The first time I tried this class at Spynga, I was scared about holding the poses for three to five minutes.  Would my body be able to handle it?  What would I think about?  I had no idea I would come out of there feeling totally chilled out for the first time in a long time.  I’d never sat with a stretch for so long, and it’s amazing what comes up in the brain in terms of memories, images, emotions…I am a very brain-oriented person – one of the reasons I try to do yoga is to get a little more into my body.  But yin yoga brings it all home – body, mind, they are all the same guy.  They are you!  So get in there, stretch it out, face your fears, and leave feeling like a billion bucks! JT

I know for me, when my legs are flying, my heart is pumping, the Madonna’s blaring, Casey’s cheering me on, and I think I’m not thinking at all…blammo. Idea town! Whether it’s a creative solution to an issue of family dynamics, clarity around a niggling decision I need to make, or an artistic breakthrough, the missing piece of the puzzle so often strikes like lightening in the middle of my ride. So what’s happening there?

My theory is that I’m so engaged with my body that the parts of my brain I usually put fences around are able to run free. What do you guys think?

There are many natural ways to boost your immunity this winter (without taking the flu shot - which is controversial, not totally researched, and has side effects)
Dr. Larry’s MAIN TIPS to stay healthy and strong this winter:

1. Eat your anti viral foods - Garlic, Onions, and chilli peppers are great cupboard basics to kill any nasty bugs; (garlic and onions also have the added benefit of lowering blood sugar and stimulating digestion)

2. Use SEA SALT - it can take up 72 hours for a virus to proliferate; the main areas of growth are the nasal cavity and mouth. RINSE your mouth with sea salt and water every day to prevent proliferation; you can also use a neti pot (what the ancient yogis did). to rinse the nasal passages with sea salt.  If your not up for that….just dip a q tip in sea salt and water and clean the nasal area

3. EAT your vitamin C - start each day with juice of half a lemon in warm water - eat at least 3 servings of fruit and veggies/day - kale, spinach, brocolli, kiwis, grapefruits and apples!; if you feel something coming on; supplement your diet with at least 1000 mg of vitamin C (emergen C packets are great!)

4. OIL OF OREGANO - tastes yucky, but works wonders!!! - 1 - 2 drops a day during cold/flu season will ward off any buggers!

5. DRINK GREEN TEA - green tea boosts the immune system( it is also antioxidant, boosts metabolism and has l theanine - calming to the nervous system; energizing and calming!! what could be better?)

6. sweeten you green tea with UNPASTEURIZED BEE POLLEN HONEY - antiviral, sweet and energizing!

7. DECREASE STRESS - stress increases cortisol which depletes the immune system - SPYN, YOGA, MEDITATION and BREATHWORK will keep your nervous system in check

8. Decrease toxic and cortisol producing foods which wreak havoc on the immune system -  SUGAR, coffee, processed foods, chemical sweetners,

9. Take an immune boosting herbal combination supplement - Deep immune by st francis is the best recommendation!

10. Take Vitamin D - at least 1000 IU/day - we dont get enough sunlight in TO in the winter - we need all the help we can get; take at least 1 tsp of fish oil or flax oil/day - this helps the brain and the immune system (cod liver oil is one of the oldest tricks in the book for immune boosting and flu prevention)

for any questions - please email me! drjodi@spynga.com

HAVE A HEALTHY WINTER SEASON!

Halloween Party Mix

DIRECTIONS
1. Toss pumpkin seeds in small bowl with oil until coated. Spread seeds in skillet, and heat over medium-high heat. Cook 3 minutes, shaking skillet constantly, or until most of pumpkin seeds swell and pop. Transfer to bowl.
2. Add pine nuts to skillet, and cook 30 seconds, shaking skillet constantly, or until golden flecks appear. Transfer to bowl with pumpkin seeds. Stir in dried cranberries, cocoa nibs, cayenne pepper, and salt, and mix thoroughly. Season with more salt, if desired.
ingredient list
Serves 6
•    ¹⁄8 tsp. olive oil
•     ½ cup raw pumpkin seeds
•    ¼ cup pine nuts
•    ¼ cup dried cranberries
•    ¼ cup cocoa nibs
•    ¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
•    ¼ tsp. salt
Nutritional Information
Calories: 161 per serving
Total Fat: 13g
Protein: 5 g
Carbohydrates: 9 g

What does art have to do with Spynga? Everything.  Art is imaginative, an expression, a release, Like yoga and cycling, art evokes emotion and levels of energy that create a vibration collectively with breath and movement. We believe that individuals are continuously painting in their lives with every motion and every reflection.

