Today, I find myself spending more home time; the desired effect of my earlier decisions. I build and take care of gardens, designing and re-creating spaces for a select few clients, and I have a yoga class in a small room on my property. It is a class for one.

Lacking a larger studio space, I longed to keep my asana together – hahaa – and so created a small room to teach my one steady, never leaving client, come friend, and a couple of others that come along as well on occasion. L, we’ll call her, was my first regular client, and supported me through my days in my studio, and some dark times surrounding my business, attending class unfailingly each Tuesday evening since I began teaching. She is my Angel of Asana, and balm to my soul, and rather dear to me.

At times, I go through a period of frustration not having the space I wish for, however, I continue my practice, a varying practice that allows for all the things I must do in a day, and for the continued sense of peace yoga brings to me. My larger space awaits me, how it will come together I do not know, however, I did not know how my little acreage would come together, and it did, or my home, that I am writing from. So, trust, and practice, and all will be well, and together in it’s perfect timing.

In the meanwhile, yoga, and magic, have peeled through many layers of myself, shifting what needs shifting and altering and tweaking my body, mind and spirit, and all the while, I continue to teach, even a little with my Yoga class for 1!

Always moving…yogini on the go

The gift of yoga is a peaceful and mindful stretch out and tone, strengthen and lighten to the mind, body and spirit. Yes, it all gets stretched, even the most minute movement will facilitate a change throughout the system. As we move on through life, the ease of change and the facility for movement can slow down, tighten, and become rigid creating challenges for us in ways we often cannot even see. Yoga is our opportunity to let go of the day, the outer world, and completely pull within ourselves to cultivate balance and the furthering of an unshakable peace, a peace that is unrelated to what takes place in the daily grind. It is a gift truly worth giving yourself!

Fall, more than any other season has a structure to it. When I sold books, the minute the clock turned from summer- book sales would skyrocket! All were getting down to the business of going in, whether to do internal work, or just simply to fold into fall. The beauty of the season creates a place in us where we want to bring in some discipline, some slight change, some new thing that we can cultivate throughout the fall/winter and re-emerge with in the spring. Yoga is a peaceful addition to ones’ daily life, needing nothing but a little daily devotion and a small time set aside just for you.

Yoga has a way of lifting the spirits, and balancing the poles of our existence. We do not need to go looking for it, the simple practice of a few asanas (poses) per day will facilitate the shift without any further attendance, reading, talking or anything, just simply practice, and let go, all else will fall in naturally!

Fortunately, for todays busy people, there are many classes, videos, books and such to bring yoga to one’s life, living room, or daily schedule. Finding a once per week class is great for some professional lead into your poses and a daily follow up with a video at home is always a nice way to keep it up!

happy Yoga!

yoga for gardening ; learn a series of asanas (poses) that will take you through your garden day, whether hobbyist, professional or both ~ these poses will stretch out the back, open hamstrings while learning other poses to strengthen and make your gardening day a pleasure rather than a pain

respond to: thegardenmuse@hotmail.com if interested  ~ date  tba,

Qualified Yoga Instruction – RYT Hatha Yoga w/ Ashtanga base

Yogini on the Go is available for private instruction, groups classes and Spiritually Restorative Retreats…

e-mail interest to: thegardenmuse@hotmail.com

The difficulty in much of the teaching of spirit, (or yoga in this case) is that it is based on the acts, the performance, the things that others can see and we can talk about, when in fact, these pursuits of the ego, have precious little to do with yoga and spiritual development. As a result, many do not know that there are other options to practice that will still serve to create a higher and clearer sense of self and the world. The asanas (postures) are designed to filter, cleanse and loosen ones’ body to ease the process of spiritual development in meditation and connection to spirit / God/ Universe/ Buddha. This is what Kabbalistically is known as moving through the four worlds – physical/material; mental; emotional; and spiritual while we ascend.

 Now, realizing this introduction is moving far more than many will wish to, or feel inclined to, we can simplify nonetheless, our yoga practice in whichever way it manifests. It is my belief that students of yoga asana might be given the sliver of information that is more than physicality. Whether they wish to travel forward into that part of the path is not important, it is just important that they know so as not to proceed in complete ignorance of the beauty of Yoga in its fullness. Ultimately, in physical practice, we wish to gain the spirit of objectivity with ourselves, to move through difficult places in our body with gentle, peaceful thought, to move into ourselves with breath and peace and allow for our body to open up and cleanse itself while we remain loving, patient and kind to ourselves in the process.

