Holiday Schedule

Here is my updated December schedule:

**No classes December 22nd to January 5th**

-extra classes this month:
Wednesday, Dec. 10th, YMCA Parc 8:30-9:30am
Thursday, Dec. 11th, YMCA Guy Favreau 7:15-8:15am
Saturday, Dec. 13th, YMCA Parc 12:00-13:00 and 13:00-14:00

Inside out Yoga Va et vient
136 Fairmont O. (@ Waverley), 2ieme étage
Wed.mercredi 18:45-20:15 niveau débutant-beginner
Sun.dimanche 12:30-14:00 yoga lendemain de veille pour tous.hangover yoga for all
12$/classe, 90$ pour 10 classes
yogakoop@gmail.com
514-525-8987

Luna Yoga
231 St Paul Ouest, suite 200
www.centrelunayoga.com
Thurs.jeudi 12:00-13:00 Ashtanga
Sun.dimanche 10:00-11:30 Hatha

YMCA du Parc
Fri.vendredi 17:30-18:30 Hatha

YMCA Guy Favreau
Mon.lundi 7:15-8:15 Hatha
Thurs.jeudi 18:30-19:30 Hatha

Fall Ayurvedic Cleanse- Phewf!

Blogging about the Cleanse

The Contents:
Intro: some important information
1. my personal reflections
2. the recipes and guidelines for the cleanse
3. websites to visit for further information

*****

Intro:

As we are all aware there are many cleanses and fasting ideas out there! I've been contemplating on this subject for many years and my own experience includes juice fasts, raw food fasts and short-grain-brown-rice-only fasts. In all cases I found that they were VERY hard, and it was impossible not to binge eat afterwards. This seemed to counteract all of the hard work I'd just accomplished. I would end a fast feeling incredibly triumphant and then almost immediately, very disappointed in myself.

So, the idea of this ayurvedic cleanse is quite the opposite. It's about simplicity, but not extremity. It is a gentle way of cleansing your body and helping make changes which will endure. In my opinion, the best learning tool it gives is that of being able to distinguish a craving from a real need.

Here's a quote from a website that I thought very apt:
Contrary to popular opinion, working with food cravings is not about developing greater will power. It is about engaging food with awareness and beginning to become aware of potential choices we may not be making. Often we will be using food to bury something else -- a memory; a hope; a craving for truth, beauty, fairness, companionship; a reality more to our liking. When cravings arise, the trick is to stay awake, rather than go numb. (http://www.amadeamorningstar.com/)




1. My personal reflections

It started with myself, my boyfriend Ronnie, my roommates Mahdi, Luis and his girlfriend Andrea. We began the 10 day Ayurvedic Fall Cleanse with much courage. But I admit I was a little nervous because although I'd done a lot of reading and studying on the subject, it had been 3 years since I attempted a cleanse and this was something very different than what I'd done before. I was using myself and my loved ones as experimental subjects...

It got complicated almost immediately with me trying to cook for 5 people and keep everyone from panicking about such a mushy and pallid diet. I wanted to try all of the recipes I'd encountered during my research and some were more popular than others (I've only included those that went over successfully in the recipes and guidelines part of this blog).

Everyone was very patient and open minded. Diligently drinking the strange morning concoctions I handed them. Ghee and psyllium do not necessarily have natural (to us) textures or tastes. Ronnie announced that the psyllium-in-water contained strange floating objects not unlike "lung-biscuits". Andrea looked like she might cry as she sipped tentatively at the butter tea. Luis, always the optimist, commented that it smelled like popcorn. Mahdi escaped to his room.

The mung bean dal was uniformly appreciated by everyone.

Overall I would call the cleanse a real success.

Not everyone loved it. Not everyone stayed with it for the full 10 days. But I think we would all agree that we learned a lot and the experience has seriously changed our opinions about the food we put into our bodies and the habits we have developed with respect to food consumption.

The great aspects included feeling very calm and lucid. Also, there were many reports of less digestive problems, and a more vibrant feeling in the body overall. We all shed some extra pounds (but nothing excessive because this cleanse is all about balance rather than dramatic shifts). We all gained a greater understanding of what our bodies need and are accustomed to where food/drink are concerned.

Difficulties we encountered included feeling very emotional and sensitive, frustration, anger, fatigue, headaches, some nausea, bloating and constipation.

Some of these problems are normal in my opinion and due to the detoxification process. Others were due to the fact that it is very hard to cleanse and keep up with a very busy work schedule. It's best to find a time where you can take it easy for the length of the cleanse. Lastly, I think it is very important to keep in mind that although it's good to follow the "rules" of the cleanse, it's very important to listen to your own body and you may have to adapt things slightly to make sure you're comfortable (more on this below). Some of us needed to have included more fruit and vegetables early on in the fast to avoid the constipation, for example.


2. The recipe and guideline for the cleanse

5-10 days in length

Main food item: Kitcheri (Mung Bean Dal). It's a mung bean and rice stew spiced with cinnamon, tumeric, ginger and cumin

Use the first days to ease yourself into the diet and use the last few days to ease yourself out of it. In the middle try to take one or two days to really simplify and cleanse: eat only one meal of kitcheri (lots of herbal teas and water). Ultimately listen to your own body and don't be too harsh. ESPECIALLY if this is your first time doing this kind of thing.

