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Yaz Maziar |
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For more information about Moksha Yoga, email us at info@mokshayoga.ca or call 416-778-9898 |
For more information about Moksha Yoga, email us at info@mokshayoga.ca or call 416-778-9898 |
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== Yaz Maziar == |
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Yaz Maziar is currently working as Senior Associate Manager, Internet Fundraising at the [[Heart and Stroke Foundation]]. |
Revision as of 18:09, 10 April 2007
Nukum
Nukum is the greatest sport on earth. Played in T-rod's backyard, we utilize a volley, and a voleyball net as well as a volleyball court. This game is played in grass, so we do not get hurt when we fall on the ground. More on the subject is to come.
A.J. Drew
A.J. Drew is a "Wiccan author and self-described Pagan Leader, who is an arrogant, bullying and borderline illiterate."
- No, I do not agree with this statement. It is not something I believe in, however there is a certain person who seems to only want to start arguments and this post in Wikipedia is to help prove a point. -
clitoris
Michael Crumley
Job
Michael "Mike" Crumley currently works at SHHS as a teacher of technology.
Trivia
Mike Crumley was named after King Louis III.
His real name is Michaelonototomus Gertrusome Crumdumdotomus IVVVVVV^67594030492373849.5960394
Scott Tinley
Commonly known as the worlds sexiest man!
What is Moksha Yoga?
Moksha hot yoga is a series of postures practiced in a heated room. The series was created by Ted Grand, a senior yoga instructor in Canada who brought years of teaching and studying experience together to create a series that addresses common complaints such as low back pain, tight hips, daily stress and general fatigue. The series works to stretch, strengthen and tone the muscles while detoxifying the body and calming the mind.
While each of our instructors brings their own unique experience and style to their teaching, all classes follow a basic structure that is fundamental to the Moksha practice:
Savasana or corpse pose is how we begin. Lying flat on the back with the palms turned up and the feet slightly separated, we start a challenging practice in relaxation, allowing our expectations to fall away and be replaced by the potential for pure experience.
Intention setting. In any activity setting goals or intentions breeds accomplishment. Often a teacher will set a theme for a class - for example being more aware of your breath, or building the core muscles of the abdomen. Especially for those with a busy life, this brings the experience of a hot yoga class into focus.
The standing series is a cardiovascular set of postures. The focus is on building strength, balance and endurance through hot yoga postures done from a standing position. Postures are held anywhere from 10 seconds to a minute, allowing the skin to sweat and detoxify the body.
The floor series works on strengthening the upper body, spine and abdominal muscles. . Having thoroughly warmed the body in the standing series, we now begin to open the hips and spine. The floor series relieves tension, treats lower back and knee pain and improves posture.
Final Savasana ends the class the way it began: lying flat on the back. The standing and floor series have warmed and opened the body, and now it is ready to relaxAt the end of class students leave at their own pace,each with greatly reduced stress levels, a rejuvenated internal system and a little yoga twinkle in the eye (you'll see!).
Green policies and initiatives
The Moksha Yoga community of studios was built upon one simple premise – to offer safe and inspiring yoga in 100% ‘green’ studios. It is this premise that we operate from when considering any decision or direction that the community encounters. Moksha Yoga’s governing body, Moksha Yoga Inc., requires all studio owners to sign a contract that has them commit to building their studios with sustainable and non-toxic building materials, and using early adopter technologies to heat, light and clean their studios. Moksha Yoga is a style of yoga that is taught in Canada, the US, Asia and Europe. Since it’s inception in 2003, Moksha Yoga has gone on to service more than 40,000 people in it’s Toronto-area studios alone, and has become the largest provider of yoga in Toronto. It is the only style of yoga that has been developed in Canada, and has been voted ‘best yoga’ in Toronto Life Magazine’s ‘Best of Toronto’ issue. Our success is encouraging a dramatic growth, and there are studios scheduled to open this year in North York, Scarborough, Markham, and Mississauga (not to mention Edmonton, Winnipeg, Barrie and Halifax). Moksha Yoga studios and their teachers have evolved into something more than any of us could have imagined or hoped for – we are environmental educators in a business sector that sees environmental awareness being touted in a cursory and sometimes dismissive manner. This role becomes very important, as the average student who comes to yoga is open-minded and receptive to new information. Through our board of directors, we also implement an annual environmental review process of all studios within the community. At our AGM, we give a report on what measures are working, and how we can improve systems that are not effective. This is essential, as it keeps the studio owners active and determined to succeed in their ‘greening’ efforts. We are also in the process of enlisting the help of Deborah Kaplan of Zerofootprint to do independent environmental audits of each studio. With the annual review and audit of each studio, we ensure a sense of momentum in the community so that environmental and ethical business practices are at the forefront of our community vision.
