Yoga with Angie

05/31/2024

Tomorrow, June 1st, is International Children's Day, as proclaimed by The World Conference for the Well-being of Children in Geneva, in 1925.
This is an opportunity to celebrate the innocence and potential of children worldwide, however my heart turns towards those who suffer in the harsh realities of conflict.
These children, who must face the ravages of war, carry wounds both visible and invisible. The physical scars are painful enough, but the psychological trauma in its various forms, loss of family, no schooling, a lived sense of insecurity, tends to linger on, and affects them on a more profound level. The children suffering today will become the adults of tomorrow, and their life experiences will become the background for their decision making, impacting how they live, lead, and show up in the world.
These children need more than resilience. They need protection, peace, and love.
Today's adults were yesterday's children who might have also been raised in a similar situation of conflict, however the present time is the only time for change, for breaking the pattern of violence.

Yoga teaches us the principles of compassion, non-harming, mindfulness, values that are especially crucial for the protection of the lives of these most vulnerable.

"Hello babies. Welcome to Earth. It's hot in the summer and cold in the winter. It's round and wet and crowded. On the outside, babies, you've got a hundred years here. There's only one rule that I know of, babies - 'God damn it, you've got to be kind.'  "

- Kurt Vonnegut

Let that rule be our guiding principle at any age, always. 🙏❤️‍🩹

05/12/2024

What are the emotions arising for you on this Mother's day?

We generally think of motherhood as a journey of boundless love and unparalleled sacrifice, about nurturing, guiding, and shaping lives with love, sometimes through birth, sometimes through adoption, or sometimes through other life events that might place one in the role of a mother.
There are also those who may not fit the conventional mold of the "perfect" mother. Despite their flaws and imperfections, these mothers navigate the complexities of parenthood with the best intentions, often facing their own battles and struggles along the way, always making the decisions they feel are the best at the time.
Then there are those who might not have been blessed with this experience, or those whose motherhood journey was cut short by the terrible loss of a child. For them the motherhood journey is about resilience and finding other outlets for their love and nurturing nature. Also, holding space for children of all ages who navigate the rest of their lives without the presence of their mothers, cherishing memories and holding onto the love that continues to reside within their hearts.

On this Mother's day, let's extend compassion and understanding to all mothers and mother figures, embracing their frail but strong humanity and acknowledging the complexity of their experiences, and hold space for the various ways in which motherhood shapes our world with love and enduring grace.

“We are born of love; Love is our mother.”
- Rumi🌹

05/12/2024

What do you long for?

People long for various things, whether success and achievement in a career or a hobby, novel experiences through travel and adventure, health and well-being, a balanced life, the nostalgia of childhood or past relationships, freedom, a happy home, love and romantic relationships, inner peace, or spirituality, that longing for meaning, purpose and something greater than oneself.
Longing conveys a deep, intense desire for something that may be out of reach, unattainable, usually accompanied by a sense of nostalgia or yearning. There's an emotionally charge in longing, which differentiate it from a want, which is more immediate and practical.

Can you acknowledge and manage your longing in a healthy way while still finding joy and contentment in the present moment?
Recognize that longing is a natural human emotion and accept it without judgment, and allow yourself to feel the longing fully without trying to suppress it, while shifting focus to more immediate activities.
Cultivating a mindset of gratitude by regularly acknowledging and appreciating the blessings and positive aspects of life can help shift focus away from what is felt to be lacking to what you already have.
The practice of yoga helps with staying grounded in the present moment and reducing rumination on past desires or future fantasies.

"He who is not contented with what he has, would not be contented with what he would like to have."
- Socrates

05/09/2024

A lovely, resounding reminder to contemplate and perhaps question the routine we find ourselves trapped into, and to listen to our intuition, making time for the activities we love to do, that bring joy and ease into our lives.
Carpe diem!

04/07/2024

"Undisturbed calmness of mind is attained by cultivating friendliness toward the happy, compassion for the unhappy, delight in the virtuous, and indifference toward the wicked."

