Open Space Yoga Blog

As many of you know my step mother in the UK has been waiting to have a pretty serious brain surgery. We have been waiting for over 20 weeks and have finally got a date for the operation.

I will be away from March 22nd until April 6th and back teaching on April 7th.

Rhonda will be answering the phone and emails while I am away and all classes will be running as per usual.

Here are a list of the classes that will be subbed while I am away:

March 21 - Sunday Power Flow 10am - Michael Subbing for Kristina

WEEK ONE
March 22 Monday 5:30pm - Hatha Flow Yoga - Beth subbing
March 23 Tuesday 11am - Slow Flow Yoga - Maureen subbing
March 23 Tuesday 5:30pm - Yoga Conditioning - Lindsay subbing
March 23 Tuesday 7pm - Yoga for Men - Lindsay subbing

March 24 Wednesday 6pm Hatha Flow Yoga - Kathleen subbing
March 24 Wednesday 7:30pm Beginner 101 Yoga - Kathleen subbing

March 25 Thursday 6pm Slow Flow Yoga - Wendy subbing

March 27 Saturday 9am Hatha Flow Yoga - Wendy subbing

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WEEK TWO

March 30 Tuesday 11am - Slow Flow Yoga - Maureen subbing
March 30 Tuesday 5:30pm - Yoga Conditioning - Kristina subbing
March 30 Tuesday 7pm - Yoga for Men - Karin subbing

March 31 Wednesday 6pm Hatha Flow Yoga - Kristina subbing
March 31 Wednesday 7:30pm Beginner 101 Yoga - Kristina subbing

April 1 Thursday 6pm Slow Flow Yoga - Wendy subbing

April 3 Saturday 9am Hatha Flow Yoga - Wendy subbing
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WEEK THREE

April 6 Tuesday 11am - Slow Flow Yoga Maureen subbing
April 6 Tuesday 5:30pm - Yoga Conditioning - Kristina subbing
April 6 Tuesday 7pm - Yoga for Men - Kristina subbing - Kristina subbing

I thank all of our students for your understanding of having a different teacher instruct your classes over this 2 week period. I can assure you all that they are all great teachers!

I also want to thank all of the instructors (in-house and guest) for stepping up the plate to help me out while I leave town so that I can be present with my family at this important time.

Thank you and a heart felt NAMASTE,

Michael

March and April classes start next week. Many people go away for Spring Break or Easter and have their kids to look after. One of the biggest questions I get is what is the difference and how does registering or buying a pass works. I will try and clarify:

IF I BUY A PASS, HOW DO I KNOW THERE WILL BE SPACE FOR ME?
We register students into a class, but we only register up to a certain number of students to ensure space is left over for our Pass Holders. In 5 years we have never turned a student away.

WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE IN COST?
Registering into a class gives you a low price of $13.75+gst per class. Buying a 10 Class Pass costs $155+gst - a little over $15 per class. Drop-In’s costs $17 with the first visit only $10.

WHY DO YOU HAVE AN EXPIRY DATE ON THE PASS?
Expiry dates on passes are standard in all yoga studios. Expiry dates encourage our students to commit to their practice and for revenue reasons we need to ensure we can continue to exist and pay our rent and instructors. We will however put a hold on expiry dates for extreme medical circumstances.

WHAT CLASSES CAN I USE MY PASS FOR?
You can use your pass for ALL Yoga and Pilates, except for Beginner 101 Yoga and Belly Dancing. These classes are progressive classes, hence registered only. We encourage our students to choose classes that suit their level of ability.

HOW DO YOUR UNLIMITED PASSES WORK?
The same, You can use your pass for ALL Yoga and Pilates, except for Beginner 101 Yoga and Belly Dancing. We usually have a 2 month discounted promotion sold prior to the beginning of a new term.

HOW DO I DECIDE TO BUY A PASS OR REGISTER?
That is really a personal decision. Some people like coming once a week, they know that that is their class and they commit to that same time each week. Some people need to be registered to get their ass to class! Some people need the flexibility (no pun intended) either due to their shifts, their babysitting needs etc - therefore the passes are a great solution.

WHEN & WHERE CAN I BUY A PASS?
Our passes can be purchased securely in advance through our website. When you come to your class, your pass will be in the box on the front counter under your last name with your credit card receipt. You can also purchase a pass 5 or 10 minutes prior to any class. All of our instructors will be able to help you.

Hope this information is useful.

If you have any questions please email me

Namaste, Michael

Classes will be running as per usual during the Olympics. Please give yourself ample travel time if you are coming in from Vancouver. No refunds or class credits will be offered for missed classes other than medical reasons with a Doctors note.

Thank You.

Our new March/April schedule will be released for registration on February 15th. If you would like advanced notification of our schedule enter your email here.

In the meantime we do have space for Drop-In’s. Space availability can be viewed on our website Here.

First time visit $10, $17 after that.

If you plan to make-up a class that you have missed - most classes will have space except for the ones that say FULL. Please read our policies on class make-ups.

No need to call us, just arrive 5-10 minutes early before the front door locks.

NAMASTE

I promised some of our students a link to learn the flash mob dance for the Olympic Torch Relay in Ladner.

Here is the Tuesday Schedule of Events

Here is a link to the Dance Video.

GO CANADA GO!!!