This attitude on the mat, can serve us well when we are out in our daily rounds. We hope to learn through ourselves on the mat; compassion, love, patience and gentle grace that we can then lend to our fellows while we are out in the world. Of course, the asana aspect of yoga is wonderful, I would not practice and teach otherwise. It is easier to carry oneself well in the world if they feel clean and clear of physical limitation, however, when we begin with those, it is comforting to know that there are other ways to keep the feeling of freedom alive for themselves. To sit at the mat, cushioned and blanketed, drawing in fresh air and vitality and exhaling that which does not serve until one is relaxed, soft and gentle, is a yoga practice that brings oxygen to the body, increases well-being and peace of mind, and creates a feeling of ‘looseness’ in the body, mind and spirit. Similarly, to lie on the floor in savasana practice for half an hour at the end of ones day, is a yoga practice. To pray fervently for peace is a yoga practice. To be, to love, to feel, is a yoga practice. The point is, we do not get into a practice to create new ways to debilitate ourselves by self-abuse and judgement, so we find ways to do what we can, a little each day, and feel at peace with ourselves and our community. To know within ourselves that we are doing what we can in a day and that to be a good person on the planet is enough, to do 15 minutes of breath work is enough, and to do an hour and a half of strong, physical asana is enough also; that none are compared, better; worse, more pure, more knowing. That one yogi/ini is not better than the other, as all these things are missing the point. We come when we come, with what we have, at our level of experience, for the reasons and inspirations that came to us, from spirit, and that to compare, concern, worry and so on, is to miss the point of yoga. Simply be compassion, be love, be truth, and be who you are each day; practice is what way is best for you in this moment, do a little each day to keep yourself feeling well and in touch, and do it for you and you will come to know yoga in a new and freeing way!

Blessings on the path!

yogini on the go

* for classes, retreats, private sessions, please contact Tara @ taraleechristensen@hotmail.com or call 250.927.0589

Last evening, my regular and die-hard yoginis’ braved their nature and said yes to practicing yoga outside!

Living in one of the most scenic and beautiful places on our fabulous planet, it is a shame to waste a summer inside. My hearts passion live in the outdoors and practicing outside is a wonderful and spiritual way to connect with the natural forces of the universe in which we manifest our realities. Hence the encouragement to bring people outside for practice!

Tuesdays class was held at Rathtrevor Provincial Park, right next to the water. Surrounded by the beauty of the mountain range of the mainland, the bubbling cauldron of activity of the ocean and the lovely driftwood on the sand, we moved through a beautiful flow practice with a deep restorative wind-down and were completely engulfed by the the beauty, sound and peace that the beach had to offer.

The lovely and tranquil space created by nature and the support of the class and teaching, allowed one of my lovely yoginis to move through her fear of ‘being seen’ publically practicing yoga! What a fabulous transformation. In this we learned that most people are not really interested – they have their own agenda outdoors; that going within and enjoying whatever you are doing in the moment makes no space for fear of others and their possible opinions, and that flow, grace and movement can take one so far out of their self-conscious that healing can actually being at a deeper level.

The ladies were profoundly altered by the sea air, the gentle pulse of the natural world (OHM), and the peaceful sanctuary that is provided when connect from within our highest self to the outer atmosphere. We giggled while falling over in the sand; flowed with the tides in a variety of Sun Salutations, stood strong in the Gracious Hero series, felt our security in child pose, and rested deeply in Savasana.

As a teacher and an avid outdoor yoga practitioner (even in the dead of winter, I will practice outside with a fire lit – bundled up and feeling good) , it was a joy for me to share the wonder of  nature with my fellow yoginis!

Yoga, anywhere, anytime, anyhow, will bring a deeper sense of well-being, love and peace, health, vitality and vibrancy to your personal life both on and off the mat. Connecting with nature while practicing will catapult ones’ personal and spiritual development like nothing before. It is for that I encourage the practice of outdoor yoga at least once on your journey and see if you can resist a second time!

Tara looks forward to sharing the outdoors and yoga with others. Next Rathtrevor class will be Tuesday, August 3rd, 2010. Meet at the far parking lot at 6:45 precisely, walk to a destination and immerse yourself in the flow of nature and your asana practice.

