Tending To Your Inner Garden

The place that lives inside of you, hoping you’ll visit often.  The place that needs to be nourished with all the things that feed your soul, on a daily basis.  The place that longs for your truth and needs to be held with love, care and compassion.

Join me on a 6 month journey, created for you. A place to tend to your inner garden; nothing to prove, no expectations, simply a space to show up exactly as you are. 

Together we’ll be tending to ourselves in cycle and in resonance with the rhythms of the earth.  Remember we’re not alone on this wild human journey, and there is a special magic that happens when we come together in like hearted community and engage in healing practices.  

Our time together begins this fall, as the leaves drop away dancing in the wind and we practice putting down what no longer serves us. In this letting go, we create fertile compost for the earth, and for ourselves – this letting go is a gift. The autumn is also a potent time to set intentions and to nurture your foundation to prepare for the coming months of deep nourishment and darkness. 

We honour the cocooning of the winter months, a time to rest, restore and look within for renewal, our seeds resting in the earth. 

Together we’ll create a warm, inclusive, and powerful – yet gentle container, with the invitation to reclaim the parts of ourselves that often get lost in the day to day of our human lives. The parts of us that thrive on grounded practices that connect us to beauty, wonder and peace in our own inner being.

As the wheel turns, savoring a slow  emergence with the spring, feeling into your own unique process.  The spring heralds a time of new beginnings if we allow it, the bubbling of energy and the stirrings of new movement – in the world within our inner garden and within the world around us.

Through each month we’ll explore different aspects of ourselves and our process:

November – Grounding and Creating our safe container

December – Softening and Letting Go

January – Visioning and Receiving

February – Healing and Being Held

March – Integration

April – Joy, play and wonder

In each of our sessions together we’ll explore:

Grounding Practices, Breathwork, Gentle Movement, Poetry, Song, Journaling and Meditation.

Each gather will also include a guided relaxation and healing sound practice.

I offer you this as an invitation to come home to yourself

You belong here.

  I invite you now to take a few breaths, notice what arises. Give yourself a moment to simply pause. 

If you’re feeling the call from deep within you to say yes to this invitation, simply click on the link below (with the option that suits you best) to register for this nourishing exploration together. Please note these sessions will be offered online through the zoom platform.

I look forward to spending these windows of self care time with you.

Dates: Sign up for EITHER Monday afternoons from 1:30 – 3:00 pm (EST) OR if evenings are better, Tuesdays from 6:30 – 8:00 pm (EST)

Click here to register for Monday AfternoonsClick here to register for Tuesday evenings
November 6th, 20thNovember 14th, 28th
December 4th, 18thDecember 12th, 19th
January 8th, 22ndJanuary 16th, 30th
February 5th, 26thFebruary 13th, 27th
March 4th, 18thMarch 5th, 19th
April 8th, 22ndApril 2nd, 16th

Cost:  $240 plus HST (this works out to $20 +HST /session for 12 sessions)

If this is not accessible to you at this time but you hear the call, please send me an email at amber@suryadaya.ca and we can discuss options. Sliding scale is available as No one will be turned away due to finances.

Please note: Your camera can be on or off for our live sessions, there will never be any expectation to share, this is intended as time for you to go within.

If you can’t make a scheduled gather, no worries, Each session will be recorded and sent out to all registrants within 48 hours of the live session. You’ll receive a video link to revisit our time together as often as you’d like, with access for a year and the option to download.

Start date: My November 2023 offering is full and registration is now closed

Upcoming dates: New session starting November 2024, I already have a waitlist so let me know if you’d like to be notified when dates are posted.

Starting next week I’ll also be starting a weekly online gentle movement and relaxation class Thursday afternoons from 2:30 – 3:30. You can check out my schedule here

Click here to learn more about my rates

To register, Simply click on the dates you’d like to join me and fill out your name and email, or you can send me an email with any questions at amber@suryadaya.ca

“A reminder: You are not a Before and After story. You don’t need to turn every experience of your life into wisdom, or prove to anyone how far you’ve come, or rush your way toward some other version of yourself. You don’t need to dissect yourself endlessly in order to extract your life for the consumption of others. You don’t need to be a beacon of hope or an example of overcoming. You don’t need to minimize your struggles OR your joy for the comfort of someone else’s story of you. You don’t need to bypass what’s true and real by performing what you think you’re supposed to be. You don’t need to be beyond what you teach or what you share, what you offer or what you give. You don’t need to deny when things are hard OR when things are easy, or when things feel right in the middle. You can let yourself be human, no matter what roles you play or what identities others hold you to, no matter what others expect of you or anticipate from you. You get to be human. You get to be human. You get to be human.”

