health

Author: Harris Beacock

I walked into Power Yoga Canada in Leaside about a year ago. I had tried Bikram Yoga at a nearby studio in 2015, actually staying with that practice for almost a year, but the 90 minute classes were simply too much of a time commitment to allow me to continue my practice.

Fast forward 2 years to the Fall of 2017. I weighed 238 pounds, was moving toward being diabetic and was not very active at all. Although my career is not exactly physically demanding, as I sit at a desk most of the day, mental stress is a definite factor. My only physical activity consisted of walking my dogs – on its own, it was not conducive to being truly healthy. I had noticed the Power Yoga Canada sign on Laird and decided to drop in and see what it was all about. I liked the concept of hot yoga, as I have always thought that a good sweat was good for a person. The first practice was a definite contest to stay with the flow, but I felt terrific after the class. I was hooked!

From there, I started slowly, finding it challenging to do 3 classes a week, but sixty minutes is a manageable time commitment and the classes provide a total body workout, as well as a great mental flush!

Fast forward to now, a year later. Combining my practice with proper nutrition, I have dropped 24 pounds, reducing my body fat from 29.7% to 20.5%. I have improved my physical fitness to the point where the classes are still challenging, but I get through them and the after-class buzz is well worth the effort. Walking my dogs is no longer a challenge. I sleep better, have a clearer head at work and home and I always look forward to the positive reinforcement that I get from the instructors and fellow yogis. My goal is to continue to practice at least 4 times a week and I have begun attending Sunday yin classes for variety. Perhaps there is 40 Day Challenge in my future!

I have found the instructors and my classmate to always be positive and helpful, from taking someone who is really new into their classes to offering hints on how to continuously improve my practice. The constant positive reinforcement from everyone has been extremely helpful with my yoga journey.

I want my story to act as a motivational point for anyone who thinks that they can’t change their situation, be it mental or physical. It can be done!

Author: Allan Pitre – Community Member & PYC City Centre Yogi

I wanted to try yoga for a long time, but was always too afraid. Living with depression and anxiety for most of my life has been limiting, especially when it comes to unfamiliar social settings. I usually just avoid these situations entirely. My timid nature has kept me from trying many things. I tend to live in my own head, to overanalyze things, and can be extremely self-critical. Sometimes I feel like I’m in an abusive relationship with myself…
Initially, One of the reasons yoga intrigued me was that I had heard it was beneficial in healing the body from injuries. I have a bad back and problems with my hips, knees, and shoulders; being that I’m extremely accident prone and clumsy, many of these are self-inflicted. I frequently get low back spasms and my body is generally very tense and sore, and feels way older than 40 years should.

I’ve struggled with my weight since my teens, there was definitely a correlation between my weight and worst bouts of depression. I’ve dropped 115 lbs. through consistent exercise, a strict ketogenic diet, and intermittent fasting. Losing weight has improved the way I feel emotionally and physically, but years of additional weight has compounded my injuries. Because of these injuries, some of the workouts I used to enjoy are no longer an option.

Last winter, I reduced exercising and picked up some bad diet habits. I gained weight, and started to get a bit down on myself. Before things got worse, I recommitted to my diet and exercise regimen. My wife and I decided to try yoga and support each other through the experience since we were both apprehensive. I don’t know that I would have worked up the courage to start alone, and I’m grateful for her support because the past 5-1⁄2 months have been transformative.

I was so nervous for my first class at PYC City Centre. I did not know what to expect. I was concerned about being judged because of my body, because I didn’t know the sequences, or when I couldn’t hold a pose. Instead, I found a supportive community of amazing people who have literally bent over backwards (pun intended) to make me feel welcome and accepted, and without even having an inkling of how intimidated I was those first few weeks.

I have become completely enamoured with yoga. It’s amongst the most physically demanding activities I have done, yet I feel incredible after. I actually look forward to my next time on the mat. I won’t pretend that yoga has fixed my body, but it has absolutely made a difference. Every day I feel stronger and continue to surprise myself with what I can do. I recently completed a 21 day challenge and it was one of the proudest accomplishments I can recall in recent years. The best part of the experience has been the community and feeling like I belong here.

There have been many encouraging and inspirational words spoken by the awesome team of instructors at PYC City Centre, but for me, the ones that most resonated are “…the hardest part of your practice was showing up on your mat, and you already did that!”. I couldn’t agree more. Just show up for practice and amazing things will happen!

Author: Matt Kowaldd

Release your self-imposed limits. Be grateful. This is the wisdom I have learned to live by. Let me explain…I have experienced some turbulence in my life. I was nine when my mother was murdered by my step dad, changing my life and support system forever. I initially moved in with my grandparents. As I got older, I was sent to a public boarding school and was surrounded by troubled youth. I became angrier and more confused with the world. My grandmother passed away, and I lost another person in my life. My grandmother’s passing hit a switch inside of me; the light in me disappeared, allowing darkness to enter. I gave up on life. I woke up in a hospital room the next day, and a veil of regret stuck on me like a wet blanket.

Moving forward my mind state shifted to a positive one as I began to understand and treasure the small things in life. I slowly discovered yoga, meditation, mindful movement, and how to forgive past grievances that I held on to. I discovered the power of gratitude and changing the “I have to” tasks into “I get to” tasks. This simple mind shift had a profound impact on my outlook, allowing in more light than I knew was possible.

In 2015, I booked a one-way ticket to Canada for university. Missing the heat of Australia, I jumped into a hot power yoga class at PYC St Catharines for the first time. The experience was incredible-I had practiced yoga before, but never in a hot room or with a dedicated community. The experience helped me find focus in my mind, my body and the present.

These moments on the mat translated my life. It encouraged me to write a letter to my step dad letting him know that I forgive him, allowing me to move on. To be gentler on myself, and take note of the small things. This is why I wanted to add a space to forgive something each day, to continue letting go of things that are easy to hold onto. The lessons I learnt from these obstacles have helped me grow so much. Remembering to breathe, to move, to love, to laugh, to smile, to forgive, to be compassionate, and to treasure the moments in everyday is what saved me.

Through the struggles I have experienced in my life, I was inspired to create The Yogi’s Journal a guided journal that combines elements that have helped me grow in my yoga practice. Taking those tools that I accumulated throughout my life, I wanted to create a written structure, as I often find it easy to forget to do the little things that have helped me and many others.

Bringing the idea into fruition I reached out to Laura (a friend and yoga teacher in England) and began bouncing ideas as we began to shape the idea. Then reaching out to Siqouia a graphic designer to add flare, and Jess to help spread the word. Through brainstorming and many talks we created a guide for ourselves and you to foster an explorative and healing practice.
The journal guides you through everything that has helped us on our journeys, and what we have learned from yoga, starting with guidance, ideas and inspirations into the eight-limbed path, gratitude, forgiveness, setting goals that resonate with you, creating morning rituals, and the yamas and niyamas.

At the beginning of each week you can set your focus, steps towards your goal, and ideas on how you are going to incorporate the yama or niyama into your week. A friendly challenge, and some asana, meditation, and pranayama inspiration.
Each day there’s a structured page where we can start the day with gratitude, set an intention and write down three tasks the we get to do today! There’s a space for affirmations, reflection on your practice, to forgive, and a spot to write down the moment that you can treasure.

Ending the week we gave ourselves some space to reflect, including how you moved towards your goals, how the yama or niyama affected you, what challenged you, what enriched you, and how present you were.