FOR AGELESS WELLBEING
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About Anam Cara Yoga
Anam Cara Yoga, on Salt Spring Island, BC, is about ageless wellbeing. So much change goes on through life – in our body, our energy, our emotions, our mind constructs, and our heart. Opening to these changes are moments of grace. Anam Cara Yoga classes address this dimension of our life, the constant of changes within the greater stillness.
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I offer classes to keep the body moving, radiant and fluid, whether that is a mellow yoga class, every body yoga class or a chair yoga class. Infused in each are themes, mantras, breathwork, meditation and the ancient wisdom of the yoga tradition. Focus classes and seasonal programs have a specific focus, such as calming the nervous system and restoring the body’s natural energies (restorative yoga), deeply relaxing and connecting with our higher source (yoga nidra).
Live Online Classes for Radiant Wellbeing
Private Session for Indepth and Individualized Practice
Self Catered Private Yoga Retreats on Salt Spring Island
Celtic Connection
Anam Cara is Gaelic meaning “soul friend” or soul-love. My ancestral roots are Celtic and I was drawn to this Gaelic term, for its fullness of meaning and the depth of love it implies, as a mirroring of one’s true self. In the words of the late John O’Donohue, anam cara means, “A friend… who awakens your life in order to free the wild possibilities within you. So anam cara could be your life partner, a companion, a teacher, or spiritual guide. If you’re interested in more reading on this, I encourage you to follow along here:
https://www.brainpickings.org/2015/08/12/anam-cara-john-o-donohue-soul-friend/
Yoga as Cosmology
Yoga, as a cosmology, for understanding life and one’s place in it, is an ancient and rich fabric woven of wisdom realized by rishis and sages and later written down in traditional texts, such as Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras and the eight limbs of yoga (ashtanga) he defined. The eight limbs of yoga basically serve as guidelines for living a meaningful and purposeful life. The practice of yoga asana (pose), is the third of the eight limbs. The eighth limb – samadhi – is the state of ecstasy. Yoga practice can lead us to a quieting of the mind, and the merging of the person into the witness-awareness consciousness. Like a friend, awakening one to free the wild possibilities within us of who we truly are, beyond the image of self and ego, beyond the physical realm.
Sense of Place
The Celtic connection to the land and the invisible realm, to the dance between what is seen and what cannot be seen, is also a thread in the weave of anam cara yoga. The natural landscape and waterscape of where we live, hold and nurture us in ways we may not know and in ways we clearly know and cherish. Here on Salt Spring Island, the Salish Sea, the coastal forest of the Pacific Northwest, and the intertidal shores and ocean are the sustenance that has held the original peoples of this land, who have stewarded it for thousands of years, some say time immemorial, and continue to, and it is here that I find myself, in this stage of life of ageless wellbeing.
Professional Yoga Instruction
Catherine (Cate) McEwen, 500 hr RYT, BSc, MA, resides on Salt Spring Island, BC in the Salish Sea on Canada’s west coast.
I am immersed in that stage of life where the journey is more inward than outward. Where changes to the physical body make it unrecognizable from younger ages, and decades of life changes mean endings and new beginnings. Much of the practice is to be okay with what is, with what manifests. Yoga, with its attention to the mind, body, energy, and bliss state, offers a pathway to be with life’s unfolding. The transformative impact of spiritual teachings, which is inherent in yoga, and in my case, came fully to life with the teachings and love of Sri Mooji, seems to blossom in this stage of life. For some, spiritual development happens much earlier in life. Yet it is true that in the later ages, the yearning to be home can be strong. I offer yoga practice from my place of being.
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I’m forever grateful to be mum to two beautiful kids, now adults. What a gift my then-partner and I were given in life to raise these bright lights. My past professional training in field biology and environmental education influenced an ecological view of the world, looking at systems within systems. Yet now, when looking from the eyes of the heart, it is a view of oneness and beauty. Like you, I am a manifestation of the diversity of life from the oneness that is.
I’m grateful to all of my yoga teachers and to the students in my classes who continually teach me and offer me their presence.
Invigorating the Body
Silencing the Mind
Harmonizing Mind, Body, and Spirit
Mondays 10 am – 11 am PT
class starts 10 minutes early (9:50) for breathwork
Chair Yoga
Using the chair as a prop for a flow of movements with the breath to enliven all parts of the body. Ideal for rebuilding and maintaining range of motion, strength and balance.
To be prepared for this class: have a chair without arms, a tension band (or scarf or belt), 2 1-pound weights (or 2 filled ½ liter water bottles), & a tennis ball (or small exercise ball).
Mondays 3 pm – 4 pm PT
Every Body Yoga
A level 2 Class (i.e. could include inversions – always optional) of practiced students offering modifications of poses for different body types.
To be prepared for this class: bring your yoga mat, any yoga props you enjoy using, a belt (or scarf), a form block or two (or thick books) (optional), a blanket (or big bath towel) (optional), & an eye pillow (should you have one, optional).
Mondays & Wednsdays 4:30pm-5:30pm PT
class starts 10 minutes early (4:20) for breathwork
Restorative/Yoga Nidra
Release, restore and renew yourself in this class. Let Restorative Yoga be your time for calm and deep relaxation. Let Yoga Nidra put the mind and body to sleep which awareness stays alert.
