Bodymind Therapy and Practices

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Parkdale Prana Room is a bodymind therapy and practices space. We offer an intimate, in depth and creative approach for people seeking to engage with awareness, learn through exploration and live with vitality.

We offer treatments, workshops and classes in Psychotherapy, Yoga, Meditation, Pre and Post Natal Birthing Education and Support, Qi Gong, Cranial Sacral Therapy and Reiki among others.

prana: Vital air; life breath; vitality; the upward, expanding, blossoming characteristic of inhaling. From the verb root "an," meaning to breathe, plus "pra," meaning forth. It is said to be centred in the Anahata Chakra (heart centre).

Join Our Clinic

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Book your weekend workshop or event in our space. Call Simone for more information.
We currently have treatment space available 3 days per for a body mind practitioner to rent. Interested individuals can contact: info@pranaroom.org or 647.240.4104

-------PAST WORKSHOPS--------

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Beginner Yoga

with Shelly Rowen

4 weeks, July 15- August 5

Fridays 6:30 - 8:00pm ($80 + HST)

Contact: 416-530-1349 or shellyrowen@rogers.com

An introduction to Hatha yoga, this is an all levels class, suitable for beginners or for those who have been practicing awhile, but would like to refine their practice.

Foundations of Meditation: The Body

with Simone Moir
Mondays 7:30pm-10:00pm ($100)
(3 weeks) June 20, 27 and July 4, 2011
Contact: info@pranaroom.org

Though many think of meditation as a practice of mind over matter, the Buddha taught meditation quite differently. The First Foundation of Mindfulness, demonstrates how staying present with sensations in the body is key to ending our struggle with ourselves and provides a gateway to liberating the world from suffering.

Join Simone as we get out of our heads to explore these teachings through creative and interactive experiences with the body. You will be introduced to a new understanding of the physical body and posture in the practice of meditation. This three-week course will better prepare you for a regular home practice and the upcoming 1-day Retreat.

Meditation Retreat – What is this Body?
with Simone Moir
July 8 and 9, 2011
Friday 6:30pm-9:30pm; Saturday 9am-6pm. ($150)

Contact Simone: info@pranaroom@gmail.org or 647.240.4104

Stuck with our body since birth, we try to get around our feelings of powerlessness by controlling it. We dress the body up to embellish its attributes and downplay its flaws. We try to avoid pain by making ourselves busy or distracting ourselves with various entertainments. In the end, what we know as our body is really our preoccupation with managing it.

Meditation is a process of making friends with our body. When we settle down in the meditation practice for longer periods of time, we see our body more clearly for what it is and wean ourselves off the habits of management and control.

In this weekend meditation retreat we will closely examine our experience of the body. Drawing upon her background in Yoga, Art and Gestalt Therapy, Simone will support you with many tools as you discover the First Foundation of Mindfulness practice. Through sitting and walking meditation, movement, lecture and group discussion, we will explore our body as the gateway to the path of practice. Over the course of this weekend your self-trust may deepen as you become more in tune with your bodies' impulses and messages.

For Beginners: A good taste of extended practice, supported by a deeper understanding of the Buddhist teachings.

For Experienced Practitioners: Shake-up your old routine with this fresh take on the body.

When Worlds Collide
with Luisa de Amaral and Mario Lourenço
Saturday June 18, 11am-7:00pm
Contact: luisa.de.amaral@gmail.com

A workshop on diversity. Through sensory awareness and artwork we will explore the importance and struggles of interconnection between ourselves, humanity and the environment.

Vedic Chanting
With Deborah A. Brodey
Saturday June 25, 2011
10:00-5:00 pm ($100)
Contact: 416 254-7054 or deborahbrodey@gmail.com

Vedic chanting is an ancient tradition from India that has been passed down orally for thousands of years. Chanting can help us develop our voices, cultivate awareness, build confidence, enhance listening, and integrate body, mind, breath and spirit. This workshop is suitable for Yoga practitioners of all levels as well as yoga teachers who would like to enrich and deepen their personal and /or teaching practices and familiarize themselves with Sanskrit chants.

Breathe In, Write Out

with Sarah Selecky and Ronit Jinich

May 27 and 28, 2011

Friday 6:30-9:30 pm and Saturday 2:30-6:30 pm ($200)

Contact: ronitjinich@gmail.com

To write honestly is to write mindfully. Writers access authentic knowledge about the world through a practice of deep noticing - the practice of being receptive to what connects everything around us.

