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Yoga in Your Daily Life

Two Things We Often Say to Caregivers (and Probably Shouldn’t)

Two Things We Often Say to Caregivers (and Probably Shouldn’t)

We are all likely to become caregivers at various points in our lives, whether it’s for a child who is ill, an aging parent, or a beloved spouse. There are many commonalities between caregivers and individuals who are grieving. In fact, caregivers are experiencing at least a temporary loss of a life that was in the past or was dreamed about for the future…. Caregivers may look like the people we always knew, but they are not the same. They are living through a stressful, draining, major shift in their lives. Given this background, let us examine some potential problems with two statements caregivers often hear.

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Retreat, Reset, & Rejuvenate

Retreat, Reset, & Rejuvenate

by Jennifer FrenchHmmm, it feels like something's wrong. It’s hard to put a finger on what. Some vague feeling of losing track of ourselves.  Worn down by our daily routines and obligations, an undetected general fatigue builds up gradually over time…Or, maybe life...

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The Yoga Sanctuary Story: Our First 15 Years

The Yoga Sanctuary Story: Our First 15 Years

In May 2007, Bonnie Yonker, yoga teacher and founder of The Yoga Sanctuary, opened the studio doors in the Swiss Connection Building at 403 Sullivan Street with just eleven classes on the schedule. Read more to learn the story of The Yoga Sanctuary…

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In the Midst of March 2020 Madness

By Margit Bannon, Instructor E-RYT 200, YACEP, and USPTA certified Tennis Professional  Earlier last summer I was confiding in Gwen, a fellow yoga teacher and friend that recently passed. I said to her, “ I feel as if I’m practicing (yoga) as though I’m preparing for...

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Pura Vida: The Yoga Sanctuary in Costa Rica

Live Your Life Fully by Jennifer French and others It’s been just over three weeks since The Yoga Sanctuary returned from our first ever yoga retreat! Our adventure took us all the way to Costa Rica. We stayed just outside of a little town called Puerto Viejo de...

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Mindfulness Meditation

Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom. ~ Viktor E. Frankl Many of us live our lives as if on autopilot, constantly being destabilized and reacting to what we...

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The Art of Self Practice: Why Are You Here?

By Jennifer French I often reflect on how fortunate I am to be on this yogic path. It has provided me with tools and skills that help keep me afloat when the day to day challenges of life get even more challenging. It’s a blessing to have mentors to go to, teachers...

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Yoga for Dispatchers

By Kimberley Heffley: 2019 TYS Teacher Training Graduate and 15 year 9-1-1 Veteran with the Charlotte County Sheriff's Department As a group, dispatchers sit. A lot. Upwards of 12 hours for some. Some dispatch centers have consoles that allow you to stand but we are...

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Yoga & Osteoporosis

Yoga is a simple and, when practiced safely, effective way to maintain and perhaps increase one’s BMI (bone mineral density). More clearly, yoga can help build bones. We build bone strength and density by putting stress on the bone or applying weight and pressure to the bone. The more we safely and mindfully stress the bone, the stronger it gets.

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Forever Young: Maintaining and Restoring Your Vitality

By Carrie Demers, MD As a culture, we are obsessed with looking young.  We dye our hair, whiten our teeth, use botox, have surgeries!  - all attempts to hide the signs of our encroaching age.  However, what we are truly seeking is not to look younger, but to feel...

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Yoga and Meditation

by Jennifer French People often wonder what the difference between yoga and meditation is, believing that they are two separate practices. In truth, yoga has a long tradition that is thousands of years old and, originally, its main purpose in practice was to hone and...

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The Four Purusharthas: Kama

The Third Aim: Kama As our investigation of the Purusharthas continues, we come to the third aim, Kama, which means longing, wish, or desire. Kama pertains to the enjoyment of life and needs to be in balance with Dharma (duty) and Artha (means) if we are to experience...

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Yogi of the Month: Anita Weisglass

The Yoga Sanctuary: Tell us a little about yourself. Anita Weisglass: I was born in Greece in 1937, which means that I am a survivor of the Holocaust. My family name is Castro, a Spanish name, and that means that my ancestors came to Greece in 1492 when they were...

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Yogi of the Month – Cathy Getz

The Yoga Sanctuary: Can you tell us a little about yourself? Cathy Getz: From my first trip to Florida with Grandma when I was 18, I knew I wanted to live here, so when my husband Jim and I retired in 2003, the move was imminent. Jim and I already owned a vacation...

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Yogi of the Month: Diane Smolen

The Yoga Sanctuary: Can you tell us a little about yourself? Diane Smolen: Talking about myself does not come naturally. I arrived in Florida following retirement from a career in Michigan where I had earned a PhD at Michigan State University. Several years were spent...

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February Yogis of the Month

Miguel and Nicole Dotres The Yoga Sanctuary: Can you  tell us a little about yourselves? Miguel and Nicole Dotres: We have been married for 15 years and have 2 children.  We moved to Punta Gorda from Miami 3 years ago in an effort to find a great place to raise our...

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Yoga Therapy: A Holistic Approach to Self-healing

By Jaime Boswell Yoga Therapy stands distinctly apart from other therapies in that it is based on the application of yoga philosophy through a holistic approach to individuals. Yoga therapy does not take the place of medical treatments. In fact, the yoga therapy...

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The Vedic Fire Ceremony

by Gwen Burdick Fire, or Agni in Sanskrit, is one of the five basic elements of creation. It dominates the Pitta dosha of Ayurveda. Agni allows for heat, light, color and vision and is essential for combustion, cooking and our ability to digest food. When the element...

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