Guest Post by Caroline: New Year
January 16, 2012
This blog post was written by Caroline Elson, who teaches yoga, yoga teacher training, and meditation at Elation Centre. Caroline taught our annual New Year’s Day Yoga Class, in which $216 and two heaping baskets of food were raised for the Ottawa Food Bank.
I’m pleased to tell you that we had 19 people attending our first class of 2012. What a blessing! As an instructor, it is with gratitude and humility that I teach and it was a gift to start the year off with such great energy in the room.
The dedication of our practise was from the heart with the words of the Bhagavad Gita 4:22- Content with what is chance- obtained, transcending the opposites, without envy, the same in success and failure, through performing actions- he is not bound.
When we allow everything to just be , we are in a state of love. May we stay in our heart space and let things flow into the new year. May everyone’s year unfold with creativity, love, and peace.
New Year’s Day Yoga Class
December 15, 2011
Time: 10:00AM – 11:00AM
Teacher: Caroline Elson
Cost: Donation to the Food Bank. Non-perishable food items or minimum $5.00 donation.
Class Limit: 30 people. When we reach our limit the studio door will be closed, so come early to reserve your spot. Doors open at 9:30am
On January 1 we will be holding our annual New Year’s day class raising donations for the Ottawa Food Bank .
This year Caroline will donate her time, to offer an all-levels vinyasa class designed to foster peace of mind and awareness as we enter into the new year, we will close with a short meditation to set your intentions for 2012
You Have Everything You Need
November 12, 2011
This one-minute video from Russell Simmons was posted on MindBodyGreen.com; he really gets it!
Entrepreneur, yogi, meditator, and vegan, Russell Simmons inspires with this one-minute video, where he says:
“The idea that you have everything you need has got to be the most profound and important revelation…. Giving is the basis of getting, and this idea of operating from a place of love, or place of abundance, is a very attractive idea.”
Here’s the one-minute video:
Candlelight Cookies
November 8, 2011
Here are two delicious cookie served up by Robyn during our last Yoga and Fertility class, the recipes are from Finally…Food I Can Eat! by local author Shirley Plant who specializes in recipes to address food sensitivities and allergies. These cookies are loaded with healthy ingredients (flax replaces eggs), are gluten-free, dairy-free and have no added processed sugar. Honey is used as the sweetener to make this recipe 100% vegan (no animal products) you can play around with substituting agave or brown rice syrup for the honey.
These are just the kind of delicious snacks we will be serving up at our Candlelight Yoga and Pampering evening for women on November 18th, from 7pm – 9pm. Our evening will include Restorative Yoga lead by Robyn, this class will relax the nervous system and release stress. Yoga Journal describes restorative yoga poses “as having a particular ability to leave us nourished and well rested. These postures are usually deeply supported by blankets, blocks, or other props and are held for several minutes at a time.”
Along with this nurishing yoga practice we will be educated by Sylvie Lapoine of Facial Angle on facial care and natural products to nourish the skin and we will have goodie bags of products to sample, to top it off we will enjoy tea and snacks to support, nourish and heal the body from the inside out – chocolate will of course be involved.
Hope to see you on November 18th – you can register here
Carrot Haystacks
Ingredients:
- 1 cup carrots, shredded
- 2 ½ cups shredded unsweetened coconut
- 2 tbsp cold water
- 2 tbsp arrowroot powder
- 2 tbsp safflower oil
- 3 tbsp honey
- 2 tbsp ground flaxseed and 6 tbsp water (whisked together)
- 2 tbsp brown rice flour
- Pinch of salt
Directions:
- In a bowl, mix shredded carrots, sea salt, safflower oil, flour, coconut, and honey. Mix ground flaxseed in 6 tbsp of water and whisk to make an egg-like consistency; mix in carrot mixture.
- Mix water and arrowroot together and mix with other ingredients.
- Mix all together, mould into small shapes onto baking sheet and bake at 325F for 10-15 minutes or until done.
Yields 16 cookies
Carob Haystacks
Ingredients:
- ¼ cup carob or cacao powder (organic unsweetened)
- 2 cups shredded unsweetened coconut
- 2 tbsp cold water
- 2 tbsp arrowroot
- 2 tbsp safflower oil
- 4 tbsp honey
- 2 tbsp ground flaxseed and 6 tbsp water (whisked together)
- Pinch of salt
Directions:
- In a bowl or food processor, mix water, arrowroot, and carob/cacao powder. Mix well so ingredients dissolve and mixture is smooth.
- Add in remaining ingredients.
- Mould into round shapes onto cookie sheet and bake at 325F for 10-15 minutes or until done.
Yields 12 cookies
Celebrating Transitions
September 13, 2011
Join us for an evening of celebration on Friday, September 23rd, with a meditation lead by Sylvie Gouin and a Vegan Pot Luck. You are invited to attend one or both events.
This is a wonderful opportunity to meet up with friends old and new and join us in wishing Sylvie all the best on her new adventures. We will have a lovely journal for you to record your thoughts and wishes for Sylvie.
Here are the details:
- A 31-minute Antar Naad Mantra meditation (the “sa re sa sa” chant) will be starting at 6:15PM. Please arrive at 6:00PM to ensure you are ready to start promptly! It’s easy to pick up and such a blissful experience. No meditation experience necessary
- A Vegan Pot Luck will be held between 7:00PM and 9:00PM. Stay for a few minutes or stay for the evening. Please bring a plate, cup, cutlery, and list of ingredients in your dish.
Chakra Workshop
September 11, 2011
Please join Sylvie for one last workshop before she leaves Elation!
