Santosha Yoga Retreats

Yoga can help!

dorothy — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 06:33:08 +0000

Did you know that only a very small percentage of people who make New Year’s Resolutions actually keep them? Yoga can help!
The most common resolutions have to do with weight-loss and fitness/health commitments…it’s natural and healthy to want to do these things!
As a yoga teacher, I know that it takes practice and patience to change a long-held pattern. Yoga can help you achieve your goals (and …forgive yourself if you fall a little short, too!).
With regular yoga practice (even one class a week) we get more focused in the mind and attain stronger and more flexible bodies. We gain body awareness and develop gratitude for the amazing gift that our bodies are. Yoga helps us to love and accept ourselves no matter what our body image concerns are.
When it comes to weight loss, because yoga teaches us to be mindful of how the body feels, we will be less likely to overeat and more careful about what we put into our bodies.
Changing our focus from a ‘weight loss diet’ to an ‘eat only foods that will make me as healthy as possible diet’ will go a long way. Often it is what we choose ‘not’ to eat that can make a difference to our health. If you eat a healthier diet you will be more likely to loose weight.
If you are facing a tough challenge like quitting smoking or drinking, yoga practice will help keep you calm and steady and help you get through the stressful times when relapse is most common. As we develop deep gratitude for our bodies, through our yoga practice, we will be less likely to participate in harmful activities. Replacing an unhealthy activity with a healthy activity like yoga, running, working out at the gym, swimming etc will help.
Let these tried and true methods help you achieve your resolutions.
• Set Realistic Goals
If it’s not realistic you will automatically be setting yourself up for failure!
• Chart Your Progression Towards Your Goal
Either journal your progress or keep track on a calendar.
• Have a Support Group and Success Team
Find someone or a group of people to share your challenges and successes with!
Whether it is January or July, let yoga help you with your commitments to good health.

See you on the mat!
Dorothy
*Treat yourself; jumpstart your yoga practice with a wonderful yoga retreat on
Salt Spring Island, BC or Tofino, or Mexico!

Relaxation during the holiday season…???

dorothy — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 20:25:14 +0000

Ideally, Christmas and the winter holidays could be a time to focus attention on our deepest emotions, togetherness and spiritual feelings. Unfortunately, for many this time of year is full of stress.

For many with hectic, stressful lives, relaxation means zoning out in front of the TV at the end of the day or snatching some extra sleep on the weekend. Unfortunately, this does little to help reduce the damaging effects of stress on the mind and body.

To effectively combat stress, we need to activate the body’s natural relaxation response. You can do this by practicing relaxation techniques including yoga, deep breathing, visualization, and meditation, or by performing rhythmic exercise, such as running, cycling, or mindful walking. Finding ways to fit these activities into your life can help reduce everyday stress and boost your energy and mood. They’ll also help you to stay calm in the face of life’s unexpected events…and the holiday season!

If you are beginning a new practice or coming back to one remember it doesn’t have to be fancy, you don’t have to have all the new gear, just START! Start with something simple and a realistic, manageable amount of time. You want to be successful and create a solid foundation to build on, so set yourself up for success!
For some activities, weekly classes can be the ideal way to keep practice regular.

WHEN stress suddenly arises, taking some slow deep breaths will activate the body’s natural relaxation response and will you help navigate through. Then asap engage in a physical activity such as a brisk walk or run or hit the mat and do some yoga. Chances are you will feel much better after this and will prove how you can manage stress in a healthy way!

NAMASTE,
DOROTHY

Two Wonderful Retreats!

dorothy — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 19:18:57 +0000

Hi Everyone,

Two of my Salt Spring Island retreats to report on… The APRIL ‘Yoga on the Farm’ retreat at Stowel Lake Organic Farm and the MAY ‘Yoga on the Island’ retreat at the Salt Spring Centre of Yoga. Both went beautifully!

These retreats are wonderful holidays because everyone is so centered and relaxed from doing so much yoga. The added benefits of doing the pranayam and meditation are noticeable.

THE ‘FARM’ WAS LUSH AND LOVELY and everyone enjoyed wandering in the beautiful gardens.The buildings are a work of art!

After brunch on Saturday we all went to the Saturday market. After an enjoyable look around, four of us did a hike up Reginald Hill (which is actually a small mountain). The hike only takes about 45 mins (one way) and is moderately challenging for part of it. Beautiful views of the Fulford Harbour and the Fulford Valley make it well worth the effort.

