@ Tracy’s Yoga Studio

NEW  Fall Progressives, 5 week series

Level 1 – starting Sept 13th – Mondays (6:30-8:30pm)

Level 2 – starting Sept 13th – Mondays (10:00am-12:00 noon)

Level 2 – starting May 15th – Wednesdays (7:00-9:00pm)

Level 2 – starting May 16th – Thursdays (7:00-9:00pm)

“Sincere, keen students & teachers welcome”

for more info call: 209-3987 or email tracy@tracygroshak.com
Cost: $180.00
Note: space is very limited

Send in your requests to save a spot as space is limited. These are specialized classes like no other!

@ Flow Yoga Studio  (888 Burrard St. downtown)

Drop-In Public Classes that are on going!

Tuesday

2:30 pm – 3:45 pm

Thursday

2:30 pm – 3:45 pm

Friday

10:00am-11:30am

Sunday

10:00 – 11:30am  ”Yoga Church”

**Due to the nature of Flow Yoga being a multi-disciplinary studio and the fact that the classes are very short in time. Understand that i am only able to offer a tiny glimpse of what I teach and I am limited in sharing my every expanding background and studies in Vijnana yoga, anatomy, physio, biomechanics, movement therapy and breathe. So if you are wanting more insight, depth of study and practice, sign up for the “Progressive Series” above and or also consider doing a private assessment that is specifically designed for YOU!

@ Yoga for the People  (150 West Hastings in Gastown)

NEW Saturday Vijnana yoga practice classes

12:30-2:30pm

Dates: TBA for Sept.

By donation starting @ $15.00

“Practicing from the Inside-Out”

Note: These will become regular Saturday Classes in the fall.

@ Yoga for the People  (150 West Hastings in Gastown)

NEW Saturday Vijnana yoga practice classes

12:30-2:30pm

Dates: TBA (for Sept.)

By donation starting @ $15.00

“Practicing from the Inside-Out”

Note: These will become regular Saturday Classes in the fall.

Join Tracy and Lipe for 3 hours of Active Meditation, Yoga, Pranayama, Delicious Raw Cookies and Fresh Coconut Milk!

Beginners welcome!
Advance yogis too!

Reserve your glass of milk!
omhelpers@yahoo.com

Kits Studio Location

May 3rd, 2010
6-9pm

$40

On this day, we have the unique opportunity to learn the dynamic components of a full yoga practice which encompasses all the limbs of the 8 fold path of yoga. Please come and join us experience the expansion of life forces that govern us all. Through practices and insights on meditation techniques, pranayama, preliminary postures, asana practice and the most amazing gourmet raw food prepared by the one and only, Doc Raw with over 35 years of living raw vegan experience and more! And lets not forget, some very interesting and in depth philosophy discussions around the practice of Ayurveda from my dear friend Lipe Viana, who has been studying Ayurveda for the past 10 years. Its going to be one amazing day, so don’t miss it!

WHEN: Saturday, April 10th

TIME: 9am – 5pm

LOCATION: The studio space: 343-1B Railway (@ Gore St.) Vancouver

COST: $150.00 (NOTE: if using pay pal below, it is $155.00)

DETAILS OF THE DAY

9am – 12:30pm: preliminary poses, meditation techniques, pranayama practice, asana flow

12:30pm – 2:30pm: gourmet raw vegan lunch w/ discussion on Ayurveda

3:00pm – 5:00pm: yoga alignment and asana workshop

——————————————————————–

HOW TO REGISTER:

1. send in a cheque made payable to Tracy Groshak (send to: 1381 Maple St. Vanc. V6J 3S1) or drop off at class.

OR

2. use the button below and pay via credit card. (3% service fee added to the total using this method)

