Description of Classes:
(please try not to eat a heavy meal at least 90 minutes before all classes.  If you must eat something, make it light ... something to 'hold you over' until class is done)


Yoga for Everybody

These classes are suitable for all Students, however for someone who has never practiced yoga before ... our Beginner Class is highly recommended.  We begin with purification of the physical body while bringing the mind to a calm state.  With practice, Students find they are automatically drawn to a more meditative, natural motion ... postures become more effortless and their ability to synchronize breath and movement becomes automatic.
Your body gradually becomes stronger and more flexible as it learns to relax into postures without force.  Your mind is observing the entire time, keeping it focused without little thought about anything else.  This creates a union of mind, body, soul ... and it's an amazing experience.
These classes are gentle enough for a Beginner, and thoughtful enough for non-beginners.  All Students are encouraged to go at their own pace.  
Kripalu Yoga is known as 'the compassionate yoga', where we realize that every body is unique.  We each flow to the rhythym of our own heartbeat.
 
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Beginner Level


If you have always wanted to try Yoga but were 'nervous' for whatever reason ... this is the class for you.  Here you will learn that anyone can indeed do yoga.  We learn the basics ... from scratch.  You will learn that Yoga is an ancient science, not a religion.  The class is gentle, welcoming, fun, relaxed.  Your questions are encouraged as discussion weaves through the instruction.  If you have done Yoga previously, but would enjoy a revisit to 'the beginning' ... you are more than welcome also.  Or perhaps you've been attending classes but feel like there are so many 'basics' you still don't understand? 
Join us!  All are welcome.  There is absolutely nothing to be nervous about.


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The Spoonstudio is located directly on the ocean.  During classes when the tide is low, if Students prefer to experience their flow outside during summer months ...
 we will.  We also take our class to Rainbow Haven Beach in Cow Bay when the conditions are right and all are in favour!

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Seniors/Chair Yoga

This is a safe and welcoming Yoga Class for the more Mature Yogi as well as those people who have physical concerns which may prevent them from attending a regular yoga class.  If you have trouble getting down/up from the floor, you are given a comfortable chair, and your practice in 'Chair Yoga' blossoms.  You are never 'too old' to begin learning Yoga.  If you can breathe, you can do yoga.  Our Students who attend this class who are not Seniors, but have issues that prevent them from floor yoga report enjoying the experience immensely.

  Gail has been certified in 'Yoga for Seniors' through the wonderful teachings of Jean Short and has a natural appreciation for concerns/issues affecting this age group.  She is also continually upgrading her training for Students with other physical limitations & has taken training in 'Yoga & Osteoporosis' as well as 'Yoga for Cancer Patients'.

   Some comments from Students who never
 before have experienced Yoga:

"I can't believe how good I felt after, it wasn't what I expected."

"My stiffness seems to have decreased"

"I'm sleeping better and actually breathing better"

"I've decreased my medication for anxiety since taking Yoga and actually don't think I need it at all anymore"

"It's not what I thought it was.  There is a lot of mis-information out there, especially for my generation."


(To watch a video clip by The Canadian Press on Seniors Yoga with Gail when she was Instructing at ALL YOGA in Dartmouth, visit http://thechronicleherald.ca/ArtsLife and view the 'Arts' section of  Tues., Jan. 11, 2011)




Gail has also written an article on 'Golden Yoga' for the Seniors Advocate Newspaper (Sept2009, Vol. 26, No.7)
http://www.seniorsadvocate.com/Home.html


watch "the path of yoga" on Eastlink Television with Sean Drohan

(Guests are switched around weekly so stay tuned as you never know when the  'Chair Yoga' episode will air!)
Weekday mornings 6:00 - 7:30am & again at 1:30pm

"Yoga can be a fountain of youth!"
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Relax ... learn Yoga ...

