Category Archives: Yoga: Approach and Philosophy

It seems these days in Toronto, and possibly elsewhere (although I have not heard it expressed when I teach in Canada, in the US or in the UK) that the study of Patanjali is being elevated and Hatha Yoga, unless accompanied by some recognition of the Yoga Sutras, denigrated. This hierarchical attitude was very much Continue »

I am often asked what style of yoga I teach. Since there is no short answer to this question, and I have the forum and opportunity here, I will attempt to tell the story of my longtime involvement with yoga. Primarily, I was and still am inspired by the teaching of Vanda Scaravelli who lived Continue »

During teacher training and development workshops teachers often ask how to present a philosophy of autonomy and encourage students to take on and ultimately take over their own yoga practice. These are exciting positive questions especially in the yoga world today where there seems to be a dependence on the teacher for an “experience” of Continue »

Monica Voss, who lives and teaches in Toronto, recently conducted a weekend workshop at White Iris Yoga in Evanston. Three principles sum up the essence of Monica’s hatha yoga philosophy: 1) ground yourself, 2) breathe deeply, and 3) lengthen your spine. The rest of the posture will fall into place. However, most of us don’t Continue »