Heidi’s amazing ‘Deep Flow’ massage treatments furthered everyone’s ‘Deep Relaxation’! Shani’s wonderful vegetarian cuisine kept us all wondering what special delight she would have for us at the next meal or snack!

THE ‘YOGA ON THE ISLAND’ RETREAT at the SS Centre of Yoga was a small but intimate group of 8. I love getting to know everyone just that much better with the small groups.

I picked up one member of our group from the ferry and took her right to 2 hour kayaking trip to Goat Island and back! She had come all the way from Saskatchewan and wanted to fill her weekend with west coast adventure.

The SS Centre has large and bountiful organic gardens and pathways through the forest to walk on.

On Saturday we all went to the market and then we went on a hike part way up Mount Maxwell. This is a fairly easy hike with great views of The Fulford and Burgoyne Valleys and surrounding ocean and islands. The wood fired sauna was a great way to finish off Saturday evening. The Centre is famous for its delicious, nutritious vegetarian cuisine…head cook, Kari, is amazing!

We had a great weekend….I love my work!

The June 18-20 ‘Yoga on the Farm’ retreat is next.
I have 15 people signed up so far …still room for a few more!
July 16-18 retreat still has space also.

Why don’t you join us!
Namaste,
Dorothy

Is Doing Yoga Once A Week Enough?

dorothy — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 17:34:19 +0000

Hi and welcome to my first blog!

After teaching and hosting retreats since 2002 I have founded Santosha Yoga Retreats. Santosha is a Sanskrit word; it means ‘contentment’. Our challenge is to find contentment, no matter what life brings us. Yoga helps us to realize this goal.

Committed to teaching and realizing my strong desire to help others, my new ‘name’ and new website seem to represent and reinforce this commitment. As does this blog.

Is doing yoga once a week enough?

Right from the first time I tried yoga when I was 18; carefully following instructions from a book (Kareen’s Yoga), I felt the magic of the yoga practice. Is this a statement issued by all who try yoga? Yes….probably. Yoga is such a simple practice yet so profound; such a simple concept (stilling the mind), yet so challenging.

For the next 28 years I struggled to keep a practice going at home. I was a potter. I made handmade pottery for those 28 years as well as raising 3 children. I knew that when I made time for my practice everything seemed to go much more smoothly.

In 2002 Yoga Teacher Training was offered at my home of Salt Spring Island. At the age of 48, I jumped at the chance to take this offering. With yoga teacher training came a wealth of information and knowledge. There was enough reading and studying for at least of couple of life times. I loved it.

During the course of my training I learned many other methods to calm my mind. I learned that yoga was a science and a philosophy, as well as a physical practice. Yoga science is an amazing analysis of the inner workings of the mind. Yoga philosophy is full of ancient wisdom and guidelines to help us understand life.

I was overwhelmed; but my intellect loved it. My life was enriched.

Before I had this gift of knowledge I did yoga on a purely experiential level. In other words, I simply did the practice without knowing the reasons or inherent benefits of what I was doing. I still experienced many physical, mental and emotional benefits. Learning more about yoga through the wealth of knowledge passed on to me by my teacher Baba Hari Dass, as well as the many wonderful books on the subject has greatly enriched my practice and my life. But, the most important thing of all is that we practice. No matter how much or how little knowledge has been imparted to us. We must practice, even if it is once a week.

Daily practice can be an unrealistic goal for many. I believe that being realistic about what you can maintain over a long period of time (the rest of your life!) is more important. If you try to do an unrealistic amount of yoga you will not be able to maintain the practice over a period of time. If all you have time for is one regular class/practice a week you will still experience very worthwhile results.

Maybe someday you will have time to do more….or maybe not.Do what you can!

The more you do, the more benefits will come…very simple.

“If you work on yoga,
yoga will work on you”

~Baba Hari Dass~

Retreats are wonderful ways to deepen your practice:

Give your body a healthy ‘wake-up’ call.
Learn methods to calm your mind, such as pranayama and meditation.
Eat absolutely delicious vegetarian cuisine.
Be inspired to lead a healthy lifestyle.
Heal. Rejuvenate. Have fun!

Upcoming posts: How to sneak yoga into your life! and Will I become a better person if I do yoga? (hmmmm…)