Yoga Ancaster

Heron Creek Personal Training and Yoga

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 04:12:53 +0000

Heron Creek Yoga and CrossFit Ancaster have joined forces to offer the best yoga classes in Ancaster.

New HOT YOGA Starting Oct. 7 6:15-7:15 p.m. 6 weeks, $99
Please call (905) 648-6555 to register. Mention code HC1 to enter a draw for a free t-shirt.

EXCITING NEWS–We are at CROSSFIT Ancaster!
Come for all the classes you love PLUS MUCH MORE!
More than 22 classes to choose from.
CROSSFIT Ancaster 1412 Sandhilll Dr.
(Ancaster Business Park, TURN RIGHT at the first stop sign.)
YOGILATES, BOOT CAMP, ZUMBA, HOT YOGA, BEGINNER YOGA, CROSSFIT, KIDS’ FIT, POLEFLOW, SOCA TOTS, and PERSONAL TRAINING
Please note: Morning Yogilates is now on Mondays and Thursdays, Zumba on Tuesdays. Morning classes start at 9:15 a.m. Tuesday eve. Yogilates starts at 7:15. See schedule for complete details

Be Good to Your Heart try yoga

Fri, 20 Feb 2009 20:25:41 +0000

Ancaster yoga may be good for your Heart

Yoga is an important component of the Dr. Dean Ornish Program, internationally noted for successfully treating heart disease by showing patients how to make critical lifestyle changes through exercise, low-fat vegetarian diet, stress management and emotional support.

“Yoga is a huge tool in the fight to prevent, stop or reverse the heart disease patterns we are seeing,” says Vicki Lindberg, yoga instructor and coordinator with the Dr. Dean Ornish Program for Reversing Heart Disease at Alegant Health, Bergan Mercy Medical Center in Omaha.

The Ornish program uses Hatha yoga, which involves specialized breathing and a series of poses — in combination with complementary techniques — meditation and visualization, for example — to help lower pulse rate, cholesterol level and blood pressure, improve respiration, endocrine function and circulation, normalize weight, enhance flexibility, and impart deep relaxation. Yoga, like resistance training, increases muscularity, but without making excessive demands on the body.

“We use gentle yoga during the first half of the program and gradually bring in more challenging poses, but never anything the participants can’t easily breathe through,” says Lindberg, a registered nurse who also uses yoga for pulmonary patients. She suggests one hour of yoga a day to achieve best curative and preventive results.

“Sixty minutes of gentle yoga and the body feels as if it’s just had three or four hours of rest,” she says. Research suggests yoga elevates serotonin levels, leading to a greater sense of serenity and well being, which is critical to controlling dangerous stress levels.

“Heart disease is progressive,” says Lindberg. “Despite all the treatments we have, all the modern technology, why is heart disease still the number one killer of Americans? Because they’re not making the lifestyle changes they need to once they’ve had the procedures. One of the changes is controlling the stress in their lives…once they’re in the program they learn to identify stress and how to handle it.”

Even when adapted to accommodate the special needs of heart patients, yoga appears to directly affect internal organs and their efficient operation. Specific poses effectively reroute blood to the heart, while traditional yogic breathing exercises have a calming effect on the agitated heart muscle.

Take A Deep Breath:

“I stress the importance of learning different breathing techniques — the three-part breath and alternate nostril breathing — so important for the mind, body, breath connection,” says Lindberg.

Alternate nostril breathing is an excellent daily exercise for lowering blood pressure, relieving insomnia and alleviating anxiety:

Choose a quiet spot, sit erect and breathe deeply through your nose.
Using your right thumb, press on your right nostril; exhale through your left nostril. Then inhale slowly, breathing deep into your stomach and chest.
Don’t strain. Breathe gently and smoothly. Repeat using the other nostril.
Try to make exhalation twice as long as inhalation i.e., breathe in for five, breathe out for ten
Finish by deep breathing through both nostrils.
Do two rounds, once or twice a day. Increase gradually over period of weeks.

“The cardiac patients who take advantage of the yoga class offered through regular rehab feel it’s been a lifesaver,” Lindberg reports.

Yoga: Bringing The Spirit, Mind, And Body Together

Fri, 20 Feb 2009 20:23:06 +0000

Trying to find the right exercise program to suit your needs can be a daunting task. Everyone’s goals and desires are different when it comes to fitness and time can a play a big role when putting together a fitness program.

There are many things to consider when figuring out what exercise program will work best for you. The array of various machines, exercises and classes can strike confusion and fear in the minds of enthusiastic individuals everywhere. Even the most advanced exercise enthusiasts can sometimes look beyond the weights for a physical and mental jumpstart.

