Author: Katrina Ariel

The Yoga of Being Happy

Katrina Ariel2 Comments on The Yoga of Being Happy

chipasanaOne smile can ripple out to touch many hearts, and can go a long way in the realm of healing. Too many people go about their days with a furrowed brow or a perpetual frown, yet in their hearts all they want is to be happy.

Smiling and laughing are expressions of a content, joyful soul. They reduce stress, increase health and bring a brilliance to the moment, inviting others to lighten up as well.

You can find a place of content even within struggle and challenge. It’s all about your attitude and perspective. Can you see the beauty? Can you see the humor? It’s there, waiting to be discovered.

Amidst all the things you do, it is so important to find that which brings you joy.

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The Kamloops Yoga Fitness Boot Camp is a HIT!

Katrina Ariel

60512144Wow! Apparently I’m not the only one who wants to bring some meaning into working out. Today was the first day of the Kamloops Yoga Fitness Boot Camp for Women, and it was a blast!

Thirty women came out in full force, ready to greet the morning as the empowered Goddesses they are. One creative soul who didn’t have weights picked up a couple of good sized rocks and used those. There was laughter and encouragement. And everyone worked so hard! It was a truly excellent start to a very special program.

Here’s what one participant said came to mind as I was singing to everyone at the very end as they lay in shavasana:

“Katrina breathes the sacred into a ROCKIN’ workout!”

And all I have to say is that I am grateful and honored to be able to share this gift. I can’t wait to see how it grows and blooms into the transformational power it is becoming. Yeah yoga boot camp! 🙂

To find out more about this amazing program, check out the Kamloops Yoga Fitness Boot Camp page.

Ocean Kayaking and Yoga Retreat in God’s Pocket, BC

Katrina Ariel2 Comments on Ocean Kayaking and Yoga Retreat in God’s Pocket, BC

KayakGodsPocketI’ve been asked to teach yoga as part of a kayak and yoga retreat in the beautiful ocean north of Vancouver Island! What an excellent combination – nothing like being IN the ocean to really align with the Current of Grace.

We need a certain amount of confirmed people this week to make it happen, so if you’re interested in this once in a lifetime opportunity, please don’t hesitate to book your spot for a week in heaven.

Here are the details:

God’s Pocket Resort lodge-based sea kayak tour with yoga July 5-10, 2010

Why this trip: The resort offers a first-class way to paddle British Columbia’s pristine northern waters. Outfitter has exclusive use of the 7-room resort with private chef in God’s Pocket Provincial Marine Park, BC Canada for guided sea kayak tours. On this departure only, professional yoga instructor Katrina Ariel (that’s me) will lead daily sessions included in the price!


GOD’S POCKET, BRITISH COLUMBIA — For those in search of the ultimate in wilderness kayaking without having to camp, Sea Kayak Adventures, Inc is offering six-day lodge-based sea kayak trips in British Columbia’s remote northern waters that should indulge the most discerning of travelers.

The journey begins with a boat ride past snow-capped mountains, forested islands and the protected waters of Queen Charlotte Strait before arriving at God’s Pocket Resort – a rustic island lodge located in the heart of God’s Pocket Provincial Park just off northern Vancouver Island. Guests stay in one of seven rooms providing all the amenities of home and breathtaking ocean views, and our private chef prepares all meals.

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How Om Namah Shivaya Got Me Through A 6:33 Mile Run

Katrina Ariel2 Comments on How Om Namah Shivaya Got Me Through A 6:33 Mile Run

36827757I hadn’t run a mile timed, as fast as possible, since high school. That was a while ago.

Sure, back then I ran track for a year, and I include some running in my quiver of fitness activities, but I wouldn’t call myself a ‘runner’ per se.

In the New Orleans boot camp I took, running a timed mile was part of how we could measure our progress. At the beginning of the camp I ran it in 7 minutes, 23 seconds. Not bad, but I knew I could’ve started sprinting earlier and cut a fair bit of time down.

When I did the mile again, I surprised myself considerably by coming in at 6 minutes, 33 seconds.

Both days my energy had been low, and the mile was run after working out for a good 40 minutes or so. It wasn’t like I was bursting out of the starting point all engines go.

But I had two things going for me on the second run. 1.) There was a woman in front of me who set a great pace and I was determined to follow her, and 2.) I prayed.

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Humility and Wonder: Life’s Gifts and the Anusara Yoga Certification Exam

Katrina Ariel4 Comments on Humility and Wonder: Life’s Gifts and the Anusara Yoga Certification Exam

open-handsIsn’t it amazing how the universe presents you with the most interesting challenges, often right when you’ve got something really big going on?

