Thursday, October 8th, 2015...6:07 pm
Finding Some Lightness
In the past week, I’ve been lucky enough to host two GradEvents: a yoga for de-stressing, and a tour of the TIFF Lightbox. While these two seemingly unrelated events sound completely different (yoga and a building, hello!), I actually found myself standing on some common ground when I took the Lightbox Tour yesterday.
Sound unbelievable? Bear with me. The name itself should be a dead giveaway: Lightbox. LIGHTbox. No, this is not a stretch. The woman conducting the tour actually told us that the building was designed to let in as much natural light as possible, to connect the building to its surroundings. In much the same way, yoga is about getting a person out of their own head so that they can connect to their body, and ground that body in the natural as well. For grad students whose heads are too often in the books, and not lifted up smelling the fresh air enough, this is a great lesson.
Given that this theme of lightness and connection seemed to be a big one this week, and that we can all relate to needing some extra feel good in our lives, I figured that it should also be the theme of this post. SO, for all of you who are looking for a way to live lighter in mind, body, and heart, or for those of you who simply loved the yoga event last week (huge shout out to Gradminds for delivering an awesome session), or for those of you who simply need a distraction from studying, or are in some desperate need of body movement after being glued to a desk, this is for you.
Whether you’ve never hit a yoga mat before, have attended a handful of classes, or have been yogi-ing (it’s a word now) for years, these resources are a great way to get connected, clear your head, and remember to take life lightly…especially with the summer behind us, and the grey days of winter ahead!
This video is AMAZING. It is incredible what a little perseverance, belief in yourself, and a support system can do for your body, your mental health and your overall wellness of being. This is especially important to remember on those days when we want to give up, drop out, or hide under our covers rather than face our books and advisors. A nice reminder that hey, there’s nothing we can’ t handle. Skip to 35 seconds if you want to skip the review at the beginning.
Ok, this is the best yoga community out there. When I first started doing yoga, I started with a 30day yoga challenge hosted by doyouyoga, and taught by Erin Motz. To do this, I had to sign up for doyouyoga and thought “einh, I’ll send the email to my junk folder”. But, of course, I didn’t do that because I was practicing some good ‘ol inertia, and this is one time I’m glad the inertia won. You’ll be surprised by how many great finds there are: articles that are good not just for yogis, but for anybody who is looking to better themselves physically, mentally, or otherwise! Plus, free video courses, and giveaways! Especially great for us struggling students 😉
If you’re like me and love food and drinks and downtime, then you are part of the Erin Motz “bad yogi” club. Erin is a GREAT instructor with some awesome video classes; you can either head to her site to check out her personal stuff, or you can get some great freebies by typing in “30 day yoga challenge” into youtube. Her 30 day challenge is perfect for a newbie, or someone who has been out of yoga for a little while and needs a reintroduction, or just wants someone to validate justifying your bad food choices with the fact that you moved your body for 20 minutes (sound familiar? Yeah, for me too). Bonus: the classes are usually under 20 minutes, so you can fit them into any busy schedule
Are you a runner? Do you need help waking up? Are you super frustrated by student life? Adriene is the youtube yoga instructor for you. She offers longer classes, but so if you’re looking to deepen your routine, get in a little more exercise, or find videos to fit your good or bad mood, this is for you. Hint: they’re also FREE. Head to her youtube channel here.
For those of you who want to bring some lightness into your life, but aren’t uge fans of the yoga, then consider checking out the TIFF Lightbox website: they’re screening one free movie a week (until December) in honour of the festival’s 40th anniversary. That means you get a free, awesome video, and a great way to feel happier, and cater to your procrastination once a week. If that’s not a great deal, and an awesome way to feel light, I don’t know what is! Hoping this blog leaves you feeling happier, and lighter than before…and just in time for the Turkey holiday too!
If you have any other questions about yoga, GradEvents, or ways to get moving, always drop us a line. See you after the long weekend 🙂
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