Patanjali, The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali

Come practice with me at :
Sunday 8:30 AM Grow Your Flow - Intermediate
Tuesday 7:30 PM Yin Yoga
Thursday 7:00 AM Morning Flow

03/11/2024

Join me tomorrow, Monday, at 5:00 PM for an evening All-levels Yoga class at Mississauga, ending with a blissful Savasana – the sweet reward at the end!

“Yoga adds years to your life and life to your years”
— Alan Finger

03/09/2024

Thumbs up for the new yoga studio on their soft opening! Beautiful classes lead by and .
A wonderful morning of yoga spent in great company
Good luck!

03/06/2024

Join me Friday at 6:30 AM at One Health Clubs in Mississauga for a powerful Sunrise Yoga Flow as we celebrate International Women's Day 🌸💪♀️🌷
Celebrate the strength, resilience, and grace that define the essence of every woman.
Let's flow together mindfully through a sequence of empowering, heart opening, balancing and stabilizing postures.
See you on the mat!

"The beauty of a woman is not in the clothes she wears, the figure that she carries, or the way she combs her hair. The beauty of a woman is seen in her eyes, because that is the doorway to her heart, the place where love resides."
- Audrey Hepburn

02/26/2024

The end of anything marks the beginning of something else. The exhale comes before the inhale.
The moment we come through the birth canal, when our bodies know only to cry, we must empty our lungs before the very first inhale. The thorough exhale makes space for the inhale — vibrant aliveness.
It’s a moment to honor all the memories that have apparently led to this one... even if those memories are painful or felt unnecessary at the time, or if this moment is something we dislike.

And we'll be on our way
Apparently
Already a free fall
For nobody

The divine in me bows to the divine in you.
Namaste 🙏

01/24/2024

Yogis and yoginis getting ready for practice in the beautiful and spacious new state of the art hot yoga studio at One Health Clubs in Mississauga.

Join me there for
Power Flow on Tuesdays at 6:00PM and
Morning Sunrise Flow on Fridays at 6:30AM.

Shantih (Peace) mantra:

Oṁ Saha nāvavatu
Saha nau bhunaktu
Saha vīryam karavāvahai
Tejasvi nāvadhītamastu
Mā vidviṣāvahai
Oṁ Shāntiḥ, Shāntiḥ, Shāntiḥ

The meaning:
Om (universal sound), may the knowledge of the devine protect us both
May it nourish us both
Let us generate energy together
May our attainments be bright
May there be no animosity amongst us
Om, peace (within us), peace (around us), peace (everywhere) 🙏

11/15/2023

Enter now! I'm GIVING AWAY a with carrying strap, or, for participants outside my delivery range in GTA, a FREE private one-hour virtual class!

To be entered in this sweepstakes all you need to do is:

✅️Make sure to follow this account;
✅️Like this post and in the comments section, tag two of your friends that might be interested;
✅️Optionally, share this post in your social media and tag me (.yogini.ca)

You can enter until November 20th, and the winner will be announced shortly after!

Good luck everybody! 🌞

11/12/2023

Today Hindus celebrate Diwali or Deepavali, the festival of lights, symbolizing the victory of light over darkness, good over evil, knowledge over ignorance.
This festival honours Lord Ram's return to Ayodhya, his birthplace, ending his fourteen year long exile.
Diwali is traditionally celebrated by lighting diyas (earthen lamps) and candles, praying to Goddess Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth and prosperity, and Lord Ganesh, and meeting friends and family to exchange Diwali greetings and gifts.

May the lights of this divine festival fill your heart with joy and happiness!
Happy Diwali to all who celebrate!

10/01/2023

"The weight of the world
is love.
Under the burden
of solitude,
under the burden
of dissatisfaction

the weight,
the weight we carry
is love.