Every Moksha Yoga studio commits to hosting a weekly ‘Karma Class’, where each student who participates in the class does so by donation (minimum $5), and 100% of the proceeds go to local charities. As a community Moksha Yoga have raised over $100,000 so far for such groups as the Toronto Environmental Alliance and Friends of the Don East. We have recently expanded the Karma funds program to co-found The New Leaf Foundation, which brings yoga to youth detention centres and rehab clinics, in the hope that youth who are deemed ‘at risk’ will develop tools that facilitate calm and responsibility in their lives.
Innovation, creativity and originality
All Moksha Yoga studios use sustainably-harvested cork floors with non-toxic sealants, while the one exception uses the finest bamboo for their main yoga room and reclaimed hardwood for their second yoga room. All studios use 100% non-toxic paints (Farrow and Ball, Lifemaster 2000), and heat the studios using radiant heating panels that were designed by the EPA (they use 50% less energy than baseboard heaters and 25% less equivalent energy than gas). The lighting systems incorporate low-use compact fluorescents, all washers and dryers are the best in energy efficiency, and all cleaning products we use come from Grassroots Environmental Products. All showerheads and taps have filters that reduce water flow, and we place filters on taps for drinking water as well. A recent standout example of environmental stewardship in the Moksha Yoga community was Moksha Yoga Uptown (Yonge and St. Clair). In moving studio locations, they went out of their way to have their already reclaimed hardwood floor reclaimed again and re-installed in the new location. They also moved radiant heating panels, lighting fixtures, and office equipment so as to have as little impact in their move as possible. They also incorporated reclaimed materials in benches, desks, and retail displays. Moksha Yoga also uses a lot of peripheral supplies in the management of their studios. Everything from yoga mats to towels to office supplies are all sourced based on their level of environmental value. For example, we have sourced out yoga mats that do not have PVC as well as mats that are made from natural latex and jute. We have purchased unbleached cotton towels from Grassroots, and we sell water bottles that are hard plastic or aluminum, so as to reduce the amount of disposable water bottles that are used. Seeing as the studios need to be cleaned twice a day, we use environmentally friendly cleaning products, also from Grassroots. The impetus carries itself through on everything from the envelopes we use through to all printed materials. An example would be that all brochures, posters and schedules are printed on 100% post-consumer recycled paper using soy inks. All Moksha Yoga studios have an efficient and dependable recycling program in place using our system of volunteers that give their time to helping keep the studio clean and green in exchange for free yoga classes. Though not specifically environmental, this volunteer program ensures that people of all socio-economic representations can practice Moksha Yoga if they desire. Moksha Yoga’s head office in Riverdale is a testament to environmental commitment, as it’s hydro provider is Bullfrog Power. Though we pay a premium, it is comforting to know that the electricity that we use is (indirectly) derived from solar, wind and micro-hydro sources. We were one of Bullfrog’s first 100 clients, and are looking for ways to work with them further. The office also had reclaimed hardwood floors, no-VOC clay-based paint on the walls, uses only 100% post-consumer paper in their printing and processing. We also have an extensive library at the headquarters where studio owners and teachers have access to literature and movies that educate them further about what we can do to be proactive in our approach to the environment.
