Yoga with Katrina Ariel

Need Wrist Love? Align With Yoga Therapy

May 24, 2010Katrina Ariel2 Comments

Vishvamitrasana-yoga-wrists-therapy — I could use a little more awareness in my lower hand here - see how it's collapsing slightly to the outside? So much going on in the pose, even I need to remember to align my hands. 🙂

Good alignment is good therapy, and optimal alignment is what brings the freedom in yoga therapy.

This can be anything from knowing how to place your hands and feet to aligning with your intention and coming into the natural pulsation of the breath.

One thing that comes up a lot for people is pressure or pain in the wrists. However, when you use the alignment principles of Anusara® yoga and apply them to your own body, that pressure and pain can disappear.

When you’re in a weight bearing pose on your hands (downward dog, handstand, push-ups, plank, gardening, etc.) your foundation has a lot to do with what you feel in your wrists. This means the way you place your hands and fingers translates to what you feel.

The following video that explains three of the most important points to know about how to align your hands.

Though this video speaks mostly to the added challenge of having your hands on uneven ground, this alignment goes for any surface and position where your whole hand is on the ground. When you practice outside or on carpet, the stakes are higher and it becomes even more important to align mindfully. Watch to find out why…

We’re Having So Much Fun in the Kamloops Yoga Fitness Boot Camp!

May 23, 2010Katrina Ariel

group-shot-01 — No, we don't always dress up in silly costumes for Boot camp... Just one day per camp session. And I tell you what, we have a LOT of fun! (even on the days when we're not wearing tutus.)

Who knew fitness could be this fun?! An incredible community of women are finding out just how much you can actually enjoy getting in shape with the Yoga Fitness Boot Camp.

We wake up in the early Kamloops morning, watch the sun rise over the mountains, and find the perfect balance of intense fitness exercises and centering yoga. It is transformational, and this program is changing women’s lives.

“I want you to know how good I feel and how much respect I have for you as a teacher – you make welcoming room for individuals of varying ages, sizes and abilities while still challenging your students to go to their edge.” – Constance

As a yoga instructor, this program is challenging and so much fun to teach. I call on all of my skills to bring the sacred into a very physical workout, make sure it is safe and that there are different options for women of varying fitness levels, and somehow find the edge where everyone is working as hard as they can while still having a blast!

We even had a costume day this past Friday. It was smiles and laughter all around. Really, how can you not have a good time when your instructor is wearing a blue wig and the person across from you has on a ridiculous hat?

Why all the fun? Because it works. When you’re in a fun loving community, you want to come to class. You naturally encourage each other, and it’s not such a struggle to give everything you’ve got, because the light hearted feel helps carry you through.

When you’re in the feeling of joy, things flow more naturally, and your heart lights up every part of you with delight. That’s good yoga, no matter how long you’re holding forearm plank for, or how many lunges you’ve done. When you align with the Spirit, whose nature is pure goodness, everything else is simply more available to you.

It’s really amazing to hear comments like “I didn’t think I could do 10 more seconds, but then I did and I realized my capacity is so much more than I thought!”

What an honour it is to lead this program, and to be a part of this community of women. Kamloops has some very special ladies, and a great group of them are in this Boot Camp.

Would you like to be part of it? Head on over to the Yoga Fitness Kamloops Boot Camp page for more info and registration.

All Photos by Natalie Anfield / Kamloops Photography

Yoga, Intention, and the Days of the Week

May 16, 2010Katrina Ariel2 Comments

One day, years ago, in a training with Anusara® yoga’s founder John Friend, I learned the significance of each day of the week. Since it’s Sunday, I’ll expand on it’s meaning below, but I figure I’ll give you my notes on each day to quench some curiosity first.

Meanings of the days of the week.

Sunday: Dedicated to the Sun. As this is the first day of the week, here we set our intention.

Monday: Day of the Moon. A day for balance, turning in.

Tuesday: Dedicated to Mars. Power, fire, initiation, masculine energy.

Wednesday: The day of Mercury, known as the messenger. This is the bridge between worlds, uniting Feminine and Masculine energies. A day of awakening, communicating.

Thursday: Jupiter’s day. Since Jupiter is the weighty one, this is also the Guru’s day. A day to honor your teachers and celebrate the teacher within. Big energy day.

Friday: The day of Venus. Beauty, feminine Goddess energy, a sense of expansion and goodness rule this day.

Saturday: The day of Saturn. This day has an energy that concludes or binds, being the last day of the week. Saturn is like the old man, or patron of the cycle. Masculine energy.

Setting Intention with Yoga

The sun holds a seemingly limitless amount of energy and power.

The Yoga of Being Happy

May 6, 2010Katrina Ariel2 Comments

chipasana One 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!

May 3, 2010Katrina Ariel

60512144 Wow! 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

April 27, 2010Katrina Ariel2 Comments

KayakGodsPocket I’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.

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

April 24, 2010Katrina Ariel2 Comments

36827757 I 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.

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

April 21, 2010Katrina Ariel4 Comments

open-hands Isn’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.

Spring into Spring! by Anusara yoga teacher Cat McCarthy

April 16, 2010Katrina Ariel

CatMcCarthy This 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.

Yoga Fitness Core Workout

April 15, 2010Katrina 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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