Eat porridge every day for breakfast (plus fruit)
Eat Kitcheri every day for lunch and supper along with steamed vegetables
Try to eat only what makes you full. Never overeat and allow yourself to digest thoroughly between meals. If possible, eat a larger portion midday and a smaller portion in the evening. Drink plenty of water and herbal teas (suggestions are below).

*buy organic ingredients because given that this is a chance to detox, there is no point buying foods full of chemicals

Kitcheri
2 parts mung beans
1 part rice (white basmati or short grain brown rice...Lundenberg is a great brand)
olive oil
fresh ginger grated
tumeric
cumin seeds
cinnamon
salt
(a nice big pinch of all the spices)

Porridge ( one very tasty option )
whole oats
dried fruit
roasted nuts
ginger
cinnamon
maple syrup
*simplify this recipe and cut out the nuts, fruit and maple syrup as the cleanse progresses

Vegetables to Steam (or eat raw)
broccoli
spinach
carrots
squash
turnips

Digestive Tea #1
fresh ginger sliced into chunks
cardamom pods
honey
(boil for 5 minutes, let steep for 20 minutes and add honey to taste)

Digestive Tea #2
ground cumin
ground fennel
dried oregano
cinnamon
(same instructions as above)

Other good snacks:
-dried prunes, figs, cranberries and apricots
-rice cakes with almond butter and honey
-cashews, almonds and pumpkin seeds

For the next week after the cleanse here are foods to avoid and to re-introduce slowly and gradually:

-wheat
-caffeine
-sugar
-alcohol
-meat
-dairy
-tomatoes
-potatoes

3. Websites for further information
http://www.tridosha.com/ayurveda.cfm
http://www.haelan.co.uk/Remedies-Detoxing.shtml#whole
http://www.vedicsociety.org/10-day-ayurvedic-balancing-detoxing-fast-a-298.html

***
The end (or perhaps the beginning...)

October Schedule

Here is my updated October schedule:

Inside out Yoga Va et vient
136 Fairmont O. (@ Waverley), 2ieme étage
Wed.mercredi 18:45-20:15 niveau débutant-beginner
Sun.dimanche 12:30-14:00 yoga lendemain de veille pour tous.hangover yoga for all
12$/classe, 90$ pour 10 classes
yogakoop@gmail.com
514-525-8987

Luna Yoga
231 St Paul Ouest, suite 200
www.centrelunayoga.com
Thurs.jeudi 12:00-13:00 Ashtanga
Sun.dimanche 10:00-11:30 Hatha

YMCA du Parc
Fri.vendredi 17:30-18:30 Hatha

YMCA Guy Favreau
Thurs.jeudi 18:30-19:30 Hatha

My Yoga Philosophy

I try to create a comfortable and laid back atmosphere in my classes and to strip yoga of some of its unfortunate stereotypes. What I like about yoga is that it connects the goings on of the brain with the goings on of the body. The technique is a well honed series of connections between our various bodily layers. Each student is able to gauge and to direct their own level of engagement. The spirituality and sense of soul or enlightened self are perhaps after effects of yoga. I'm definitely open to that possibility, but in the meantime the mechanics and the breath and smoothing out all of the transitions feels amazing and gives us increased ability to understand and deal with our own physical and mental selves.

My classes are inspired by my 9 years of training in Ashtanga Yoga, 19 years of training in dance (and various bodywork techniques) as well as my interest in psychology, anatomy and fluid alignment. By fluid alignment, I mean that there is nothing fixed and that we are in constant flux and readjustment, so what is fun in Yoga is to take a repetitive set of postures and to feel how we are different in them everyday. Instead of focusing on the aesthetics of the postures, I'm interested in the sensory change the body goes through while we are in each posture....keeping the curiosity alive.

September Schedule

MY FALL CLASS SCHEDULE:

Starting September 16th:
Institut Saphir
136 Fairmont O. (@ Waverley), 2ieme étage
Tues.mardi 20:30-21:45 niveau moyen-avancé.intermediate-advanced
Wed.mercredi 18:30-20:00 niveau débutant-beginner
Sun.dimanche 12:30-14:00 yoga lendemain de veille pour tous.hangover yoga for all
12$/classe, 90$ pour 10 classes
yogakoop@gmail.com
514-525-8987

Starting September 29th
Luna Yoga
231 St Paul Ouest, suite 200
www.centrelunayoga.com
Thurs.jeudi 12:00-13:00
Sun.dimanche 10:00-11:30

Ongoing
YMCA du Parc
Fri.vendredi 17:30-18:30
YMCA Guy Favreau
Thurs.jeudi 18:30-19:30

The Beginning-Le Lancement

So, I am on the brink of seriously launching my yoga classes. I'm going beyond friends and word of mouth and am doing some REAL advertising. I am officially going public: Laurel Koop is a yoga teacher, and she's looking for students. I'll be using the blog instead of a website for the time being. It's a place where you can come to check the schedule and pertinent information about where and when I'm giving classes. And I also hope it will be a forum for discussion about yoga, body work, and what it means to be in "good" spiritual, mental and physical health. For that, I will need your help. Every week I'll be posting thoughts on various related issues, and I'll be counting on you--my past, present, future and wanna-be students-- for your thoughts. I think this has the potential to be a lot of fun. Surtout quand je vais écrire en français et vous pouvez rire de mes erreurs!