Max Strom Visits Vancouver

Last weekend I attended an inspiring workshop at Semperviva Yoga with Max Strom, teacher, speaker and author. He led us through a breath centered chest-opening yoga practice which left me feeling grounded, open and present. It reminded me that breath is fuel. When we breathe deeply in postures, we become energized and more capable. There is a well of untapped energy within waiting to release.

Max also spoke about forgiveness, which I think we can all stand to practice a little more. One of the take-homes from the weekend: practice gratitude. “Gratitude and anger cannot live in the heart together.”

Thanks Max. I needed that reminder.

Check out his Ted Talk on Happiness for a little weekend inspiration.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Jacci

Heavenly Hip Workshop

Join me for a juicy hip opening workshop this Saturday, November 24th from 2-4pm at Semperviva Yoga’s Kit’s Beach location (West 4th and Yew) in Vancouver.

We will explore the musculature surrounding the hip joint, move through a warming hip-opening practice and discuss options for home practice.
See you on your mat!

Heavenly Hips with Jacci Collins

A hip opening workshop to increase overall balance and well-being

The hips are a complex joint comprised of many powerful muscles that either connect to or cross by the hip joint. (Iliopsoas, glutes, hamstrings and adductors, to name a few.) Along with muscles, there are ligaments and tendons, nerves, blood vessels and bursae to contend with. It is no wonder we crave release in this area.

The hips are also the house for a very powerful energy system, the second
chakra. They are the emotional center for many of us, acting as the junk drawer of the body. The second chakra, associated with one on one relationships, issues surrounding money, creativity, power and control, requires regular clearing in order to transform physically and mentally. Once we begin to clear the hips, healing can occur creating freedom in the pelvis and an increased sense of overall well being.

In this workshop we will discuss the anatomy of the hips as well as their energetic qualities. We will also explore the hips experientially with a warming hip opening practice that will leave you feeling open, aware and at ease. Take home with you a greater understanding of this joint and guidance towards a home practice for further exploration.

Learning to Surrender: Injury, Our Greatest Teacher

We all come to our mats for different reasons. Whether it is to calm the mind, open the shoulders, or invoke transformation, every reason is just as valid as the next.

I came to my mat for the first time 12 years ago as a form of cross-training for my career as a professional dancer. What yoga helped me realize is that my body (and mind) was extremely out of balance. Over stretched hamstrings  with little upper body strength and a weak core was the perfect equation for a low-back injury.

For years I had pain in my low back but chose to ignore the pain.  Our bodies have no voice. Its way of communicating with us is through sensation such as pain, numbness, tingling, etc. The pain started slowly and eventually hit me over the head until I was stopped in my tracks and hardly able to walk. I finally found myself in my doctor’s office listening to him tell me he was referring me to a back surgeon. What? Surgery?! What would this mean to my career, to my health? I was in tears.

September Yoga Playlist

Bakasana (Crow Pose)

Here we go… My latest for you to move to:

Porcelain, Moby

Purple, U-Cef Mix

Intro, The xx

Makyen Ghrir Allah, Earthrise SoundSystem

May All Beings, Earthrise SoundSystem

Heart Skipped a Beat, The xx

Lifufanele, Zero 7

Three Of Us, Ben Harper

Green Arrow, Yo La Tengo

Limit to Your Love, Feist

Song For You, Alexi Murdoch

My Sweet Lord, Yin Yames

Guru Brahma, Shaman’s Dream Project

New Yoga Playlist

At long last, and after many requests from my beloved students, here is one of my most recent playlists for you to flow to… Enjoy!