In this workshop, participants will learn how to develop this skill through guided contemplative writing exercises and the support of yoga and meditation. This workshop will help students develop a practice of their own: all of the writing exercises, yoga poses and meditation sessions will be taught with the intention of building a personal practice.

The workshop is split over two afternoons: participants will be asked to practice at home in the time between classes. Visit Sarah's website: www.sarahselecky.ca

Riding The Lively Wave

Yoga And Therapy Group For Anxious Times

with Simone Moir

Just relax and take a deep breath.

Who hasn't heard this before?

When your thoughts are racing with "If only" and "What if", your shoulders are up by your ears, your heart is pounding, sleeping has been replaced by pacing and your world is shrinking by the minute, taking this sound advice becomes more than a little bit daunting.

Soothe your fearful mind and stressed body with this supportive program that combines the know-how of yoga practices and interpersonal therapy. Become aware of the ways in which you stifle your energy and find new reservoirs of support in your body, relationships and environment. Through yoga postures, breathing practice, meditation and self-exploration you will be introduced to a broad array of tools for coping. Ideal for anyone with a desire to free up their excitement for a more fully engaged life.

Hatha and Yoga Nidra
with Shelly Rowen
Friday, May 13, 6:30 - 8:30 pm ($25)

Contact Shelly to register: 416-530-1349 or shellyrowen@rogers.com

An evening of gentle hatha yoga followed by an introduction to the meditative practice of Yoga Nidra. Yoga Nidra induces a deeply relaxed, yet alert, state that is profoundly transformative and healing. Regular practice helps us deal with stress, personal problems and emotional trauma and enhances well-being. It has been shown to be effective in easing symptoms of PTSD, chronic pain, anxiety, anger, depression and insomnia.

A gentle Hatha practice will help to relax and release tension, and then lying back supported by bolsters and blankets you will be prepared for the Yoga Nidra.

Solo Dancing:

Improvisation for Performance Intensive
with Dawne Carleton
10 weeks ($300 / $200 CADA members)

Saturdays 2:00pm to 4:00pm April 16 – June 25 (No session May 21)

Contact: dawnecarleton@yahoo.com or 416-530-2960 for more info or to register

In this master class the pared-down structure of unaccompanied solo improvisation is explored in depth. Each week, participants will receive sensitive, individualised feedback that both challenges and supports them in taking the risks required to bring their artistry to the next level. This intensive is designed for dancers who are interested in moving beyond habitual blocks and limitations, developing their presence, skill and impact in improvised performance and/or establishing their own body of improvisation-based work. Individuals with related practices who are seeking in-depth study are welcome and all contributions to class will be equally valued.

Hungry Or Not Here I Come

Gestalt Therapy For Emotional Eating

with Psychotherapists Luisa De Amaral and Natalie Gold

Fridays 6:30pm-9:30pm

Starts Feb 11, 2011

4 weeks, $100

Contact: 647.688.2331 to register

Do you bury your frustrations and fears in ice cream or do you dull them with a burger? Do you have an empty feeling that nags at you constantly? Maybe it's time to stop sugar-coating and see what lies under the icing.

Let's pop the lid on avoidance together. With compassion and humour you will explore deep-rooted beliefs and personal stories about the lengths you will go to nourish yourself. You will learn to identify and allow difficult emotions to emerge, gaining tolerance for them, and explore new ways of meeting your underlying needs while gaining awareness of disruptive patterns.

About The Facilitators

Natalie Gold is a Certified Gestalt Psychotherapist with a private practice, and worked as a professional research consultant and group facilitator for the federal government for about 18 years. For more information, visit www.changehappens.ca

Breathe In, Write Out: Writing, Meditation and Yoga Workshop

Christmas!......My Way

with Luisa de Amaral and Suzy Lebec

This is a workshop intensive is designed for anyone that just can't seem to relish in the Christmas spirit. Whether you're haunted by ghosts of Christmas past, feel like Scrooge or fear the social awkwardness of Rudolph, this is your chance to make the holidays your own. Through artwork, dialogue and other forms using Gestalt psychotherapy, you’ll find fun exploring the obstacles that stand in your way of enjoying this time of the year.

