We are the new face of yoga: irreverent, hip and joyful. We understand it’s the journey and living in joy that brings meaning to life and our teachers are very good at sharing the tools to guide one along this path, the tools to find happiness in life. It is so important to cultivate happiness and yoga is the tool that opens the heart both physically and spiritually.
Susan Emery, Founder of the Yoga Lounge
We understand our clients have busy lives that dictate living in a forward bend, often hunched over a computer, inactive, sitting throughout their day. The spine is in constant flexion and this contributes to back and shoulder issues. The upper chest becomes closed and concave and as the back weakens the shoulders respond by permanently rolling forward. The implications are that we no longer stand up straight. Postures that lengthen the spine and bring it back into extension combat these pathologies that develop over time. Essentially, we are turning back the clock and reversing the aging process in the body. Secondary benefits are apparent in the organs and this is considered the organic work that comes from lingering in postures for longer periods.
My teaching style has been profoundly influenced by such great yoga masters as Ramanand Patel and Francois Raoult. My travels across the globe bring a broad perspective to the meaning of Yoga …Susan Emery, the Yoga Lounge
We have immense appreciation for value of the overall experience that takes place both during and after the yoga class. Setting realistic goals in your practice allows oneself the opportunity to enjoy the journey. The true test of that experience is how one feels afterward. One should expect to feel centred and refreshed with a new energy that emanates from within… this new ‘life force’ comes from the breath. Studies on the breath reveal a profound influence on the left pre-frontal cortex of the brain. This part of the brain is responsible for how we feel and breath work increases the activity in this brain centre dramatically, reshaping our mood and perspective.
Yoga can solve a lot and I turn to my practice each day to set the tone in a positive manner. It is extraordinary how the simple choice to breath deeply can clear the mind and bring it back into focus. Yoga is not about being twisted up in some ungodly position or being flexible. It is about bringing life back to the body and if you can connect with the breath, it brings the mind right into the present with the body. And there is a great deal of joy to be found in this place we call the present! We learn to find that place in the heart where we discover the joy. There is no past or future, its all about this very moment, allowing oneself to be in the journey of life. This is where the joy resides: ’the bliss factor’. This is really where yoga is at! Yoga is the tool I have found to guide me through life, for the body and soul. It’s my destiny to share this miracle.
The heart and soul of any yoga studio is found in the teachers, the experience they create and the desire to encourage growth in a healthy and loving atmosphere. Yoga has moved them all in some sacred way and they feel destined to share this through their teaching. There is a magnificent creative undertone that is encouraged to bring a personal and creative touch to class sequences making them interesting and unique. The teachers are very good at this, ’walking the walk’ of life as they often share their own personal thoughts and experience to bring understanding and meaning to the world of yoga.
We have testimonials from such charitable actors like Evan Williams, currently on the series Degrassi: The Next Generation. His new series ‘Baxter’ tells the tale of our commitment to the auspicious journey we call life. He recently wrote: “The Yoga Lounge is a departure from the city, within the city. The space is fresh, modern, inspiring a deep restorative serenity. I absolutely love the Hatha classes I take with Carlyn. She is a gentle, generous teacher as well as a technician executing poses with the proper alignment to avoid injury and maximize the healing effect of the practice. The Yoga Lounge has a youthful zeal in their approach, a natural beauty, and a genuine desire to help each student realize their potential within their own body. It is easy to trust them because they bring love to their work. These ladies truly care and they are good at what they do.”
We offer a very comprehensive yoga program and understand that just as the universe is always changing, so is the body. It is essential to allow for this growth and evolution and our daily programs offer classes across the spectrum from restorative yoga to a rigorous vinyasa style. One should be able to make a choice on the type and discipline to accommodate the various needs and desires of the individual and a class recommendation is always suggested.
A restorative yoga class, although physical in nature also embodies a very meditative element, bringing a mental aspect to the practice. We discover that we can quiet the mind with conscious effort and this is taught during this type of class. Restorative yoga also offers fantastic physical benefits that help work through the connective tissue that shrink wraps the joints and this benefit is achieved through long periods of holding relaxing positions. It’s just wonderful for the mind and body! Josh, one of the restorative teachers at the studio, opens the mind and body with blissful cues and promises of a quieter mind. He brings supportive postures that can bring profound release to hidden areas of deep tension. The use of props such as bolsters, straps and blocks allow simple postures to be held in a relaxing and extremely enjoyable manner. This is particularly relevant to those that are stiff and tight or have come from a place of injury. The mindful practitioner already knows that a restorative yoga class should be part of every life to keep the body young and agile.
Yvette, an avid ashtanga practitioner is known for her rigorous Vinyasa style. Her voice purrs us to a place of co-operation where we push a little harder in our practice. The studio has a world class music collection and she has captured some of the best and most exotic tunes there to entertain us through core efforts that will bring your abdominals ALIVE… and leave you with her memory for days! This core strength will help move your yoga practice forward to a new place of consciousness. The body will thank you for the healing benefits. If you like to sweat, Yvette’s Vinyasa Yoga is your class.
My teaching style has been profoundly influenced by such great yoga masters as Ramanand Patel and Francois Raoult. My travels across the globe bring a broad perspective to the meaning of yoga. This is the universal influence, the aura at the studio: a culmination of this journey into the unknown. We welcome you to come and find your own path, a path of your own discovery and exploration in this tranquil oasis called the Yoga Lounge.
I am so gracious to be surrounded by such mindful souls, for the teachers I have been blessed to discover and the experience all of that together as we become one at The Yoga Lounge. Please join us in this auspicious journey!
In yoga and life, the Caretaker @ The Yoga Lounge (Susan Emery)