Promotion of Environmental Stewardship
Moksha Yoga is a self-contained community of studios, in that we train and hire our teachers solely from the Moksha Yoga teacher training that is held in Toronto each summer. Within the teacher training we incorporate the lessons of sustainable living and environmental stewardship and attach it to some of the most fundamental yoga philosophies – “Ahimsa” for example, is the very first moral precept that informs the yogic path. It means ‘non-violence’ or the avoidance of violence, and we interpret that as having a light footprint on the earth, and living as though each decision we make is having an impact on future generations. Moksha Yoga also offer 4 seminars in each of our teacher training programs so as to reinforce the idea that peace and health are fundamentally attached to awareness and social responsibility. The seminars are: 1) An overview of the challenges and issues surrounding climate change/global warming 2) The positive changes that are occurring in industry and politics through environmental awareness 3) A discussion on the value and importance of eating locally (and organic if possible) produced food in terms of environmental stewardship 4) Weaving together business and ethics – strategies and examples One of our primary goals in creating this community of aware teachers is the fact that the information that they share with students goes far beyond teaching people how to touch their toes. To ensure this representation of environmental stewardship by our teachers, all information presented in the teacher trainings and at the studios is open to debate and discussion, and in so doing we allow people to come to their own conclusions based on the material presented. So as not to alienate our teachers, customers or studio owners, we present our environmental ethos from the standpoint of education by association. We offer solutions that are working for us and make them feel as though by being a student or teacher at a Moksha Yoga studio they are in some way contributing towards a solution. This way, as if by osmosis, students begin to make proactive environmental choices in their life. There is a particularly significant way that Moksha Yoga educates our studio owners and our students, and that is through our involvement with Zerofootprint. Through submitting our electrical and gas bills each month to Zerofootprint, we are able to determine an approximate ‘carbon footprint’ and donate an equivalent dollar value to be used by Zerofootprint for the planting of eco-certified forests, the protection of local GTA watersheds and the creation of urban green space. We have 100% commitment from all Moksha Yoga studios on this initiative and have succeeded in raising awareness regarding energy consumption throughout the community. In fact, the studios now find themselves trying to find better ways to insulate their studios, they are placing heaters on timers, installing dimmer switches on higher-use light fixtures, and putting up signs asking students to take short showers after class.
Leadership
The Moksha Yoga community has attempted to bring the practice of Moksha Yoga to as many people as possible in the hope that people can find better health and learn to lead a more thoughtful and considerate life. This has brought Ted Grand, the creator of the Moksha Yoga series of poses, to teach at the biggest yoga conferences in Canada, as well as teach workshops across Canada, the US, England, Taiwan, and Thailand. Ted also presented a lecture on the topic, “Yoga and the Environment” at Toronto City Hall in February, 2006. This was done through the group, ‘Coalition for a Green Economy’, and the seminar involved tying together the principles of yoga with the underlying principles of environmental activism. Moksha Yoga has also begun to implement a new green strategy in 2007 with the following goals being worked on at present: 1) encourage our students and teachers to take transit or cycle to the studio, possibly offering a subsidized pass system for those who commit to greening their transportation 2) set up a collection box at each studio so that the fundraising for various non-profits extends beyond the Karma classes 3) ‘zerofootprinting’ our teacher training programs 4) having monthly movie nights at our studios to show our students movies such as, “An Inconvenient Truth” and “Go Further” 5) developing a new link on our website that addresses all of Moksha Yoga’s environmental initiatives, as well as tips that people can do to help
Additional Information It is important to note that nothing like what Moksha Yoga is doing existed when we began in 2003, nor does it exist to this day. We have become known for being a ‘green’ community of yoga studios, and have gained the respect and admiration of the greater yoga community. The Green Yoga Association in the US has been in contact with Moksha Yoga and has requested Ted Grand to be involved with an advisory group that is trying to get yoga studios across North America on it’s Green Studios Program. Another point of significance is that Moksha Yoga does not operate in a traditional economic model, and has redefined what a bottom line can be: education, environmental ethics, and profit. We are determined to have our community of studios grow in an uncompromising fashion in terms of our vision and goals.
Moksha Yoga ~ Our Vision Statement
Moksha literally means freedom, or liberation. Through our passion for teaching yoga and our personal commitment to the path of yoga, we aspire to create a great freedom in ourselves and our students – freedom from stress, freedom from illness, and freedom from boredom. We feel strongly that in order to experience these freedoms, our students must be provided with safe, clear and inspiring instruction. It is through exceptional teaching in a supportive environment that out students will feel their greatest freedom - a calm mind, a fit body and an inspired life.