Who can deny?
In dreams
it touches
the body,
in thought
constructs
a miracle,
in imagination
anguishes
till born
in human—
looks out of the heart
burning with purity—
for the burden of life
is love,

but we carry the weight
wearily,
and so must rest
in the arms of love
at last,
must rest in the arms
of love.

No rest
without love,
no sleep
without dreams
of love—
be mad or chill
obsessed with angels
or machines,
the final wish
is love
—cannot be bitter,
cannot deny,
cannot withhold
if denied:

the weight is too heavy

—must give
for no return
as thought
is given
in solitude
in all the excellence
of its excess.

The warm bodies
shine together
in the darkness,
the hand moves
to the center
of the flesh,
the skin trembles
in happiness
and the soul comes
joyful to the eye—

yes, yes,
that's what
I wanted,
I always wanted,
I always wanted,
to return
to the body
where I was born."

- Allen Ginsberg

07/25/2023

Twists and binds - great for keeping the spine suple, massaging the internal organs, stimulating the circulation, opening the front upper body. The organs are compressed during a twist, and when we release it, fresh blood flows in, carrying oxygen and other building blocks for tissue healing. Be sure to lengthen the spine before twisting.
This sequence also adds the benefits of the standing postures, like developing focus, balance, and strength in the legs and core. Have a try!

Come practice with me at , and at both Mississauga and Oakville locations.
Message me if interested in private classes.

“Our greatest strength lies in the gentleness and tenderness of our heart.”
– Rumi🌹

06/21/2023

Hello Summer! ☀️
Happy International Yoga Day! 🕉

Thank you to all yoginis and yogis who joined us on this International Yoga Day for a sunrise practice in a beautiful location by the lake!
Today is the longest day of the year and what a great opportunity to take the practice outdoors, socialize with wonderful friends, breathe in fresh air, walk barefoot on grass, immerse ourselves in the sounds of nature and expose our eyes and skin to the early morning sunlight, for multiple health benefits!
Let's make the most of this radiant season for our well-being and vitality!

“Green was the silence, wet was the light,
the month of June trembled like a butterfly.”
― Pablo Neruda

06/10/2023

FREE outdoor Summer Solstice yoga class!

The summer solstice marks the longest day of the year and the start of the astronomic summer. It always occurs between 20th and 22nd of June in the Northern hemisphere, and in 2023 it falls on the 21st.
The changing of seasons is a time of transformation and new beginnings. So this time of the year is an opportunity to use our yoga practice to support this process with practices that create heat in the body and build our inner strength.

Come and practice with me in a beautiful location in Port Credit by lake Ontario where we will salute the rising sun on the longest day of this year, with practices such as Surya Namaskar (Sun Salutations), meditation, mantra, heat generating asanas, with a focus on Manipura, the solar plexus chakra, which is associated with inner power, energy, will and achievement.

Don't miss this special event!

Find more information and register at:
https://www.resilienceyoga.ca/special-events/

05/05/2023

Stillness - what does it mean in your practice, in your life?
Can you settle into a posture, relax or engage different muscle groups to become more comfortable holding?
Do you expect, anticipate, even crave the next move, or can you find joy in stillness?
Can you feel the slightest pulsations, the movement energy in stillness, and can you enjoy the little things in life?
Do you hold onto stillness, or are you ready to move on when the next cue is presented to you?
Are you content at this moment?

“There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.”
– William Shakespeare

03/04/2023

Practice with me Surya Namaskar A (Sun Salutation)

01/04/2023

Rise and shine!
New class added on the schedule at the beautiful One Health Clubs in Mississauga!
See you on the mat every Friday at 6:30AM for a mindful, invigorating flow!🙏❤️

"The day will be what you make it, so rise like the sun, and burn."
- William C. Hannan

11/06/2022

What does resilience mean to you?

Much has been written about resilience in the body and mind, about the various qualities that make up a resilient person, about the various ways to become more resilient.

