'Let the beauty we love be what we do. There are hundreds of ways to kneel and kiss the ground.' -Rumi
where yoga, mindfulness and creativity meet
Offerings
Loving Self-Care through Mindful Hatha Yoga on Zoom
Our true wealth is our HEALTH - the saying goes. And isn't it true that when we struggle with health problems our quality of life suffers. The best investment one can make is investing in one's health, making SELF CARE a DAILY PRACTICE. Good health and vitality should not be a luxury. There is a lot we can do in every single moment of our life to support our amazing body/mind in its functioning so we live a happier, healthier and more peaceful life. Something magical happens when we begin to pay attention to our experience in a kind, non-judgmental and curious manner. There is nowhere to get to in our yoga practice; the invitation is to stay fully present with each breath and movement and to experience the natural quieting of the mind as it unfolds spontaneously. Join a group of women who practice for the same reason: loving self care and reap the many benefits of a committed practice. Let your yoga mat be your sanctuary as you ease and release pain, stiffness and fatigue from your body/mind and nourish your inherent ground of wellbeing. Classes are held on Zoom on Monday and Wednesday evenings @ 6:45 - 7:45 pm EST and on alternating Friday afternoons @ 4:30-5:30 pm EST and Sunday evenings @ 7:30-8:30 pm EST. Each class is recorded and the recording link is sent out to members for later practice. Investment: $32.00 / month or $10.00 drop-in fee. A monthly iRest Yoga Nidra Meditation is also included in the monthly fee. Contact me through my website for further information. Upcoming workshops in the fall: Our Healing Breath: Breathing to Balance, Breathing to Calm, Breathing to Uplift and Energize; Ayurveda 101: The Science of Life and Longevity - Lifestyle tips for each dosha; Mudras: The Healing Power of the Hands
iRest Yoga Nidra Meditation for Deep Rest and Restoration in the Nervous System
"Instead of asking. 'Have I worked hard enough to deserve rest?' I have started asking, 'Have I rested enough to do my most loving, meaningful work?'" -Nicola Jane Hobbs Join me in person or on Zoom from the comfort of your home to rest deeply and to restore with this ancient healing practice. In the safe container of the practice, you are provided with tools to help you relax deeply, to release stress and to increase resiliency. Integrative Restoration, or iRest Yoga Nidra Meditation is a modern-day secular adaptation of the ancient healing practice of Yoga Nidra. iRest is a form of meditative self-inquiry that research shows effectively REDUCES PTSD, DEPRESSION, ANXIETY, INSOMNIA, CHRONIC PAIN AND CHEMICAL DEPENDENCY while INCREASING HEALTH, RESILIENCY and WELL-BEING and providing one with a GREATER SENSE OF CONTROL and SKILLFULNESS in Life. It is a body centered, guided meditation practice for SELF-REGULATION and SELF-CARE that nourishes qualities such as JOY, PEACEFULNESS and LOVING-KINDNESS toward yourself and others. iRest meditation can be practiced in a group or individual setting and is most often practiced lying down, however, one is always invited to find the most supportive position for the meditation. Contact me for a private or semi-private session.
MUDRAS (Hand yoga): The Healing Power in your Hands - Mudra Workshop
Did you know that our hands and fingers are full of meaning and potent healing energy waiting to be tapped into? Mudras are ancient healing hand gestures that work on our energy body that underlies our physical body and ensures its health and vitality. As you place your hands and fingers into specific positions you engage and tap into circuits of energy that have a profound effect not only on your experience of the moment but on your overall well-being as well. Mudras help release blocked negative energy that causes imbalance and disease and activate a vibrant, healthy energy flow. They strengthen the immune system, balance emotions and aid in mental focus and clarity. They are simple to do, promote self-empowerment and are always at your fingertips. They can be effortlessly incorporated into your moment to moment day-to-day life and are a beautiful testimony to our inherent wholeness. Contact me about private, semi-private or upcoming group sessions.
in-person yoga
Gentle, Mindful hatha yoga with breathing, mudras and yoga nidra meditation - morning and evening sessions
Ease and release tension, stiffness, and pain from your body/mind with gentle movement. Learn breathing practices and yoga hand postures to support your sense of vitality and wellbeing. Experience deep rest and relaxation in the nervous system with yoga nidra meditation. Place: the Community Room of the Sydenham Public Library Two 6-week sessions (a morning and an afternoon one): Tuesday mornings 9:30-10:45 (October 10 - November 14/23) Thursday evenings 6:30-7:45 (October 12 - November 16/23) ) Investment: $90/6 classes
- Date: 11/10/2023 09:30 AM - 14/11/2023 10:45 AM
- Location: Community Room at the Sydenham Public Library
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Mindfulness and creativity
Our hands - a healing tool
“My work is loving the world ... which is mostly standing still and learning to be astonished ... which is gratitude, to be given a mind and a heart and these body-clothes, a mouth with which to give shouts of joy to the moth and the wren, to the sleepy dug-up clam, telling them all, over and over, how it is that we live forever." -Mary Oliver We do not need studies to prove that engaging our hands in a creative activity is deeply healing. Be it preparing delicious meals, digging in the soil in the garden, sewing, knitting or some other creative process - we come away feeling calmer and more grounded. Looking back on my life, I see how I always turned to a hands-on activity whenever there was a transition, a big change in my life. Hand-stitching, embroidering, painting , drawing and now felting have helped me navigate challenging times. To see the result of our work blossom from our hands is beautiful, grounding, balancing and deeply healing. Also, the observation that I felt intuitively drawn to self-expression through a creative process is proof again that something deep down inside of us is whole, complete and perfectly fine. It is our inherent wisdom, the aspect of ourselves that knows the right response to every situation in life and quietly guides us towards it. So I embroider, felt and draw and all the while stay amazed at the source of it all. Please check out, even Like or Follow, my Facebook Page Design by Marika. Why Marika? That is what I am called in my native language of Hungarian, That is what my Mom and friends in Hungary call me. It has all the warmth, familiarity and comfort one's native language naturally offers.