One of the great Sufi Masters, Junnaid, was asked when he was dying… his chief disciple came close to him and asked, “Master, you are leaving us. One question has always been in our minds but we could never gather courage enough to ask you. Who was your Master? This has been a great curiosity among your disciples because we have never heard you talk about your Master.”
Junnaid opened his eyes and said, “It will be very difficult for me to answer because I have learned from almost everybody. The whole existence has been my Master. I have learned from every event that has happened in my life. And I am grateful to all that has happened, because out of all that learning I have arrived.”
Junnaid said, “Just to satisfy your curiosity I will give you three instances. One: I was very thirsty and I was going towards the river carrying my begging bowl, the only possession I had. When I reached the river a dog rushed, jumped into the river, started drinking.
“I watched for a moment and threw away my begging bowl–because it is useless. A dog can do without it. I also jumped into the river, drank as much water as I wanted. My whole body was cool because I had jumped into the river. I sat in the river for a few moments, thanked the dog, touched his feet with deep reverence because he had taught me a lesson.
“I had dropped everything, all possessions, but there was a certain clinging to my begging bowl. It was a beautiful bowl, very beautifully carved, and I was always aware that somebody might steal it. Even in the night I used to put it under my head as a pillow so nobody could snatch it away. That was my last clinging–the dog helped. It was so clear: if a dog can manage without a begging bowl… I am a man, why can’t I manage? That dog was one of my Masters.
“Secondly,” he said, “I lost my way in a forest and by the time I reached the nearest village that I could find, it was midnight. Everybody was fast asleep. I wandered all over the town to see if I could find somebody awake to give me shelter for the night, until finally I found one man. I asked him, ‘It seems only two persons are awake in the town, you and I. Can you give me shelter for the night?’
“The man said, ‘I can see from your gown that you are a Sufi monk….and I feel a little embarrassed to take you to my home. I am perfectly willing, but I must tell you who I am. I am a thief–would you like to be a guest of a thief?”
For a moment Junnaid hesitated. The thief said, “Look, it is better I told you. You seem hesitant. The thief is willing but the mystic seems to be hesitant to enter into the house of a thief, as if the mystic is weaker than the thief. In fact, I should be afraid of you–you may change me, you may transform my whole life! Inviting you means danger, but I am not afraid. You are welcome. Come to my home. Eat, drink, go to sleep, and stay as long as you want, because I live alone and my earning is enough. I can manage for two persons. And it will be really beautiful to chit-chat with you of great things. But you seem to be hesitant.”
And Junnaid became aware that it was true. He asked to be forgiven. He touched the feet of the thief and he said, “Yes, my rootedness in my own being is yet very weak. You are really a strong man and I would like to come to your home. And I would like to stay a little longer, not only for this night. I want to be stronger myself!”
The thief said, “Come on!” He fed the Sufi, gave him something to drink, helped him to prepare for sleep and he said, “Now I will go. I have to do my own thing. I will come back early in the morning.” Early in the morning the thief came back. Junnaid asked, “Have you been successful?”
The thief said, “No, not today, but I will see tomorrow.”
And this happened continuously, for thirty days: every night the thief went out, and every morning he came back empty-handed. But he was never sad, never frustrated–no sign of failure on his face, always happy –and he would say, “It doesn’t matter. I tried my best. I could not find anything today again, but tomorrow I will try. And, God willing, it can happen tomorrow if it has not happened today.”
After one month Junnaid left, and for years he tried to realize the ultimate, and it was always a failure. But each time he decided to drop the whole project he remembered the thief, his smiling face and his saying “God willing, what has not happened today may happen tomorrow.”
Junnaid said, “I remembered the thief as one of my greatest Masters. Without him I would not be what I am.
“And third,” he said, “I entered into a small village. A little boy was carrying a lit candle, obviously going to the small temple of the town to put the candle there for the night.”
And Junnaid asked, “Can you tell me from where the light comes? You have lighted the candle yourself so you must have seen. What is the source of light?”
The boy laughed and he said, “Wait!” And he blew out the candle in front of Junnaid. And he said, “You have seen the light go. Can you tell me where it has gone? If you can tell me where it has gone I will tell you from where it has come, because it has gone to the same place. It has returned to the source.”
And Junnaid said, “I had met great philosophers but nobody had made such a beautiful statement: ‘It has gone to its very source.’ Everything returns to its source finally. Moreover, the child made me aware of my own ignorance. I was trying to joke with the child, but the joke was on me. He showed me that asking foolish questions–’From where has the light come?’–is not intelligent. It comes from nowhere, from nothingness–and it goes back to nowhere, to nothingness.”
Junnaid said, “I touched the feet of the child. The child was puzzled. He said, ‘Why you are touching my feet?’ And I told him, ‘You are my Master–you have shown me something. You have given me a great lesson, a great insight.’
“Since that time,” Junnaid said, “I have been meditating on nothingness and slowly, slowly I have entered into nothingness. And now the final moment has come when the candle will go out, the light will go out. And I know where I am going–to the same source.
“I remember that child with gratefulness. I can still see him standing before me, blowing out the candle.”