The Moksha Yoga community of studios is committed to making yoga accessible to all who seek to experience a more balanced and peaceful life. To this end, every Moksha yoga studio offers a weekly Karma class where students are able to practice at a reduced rate. 100% of the funds generated through the Karma classes are given to charity, with an emphasis on local, underserved causes such as family shelters, municipal environmental initiatives and crisis centres. Moksha Yoga students can then feel that the effect of their yoga practice goes beyond the yoga room and into the lives of those in need.
Within the studios and beyond, Moksha is committed to operating based on a deep sense of responsibility to the planet. Every Moksha Yoga studio owner adheres to very strict environmental standards in the building and management of their studio. Each studio is required to use sustainably harvested cork or bamboo, or reclaimed hardwood for their floors, chemical free paints on the walls and ceilings, sustainable and non-toxic building supplies, low consumption lights, energy-efficient washers and dryers, ecological heating systems, and each studio is cleaned and maintained with environmentally-friendly cleaning products. Moksha Yoga students can feel comfortable and confident knowing that their studio is a healthy, peaceful and conscious place to practice yoga.
To emphasize our commitment to the earth, each Moksha Yoga studio is required to be a “Zerofootprint” member. Zerofootprint is an organization that measures the environmental impact a home or business has on the planet. Each month, Zerofootprint determines what each studios’ ‘footprint’ is based on water and electricity use, and gives a dollar value that reflects that impact. We donate this money to Zerofootprint, who then ensures that a corresponding number of trees are planted, that local watersheds are protected and that green urban spaces are created. We then become a ‘carbon-neutral’ business that has a positive impact on the earth through our business and our yoga. This way, all who practice Moksha Yoga are contributing towards a greener, more sustainable future.
Beyond the practice room, Moksha yoga, through its teacher training program and in collaboration with the New Leaf Foundation, sends teachers into communities to introduce yoga to various under-serviced associations and marginalized individuals - for example: half-way houses, centres for addiction, incarcerated individuals and youth at risk. Classes are taught free of charge and give individuals skills to assist in elevating their feeling of self-worth, belonging and purpose.
Moksha Yoga has a simple vision – to contribute towards more peace in the world and to make our experience in this life more healthy and inspired.
“Our life is a gift. Our gift back to the universe is what we do with our life”
Studio locations
Canada
Manitoba
Winnipeg Moksha Yoga Winnipeg 2 Donald St. Unit 7. Winnipeg, Manitoba telephone: 204.452.5535 website: http://www.mokshayogawinnipeg.com
Ontario
Toronto Danforth 372A Danforth Ave. Toronto, ON telephone: 416.778.7744 website: http://www.mokshayogadanforth.com
Toronto Downtown 860 Richmond St. Toronto, ON telephone: 416.361.3033 website: http://www.mokshayogadowntown.com
Toronto Uptown 1498 Yonge St. 2nd floor Toronto, ON M4T 1Z6 telephone: 416.868.YOGA (9642) website: http://www.mokshayogauptown.com
Richmond Hill 1455 16th Ave., Unit 10 Richmond Hill, ON telephone: 905.881.0010 website: http://www.mokshayogarichmondhill.com
Vaughan
28 Roytec Rd. Unit 1 Woodbridge, Ontario L4L 8E4 telephone: 905-266-0894 website: http://www.mokshayogavaughan.com
London 677 Richmond St., Unit 4 London, ON N6A 5M1 telephone: 519.850.8850 website: http://www.mokshayogalondon.com
Oakville 2640 Bristol Circle, Suite 300 Oakville, ON telephone: 905.829.3443 website: http://www.mokshayogaoakville.com
Pickering 865 Concession 7 RR#5 Claremont ON L1Y 1A2 Classes by appointment only contact: jjsiskind2@hotmail.com
Quebec
Montreal 3863 Boulevard St. Laurent Montreal, QC telephone: 514.288.3863 website: http://www.mokshayogamontreal.com
Trinidad
Trinidad: Various class locations - call 868 681 2979 website: http://www.mokshayogatrinidad.com
United States
San Francisco This studio is located in a home. Please contact info@mokshayoga.ca for more info.
