Words & Photos from Charlize K. & Ava M.
Day 1 - Ava
We started the day off by describing our month since we last came together as a 3 course meal; some of us opted for a more symbolic approach while others simply picked their favourite foods. Then, we got into our first yoga practice of the day. It was nice to have an easier sequence to get back into the swing of things and to warm up our muscles. After that, we boarded the school bus to head down towards James Bay and the beach near Dallas Road. We enjoyed our lunch on the logs, looking out to the gloomy Victoria horizon. After lunch, our instructor, Michelle, read us a children’s book that she had read during her yoga teacher training called ‘Everybody Needs a Rock,’ in which the author explains how finding a perfect companion rock is more important than any other typical childhood possession. As you can probably guess, this led to us searching the beach for our own rock before finding a spot on the beach for one of our ‘sit spots’, where we sat for 10 minutes in silence, being present and taking in a moment of peace. Next, we walked to One Yoga in James Bay, where we participated in an anatomy yoga class with an instructor named Natalie. She taught us how to stack our bones and joints and how it is vital when doing yoga to prevent injuries and to get more of a burn rather than simply sitting into a pose. It was super tiring!! After the end of a long but fun-filled day, we boarded the bus and went back to school where we reflected on our day before being dismissed.
Day 2 - Charlize
After our day filled with excitement and cheer from seeing our peers and our lovely instructor, we had an instructor named Katie to come by and do a yoga practice with us to get us warmed up for our Arco time. In the yoga practice, it allowed us to stretch and learn new things about our bodies and yoga itself. Then we jumped into the arco, it was so cool having an instructor helping us out with different poses I never thought I would be able to do myself. It was an opportunity to step out of our comfort zones and try new things. It was also great to see everyone engaged and filled with excitement. This led us straight to lunch, which we ate at the school, and then came back as a group to do some guided mindfulness activities and meditation while recording on the screen. Everyone was a little exhausted as the arco was a good workout, so we all fell asleep during the meditation. After that, we decided to take advantage of the lovely weather outside and we went to do some more mindful activities. Some activities that we did were journaling in the sun about yourself and we had to make a story. Another activity was to walk around without our shoes and socks on so that we could engage with the ground and feel the earth. This was one of my favorite activities because I enjoyed the time to myself to walk and enjoy the weather while focusing on my breathing and personal being. This ended our time for the second day of yoga, which was filled with joy and memories and we can not wait for the upcoming days.