Yoga . Meditation . Ayurveda . Therapy . Reiki . Tarot

How to understand the valuable mysteries of the Universe
if you cannot even comprehend your own self?

OM Helpers in Action! Visit and comment: www.omhelpers.blogspot.com <http://www.omhelpers.blogspot.com/>

A beautiful way to bring in the new season of change.

A must experience for yoga and meditation teachers.

DATE: March 13, 20 & 27

TIME:  9am – 12noon

LOCATION: kitsilano area,  please email for exact address to:  omhelpers.blogspot.com

COST:  $120.00

INFO:  For more details please contact: Lipe @ vianalipe@yahoo.com

]]> http://tracygroshak.com/schedule/workshops/the-3-pillars-to/feed/ 0 http://tracygroshak.com/schedule/workshops/the-program/ http://tracygroshak.com/schedule/workshops/the-program/#comments Fri, 05 Feb 2010 17:30:56 +0000 admin http://tracygroshak.com/?p=184

On this day, we have the unique opportunity to learn the dynamic components of a full yoga practice which encompasses all the limbs of the 8 fold path of yoga. Please come and join us experience the expansion of life forces that govern us all.  Through practices and insights on meditation techniques, pranayama, preliminary postures, asana practice and the most amazing gourmet raw food prepared by the one and only, Doc Raw with over 35 years of living raw vegan experience and more! And lets not forget, some very interesting and in depth philosophy discussions around Bhakti Yoga from my dear friend Lipe Viana, who has been studying Bhakti yoga for the past 10 years. Its going to be one amazing day, so don’t miss it!

WHEN: Saturday, February 27th

TIME: 9am – 5pm

LOCATION: The studio space: 343-1B Railway (@ Gore St.) Vancouver

COST: $150.00 (NOTE: if using pay pal below, it is $155.00)

special notes: for parking and driving to the location go to: http://travelsmart2010.ca/

DETAILS OF THE DAY

9am – 12:30pm: preliminary poses, meditation techniques, pranayama practice, asana flo

12:30pm – 2:30pm: gourmet raw vegan lunch w/ philosophy discussion on Bhakti yoga

3:00pm – 5:00pm: yoga alignment and asana workshop

——————————————————————–

HOW TO REGISTER:

1. send in a cheque made payable to Tracy Groshak (send to: 1381 Maple St. Vanc. V6J 3S1)

OR

2. use the button below and pay via credit card. (3% service fee added to the total using this method)

Philosophy

Biomechanics utilizing The Muscle Balance and Function
Development® (MBF®)System is designed to serve as a comprehensive complement to the practitioner’s existing approach to healthcare. It requires professionals to look beyond the symptoms and seek the cause of any physical disorder, and challenges them to
provide long-term solutions. Patients discover that they are primarily responsible for their own well being, and are provided the means to restore their bodies to a higher level of function and health.

Approach

The human body responds, develops, and is maintained according to basic biomechanical principles. However, due to the lack of purposeful physical activity, today’s lifestyles promote postural weaknesses that can cause the premature breakdown of our musculoskeletal systems, making them susceptible to injury, reducing performance and prolonging recovery. The MBF® System is a unique method of restoring function to the human body. It is a principle based system that is grounded in the fundamentals of physics and biomechanics.

The program’s evaluation process reveals the muscular imbalances that cause postural misalignment, compensated motion, reduced performance, and injury. Postural realignment is then accomplished by applying a progression of sequential exercises that have been systematically oriented toward each client’s unique needs. These exercises target the intrinsic postural muscle groups and retrain the neuromuscular system, reminding each muscle of the function it was designed to perform. The exercises require minimal equipment and can be performed almost anywhere.

PhilosophyBiomechanics utilizing The Muscle Balance and Function
Development® (MBF®)System is designed to serve as a comprehensive complement to the practitioner’s existing approach to healthcare. It requires professionals to look beyond the symptoms and seek the cause of any physical disorder, and challenges them to
provide long-term solutions. Patients discover that they are primarily responsible for their own well being, and are provided the means to restore their bodies to a higher level of function and health.ApproachThe human body responds, develops, and is maintained according to basic biomechanical principles. However, due to the lack of purposeful physical activity, today’s lifestyles promote postural weaknesses that can cause the premature breakdown of our musculoskeletal systems, making them susceptible to injury, reducing performance and prolonging recovery. The MBF® System is a unique method of restoring function to the human body. It is a principle based system that is grounded in the fundamentals of physics and biomechanics.The program’s evaluation process reveals the muscular imbalances that cause postural misalignment, compensated motion, reduced performance, and injury. Postural realignment is then accomplished by applying a progression of sequential exercises that have been systematically oriented toward each client’s unique needs. These exercises target the intrinsic postural muscle groups and retrain the neuromuscular system, reminding each muscle of the function it was designed to perform. The exercises require minimal equipment and can be performed almost anywhere.