 All Classes at The Spoonstudio are considered
"Meditation in Motion"
We welcome all Students who want to receive more of the meditative benefits from their practice, where mind and body and breath melt into one.   In all of our classes, the focus is on awakening our inner, deep prana ... to awaken that which is already inborn.  We also learn to surrender more into relaxation during Shavasana and what it truly means to find peace/spirituality of our own choosing.  Focus is more on awakening your soul than perfecting postures.   Through the use of Pranayama, Asana & Pratyahara we are working towards Dhyana, Dharana & Samadhi.  These terms are explained below in this definition of Patanjali's 'Yoga Sutras'. 

Compilation and dating of The Yoga Sutras 

Some Scholars date the compilation of 'The Yoga Sutras' by Maharishi Patanjali of India to the 2nd century BCE claiming this is the same Patanjali who authored the Mahabhasya, a treatise on Sanskrit grammar.   Some characterize it instead as a collection of fragments and traditions of texts stemming from the second or third century and some cite a wider period of uncertainty for the composition, between 100 BCE and 500 CE.  Another of the world's great mysteries.

The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali is a foundational text of  Yoga. Though brief, the Yoga Sutras are an enormously influential work on yoga philosophy and practice, held by principal proponents of yoga such as B.K.S. Iyengar as being of utmost importance:

"Patañjali fills each sutra with his experiential intelligence, stretching it like a thread (sutra), and weaving it into a garland of pearls of wisdom to flavour and savour by those who love and live in yoga...."

The 8 limbs (branches) of Yoga according to Patanjali's Yoga Sutras

1.  Yama:  refers to the five social behaviours (external disciplines)

-Ahimsa: non-violence, inflicting no injury or harm to others or even to one's ownself, it goes as far as nonviolence in thought, word and deed.
-Satya: truth in word & thought.   Be honest & generous.
-Asteya: non-covetousness, to the extent that one should not desire something that is not his own.
-Brahmacharya:   For the 'Householder', those of us who choose to live a Family Life with Marriage & Children:  'Brahma' means 'the God of Creation'.  'Charya' means 'regimen' or 'way of living'.  Therefore, some say Brahmacharya is the natural way of living with God ... living naturally/as nature does.  This includes our sexual tendencies so that we enjoy sex as a natural part of life but only with love or for procreation as happens in nature.  Not as entertainment, not excessively.      For those who choose a more Monastic Life:   Celibacy, directing all of your love only to God.
-Aparigraha:  non-possessivenes

2. Niyama refers to the five personal behaviours (internal disciplines):

-Shaucha: purity, cleanliness of body & mind.
-Santosha: contentment, satisfied with what one has.
-Tapas: Discipline, through tapas, a yogi or spiritual seeker can "burn off" or prevent accumulation of negative energies, clearing a path toward spiritual evolution.
-Svadhyaya: study of scriptures  (whichever Scriptures resonate with you personally.  Remember all religions are welcome to Yoga) to know about the Divine and the soul, which leads to introspection on a greater awakening to the soul and the Divine within,
-Ishvarapranidhana: surrender to (or worship/love of) the Divine.

3. Asana: Discipline of the body: rules and postures to keep it disease-free and for preserving vital energy (prana). Correct postures are a physical aid to meditation, for they control the limbs and nervous system and prevent them from producing disturbances. A posture for meditation.

4. Pranayama: control of breath (the life force/universal energy/chi/prana). Beneficial to health, steadies the body and is highly conducive to the concentration of the mind.

5. Prathyahara: withdrawal of senses from their external objects.

6. Dharana: concentration of the mind on an object such as a flame of a candle, or internally on the mid point of the eyebrows (3rd eye), or simply the breath or a mantra.

7.  Dhyana: steadfast meditation. Prolonged concentration.  Undisturbed flow of thought around the object of meditation (pratyayaikatanata). The act of meditation and the object of meditation remain distinct and separate.

