Give Back and Do Good @ Elation Centre
November 28, 2012
Dr. Wendy Longo via Compfight
December 1 and 2 @ Elation Centre we have three opportunities for you to support two amazing charities!
Saturday December 1:
From 1:30PM-3:00PM join Yoga Tune Up instructor Kristin Marvin, and Retrofit your Downward Dog
Kristin will be covering all the muscles, connective tissue, movements that go into doing downward facing dog, and how to modify/retrofit the posture to fit your anatomy. Besides being perfect to help your personal practice, this workshop is great for teachers to help students find their fit with this familiar yet challenging pose
The cost for the workshop is a $5 donation to the food bank + a food donation.
Sunday, December 2:
From 10:30AM-11:30AM parents and kids age 3-6 can join Catherine Lesage of Littlefeet Yoga for a Creative Family Yoga Class
Come and experience the magic of yoga through play, creativity and cooperation while bonding and connecting as a family in an environment filled with smiles and laughter.
Pre-Registration is required: email Catherine info@littlefeetyoga.com
5:00PM – 6:00PM, $5.00 Karma Yoga Class. Nancy Zukewich is donating her time to teach an all-levels Sivananda style Yoga class, funds raised from the class support Interpares, an Ottawa-based organization promoting international social justice
No pre-registration required, simply show up.
Read on to learn more about Nancy and her Yoga Journey
“My name is Nancy Zukewich and I studied teacher training at the Elation Centre with Sylvie Gouin. I am grateful for the opportunity to be part of $5 Sunday community karma yoga December 2, 9 and 16. Proceeds support Interpares, an Ottawa-based organization promoting international social justice.
Join me for a yoga practice grounded in Sivananda Hatha Yoga. We practice pranayama (breathing exercises), a series of basic asanas (yoga postures) and finish with a guided relaxation. The specific sequence of asanas moves all the major parts of the body and leaves you feeling relaxed and energized. Variations are offered for those who would like a deeper practice.
I started practising yoga in 1997 at a weekly Sivananda yoga class offered at the fitness centre at work. Over the years, my interest in yoga has grown to include the study and practice of meditation. I still attend the weekly class at the office, taught by Peter Beacham and I currently teach yoga in Winchester, Ontario.
I am an avid equestrian and soon realized that yoga was also improving my overall horsemanship. I compete in the sport of endurance riding, covering 50 miles or more in a single day with my Arabian mare, Luba. I invite you to read more about how yoga influences my approach to riding and to life in my blog, the secret of life is to endure.
Let your mind become quiet with this meditative practice and support Interpares. If you can breathe, you can do yoga!”
Yoga Tune Up for Athletes
November 7, 2012
Prerequisites – Tight M
uscles and Limited Flexibility :
Date: Sunday, November 18: 1:00PM to 3:00PM
Cost: $50:00
Register: online
Being active can play havoc on your muscles, connective tissue and joint – but we believe it does not have to be this way!
Kristin Marvin, certified Yoga Tune Up teacher will lead you through your entire body from the tips of your feet to the top of your skull using Yoga Tune Up balls. Common injuries will be addressed such as IT Band Syndrome and Plantar Fasciitis.
Purchase your own Tune Up Balls for only $15.00 so you can stay injury free as you train.
For more information on Yoga Tune Up – Click Here
Ride the Waves of Financial Health
April 10, 2012
Here is a guest post from one of our long-time members and a good friend of mine Carlos Rios. Carlos is also the person I trust as my financial health and wellness guide, just as he looks to me for advice on his physical health and well-being.
On April 20 or 21, you will have the opportunity to attend a fun and informative one hour financial health and wellness seminar with Carlos and his partner Mark McCooeye, both are well-versed in today’s economy and have a knack for taking the ‘dry edge’ out of financial information.
Carlos and Mark are also providing wine, vegan snacks, and draw prizes for Elation Centre gift certificates at whichever seminar you decided to attend. Come for some free info, to share wine, tea, and community and maybe win your next class pass!
