More of Andrea's Links:

www.ashtanga.com - A good resource and world-wide certified teacher listing

www.sportsclubs.com - Andrea's Gym - A health and fitness club with many locations in the GTA.

www.adelaideclub.com - Andrea's other gym -A private Health Club in First Canadian Place. The club has a spa, health clinic, cafe, it's own pilates studio and a pro shop.

www.verity.ca - An oasis of calm, downtown. A private women's club complete with it's own restaurant, spa, business facilities, wellness centre and spectacular, one of a kind, ozone pool.

www.eclipsefitness.com - A great place to work out at Yonge and Eg. Great people, great equipment, and they are known for their innovative classes and trainers.

www.athletescare.com - For sports and recreational injuries.

www.yogacalm.com - Hart Laser's website

www.winnipegyogashala.ca - Jonathan Austman's website

www.lululemon.com - the clothes!

www.theyogasanctuary.net - Cynthia Funk's website. This is the studio where Andrea goes.

www.stottpilates.com - STOTT PILATES is a contemporary, anatomically-based approach to Joseph Pilates' original exercise method, designed by Toronto's Moira Merrithew

www.thaimassagetoronto.com - Deanna Villa's website. Thai Massage is a natural therapy for flexibility, relaxation and energy balance.

www.mypetboutique.com - Rory's favorite Yorkville boutique.

www.mayatulum.com - Yoga vacations abroad.

The Feet in Equal Standing
Lets start in Samasthitih (equal standing). Begin by noticing what you do with your toes. Your toes are major part of your balancing mechanism. Make sure your toes are spread apart on the floor to give you a wide base of support. Notice that as you shift your body weight forward, your toes tend to grip the floor, and as you shift your weight backward into your heels, your toes lift off the floor. The toes are a very clear indicator of your front to back centering. Keep them relaxed as you lift the arch; at the same time, press down the base of the big toe to counter the tendency to shift too much weight to the outer foot.
Now practice shifting more weight onto one foot, without disturbing its balance. As you take all your weight onto one foot, any bad habits you have will become more obvious, such as collapsing the arch or gripping with your toes. Over the years, sometimes, the foot may splay, which you may notice by an increase in the size of shoes you wear over the years. Proper arch support is necessary here by way of proper foot gear and possibly orthotics.
Ideally, the weight of your body should be evenly distributed between the outer and inner foot and between the heel and ball of the foot. As you stand, become aware of the four corners of the foot: the base of the big toe, the base of the little toe, the inner heel, and the outer heel. If the inner points of the foot feel heavy, the arch of the foot is probably collapsing. This is called pronation. If the outer aspect of the foot is heavy, the arch of the foot may be nice and high--which is good--but the base of the big toe is probably lifting and the outer ankle may feel strained. This is called supination.
To make a strong, well-balanced foundation in your feet, your arch should feel lifted and light, while the inner heel and base of your big toe stay grounded. The muscle that grounds the big toe is the peroneus longus. It runs along the outer calf. Its tendon crosses the outer ankle and then the sole of the foot before attaching to the bottom of the bones that form the innermost part of the arch. When the peroneus longus is engaged, you should sense firmness on the outer calf as well as the big toe mound pressing down.
One of the main muscles that supports the arch of the foot is the tibialis anterior. It lies along the outer surface of the shinbone. Begin to notice if you have a sense a balance between the tibialis anterior lifting the arch and the peroneus longus grounding the base of the big toe.
Close your eyes and enjoy the effects of equal standing. Breathe deeply and feel the lightness of your body.
Samasthitih.
If you wear orthotics, please refer to the article, Orthotics by Day, Bare Feet by Yoga, on the link below:
http://stretchandthecity.com