To be prepared for this class: bring a yoga mat; 2 thick blankets (or 2 big bath towels); a bolster (or 2 big pillows); 2 foam blocks (or 2 thick books of similar size); & an eye pillow (or washcloth).
Sundays, 10 – 11:30 am PT monthly
(the 1st Sunday of each month)
Private Sessions
One-To-One & Private Group
Sometimes a One-To-One session is just the right fit for re-entry into a weekly yoga practice or to set yourself up for a daily home practice. A private session can serve to workshop on specific poses for specific body needs and ROM (Range of Motion).
Small group (1-4) private classes offer a fun and intimate way to enjoy yoga together – as a family, for a bachelorette event, or to customize a class with friends.
All private sessions are an hour long and tailored to your specific interests. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, One-To-One sessions are exclusively online at this time.
$100/hr
Self-Catered Private Yoga Retreats
Anam Cara Yoga looks forward to again offering Self-catered Private Yoga Retreats at Ocean Song on Salt Spring Island, BC, Canada, once the pandemic is behind us. We hope to be able to open in 2022. Meanwhile, we wanted to give you a taste of what your self-catered private yoga retreat on Salt Spring Island entails.
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Testimonials
That was wonderful and also different – so many new approaches, and very nice for my back – I really enjoyed this class, and I can still feel it in a good way.
Elissa P
Just did your yoga class again – I so, so enjoy it! Thanks again!
Kim A
These classes are wonderful… Thank you for your incredible teaching & guidance.
An ocean full of thanks, Cate, for the yoga inspiration this spring; simply awesome!!!!
Sabina L
Ready to Make a Change?
Join Aman Cara Yoga For Ageless Well Being
Passes
$20 – $150.00
After purchasing a membership or pass, please be sure to then visit the Schedule and Book your class(es).
Upon purchase of a membership or pass you will be agreeing to our waiver of release from liability.
$60/month
$15/month
Private Sessions
To Book a Private Session, whether for One to One or a Small Group, please inquire at info@anamcarayoga.ca
$100/hr
Anam Cara Yoga Schedule | 2022-2
Good Yoga Reads as Intros
A student in one of my classes, relatively new in her yoga practice, was asking about more info for yoga - yoga beyond the asanas. So I went to my personal library looking for some wide scope, introductory texts. Here's what I took off the shelf: Light on...
June Yoga Classes
June Yoga Classes As the spring season evolves towards summer, our activities change and so too my yoga class offerings. My June series of classes will be a mixture of Zoom classes and one outside class – Under the Oaks. For Salt Springers, Monday’s Every Body Yoga...
SPRING 2021 YOGA CLASS SERIES
Use the power of this transformational season of spring to reinvigorate, purify, strengthen, and empower yourself - mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually though YOGA. Enliven your entire well being while harnessing the awakening power of spring. Use yoga...
2021 Winter Yoga Classes
This winter season all yoga classes will be on Zoom. An 8-week series - starting the week of Jan. 11 and running into the first week of March. What's on offer? Mondays and Wednesdays, classes for both Chair Yoga (3-4 pm) and Every Body Yoga (4:30 - 5:30 pm) twice...
Yoga Amid COVID-19
During these unprecedented times, yoga can offer a calm within the chaos, a retreat within the self-isolation. When fears and anxiety arise, we can turn our attention to breath, and centre ourselves, finding calm. When thoughts race through our minds and compel us to...
FALL YOGA CLASSES starting in OCTOBER
Weekly Yoga in the 'Hood classes resume at Ocean Song in October. Offering an 8-week series. Monday classes will run from Oct. 7 - Dec. 2. Wednesday classes will run from Oct. 9 - Nov. 27. Monday Morning Mellow classes also starting up. And Chair Yoga will no longer...
Voice of the Soul Singing
I sang my heart out Friday evening, in family, in Unity, in Oneness. And I am full of gratitude for this opportunity and all it presented. I was tipping my toes into the sweet waters of Amit Carmeli's WildRoot Journey with his offering on Salt Spring Island in the...
Life and Death
"Death is our friend precisely because it brings us into absolute and passionate presence with all that is here, that is natural, that is love…" - Rainer Maria Rilke Shared from Maria Popova's weekly newsletter,...
SUNDAY YOGA SESSIONS – RESTORATIVE & YIN
Two Sunday Sessions for June - Restorative and Yin Yoga June 3, Restorative Yoga & Yoga Nidra, 9 - 10:30 AM June 17, Yin Yoga + The Invitation, 9 - 10:30 AM Full details on the website: www.yogawithcate.ca $20/class. Pre-registration & payment confirms your...
New Series of Yoga Classes Starts May 22
Spring Yoga Classes Starting Up Next Week, May 22, 2018. I'm back on our island home and ready to open up the oceanside studio so we can gather together on the mats for our yoga practice. Monday classes will start May 28, a week later than most, given holiday Monday. ...
1-250-537-6553
Call Cate McEwen
220 Holmes Road
Salt Spring Island, BC, Canada
Mon-Sat: 8 am - 7 pm
Sunday: Closed