Yoga with Grandma

During my time at home I spent a day with my 84 year old Grandmother. Her and I decided to practice Yoga out on the back deck of my parent's home. I let her use my Manduka yoga mat and placed a towel down for extra comfort. She had minimal arm strength so we focused on breath work, reclined stretches and the bridge posture.

It was amazing to see what my Grandmother was capable of doing. She has always had a really bad hip and back. Her injuries have restricted her physical lifestyle and it was really special to see her enjoy her own private Yoga session.

The pranayam was a huge favourite because it helped her feel her cardiovascular strength. I loved watching her ribs expand and her focus on the breathing. At the end of her practice she enjoyed a 10 minute savasana followed by a delicious Vega infused smoothie! Savasana was a challenge but in the end she said that it was a nice change of routine.

After Yoga practice I had to take her home. On our way to Grandma's house she asked if we could go to Tim Hortons for a doughnut (she loves the chocolate glazed ones). Instead I took her to Thrive, (Vega juice bar) in uptown Waterloo, where we sat down at the juice bar. I ordered us each a wheat grass shot. My grandma finished the whole shot after several sips and orange wedge chases. The Thrive employees just loved watching her enthusiasm!

Upon my return home on July 6th I plan to continue our reclined Yoga sessions and watch her progress. Hopefully, she will be up for some more wheat grass shots and Vega smoothies.

yours gingerly,

W h i t n e y  S c h n a r r

Running to Yoga

Running is one of the greatest highs I have ever experienced. Seven years ago I started a collegiate running career that changed my life. It brought so much good to my life. Some days I felt guilty about the joy I was constantly experiencing. Just a great addiction (song link). I kept running because of the positive energy that was constantly being released in my body. I loved feeling super fit and fast.  Check out "My RUN is my Drug" to see how crazy people are about running. I had a couple bumps in the road with passing out, tendinitis and an iron deficiency. I always seem to rebound and return to my running passion.

Yoga accompanied me when running was troublesome and I loved releasing my uncomfortably tight muscles. After three years of racing for Saint Francis University in Loretto, PA I found myself transferring to Florida State University (FSU). I transferred for a number of different reasons but my main reason was to attend a big school with loads of opportunities. Upon my arrival I was burden with a horrible spinal injury that affected the way I walked and ran.  The amazing running energy was gone and all I was left with was a really stiff right leg, back pain, and a dream to run again.

I immediately turned to Yoga. The FSU trainers and doctors had me go through numerous procedures in order to heal my body and get me back on the track, too. I had painful dextrose shots in my pelvic area, a stretch therapist, daily ice baths, traction therapy, chiropractic work, acupuncture, two epidurals, and yoga. There were tons of attempts to get me back and running but nothing seemed to work immediately. Running did not feel natural anymore and finding my body's inner balance was a struggle when it came to running.

I had to grow patience and eventually just gave up on the activity. I replaced running with Yoga and started teaching during my second semester at FSU. Teaching and practicing yoga helped me stop thinking about running. It was a good place to redirect my running energy. Yoga was similar to my life as a dancer so it was easy to relate to the postures. The hardest part was opening my tight body from all the running.

After four years of Yoga, I continue to practice and teach with joy. Just recently, I have returned to running and hope to keep it in my life. I have been attending my old club's practices and loving the social exercise. Finding a yoga and running balance is my current challenge. I am loving the return of the running highs but I cannot get ahead of myself. My goal is a  Florida 5 km in October and after that, we shall see what happens!

Yoga continues to amaze me but running still seems to reach a very different euphoric state of mind. I hope to one day find equal sensation in my yoga practice.

namaste yogis

yours gingerly,

W h i t n e y

Yoga DVD

I never thought I would find myself laughing, while following a Yoga DVD. My only Yoga DVD features John Friend at his inaugural Grand Gathering. I am really interested in Anusara Yoga and my fiance's family purchased the DVD for me.

For the past two mornings I have been following his thorough and humorous instruction. My parents have a large television and optimal yoga space available for use in the basement. Mr. Friend has made me laugh out loud while attempting postures and just listening to him speak. I have heard only good things about his instruction and the video shows great promise.

I hope to join the grand gathering in the near future. I just love to practice Yoga in a group of people. The Grand Gathering looks like a huge bowl of fun.

I like to teach with a bit of humour and I feel super comfortable with Mr. Friend's guidance. I am looking forward to practicing with my DVD this afternoon after I teach Yoga.

Please share your favourite Yoga DVD?

namaste

yours gingerly,


W h i t n e y : )

Canada Yoga Take 2

Tonight, I taught my second yoga class at Bodyworks gym in Kitchener, Ontario. I had more than one student!

My ride to yoga was a bit of a driving exploration (like Christopher Columbus). My parents car is getting fixed so I had to rely on my Dad to drive me in my brother's standard car. I cannot drive standard with confidence, so I had no other easy choice. We left a little later than I had wished and he decided to take a back route. Every turn he made was not a confident one and I thought we were going to be en retard. I despise lateness when I am trying to teach Yoga because I like to see and speak with my students in advance. It was also my first night yoga class and I knew I would have some newbies.