At the end of every email Donna sends these days is the saying by Swami Satchidananda “You can’t stop the waves, but you can learn how to surf”.
Financial issues and the events that happen in life are the like waves and if you don’t know how to surf they can hit you pretty hard.
Please join Mark McCooeye, and myself, advisers with Investors Group Financial Services Inc., as we present an informative session to talk about how to:
- Manage your cash flow effectively to increase savings and pay down debt quicker;
- Earn a reasonable rate of return with the least amount of risk; and
- Protect your financial plan and your estate.
Two session times will be offered at Elation Centre,
Friday, April 20th 7:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
or
Saturday, April 21st 12:30 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Whether you are feeling like the waves are hitting you hard these days or you’d just like to check-in to see how you are doing, the seminars will give you a more complete understanding of what financial health is and the options available to you to get on the fast track.
The sessions are free of charge. Wine and vegan snacks will be served and we will raffle off your choice of a one month Elation Centre yoga pass or a $50.00 gift certificate towards any Elation Centre program.
Deadline to register: Please sign up by Monday April 16
contact: Cristina at 613-591-7639 Ext 261 or email CarlosRiosAssistant@investorsgroup.com.
To learn more about the seminar, feel free to contact Carlos at 613-796-9241.
Carlos Rios, MSM, B.Bus.Adm. Consultant and Mark McCooeye, CMA, MBA, CFP, Executive Financial Consultant, Investors Group Financial Services Inc.
February Book Club: The Coincidence of Meeting Eric
February 17, 2012
Carolyn, an Elation Centre member, was working at her bank on the Friday of last Book Club. She had enjoyed reading Stephen Cope’s book, Yoga and the Quest for the True Self, and was looking forward to discussing it at the Book Club that evening. She was chatting with one of her clients and somehow the topic of yoga came up. Within minutes she found out that her client Eric Peters was a yoga teacher/therapist who had been at Kripalu when Stephen Cope released his book and that Stephen Cope inspired Eric to write his own book about how yoga impacted his life.
Eric Peters wrote his book “Out of the Cage” about his experience with a severe scoliosis and the metal cage treatment that he endured for years of his growing up. His book describes how even when Eric was finally released from the cage, he suffered from pain, physical ailments and addiction to painkilling narcotics. He describes how yoga allowed him find his way through those difficult times.
Eric has kindly agreed to join us on Saturday, February 25 for our Book Club. There are copies of his book at the studio for sale. Even of you are not able to read the book, please feel welcome to join us for a discussion of Eric’s experience.
Time: 7:30PM – 9:00PM
All are welcome!
Happy New Year
January 2, 2012
Welcome to 2012. May your year be filled with gratitude & peace, and may our eyes be open to the wonder around us.
We hope you enjoy this beautiful video, enjoy the time to sit and savour it.
The Great Bell Chant (The End of Suffering) from R Smittenaar on Vimeo.
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
Guest Post by Jane Brown – Why Meditate?
October 4, 2011
This blog post was written by Jane Brown, Elation yoga and meditation teacher. To get more information on the Meditation Workshop starting October 23rd, click here.
Although I’ve had a meditation practice for more than 25 years, I always find it difficult to explain why I think a meditation practice is important.
I know I can tell people about the many benefits of meditation; the simple fact is that meditation is good for our health and well being. Brain scans and research show increases in happiness, optimism, and resilience, improved mood and concentration, lower blood pressure, improved immune response, and decreased stress hormones. Meditation is being used in the medical community to help those with depression, anxiety, bi-polar disorder and for pain and stress management.
But I know that theses benefits are not what meditation is about.
In fact we need to set aside our desire for the benefits when we start a meditation practice. It is the setting aside of wanting and the acceptance of this moment as it is, that is the essence of meditation practice. And it is by letting go of wanting things to be different that we experience the benefits of meditation.
As Pema Chodron says in “The Wisdom of No Escape” “Meditation is the process of lightening up, of trusting the basic goodness of what we have and who we are…. instead of trying to improve or change or get rid of…..”
