Yoga Flow to Live Music Revisited
March 22, 2011
Please join Nicki and Tobias on Tuesday, April 12, from 7:30-9:00pm for a Yoga Flow to Live Music class.
This class will ease participants into a powerful yoga flow invigorated by live string music with digital accompaniment. Energize and deepen your experience through the synergy of sound and movement.
Regular drop-in costs, donations encouraged for musical guest!
Live Music – Tobias Meis – String Arrangements
Yoga Flow – Nicki Mosley – Vinyasa Flow
Educate, Inspire & Enrich
March 22, 2011
Experience momcafé Ottawa: enjoy a light breakfast & a latté, engage in fun conversation and network with other professionally-minded moms, all while the kids are being taken care of in a separate area.
Our April event will help you ‘spring’ into wellness! Co-Founders of the ever-popular Elation Centre in Westboro, Sylvie Gouin and Donna Davis are the gurus of yoga and nutrition and have inspired hundreds of moms to reach their fitness, nutrition, and lifestyle goals. Join us for a fun morning of tips and tricks to help you be your best!
Friday, April 8th, 2011 9:00 am – 11:30 am
Great Canadian Theatre Company
1233 Wellington Street West (at Holland)
2nd Floor Lobby
For more information and to register for this event, go to www.momcafenetwork.com
Ticket price
$31 + HST (members); $37 + HST (non-members). Includes a light breakfast and coffee/tea/juice. Onsite childcare is available for an additional fee.
Powered-Up Oatmeal
March 21, 2011
It’s the end of March and as I look outside it is snowing those big fluffy white flakes that we are so happy to see in January, but personally by late March I’m looking for sun and warmer temperatures! To warm up from the inside out I always turn to oatmeal, and this is the perfect day for it.
I will be on Rogers Daytime today at 11:30am, cooking up my Power-Up version of Oatmeal. Along with the perfect ratio of carbohydrates and protein to keep your muscles and brain fuelled for hours, I also add nuts, seeds, dried fruit and anti-inflammatory spices, making this the perfect food not only for breakfast, but any time of the day and it’s an excellent recovery food for athletes after a hard workout! Enjoy.
Note 1: I don’t like my oatmeal ‘soupy’, so this is a pretty thick, ‘stick to your ribs’ recipe - simply add more liquid and less oats for a thinner consistency.
Note 2: all of the ingredients are readily available at health food stores and well-stocked grocery stores. In Westboro I purchased everything at Natural Food Pantry and the hemp milk at the Superstore
Donna’s Powered-Up Oatmeal
Ingredients:
- 1 cup hemp milk (complete protein source to rebuild tired muscles)
- 1/2 cup large flake oatmeal (good whole-food carbohydrates)
- 1/4-1/3 cup quinoa flakes (added protein)
- 1/4 cup raisins (glucose to refuel muscles)
- 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds (trace minerals helps protect muscle cells from oxidative damage)
- 1/4 cup walnuts (Omega 3 Fat to decrease inflammation)
- 1/2 tsp turmeric (anti-inflammatory and anti-cramping after running)
- 1/2 to 3/4 cup fresh blueberries (anti-oxidant, rebuilds muscles after the stress of hills)
- dash of cinnamon (anti-inflammatory)
- 1 tbsp or more of maple syrup (because it tastes so good!)
Directions
In a small pot bring hemp milk to a boil – immediately reduce heat to simmer and add all ingredients except blueberries and maple syrup. Simmer for 10 minutes stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and add berries and syrup. Enjoy!
Tofu Chocolate ‘Cheese’Cake – cooking demo
March 18, 2011
On Saturday, March 19th at 2:15 pm I will be doing a cooking demo at the Go Green Expo at Landsdowne park in Ottawa, with Deb Gleason the Wellness Warrior. Deb is representing the National Capital Vegetarian Association. she is an amazing Vegan chef, holistic nutritionist and and Health Coach.
Our cooking theme will be “Veganize Your Brunch”. This is a great chance to join us and learn more about how simple and wonderful vegan cooking can be. Below I included the ‘Cheese’cake recipe we will be whipping up, and Deb has the omelet and french toast recipe on her Blog-Site.
Hope to see you at the Expo!