“Life is a great big canvas, and you should throw all the paint you can on it.” ~ Danny Kaye

Check out our beloved in-house veteran artist, Patrick Kerney this weekend, Saturday October. 3rd 7-10 pm  on your Nuit Blanche trek at 52 McCaul Street, Toronto  www.patrickkerney.ca

Do you ever notice that when you are feeling sincerely grateful there is this softness to your current space and time.   When we take the time to stop and notice and are grateful for what is in front of our eyes, we instantly step out of our bubbles and connect with a higher means.  When we are grateful, we shift out of our own hurts and acknowledge what the universe has provided.  If only momentarily.  What would happen if this genuine feeling of gratitude was to expand where we experience thankfulness and appreciation in every bone in our bodies.  And - not just think it and say it but envelop ourselves in gratitude.  Can you imagine the bright beings we would all become?
When we are feeling grateful, this creates a surge of good emotions that begin to flood the body and elevate us.  As we stack the gratitude continuously, we can create momentum and feel better all the time, on most days and not sometimes.  Start stacking today. sn

In a world where we are surrounded by so much happening, so many choices, it is nice to find some regular time for yourself. Even nicer once you learn how to use this time to truly unwind your mind instead of finding new ways to occupy it and keep it busy. When we learn to meditate we are rediscovering a place within us that is free and innocent, unencumbered by the weight of responsibilities and expectations and untarnished from past experiences or future anxieties. A place where we heal and grow and learn to stay balanced under any circumstances. JC

Our hips are more than just a part to be shaken and as Shakira says, they never lie. Our hips house lives to be born, the heart of our spine, and major operating systems of our temple. Our hips can be tight, overwrought, loose, sweet, tense, and sensual. Energetically, our emotional; pleasurable & painful feelings dwell here. This second chakra (energy wheel) is called Svadisthana, meaning “one’s own place”; one’s own place of movement, sexuality, creativity and desires. Our sacral area has the feminine qualities of openness and relaxation and engage in our God give right to feel! Through movement, breath and awareness begin to meet your hips as pathways to balance out our water chakra that may be excessively charged or stagnant.

Check out Tiffany’s Hip Hop Opener workshop this Monday @ 7:30pm

I was introduced to yoga through the physicality of it. It was a year of Ashtanga yoga, twice a week for an hour and a half. I learned the fundamentals of what I thought yoga was which was the primary series. I was taught to succinct each and every breath with a movement creating what is termed a vinyasa flow, to ignite energy into the body. I was curious, challenged, and felt as if I had just stepped into a body of water, where the depth was unknown to me. When I moved to NYC and found myself naturally committed to a 5 day a week yoga practice to seek a little solace in a hectic microcosm. I soon realized that I had leaped into an ocean that expanded on for miles and years. The physical health factor of yoga was the lure, but I discovered it is a very small piece of it.

The mind believes and the soul knows. Yoga teaches you to know. Yuj (in Sanskrit) means union or to yolk and yolk is considered to be a centre. My teachers here in the west always say that yoga is the yoking of mind, body and spirit. Bodily speaking, the postures, breathing techniques and meditations have helped to increase my flexibility, physical strength, focus, muscle tone, and I believe has a youth potion effect to slow down the signs of aging. My body feels supple and at ease when I leave my practice. Energetically, I feel vibrant and receptive. On an emotional level, a daily practice has helped to promote clarity to puzzlement in my busy head and creates more peace when there is internal conflict brewing within me. This sacred practice has opened up pathways in my psyche and physiology that has been blocked my pain, grief and trauma through life experience. Handing over the power of my breath to lead me to the shadows within gives me a chance to meet these unpretty places that first appear as resistance and tension. I am forever learning to bring awareness to these areas and illuminate the barriers to my deeper self. To feel them, hold them and then perhaps, soften them. The key of the mind-body-spirit connection that has brought forth change and true personal growth for me is the process of pure awareness. And once found, it is tricky to switch the lights back off. With awareness, I tend to shifts, sensations, and look for what lessons are put in front of me. With awareness present, I truly experience the joy of being and living, even in complexity. It is this quiet assurance that I am in flow with the universe and all I need is already within me. Awareness of my self-talk and thoughts have brought forth light to replace negativity with positive mantras. It is my choice. More self-love has rendered my heart open to myself and others wider than I ever thought possible, knowing now, that love is infinite. My yoga practice is always there for me. Through the dark moments and the high times, my mat, meditation, breath and movement can be there. My days of an ashtanga primary series are long gone though I am grateful for that period in time. It led me to an evolving spiritual endeavor in pursuit of truth to live as authentically I as I can on my karmic path. S.N. June 10, 2009

What is Yoga to You?