HOLNESS YOGA
Yoga Classes for Men and Women
SEE YOU AT THE DOJO
Home of KO Martial Arts and Holness Yoga
108 Golf course Rd, Minden. You'll love it!
About Gail Holness
Hello, I'm Gail,
Like you I have many roles.to play in this life. I shift back and forth between mother, daughter, sister, grandmother and yoga teacher, just to name a few. Each role is different, each brings it's own joy and heartbreak. I love colour. I try to avoid black. I am very creative but sometimes stagnant. I am a success and a failure. I am grateful that I am flexible but sometimes I can be painfully rigid. I have lived through dark days and went on to embrace the light.
Like you, I’m living the rollercoaster of life—its ups and downs, twists and turns. I’ve found that yoga and mindfulness help smooth out the ride, bringing me balance, peace, and joy in the most unexpected moments.
Come join me if you can. You'll find me at The DOJO in Minden.
With warmth and gratitude,
Gail
Yoga is a practice
My greatest yoga lesson is that what we do inside our head matters. The stories we tell ourselves can lift us or drag us down and stress us out. Stress hurts! It robs us of sleep, plays havoc with our digestive system, attacks our joints, damages our teeth, and breaks down our immune system.
Learning how to effectively deal with stress is a skill. Our yoga practice helps us develop those skills.
Final Relaxation
My first attempt at yoga left me feeling that I was wasting my time. There was nothing that I didn't already know. I was a certified fitness instructor then, and staying physically fit had always been important. Keyword physically. What I found most irritating about my yoga class was the Final Relaxation. It seemed like such a waste of time. Even though at that time I couldn't sleep on my bed, sit on my couch, or get through a day at work because my back would spasm. I was a stressed-out single mom who owned a busy restaurant - there weren't enough hours in my day. I was looking forward to having back surgery. I knew that would fix me - not yoga. Yet there I was, lying on my back, on the floor, twiddling my thumbs.
Eight weeks later something changed. Final relaxation, like an enzyme, triggered that change. I let go of the thoughts and stories that captured my mind and relaxed into the rhythm of my breath. I felt like I was floating - there was no pain. My mind and body needed to learn to relax and let go. We must be able to come into a relaxed state for our bodies to heal. I was healing. Finale relaxation is the most important part of our yoga class.
Off to India I go
The more I practiced yoga the more my life changed. My back improved to the point where I decided not to go ahead with the surgery. I stopped grinding my teeth. My hives disappeared. Bladder and yeast infections cleared up. There was no medication. My body was healing itself. I needed to know how this was happening. I read book after book and took course after course. I married the love of my life, Mike, sold my restaurant, moved to Haliburton, and as a gift to myself traveled to India to study yoga at the Sivananda Ventata Yoga Center.
I am committed to uncovering the profound connection mind, body, and spirit. Driven by a passion for this relationship, I stay updated on the latest findings from scientists, neurologists, and doctors. Each discovery reaffirms the principles yoga has long cherished. My eagerness to learn has allowed me to earn the highest distinction, CYA-E-RYOLD, from the Canadian Yoga Alliance, acknowledging my dedication to excellence in yoga instruction.
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