Benefit # 1 – Who needs coffee?

Yogic breathing stimulates your body and mind. All that fresh oxygen wakes up the brain like a jolt of caffeine. Yet, unlike coffee, the energy boost from deep-breathing lasts all day. Morning yoga will help you to feel more energized and clear, helping you to be more productive during the day. After your hour-long practice, you’ll feel increased clarity, ready to face your day brighter and more alive. This means that you will be able to accomplish more in less time during your work day

Benefit # 2- All day you can think, “Wow, I already did yoga today…I’m awesome.”

Your days are so busy, and your time is valuable. It’s tough to fit in a yoga class during the middle of the day, and by the evening you may have unexpected plans or you may feel too tired. Doing your practice first thing in the morning is a relief. Imagine being completely done with the day’s exercise before 8 am! That way, after work, you can focus on your family, friends, and full life. Plus, the feeling of self empowerment that comes from being disciplined in your routine will bring mental strength into other areas of your life as well. By making the choice to wake up early and treat yourself to yoga, you can savor the sense of accomplishment all day long.

Benefit # 3- You will be peaceful, all day long.

Practicing yoga early in the morning will set the tone for your whole day. It will calm and center you before you have to step out into the chaos of life. You will be ready for any situation that comes your way. That traffic jam? – No worries, you did yoga. Grumpy boss? – You remember your breath. Each early-morning class will remind you to set an intention to practice kindness, compassion and love. Others can feel that, and the world will start to reflect that peace back at you.

Benefit # 4 – You will look younger.

The stretching in yoga makes your body tighter, lighter, and brighter. It raises serotonin levels, endorphins and other feel-good chemicals and that will all show up in the glow of your skin. Studies show people who practice yoga can actually slow down the aging of the heart, liver and kidneys. All of your insides will reflect on the outside. You eyes will be brighter. Your skin will have a glow. Your body will feel taller and longer. Your immune system will be stronger. Hurrah!

Benefit # 5 – You can eat more that day.

Yoga helps speed up your metabolic rate, which means that you can eat more and burn calories faster. When you practice yoga early in the day, you improve your digestion and food will burn up faster, and more nutrients will move through your body. When you have enough nutrients moving through efficiently, then your body metabolizes fats and carbs faster and your insides will be running at tip-top speed, so you can have that second bowl of granola and don’t sweat it!

Benefit # 6 – Early-morning yoga helps to build a healthy, consistent exercise routine.

Studies have shown that 90% of those who exercise regularly (read: more than three times a week) are AM exercisers. Something about having an established morning routine encourages people to stick with it. The odds are in your favor for creating responsible exercise habits if you should choose to get your workout on early.

Benefit # 7 – Early-morning yoga regulates your sleep rhythm.

Once you make working out in the morning a habit, your body becomes accustomed to getting up at the same time each day. Furthermore, it will begin to get you ready to wake up on time, which means that you will awake feeling fully energized and alert. The more you do it, the more enhanced the feeling becomes. As you regulate your circadian sleep cycles, the feeling of confusion upon arousal from sleep due to wildly changing sleep times will vanish!

by Dee Dussault

Begin your day in an energizing way, with an uplifting and flowing hour-long yoga asana series at Urban Nirvana.

Rise and Shine Yoga
Tuesdays and Thursdays ~ May 10^th to July 5^th
6:45 – 7:45am plus a 15 minute meditation

$15 drop-in / 8 Class-Pass for $100 (tax inc.)

Metta is a Pāli word that means loving kindness, compassion, and mindfulness. It is a spiritual practice that can infuse all aspects of one’s life and inform how we engage with and respond to our communities, the Earth, and the Universe. At Urban Nirvana, metta is at the foundation of the practitioners offerings. Moving from a place of compassion, the practitioner asses each person and shapes their services around their unique and diverse needs.

As a yoga practitioner, metta is the energy I hold within the studio space. As I guide my students through an asana, I approach them with loving kindness. I let this radiate out of my finger-tips as I give them hands-on adjustments and offer variations to poses so that they can move in a way that best serves their bodies.

Thai-massage is also a very powerful example of the healing power of touch. I remember my first Thai-massage with Lisa at Urban Nirvana. My body was feeling a bit achy and I was feeling anxious, with lots of work deadlines approaching. As I lay on the mat in the massage room, Lisa’s compassionate energy made me feel very much at ease. As she began the Thai-massage, her mindful touch not only released knots deep in my tissue, but also released emotional blockages.

In both movement classes and massage, the practitioner initiates an energetic conversation with the student which shapes their offering. Their trained hands have the ability to heal both physical and emotional wounds and help us move along our path to freedom, to health, and to wellness.

Metta – At the heart of Urban Nirvana

By Bronwyn Loucks

Bone health and osteoporosis may be a dinner table topic for those of
us who have been been affected by bone loss, however this extremely
common condition is too often a health concern reserved for the
elderly.  Not so!

