Tag: health

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FAQ’s – What To Expect In Your Session

Who can take private lessons?

Anyone!  Annette has taught all ages from 3 years to 85 years old.  The beauty of a private session is the class is catered to your age, gender, limitations, and goals. It’s a co-creative experience and together we come up with the best treatment plan for you.  Annette works with all levels 1-on-1, with couple’s, and with families.

What are the benefits of a private lesson?

-Working at your own pace makes for an injury-free practice.

-You’ll see results faster by focusing on what you need by creating a goal specific class.

-Convenient scheduling that fits your lifestyle.

-Having the security of a teacher supervising your alignment and technique.

-Respecting your beliefs by omitting any spiritual/religious references and focusing on the mind-body connection.

-The privacy of practicing yoga alone and not having the intimidation of a group mentality.

What is a private yoga lesson like?

The session is all about you.  We start with a debrief outlining our focus for the session.  Based on your needs we’ll begin with guided warm ups, tailored postures, and breathing techniques.  At the end of your session a guided meditation will bring you into a deep healing state (savasana) for 5-10 minutes.

What is an energy healing treatment like?

We initiate your body’s wisdom to heal by answering reflection questions before your session.  When you arrive to the studio we sit down, debrief your answers, and set the focus.  The session continues with a grounding meditation to open the flow of your energy body.  Then you’ll be reclined on a healing table (clothed) for the bio-field work.  In closing your feedback is discussed, homework is assigned, and an affirmation is chosen to take home with you.

You’ll receive an email follow up with a summary of your session and home work reminders.

What do I wear?

Yoga is traditionally done in bare feet, if you prefer to wear your socks that’s no problem.  Take off your jewellery/watch and wear comfortable clothing.  Athletic pants or long shorts and a longer shirt are most comfortable because they don’t ride up your back when moving.

For a healing treatment you can wear whatever you feel comfortable in.

What is the studio etiquette?

Don’t eat before your class, or try to have a light snack well before, and hydrate by having a glass of water a few hours before your session.  Refrain from wearing perfume, cologne, and hand/foot cream as it will interfere with your steadiness on the mat.  Take your shoes off at the door, you can wear socks or barefoot to practice.

How do I book a session?

Annette strives to accommodate your schedule, all bookings are done through email annette@annettebailey.ca

How can I pay?

Cash, check, or email transfer is accepted at the end of your session.  If you are having multiple sessions a month you will receive an invoice at the end of the month.  For session rates email annette@annettebailey.ca

What are Virtual Private Yoga lessons?

Enjoy a private yoga lesson anywhere!  All you need is FaceTime or Zoom, an internet connection, and a laptop, smart phone, or tablet.  The comfort of practicing yoga in your home, with your family and pets, is an amazing experience!

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Pain – Friend or Foe?

We all hate pain, but what if we approached pain differently by considering it as an old and knowledgeable friend?  Your body is your oldest companion, the one that knows you best and has been there through all the good times and the bad times.  If we treat our old pal like a sacred temple that we grow up in, then we would honor the messages it sends us. Pain is the messenger that signifies our nervous system that there is a problem.  These problems are energy disturbances and when we ignore messages our body screams even louder trying to get our attention.

So why do we ignore these signals? It’s natural to avoid something that doesn’t feel good. Naturally we follow the path of least resistance and pain is altogether uncomfortable and exhausting.  It’s just easier to not feel than to feel.  However when we ignore these cues and pain is left unattended to, it turns into chronic pain and chronic pain eventually turns into disease.  Dis-ease can be defined as lack of ease in the body or a disturbance in the energy flow.

In yoga this vital energy flow is called Prana and in Asian traditions it’s called Ch’i or Qi.  This life force is described as a flowing river and when rocks and debris get thrown into our river it gets clogged up. These clogs are referred to as energy blocks and energy depletion.  When our energy is blocked or depleted it cannot flow freely to nourish organs, bones, and tissue.  When our body does not get the oxygen and circulation it needs to maintain homeostasis, pain signals are sent out via the nervous system.

