Inappropriate Yoga Guy, lampooning men who come to yoga classes to hit on women. “It’s a bawdy affair,” quipped John Philp, author of Yoga, Inc. “There were sexual harassment suits flying fast and thick in the 1990s against yogis, yet yogis are targets, too. Yoga Journal, the industry’s bible, calls it the pedestal problem.”

Dave Bruni, a yogi at Downward Dog in Toronto, who is in a committed relationship with another yogi, reports that while 99 per cent of the attention he gets (including being asked out for tea) is non-sexual, “sometimes students cross the line. Recently, I had a student come up before class, onto my mat, and whisper ‘I’m not wearing any panties.’ ”

How do female yogis cope? “It’s part of the job,” said Sadie Nardini, an instructor at YogaWorks in Manhattan. “I’ve been stalked, given inappropriate presents, asked out three times since I got married last year, and I’ve seen teachers teach a whole class to the sexy guy in the front row.” Montreal-based yoga enthusiast and event producer Jay Iversen has seen the reverse, too: “Over the years, I’ve noticed some male teachers are drawn to adjusting the beautiful women in the class. It’s only human nature.”

Let’s not forget that, in these situations, everyone’s a consenting adult, and that is exactly what makes the ethics of yogi-student relationships so fraught. “Sexual politics on the yoga mat are complicated,” explains London, Ont., native and Bikram yoga student Wayne Norman, a professor of ethics at Duke University. “Taking a yoga class is not the same as taking a pottery class. It involves a higher level of trust.” Students are often looking for more than a workout. Some don’t just want a guru or a girlfriend; they want a parent. Yogi Allison Ulan, co-founder of Ashtanga Yoga Montreal, took a personal vow not to get involved with students, but the studio itself—like most—has no official policy against dating. “We deal with the issue extensively in teachers’ training and on a case-by-case basis,” says Ulan, a pro at redirecting student crushes. “As soon as you set yourself up as a yogi, you get projection—lover, parent, best friend. Some new teachers start to believe the projections and that sexual energy can cause harm. Teachers need to send out the right signals.”

What happens when signals aren’t enough? “Remain aloof,” advises Darby, the founding guru at Sattva Yoga Shala in Montreal. (He’s known internationally by his one name.) “Be nice, but don’t respond. If you want something to happen [with a student], it will. You’re in control.”

The Canadian Yoga Alliance has no interest in trying to control yogis with a code of ethics. “It’s not our mandate,” says co-founder Violet Pasztor Wilson. “We’re a networking tool.” Nobody, notes Philp, “wants to have these delicate conversations. Any other industry—psychology, physiotherapy—would be crying out for regulation at this point.”

Diane Bruni, owner of Downward Dog in Toronto and Dave Bruni’s sister, takes offence at the suggestion that regulation is necessary. “We consider ourselves a community, not an industry,” she said. “We have no policy or code of conduct because we rely on common sense.”

Hormone Yoga Therapy Certification

February 16, 2010@3:36:PM

HORMONE YOGA THERAPY CERTIFICATION AND TEACHER TRAINING with Dinah Rodrigues in Toronto
(10% discount for CYA Members)

October 8-9 - Hormone Yoga Therapy for Menopause Level I (booking Level II) Lotus Yoga Centre 100 Harbord St., Toronto
October 15-16 - Hormone Yoga Therapy for Menopause Level III Yoga for Healing Clinic 13 Hunter's Point Dr. Richmond Hill
October 12-13 - Hormone Yoga Therapy for Diabetes Level I (booking Level II) Yoga for Healing 13 Hunter's Point Dr. Richmond Hill
October 19-20 - Hormone Yoga Therapy for Diabetes Level III Yoga for Healing Clinic 13 Hunter's Point Dr. Richmond Hill
To register please contact Anna at 416 806 3556 or anna@yogaforhealing.ca

Metta In Motion/Thai Yoga Massage Training

February 16, 2010@3:30:PM

Become a Thai Massage Practitioner
Presented by Metta in Motion
CYA Members receive 10% discount.
Contact: Mia Blackwell mia_thaiyoga@yahoo.ca or 250-896-2547

March 18 - 21, 2010
Queenswood Centre, Victoria, BC
Cost $650 - Deposit $150
Deposit must be paid to hold your place in this class