It I am so sad to announce to those that knew her that Palma passed away last Friday. Some of you may have known her from Parsley Sage and Thyme the health food store in Ladner. Palma worked for me for the last 8 months at the studio as my right hand person.

Palma was one of those amazing spirits that drew you in. I used to make excuses to go and buy things from her at the health food store, but mostly I think I went to get one of her all-encompassing, incredible hugs.

When Palma told me that she was thinking about changing careers due to PS&T being sold, I thought ‘How do I get her?’ I didn’t even have a job for her at the time but knew how great she was with people and how great she would be representing the studio.

Over the last 8 months we grew very close, she became my right hand person, my confident, my therapist …but most of all a very close friend. I find it hard to comprehend that only 6 weeks ago she was vibrantly running around the studio organizing the fundraising shopping day for Delta Hospice.

Just after that Palma’s energy decreased substantially, she awoke one morning finding a bruise on her stomach which turns out was one of the signs she had Cancer. She was entered into Emergency at the Hospital, spent 2 weeks in Hospital and 2 weeks home until she passed away comfortably at home with her husband Paul by her side.

I can only say how incredibly grateful I was to have her in my life, she touched many lives including my mothers. When my mother was alive she always had to go and visit P,S&T, again I think just to see Palma and receive one of her hugs!

As sad as this is, there are great lessons in losing a loved one. This is the 3rd close person to me to pass away due to Cancer in the last year and a half. For me, each time I grow a little stronger from the experience and it makes me feel so very grateful for the friends, family and Community around me. It reminds me to live in this very present moment, we do not know how much time we have or how much time our loved ones have. Soak it up, soak them up - and Love it all.

Once again my path has taken me to see the importance of being able to die in comfort, with dignity and with our loved ones around us. Again I was able to experience the support that we have in the Community. PLEASE DO NOT TAKE THIS FOR GRANTED. We are lucky to live in a part of the world where we do have lots of choices for support. With Palma and her husband they were able to have the nurses visit them 3 times a day, the home support workers came to help with caring for Palma. Delta Hospice Society gave amazing help through their councillors for both of them and I am so very grateful to Delta Hospice Society providing the special air mattresses that alleviate bed sores from happening. These special mattresses cost many thousands of dollars and they loan them out constantly to those in need.
As many of you know Delta Hospice is about to open their new building next month. Palma had done a lot of fundraising for them in both of her jobs. Please consider donating to this very important society at http://www.deltahospice.org

Thank You to all of the Home Care Nurses
Thank You to all of the Home Support people
Thank You to Dr. Sharon Duncan, palliative Doctor
Thank You Dr. Englebrecht, her amazing GP
Thank You to ALL at Delta Hospice Society for your support and guidance.

From all of us at Open Space Yoga, our thoughts go out to her family and close friends. She will be missed, but we were all very lucky to have had her in our lives.

She was a bright spark, a bright spirit and she will be in our hearts forever.
May your journey be peaceful Palma. We love and miss you.

OM Shanti. Michael and the OSY family.

PS UPDATE:
A service for Palma is this Sunday January 17th. 1pm-5pm At Kin House, 5050 47th Avenue, Ladner. All welcome

For those reading our blog for the first time - you may want to read some of her past blog posts from the Summer Yoga challenge (read more below)

From Arnaid Productions to OSY:

We produce a healthy lifestyles television series on the Slice Network called ‘X-Weighted’. We heard some wonderful things about Open Space Yoga and how you have helped people lead healthier lives. X-Weighted is a documentary series not a ‘reality show’ we follow parents and children as they motivate each other and incorporate a healthier way to live through exercise and nutrition. We film the stories sporadically over a 6 month period with different experts and organizations helping each family reach their goals.

We would like to find a few of our 13 stories out of Delta and thought of you because you work with people to deliver a similar message of living well. It may be a family who has recently started or does not know where to start. The one requirement is our ‘family theme’ we would like to follow the stories of both parents and children (between 8-17 so they are old enough to articulate on camera) getting fit. We will see the bond that brings families closer, challenges conquered, healthy skill sets are created and physical transformations are made: stories that will move audiences across Canada.

If you or other instructors personally know of any outgoing families with the potential to motivate please pass my email address along directly to the families.
If families are interested they can email me a description of their family and why they are ready for a change.
We hope to find the selected families within a week.

Thanks for your help on this, we hope encourage a more healthy nation by broadcasting our show.
Warm Regards and Happy New Year!

Airing on Slice™, X-WEIGHTED: FAMILIES is an inspiring series of one-hour documentaries showcasing the triumph of losing weight by encouraging healthy lifestyles and hardwork. We are looking for more families ready to come to terms with their unhealthy reality. Each episode will follow a different family in their struggles and successes in effecting positive change through nutrition and exercise in their lives over a period of six months. We’re looking for families who want to make healthy living a priority, inspiring both themselves and audiences everywhere.

If you are interested please email Michael at frontdesk@openspaceyoga.com

Hi everyone. Quick reminder: Last week of current sessions. Last week to be able to make-up missed classes. Last week of promotions. Registration on all this week for classes starting Nov 9th http://www.openspaceyoga.com

Sorry Donna will not be able to teach tonight due to the Flu. Hopefully she will be back next week, we will post here otherwise.

Reminder that there are no classes on Monday October 12th for the Thanksgiving Long Weekend.

Donna will not be teaching Taiji on Tuesday October 12th but will return the following week.

Have a great weekend!

Namaste!