Yoga Your Way
You may have noticed there are many different ways of practicing the same postures. This is why you may notice that each of your teachers teaches a little differently. You may also notice that your teachers also differ within their own teaching instructions. This is not meant to confuse you but rather open you up to change. With the different techniques you learn, you can then find ways of practicing that work better for your particular body, and even how you feel on the particular day of a class.
The unwritten rule of attending a yoga class is to honour the teacher by practicing how they are leading. Try the instructions they are giving you. Have an open mind. Perhaps put your mat in a different area each class. Be open to change. On that note, be open to practicing in the same manner too.
Traditionally yoga was taught one on one. It was always verbal. Sri K. Pattabhi Jois (Ashtanga Yoga) teaches the same method he was taught in India in 1927 by his guru Krishnamacharya. Jois emphasizes uninterrupted continuity in the practice, progressing to the next stage once mastery has taken place in the preparatory work. His main components for practice are vinyasa (movement timed to breathing), sweat (creating intense heat to purify the body), tristana (postures, breathing and gaze) and bandhas (muscle contractions of pelvic floor, abdomen and neck).
Krishnamacharya was also the guru of BKS Iyengar. Iyengar also teaches the centuries old Ashtanga yoga system (Eight Limbs), as taught by Krishnamacharya. He has developed props and shifted his emphasis to precision and alignment in all postures. Everyone can practice Iyengar Yoga and use the wooden blocks and straps to modify the posture for their body in order to achieve perfection in every pose. Also practitioners are aware of the sequence in which different groups of asanas have to be performed.
In your early years of being a yoga practitioner, you may try all different types of classes and many different teachers. Then you may find yourself naturally more inclined to one particular lineage (teacher’s method). If that happens, practice and enjoy the fruits of your labour. Keep at it and you will uncover your own personal practice style.
As teachers, we teach from within our own personal practice and study of yoga. Otherwise, we would be just going through the motions, saying the same cues from week to week. For me, my teaching mirrors my personal practice. Every three months or so, my practice changes a bit. My focus tends to shift to a different viewpoint or I work with a different goal. This comes from within. I go where my practice leads me and land where my study takes me. Right now, my focus is the bandhas.
I live yoga everyday, by doing some form of asana practice and reading and meditation. If all else fails, I do "Doga" with my pup Rory. She loves it when I unroll my mat. She hops right on it, rolls around, gets in my face, makes me laugh, helps me not to be so serious. She would love to come to class and meet you all.
As we can have many different focuses in one same posture, we need to set priorities. Take Triangle pose (Trikonasana), for instance. We can choose to work on lengthening the spine as the main focus. We can choose to focus on our foundation as our primary goal, noticing the strength and stability of our feet and legs. We can choose to notice the twist, or our balance, or our breath. We could stay for a longer hold and work with endurance. We could focus on the bandhas or even the feeling of lifting up in the pose.
Yoga is a gift. It is something you will have for the rest of your life. It will be with you though the good and bad. It won’t let you down if you don't let it down. It will keep you humble. It will help you in your friendships and relationships, especially the one you have with yourself.
Thank you for coming to my classes and letting me pass along some of the things yoga is teaching me. I feel honoured to be your yoga instructor.
Namaste,
Andrea

The Mystery of Yoga
The history of yoga is an intriguing mix of ancient text, mythology, legend, mystery and rumour that spans many centuries. There are many documents and writings on the subject. Yoga is a philosophy or a way of life. It is not a religion, although it can be a spiritual practice, depending on individual taste. Here is a brief account, as I understand it, based on my past eight years of study.
Yoga can be directly linked back to Lord Vishnu, a major god in Hinduism and Indian mythology. Vishnu is thought of as the preserver and protector of the universe and is symbolized by a human body with four arms.
As the preserver of all things, Vishnu upholds universal laws, takes part in worldly business and ensures that all is well. When all is well within the universe, he sleeps while floating along the cosmic ocean. The universe is said to unfold from Vishnu's dream. When there is discord, Vishnu either mounts his vehicle, Garuda, and battles with the forces of chaos, or he sends one of his ten Avatars (or incarnations) to save the world. Three of his most well known incarnations are Rama, Krishna and Buddha. The full list of ten Avatars is as follows:
1. The fish Matsya
2. The turtle Kurma
3. The boar Varaha
4. The man-lion Narasimha
5. The dwarf Vamana
6. The warrior-priest Parashurama
7. The prince Rama
8. The cowherd Krishna
9. The sage Buddha-Mayamoha
10. The horseman Kalki
According to legend, Vamana, the fifth incarnation, is said to have come to earth when Ashtanga Yoga was forgotten and a sage was needed to bring it back to mankind. Vamana Rishi incarnated for this task and learned the whole Ashtanga Yoga system from lord Vishnu while in the womb of his mother. After the length of pregnancy passed, Vamana was still not finished with his learning. He refused to be born until he had finished his studies of Ashtanga Yoga.
The Yoga Karunta is attributed to this sage, Vamana Rishi. Allegedly, these original ancient texts, that describe the yoga we know today, were recorded in a palm-leaf manuscript called the Yoga Korunta. (Korunta means groupings). According to Sri K. Pattabi Jois, student of Sri T. Krishnamacharya, the Yoga Korunta is said to have contained lists of many different groupings of asanas, as well as highly original teachings on vinyasa, drishti, bandhas, mudras, and philosophy. No copy of the Yoga Korunta exists today and there is no hard evidence that such a document ever existed.
Continuing with legend, Sri T. Krishnamacharya, born in India in 1888, had studied the Ashtanga Yoga of the Yoga Korunta for seven and a half years, with his guru Rama Mohan Brahmachari. There are rumours that Krishnamacharya learned the Ashtanga Yoga system by heart from the teachings of Brahmachari and Brahmachari told him about the existence of the Yoga Korunta and through vigorous searching, Krishnamacharya then found a copy of the Yoga Korunta in a Calcutta library. Another version of the legend holds that Bramachari had the Yoga Karunta. Rergardless, it was apparently written on leaves and ants ate it destroying it beyond repair.
Little is known about Brahmachari. He is said to have lived in a remote cave in Tibet with his family. It is not clear how he came to learn asana and pranayama, although some findings tell of him learning from his father. It is said that he was a strict authoritarian teacher who emphazised the teachings of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras (written approx. 200 BC). Brahmachari is also said to have been one of the last Hatha yoga masters remaining at that time. One story states that Krishnamacharya was recommended to go to him when a fellow university student saw him practicing asanas.
There is another important ancient text called the Yoga Rahasya that is rumoured to exist, although no one ever saw it either. It is this text that apparently was brought to Krishnamacharya in a dream from his yogi ancestor, Nathamuni, a ninth century south Indian saint who had been dead for one thousand years. Upon waking, Krishnamacharya then recorded these teachings in detail.
It is based on these texts that the yoga we know here in North America today is known as the yoga of Krishnamacharya. The Eight Limbed Ashtanga Yoga system came from the Yoga Korunta and Patanjali's Yoga Sutras, as empasized by Krishnamacharya in his teachings. Krishnamacharya took no credit for any of the teachings. He believed that yoga belonged to God. Krishnamacharya attributed all of his ideas to either God or his guru Rama Mohan Brahmachari.
Krishnamacharya’s teachings continue to be spread throughout India and the world by his students, and their students, and so on. Four of his five world-renowned students are still living and spreading the teachings of yoga to this day, They are: his son TKV Desikachar; BKS Iyengar of Iyengar Yoga; K Pattabhi Jois of Ashtanga Yoga; and AG Mohan of Swastha Yoga. Russian born Indra Devi, who was the first Western woman to study yoga in India, has since passed on. For those unfamiliar with yoga, these teachers initiated the most widely practiced systems of hatha yoga in the West today.

