Fundraiser Yoga Class

I'm teaching a yoga class this Sunday, February 19th at Yoga Space to raise funds for New Leaf Yoga Foundation. The organization was created in 2007 to provide yoga to incarcerated and at-risk youth.

Their mission is to teach "life skills through the practices of yoga and meditation so that youth can cultivate a commitment to nonviolent, compassionate engagement with themselves and others." Currently, they offer programs for youth in the GTA and cities in Southern Ontario with plans for expansion to other provinces.

It is an honour to volunteer my time to teach this class. The money raised will provide some hope and an opportunity for positive change to youth who are rarely given the chance.

New Leaf: Empowering Youth through Yoga from Toronto Body Mind on Vimeo.

I'll teach a gentle Hatha Yoga class suitable for all levels, including beginners. I'd love to see you there!

Sunday, February 19th at 5:30 - 7:00 p.m. at Yoga Space (148 Ossington Ave., Toronto).

By donation - cash or cheque only. All proceeds go to New Leaf Yoga Foundation.

Yoga for Better Sleep

I recently contributed to a story that freelance writer Kat Tancock wrote for Best Health. The article highlights six yoga poses to help you sleep.

After modeling the practice sequence for her at Yoga Therapy Toronto, I filmed a video that includes four of the suggested yoga poses. It will help you unwind at the end of your day and release tension out of your legs, hips, and lower back. Practice it whenever you need a little help calming and quieting the mind.

Possible props you may wish to use for greater ease in the poses are a pillow or folded blanket for sitting on, and a belt or scarf to wrap around the back of your thigh when you hug it in.

Yoga for Better Sleep from Darcie Clark on Vimeo.

Please feel free to leave me any comments or questions!

Chair Yoga

When you sit (or, more accurately, slouch) for long periods of time, the muscles in your back weaken, while the muscles in your chest and shoulders get tighter.

This short Chair Yoga practice stretches the tight muscles in the front of your chest and shoulders, and helps strengthen the muscles in your upper and middle back. Practiced regularly, you'll notice an improvement in your sitting posture, with more openness across the chest and greater length in the spine.

Please check out the classes offered at Yoga Therapy Toronto, where I shot this video.

Chair Yoga from Darcie Clark on Vimeo.

Win a Private Yoga session

This Saturday I'll be at a neighbourhood Open House in Toronto's Bloor West Village, along with Naturopath Kerri-Lynn LaPointe and Kelly Margani Interiors. Each of us are independent business owners taking the opportunity to invite people from the community to meet us, ask questions, learn about what we offer, and enter to win some exciting draws for free services.

I'll be giving one lucky winner at the Open House a complimentary one hour private yoga session. Everyone else who comes up to chat with me will get a coupon for 25% off for a private yoga class.

Can't come to the Open House, but still want a chance to win a Private Yoga session tailored to your personal needs?

Leave a comment telling me which of the benefits of yoga described below speak to you. In other words, why do you practice yoga? Or what is keeping you from your practice?

I'll randomly pick a winner on Thursday, October 20th for a FREE one hour Private Yoga session in Toronto. Good luck!

Lessons from a sprained ankle

When I got home from teaching my yoga class on Monday night I rolled over on my ankle while putting my bike away. I heard a snap and hobbled into my apartment in pain where I laid on the couch with my foot high on piled pillows. My husband, Colin, got the ice pack for me and a couple of homeopathic remedies while I groaned through the throbbing pain.

I used a cane the next day to get to my Chair Yoga class at Bradgate Arms Retirement Residence (oh, the irony!). After class my student Georgina insisted on giving me a lesson on how to walk properly with a cane. At first she guided me, walking by my side arm-in-arm, then she told me to pace the floor a couple times while she watched and gave me extra pointers. And it helped! I felt much more supported and less tense in my shoulders after her lesson. My student became my teacher!

Those close to me know that I'm a stubbornly independent person with quick movements. Walking or biking slowly only happens with greater effort on my part. However, when I have no choice but to slow down, either due to an injury, walking with a child or senior, or during a walking meditation, it's as though life unfolds and presents itself differently. I notice more - my surroundings, the sounds and smells, my posture, my breath.

These days every time I move quickly and without awareness pain returns in my ankle, and I'm reminded to slow down and think ahead of my actions. I have to rethink some of my unconscious body holding patterns. I've noticed my weaker, uninjured leg is getting stronger from taking more of my weight. Who knows, maybe by the time my ankle heals I'll be able to hold Tree Pose longer on my right side?

Having a sprained ankle means asking for help when I wouldn't normally need it, which has never been easy for me as my husband can testify. However, this albeit reluctant, opportunity to receive gives him the joy of giving and feeling helpful, while stepping outside of his own distractions and worries.  

Perhaps the obstacles we come across aren't there to block our way after all, but guide us to a different path, where everything isn't so automatic and subconscious. Change and the unexpected tend to lead to greater understanding. I'm learning new things about myself and my body every day with this sprained ankle. That being said, I'll likely enjoy my first brisk walk all the more!