Sunday, December 5, 2:30-6:30 ($20)

Contact: luisa1amaral@hotmail.com

Check out the Dec 8 issue of Maclean's for their cover story on a Parkdale Prana Room workshop by Gestalt psychotherapists Luisa de Amaral and Suzy Lebec. Now available online: http://www2.macleans.ca/2010/12/16/conquer-your-fear-of-christmas/

In How To Conquor Your Christmas Fears, Nicholas Kohler provides a colourful and poignant exposé of their weekend workshop, Christmas....My Way, which took place on Sunday December 5.

Luisa de Amaral will be back in 2011 with a new program, Hungry Or Not Here I Come: On Emotional Eating. More Gestalt workshops are programmed for 2011.

Yoga for Anxious Times

with Simone Moir

Fridays November 19, 26, Dec 3, 10, 17, 2010

5 weeks, 6:30pm-7:00pm ($100)

Contact: parkdalepranaroom@gmail.com or call 647.240.4104

Address anxious states, insomnia and stress with a holistic yoga approach. In this 6 week course, you will be introduced to yoga practices that cool the nervous system by replenishing a healthy flow between energized and relaxed states of being. Special attention will be paid to freeing the physical and psychological armouring around the breath cycle with gently flowing asana sequences in combination with restorative yoga practice and meditation.

Redfining Qi

with Paul Lara

Saturday November 13, 2010

6:30pm-9:30pm ($40)

Contact: paul@qibelly.com

Applying traditional Eastern techniques to our everyday lifestyle is a process that requires a contemporary approach. Cultural interpretations and vocabulary have limited our access to a philosophy that originally pointed to personal experience. By using names and labels that draw upon the kinds of experiences we have in the world we live in today, we can apply these ancient philosophical principles as they were intended to be used, subjectively. This 3 hour workshop will address the concept of Qi in terms of its effect on our everyday life. Participants will be challenged to think critically and personally about the concept of Qi so that you can leave holding a no-nonsense stance in your grasp of this seminal Eastern concept.

Dance Improvisation Intensive: Exploring Body Memory and Physical Expansion

with Aimee Dawn Robinson
8 hours -- Friday October 8, 15, 22 and 29,

6:30pm - 8:30pm ($150)

It seems we spend a lot of time seeking to release our bodies/minds through highly structured physical activities. While structured practices have understandable value, there are joys and possibilities available to us through the processes of

less-structured physical acts. Dance improvisation (and the multi-faceted release it can afford us) is one of these acts.

Are you curious about dance and its’ possible role in the life of your body? Please join me to explore dance improvisation for anyone and everyone -- trained and untrained dancers. In this four-week workshop we will use relaxation and release techniques in groups,

partners and alone, to learn to create new bodies (physical expansion) within our old body by exploring physical/personal/embodied memories in combination with noticing and cultivating new sensations. Gentle sensory/physical expansion methods include blindfold work, calmly manipulating the body, image work and group discussion. Some brief outdoor work will be employed, weather permitting. We will also use music and near-silence

as inspiration for out work. Participants will perform short dances (in small groups and possibly solos – don’t be nervous!) for one another and receive respectful, guided feedback. We can all dance -- and we can find dance outside of codified/specialized dance/performance/theatre contexts. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have questions about this work.

motherdrift@hotmail.com

Yoga for Beginners

with Shelly Rowen
4 weeks Starts October 17

Sundays 2:30pm-4:00pm ($80)

Contact: (416) 530-1349

This class is for those who have never practiced yoga,

or practiced very little and would like to start at the beginning.

Lots of attention to detail and hands-on assisting will help

students find ease and comfort in their practice.

Self Healing with Ancient Egyptian Meditation and Oils

with Lennaert Jonkers

Sunday 3:30pm-6:30pm
November 28, 2010 ($40)
Contact: info@essenceofegypt.eu

This workshop offers an introduction to Ancient Egyptian ways of treatment for the mind, body and spirit. In this session, you will learn the basic principles of how to use an essential oil for self-healing and protection. Practice of seated and standing meditation postures will be presented in conjunction with a lecture style format to demonstrate how the use of essential oils works both physically and psychologically in the Ancient Egyptian healing tradition.

KARMA

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A hearty thank you to Anna S whose loving touch keeps our Prana Room beautiful and clean.

Thank you to Michael Stone for the use of his translation of Prana from his book The Inner Tradition of Yoga.

Parkdale Prana Room

Bodymind Therapy and Practices

Join Our Clinic

-------PAST WORKSHOPS--------

KARMA

Pasts Events

1273A Queen St W