Upcoming Studios
The following studios will be opening soon. If you'd like to be placed on an email list for an upcoming studio's grand opening, get in touch with us at info@Mokshayoga.ca.
Alberta
* Edmonton
Nova Scotia
* Halifax
Ontario
* Aurora/Newmarket * Etobicoke * Markham * Mississauga * North York * Scarborough
Affiliated Studios
Here are some studios offering classes taught by Moksha Yoga certified teachers:
England London - Naomi Yoga www.naomiyoga.ca
Taiwan Space www.withinspace.com
For more information about Moksha Yoga, email us at info@mokshayoga.ca or call 416-778-9898
Computerate - slang term meaning computer literate. Coined by the Honorable Judge Charles Ramsay, 2007
Moksha Yoga
What is Moksha Yoga?
Moksha hot yoga is a series of postures practiced in a heated room. The series was created by Ted Grand, a senior yoga instructor in Canada who brought years of teaching and studying experience together to create a series that addresses common complaints such as low back pain, tight hips, daily stress and general fatigue. The series works to stretch, strengthen and tone the muscles while detoxifying the body and calming the mind.
While each of our instructors brings their own unique experience and style to their teaching, all classes follow a basic structure that is fundamental to the Moksha practice:
Savasana or corpse pose is how we begin. Lying flat on the back with the palms turned up and the feet slightly separated, we start a challenging practice in relaxation, allowing our expectations to fall away and be replaced by the potential for pure experience.
Intention setting. In any activity setting goals or intentions breeds accomplishment. Often a teacher will set a theme for a class - for example being more aware of your breath, or building the core muscles of the abdomen. Especially for those with a busy life, this brings the experience of a hot yoga class into focus.
The standing series is a cardiovascular set of postures. The focus is on building strength, balance and endurance through hot yoga postures done from a standing position. Postures are held anywhere from 10 seconds to a minute, allowing the skin to sweat and detoxify the body.
The floor series works on strengthening the upper body, spine and abdominal muscles. . Having thoroughly warmed the body in the standing series, we now begin to open the hips and spine. The floor series relieves tension, treats lower back and knee pain and improves posture.
Final Savasana ends the class the way it began: lying flat on the back. The standing and floor series have warmed and opened the body, and now it is ready to relaxAt the end of class students leave at their own pace,each with greatly reduced stress levels, a rejuvenated internal system and a little yoga twinkle in the eye (you'll see!).
Green policies and initiatives
The Moksha Yoga community of studios was built upon one simple premise – to offer safe and inspiring yoga in 100% ‘green’ studios. It is this premise that we operate from when considering any decision or direction that the community encounters. Moksha Yoga’s governing body, Moksha Yoga Inc., requires all studio owners to sign a contract that has them commit to building their studios with sustainable and non-toxic building materials, and using early adopter technologies to heat, light and clean their studios. Moksha Yoga is a style of yoga that is taught in Canada, the US, Asia and Europe. Since it’s inception in 2003, Moksha Yoga has gone on to service more than 40,000 people in it’s Toronto-area studios alone, and has become the largest provider of yoga in Toronto. It is the only style of yoga that has been developed in Canada, and has been voted ‘best yoga’ in Toronto Life Magazine’s ‘Best of Toronto’ issue. Our success is encouraging a dramatic growth, and there are studios scheduled to open this year in North York, Scarborough, Markham, and Mississauga (not to mention Edmonton, Winnipeg, Barrie and Halifax). Moksha Yoga studios and their teachers have evolved into something more than any of us could have imagined or hoped for – we are environmental educators in a business sector that sees environmental awareness being touted in a cursory and sometimes dismissive manner. This role becomes very important, as the average student who comes to yoga is open-minded and receptive to new information. Through our board of directors, we also implement an annual environmental review process of all studios within the community. At our AGM, we give a report on what measures are working, and how we can improve systems that are not effective. This is essential, as it keeps the studio owners active and determined to succeed in their ‘greening’ efforts. We are also in the process of enlisting the help of Deborah Kaplan of Zerofootprint to do independent environmental audits of each studio. With the annual review and audit of each studio, we ensure a sense of momentum in the community so that environmental and ethical business practices are at the forefront of our community vision.
