Showing posts with label edmonton. Show all posts
Showing posts with label edmonton. Show all posts

Tuesday, 7 April 2020

Thank You Edmonton

Thank you all for being such caring, respectful community members and staying home as much as possible during this pandemic.

Here are a few resources in the Edmonton area to support your physical, mental, and emotional wellness during this challenging time.

Free Online Yoga Classes by Donation from Yoga Within

Free Online Pranayama and Meditation Classes from Sun Yoga

Free meals for people who need them from Ganesh Sweets

Online Music and Sound Therapy from local Musician and Music Therapist, Tiffany of  Sparrow Harmonix

Online Grief Support from local expert Sandy Ayre


Tuesday, 10 March 2020

Namaste, MacEwan Yogis and Yoginis

Devanagari writing of the Sanskrit Maha Mantra
Here is a link to a summary of my presentation on The Language and Literature of Yoga.

A couple of additional notes:

- The aspirated "th" sound in the word Hatha which we practiced pronouncing is listed with the cerebral consonants on the Sanskrit Alphabet chart because the tongue is placed at the roof of the mouth.  If you find that too difficult to pronounce, just remember that the "th" sounds more like a "t" with a puff of air than like the English words "this" or "think".

If you're interested in more in-depth study of the Sanskrit language, I recommend The Sanskrit Channel on YouTube as a starting point.


- Also, regarding the "Key Definitions of Yoga" given in my presentation and summary, be aware that these are not the only classical definitions of Yoga.  However, they are widely accepted as representative of key concepts in each of these works of literature and of the practice of yoga in general.  

- In case you would like to read the full verse from the Bhagavad Gita, it is found in Chapter 2, Verse 50.





Friday, 21 February 2020

Happy Mahashivaratri 2020!

Om Namah Shivaya
Tonight many yogis will be fasting, keeping vigil, meditating and chanting all night long in celebration of Lord Shiva, the Adiyogi, or "first yogi".

If you're in the Edmonton area, you can join celebrations at the Bhartiya Cultural Society starting at 6 pm.

If you'd rather participate from home, you can join Krishna Das  live online at the Sivananda Ashram Yoga Retreat, Bahamas' Facebook Page for the Mahashivaratri vigil starting at 8:45 pm tonight and continuing all night long!

Om Namah Shivaya!
Har Har Mahadev!
Jai Shiva Shambo!

Thursday, 6 February 2020

A $30 Gift for you from SPUD!

Origami Folded by Tara
I can't believe it's already February 2020!  I hope your new year has been filled with inner peace, self-love, radiant health and a crystal clear commitment to your resolutions.

This year, I resolved to practice ahimsa by minimizing my impact on the environment.  So far it's going very well!

One big aid in avoiding plastic packaging and supporting local businesses has been ordering products from SPUD.ca, Canada's most sustainable grocery delivery company.

How does it work?

It's easy!  SPUD curates the best in local, organic and sustainable groceries by working directly with farmers and producers.  All you have to do is sign up and start shopping.  There are no subscriptions or contracts.  Just order what you want, when you want.  Your order is packed in a sturdy reusable box and delivered right to your door.  Because they have no in-store displays, SPUD has the lowest food waste of any grocery chain in Canada!  That also means your order is always fresh and 100% satisfaction guaranteed.  SPUD's Blog has lots of green tips and recipes, and opportunities to help with worthy causes in your community. 

How do I get my $30 gift?

That's easy too!  During the month of February, pick out your first order of $75 in groceries from the vast selection of fresh and frozen foods, produce, meat, and even local craft breweries and apply my personal referral code below at the check-out. Voila, you get $30 off your order! 

What are my favorite items to order?

I love the $0.99 avocados and Que Pasa Tortilla Chips, which are always less expensive than my local grocery store.  The Traditional Hutterite Eggs are delicious and it's such a novelty to have the Italian Centre's famous house-made Pizza Dough delivered right to my door!  

Whatever you choose, Bon Appetit!

Referral Code:  CREDM-WOLTAC




Saturday, 7 September 2019

A Day at an Ashram, Sun Yoga Edmonton

A reading from the Sivananda Upanishad
Have you ever wondered what it's like to spend a day at a Sivananda Yoga Ashram?