Les Nuits by Nightmares On Wax

Whispering Wind by Moby

Sure Thing by St. Germain

Vivid by Thievery Corporation

Incident At Gate 7 by Thievery Corporation

Likufanele by Zero 7

Heart Skipped a Beat by The xx

On the Dub-ble by DJ Krush

Rise by Nightmares On Wax

Now My Feet Won’t Touch the Ground by Coldplay

Limit to Your Love by Feist

Green Arrow by Yo La Tengo

Comptine d’une autre ete by Yann Tiersen

Om for the Holidays: 5 Tools for Relieving Holiday Stress with Yoga

As we barrel full speed ahead towards the holiday season, I can feel the stress and frantic energy mounting; not only in myself, but in my students. Too much to do, too little time. Gift buying, holiday parties, baking, card-writing, the list goes on. On top of the stress from the extra activities, the food and drinks we typically indulge in this time of year can also make us feel sluggish, drained and certainly not on top of our game. If this is sounding all-too familiar, then rest assured you are not alone. Also rest assured: there are some simple steps we can take to counteract the stress and make this season the enjoyable holiday it is intended to be.

Here are 5 tools to help you along:

1. Breathe. Hands down, the simplest and most effective thing we can do to calm the nervous system is to breathe deeply with awareness. Sit tall or lie on your back. Close your eyes. Fill your belly with breath on your inhale and release all the air from your lungs on the exhale. Continue for 5-10 minutes resting your awareness solely on your breath and feel the tension melt away…

Some Tunes To Flow To

I had the pleasure of spending this afternoon with some wonderful teachers in training from Semperviva Yoga College. I am extremely grateful for the experience as it helped me investigate my teaching on a deeper level and reminded me of some of the feelings I had experienced as a teacher in training years ago. Whoever thinks teaching yoga is an easy job has got it all wrong! No one sees the hours and hours of practice, study and exploration of the body that happen before one even steps in front of a class to teach. So props to you teacher trainers! You are doing good work in the world.

One of the things we discussed today was the use of music in a yoga class. The choice of music can help to energize, uplift, relax and release, but timing is everything. I spend a lot of time and effort in creating my playlists for classes. To each his own, but here are some tunes that float my boat. (As promised, teacher trainers, this is the playlist we flowed to today!) This playlist was used for a strong hatha/flow class. I hope you enjoy!

“The End”- Llorca

“Whispering Wind” – Moby

“Sure Thing” – St. Germain

“Universal Highness” – Thievery Corporation

“Vivid” – Thievery Corporation

“Universal Traveler” – Air

“Pipes Honour” – Nightmares on Wax

“Sitar-y Thing (Interlude)” – Newton Faulkner

“My Sweet Lord” – Yin Yames

“When The Night Comes: – Dan Auerbach

“Albatross” – Fleetwood Mac

“Shanti (Peace Out)” – MC Yogi

A big thank you to all the fantastic teachers in training from Semperviva Yoga College for your energy and spirit. I had a blast with you all today!

See you on your mat,

Jacci

Vancouver Yoga Show This Weekend: November 4-6th, 2011

This weekend you will find me (and many other local yogis) at the Vancouver Yoga Show at the Vancouver Convention Centre. I’m looking forward to workshops from Michael Stone, Seane Corn, Leslie Kaminoff, Jason Crandell and Mark Laham, but there are many other world-renowned yogis on the line-up.

In the showroom you’ll find booths full of all things yoga including free yoga classes and more. Click here for a link to a free pass.

See you there!

Namaste,

Jacci

Transitioning into Fall with Yoga: A Recipe for Balance

Fall is officially upon us. The trees have turned brilliant burnt shades of orange, yellow and red, decorating the ground like confetti. The days are getting shorter, and the weather cooler. Bring on the sweaters, soup, red wine and hot baths!

Often the body takes a minute to catch up with what our environment has to offer us. A balanced yoga practice can help our bodies transition through the seasons with ease and grace. Incorporating the following key elements into our practice will help ease the transition along: heat, energize, detox and restore.

Heat. As our climate cools off, our joints often stiffen due to lack of circulation to the extremities. Pain receptors in our bodies are often more sensitive in cold weather.  Our job is to keep the body warm and circulation flowing from the inside out. Sun salutations A & B and standing postures such as Warrior 2 and Utkatasana are excellent examples of heating postures. Even a gentle yoga practice will most certainly help with circulation, so on those cold mornings when you just want to stay in bed, your joints will thank you if you don’t!

Yogawoman

A beautiful film on the power of women in yoga featuring Shiva Rea, Seane Corn, Janet Stone and many more. Already seen it? Let me know what you thought!

Namaste,

Jacci