Here are the two definitions of this word from the Oxford dictionary:
1. the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties; toughness.
2. the ability of a substance or object to spring back into shape; elasticity.

Anyone who knows or have walked any segment of the yoga path with Yoga Seven can recognize this definition in the spirit of this studio's community, its dedicated owners and wonderful teachers, all committed to the practice of yoga, elevating the energy levels of the collective, supporting the well-being of everyone involved.

Join me at the new location of Resilience Yoga (formerly Yoga Seven) every week for
the following classes:

Sunday 9:00 AM - Flow and Stretch
Tuesday 7:30 PM - Yin Yoga
Wednesday 7:00 AM - Morning Flow

“Do not judge me by my success, judge me by how many times I fell down and got back up again.”
― Nelson Mandela

08/13/2022

How wide is your comfort zone?

The comfort zone is a state where we feel safe, where things are familiar and we feel like we’re in control. But if we never step out of our comfort zone we miss out on exciting things that life has to offer. For a while in the beginning we might experience uncertainty, stress, however pushing ourselves would bring about many benefits, like expanded horizons, creativity, opportunities to grow, exciting new adventures, eventually widening our comfort zone. Regardless of how inconvenient it may seem, change has the potential to result in something truly wonderful.
Practice stepping out of your comfort zone mindfully on the mat by paying attention to the sensations in the body, making the difference between discomfort and pain, pushing through some discomfort, holding postures, learning new ones, to arrive, in time, at a new state of calm and comfort, and to develop a deeper understanding of yourself.

07/31/2022

What does gratitude mean to you?

Gratitude is a way of celebrating the gifts received in life, a way of relating to this moment, now, to what is, now, by acknowledging the quality of this moment, by taking a break from the arduous search for that something that's missing in order for us to feel whole and complete. Gratitude is a gateway to our freedom from looking for the next thing, the next experience, the next relationship that would make us feel happy, it is a gateway to acknowledging our happiness right now.
Take a moment to become aware of your breath, the life force that's animating the body, and realize the miracle of your own existence due to this process that we tend to completely overlook. If you ever wished for a miracle in your life, this is it, right under your nose!

What are you grateful for?

"When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive – to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love”
- Marcus Aurelius

07/15/2022

Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Kahn's "No mud, no lotus" quote has been used in many contexts, as a form of expressing the transformation from one undesirable state (the mud) into a desirable one (the lotus), implying that hardship or suffering is a prerequisite for success or happiness, with the latter being some sort of final state in which one could abide forever. It has even been used in the context of economic growth or financial success, to illustrate a company's triumphs through challenges and growing pains.
What all these uses of the expression fail to recognize is that suffering-pleasure, success-failure are continuous cycles, not a linear, unidirectional transformation from some bad state into a good one.
In the interpretation of the quote proposed here, the "mud" includes both the experiences of suffering and of happiness in this life, while the "lotus" represents the peace of mind that comes from the clear seeing of all experiences as transient states that simply come and go, repeating themselves in continuous cycles.
There's nothing that needs doing, simply experiencing life as it happens, and seeing the seed of happiness in any difficult situation, as well as the seed of suffering in any pleasant situation, without preference for pleasure or resistance to pain, and the lotus will grow and blossom in its own time.

07/13/2022

Today Hindus, Jains and Buddhists celebrate Guru Purnima, dedicated to all academic and spiritual gurus or teachers. "Gu" stands for darkness, and "ru" means removal of darkness, so a guru is someone who removes all darkness, or ignorance.
Traditionally, Guru Purnima has been celebrated by Buddhists to commemorate Buddha’s first sermon to his first five disciples. After five weeks of achieving enlightenment under the bodhi tree, Buddha traveled from Bodhgaya to Sarnath, Uttar Pradesh, where he gave a sermon on the full moon day.
Hindus and Jains also celebrate this festival to revere their teachers.

The invitation here is to take a moment tonight to feel gratitude in your heart for all teachers in your lives, human or otherwise, past or present.

