Yoga Workshops for Everyone

Saturday, December 11, with Edward Brown, 1:00pm-3:30pm ET, $50, sliding scale available
on Zoom

“To hit the mark is to realize on the spot that you are a Sacred
Being without changing anything about your body or your mind.”
 –old Zen saying

“Seeing things as it is,” was one of my Zen teacher Suzuki Roshi’s favorite expressions. For a while we thought, does he not know English? Soon enough we realized that he was describing the two ways we have of experiencing reality: the phenomenal world of things and the Sacred world of oneness: it is or just this are two colloquial Zen expressions for this world where things cannot be found yet there they are. We may prepare beautiful food—then in the stomach no thing can be identified.

His teaching was to live in both these worlds, studying how to work with things and also how to trust in the reality of oneness which unfolds beyond human agency. In the world of things we may have a sense of independence or freedom, while in the world of oneness we are mutually interdependent with everything—as moment after moment arises beyond our choosing.

So, “to see things as it is,” implicitly underscores a profound well of trust in the inherent coherency of the Sacred—from time to time at least—nothing to be fixed, corrected, perfected.

For our time together we’ll aim to sit in this Great Space, do some chi gung, talk, and visit, while looking into this “seeing things as it is.”

Sunday, December 12, with Tama Soble, 10:00am-12:30pm, 1:30pm-4:00pm ET, $100
on Zoom

Learn how to adapt yoga poses to the precise needs of your body or those of your students by applying basic anatomical principles. Reconnect with body and breath using gentle practices that acknowledge the relationship between functional anatomy and the unique nature of each body. This workshop is open to students and teachers at all levels of experience.

Saturday, December 18, with Julia Juhas, 7:00pm-8:30pm ET, $35
on Zoom

Welcome winter and rejuvenate your yoga practice with some live music. Relax, go deep and soak up the soothing sounds of an acoustic guitar and a singer’s voice as you ground, breathe and elongate the spine. Take your time, move gently and, heck, why not hum or sing along if you wish? Any song requests, please email Julia directly at juliajuhas@gmail.com by Wednesday December 15 and she will do her best to accommodate.

Sunday, December 19, with Mar Jean Olson, 3:30pm-5:00pm, $30
at the Studio

Learn a variety of simple stretching and strengthening exercises for your fingers, hands, wrists, and forearms.  Use this gentle programme anywhere for gradual relief of stiff, sore, inflamed and overworked areas.
Image: Miroslav Hucek, Mr. Makovička’s Wings

Monday, December 20, with Julia Juhas
7:00pm-8:30pm ET, $25
on Zoom

As we move toward the shortest day of the year with the longest night, it’s important that we embrace both these opposites in order to live in harmony. Through calming and soothing breath practices, mindful movements and meditation, let’s spend some time to reflect on the integration of the darkness and radiant light. 

Monday, December 27 – Wednesday, December 29, with Monica Voss
10:30am-12:30pm and 1:30pm-3:00pm ET, $150/3 days, $60/day, $30/half day, included in unlimited packages, bursaries available
on Zoom

Ring out 2021 with an in-town at home yoga “retreat”. Lighten the body and the heart with three full or partial days of stretching, breathing, postures, meditation and relaxation, with some end-of-year visiting . Everyone is welcome!

Saturday, January 1, 2022, with Susan Young
11:00am-1:00pm, $25
at the Studio

Bring in the New Year with a 2-hour yoga practice combining asana, breath work and meditative practice to prompt deep reflection and inspire positive intentions for the year ahead. You are welcome to bring a pen and notebook to capture any insights. Open to all levels.

Saturday, January 8, with Julia Juhas, 12:30pm-2:00pm, $30
at the Studio

What a great time of year to detox and recharge! In this practice we’ll focus on stimulating the lymphatic system which facilitates the immune system to filter out toxins, damaged cells and particles that are unnecessary to carry through the body.  This practice can also be a metaphor in filtering out and detoxing aspects of our lives that no longer serve us…pump it out and let it dissolve. Let’s elevate our spirits, our lymphatic system and our body as a whole. Treat yourself to the boost you deserve, it’s a brand-new year!

