I was recently interviewed by Chatelaine magazine to tell my story of being addicted to stress. Here’s the article. Vancouver-based Dr. Gabor Maté has written a great book on the subject, When the Body Says No: The Cost of Hidden Stress. I recommend all his books, but this one in particular woke me up to the trap I was in of creating a stressful lifestyle for myself. Anyway check out the Chatelaine article to see some helpful tips about reducing stress!

Image credit © 2006 Avanti Press, Inc., Box 2656 Detroit, MI 48231

I invite you to spend a summer morning in the North Shore mountains, just 20 minutes from downtown Vancouver and 10 minutes from the Commercial Drive area, exploring your yoga practice in an idyllic sandy spot in nature, by the glorious Seymour River.

You will learn the nature psychology of the four directions, an ancient-modern model of understanding the psyche of humans and nature. Each cardinal direction has its own colours, textures, seasons, stages of life, and qualities of true nature. We will explore the qualities embodied by the directions through yoga poses that connect these elemental energies with your own physicality. This is an opportunity to deepen into your connection to yourself and the natural world.

Enjoy the carefree feeling of being a child outdoors, the vivid colours of summer, and the beauty of our westcoast rainforest with a small group of people like you who are interested in exploring the depths of nature.

Location Lower Seymour Conservation Reserve, North Vancouver

Date & Time Saturday, July 21, 2012, 10:00 am – 1:00 pm

Cost $69

Carpooling We will meet at 9:40 am at a location on Commercial Drive to drive to the location.

To register, please email the following information to: register [at] bcwildernessvisions [dot] com.

• Name
• Phone number
• Program you are registering for, including date
• Questions or comments

For payment information, please see the Fees page at the BC Wilderness Visions website.

Questions Contact Karen at 604.251.6337 or email info [at] bcwildernessvisions [dot] com.

About the teacher

Karen Rempel is a certified and registered yoga instructor, and spent a year as a volunteer teaching yoga to youth in prison. She’s also taught yoga to seniors in Merritt, and developed a Yoga for the Office program that she teaches in Vancouver. She is certified and registered through Yoga Alliance and YogaBC. She is also a trained wilderness guide. For information about other nature programs, please visit the BC Wilderness Visions website.

Initially, I wanted to design a class that would help technical writers like me, who work at the computer all day and are subject to sore eyes, necks, shoulders, backs, arms, and wrists. Then I realized that these areas would be prone to soreness and stiffness for anyone who works at a computer or typewriter, or even possibly at a piano! Conforming our bodies to machines or pianos takes its toll, even with the most ergonomically appropriate workspace. So I broadened the focus from technical writers to office workers in general.

The class is a gentle and revitalizing yoga program that can be done anywhere, including at the office, with no special clothing or equipment required. Absolutely no experience is necessary. Both the one-hour session and the 15-minute class are appropriate for any fitness level and teach some simple yoga breathing and postures that you can do at your office—even in business clothing—to revitalize yourself during your work day, bringing energy and suppleness into your body, focusing your mind, and easing tension from your eyes and neck. I also include a five-minute refresher exercise that’s great to do at home at the end of the work day. I provide a take-to-work Yoga Handout that you can use to practice the poses after the class is over.

I offer the one-hour workshop to offices in the Lower Mainland. Please let me know if you’re interested! You can reach me at 604.251.6337.

I am a certified and registered yoga instructor, and spent a year as a volunteer teaching yoga to youth in prison. I’ve also taught yoga to seniors in Merritt. I enjoy teaching people who are new to yoga. I am certified and registered through Yoga Alliance and YogaBC.

I finished a degree in ecopsychology at Naropa University in 2007, and since then I have been discovering different ways to use what I have learned to serve my people… which includes family, colleagues, and my professional organization, as well as other communities. In the busy city of Vancouver, I think we all belong to multiple communities. And to the community of the planet as a whole.

I believe that many people are concerned about the challenges we are facing as a planet, such as climate change, pollution, social injustice, and economic difficulties. I also believe that people want to make a difference, and do many things in their lives that are making a difference already. So I decided it would be empowering and lively to celebrate the ways we make a difference. This theme still excites me, and it carried me through the challenges I occasionally faced as chapter president for the 2008-2009 term. I believe it has infused our chapter membership of technical writers with enthusiasm about being a part of our STC community.

It has been very inspiring for me to hear of the many different ways our members serve their people: bringing food to people living with HIV or AIDS and their families, street-level outreach for the homeless, dog therapy for palliative care patients, helping friends and family members with child care, and many, many other wonderful contributions. It is not surprising that technical writers are so passionate about service when one considers that we have all chosen a type of work that is service-oriented, helping our clients, companies, and the end users of our documentation to solve their problems. One of the ways that I enjoy contributing is through teaching yoga to people who otherwise might not have an opportunity to experience it.