When trying to stay healthy and transform your body you must first have the mental stability and motivation to persist. Finding balance between mind and body will benefit you outside the gym as well.

Looking for a perfect solution to stay balanced and motivated is not as hard as you may think. The perfect solution may be Yoga. Yoga is great because it’s not difficult to learn and no matter what age you are anyone can pick it up very easily. Yoga requires no special equipment and is not taxing on your body. It’s easy on the joints and integrates various stretching movements that will strengthen your mind, body, while raising your cardiovascular level.

According to ivillage.com it is estimated that today approximately 15 million Americans participate in Yoga and that this number was roughly only about seven million five years ago.

With a look at these staggering numbers it’s not hard to become curious as to why this form of exercise is catching on so rapidly.

Yoga has often been thought of as a form of mental and physical exercise only performed by women, however more and more men (even the most advanced of weight lifters) are attempting to understand the health benefits Yoga can have on the mind and body.

According to a poll conducted by yogajournal.com here is why many men say they’re more reluctant to do yoga than women?

Not good enough of a workout. 31%
Not interested in the non competitive aspects. 25%
Fear embarrassment. 34%
Unaware of its health and healing benefits. 10%

1,477 votes cast.”

Judging by that poll it would seem that the biggest fear men have when considering Yoga is embarrassment. It may be due to the belief that Yoga is more of a feminine form of exercise, however a closer and more in-depth look into this ancient exercise and it’s not hard to see that Yoga is far from being anywhere near “feminine”.

Yoga has been around for more than 3,000 years originating in India and is considered to be an ancient discipline that brings the mind, spirit and body together as one. Not only is Yoga considered to be exercise but it’s also a form of meditation that supports claims of overall enhancement in concentration that relaxes the inner spirit. Many people consider Yoga to be the greatest reliever of stress available.

Participating in Yoga is something that can be done in a class with other participants or by yourself. You will find that with the huge popularity of this ancient exercise many fitness centers will offer weekly classes that you can sign up for. Yoga possess several different variations in style of movement ranging from slow and gentle to very faced paced and aggressive.

When participating in Yoga you will practice deep breathing and various positions that will help to clear your mind while exercising the body. When full concentration is put forth towards the breathing and movements the mind seems to let all stresses slip away, and helps to cleanse the body of toxins because of the deep eccentric breathing exercises.

Regardless of your goal, Yoga is perfect to help anyone lose weight, increase muscularity, improve strength, flexibility, and eliminate stress.

If Yoga is something you are seriously considering it may be wise to first consult a personal trainer or Yoga instructor for advice on availability of classes, and a breakdown of what level of Yoga will best suit your needs and fitness level. Enjoying the benefits that Yoga can have on the body and spirit is something we should all be interested in.

Yoga and Eating Disorders

Sun, 23 Nov 2008 21:18:35 +0000

Overcoming Eating Disorders Through Yoga

Over 10 million women and a million men are affected by different forms of eating disorders in the United States alone. Most of them are teens and the common illnesses are represented by anorexia and bulimia. The physical factors related to these illnesses have only been recently acknowledged as only mental factors were previously thought to be responsible for these conditions. Eating disorders are triggered by a complexity of factors including social, biological, psychological and behavioral items.

A calm and focused mind has a better chance of reducing the harmful effects of eating disorders. Yoga has been proven to reduce depression and recreate a state of balance and well being. Different yoga practices encourage heightened levels of self esteem and promote a positive view of your own body. This is a crucial factor in eating disorders and has been shown to significantly increase recuperation and healing. By eliminating self judgment, yoga establishes a strong connection between mind and body, allowing the two elements to work together in decreasing any negative effects. Anorexia affects your body’s energy levels and reduces the bone density, creating unwanted negative effects at a physical level. Regular yoga practice also increase the overall fitness level of the body, giving it a good chance of fighting against illnesses.

The yogic system identifies eating disorders as a problem related to the first chakra and different poses are used to balance it: crab, full wind, pigeon, locust, staff etc. Strengths and courage can be increased by using grounding postures such as mountain, goddess, standing squat and prayer squat. The postures reestablish the strong mind-body connections and help overcome most physical obstacles. Most back bending poses help reduce depression and forward bends usually calm the spirit and reduce the effects of anorexia.