Sunday, January 16, with Mariko Tanabe, 10:00am-12:30pm, 2:00pm- 4:30pm ET, $125/day, $65/session, sliding scale available
on Zoom

Come and join us for this experiential exploration of the genesis of your body, from conception through the embryological  pathways that lay the foundations of our current nervous and circulatory systems, our bones and connective tissues.

We will dive into the microcosm of our living cells and their fluid environment to connect with their pathways of communication, and open to the ways that our living bodies are continuous with the  natural world around us. Through movement, touch, vibration, meditation and discussion, we will also explore the seminal heart – brain axis, and other ways to harmonize your body, brain and heart.

I will offer movements from my practice informed by Yoga, Qigong, and Dance, and you are welcome to apply the explorations to your own practice and to participate at your own capacity and comfort. All are welcome.

Image: The Two Fridas by Frida Kahlo

Sunday, January 23, with Helen Kohl, 11:00am-1:00pm ET, $40
on Zoom

This is a class for yoga teachers, for beginners with mobility issues, for those with a friend or family member craving movement and stimulation, and for anyone sedentary. Instructors and students alike will gain inspiration on how to create a full yoga class or practice, from a chair. You’ll enjoy stretching, breathing and meditation that enhance your flexibility, relieve your stress, build your strength, help you access your inner quiet and (yes, from your chair) improve your balance.

Sunday, January 30, with Mar Jean Olson, 3:30pm-5:00pm ET, $30
at the Studio

Balance poses create stability and a centered way of being. We will practise coming into balance using breathing patterns and gentle Hatha yoga movements including eye exercises. No prior yoga experience necessary.

Saturday, February 5, with Julia Juhas, 12:30pm-2:00pm, $30
at the Studio

An invitation to reflect on, explore and become aware of areas in our lives where we can develop compassion, love and forgiveness towards ourselves and others. We’ll meditate, practise deep supported relaxation as well as taking our time to breathe into backbends and circular motions to create space and expansion in the heart centre. This workshop is bound to give you the feeling of a nice, warm, loving hug and hopefully inspire a sense of deep internal self-love.

Sunday, February 13, with Donna Oliver, 2:00pm – 4:00pm, $40
at the Studio

This Qi Gong exercise set is named for the serpentine movement of the body which resembles a Dragon. A simple practice that keeps the spine and joints flexible, it also massages and strengthens the internal organs and improves balance. We will also learn several Swimming Dragon warm up exercises. The set can be done in a chair but is usually practised standing.

Sunday, February 20, with Monica Voss and Ana Bodnar, 11:00am-1:30pm ET, $50
on Zoom

Yoga is a personal practice based on kindness, awareness and self-reflection. Join Monica on a self discovery through asana practice, breathing and relaxation. Ana will offer the theory of self-compassion, practical methods and discussion, all supporting the development of increased happiness.

Monica Voss has been a student and teacher of yoga for over 40 years and co-owns and teaches at Esther Myers Yoga Studio.

Ana Bodnar is a Clinical Psychologist and Yoga and Meditation teacher who has taught workshops on Self-Compassion in many settings, including the University of Toronto.

Sunday, February 27, with Mar Jean Olson, 3:30am-5:00pm ET, $30
at the Studio

Let’s help our brains stay healthy.  In this workshop, we’ll begin with a brief diagnostic tool, followed by some simple stretches, and then proceed to brain training exercises.  We’ll all benefit from incorporating these into our daily lives.

Saturday, March 5, with Monica Voss, 1:00pm-3:00pm, $40
on Zoom

In this workshop, we will practise breath awareness and several traditional pranayama exercises in personal, non-traditional ways, accessing them with curiosity, enjoyment and kindness. Then we’ll assess, deconstruct and discuss how and when to introduce pranayama to beginners (and ourselves) easily and effectively.