Jai guru dev! 🙏❤️

07/03/2022

A short stretching routine for the lower back that can be done first thing in the morning or anytime throughout the day.

06/21/2022

Today is International Yoga Day, which was established in 2014 at the UN General Assembly (UNGA) by India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as a way of celebrating this tradition that traveled all around the globe for the benefit of so many, including myself.
I'm forever grateful to have been exposed to this tradition and grateful for everyone who contributed to it along so many centuries, grateful for all my teachers from whom I draw inspiration in my practice.
Happy International Yoga Day, my yogini and yogi friends!🙏❤️

"Let my idle chatter be the muttering of prayer, my every manual movement the ex*****on of ritual gesture, my walking a ceremonial circumambulation, my eating and other acts the rite of sacrifice, my lying down prostration in worship, my every pleasure enjoyed with dedication of myself, let whatever activity is mine be some form of worship of you."

- Adi Shankaracarya

Credit for the image: https://www.etsy.com/ca/listing/107486780/yoga-art-lotus-fine-art-giclee-from

**ra

06/12/2022

A short flow with many benefits for shoulders, hips, internal organs, balance and many more.
Practice with me at Yoga Seven (www.yogaseven.ca) and One Health Clubs Oakville and Mississauga (www.onehealthclubs.com).

“Yoga is the dance of every cell with the music of every breath that creates inner serenity and harmony.” – Debasish Mridha

 

06/01/2022

Happy international children's day!🎈🎉❤️

Child’s pose, or Balasana, is one of those poses that provide great benefits without much effort.

On the physical level, it gently stretches the spine, thighs, hips, and ankles, releasing tension from the lower back, hamstrings, chest, shoulders. The light massage on the internal organs improves digestion, while the slight inversion increases blood circulation to the brain.

On the energetic level the posture, along with controlled deep breathing, calms the mind, reducing anxiety and fatigue. Use it anytime during a more intense practice to get some rest and catch your breath.

With the forehead on the ground, just breathing, balasana is also an invitation to retreat within, into that unchanging essence of what we are, regardless of the age or condition of the physical body, to that secure, intimate space, always available, always perfect, unbound by any concepts or expectations, unaffected by the passing of time.

If you read this far I invite you to take the next few moments to come down to the floor, knees wide, big toes touching, move the hips back towards the heels, extend the arms forward and rest the forehead down on the ground, or if it doesn't come all the way down find a cushion or two to place underneath the forehead. Then close your eyes and just breathe deeply 🙏

There is no truth that I will know
No matter how deep I dive
Everything flows as it might go
Yet what I am remains.

The signs were always pointing
Along this path I'm walking
What needs to be done right now
Is happening already.

I'm the song of the free bird
Heard in the silence of the heart
I'm the smile of this small girl
Two rivers running side by side.

- Angie ❤️

05/22/2022

A short lunchtime chair yoga practice designed to stretch the hip flexors and create flexibility in the upper body is now available on my YouTube channel, feel free to follow along:

https://youtu.be/NdZCpUXbyNs

Lunchtime chair yoga practice designed to stretch the hip flexors and create flexibility in the upper body. ...

05/16/2022

This one is for friends. For those who came into my life at various stages to stay, in whichever form possible. For those I don't see for longer stretches of time but when we meet we easily pick up from where we left off and freely talk and laugh just as we did back in the days when we had less to carry, for those who periodically enquire about how my life flows, for those who buy me sweet treats when life turns sour, for those who put a lot of thought into what present would make me smile, for those who make time and lend me their ears, hearts and minds when I need to unload, for those who offer me truly life altering opportunities, for those who turn around while driving and spotting me walking down the street just to say hi, for those who share a passion for yoga, for those who share from the bounties of their gardens, for those who trust me with their most intimate secrets, for all those who call me "my friend". You certainly make my journey lighter and more enjoyable and I am grateful for you all! 🤗❤️

Hands depicted in friendship mudra.