According to Osteoporosis Canada, women and men
start to lose bone density in their mid 30′s.   As we age, our bones
become thinner and more porous, and, without symptom, bones lose
strength and density which can lead to fracture and breakage.
Although osteoporosis can occur at any age, post menopausal women are
most at risk.  Surprised?  Here are a few other facts you should know:

*  1 in 3 women and 1 in 5 men will suffer an osteoperotic fracture in
their lifetime
* 80% of fractures in individuals 60 or older are related to osteoporosis
* fractures related to osteoperosis are most common the the wrist,
spine, and hip

A calcium rich diet and regime of consistent moderate exercise is the
best way to ward off bone loss.  Weight bearing workouts, like yoga,
simulate bone tissues to retain calcium and increase in mass.

Whether you are 35 or 65, protect yourself from bone loss!  Tone your bones!

Yoga for Bone Health

6 week course

Wednesday / Sunday @ 2:30 – 4pm

$100 +HST

In this dynamic Hatha yoga class, postures focussing on strength and
balance will target the skeletal system to build and maintain healthy
bone tissues.  Beginners welcome!

Please contact Urban Nirvana @ 647 242 7047 or info@urban-nirvana.ca to register.

With Spring around the corner, you can smell change in the air. New life is forming and plants are beginning to sprout, showing the first signs of regrowth. The change in weather and warmth from the sun are encouring signs of beautiful, fruitful days to come. In preparation for this change, let us get out of hibernation mode and reconnect with our body, mind and soul.

Here are five steps to get and keep you motivated in order to reach your goals this Spring and prepare for what is to come :

1) Visualize the results

Find a quiet spot to sink deep into relaxation, either seated or lying down. Allow yourself to see and feel the freedom of being the person you strive to be. Now imagine in as much detail one specific thing that is blocking you from achieving your goals. The more in detail and the more you emotionally connect to this process, the more likely that you won’t repeat it. Spend 3 – 5 minutes every day doing this mental exercise.

2) Set small, achievable goals

We all want to see results….now. It is important to realize that everything takes time, and change happens slowly, then all of a sudden. If you want to kick an old habit that is no longer serving you, take it one day at a time. For example, if you decided to stop drinking so much coffee – today, have one cup in the morning and next time you reach for a coffee today, help yourself to a tea or to a hot water with lemon. It may not be easy today, nor tomorrow, but in a few days, you will be craving the tea instead of the coffee. And you will feel in control of your realistic goals. Taking small steps will help you achieve big goals with consistency and time.

3) Reward yourself

It’s surprisingly easy to get excited about progress. Creating new habits and patterns takes effort at first, but if you are rewarding yourself with small treats that make you happy, you will keep motivated. Rewarding yourself with pleasurable moments will also feel merited after active effort than just taking that treat without any achievement. For example, a productive, focused day can be rewarded by a date with friends, or an intense evening cardio workout can be rewarded with a half hour on the couch watching your favourite show. Allowing yourself something pleasurable will help keep you on track and feel good about yourself.

4) Lose the excuses

We know why we want to reach our goals, but our mind will play tricks on us and give us a thousand reasons that it is not worth the effort. Every effort in the right direction is worthwhile and worthy of recognition. In the time it takes to make excuses, you could have already taken that next step. If your goal is a healthier, happier you, instead of thinking of all the reasons you shouldn’t do that work out, you could have already done it. Take action and positive results will follow.

5) Open your mind – try something different

You are surrounded by complex and beautiful systems and life forms. Perhaps you are stuck in your patterns and cannot fully absorb it, so take some time to walk down a path you haven’t been down before. Take a different route to work. Stop at a different cafe in the morning. Talk to a stranger. Sing out loud as you walk do. Liberate yourself from the parts of yourself that no longer serve you. An evolution of your own self will have a positive impact on everyone around you. Make conscious lifestyle choices and feel in control – you choose your way of being on the planet – open yourself to opportunity and you will be amazed at what comes your way.

Apply these 5 steps of motivation and watch the transformation in yourself as Spring comes to life around you.

~ Lisa Arcus, March 12, 2012

Pam DeMesa will be leading a Sunday morning class “Buds” at Urban Nirvana’s Yoga Studio.  The class is 40 mins in length.  Pam is a certified Children’s Fitness Ambassador with MusigoKids as well as a certified Kids Yoga Instructor with The Yoga Sanctuary.  She is also certified in PreNatal, Hatha, Ashtanga, & Restorative Yoga.  She currently works as a Personal Training Specialist, Yoga, Pilates and AquaFit Instructor at LA Fitness.

Contact Urban Nirvana @ 647 242 7047 or email info@urban-nirvana.ca to sign u.

$10 / kid

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Thank you for your time!

Your voucher for a FREE CLASS will be ready for you at Urban Nirvana as of January 30th, 2012.
Class voucher redeemable at Urban Nirvana from January 30th – Feb 30th, 2012.

Please note that the free class is for first time clients only.

Click here to view the embedded video.