As the mental component plays an important role in eating disorders, meditation can reduce harmful thoughts and feelings. An active, specifically targeted meditation practice will prove to be very effective. Less obvious results can also be obtain by using a general mediation technique. The yoga poses work best when the exterior elements are left aside and concentration focuses on inner aspects of your self. Paying special attention to breathing and inner sensations will take you to a state of calmness and increased awareness. This new state will allow you to go further and explore new concepts that will enable you to achieve goals that proved problematic in the past.

Being aware of the problem and showing a constant and strong desire to change that is a great method to reduce the effects of bulimia and anorexia. An early adoption of yoga practices would make the patient more aware of the problem, thus contributing to an early cure. However, these yoga techniques are usually used in the recuperative stages of the illness. Most people suffering from anorexia or bulimia go through a strong denial stage, which aggravates their condition even more. As with all illnesses, yoga works best in the prevention stage of the problem, when the negative effects are still low and easier to eliminate.

Yoga Ancaster and Holiday Stress

Sun, 23 Nov 2008 21:14:39 +0000

Taking The Stress Out Of Vacations With Yoga

Even during vacations we are still attacked by outside stressful factors which can ruin a very promising vacation. Vacation stress is a rather antagonistic expression but it is real and it can cause serious upset. There are countless reasons to get angry during your vacation: poor services, bad weather, high prices, noisy tourists, annoying insects and the list can go on an on. Yoga offers several methods of reducing the effects of such negative elements in the form of meditation, sakshin, pratyahara and pranayama.

Meditation is also a recommended practice when vacation stress factors become active. Meditation helps you prepare for any potential stressful situations and is invaluable during and after these obstacles are gone. A detached state of consciousness that allows you to get a better understanding of the realities around you is referred to as sakshin. Pratyahara is a state of peace obtained by reducing to a minimum all outside intereferences. The mind gets calm and relaxed, focusing towards the inside of your own body. By using pranayama you are able to calm yourself in almost any difficult situation by regulating your breathing and thus harmonizing the energies in your body.

Being prepared for any stress factors is vital for a successful vacation. Anticipating a potential problem doesn’t mean worrying about it before hand. It means that when the problem does occur you should already have a good understanding of why it happened. You will always get much better results by addressing an issue with a clear and calm head, rather then acting on an impulse.

When a situation occurs try to “step out” of your body and see yourself in that particular setting. Objectivity is hard to reach, especially when it comes to your own self, but it helps to get a neutral perspective on things. Directing an action by the guidelines of an objective mind will prove more successful than jumping in head first into a situation. Concepts like “I couldn’t help myself” should be constantly discouraged from your own vocabulary and thoughts. Take control of your inner self and you will have better control of what’s outside your body in the surrounding world. You should first feel you body’s reaction to an outside element and only react afterwards, when a clear judgment dictates what to do. Breathing techniques are of great help when it comes to relaxing an impulsive spirit and bringing calm to a particular event or situation.

You need to interrupt the actions of your subconscious mind before you are able to take control of a situation. Initial responses are hasty and often very hard to avoid, but it is essential that, through practice, you get a constant feeling of control over your reactions. The first reaction to a negative element can be either that of fighting back or that of fleeing. In any of the two cases a considerable amount of tensions fills you body, and it could be days or weeks before you manage to get over this unfortunate event. A calm and balanced response has chances of eliminating any sort of tension before it even gets a chance to start growing. Remember that most vacations are short and you can’t afford to spend half of your stay in a negative mood. After all, you are there to try to recharge your energy, not to try to waste it on meaningless tensions.

Yoga Ancaster Weight Loss

Sun, 23 Nov 2008 21:10:05 +0000

Getting Slim and Trim With Yoga

Yoga’s power to create a state of mental and physical well being may also be put to good use for taking off excess weight. Yoga promotes a healthy and balanced life style and when combined with a calorie burning program may show exceptional results. Practicing yoga will also increase your metabolism, increasing the calorie burning process, but you should not see it as an immediate results method. By following the rigors imposed by yoga you will gain a holistic, long term solution to balance your life style and keep off any excessive weight. In addition to loosing weight you will also experience an increased ability to concentrate and focus, higher resistance to stress factors and an all round healthier way of living.

Metabolism is regulated by the thyroid, a component of the endocrine system. It is responsible for the chemical processes in your body that transform food into energy. Yoga uses a series of twisting poses that stimulate the work flow of the internal organs, thus boosting metabolism to burn more calories and reduce your body weight. Improved local circulation is another direct effect of using yoga postures and this leads to a healthier, more energetic body. When the calorie intake is lower than the calorie output your body will start burning fat cells to acquire the necessary energy. A perfectly healthy and strong metabolism takes this process even further and you will see better results than traditional weight loss formulas.

