Workshops

Intoduction to the Spirituality of Yoga. "What is Yoga, really?"

Almost completely unheard of 50 years ago, Yoga has become a regular part of many people's daily lives here in Canada. In this 90 minute talk and discussion Matthew will review the history and essence of Yogic practice, offering both inspiration for our own journeys in Yoga and challenging us to think about the true nature and goals of our practice.

We will explore the history of Yoga in India and the story of its introduction to North America; the traditional eight limbs of Yoga practice; and a discussion of ancient practices done to support Yoga which we can use today to cleanse and strengthen the body and uplift the mind.

Date: March 18th, 2012 at 12:30pm
Cost: $25 before March 11th, 2012 ($30 after)
Teacher: Matthew Gindin (check his bio on our 'Teachers' Web page)

The Ethics of Yoga: Applying the Ancient Teachings On and Off The Mat

Yoga in India was never practiced apart from a foundation of ethical awareness and devotion to the divine within and without. What are the traditional ethics of Yoga? How can we apply them in our lives today both on the mat and in our day to day interactions with others (and ourselves)? How can we bring an attitude of devotion and surrender to our practice and our lives?

In this 90 minute talk we will explore the ten "yamas and niyamas" taught by the sage Patanjali and discuss how we can apply them today to bring our yoga practice into the world and help bring a more peaceful, joyful mind and body to our yoga mat.

Date: March 25th, 2012 at 12:30pm
Cost: $25 before March 18th, 2012 ($30 after)
Teacher: Matthew Gindin (check his bio on our 'Teachers' Web page)

The Stories of Yoga
Evening of storytelling: 1. stories of sages, gods and goddesses of India, especially any whose names show up in the names of Yoga poses; 2.Ramayana, which is a great adventure story which communicates many yogic principles.

An Introduction to Tantra
A discussion of "what is Tantra?" and its relationship to Yoga, focusing on the wisdom and life-affirming nature of Tantric perspectives, which see all of reality as sacred.

Lovingkindness Meditation for Pain Relief
Workshop on how to apply the Buddhist meditation technique of cultivating lovingkindness (mettabhavana) to deal with chronic pain.