Mindfulness and Creativity Class Series: Where mindfulness and hand embroidery meet - for ages 9-12
This 6-week session combines the art of hand embroidery with mindfulness exercises. Stitching by hand is calming and meditative in itself. The way the breath flows in and out, so does the needle move through the fabric. And just like attention coupled with a quiet rhythmic breath creates a peaceful inner landscape, so does the patient movement of the needle give birth to something beautiful right under your hands. This session will introduce participants to mindfulness exercises with mudras (hand gestures), poetry and song as well as fun and pretty projects (bracelet, phone case, felt flowers) created with a selection of basic embroidery stitches. All material is included in the registration fee. Where: This class is offered in my cozy home studio/workshop. Maximum number of participants is 4. Investment: $108/ 6-week course. Dates and time TBA.
Mindfulness and Creativity for Teens
Meditation in ink
I also like to draw in my own simple meditative style and I call my drawings meditation in ink - they engage me with a gentle focus and gift me with a sense of calm and contentment. All my drawings are filled with hearts, flowers and creatures from Nature reflecting the inherent simplicity of Life and its abundant offering of simple pleasures, blessings, and joy. Some of my drawings are printed as cards and are available for purchase at my home studio.
About
The versatile and potent set of tools the system of yoga has to offer for physical, mental/emotional as well as spiritual health and wellbeing have supported my life for the past 20 years. As an immigrant from Hungary, the mother of five sons, and one who was there for herself on every step of her healing journey from a bout of postpartum depression and an anxiety disorder (OCD) after the birth of my third son, my life is a testimony to the healing power of yogic practices and the wisdom teachings of yoga.
I believe that taking care of your health and well-being is a daily and life-long commitment in which simple practices such as breathing, mudras and meditation play a vital role. Why? Because THEY WORK and they can be practiced in every single moment of your life. And what is life but an accumulation of moments... WE CAN TRANSFORM OUR LIFE A MOMENT AT A TIME.
We already have everything within us to survive and thrive on our human journey. We are born whole and complete and our wholeness does not change throughout our life, only our experiences do. It is this birthright of wholeness, amazing built-in tools, inherent wisdom that I invite you to explore, reclaim and apply to support your own health, healing, well-being, and vitality .
Try my offerings if you want to learn simple yet potent tools to deal with stress, anxiety, insomnia, pain or general malaise and a lack of vitality.
In addition to a slow and mindful Hatha yoga practice, I also offer classes/workshops in the practice of Mudras/Hand Yoga (healing hand gestures), iRest Yoga Nidra Meditation, and the Practice of Pranayama (Breathing Practices).
Originally a teacher from Hungary with a Master's degree in teaching English and Russian Languages, I came to Canada more than twenty years ago to be with my Canadian husband whom I met while we were both studying in Russia. Building our life together and fueled by a shared adventurous spirit, we spent almost a decade living in the Canadian Arctic. Of all places, it was in the Arctic that I took my first yoga class on a large towel, in place of a yoga mat, on the linoleum floor of Arctic College. My practice started out in a most simple way and to this day I value simplicity: show up each day and make your practice relevant to YOUR life so it can support your ever-changing needs and circumstances and it can support you in tending to what you need to tend to in life.
Throughout my many years of study, practice and teaching yoga and meditation, my passion has been yoga for mental, emotional and spiritual well-being. I have taught in various settings and to various groups: seniors, children, veterans, people with disabilities. Fueled by deep curiosity and the desire to equip myself with the transformative tools of this ancient practice - both for myself and my students, I have attended numerous trainings and workshops pertaining to mental and emotional health. Some are as follows: Life Force Yoga® for Managing Moods with Amy Weintraub, Yoga for Emotional Balance with Bo Forbes, Yoga for Depression Teacher Training, Yoga for Anxiety Workshop, and Yoga for Chronic Stress Workshop through Esther Myers Yoga Studio. In addition to completing a 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training Program at the Lotus centre (London, ON), I have also completed the 300-hour Advanced Yoga Teacher Training at the Soul of Yoga Institute (Encinitas, California) where I further immersed myself in the application of yogic tools for health, healing and resilience . I also hold certificates in Yoga for Kids and Families, Restorative Yoga and Prenatal Yoga.
I am also a Certified iRest® Yoga Nidra Meditation Teacher and received my certificate from the Integrative Restoration Institute. iRest is an ancient healing practice supported by clinical research. It is a body-centered guided meditation for self-regulation and self-care that focuses on physical, psychological and spiritual health. It is a form of meditative self-inquiry that research shows effectively reduces PTSD, depression, anxiety, insomnia, chronic pain, and chemical dependency; while increasing health, resiliency and well-being.
My curiosity also led me to explore the practice of Mudras (ancient healing hand gestures). I studied the practice of Mudras, their therapeutic applications and the practice of Mudras with Crystals with Sabrina Mesko PhD. I am a devoted practitioner of these healing hand gestures and also a Certified Mudra/Hand Yoga Teacher.
One last thing:
I deeply value the gift of a SMILE because 'A kind face is a precious gift.'
Testimonials
Contact
- Sydenham, Ontario, Canada
- +1-(519) 965 - 3727
- mteglas@hotmail.com
- Mon-Fri - 08:00-19:00