Outdoor class at Rathtrevor is $10 drop in – leaving room for your $2 parking fee. Please remember to pay for 2 hours of park use – class will be 1 hour and 20 minutes -ish – freeing you by 8:30!

Check the Yoga Class page for other outdoor venues. Booking now for Fall Retreat on the coast. Please e-mail or call for details.

Blessings on your path. May your feet be firm upon the Earth!

Om Shanti!

Definately, that is on my list for spring every year! Sun comes out; seeds get purchased and gardens get ready to be sown! All these things as well as the work demands and those of the family can get to a place where the ‘me’ time is quite interrupted if not squashed altogether…

This is where Yoga comes in for me…without the wonderful discipline of a practice, a view and a philosophy that I can live with…I would indeed be on the ‘most stressed’ list! My life has many diverse and wonderful appointments with many different circumstances and arrangements, duties and details and people on the dependancy list and despite the business of what goes on around and in me – and this is without the outer circumstances, sometimes merging; sometimes downright conflicting – that all things could easily become a huge problem without the practice of SLOW!

Although an often difficult concept – as those who know me can attest!- SLOW is what gets me through. Applying breath, balance and a a calm and comfortable pace in my practice, allows me to have something solid to take into my day and well into the evening. YOGA gives me the benefit of realxing, strengthening and stretching my body inside and out, as well as the emotional balance – which is sometimes a chore – to move through even the most frustrating experiences with a relative balance and ability to see a positive and authentic solution that is best for me, for now…

Slowing down enough to be present in my practice; at peace with where I am in it each day; and in the blissful state of ‘me-ness’ that comes with it  ~ gives me the opportunity to float through the day in a much clearer state of awareness and alertness with a greater capacity for human compassion ~ all things necessary. In this way, I feel that I can contribute on a more level nature to myself, my community and the planet on the whole. Priceless.

So, with that, I invite you all to experience YOGA at THE ZEN DEN and allow the experience to wrap around you and envelope you in a healthy, balanced and gentle self -development that brings balance and good health to your mind, body and spirit.

***PLEASE NOTE THAT AROMATHERPIST ALEXIS HENIG WILL BE JOINING THE ZEN DEN ON SUNDAYS, BEGINNING MARCH 7TH, 2010!

ALEXIS WILL HAVE A REGULAR SUNDAY PRACTICE AT THE ZEN DEN -  ADDITIONALLY, SHE WILL HOST A THREE-PART WORKSHOP ON AROMATHERPAY IN APRIL! for more information, please e-mail Tara directly @ tarayogashanti@gmail.com

***PLEASE SEE ‘YOGA CLASSES’ FOR CLASS TIMES AND FEES; NOTE THAT WEDNESDAY CLASS IS ON HOLD UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE….

MUCH MORE INFORMATION TO COME – SEE CLASSES AND WORKSHOPS FOR MORE INFORMATION

See blog below for more of what is available at The Zen Den!

Blessings,

Om Shanti

Please visit the Zen Den page to click on our invitations to films showing in The Zen Den…our first to air on February 10th by R.S.V.P. is The 13 Grandmothers’ – wise women from across Mother Earth gather in their movement to present an inspring and hopeful film that we wish to share in hopes that all will be as inspired as we were by these wonderful and courageous Grandmothers’

* More information contained in the file – to navigate; click the Zen Den Page and then click on Grandmother_file to read the invitation and discover the particulars of time and space for this film debut in Coombs!

Peace! Om Shanti!

Film showing went beautifully! Thank you to all who attended!! If you or anyone else is interested in a subsequent viewing, please e-mail your inquiry to Tara @ tarayogashanti@gmail.com

Infa-Red Sauna Packages; Yoga Classes; Reiki Treatments!

All you need to begin to feel better now!

 The Zen Den offers a variety of peaceful and restorative ways to bring you

further into your tranquility…

Sauna treatments: $20 for 1/2 hour session; $80 for 5 session card

Reiki Treatments: $60 1 hour – 1 hour

Tara Christensen -Zen Den Owner- Reiki Master Teacher and Registered Yoga Teacher

and Ashlee Sales – Good Earth Yoga – Registered Yoga Teacher

invite you to come out to class, enjoy yourself in a serene atmosphere and allow yoga

to bring itself to you!

See our ‘yoga classes’ page for times and rates!

Om Shanti!

We look forward to sharing space with you!

Yoga related product available – mats, neti pots, cushions, music and publications!

More metaphysical product available in The New Moon right out front of The Zen Den!