So where did the rocks and debris come from?  Body, mind, and spirit are intertwined and connected energetically and with that every single thing that has ever happened to you, positive or negative, shows up somewhere in your body.  If we ignore emotions and feelings and stuff them down in order not to feel, they inevitably fester into deep energetic wounds.

How do we keep our river free flowing?  For starters we need to listen and become aware of what we are experiencing in our body from moment to moment.  Acknowledging both positive and negative feelings brings awareness to energy disturbances before they become chronic.  By addressing the physical feelings we in turn process the emotions and thoughts that are intertwined within.  With awareness, patience, and loving kindness, we have the ability to clear the rocks and debris to maintain our free flowing river.

The next step is to take action on what you notice.  Ask yourself; am I tensing my body? If the answer is yes, then look at where and why you are tensing.  Is it in response to something you’re looking at?  Something you’re listening to?

Once you notice what you’re noticing you are empowered to break old habits and reverse the negative affects.  Self-care is key in this process; yoga, energy healing, a relaxing bath, walking in nature, are all positive self-care techniques to release and reverse the negative affects of stress and tension.

When you’ve changed the old patterns you can start to be proactive by not allowing them to resurface.  Pain signals become an old friend tapping you on the shoulder to remind you it’s time to pay attention.  Eventually you will notice the signal from your nervous system immediately and take proactive action before the pain arises.  Every case is unique and pain levels are varying, however if pain is approached as a friend that is signaling to you that something needs to be addressed you can lessen your pain and give the intelligence of your body the chance to heal on it’s own.

 

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Why Private Yoga Lessons are Better for Men

Finding the appropriate practice that is right for you is key in starting an injury-free yoga practice.  One-to-one yoga lessons cater to the unique individual’s body type and provides a safe environment especially for the beginner male student.  In yoga some postures are going to work for some students while other postures will not and a private setting addresses which practice is appropriate for each student.

Traditionally yoga was always passed on from teacher to student in a private and confidential setting.  For example, the guru assigns a set of asanas (yoga postures) and pranayamas (breathing techniques) geared towards an individual’s needs.  The student goes home, practices, and returns for adjustments and more homework.  Just like a doctor prescribes a drug for an illness, the same is true with your yoga instructor prescribing postures specifically for you.

The contrary is true in today’s yoga classes where you’ll find crammed classes with sometimes up to 50 people of all different abilities and demographics.  Generally these group yoga classes have more women attending then men, and the teacher must sequence her class to fit a general population.  There is no such thing as a cookie-cutter yoga practice that fits everyone.  And therefore the newer yoga student is at risk for injury and may be practicing postures that are not appropriate.

This is where it gets tricky for a beginner to navigate and determine which postures are appropriate and which postures are not.  In a group setting it is easy to go beyond one’s limitations resulting in pain and injury.  If you don’t know what you’re doing, and you’re pushed by the group mentality to follow along, you can cause serious damage beyond repair.  Women and men have very different bodies and not all postures are appropriate for men, just as not all postures are appropriate for women.  For most men the deep hip openers that put pressure on the knees are usually the cause for injury.

The anatomical structure of a woman’s pelvis is much more wider and pliable then that of a man’s.  Deep hip openers are extremely beneficial for women but can cause serious injury for men.  The impact of these deeper stretches on the tighter and slimmer male pelvis results in pressurization through the knees.  When the hip joints are not able to comfortably and safely enter the pose the next joint down (the knee) takes the brunt of the pose. Once the knees are traumatized it’s difficult to fully recover.

Private yoga lessons provide the opportunity to address each student as an individual.  By honouring the uniqueness of different bodies one can develop their own personal practice that is suitable for their needs.  In a private yoga setting the instructor can tailor your practice to suit your body safely.

See the difference a private yoga lesson can make and book your introductory session with Annette.

Men's Yoga