The Yoga Shala Calgary: Ashtanga Yoga Instruction & Practice

Kimberley Girard

Yoga came into my life, as it does in most, to replace outgrown destructive patterns. From the first day I stepped on the mat I have not looked back, replacing these habits with a dedicated Ashtanga practice. Not long after discovering yoga, Zen meditation entered my life, and together the two have formed the cornerstone of my day. Over time, it has become apparent that my respect and love for these practices extend beyond the practices themselves, and into the yoga and meditation of ordinary life. It is no accident that we refer to our yoga as a "practice", as that is just what it is - a period of time in which we can practice how to be calm and present, and how to slow down our thoughts and desires in order to appreciate things as they are and become aware of them as they change.

My teaching is informed by my own practice, and by a philosophy of experiential self-discovery. It is my intention to assist students to find a position from which they too can explore themselves and the world around them. It is the ultimate blessing as a teacher to then step aside, and watch the universal teachings unfold without force or apprehension. I have utmost respect and full trust in the healing power of both yoga and meditation to transform the physical, emotional and intellectual self, peeling back the layers to reveal what has always been perfect and whole. My most startling revelation has been to learn first-hand that there is no right or wrong way to go about this all, thus allowing myself and others to live life, full and free.

Thank you - to all of my teachers and to the beautiful yoga community that we belong to. To those who challenge me, inspire me, and warm my days. You would be hard-pressed to find me at the studio without my family nearby... To my baby girl Zion, the little teacher growing along side me who has taught me SO much already. And, above all, to Stephan: my husband, practice partner and best friend.

Each day, in gratitude, I make a practice that, as I "bow to the lotus feet of the guru", I pause for a moment to look at my own feet, to honour the teacher within. May you do the same.

Love,
Kima

Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing,
there is a field. I’ll meet you there.

When the soul lies down in that grass,
the world is too full to talk about.

Ideas, language, even the phrase each other
doesn’t make any sense.

Rumi