This session of meditation classes starts on Oct 23 and goes for 4 weeks on Sundays from 9:30-10:30. It is for those new to meditation and for those who have taken previous instruction. We’ll focus on a simple mindfulness based practice including sitting meditation, walking meditation, mindful movement and stretching, breathing exercises (pranayama), and simple chants and mantras to build focus. You’ll be invited to experiment with ways to bring mindfulness into your everyday life while doing dishes or waiting in line at the grocery store.
If you want to know a little more about my experience with meditating, check my previous blog entry “ I Just Want to be Sure”.
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.
Spring Clean Your Diet
April 5, 2011
At Elation Centre we are all about nudging people along the vegan food path, no loud bells and whistles, no force-feeding tofu burgers, we lead and educate by example and our energy and passion for delicious food is contagious. Both Sylvie and I enjoy a vegan diet and we love to eat good, satisfying food.
We decided with the change of seasons, April would be a fantastic time to offer a few nutrition workshops to help people “Spring Clean” their diet.
Sylvie lead our first workshop, Nutrition in a Nutshell - sensible whole-foods eating; wow almost 20 participants eager to find ways to overhaul their diet! Sylvie covered all the basics from proper food combining for optimal digestion, the importance of leafy green veggies, and how simply starting the day with warm water and lemon juice can kick-start your digestion and your metabolism.
I will lead our next workshop, our 3-day Power Food Spring Clean Up - out with the old and in with the new!!
Our meeting is on Sunday, April 10 and we will cover all the basics on how to do a gentle 3-day whole-foods cleanse that will leave you satisfied with delicious food, never hungry and at the same time feeling so much lighter. Of course we follow vegan food guidelines, so no animals products including dairy, we also leave out sugar, all processed foods and, yikes – no coffee for 3 days. As mentioned the meeting is on Sunday, April 10, which is a full week before we suggest you start the Spring Clean Up; as a group we will start on Friday, April 15 and finish when you go to bed on Sunday, April 17. This gives you a whole week to prepare, stock your pantry and wean yourself off of coffee, green tea is OK, so get yourself switched over before you start by cutting down on coffee gradually all week, this will ensure you don’t suffer a withdrawal headache all weekend.
At the meeting we will also make a few recipes and answer lots of questions to ensure your success on the cleanse. After the 3 days you will feel lighter and will have a few more tried and true nutritional tools to keep you healthy. We hope you can join us, there are still a few spots left, follow this link to register.
What’s up next – of course our famous 12-Day Cleanse – hey what to you have to lose except a few pounds, bloating, lethargy and that extra winter ‘layer’ which seems so easy to gain and tough to lose. Look for the 12-day cleanse coming up in May
Below, we received this wonderful email from Ellen who took the Nutrition in a Nutshell workshop, looks like Ellen is on her way to a healthy spring. And check out Sylvie’s recipe for Almond Butter Carob
Hi Sylvie:
‘Just wanted to say thanks for the great workshop on nutrition. Wow…I wish there was nutrition II workshop. I loved it.
I have already made a difference and started with the water in the morning. I made the ginger/lemon tea, its awesome. Tomorrow I’m going to buy the greens to make my drink in the morning. Really enjoyed the workshop, you were awesome.Your website is addictive. I have been on it constantly, reading and getting ideas and recipes. Speaking of which can you send the recipe for those treats you made with the carob chips. I ‘m planning on attending the class for the 3 day cleanse. So glad I found you gals.’
Take care, Ellen Elmore
Ellen: thanks for the wonderful comments! Nutrition in a Nutshell II is a definite possibility. Here is the recipe, enjoy.
Almond Butter Carob Balls
Ingredients
- 1 Cup Raw Almond Butter
- 1/2 Cup Almond Meal (available at health food or well stocked grocery stores)
- 1/2 Cup carob chips
- 2 tbsp of maple syrup
Directions
- In a bowl mix all ingredients.
- Wet your hands to keep the mixture from sticking.
- Form into small balls, refrigerate overnight.
- Roll balls in carob powder and serve with a smile.