Every Moksha Yoga studio commits to hosting a weekly ‘Karma Class’, where each student who participates in the class does so by donation (minimum $5), and 100% of the proceeds go to local charities. As a community Moksha Yoga have raised over $100,000 so far for such groups as the Toronto Environmental Alliance and Friends of the Don East. We have recently expanded the Karma funds program to co-found The New Leaf Foundation, which brings yoga to youth detention centres and rehab clinics, in the hope that youth who are deemed ‘at risk’ will develop tools that facilitate calm and responsibility in their lives.
Innovation, creativity and originality
All Moksha Yoga studios use sustainably-harvested cork floors with non-toxic sealants, while the one exception uses the finest bamboo for their main yoga room and reclaimed hardwood for their second yoga room. All studios use 100% non-toxic paints (Farrow and Ball, Lifemaster 2000), and heat the studios using radiant heating panels that were designed by the EPA (they use 50% less energy than baseboard heaters and 25% less equivalent energy than gas). The lighting systems incorporate low-use compact fluorescents, all washers and dryers are the best in energy efficiency, and all cleaning products we use come from Grassroots Environmental Products. All showerheads and taps have filters that reduce water flow, and we place filters on taps for drinking water as well. A recent standout example of environmental stewardship in the Moksha Yoga community was Moksha Yoga Uptown (Yonge and St. Clair). In moving studio locations, they went out of their way to have their already reclaimed hardwood floor reclaimed again and re-installed in the new location. They also moved radiant heating panels, lighting fixtures, and office equipment so as to have as little impact in their move as possible. They also incorporated reclaimed materials in benches, desks, and retail displays. Moksha Yoga also uses a lot of peripheral supplies in the management of their studios. Everything from yoga mats to towels to office supplies are all sourced based on their level of environmental value. For example, we have sourced out yoga mats that do not have PVC as well as mats that are made from natural latex and jute. We have purchased unbleached cotton towels from Grassroots, and we sell water bottles that are hard plastic or aluminum, so as to reduce the amount of disposable water bottles that are used. Seeing as the studios need to be cleaned twice a day, we use environmentally friendly cleaning products, also from Grassroots. The impetus carries itself through on everything from the envelopes we use through to all printed materials. An example would be that all brochures, posters and schedules are printed on 100% post-consumer recycled paper using soy inks. All Moksha Yoga studios have an efficient and dependable recycling program in place using our system of volunteers that give their time to helping keep the studio clean and green in exchange for free yoga classes. Though not specifically environmental, this volunteer program ensures that people of all socio-economic representations can practice Moksha Yoga if they desire. Moksha Yoga’s head office in Riverdale is a testament to environmental commitment, as it’s hydro provider is Bullfrog Power. Though we pay a premium, it is comforting to know that the electricity that we use is (indirectly) derived from solar, wind and micro-hydro sources. We were one of Bullfrog’s first 100 clients, and are looking for ways to work with them further. The office also had reclaimed hardwood floors, no-VOC clay-based paint on the walls, uses only 100% post-consumer paper in their printing and processing. We also have an extensive library at the headquarters where studio owners and teachers have access to literature and movies that educate them further about what we can do to be proactive in our approach to the environment.