Different back bends, combined with forward bends, are used to stimulate metabolism. Poses that affect the neck area, where the thyroid gland is situated, are especially useful is the weight problem is caused by a hormonal imbalance. These poses can be those of the camel, rabbit, plow, bridge and shoulder stand. Moving quickly between a series of poses can accelerate the process. For people who are significantly overweight some of the bends may prove to be a difficult task to accomplish. They should gradually increase the difficulty of the postures until they are confident enough to go to more complex exercises.

Muscles can be strengthened by using standing poses, such as the warrior. A higher endurance and increased caloric output will also result from using standing poses. Energize the body and increase your metabolism even more by using Kapalabhati and Ujjayi Pranayama.

A proper diet should also be followed to support the holistic weight loss system. Try to consume food rich in fiber, vegetables, whole grains and less high fat and processed food items. Balance is essential in all maters concerning your food and no excess should be made. Do not totally eliminate certain food items from your menu and remember that diversity is the key to an equilibrated and satisfactory diet.

A gradual approach is essential with all yoga practices. Results may not be spectacular and immediate, but this is one of the best long term weight loss methods available. In addition to weight loss you also benefit from an increased protection against adverse factors as well as a general feeling of well being and inner peace.

905-648-6555 or email

Yoga Ancaster Booking New Sessions

Sun, 23 Nov 2008 21:01:48 +0000

Just in time

Yoga Ancaster is now taking reservations for our winter yoga classes in Ancaster at CrossFit Ancaster.

To book your spot now Call 905-648-6555

or email us

Make Time For Yourself

Sun, 14 Sep 2008 12:54:40 +0000

Shhh! Quiet Time!

In today’s world things are much more different than they once were. Our lives are more chaotic – occupied to the hilt with the stresses that seem common place.

We’re more helpless in finding solitude and peace that previous generations once had – things seemed simpler in a previous time. However, in today’s day and age the daily pressures can be overwhelming.

We don’t make time to be quiet and just relax. If we’re not working at our job than we’re working on the home, cottage, or car. Even though some of these activities may be somewhat relaxing, we’re still preoccupied with the task at hand – usually while listening to music or engaging in some nonsense conversation.

There’s a difference between leisurely milling around and being quiet. To be alone by yourself is healthy. Ever notice how clear your thoughts become if on a nice walk in a suburban area, such as a trail or the woods? You can actually hear yourself think. Your surroundings contribute to your mood and in turn coax your thoughts.

When you sleep your mind subconsciously filters your thoughts and feelings from your day into dreams. However, making the time to relax and filter your thoughts during the day can aid in achieving a healthy balance in mind and body. In order to accomplish this we must first CHOOSE to be alone. Sometimes this in itself can be a difficult decision.

In today’s lifestyle we’re accustomed to always being around people and possessing a full agenda. Some people must have every detail of the day meticulously organized and strategically planed out before they even leave their home. In some cases, we may feel counter-productive if alone. However, your not wasting time if you view it as a priority and part of your daily routine. If you include it into your schedule than it can be viewed as a productive activity.

You deserve quiet time. No one should ever feel undeserving of this. If you do, ask yourself why? Is it because you feel guilty? You should never feel guilty when it comes to taking care of yourself mentally. There’s no excuse. Slow down, and just relax.

Often people are so wound up and not thinking straight.that their hindering themselves from achieving a positive balance in their wellbeing. Taking 10 minutes alone somewhere – with no chance of interruptions – can help you visualize and resolve complications in your life more clearly.

Think about it, how much time do you spend in quiet each day? (the bathroom doesn’t count) For the average person, it’s measured in seconds.

HOW TO USE QUIET TIME

When you finally decide to take the time to relax and enjoy quiet there is an array of different ideas to consider.

Do stretching exercises.
Clear your mind.
Review your goals and your progress towards them.
Visualize reaching your biggest goal.
Think about your day – reflect on the happenings and the lessons that can be learned.
Mentally preview tomorrow – planning and visualizing great success.
Review material from a book or training session.
Meditate.
Pray.
Practice deep breathing.
Think of creative solutions to a challenge or problem you are facing.
Count your blessings.
Recall pleasant memories.

Stealing a little quiet time every day to gather yourself will help you visualize and calculate different scenarios in your daily life more clearly.

Phoenix Fitness Online Magazine

Yoga and Health Articles

Thu, 11 Sep 2008 21:24:28 +0000

Coming soon!

New Yoga Ancaster Classes

Thu, 11 Sep 2008 21:23:31 +0000