Upon my arrival I was a little frantic and the desk reception let me know that I was going to have a good size class. Fortunately I had ten minutes to space. Immediately, I went to the washroom and mentally prepared myself for the full class. To give you an idea of what I was picturing, while in Florida, a 'normal' size for me was around twenty students, so that was my visualization.  Last week I had one student so twenty was a huge step up!

Tonight's full class consisted of eight delightful new yogis. It was a bit of a relief and the class consisted of all beginners. They had beautiful smiles and open hearts throughout the class. I did not feel as thought the class went super smooth but there was so much information to share in just sixty minutes. I managed to get my yoga inspiration today and I am looking forward to teaching on Wednesday!

New yoga class experiences are always a joy. Just glad I made it on time!

namaste

W h i t n e y  S c h n a r r

First Time

Last Wednesday I taught my first official Yoga class in Canada. I have been teaching Yoga in the USA for over 4 years and it was special to teach at home.

My yoga opportunity came unexpected but I was thrilled with the opportunity. Fortunately, the gym, Bodyworks, accommodated my coast guard shift work and have allowed for me to teach Yoga during my off weeks:)

Last week I had one very eager student. She sparkled with joy. I could not have asked for a better first class. We focused on her tight upper body. I used an Anusara wall stretch that I learned from Elsie's Yoga Podcast. It was nice to help just one student through each posture. Her communication through each posture helped me guide her into a more accessible and comfortable position. It was great to watch her easily find alignment because I was right beside her the whole time.

The first Wednesday morning yoga class was so very pleasing because of the student who came. For a visual picture, I am teaching at a very small gym that does not have a huge fitness space. The Yoga class is taught in a nice open room that does not have a closing door. The room's entrance is a walkway. I set the mood by keeping the lights off and guiding the class in a corner that was away from the open doorway. Sparkle just made everything smooth and simple. The music in the gym and my background music competes with my voice. A little balance is needed in order to maintain a nice flow. Now that yoga has graced the gym it will be nice to see how many more individuals will join the practice.

Thanks Sparkle for my Yoga high!

WHITNEY SCHNARR

Yoga on the Rocks

Yoga in the workplace is such a great combination. Today, one of my previous Coast Guard crew, Kevin, sent me a nice story along with his photographic documentation of him practicing Yoga.

Last summer we incorporated yoga into our workday. It was nice to slip into some athletic wear. Between rescues and training we enjoyed stretching out and finding a peaceful state. Our favourite sessions were laying on the ground and listen to Fleetwood Mac. The music was super calm and helped us get into the svasana zone. Ommmmm and as Kevin would say 'namamamamaste'.

After his yoga experience at the Coast Guard base he decided to continue his practice with Moksha Yoga in London, ON. Since his new summer job, he has been bragging about his sweaty vinyasa classes. Kevin's boss suggested turning the office into a hot yoga class. In Kevin's words, "because sweating while sitting at a computer in your business-casual attire would be unenjoyable and not make me want to wish her a namaste".

Upon the realization that sweaty yoga in the workplace would be inappropriate they decided to try some poses outside of their office during a workplace photo shoot. Kevin is second to the left and is demonstrating a strong tree posture. He really has excellent elongation in his entire body. Of course, he has his own criticism, "I know my foot is leaning right against my knee joint which is bad news bears, but it was hard with the dress pants and shoes, belt and tucked in shirt. Coast Guard Station Long Point allows for a much more flexible dress code when it comes to mid-day yoga breaks".


I love Yoga inspired experiences and photographs. Please feel free to share your adventures and we can all enjoy each others. 


Next blog will be focusing on my very first Yoga class in Waterloo, ON (my home city).


Wish me luck!


yours gingerly,


Whitney Schnarr

F r i d a y M o r n i n g: Yoga + Run

Last night, my crew and I went out on a night navigation. It was super foggy and our night vision was shot. We tried using our spot light to flash the channel markers but the light kept bouncing of the dense air. We put much of our trust in our compus bearings, GPS and radar. It was a challenging two hour night exercise and we were exhausted upon our secure at base.

I went to bed knowing that getting up for my run and yoga would be a challenge. My alarm went off at 0650 and I dismissed it. I slowly woke up around 0730 and managed to leave the base by 0800. I had a great run this morning, including my drills and lifting. After I closed with a gentle yoga session. It was nice to stretch and appreciate my body's strength after a late night on the water.

It is hard to get up and keep a morning routine going, but today I conquered my hesitation. I hope to continue my morning rhythm and believe in my inner strength. I do not think it is important to practice hard every day but to go through the motions that your body will accept. Listening and trusting in my strength always seems to impress my mental thoughts.

This afternoon we did a second workout and my body was filled with energy. Surprise strength. Love it!

yours gingerly,

Cox Schnarr