Lisa Olivera

Day 20 of Amber’s Yoga Support Challenge

Welcome to day 20 of our 30 day’s of yoga support during this challenging time!

Today we’ll be exploring a powerful stress management practice, called Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR).

This simple technique involves the tensing and relaxing of all of the muscles in your body in a sequential order.   By tensing your muscles before relaxing them, you enable yourself to relax them more thoroughly after you release, letting go of physical and mental tension more effectively.

Dr. Herbert Benson is a pioneer in mind body medicine and was one of the first doctors in the 60’s and 70’s to bring alternative stress management  techniques, including progressive relaxation, into the medical arena.  Research shows that through this technique, as we move tension through the body with the ultimate goal of relaxation, we  also release psychological tension and stress, minimizing our stress reactivity and decreasing our experience of chronic stress.  Trying these practices can help to support many chronic health problems that are caused or exacerbated by stress, which I think we can safely say stress plays a role in all of our health concerns.

We can also let go of those old wounds, the stories we’re still carrying that no longer serve us.

Did you know that through a daily practice of stress release and management, we build our reserves?  We give our nervous systems a chance to re-calibrate and integrate the experiences of our lives, rather than overloading our bodies and our minds.  We also give ourselves an invitation to return to a state of equilibrium on a daily basis through our practice.

Today we’ll be moving through a shortened version, but you can take up to 30 minutes slowly moving through each part of your body separately and then finishing with a few rounds of full body tension followed by complete relaxation.  You want to make sure you give yourself at least 5 – 10 minutes to rest in the final relaxation state, inviting your awareness to follow the flow of breath, dropping deeper into a restorative place where you heal from.

To view the practice today click here

With regular relaxation breaks, over time your whole self will feel lighter, more easeful and more at home in yourself.

I would like to send out a special message to all the people at Country Haven today, I know we have lost more members of our community.  My heart is with all the families who have lost their loved ones at Country Haven.  My heart is with all the workers that are navigating this scary time.  My heart is with all those we have lost during this virus, sending them love on their journey, praying no more lives will be taken.

Thank you for joining me today, it is an honor to be with you on this journey.

You are so very loved, and cherished.

Thank you also to my husband, Jay Young, for the beautiful musical accompaniment in yesterday, and today’s videos, a little extra hug holding you in your practice.

Till tomorrow

Much love, Amber

Amber restorative picture

Day 19 of Amber’s 30 days of yoga support

“Seeking love keeps you from the awareness that you already have it – that you are it”

–  Byron Katie

YOU ARE LOVE, can you close your eyes and feel that?  I invite you to take a minute and breathe that into your heart, into every cell in your physical body.  Infuse your breath with kindness and compassion, acknowledging the infinite reservoir of love that you are.

Welcome to day 19!  Wow, how did we get here?  Day 19.

As I sit down to weave together a little mini yoga practice for you, the rain falls outside.  I love rainy days, I feel like it’s natures invitation for us to cocoon a little, nurture an easeful gentle practice, read a good book, cozy up with our favorite blanket and drink tea in the company of our journal.

The rain allows us to connect with it’s energy, imagining our stress washing away with the pure droplets that fall from the sky.

I wish for you a cozy day today.

Our practice will support an introspective experience, inviting you to connect with your breath and the energy of your heart.

Our movements will help to open the chest, support your breast health, release the rib cage and thoracic cavity, stimulate your lymphatics, and nourish and nurture your heart.

Coming to a comfortable seated position, with your palms in prayer pose connected to the energy of your heart in the center of your chest.

To view the practice click here

We’ll take a few deep grounding breaths together.  On your next inhale, opening your arms out to the sides (as if you’re going to give someone the biggest hug ever), as you exhale, bringing your hands back to prayer pose.  Inhale, lifting arms up towards the sky through the center line of your body as you open the space between your hands about 2 feet, exhale bringing hands back together in prayer pose and slowly lower hands back to your heart center.  We’ll move through a few cycles of this gentle sequence.  Close your eyes down and allow this to be a dance between your breath and your body.