We will begin with a short talk to explain the process of the class, move into Shavasana and then flow using asana, mantra, pranayama, and affirmations to awaken to our inner energy.
We will wrap up the sequence with a 20 minute Shavasana practice and an 11 minute meditation. Then we set our Sankalpa (intention) using mantra and mudra. We will close the workshop with another short talk.
Workshop participants must have a regular vinyasa practice.
Date: Saturday, September 17th
Time: 4:30-7:30PM
Cost: $35.00
Hope to see you there! Register using our Online Registration System or at the studio.
Shavasana Commitment – Day 40
September 9, 2011
Well here we are on Day 40. Has anything changed? If so, it probably started with your perspective which had a ripple effect on everything else 
Will you continue to give yourself the space to practice daily? Why or why not? Life is short and as we know living it fully requires a willingness to do so and taking the time everyday to simply be, to let go brings so much mental clarity.
May we all be blessed with the eyes to see the extraordinary in the ordinary, to hear what is really being said and to speak from our centre of gravity.
Please feel free to send us your thoughts your experiences with shavasana. As always we would love to hear from you.
“Happiness is an attitude. We either make ourselves miserable, or happy and strong. The amount of work is the same.” - Francesca Reigler
Hot New Classes & Updates
September 6, 2011
Here are a few hot updates to our fall Yoga schedule, to view the complete schedule which starts the week of September 18, click here
Elation Hot Flow Yoga
Just in time for the cooler temperatures – Hot Yoga is back at Elation Centre!
Elation Hot Flow is practiced in a heat tolerable by most people, around 30 C, hot enough to encourage deeper flexibility and detoxification without overstretching or dehydrating. Elation Hot Flow is perfect for people with limited flexibility, people who love a good sweat from the inside and out, and anyone who wants to cleanse and detox. Open to all levels, bring water and a towel
Class Schedule:
- Tuesdays @ 6:00PM Hot Core
- Tuesdays @ 7:15PM Hot Hips
- Wednesdays @ 9:15AM Hot Flow
- Fridays @ 5:00PM Hot Flow
Click Here for Class Descriptions
Elation Vinyasa Intermediate
This 75-minute class is designed for those wishing to demystify poses and move more deeply into their practice. Here is where you work on the stamina to hold postures longer, discover more ways to bend backward, balance on your arms, explore binds, and deep twists. This class is not for a beginner but you don’t have to be “advanced” either. If you have a regular practice and are comfortable to explore basic inversions like headstand and can balance in crow a bit, this is the class for you! This class builds focus, strength and staming and is sweaty and energetic.
Vinyasa Intermediate Schedule: Wednesdays @ 6:15PM with Donna
Sunrise Vinyasa Yoga
One of our most beloved classes – practicing as the sun rises, shining through our studio windows, is now open to men and women. Come one, come all and Enjoy!
Sunrise Vinyasa Yoga Class Schedule: Mon – Fri @ 5:45AM, with Krista, Donna and Martha
Love Your Backbends
September 1, 2011
Holiday Monday - Special Yoga Class
Date: Monday September 5th
Time: 5:30-7:00PM
Cost: $20.00 cash
Join us for an invigorating unfolding of the body. Class will close with an 11 minuted seated meditation.
This class is suitable for experienced students only. You must have a regular vinyasa practise for more then one year.
No Pre-registration required.
Shavasana Commitment
July 20, 2011
40-Day Shavasana Commitment begins August 1st 2011.
Shava-asana (corpse posture) our final posture at the end of every yoga class “ also known mrita-asana ( dead-posture) and preta-asana ( ghost-posture)” is the most beneficial posture for restoration and therefore health as a whole. In Sanskrit the word for health is Swastha and is defined as: established in the (S)elf. In English the word health has the same root as the words integrity and integration meaning wholeness. We can see that although the absence of dis-ease is something to be greatful for health is much more then that.
We know from experience that when our breath is short shallow and fragmented it impacts our thoughts and concentration is impossible. The distraction on the mental level creates the same type of unsettled energy in our body; fidgeting, tapping of the feet, looking around everywhere, humming, swaying and so forth anything but stillness. All of this takes its toll on our nervous system, creating fatigue, impatience and irritability.
It’s not uncommon to subconsciously confuse productivity (which is highly valued in our culture) with living in a manic or in a panic. Consciously we know that productive energy is not manic, it’s actually quite clear and stable. The daily practise of Shavasana is one of the best tools to experience this type of energy.
But don’t take our word for it. Give it a try. Commit. For the next 40 days spend time is Shavasana. How long? Anywhere between 5 and 30 minutes, the longer the better, but being regular is more valuable then not practicing.
To join our 40-Day Commitment:
Sign up at the Centre. Then pick your time and practise.
Technique:
Lie on your back feet hips with apart; allow the legs to relax which means the feet will point in opposite directions. Adjust the shoulders by moving the scapulas away from each other, arms by your side palms turned up. If you are uncomfortable place a pillow under your knees. Your body will then represent shavasana. As for the mind, we all have a way, a certain language that we use to talk to ourself. There is a voice a thinking-pattern that we use which we buy into. We trust that voice. To prepare for Shavasana use that voice in your favor. Set an intention that will remind you to let go. Remember that you must be willing to let go exactly the way things are. There can be no but(s), if(s) or when(s). Also remind yourself that there is no such thing as a bad shavasana. Some days you will be at peace other days you may feel edgy, wanting to move, to get out of there. Watch, respond, do not react, simply commit to your time.
At the end of the 40 days we would love to hear from you. Send us an email. Let us know ( 2 or 3 sentences) how the experience impacted your everyday life. With your permission we will post your comments and inspire others to give it a try.