Tofu Chocolate “Cheese”cake
Ingredients
- 450 g soft or silken tofu (tubs usually come in 150 g or 300 g packages)
- 1/2 cup agave syrup
- 1 cup dairy-free chocolate chips (President’s Choice Decadent are dairy-free)
- dash of sea salt
Directions
- Preheat over to 350 degrees
- Melt the chocolate chips on low heat in a saucepan and then pour the chocolate and the other ingredients into a blender. Blend together until very smooth (at least one minute)
- Pour into Keebler ready-made graham crust (found in all grocery stores)
- Bake 40 minutes at 350 degrees and allow to cool before refrigerating. Refrigerate for 2 hours before serving.
- Enjoy!
Partner Yoga
March 17, 2011
Join us for a Partner Yoga workshop by with Susan Mcewen and Craig Tardif on Friday, May 6th, from 7:00-9:00PM.
Come to the workshop on your own or with a friend as we build supportive group energy, exploring postures solo, in pairs and in groups of different sizes.
The practice of Partner Yoga can be mindful play, taking us places we might not have traveled by ourselves. Partners support one another in opening, stretching, and venturing into new territory by working together through postures and breath.
Participants of all starting points and levels of experience are welcome to join us with a sense of humour and adventure as together we breathe, flow, stretch, and grow.
The cost is $20 per person. Register using our Online Registration System. This event has been cancelled.
Balance in Uncertainty
March 11, 2011
What I love about my work is that I am often having authentic revealing conversations with brilliant people. One of the aspects of life we often discuss is balance. During our discussion, people start to realize how easily they confuse balance for control. Thinking that when everything is in control – work, family, exercise, rest….and so on, then they have balance. Although the above is welcomed – this is not what I am talking about. There is an aspect, a feeling of being in balance, that goes so much deeper. This balance is not dependent on the uncertainty of our external everyday life.
You see, balance – the type of balance I am talking about – is the radical acceptance that the only certainty in our everyday external life is uncertainty.
On March 8th, for International Women’s Day, I was a guest speaker for a branch of the government. The title of my talk was Balance in Uncertainty. Feedback that I received: Thought provoking, Informative, Inspiring, Amazing, WOW – Thank you so much.
If you would like to know more, I would love to join you at your place of work. To find out how to organize such an event, contact me at 613-322-3068 or sylvie@elationcentre.com.
Guest Post by Martha Judd – Why Prenatal Yoga?
March 9, 2011
Martha Judd is a senior yoga instructor at Elation Centre and is the teacher for our Prenatal Yoga classes. The next 6-week session begins Sunday, March 27th, from 5-6pm.
I am a mother, a yoga teacher, and a true believer in the strong intuition of pregnant women. So it is simple, really. Prenatal Yoga has benefits of all kinds for labour, birth, and parenting.
Lets start with some of the benefits of Yoga.
- Practicing Yoga brings a calmness to the mind that cannot be found in most other activities.
- Practicing Yoga brings strength and flexibility to your body.
- Practicing yoga initiates an inner strength that allows you to make choices from an informed, intuitive place.
- Practicing yoga allows you to tap into a strong mind-body connection.
Prenatal Yoga enhances the sense of connection with your baby and with your pregnancy
Prenatal Yoga can help to alleviate many common discomforts of pregnancy.
Truly the list goes on. Many students report that their labour and birth experience was enhanced because of their yoga classes. For some, the natural birth positions were familiar after practicing in class and allowed them to move with more ease. For some, the breathing helped to bring a calmness. For others, the visualization practice allowed them to have a powerful birth experience.
So, here we are at pregnancy and birth.
For a positive labour and birth experience, we nurture a calm mind, we use our own physical strength and flexibility, we are able to make decisions based on our own intuition and our sense of self and we are on a journey with our baby surrounded by support. In a sense, we come into ourselves fully and get in touch with all our innate tools of birth and parenting. All the tools are present, we simply need to practice uncovering them.
Simple. Prenatal Yoga can have a positive effect on your birth experience. A positive birth experience in turn enhances your relationship with your baby and allows your natural intuition to shine forth as a mother. We move with strength, stamina and benevolence.
I invite you to join our Elation Prenatal Yoga community!
Two Women Who Rock!