Here’s what happened to me:

Two days before I was scheduled to begin writing my exam for Anusara® yoga certification my energy level plummeted and my throat started hurting. The day before I was supposed to start my entire body ached, and the right side of my throat and ear were in a lot of pain.

“Interesting,” I thought. “Intriguing, even. What exactly are you trying to tell me here, Universe?”

Through my yoga practice I’ve noticed that any time something difficult or uncomfortable comes up, it’s time to really pay attention, because that unwanted or unasked for thing could be an enormous gift.

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Spring into Spring! by Anusara yoga teacher Cat McCarthy

Katrina Ariel

CatMcCarthyThis post, by the lovely and talented Cat McCarthy, is timely and inspiring. Enjoy!

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The winter doldrums have morphed into sunny, seasonal temps.  The plants and flowers are beginning to blossom, and so are we.  In the wise words of Anusara Yoga Grande Dame Betsey Downing, “Bloom where you are.”

I love this simple reminder to be fully self-expressive where you are planted, rather than where you want to be, think you ought to be, or where your bloomin’ neighbor is growing.

The precept of the Anusara Shiva/Shakta philosophy is that we are already full and perfect. It all dwells within.  Nothing outside of ourselves will complete us, as we are already whole.  And yet we often forget as self-contained seeds of potential that we need nourishment to prosper.

The wonderful thing about springtime is that it outwardly reminds us that it’s time to peak within.  

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Yoga Fitness Core Workout

Katrina Ariel

Try out my Magic Mix of fitness and yoga at the super fun Kamloops Yoga Boot Camp for women! The following workout is a great example of how you can transform your body and come back to center using this combination.

Get your blood moving, strengthen your muscles, and then lengthen them out – all the while using your awareness to make it more than just exercise. Connect to your true CORE.

This is a short segment from a full length EPIC workout.

Obviously this isn’t real time, so here’s the full workout sequence so you can refer to it. Watch the video to be sure of form (and for motivation if you’re entertained by watching me sweat!)

Center in. Take a breath and remember WHY you’re doing this. What do you want to look like? What do you want to feel like?

Warm up:

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Yoga Bliss and Back Bends

Katrina Ariel1 Comment on Yoga Bliss and Back Bends

“Only from the Heart can you touch the sky.” ~ Rumi

urdhva01I had the most amazing yoga practice tonight. Still blissed and body buzzed from it hours later.

I’ve been super fortunate to attend class with Cat McCarthy while in New Orleans. Having consistent access to an Anusara yoga teacher here has been such a blessing, and Cat is really wonderful.

Tonight she brought us a practice heavily influenced by sequences and poses SHE played with during classes with Ross Rayburn in New York. Her theme was about finding the balance between giving and receiving.

After a standing sequence which my breath and body gratefully opened to, she led us through this funky half lotus sequence  that went from standing to forward bend, jump back to down dog, forward to plank and the floor, hands and knees and then bound vashistasna – ALL IN ARDHA PADMASANA! Super fun.

We proceeded to not only do Natarajasana and Eka Pada Raja Kapotasana, but then followed those up with Kapinjalasana.

For those of you who have no idea what I just said, fear not. It was a bunch of pretzel-like yoga moves and many involved deep back bends.

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Epic Workouts Coming To Kamloops (Yoga and Fitness and Health, Oh My!)

Katrina Ariel1 Comment on Epic Workouts Coming To Kamloops (Yoga and Fitness and Health, Oh My!)

crescent-cutout-yoga-kamloopsIt’s official. Boot Camp registration has begun and people are getting excited about the magic mix of fitness and yoga in Kamloops. Are you one of them?

This is not just your standard fitness class. It’s not all physical. It’s about empowering yourself on every level!

The Boot Camp is all about Epic Workouts.

What makes them epic? Well, first of all, these workouts bring intention and awareness into exercise as I remind you to VISUALIZE your body in perfect health and perfect shape.

When you’re ultra challenged, you’ll call on your courage and find that you are POWERFUL, and capable of so much more than you realize.

And after breathing and moving and building lean muscle, you’ll expand into the freedom and bliss of a yoga practice. Your muscles will LOVE the lengthening after the workout, and your entire being will become more balanced.

All of this in the fresh air and limitless promise of the early morning.

So, are you in? Registration is open, and space is limited, so go get your spot now: Register for Kamloops Boot Camp

BONUS: If you register for 5 days per week, you get one free yoga class with me each week!

Now, I have a treat for you.

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