Let’s do a few shoulder circles together, and come laying down on one side.  Resting your arms extended in front of your body, and your legs in a bent position as if you’re sitting in a chair.  It’s best to watch the video to have a visual of this movement.  There is no text book way of doing this movement, I want you to really explore the circles in any way that makes sense for you.  We’ll be drawing circles around the body, moving slowly, noticing sensations, releasing tension, and relaxing.  Relaxing into ourselves.

Thank you for being with me today, it is a privilege and such an honor to be invited into your day.

My love travels with you

Till tomorrow

Amber

gratitude

Upcoming Prenatal Series

Please join us for a 4 week prenatal yoga series starting Wednesday March 4th

Yoga is an incredible way to honour yourself on all levels during the transitional time of pregnancy. It helps to prepare you for the birthing process and supports you physically and emotionally during one of the most intense and beautiful times in a women’s life. This class is also about connection, with your growing baby, with your body through the changes, and with a group of women as they travel their own path to motherhood.

Vichardeep will be leading you on this journey, connecting you to that deep place of wisdom within as you transform through your pregnancy.

The series will be held on Wednesday nights from 5:45 – 6:45 pm March 4th – March 25th

The cost for the full series is $60 (HST included).

Please contact the studio directly, or click hereto reserve your spot.

info@suryadaya.ca or call 613-451-2891

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Photo by Iamngakan eka on Pexels.com

Vichardeep Kaur came to yoga to find deeper meaning in life and a deeper connection to herself. She started teaching yoga in 2013, and in 2016, she followed her passion for pregnancy and birth and started her doula training. She chose to combine her life work to support women through yoga and birth support. She looks forward to supporting you on your journey to motherhood, providing a safe space to honour this very sacred time in your life.

Karma Class Friday, November 22nd, for the McComb Family, at Heritage Community Fitness Centre in CP

Join us this Friday at Heritage Fitness Community Center in CP for a fundraiser for the McComb family.

Many of you will remember the fundraiser we hosted earlier this year for Lilly, a young girl in our community fighting cancer. We partnered with Heritage and held two classes for the family.  That fundraiser made a world of difference for Lilly and her family, and we are so grateful that Heritage Fitness in Carleton Place is holding another event to help support them through this incredibly challenging time.

Led by Gillian White, this 75-minute Yin and Massage class will pamper you as you are guided through a yin yoga practice and there will be extra supports (teachers and RMT’s) in the class gently providing massage and adjustments that encourage you to sink deeper into the poses and release layers of tension.

Expand into relaxation as you end your week and give back to a family in need in your community.

Instructor: Gillian White
Date: Friday, November 22nd
Time: 7:30pm – 8:45pm
Donation Options: $5, $20, $35, or $35

The money raised during the event helps ensure Lilly is continued to be supported by her mother full-time without making the additional sacrifices that become necessary with an illness of this magnitude.  We are also collecting donations on behalf of this event at our studio in Almonte.  100% of all money raised will be going directly to the family.

Register in person at Heritage Fitness at 2 Costello Drive, Carlton Place, 613-253-2112, or online using the heritage fitness app
McComb Family picture

Winter Solstice Relaxation and Renewal Workshop

Our next Relaxation and Renewal Workshop with Margie and Amber will be Sunday, December 22nd from 2:00 – 4:30 pm.

Honoring the darkest day of the year, a time of deep introspection and self nourishment, we will lead you through a beautiful afternoon of yin and restorative yoga practices, pranayama, connection, tea and snacks, an extended relaxation with the gong and the crystal bowls, and perhaps a little foot massage.

This workshop will help to set a beautiful peaceful rhythm for the holidays, and support you to gain clarity for the new year ahead.

Space is limited and these afternoons tend to fill fast, we keep these workshops very sacred and cozy with smaller numbers.

If you’d like to attend give us a call or send us a message, please note payment is necessary to reserve your spot.

To reserve your spot please click here

silhouette of trees at night
Photo by Harrison Haines on Pexels.com