March 8, 2011
March 8th, marks the 100th anniversary of International Women’s Day, a world-wide celebration of the economic, political and social achievements of women past, present and future.
Two recent events, bring to mind the strength and power of women in our community – women who through their commitment and their passion, inspire us all to rise up and meet our highest Self
Heartfelt Gratitude
On Sunday Ruth Znotins, an Elation Centre Yoga Teacher Training graduate, held a community Yoga class at the studio to support a local family whose youngest daughter (age 21) was diagnosed with a brain tumor. Through Ruth’s initiative and selfless service we were all able to make a difference and we are all better people for it. Below are Ruth’s thoughts on the event.
“Have you ever found yourself wanting to offer support to someone but wondered how you, as one individual, could make a difference? One way is to reach out to a caring community and the support of others will multiply your efforts.
This past Sunday March 6, a yoga fundraiser was held in support of a young woman in our neighbourhood who has been undergoing treatment for a brain tumor for over a year. The idea was to do something to help ease the family burden just a little bit. This desire to help out was shared with such a loving community, Sylvie and Donna at the Elation Centre, and they offered up their studio as the venue. Their generosity in turn created the opportunity for caring individuals to participate in the charity yoga practice. Some others saw the event notice and although unable to come out to the practice made donations simply to help out. That is community – where the efforts of a few can multiply into something greater for the benefit of others in need.
Community – the place where ideas are nurtured into loving action.
With sincere gratitude and appreciation to all those who contributed to making this event such a success! Namaste , Ruth Znotins”
Arctic Kaleidoscope
On Monday evening I was honoured to attend the launch of photographer Michelle Valberg’s exhibit – Arctic Kaleidoscope – at the Museum of Nature. I was absolutely blown away, first of all by the amazing photography, but not only that, it was also the buzz in the room, the tangible feeling of the community supporting Michelle in her quest to tell the story of the of the Arctic. The Museum’s website describes the exhibition as an expression of Michelle’s passionate belief that we all have a role to play in protecting the environment. By offering this visual journey to the land of ice and snow, its wildlife and Inuit people, she hopes others will be inspired to preserve this unique part of Canada.
Michelle’s passion for photography, love for nature, and a bit of divine intervention, took her to the Arctic, and from there Project North was born – a charity launched by Michelle and fellow founding members to bring sports equipment to children of the far north to give them a healthy start in life and equip them with some of the skills and the social support they need to make key life transitions successfully.
What a story, a life-long love for photography finds its journey to changing lives of some of Canada’s most disadvantaged children, and inspiring us all to value and preserve Canada’s Arctic heritage
Ruth and Michelle are two women I am proud and honoured to call my friends; today I am absolutely filled with awe, you two amazing women have inspired me to stand up taller, reach for my higher Self, and light the path for all women along the way.
My hope is they inspire you to do the same
Happy International Women’s Day, please share this story with the women in your life.
Working Together
March 2, 2011
We just closed off another enlightening weekend of Yoga Teacher Training. This weekend we focused on Anatomy and Physiology for the Yoga Teacher. What do we (yoga teachers) need to know about anatomy to teach safe, energizing classes that provides students with intelligent sequences for the body to unfold? Donna and I have been studying, reading and sharing what we learn for years and feel dedicated to continue on the path as students and teachers, these two aspects being interrelated.
One of the aspects we discussed this weekend is called Reciprocal Inhibition. This is when one muscle contracts and the other lengthens.
What I have noticed for myself is the more I learn about the functioning of my body the more respect I gain for this intelligent vehicle that I have to explore my human journey.
What I love even more is that for some muscles to work together one needs to contract and the other lengthen but for the core muscles this is not the case. They actually provide support to each other by contracting as a group. I love this because it is such a symbol for life. How do we work together? Sometimes it’s by providing space and other times it’s by providing support. Knowing what to do when is a sign of wisdom and along with providing us with a healthy vibrant body, Yoga shows the way to wisdom.
We encourage you to visit Ray Long’s website. Pick one thing under the scientific keys and read it. Bring what you have learned to the mat and see how it impacts your practice. If we have to live in our body we might as well get to know it, respect it and treat it as a friend.
For more information about our Yoga Teacher Training, contact us at 613-322-3068 or sylvie@elationcentre.com.