Would you enjoy an opportunity to revisit your own retreat experience close to home?

Here is your chance!

I have so many fond memories of my times at Sivananda Ashrams around the world and as a fellow student with Sylvie in the Advanced Raja Yoga and Bhagavad Gita classes in the Bahamas.

I'm really looking forward to attending this unique event.  I'd love to share the experience with you!

A DAY AT THE ASHRAM

Sunday, September 15, 2019, 9:00 am- 3:00 pm


Cost: $108 (Lunch, chai, and snacks are included)

THERE ARE ONLY 12 SPOTS for this unique workshop and it's ALMOST FULL!

Register Online to book your spot. It's only a week away!

This workshop is open to ALL LEVELS AND AGES. No prior yoga or meditation experience needed.

Saturday, 20 April 2019

Pandit Debasish Bhattacharya, Tonight in Edmonton

Debasish Bhattacharya, Image Source: Edmonton Journal
Edmonton's Raga Mala Society has been bringing the best of Indian music and dance to our local stage since 1983.

Tonight, Pandit Debasish Bhattacharya and Pandit Swapan Chaudhuri are expanding the scope of Indian classical music with their hypnotic, hybrid approach featuring original and centuries-old compositions and Bhattacharya's custom-designed trinity of slide guitars.

Tickets are available at the door for $20 each.

For more information on Panditji's pioneering style check out this article by Roger Levesque in the Edmonton Journal.

Wednesday, 10 April 2019

Edmonton Resilience Festival


In just a couple of weeks, The Edmonton Permaculture Guild is presenting a great big community gathering for people interested in exploring a sustainable, creative and promising future. 

This year's events include workshops, a local market, food trucks, celebrations, and volunteer opportunities.

If you would like to participate, visit their website for the schedule and contact information.

Iyengar: The Man, Yoga, and the Student's Journey

Demand.Film Canada is bringing another awesome yoga movie to our city!

Tuesday, May 28, 7pm at Cineplex Odeon South Edmonton Cinema, come see a screening of Iyengar: The Man, Yoga, and the Student's Journey


The way Demand.Film works, the show only screens if enough tickets are sold so please reserve your tickets well ahead of time so that we can all enjoy this experience together.  

See you there!

**IMPORTANT UPDATE**
Andrew and the other kind folks at Demand.Film have created a special coupon code that gets us 10% off the ticket price! 

It can be used individually, so we can each purchase our own tickets. 

Please use coupon code "Tara10" to get the discount!

Sunday, 6 January 2019

Goddesses of Creation at the Art Gallery of Alberta

She is devouring, ferocious, and awe-inspiring. She is nurturing, tender and benevolent. In Hinduism the Goddess (Shakti) enacts the cycle of creation as envisioned by the Gods Vishnu and Shiva. The Goddess is represented in various forms throughout the history of art in India, and in classical Sanskrit religious literature, like the Mahabharata and Ramayana.
Recent scholarship asserts that many important characteristics of the female divine are derived from folk and oral traditions, as well as from aristocratic and literary ones. For example, the Goddess Kali can be seen to have roots in the fierce Goddesses of village traditions, and as such has been called by revered Hindu scholar A.K. Ramanujan a "Goddess of the Tooth". In contrast, he calls the benign and motherly Lakshmi and Bhudevi "Goddesses of the Breast." Featuring the return of the AGA’s 12th century Shiva Bhairava, the exhibition encourages the viewer to discover the multiplicity of forms and meanings in these images of the Goddess.

On Now:  December 1, 2018 – March 24, 2019
Thursday, January 10:  FREE Bharatanatyam Performance from 6-7 pm
Organized by the Art Gallery of Alberta. Curated by Elizabeth Herbert.

Friday, 30 September 2016

Happy Navratri 2016!

Image Source
Every Autumn, my Mom and I participate in a festival known as Navratri or "nine nights".

It is a celebration of the feminine principle, or Divine Mother personified in the multiple forms of Durga, Lakshmi and Saraswati.  This year it takes place from October 1 - October 11.

In India, it is popular for ladies to wear colorful clothes as an all-day reminder of the beauty and power (shakti) of creativity.

During this auspicious and exciting time, delicious sweets are served, ancient stories are retold, dancing and celebrations spread happiness and the Goddess is said to shower blessings and fulfil wishes.

