Mandakani Yoga

A few weeks ago I attended a restorative yoga class at Mandakani Yoga in Corunna. It had been months since I attended an actual yoga class, I do my own practice at home from time to time but normally stick to what I know at a pace that is comfortable. I was super excited to check out my friend Shannon's new studio and take one of her classes that I chose my class based on the time slot, not so much the type of practice I wanted.

Shannon offers a wide variety of classes for beginners to advanced yogis, you can check out her schedule here  and I have taken classes taught by Shannon before and loved them, so I knew I would like anything she teaches.

Restorative yoga is a slower pace class, focusing on just a few poses and relaxing into each one for longer periods of time. I was not prepared for this class mentally. I went into it thinking it would be relaxing but it turned out to be extremely mentally challenging for me. There were points in the class where I experienced guilt for not being more productive with my time on the mat or away from my family, my mind drifted to; to do lists and even some other emotions I didn't enjoy. It took me at least half the class to slow my mind down.

After class I had an opportunity to chat with Shannon and share some of the emotions I experienced during the class. She put me at ease that I wasn't alone in my challenges with this style of yoga. I always learn so much when I am on my yoga mat and when I challenge myself through my practice and that doesn't always mean in the form of a fancy pose. Shannon didn't realize but that night she created a space for me to feel some stuff I was avoiding and face a fact that I need to be more conscious about how fast I move.

I can't wait to take another yoga class at Mandakani, take a time out, face some challenges and learn something new. If you have never tried yoga, and especially if you live in Corunna, you need to check this place out.

Lots of love,
Audrey

Let's Talk

This week I was inspired to share my journey with mental illness because of the stories I came across during #BellLetsTalk.  I read one post stating how great it was, that everyone is excited to talk about mental health and sickness during this one day but how we need to keep the conversation going.

I agree that the one day promotion is beneficial in creating awareness but we do need to be comfortable talking about mental health everyday.  So, here is my story and some of my journey through mental illness.  I hope you will share yours, share my video if it touches you, comment on this post or listen to someone you know, who may be having a tough time.

Let's talk!