January, 2008 Newsletter

Yoga for Healing

When Esther Myers, my former yoga teacher, was first diagnosed with breast cancer, she didn't believe it, even though she knew she was at higher risk because of her mother's cancer. She had a healthy vegetarian lifestyle and a regular yoga practice, which, in her mind, would protect her. But, she soon found out that cancer could affect anyone. Esther became a spokeswoman for women recovering from breast cancer and an advocate of the power of yoga to help heal a woman's body and spirit after the devastating effects of mastectomy surgery. Esther passed away on January 6, 2004, while I was in India studying yoga and sending healing prayers halfway across the globe. She had developed another type of cancer in her ovaries that had moved into her abdomen. She never stopped spreading the word of yoga's power to heal the body, mind and spirit, even as she was dying of a disease that she had once expected yoga to protect her from.

So, you might ask, how does yoga heal? Yoga can not cure incurable diseases, but it can heal the mind and spirit so that one can live peacefully with the illness, including coping with the resulting pain and fear. Yoga, which is aimed at aligning the body and calming the mind, allows energy to move more freely in the body. With improved circulation, strength and flexibility, surprising spontaneous healing can occur. However, when faced with a diagnosis of an incurable disease (whether life-threatening, or simply uncomfortable), yoga can play a powerful role in acceptance. It is often our struggle against what is that creates stress and even more illness. With yoga we learn to change what we can, and accept what we can't change.** I will always be grateful to Esther, not only for the many years of instruction in her classes, but also for her inspirational life, her honesty about her disease and its emotional and physical impact, and her utmost conviction in the healing power of yoga.

**When exploring the possibilities of healing through yoga, it is important to discuss your needs with your doctor and a qualified yoga instructor.


New Peterborough Classes

Classes start this Friday, February 1 at 354 Charlotte Street in Peterborough (beside Dr. Doug's Family Chiropractic Centre). (Please note, we have since moved, on March 5, to Kalico Healing Arts Centre at 252 1/2 Charlotte Street).

9:00am - 10:30am - Gentle Hatha Yoga (with a focus on yoga as therapy for healing the body and mind). 12 weeks.

11:00am - 12:30pm - Yoga for Moms and Babies (with a focus on building community, healing the body after birth and sharing with other new moms). Please bring toys, blankets and anything else you and your baby will need to be comfortable. 6 weeks.

For both classes, please bring a yoga mat and/or blanket. For more information see www.wavelengthsyoga.com or call 705-639-8937. Pre-registration is required for both classes, however, you can join anytime during the term.


Waiting List for Norwood Yoga Classes

All of the classes in Norwood are currently full, however, if you know someone who is interested, have them call me to add their name to a waiting list. If the waiting list grows long enough, I will start another class.


Retreat at the Robins' Nest

Once again, I will be offering a relaxing and instructional retreat at the wonderful Robins' Nest Straw Bale Retreat Centre in Norwood. The theme of the spring retreat is "Yoga and the Mind." We will explore the various tools of yoga, including postures, breathing, meditation, lifestyle adjustments and diet, and their effect on the mind. The retreat starts on Friday, February 29th after dinner and runs to Sunday, March 2nd after lunch. Accommodation, meals, instruction and GST are all included in the price of $318. For more information see www.wavelengthsyoga.com or call 705-639-8937.


Thai Massage Training and Yoga Sutra Workshop

Are you interested in learning how to do Thai massage, an ancient healing technique that uses pressure point therapy and passive stretches to release the body and relax the mind? Watch for news of certification courses beginning this spring through Wavelengths Yoga. CEUs will be available for massage therapists. This course will likely be offered in Maple, Ontario.

Also this spring, watch for a Yoga Sutra workshop for yoga teachers and students. Patanjali's 2000 year old wisdom is as relevant and poignant today as it was when it first began as an oral chant passed down from teacher to student. This workshop will look at some of the Sanskrit roots of the sutras, introduce the student to the rules of chanting, as well as explore the superficial and deeper meanings of selected sutras. This workshop will focus on the first two chapters of the text: "The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali" as translated by TKV Desikachar with commentary and notes gathered from personal interaction with TKV and Kausthub Desikachar as well as other teachers and commentators. This course will be offered in Peterborough, Ontario.

If you are interested in either workshop, or for more information, please call 705-639-8937.


Upper Stikine River

Craving adventure? Wavelengths Yoga and Black Feather Wilderness Adventures are teaming up to offer a once-in-a-lifetime trip on the Upper Stikine River in BC's far north this summer. This trip is a first for both Black Feather and Wavelengths. Participants need not have a great deal of wilderness or whitewater canoeing experience, but they MUST be ready to take on an exploratory adventure and be ready to learn quickly and fully support the group and the guides on this rugged trip. Morning yoga will help to prepare you for the challenges of each day! Please see www.blackfeather.com for more information.


Please Support Ellenoire

It is with some sadness that I recently received news of an old friend being diagnosed with breast cancer a few weeks ago. Noelle's bravery and positive attitude have tempered that sadness with a huge amount of admiration and respect. In her email to friends, Noelle asked for support in many ways, from helping with meals, to making sure her young son continues to get to and from school while Noelle undergoes a mastectomy and recovery period in February. For those who could not offer more, Noelle asked her friends to support her grassroots business, Ellenoire, which sells luxury hair, body and bath products. The business is located in Dundas, Ontario, but sales are available over the Internet at www.ellenoire.com. If you are looking for fabulous products and want to support a mother in her time of crisis, I appeal to you all to shop at Ellenoire in the next weeks and months (or longer!). As a small business owner, Noelle and her son Luke will count on this income to support them while she recovers.

Please forward this newsletter to anyone who might be interested.
With best wishes for a healthy, happy and prosperous 2008,
Caroline