If you wish to attend local celebrations check out the schedule of events at the Bhartiya Cultural Society of Alberta.

May you (yoginis AND yogis) unleash your creative potential and shower the world with compassion, abundance and wisdom!

Jai Mata Di!

Mahatma Gandhi, Saluting the Great Soul

Image Source
October 2nd is the day we celebrate the birth of Mohandas K. Gandhi, known the world over by the honorific title Mahatma or great (maha) soul (atma).

Each year the Mahatma Gandhi Canadian Foundation for World Peace hosts a garlanding ceremony at the statue of Bapu (an affectionate term meaning "Papa" or "Father") in the plaza immediately south of the Stanley A. Milner Library in downtown Edmonton.

The event takes place at noon on Sunday October 2nd, 2016.

It is free of charge.  All are welcome to attend the brief talk and ceremony, to offer a Mala (garland of flowers) and wishes for peace.

Monday, 20 June 2016

Fullness

It is an exceedingly rare event.  For most us, maybe even our parents, and certainly our children, it will only happen this once, here, in our lifetimes.

Tonight the full moon rises on the longest day of the year.

Here in Edmonton, the "longest day" is a whopping 17 hours, 2 minutes, and 47 seconds, nearly two hours longer than Toronto!

What am I drawing from this?  Besides the spectacular cosmic display, the long warm hours for wild rose petal picking, memories of treasured childhood books read late, late into the evening by the light of the setting sun...

Hatha, ha/tha, sun/moon, balance in the pairs of opposites.

And purna, fullness, wholeness, completeness.

Potent cosmic forces reflecting the potency of the prana in our own nadis or inner channels, and all the opposing and complementary qualities of our Selves.  Or perhaps more accurately, our microcosmic experience reflecting the macrocosm.

It seems to me, this is an opportunity for meditation on the universe and my place in it.  For contemplation regarding what "balance" means and how to achieve it.  For acknowledging that there is a time to every purpose.

I'm also recognizing that my experience of life is purna/full/complete/whole only when I acknowledge the value of both lightness and darkness, good and bad (whatever those mean), activity and stillness, and the divine timing that allows it all to "Turn! Turn! Turn!".

As you draw down the moon and bask in the sun today, what are you reflecting?  What are you reflecting on?  How do you embody union/yoga?

Wednesday, 12 August 2015

Yoga and Meditation, August 16, 2015

Origami Buddha: oneloveorigami
Yoga and Meditation at Yoga Within

Sunday August 16 from 10 am - 11:30 am

Move easily into stillness with postures that relieve stress and tension.

Rejuvenate and calm your mind with simple, powerful breathing.

Experience the synergy and support of meditating in a group.

Explore and fortify your own personal practice.

Start the week with keen insight and a fresh perspective.

All are welcome!

Ratha Yatra 2015!

Image Source: ISKON Edmonton Facebook Page

Monday, 20 July 2015

Raja Yoga Summer Camp: Annual Ganesha Festival

Image Source and More Photos from 2014
Join me on Wednesday, July 22 and Wednesday, July 29 anytime between 6 pm and 9 pm at Edmonton's beautiful Mahaganapathy Temple for the annual 10 day festival dedicated to the great Remover of Obstacles, Ganesha (aka Ganapati)!

Immerse yourself in the sights, sounds, smells and tastes of an authentic South Indian style temple complete with Pujas and Prasad!

Thursday, 4 June 2015

Raja Yoga Summer Camp: 124 Grand Market

124 Street Grand Market
Yogis, Yoginis and Friends, you're invited:

Thursday June 4, 2015

4-8 pm (I'll be there around 5:30)

108 Avenue and 124th Street

Organic produce, fabulous food trucks, artisans, musicians and more!


Tuesday, 26 May 2015

Introduction to Meditation at Yoga Within

This Sunday, May 31, 2015

10:00 - 11:30 am

Please join me for an Introduction to Meditation at Yoga Within.

- Find the style of meditation that works best for you.

- Transform what captivates you into your personal practice.

- Open to anyone who wants to reduce stress, focus intention and quiet mental chatter.

Feel free to bring your meditation cushion, a blanket or bolster.