*Pricing: These are individual sessions with fees starting at: $140.00 for your first visit. Follow-up  visits will be $100.00 each.

*Cancellation Policy: 24 hrs notice required for any apts that need to be cancelled without being charged. Otherwise full payment required for missed apts.

Now that i got your attention, please read below for some great general alignment Q’s to use all the time, on or off the mat.

(to be honest couldn’t find the right photo for this article, so this one will have to do for now, ha-ha!).

In a perfect world, all our activities would be such that it would produce perfect alignment, balance & harmony in the mind, body and soul.  Since this is not the case in short, it us up to each and every one of us to consider “what we are doing”, “how we are doing it” and “where is it taking us?” In addition, it is also necessary to consider “how we got where we are today in the first place.” At some point in time, it is a good idea to ask our selves these questions with sincerity and honesty. Please remember and keep in mind, that this is not something that needs to be answered right away and or may ever completely understood, however, it is the waking of the curious “self” we are trying to probe here. So what better way to begin the process of self-exploration and understanding then through our physical structures that we all can identify with.

So to begin a more simplified understanding of how to create optimal alignment we must look at a few important points;

1) Lining up with the gravitational line OR Central Axis in the body and

2) Joint congruency.

“Lining up with the gravitational line,” means aligning the long axis of bones with the lines of gravitational pull. This way the bones provide maximum support and the muscles don’t have to work so hard. We get a sense of ease and floating.

”Joint congruency” means the joint is seated such that the pressure from movement is evenly distributed over the joined surfaces. This gives us the largest range of motion and keeps the joint from wearing unevenly, often causing arthritis and other degenerative joint problems.

Here are seven simple alignment principles or key points that are typically found in all postures on and off the matt. They are applied differently for different people, but we can all use them as guidelines to start the process. You will need to experience them physically to some degree in order to understand them.

We’ll begin in a neutral standing position to explore the principles. Each one builds on the previous, so keep them all-active to understand their relationship and to create the full synergistic affect.

The first principle is “Feet Active and Balanced or Rooted.” Typically our feet are weak and malformed from being confined to shoes.  Also, most people tend to turn the toes out and roll their weight to the outer edge of the foot.  This is due to tight external rotators and weak inner thighs. To balance and activate the feet, stand with the outer edges of your feet parallel to the long edges of your mat.  Your heels will be slightly wider than your big toes.  Lift and spread all ten toes, widen the foot bones apart.  Press down with the base of the big toe, base of the pinky toes and inner and outer edges of the heels. These are the four corners of the feet.  Now imagine your legs are big drinking straws and draw energy up from the earth through the soles of your feet as you press down through the four corners.  This is how engaged you want your feet to be in all poses, whether they are in the air or on the earth. Strong feet and ankles ground us and protect our knees.

The second principle is “Micro-bend the knees.” One tendency is to press the knees back into hyper extension.  This over-stretches the ligaments behind the knees, and from there starts a whole slew of problems with the bones above and below the knee joints. To balance away from this tendency, bend the knees very slightly so the weight is felt more evenly on the balanced feet. Embrace the knees by hugging in with muscle.  Now hug the shins in to the mid line. Explore the feeling of sturdiness in the feet and lower legs.

The third principle is “Thigh Bones back and Apart.” Joint congruency in the hips is very important. Our tendency is to draw the top of our thighbones forward.  This has a lot to do with tight external rotators along with a number of other issues.  When we move the top of the thighbones back and apart, we seat the femur heads deeply into the hip sockets and widen the back of the pelvis creating space in the low back.  To experience this, find the first two principles: feet active and balanced and micro-bend the knees.  From there, lean forward slightly and stick your butt out behind you.  The groins soften into the body.  Firm the thigh muscles to keep the top of the thighbones back.  Now to move the thighbones apart, imagine your heels are glued to the mat, and try to pull them away from each other.  Feel that spiral of energy travel up the legs, widening the sits bones and upper thighbones.

