Lincoln Fields Route
June 22, 2010
This route goes down along the Ottawa River Parkway to Lincoln Fields.
Hog’s Back Falls out and back route
June 20, 2010
Click on the map to view the Elation 5k/8K/14k Route – out to Hog’s Back (4.35 mi.)
Elation Centre Comes to You!
June 17, 2010
Janet Atkinson, one of Churchill Elementary School’s most respected (retired) teachers and Yogini at Elation Centre, invited me to offer a talk on yoga for the Kiwanis Club of Bytown. I was honoured to be amongst such intelligent and giving women and to help provide inspiration for personal care and growth. We had a lovely dinner from the Keg (Janet had ensured me that they could feed a vegan and even chose to have a vegan meal with me!), I shared my passion, and met some great women. In exchange, the Kiwanis Club donated $200.00 to iSisters.
At Elation, we are delighted to engage in community activities, so feel free to invite us! Yoga at Your Desk is a fantastic program that allows us to get to know one another and we are open to other creative ways to meet and grow together.
Thank you, Janet and Kiwanis friends!
Keeping Cool & Healthy Too
June 15, 2010
My kids love to have frozen treats in the summer. Popsicles and freezies are a huge hit. What I don’t like about them, even the ones made out of pure fruit juice, is the sugar content.
Our friend Andrea at A Peek Inside the Fishbowl tweeted about a recipe for veggie popsicles. When I saw the link, it got me very excited. A frozen green smoothie? My kids and I will be trying it out this summer!
What is your favourite frozen healthy treat?
Run Route – Between the Bridges
June 15, 2010
Click on the map to view the Elation 5k/10k/15k Route “Between the Bridges”
Finding Our Fit!
June 14, 2010
“Finding our fit” is a term you will see often on our website and hear in our classes. We believe in the perfection of one’s individuality as an interconnected source and teach this way. We provide guidance for the practice of yoga asanas (postures) and make space for everyone to quiet the mind (if they will go inside and feel). Adjust, smile, recreate so the posture feels right.
My husband, Brian Oxborough - who is also our Anatomy teacher, came up with the term “finding our fit” when he was teaching in our 1st Yoga Teacher Training session. He was in his groove; he was teaching and sharing what he knows best. We all loved the simplicity and yet the depth of this term and have been using it since.
When we live our truth, when we make space to trust the voice of intuition, we allow the natural unfolding of our true self to manifest. This is different than what we are socially conditioned to believe. Often we are encouraged to build our life from the outside in. We are told that certain things will make us happy and so we pursue the quest and find out that it does not fit. We then wonder why we are not happy. Did we do everything right?
Since what we experience in our life is felt through different sensations in our body, pleasure creates different feelings than anger or resentment. Becoming aware of these sensations in movement, living and practicing with curiosity, then listening and having the courage to start over when its not right allows us to practice and to live this way off the mat. The result is more smiling, breathing and believing.
Join us and find your fit.
Out and Back Ottawa River
June 7, 2010
This route will take you on a 5k/10k/13k along the Ottawa River, east from Island Park Drive
To Live with Intention
June 7, 2010
I love to live with intention. When I look at definitions of the word “intention”, I mostly find something that sounds like this:
Intention simply signifies a course of action that one proposes to follow.
To me, intention is a course of action that is supported with an attitude of benevolence, of love. Having a path, an intention, provides me with guidance and supports my commitment to live a life that is enriching and empowering. Commitment is a very powerful tool when it comes to overcoming mental fears and limitations.
I love the word “intention” even more when I compare it to expectations. To live with intention, as opposed to living with expectations. I care. I show up. I bring feeling and dedication to my actions, but release to the outcome, accepting that everything has a beginning, a middle, and an end. I’m learning to see the big picture and appreciating the beauty of what it is, as it is. I find that the more I practice this with little things (like spending 2 hours cleaning the floors with care and attention then having the dog running into the house 12 hours later with dirty feet), the more natural it comes to practice it with “larger” life lessons.
I encourage you to try it. I encourage you to set an intention, such as:
- Today, I will live with the utmost mindfulness, or
- Today, I will see the extraordinary in the ordinary, or
- Today, I will smile at strangers, or
- Today, no complaining – just expressions of gratitude.
