Category: Yoga and Community

Sitting in Stillness

Kat Robinson
ponderingLiving in today’s world of hustle and bustle, sitting still is one of the hardest lessons that must be learned. I often remind my students that, even when they believe they are relaxed, they may not be. In fact, most aren’t. It is an exercise as much as any other exercise. We, as a people, have a difficult time just being still. It seems there are always errands to run...
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No Community is Perfect

Kat Robinson
After hearing all the drama and controversy going on in the yoga community this week — you know, the whole Yogaglo trying to patent their camera angles thing, and yet another famous yoga teacher thinking it is okay to have sex with students — I started questioning whether or not we should be looking at reality tv for yoga. All the disappointment from so many people. It is sad to know that...
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It’s Your Class! Get What You Want!

Kat Robinson
One of the things I have been taught when building my yoga business is to always and forever ask what my students want. It’s pretty simple advice that I have heard from several experts so I figure there must be some truth to it. I do send out a survey to my students from time to time, asking about class times and styles that they would like to see, and I also ask...

Pain and Love – potentially troublesome experiences

Neil Pearson
I submitted a proposal yesterday for a workshop at the 2013 International Association of Yoga Therapists (IAYT) conference. As you would expect, I am hoping to provide an interactive workshop about yoga and pain. The title of the presentation is “How much pain is okay in Yoga?” In the proposal description I wrote something like this, “…pain, like love – another potentially troublesome human experience – is often misunderstood.” I wrote...

Grief, Yoga and one of the Dark Sides of Pain

Neil Pearson
Students in my therapeutic yoga classes often ‘disappear’ from the class for a while. Some move on to other classes, and some come back when they are ready. I don’t worry when a student hasn’t been to class, but rather hope that they have found a path and a consistent practice that are serving them well. Yet sometimes people are coming to me with significant physical and mental health issues....

Pain Care Yoga Retreat Filling Up

Neil Pearson
Salt Spring Island is beautiful in October. The trees are changing colour, the nights are cool and the days are warm. With such a beautiful venue as the Salt Spring Centre of Yoga – the sister centre to Mount Madonna in California – it's no wonder the inaugural offering of Pain Care Yoga retreat is filling up fast. Salt Spring Island is a small island east of Vancouver island in Canada....

Swimming, Fear and Toughing It Out

Neil Pearson
I was presented with an important decision last weekend. The options were to withdraw from an activity in order to stay safe, or perform an activity that involved a certain amount of danger. Not only had I planned for and approached this activity with a sense of control and confidence, I had been preparing for it for a few months. In an instant, I questioned my capabilities, felt my body...

Are We Missing The Masses?

Kat Robinson
As someone who is always on the lookout for new students to walk into my studio, I am constantly talking to people about how much yoga can benefit their lives. I have talked to community groups, spoken to doctors at medical centers and am generally just trying to spread the word. But it seems that at least once every day I hear this statement “I can’t do yoga; my body...
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Do Real Friends Walk Away?

Kat Robinson
Over the last few months, my life has taken an interesting turn, one that has been a roller coaster ride of emotions. I recently lost a good friend. Now, before you start thinking that this person died, I want to clarify that she didn’t. She just decided that she did not want to be my friend anymore. It hurt. In fact, it hurt terribly, I actually think that it hurt...
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