Back to Bending

September 28, 2012 By Leanne Vogel December 17, 2018

I was mortified the days leading up to my first yoga class those 6 some-odd years ago. I thought I was going to feel intimidated by the seasoned yogis, judged for my inability to touch my toes, and smirked at when I didn’t know the poses. As with trying anything new, the fear of being embarrassed around a group of strangers was at the forefront… but I didn’t let that stop me!

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To my surprise (and relief) my first yoga class was amazing. The teacher was great, the other yogis were fantastic, and it made me feel good. In just one practice, I became more mindful of my body, better connected with my mind, and felt grounded right down to my soul. I remember thinking that if one class could make flighty, stressed out Leanne feel like she could cope with life a bit better, yoga was something I needed to continue to do.

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My trip to India earlier this year lit a fire underneath my yoga butt. I came home loving yoga even more than when I’d left and had a new-found respect for the inner workings of a yoga lifestyle. I began practicing day and night, meditating, journaling, and for the very first time in my 26 years, I was full conscious to the space around me. I felt great! Unfortunately the time and dedication it took me to leave my job, shift gears to my business and later move us across the country didn’t exactly leave me with much mental or physical capacity for anything. My practice dwindled, my mind became busy, and my bendy body became stiff and rigid.

As luck would have it, Dawn Mauricio, the owner of Passport to Prana Montreal, contacted me during our big move to see if I’d be interested in trying out the Passport to Prana program. The program, as she explained, would allow me to attend one class at up to 30 of the participating yoga studios in Montreal for a period of one year. Had I known that this program was also offered in Calgary, I definitely would have taken advantage of it. In fact, there are a bunch of Canadian cities offering the card.

What I love about the passport concept is that it empowers us, the yogi, to build a long-term relationship with the yoga community and try out new styles of yoga to find the right fit. This is especially beneficial for a yogi that’s moved across the country, knows no one, is coped up in her home office all day and get’s slightly overwhelmed at the list of Montreal yoga studios.

A couple of weeks later, Dawn and I met for coffee across the street from Crudessence to chat about Passport to Prana. I must say, Dawn is one amazing lady. She’s passionate about what she does, her energy is uplifting, she’s grounded, knows what she wants, and isn’t afraid to live her truth. Just the type of powerful inspiration I love sharing on the blog!

So, over the next 3 weeks, I’ll be sharing my Montreal Passport to Prana experience with you while Dawn drops in a couple of times to share her story and educate us on the benefits of yoga. While I could talk about how yoga benefits me as an individual, I’m confident that Dawn will do a fabulous job explaining why yoga does what it does and how it can benefit all of us in one way or another.

The three studios I’ve chosen to visit are Moksha NDG, Viveka Yoga, and Centre Luna Yoga. Each of the studios practice very different styles and I couldn’t be more excited to give them each a try!