The choices are endless.
But please do not confuse intention and living from the heart with being a door mat. Living with intention means operating from our centre of power. Power? Yes. Force? No. In Sanskrit, the word for intention is sankalpa. A sankalpa is different then a resolution. What we usually think of as a resolution is usually related to eliminating something that we feel prevents us from living to our full potential. A resolution often sounds like:
- I am quitting sugar, or
- I will start working out every day.
A resolution is often dealing with a superficial issue, whereas a sankalpa deals with the depth of our being. Sit, reflect, breathe, smile, and believe in the voice of your intuition. Ask yourself which element you can bring into your life that will make you feel alive, awake, and ready to share that vibration with everyone you meet.
Elation Run Club
June 4, 2010
Elation Centre is pleased to announce our new Elation Run Club, which will be starting on June 5th and continuing all year long.
How it works: Simply meet outside Elation Centre, 360 Kirkwood Ave, on Saturday mornings @ 8am (no later). Hook up with a group running the same distance as you, and you’re off. We have suggested routes to follow or perhaps you have your own to share.
Our Goal: To build a community of runners, empowering each other to be the best they can be – oh and to enjoy a coffee after the run!
Races we’re training for: In summer 2010, lots of us are training for the Army Run on Sept 19, 2010.
Kudos: To our volunteer co-ordinators, Jean-Pierre Morin and Laurie Kizik. Thanks, you two!
This week’s route:
Welcome to Elation Centre
June 3, 2010
Background – An Entrepreneurial Success Story
The company Elation Centre, is new, but the owners have been around for years – now a continuum of two successful businesses. A sweet gem in the city that has a unique approach to ‘feeling good and getting healthy’.
Two successful health and wellness gurus in the City of Ottawa, Movement to Health, owned and operated by Donna Davis (11yrs) and Core-Elation, by Sylvie Gouin (9yrs) are joining forces. It was a big decision, one not taken lightly by the two owners. Both have successfully built and grown their respective businesses and have a strong following and loyal members. Why Change a good thing? Both owners were in a position, by coming together, to strengthen their service offerings, and meet a need in the market place. It was time to move from good to great, make the leap, and evolve in order to better serve existing members and naturally grow and broaden the scope of the business with integrity. At the same time continue to grow as contemporary Yogini’s.
When the opportunity presented itself, it was a natural fit; as they both share the same values and vision: To become Ottawa’s first integrated lifestyle centre, to provide unique services and educational programs including yoga, running and nutrition that positively empower and enrich personal lives from the inside and out. Sylvie and Donna share a core foundation and believe in building health from the inside out and live their life this way. They have many years and countless hours of experience in the field and have gained wisdom and expertise to effectively broaden, build and support a growing business.
Shortly after the decision was made, the two owners found themselves grounded in business planning mode, putting in place the pieces of the puzzle to launch June 2010.
The Product/Service: There are three foundational pillars that make up Elation Centre’s product mix:
- Elation Yoga
- Elation Running & Nutrition
- Elation Yoga Teacher Training
The product mix is designed such that it’s open and user-friendly for all levels. The intention is to help individuals get started on ‘their unique movement to health’. Once started, members are able to continually progress through various Elation programs, along the healthy continuum, supported by like-minded community, from yoga to running to nutrition. Programs range from beginner all the way to advance levels.
Elation Centre Mission: Through innovative Elation Yoga and Running classes, and Elation Nutrition programs, we educate, enrich and empower – building healthy lifestyles from the inside out.
Vision Statement: To become Ottawa’s leading integrated lifestyle centre. Our goal is to Empower individuals to start or enhance their own movement to health, whether it be through Yoga, Running or Nutrition or Teacher Training. Our beliefs and programs are ingrained in the fact that health allows people to live to their full potential, and find one’s unique fit in our busy world.
Corporate Values
- Commitment to providing superior service – promoting holistic living
- Conduct all business activity with a high level of integrity
- Communicate in an open and honest fashion
- Strive for continuous improvement in all facets of the business
- Execute service excellence and provide superior quality with each individual experience and journey
- Transparency