Well TO Do Contributor Christine Noonan recently had the chance to sit down with Jean, the owner of Connect Yoga, to talk community, Toronto and the upcoming UN Salutations workshop! Keep reading for the full interview.
Well To Do: Please introduce yourself to the Well TO Do readers.
Connect Yoga: Hi, I’m Jean, the owner of Connect Yoga Toronto. We opened our doors in the Riverdale/Danforth neighbourhood in September 2016. Our emphasis is on empowering the student to learn more about their own bodies so that they can truly feel their best on and off the mat.
WTD: What inspired you to start Connect Yoga?
CY: I noticed a few things. First, there wasn’t a studio in the city that focused on Yoga Tune Up®. Second, there is a small, but growing movement that is questioning “traditional” yoga asana as more stories of injuries are cropping up. Without going into too much detail, I also noticed that I was starting to get quite a bit of pain from my previous practice. And third, there wasn’t a studio that I felt taught a practice focusing on proper biomechanics through a yogic lens.
WTD: There are a variety of classes offered at Connect Yoga. Please give our readers a brief explanation of what they are.
CY: We have two types of classes: movement based and recovery based. Our movement classes are a complete package, including a combination of breath work, therapeutic self-massage, corrective exercise, and maybe, some stretching. Students will rarely hold a yoga pose, but may instead find themselves doing a playful take on a pose where we will either change the orientation, make a static pose active by using PNF (proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation) techniques, or by making it more dynamic. Our recovery classes focus mostly on self-massage using the Yoga Tune Up therapy balls. These classes allow the students to really discover and feel their bodies. The techniques we use help the students not only release tension but promote down regulation of the nervous system which is when your body can recover and truly find stress relief.
WTD: For those who are unfamiliar with Yoga Tune Up, how would you sum in up in just a few sentences?
CY: Jill Miller, who created Yoga Tune Up, describes it as a movement based system that combines the best of corrective exercise, self-care, and stress reduction techniques. I would also add that this practice is so unique that calling it yoga doesn’t really do it justice. It’s a cross between fitness, yoga, physical therapy, massage, and meditation. Each class is also unique as no class is ever the same. It’s one of the many reasons I love YTU, because of the knowledge and creativity it gives teachers so that we can lead a safe and engaging class every time.
WTD: What are some of the touted benefits of Yoga Tune Up? How do they compliment a traditional yoga practice?
CY: There are so many benefits, I don’t know where to start. Yoga Tune Up helps students learn how to use their bodies better by emphasizing anatomy and biomechanics. You will also discover and heal body blind spots, improve posture, enhance athletic performance, promote recovery, and stress relief. Our emphasis on anatomy and biomechanics can compliment a yoga practice by empowering students to improve the quality of their movement by increasing proprioception (feeling where their bodies are in space), knowing what muscles need to fire and when and of course, better breathing.
WTD: You have a beautiful, cozy studio. Why is important to you to have smaller-sized classes?
CY: Thank you! It’s important to me that our students don’t feel anonymous in class. I want myself and our teachers to know our students so we can all develop relationships where everyone feels safe to explore their bodies through movement and therapy ball massage. Also, when you have a smaller community, the students feel a greater sense of camaraderie. It’s a real joy to watch this happening.
WTD: What are you enjoying most about the community you are creating?
CY: You never know who will be attracted to the practice, and it’s been a delight to see how our students come from all ages, levels of fitness, and backgrounds. It’s also gratifying to witness how everyone is excited to learn about their bodies. And like I said before, the camaraderie that I am witnessing gives me great pride.
WTD: You are offering an upcoming workshop called UN Salutations with Amanda Tripp. What does this entail?
CY: UN Salutations is a think outside the box workshop that explores alternatives to Sun Salutations. They are fine in moderation (and if performed well) – but if you’re practice revolves around them – you are likely setting yourself up for a repetitive stress injury, even if your alignment is impeccable. Any repetitive movement can lead to imbalance and injury. VARIETY of movement is key to our continued health and longevity as yoga practitioners. With that in mind, Amanda will be leading a practice of UN Salutations, then participants will learn a process for transforming common static yoga poses into novel dynamic warm-ups and flowing sequences. Everyone should come prepared to play, take risks, and be surprised and delighted by their own original take on the classics!
WTD: What’s next for Connect Yoga?
CY: We continue to evolve bit by bit, as we want to serve our students with the best possible offerings. In June, we will be offering a cardio based Yoga Tune Up class and we are really excited about it. Education is also a huge priority for us. Our teachers are always learning and innovating and we are supporting that by hosting teacher trainings and workshops by many senior teachers in the YTU community. We are also working on some strategic partnerships with other local businesses to encourage the community to be the healthiest they can be.
WTD: What’s exciting you most about the Toronto wellness scene right now?
CY: I like that all kinds of fitness modalities are morphing together which gives students the opportunity to really move well. You can find lots of classes now that can be some mixture of yoga, pilates, martial arts, dance, strength training and so on. Our bodies don’t move in just one way, our bodies need to move in all kinds of ways.
For more information on Connect Yoga and and the UN Salutations workshop, click here. Also check out: FB and IG – @connectyogatoronto and Twitter – @connectyogato.
Photo Credit: Connect Yoga
The post Connect Yoga – Be Your Best, On and Off the Mat appeared first on Well TO Do.