Sunday, March 6, with Ana Bodnar, 10:30am-12:30pm $40
on Zoom

In this workshop, we will review the Yamas and Niyamas as they are outlined in Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras and then reflect on them using various translations, including a commentary from a women’s, heart-centred perspective. We will discuss how the Yamas and Niyamas continue to be vibrant and engaging in our current times, and how they apply to our teaching and our lives.

Sunday, March 6, with Monica Voss, 2:00pm-4:30pm, $50
on Zoom

Our species has been bipedal for 6 million years! We humans know how to stand, walk and run effectively. But although we realize intellectually we’re supported by the gravitational force from the lower spine through the pelvis and legs, are we cognizant? Are we aware? Do we feel our locomotion, our steps, our feet on the ground? This workshop hopes to help make clear the biomechanics of standing and walking and our deep physical and energetic relationship to the earth by means of our unique approach to the classic hatha yoga standing postures.

Sunday, March 13, with Donna Oliver, 2:00pm-4:00pm, $40
at the Studio

Five palm positions are used in this set of 5 movements to massage and balance the energy of the five major organ systems, Heart, Spleen, Lungs, Kidney and Liver. The set improves focus and can be done in a chair but is usually practised standing.

Sunday, March 20, with John Campbell, 1:00pm-3:00pm, $40
at the Studio

Yoga Nidra is a meditation practice that dates back to the time of the Upanishads. Today, yoga nidra is widely used both as  meditation and as a therapeutic tool for PTSD, other psychological trauma and distress. Yoga nidra is experiential and produces a state of deep relaxation, similar to sleep, in which we remain aware. From this place, we experience, notice and welcome the comings and goings of different aspects and layers of the self such as physical sensations, feelings, emotions, thoughts and beliefs. In yoga nidra, we are given the opportunity to feel past all these fluctuations and rest in the unchanging, peaceful, welcoming ground of our being.

John Campbell has been practising yoga at Esther Myers Yoga Studio for over 35 years and is a graduate of the EMYS Teacher Training Programme.

Sunday, March 27, with Mar Jean Olson, 3:30pm-5:00pm, $30
at the Studio

Join us in learning about one of your vital signs. Blood pressure is considered an indicator of health and can be influenced by yoga exercises. In this series of classes, we will discuss and carefully practise techniques for regulating blood pressure.

Saturday, April 2 – Sunday, April 3, with Monica Voss,
Saturday, 2:30pm-4:30pm and Sunday,10:00am-12:00pm, 1:30pm-3:30pm, $135/full workshop, $50/per session
at the Studio

Spend a weekend exploring all aspects of the spine – its anatomy, connection to the breath, energy, movement and texture and the imagery that has traditionally supported it. Each of the three segments of the workshop will focus on a particular neurological movement of the spine and the yoga postures that pertain to and illustrate it, as follows:

Saturday pm, Spinal flexion/Forward bends
Sunday am, Spinal extension/Backbends
Sunday pm, Spinal rotation and lateral bending/Twists and Side stretching

* This workshop is part of the Teacher Training Programme, but open to any teacher or interested student of yoga.

Sunday, April 24, with Mar Jean Olson, 3:30pm-5:00pm, $30
at the Studio

Join us in learning about our vital lymph system. We’ll focus on easy exercises for the flushing, drainage, and circulation of this open network which continually changes and is essential to our immune system. Open to everyone.

Sunday, May 1, with Donna Oliver, 2:00pm – 4:00pm, $40
at the Studio

Beautiful soft flowing movements characterize this energizing set. Wuxing translates to Five Phases. Gentle stretching of the torso and limbs encourage Qi to flow from one organ system to another in a “phase” or cycle to nourish the 5 major body organ systems and keep the whole body functioning at its best. Standing is required.