Promotion of Environmental Stewardship
Moksha Yoga is a self-contained community of studios, in that we train and hire our teachers solely from the Moksha Yoga teacher training that is held in Toronto each summer. Within the teacher training we incorporate the lessons of sustainable living and environmental stewardship and attach it to some of the most fundamental yoga philosophies – “Ahimsa” for example, is the very first moral precept that informs the yogic path. It means ‘non-violence’ or the avoidance of violence, and we interpret that as having a light footprint on the earth, and living as though each decision we make is having an impact on future generations. Moksha Yoga also offer 4 seminars in each of our teacher training programs so as to reinforce the idea that peace and health are fundamentally attached to awareness and social responsibility. The seminars are: 1) An overview of the challenges and issues surrounding climate change/global warming 2) The positive changes that are occurring in industry and politics through environmental awareness 3) A discussion on the value and importance of eating locally (and organic if possible) produced food in terms of environmental stewardship 4) Weaving together business and ethics – strategies and examples One of our primary goals in creating this community of aware teachers is the fact that the information that they share with students goes far beyond teaching people how to touch their toes. To ensure this representation of environmental stewardship by our teachers, all information presented in the teacher trainings and at the studios is open to debate and discussion, and in so doing we allow people to come to their own conclusions based on the material presented. So as not to alienate our teachers, customers or studio owners, we present our environmental ethos from the standpoint of education by association. We offer solutions that are working for us and make them feel as though by being a student or teacher at a Moksha Yoga studio they are in some way contributing towards a solution. This way, as if by osmosis, students begin to make proactive environmental choices in their life. There is a particularly significant way that Moksha Yoga educates our studio owners and our students, and that is through our involvement with Zerofootprint. Through submitting our electrical and gas bills each month to Zerofootprint, we are able to determine an approximate ‘carbon footprint’ and donate an equivalent dollar value to be used by Zerofootprint for the planting of eco-certified forests, the protection of local GTA watersheds and the creation of urban green space. We have 100% commitment from all Moksha Yoga studios on this initiative and have succeeded in raising awareness regarding energy consumption throughout the community. In fact, the studios now find themselves trying to find better ways to insulate their studios, they are placing heaters on timers, installing dimmer switches on higher-use light fixtures, and putting up signs asking students to take short showers after class.
Leadership
The Moksha Yoga community has attempted to bring the practice of Moksha Yoga to as many people as possible in the hope that people can find better health and learn to lead a more thoughtful and considerate life. This has brought Ted Grand, the creator of the Moksha Yoga series of poses, to teach at the biggest yoga conferences in Canada, as well as teach workshops across Canada, the US, England, Taiwan, and Thailand. Ted also presented a lecture on the topic, “Yoga and the Environment” at Toronto City Hall in February, 2006. This was done through the group, ‘Coalition for a Green Economy’, and the seminar involved tying together the principles of yoga with the underlying principles of environmental activism. Moksha Yoga has also begun to implement a new green strategy in 2007 with the following goals being worked on at present: 1) encourage our students and teachers to take transit or cycle to the studio, possibly offering a subsidized pass system for those who commit to greening their transportation 2) set up a collection box at each studio so that the fundraising for various non-profits extends beyond the Karma classes 3) ‘zerofootprinting’ our teacher training programs 4) having monthly movie nights at our studios to show our students movies such as, “An Inconvenient Truth” and “Go Further” 5) developing a new link on our website that addresses all of Moksha Yoga’s environmental initiatives, as well as tips that people can do to help
Additional Information It is important to note that nothing like what Moksha Yoga is doing existed when we began in 2003, nor does it exist to this day. We have become known for being a ‘green’ community of yoga studios, and have gained the respect and admiration of the greater yoga community. The Green Yoga Association in the US has been in contact with Moksha Yoga and has requested Ted Grand to be involved with an advisory group that is trying to get yoga studios across North America on it’s Green Studios Program. Another point of significance is that Moksha Yoga does not operate in a traditional economic model, and has redefined what a bottom line can be: education, environmental ethics, and profit. We are determined to have our community of studios grow in an uncompromising fashion in terms of our vision and goals.
Moksha Yoga ~ Our Vision Statement
Moksha literally means freedom, or liberation. Through our passion for teaching yoga and our personal commitment to the path of yoga, we aspire to create a great freedom in ourselves and our students – freedom from stress, freedom from illness, and freedom from boredom. We feel strongly that in order to experience these freedoms, our students must be provided with safe, clear and inspiring instruction. It is through exceptional teaching in a supportive environment that out students will feel their greatest freedom - a calm mind, a fit body and an inspired life.
The Moksha Yoga community of studios is committed to making yoga accessible to all who seek to experience a more balanced and peaceful life. To this end, every Moksha yoga studio offers a weekly Karma class where students are able to practice at a reduced rate. 100% of the funds generated through the Karma classes are given to charity, with an emphasis on local, underserved causes such as family shelters, municipal environmental initiatives and crisis centres. Moksha Yoga students can then feel that the effect of their yoga practice goes beyond the yoga room and into the lives of those in need.