8.  Samadhi: oneness with the object of meditation ... one's soul ... one's Divine ... peace, bliss, harmony, happiness!

 

"To be healthy human beings and to function at the peak of our potential, we need to achieve a balance of mind and body.  If we serve our outer needs without allowing ourselves time for the person within, and especially if we ignore the inner voice that tells us to slow down or take a break, then at some point our health will begin to suffer.  At the very least, our ability to withstand stress or pressure will be weakened.  Meditation is an effective way to ensure that we are not neglecting an important aspect of our well-being ... the state of our mind, and its' optimum relation with our body.  To achieve this goal, there is no need to spend hours in strict contemplation.  A few minutes each day can be enough.  Gradually, we will begin to understand the mind-body relationship and in the process discover a new dimension in our lives.  By learning to meditate we can even, in due course, tap into a source of healing and rejuvenation deep within ourselves.  It is not the amount of time we spend in meditation that counts, but the development of our understanding during that time."  Bill Anderton



(above:  Spoonstudio Yoginis in meditation)

FINANCIAL INVESTMENTS

     By attending any class where you will be improving your Health and Life, you are making an investment in your future ...
 
Cash is preferred.  Cheques are accepted (NSF charges will be applied where necessary and could cause your spot to be given to someone on our waiting list).
 We have no credit/debit access, sorry.
   MISSED CLASSES MAY BE MADE UP AT ANY OTHER CLASSES DURING THE SESSION YOU PAID FOR.  'MAKEUPS' ARE NOT TRANSFERRABLE TO THE NEXT SESSION.  MISSED CLASSES ARE NOT REFUNDABLE.
         
    Regular Yoga Class Investments at The Spoonstudio: 
8 classes = $80
7 classes = $77
6 classes = $72
5 classes = $65
4 classes = $56
3 classes & under = $15/each
(For the 'non-waged' Student, please contact Gail for a discussion of your fee.)

Important Information About all Spoonstudio Workshops & Classes:

At the Spoonstudio, we are doing our best to create a warm experience that you will want to return to again and again.  To receive this experience in its' essence, it is important that the flow of classes unfold in a certain manner.  Students arriving late interrupt the energy of the class, lessening the experience for all.   This also delays the schedule which may not be appreciated by those who have to be out on time for other appointments.
In respectful consideration of the group as a whole, The Spoonstudio doors will be locked at the scheduled start time, and we will look forward to seeing you next time.  Our doors are always open 1/2 hr prior to start time so why not plan to be early and enjoy our inviting space while relaxing in its' energy!

 If you have never taken Yoga at The Spoonstudio before, plan extra time to complete the Health Form/Waiver prior to class and register.  If you know ahead of time that you'll be coming, the form can be emailed and you can have it ready when you arrive ... saving time.
Class must be paid for prior to start time. 

Contact us:  inspireyoga@eastlink.ca   or (902) 403-9642 (YOGA)

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      NOTE:  Please try not to eat a meal at least 90 minutes prior to class.  Also, inform your Instructor of any conditions that you believe may be risky during posture practice.  Please receive approval from your Doctor first if you are unsure of risks because of your state of health.  If you are Pregnant, please inform your Instructor as well and bring a Doctor's note to the first class that you have approval to practice Yoga.

'inspire yoga' at The Spoonstudio is located on Shore Rd. in
 Eastern Passage, Nova Scotia, Canada
Above is a view from our property.  The energy in our 'inspire room' is nothing less than 'nurturing'.  We are less than 1km from 'Fishermans Cove' & 'The Boardwalk'.  For exact address, please contact Gail.

Private Sessions

If you are interested in having some 'one on one' instruction contact us to set up an appointment.  Whether you aren't comfortable with the Group Environment or simply would like poses specifically designed for your body/mind ... we will spend the 1st class mostly in discussion and then design a format specifically to suit your needs.  At least once/week is recommended.  Rates are $50/hr.

 

Once/twice/three times week?

Like anything, the more you practice an experience the more comfortable you become with it.  If time only allows you to attend class once/week then try to practice some of the teachings at home or at work.  Registering for more than once a week will of course enhance your experience.  A daily Yoga practice can change your life, improving the quality of each day.  It is highly recommended!