Being a minimalist to the max!

 

I've always been a less is more kind of person, so I wouldn't say I was a minimalist but that is just the way I am.  When I looked up the word minimalism,  one definition I found was that it is a tool that can assist you in finding freedom. Freedom from fear. Freedom from worry. Freedom from guilt. Freedom from depression. Freedom from the trappings of the consumer culture we’ve built our lives around. Real freedom.

So, that may not really define it but I did find a website that explains it quite nicely.
https://www.becomingminimalist.com/what-is-minimalism/

This is what I feel yoga does also, so I think finding the yogic path was always something that was meant to happen.  Mr. Iyengar has written that he wouldn't tell his students to stop drinking, smoking, over eating, etc., but following a yogic path those things just fell away and were no longer important.

I have always loved being a part of nature and doing things to try and protect nature. 
The quote, "Living simply so others can simply live." is really what I strive for. Traveling as a teen really helped me to see this both in terms of how little I really needed to live and how fortunate I was to have the home and conditions I did have.

 

That being said I think there is a flip side to the coin.  I have to really watch my mindset when I am in the cleaning out the house mode.  I know it is also a form of control, what I do when I feel I don't have control in the other areas of my life.  I clean, throw out and give away. 

 

That is not freedom.  It is still an area I must work on and I find yoga has helped me during these anxious times.

 

Our house is far from bare, but what we do keep we do try to make it something that has meaning.  I have had to accept that for the kids it might mean keeping a sticker or item of some sort that to me seems like garbage but to them has value and realize that living with 4 other people I may not have the perfect and uncluttered house in a day.

 

 

Namaste.

Pamela Nelson

www.plnyoga.blogspot.com

plnyogastudio@gmail.com

 

 

Upcoming Fall Classes and Workshops - 2017

My fall schedule, special classes and workshops at Yoga Sublime have been posted on the Yoga Sublime website. I will also be teaching a noon yoga class at the Forest Centre in Prince Albert.
I will post my other classes in Christopher Lake in the near future.

Classes begin in September! Registration open now though.
My evening classes begin the week of September 5th and the Tuesday morning class begin September 12th.

Tuesday's:
10:15-11:30a.m. - Iyengar A.M. All Levels - begins September 12th - at Yoga Sublime

12:05-12:55p.m. - Noon Yoga - begins September 12th - at Forest Centre

5:30-7:00p.m. - Iyengar All Levels - begins September 5th - at Yoga Sublime
7:15-8:15p.m. - Iyengar Basic/Level 1 - begins September 5th - at Yoga Sublime

Thursday's: at Yoga Sublime
5:30-6:45p.m. - Gentle/Restorative Yoga - begins September 7th
7:00-8:30p.m. - Women's Health Yoga Workshop - Thursday's in October - see poster below
7:00-8:30p.m. - Building a Home Yoga Practice - Thursday's in November - see poster below

Saturday's: at Yoga Sublime
9:00-10:15a.m. - A.M. Eye Opener - begins September 9th
1:30-4:30p.m. - Yoga From the Core workshop - October 16th - see poster below
10:30-Noon - Yoga For: Necks, Shoulders, Backs and Knees - September 23rd, 30th & October 14th &21st (see poster below)


Here are some other Workshops and Special Classes I will be offering at Yoga Sublime.
If you have any questions about them please feel free to contact me.

 

 

 

 

 

Noon Yoga Class Poster:

 

 

 

Thank you and I hope you have been having a great summer!

Namaste.

Pamela Nelson

www.plnyoga.blogspot.com

plnyogastudio@gmail.com

Summer Solitude - The Importance of Solitude

"Solitude is where one discovers one is not alone."  - Marty Rubin

Summer is a wonderful time!  More daylight and warmer weather allows more opportunities to get outside and enjoy spending time with family and friends and connecting with nature.

For me it can also be a bit overwhelming too.  We have acres to mow, gardens to plant and weed, and this year the weeds are plentiful :)  There is the yearly house maintenance - sanding and painting, window washing, etc. and that doesn't include wish list things which usually get pushed to the next year list.  Summer is also the time when I attend a few yoga teacher training workshops because I don't have to take as much time off when regular classes are running. I am fortunate and am not complaining but it means time away during the summer from family which changes their plans too.  Along with all this there is the expectation of going places, doing things and of course having FUN doing it.
I know, stressful right?  Which isn't what summer is meant to be. 
 
So, for me it is just as important to keep up my home yoga practice and find times of solitude. 

There are many studies, articles and books you can find on this subject too.
I found one pdf book - The Importance of Solitude for a Balanced Life that is short but has many great suggestions.  Here is the link:

http://www.interdimensionalhealinglight.com/the-importance-of-solitude.pdf


There is even a Dummies book out there - The Importance of Solitude for Happiness.
http://www.dummies.com/relationships/happiness/the-importance-of-solitude-for-happiness/

Here are some key reasons highlighted in an article on the book.

Solitude allows your body to catch up with your mind.

Solitude allows your brain to rest.

 

Solitude jumpstarts the parasympathetic nervous system (the branch of the autonomic nervous system that calms you down).

 

Solitude prevents burnout.

 

Solitude enhances creativity.

 

Solitude can be a time of self-discovery.

 

Solitude allows you an opportunity to deal with the big questions in your life. Solitude provides an opportunity for perspective.

So knowing this and doing this can be two different things.  But like all worthwhile things making and taking the time can be done by just doing it.

I encourage you to take even 10-15 minutes today in solitude.  Do a few stretches to loosen tight muscles and then sit with the breath.
Close your eyes and relax the face. Bring attention to the breath as it touches the nostrils on the inhalation and on the exhalation.  Without forcing allow the breath to become slower and deeper. Gently relaxing the throat and jaw and any hardness in the chest.  Feel how that release in the face and brain allows any tightness in the abdomen and diaphragm to also release.
Stay with that for even 5 minutes.

Ahh. I feel better already...


Happy Summer! 
Namaste.
Pamela Nelson - Certified Iyengar Yoga Instructor
www.plnyoga.blogspot.com

July Classes:

Here are a few of my Fall Offerings:

This September I will be teaching a 3 hour workshop at Yoga Sublime Studio - www.yogasublimestudio.com  in Prince Albert. 
This workshop will begin with the outer body to help one move inward towards the inner core.

You can register online using the Mindbody app. for the studio.

"The physical body is not only the temple of our soul, but the means by which we embark on the inward journey towards the core."  B.K.S. Iyengar

And a few other classes :)

Summer Deck Yoga - Prakriti and Purusha

This summer I am offering to come teach yoga classes for you and your family & friends on your deck or yard, at the lake or in the city!

I know many have deck parties in the summer so after someone mentioned how great their deck would be for yoga I kind of thought of having little Yoga Deck Parties. A celebration of you and those around you and of nature. In Sanskrit the word for nature is Prakriti and we are all born as composites of nature. Being out in nature can help connect us to all that is around us and it is through that sense of oneness that we can come close to experiencing Purusha - or the self, the soul, pure consciousness.
 I have offered classes on starting or enhancing a home yoga practice in the past - the deck yoga class idea also comes a bit from these classes to show that you can continue to practice yoga even when your schedule might change a bit.  Yoga is for everyone! 

If you are interested in a class at your home please contact me: plnyogastudio@gmail.com

Here are some photos from my home deck yoga practice:

Please contact me if you would like to book a class for you and 5-6 friends or more.
plnyogastudio@gmail.com - 1-306-981-4703

Here are a few other posters for other classes I am offering this summer and upcoming this fall.

Namaste.
Pamela Nelson
www.plnyoga.blogspot.com