July 2007 – Issue 49

• Keeping Up With Heather:  Summer Schedule in Canada
• Article:   Musculoskeletal Health
• Recipe:  Polenta and Vegetable Grill  
• Thoughts On...Peace
• Updates: Yoga Teacher Training Canada and Australia, Yoga Classes Canberra

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Keeping up with Heather

Hello Friends,

Well I am firmly grounded in Canada and enjoying the summer immensely.  It's so great to be surrounded by family and friends, to have access to Toronto - a city that offers a multitude of experiences, and to have a chance to share Yoga with so many great Canadians.

Through the summer I am booking sessions for returning clients, and I am taking new clients as well.  I will be working a few days a week in Tottenham, a few days a week in Nobleton, and a few days a week in Toronto.  No, I just can't stop travelling!  If you are interested in private Yoga, Pilates, Personal Fitness or Thai Yoga Massage sessions, drop me a line or give me a call at 416.722.7154.

What's available this summer:

Single Sessions: Fees for any sessions (including massage) are $60/1 hour or $90/90 minutes

Jump Start Package: 3 sessions include fitness & lifestyle assessment, goal setting and program design session, and a one-on-one training session to learn your new fitness routine combining Yoga, Pilates and traditional fitness.  Work towards your goals in your time at your schedule!   Includes printed program design, training logs and nutritional consulting.  Cost $350 pp

Personal Fitness Package: 10 sessions includes fitness & lifestyle assessment, goal setting and program design session, and 8 one-on-one sessions.  This package will help you to build a habit of fitness and wellness in your life, and begin to reap the benefits of Yoga, Pilates and traditional fitness. Work on your schedule, for your body, and reach your goals.  Cost $550 for 1-3 people 

Customized Yoga Classes: Private yoga sessions in your home or office are available.  For a personalized Yoga program, or bring together family, friends or co-workers for a Yoga experience tailored to your unique goals and needs.   $15 pp

Upcoming Events:

Caroline Myss will be visiting Australia in August on a speaking tour.  Her lectures are offered through Chris Hooper Promotions, here is what they have to say about her upcoming tour:

Explore your mystical experience of the Divine and tap into your highest potential in this empowering new workshop by spiritual teacher and visionary author, Caroline Myss. During this guided journey into your soul you will learn how you can become a vessel of healing through prayer, silence, action, thought and deed.   

Based on her new book, Entering the Castle, Caroline will lead you into the many rooms of your "Inner Castle", which is the deep and eternal state of consciousness within your soul. Together you will explore the journey of illumination: how to build a soul with stamina, how to channel grace for healing (without ego or attachment), and what it means to be of service to this world as a person who has the soul of a mystic.

For more information visit www.chrishooper.com.au

Amma (the hugging saint) will be visiting Toronto this year at the end of July.  To hear her speak, take part in an amazing spiritual community, and receive her unique darshan (blessing) of a hug, visit www.amma.org 

Did You Know?

Did you know musculoskeletal ailments are now the #1 reason for physician visits in the U.S.?  Stats aren't out yet on Australia and Canada, but you can bet that the results aren't much different.  Acute injuries caused by car accidents, sports injuries, and falls account for some of these visits.  Many more are a result of chronic injuries caused by repetitive strain, poor posture and sedentary lifestyles.  In particular sitting at a computer for long hours and not getting enough exercise to reduce the strain on the body is causing a rapid rise in chronic musculoskeletal injuries that can impair your ability to enjoy an active and healthy lifestyle.

What is your musculoskeletal system?  This is the combination of two systems, the skeleton and the muscles, that serve to give your body  shape, support, and the ability to move about in the world - things that we take for granted every day.   Your skeleton is the framework of bones that provide shape to your body, support and protection for the physical structure of your body, and houses your brain and vital organs. Your muscles work alongside your skeleton to create movement to carry your body around in the world and are essential for not only moving from point A to point B, but also for feeding and caring for yourself, and actively engaging with the world as a whole.  When this vital system of muscles and bones isn't functioning well, nothing in the body functions properly, causing pain, tension, weakness, problems with breathing, digestion and elimination, and difficulties carrying out everyday activities necessary to leading an active and independent life.  Low back pain, arthritis, and neck tension are common issues of the musculoskeletal system, and can affect your ability to work, stay active, and enjoy a happy and healthy life.  

Maintaining healthy postural habits, daily exercise, healthy work habits, and regular attendance in mind-body programs like Yoga, Pilates, Feldenkrais or Alexander Technique are all helpful strategies to keeping these two vital systems aligned.  Learning about your musculoskeletal system is helpful in beginning to get to know your body, and knowing your body better helps you to take better care of it.  Mind-body programs help you to connect with your musculoskeletal system and learn how to better support these vital systems in the body, and your efforts will be rewarded with greater strength, flexibility, suppleness, gracefulness, stress reduction, and perhaps most importantly, a supple and healthy spine.  If your musculoskeletal system needs more help than you can give it,  see your health care provider for more information on how a massage therapist, osteopath, physiotherapist, chiropractor or occupational therapist might help to get you back on track to a healthy body.