Namaste!
I am commonly asked, after my yoga classes, what that word is I say at the end. Simply put, I spell it and I say Namaste-it is used as a sacred greeting. Yet there is so much more to Namaste than that.
In yoga classes, we often bring the hands together in Namaste position (prayer position) or anjali mudra. As well, bringing the hands together in Namaste, followed by a bow, often concludes yoga classes. We could even use the expression; do Namaste with the feet, as an explanation to bring the soles of the feet together. Namaste is useful and pertinent for opening, closing, as well as during yoga classes. So what does it really mean then?
Namaste is a Sanskrit word that literally means, "the divinity within me bows to the divinity within you" or "the soul within me greets the soul within you”. Used alone, the word itself is not really all that, though. Therefore, Namaste can be used as a greeting and a farewell, similar to Ciao. However, Namaste is more than just bringing hands together or a greeting or a phrase. It is so much more than a spoken greeting or a gesture with the hands.
Namaste, the word and the hand gesture of bringing the palms together at the heart centre is generally accompanied with a quick bow and unbroken eye contact. The beauty of Namaste is that is signifies a heart to heart connection, when expressed in earnest. It becomes even more beautiful when those expressing it become increasingly more conscious and aware of its true meaning.
With this in mind, and in the spirit of its message, may it help enrich and inspire you.
Namaste!
Andrea

Moondays
Traditionally, the day of the full moon and the day of the new moon are yoga holidays in Ashtanga Yoga. Following this age old tradition is a good practice for many reasons. Not only does it provide a good rest for the body, to help prevent repetitive stress injuries, it also helps to make us more aware of the earth’s natural cycles. The main reason it is practiced though, is to help prevent injuries due to the strong unbalancing effects of the gravitational pull on the earth during these days.
The rest day is the day of your practice time closest to the full or new moon phase. For example, if you practice in the morning, and the moon phase occurs at 3 am, you would skip practice the morning after the 3 am moon phase. If you were an evening practitioner, you would skip practice the night before the 3 am phase, because that's closer to your regular practice time than the following day. You can find more information on the times of the moon phases in the Moondays link on the right side of this page.
Tim Miller, one of the few people worldwide to be certified in Ashtanga Yoga by Shri K. Pattabhi Jois, the father of the practice, explains it well in his website http://www.ashtangayogacenter.com/ :
Both full and new moon days are observed as yoga holidays in the Ashtanga Yoga tradition. What is the reasoning behind this?
Like all things of a watery nature (human beings are about 70% water), we are affected by the phases of the moon. The phases of the moon are determined by the moon’s relative position to the sun. Full moons occur when they are in opposition and new moons when they are in conjunction. Both sun and moon exert a gravitational pull on the earth. Their relative positions create different energetic experiences that can be compared to the breath cycle. The full moon energy corresponds to the end of inhalation when the force of prana is greatest. This is an expansive, upward moving force that makes us feel energetic and emotional, but not well grounded. The Upanishads state that the main prana lives in the head. During the full moon we tend to be more headstrong.
The new moon energy corresponds to the end of exhalation when the force of apana is greatest. Apana is a contracting, downward moving force that makes us feel calm and grounded, but dense and disinclined towards physical exertion.
The Farmers Almanac recommends planting seeds at the new moon when the rooting force is strongest and transplanting at the full moon when the flowering force is strongest.
Practicing Ashtanga Yoga over time makes us more attuned to natural cycles. Observing moon days is one way to recognize and honor the rhythms of nature so we can live in greater harmony with it. - Tim Miller