Thai Massage Level One
April 7 - 11, 2010
Cost $650 - Deposit $150
Queenswood Centre, Victoria
Deposit must be paid to hold your place in this class

Two Day Intro to Thai Massage
April 24 - 25, 2010
Cost $220 - Deposit $50
Victoria
Deposit must be paid to hold your place in this class

Thai Massage Level Two
May 19 - 23, 2010
Cost $650 - Deposit $150
Queenswood Centre, Victoria
Deposit must be paid to hold your place in this class

Four Hour Taster to Thai Massage
May 29, 2010
Victoria, BC
Cost $75 - Deposit $30
Deposit must be paid to hold your place in this class

Thai Massage Level One
September 23 - 27, 2010
Cost $650 - Deposit $150
Queenswood Centre, Victoria
Deposit must be paid to hold your place in this class

Thai Massage Level Two
October 21 - 25, 2010
Cost $650 - Deposit $150
Queenswood Centre, Victoria
Deposit must be paid to hold your place in this class

Thai Massage Level Three
November 4 - 8, 2010
Cost $675 - Deposit $150
Queenswood Centre, Victoria
Deposit must be paid to hold your place in this class

Pre-Natal Thai Massage
November 13 - 14, 2010
Cost $220 - Deposit $50
Victoria
Deposit must be paid to hold your place in this class

Birth Yoga Workshops/Vancouver & Toronto

December 01, 2009@6:34:PM

VANCOUVER :
April 9-11, 2010/ Friday 7:30-9:30, Saturday 11-4 and Sunday 12:30-4
http://yogaforthepeople.ca/events/

TORONTO:
February 5, 6 & 7 - Friday 7 - 9 pm / Saturday, 9 - 5 and Sunday 9 – 4
http://www.fertilitytodelivery.com/teacher_training.html

TORONTO YOGA SHOW AND CONFERENCE 2010:
Intro to The Yoga Birth Method – Saturday March 26 5:30-7:30
http://www.theyogaconference.com/toronto2010/faculty.html#dorothy

Childbirth education meets “yogini birthing”. Learn the 8 step yoga pathway for labour that enables woman to have a natural, mindful and enlightened childbirth experience. Prenatal yoga classes can be taught as a preparation for using yoga in birth. We will cover the yoga birth method techniques that help woman through the three stages of labour. How the 8 limbs of yoga become a powerful tool for prenatal classes and the ability to achieve a natural non-medicated birth through informed choice and pain awareness. We discuss topics such as identifying true labour and embracing a calm state, the waterfall effect of medical assistance during labour, the physical and emotional signs of labour progression and how to apply the birth method consisting of asana sequences, pranayamas and awareness that are specific to early, active and transition stage in labour. You will be able to teach the birth method and empower women to experience childbirth naturally, mindfully, and peacefully; the yogini way.



* For yoga teachers, prenatal teachers, expectant moms and other health care professionals

* Learn the 8 steps of yoga to be applied as a natural birthing technique

* Training in being the pranayama and asana sequences specific to the stages of labour progression

* Understanding yoga philosophy for prenatal yoga and birth preparation

* Discuss topic relevant to hospital birthing vs. natural birth

* Transforming pain in labour to an enlightened experience

* Preparing for labour early: working with women at different stages of pregnancy

* Embracing support during labour

* Comprehensive study guide

* Certificate upon completion

Samagrapath Meditation Teachers Program

June 09, 2009@12:50:PM

Meditation Teacher Training Program
Dr. Pradeep Kumar, Diane Zsepeczky and Sham Rang Nelson
15% discount for CYA Members!

www.samagrapath.com

This is an intensive program designed for:
 yoga and meditation teachers,
 holistic therapists,
 health care professionals,
 mental health care workers and chaplains, and for
 those who would like to deepen their meditation practice


This program includes:
 the foundation of spiritual growth, evolution and healthy living
 self-knowing through discovering mind-body wisdom
 preparation for meditation with yoga and breath work
 the practice and experience of meditation
 the biology, psychology, spirituality and naturality of meditation
 the benefits of meditation
 a variety of meditation techniques
 teaching methodology

For more information contact Kumar 905 526 8910 or Sham Rang 905 844 3120
www.samagrapath.com
samagra@mail2web.com