To learn more about the musculoskeletal system and how it works, I highly recommend visiting Gunther Von Hagen's Body Worlds, an experience in anatomy.  You can see their upcoming events at: www.bodyworlds.com 

To remember what the musculoskeletal system is capable of, I highly recommend watching Cirque Du Soleil.  Their upcoming events, DVD's and photos are available at www.cirquedusoleil.com 

Recipes - Polenta and Vegetable Grill

Special thanks to Leeann for getting me started with this delicious (and super easy) dish.  Polenta is a cornmeal loaf that adds texture and depth to vegetable based meals.  A great meal idea for winter or summer, just top your polenta with stirfried, barbecued or roasted veggies and you've got a terrifically tasty and healthfully hearty meal.

Polenta

• 2.5 cups water
• 1 cup cornmeal
• 1 vegetable bouillon cube
• a splash of hot sauce (to taste)
• a dash of spice (Mrs Dash's combo is good, or just a few pinches of your favourite herbs)

1) Bring water, bouillon and seasonings to a boil.  2) Add corn meal and stir briskly to remove lumps.  3) As corn meal thickens, reduce the heat and continue stirring until quite thick, then let sit for  few minutes to completely thicken up.  4) Remove from heat and pour into a loaf pan and let cool.  5) Once polenta is cool and firm, pop it out of the loaf pan, slice into 1-2 inch thick slices and either roll in a little dry corn meal and pan fry with butter, or spritz with olive oil and grill until crispy on the outside.  Top with stir-fried, roasted or grilled vegetables and serve.

Vegetable Grill 

With an abundance of colour, nutrients, fibre, phytochemicals and antioxidents try these veggies on the grill or in the oven.  A great topping for your Polenta!  Substitute any veggies you wish, but try:

• 1 each red pepper (capsicum), yellow pepper, zucchini, eggplant, red onion 
• 2 carrots
• 2-3 tomatoes
• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• pinch sea salt
• freshly ground pepper
• 1-2 cloves crushed garlic
• dash of balsamic vinegar
• optional: fresh or dried herbs (rosemary, oregano, basil or thyme)

Cut veggies into large cubes, mix together all marinade ingredients and toss with veggies.

Grilled: Grill until tender but still slightly resistent to the teeth.  Keep in mind that eggplant and tomatoes cook much faster then peppers and carrots so time your grilling accordingly.

Oven Baked: In a 400 (200) degree oven place the veggies in a casserole dish and add 1/4 cup water.  Cook for 45-55 minutes or until tender.

Upcoming Events

 Yoga Classes Canberra

Trinity Grad Danielle Jolly will be offering a 10 week block of classes Tues and Thurs evenings from 17 July to 20 September 2007 at Hackett Community Centre 104 Maitland Street Hackett  For info call: Danielle 0412 696 789 jollyfrogyoga@gmail.com

YTT Canada

Balance Yoga Studio will be offering another 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training program from September 2007 to March 2008 in Tottenham, Ontario, Canada.  For more information call Shira 905.936.YOGA or visit www.balanceyogastudio.ca     

YTT Australia

Space is filling up quickly in our 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training and Personal Development Retreat from Nov 18-Dec 16 in the Blue Mountains of New South Wales, Australia.  Online journaling begins August.  Please view the details at www.yogatrinity.com/ytt and register your interest with heather@yogatrinity.com

Fitness Australia has recently awarded the Trinity Yoga Teacher Training program with recognition as an Accredited Program.  Now Fitness Instructors registered with Fitness Australia can earn 15 CEC's when they complete our program.  For more information visit www.yogatrinity.com/ytt 

Thoughts On...Peace 

Responsibility does not only lie with the leaders of our countries or with those who have been appointed or elected to do a particular job. It lies with each of us individually. Peace, for example, starts within each one of us. When we have inner peace, we can be at peace with those around us. When our community is in a state of peace, it can share that peace with neighboring communities, and so on. When we feel love and kindness towards others, it not only makes others feel loved and cared for, but it helps us also to develop inner happiness and peace. And there are ways in which we can consciously work to develop feelings of love and kindness. For some of us, the most effective way to do so is through religious practice. For others it may be non-religious practices. What is important is that we each make a sincere effort to take seriously our responsibility for each other and for the natural environment.

--The Dalai Lama

This "Daily Dharma" is from the Tricycle: The Buddhist Review.  For more inspirations, insights, newsletters and reviews visit www.tricycle.com