The forth principle is: “Lengthen the tailbone.” The tailbone is the tiny tip of the sacrum, the triangular bone at the base of the spine. When we tuck forward, we tone and lift the low abdomen, which awakens our core and protects our low back.  To experience this, apply the first three principles making sure your thigh muscles are consistently firm and the outward resistance of the heels is moving the thighbones apart. Now without letting the hips move forward at all, tuck the tailbone down between the wide sits bones.  This will begin the lift or pull up of the low belly and take the shoulders right over the hips.  Again, engage the thigh muscles to move the thighbones back, and then tuck the tailbone. You should begin to feel the integration of the hips and legs to the torso.

Our fifth principle is “Low ribs in or Keep the front ribs quiet & Side ribs long.” Many of us have the tendency to jut the low ribs forward causing an over contraction of the mid back and compression in the low back. When we use upper abdominals to take the low ribs in, we can begin to lengthen the side ribs away from the hips, which extend the spine and will keep energy moving up towards the heart.  If the mid back tends toward rounding, skip the ‘low ribs in’ part and focus on ‘side ribs long’. Stand with feet active and balanced, micro-bend the knees, move the thighbones back and apart and tuck the tailbone. Now lift the arms overhead.  Notice, how there’s a good chance the low front ribs tend to jut out?  Draw them into the body and instead stretch up with the side ribs getting as long as you can in the side body. Another option would be to bring the arms out in front of you as opposed to taking them above your head to start off with.  Lengthen the tailbone to anchor the hips then inhale to stretch the side ribs away from the rooting hips, legs and feet. Try to find this action of the side ribs stretching away from grounded hips with each inhale no matter what pose you are in.

Our sixth principle is called “Shoulder blades on the upper back.” This moves the head of the arm bones back and the heart up to support an optimally aligned shoulder girdle.  Our tendency is to allow the shoulder blades to “wing” off the upper back, which will also produce rounding or slumped shoulders. This pulls the tendons out of groove creating pressure on nerves and arteries traveling through the shoulder girdle.  It also weakens the rotator cuff and inviting injury.  When we move with the shoulder blades on the upper back, we move in optimal alignment, protecting the joint and creating a stronger foundation. This is a lot easier said then done!  To feel this, first find the five previous principles.  Keep the low ribs tucked in and breath into your chest in all directions, remembering that the ribcage is like an open umbrella.  Now, gently move the shoulders back and down. This will give you an idea of where the blades should technically sit, however it is a bit more involved then just this action. However its a great start in at least feeling where they should sit. Understand we all have some slight to moderate misalignment in our shoulders and blades and each one of us will more then likely need a slightly different remedy. This may be difficult at first, but eventually, it will feel good once there is a more balanced relationship between the front upper chest muscles and the upper blade muscles in general.

Our final principle is called “Skull Traction or Teeter-totter balance of the head.” This is the sensation of stretching the sides of the skull away from the base of the neck & resting the head on its axis with effortless ease. Sometimes we lift the chin without lengthening the neck first. This causes compression.  Other times we look down too much, over stretching the back of the neck and compressing down on the throat.  We also tend to carry the head forward stressing the muscles on top of the shoulders.  Skull traction brings the head and neck into optimal alignment.  To feel this, stand with feet alive and balanced, knees slightly bent, thighs firm, thighbones back and apart, anchor the tailbone.  Draw the low ribs in then move the shoulders back and breath. Press down through the feet and stretch the sides of the skull up.  Draw the top of the throat back then pull it up.  Can you feel yourself getting longer?  Again, these movements may feel forced or allusive at first but be patient and persistent.  Your internal strength and awareness will wake up in layers from the outside to the inside.

Understanding and applying the seven optimal alignment principles in our yoga postures and our daily lives can start the healing process of many ailments that plague us in life today. From low back pain, chronic fatigue, joint degeneration and many more common ailments. Moving in optimal alignment reduces compensatory actions that can drain our energy.

The key points mentioned above are a great general guide and map to alignment.

However, if many of you are truly curious and seeking personal insight to understanding your own unique crookedness, I highly recommend that you check out my “Biomechanics” page OR attend one of my very insightful and informative progressive series offered several times throughout the year.

These classes are postponed til further notice.

Thank you to those yogis that came out to share with us throughout the past few months.

This is an amazing opportunity to grow the many limbs of your yoga practice and delve deeper into the study of yoga philosophy.

This is by donation and is open to everyone that is interested.

Questions or need more info, please go to:  http://www.omhelpers.blogspot.com/