Within the studios and beyond, Moksha is committed to operating based on a deep sense of responsibility to the planet. Every Moksha Yoga studio owner adheres to very strict environmental standards in the building and management of their studio. Each studio is required to use sustainably harvested cork or bamboo, or reclaimed hardwood for their floors, chemical free paints on the walls and ceilings, sustainable and non-toxic building supplies, low consumption lights, energy-efficient washers and dryers, ecological heating systems, and each studio is cleaned and maintained with environmentally-friendly cleaning products. Moksha Yoga students can feel comfortable and confident knowing that their studio is a healthy, peaceful and conscious place to practice yoga.
To emphasize our commitment to the earth, each Moksha Yoga studio is required to be a “Zerofootprint” member. Zerofootprint is an organization that measures the environmental impact a home or business has on the planet. Each month, Zerofootprint determines what each studios’ ‘footprint’ is based on water and electricity use, and gives a dollar value that reflects that impact. We donate this money to Zerofootprint, who then ensures that a corresponding number of trees are planted, that local watersheds are protected and that green urban spaces are created. We then become a ‘carbon-neutral’ business that has a positive impact on the earth through our business and our yoga. This way, all who practice Moksha Yoga are contributing towards a greener, more sustainable future.
Beyond the practice room, Moksha yoga, through its teacher training program and in collaboration with the New Leaf Foundation, sends teachers into communities to introduce yoga to various under-serviced associations and marginalized individuals - for example: half-way houses, centres for addiction, incarcerated individuals and youth at risk. Classes are taught free of charge and give individuals skills to assist in elevating their feeling of self-worth, belonging and purpose.
Moksha Yoga has a simple vision – to contribute towards more peace in the world and to make our experience in this life more healthy and inspired.
“Our life is a gift. Our gift back to the universe is what we do with our life”
Studio locations
Canada
Manitoba
Winnipeg Moksha Yoga Winnipeg 2 Donald St. Unit 7. Winnipeg, Manitoba telephone: 204.452.5535 website: http://www.mokshayogawinnipeg.com
Ontario
Toronto Danforth 372A Danforth Ave. Toronto, ON telephone: 416.778.7744 website: http://www.mokshayogadanforth.com
Toronto Downtown 860 Richmond St. Toronto, ON telephone: 416.361.3033 website: http://www.mokshayogadowntown.com
Toronto Uptown 1498 Yonge St. 2nd floor Toronto, ON M4T 1Z6 telephone: 416.868.YOGA (9642) website: http://www.mokshayogauptown.com
Richmond Hill 1455 16th Ave., Unit 10 Richmond Hill, ON telephone: 905.881.0010 website: http://www.mokshayogarichmondhill.com
Vaughan
28 Roytec Rd. Unit 1 Woodbridge, Ontario L4L 8E4 telephone: 905-266-0894 website: http://www.mokshayogavaughan.com
London 677 Richmond St., Unit 4 London, ON N6A 5M1 telephone: 519.850.8850 website: http://www.mokshayogalondon.com
Oakville 2640 Bristol Circle, Suite 300 Oakville, ON telephone: 905.829.3443 website: http://www.mokshayogaoakville.com
Pickering 865 Concession 7 RR#5 Claremont ON L1Y 1A2 Classes by appointment only contact: jjsiskind2@hotmail.com
Quebec
Montreal 3863 Boulevard St. Laurent Montreal, QC telephone: 514.288.3863 website: http://www.mokshayogamontreal.com
Trinidad
Trinidad: Various class locations - call 868 681 2979 website: http://www.mokshayogatrinidad.com
United States
San Francisco This studio is located in a home. Please contact info@mokshayoga.ca for more info.
Upcoming Studios
The following studios will be opening soon. If you'd like to be placed on an email list for an upcoming studio's grand opening, get in touch with us at info@Mokshayoga.ca.
Alberta
* Edmonton
Nova Scotia
* Halifax
Ontario
* Aurora/Newmarket * Etobicoke * Markham * Mississauga * North York * Scarborough
Affiliated Studios
Here are some studios offering classes taught by Moksha Yoga certified teachers:
England London - Naomi Yoga www.naomiyoga.ca
Taiwan Space www.withinspace.com
For more information about Moksha Yoga, email us at info@mokshayoga.ca or call 416-778-9898
Yaz Maziar
Yaz Maziar is currently working as Senior Associate Manager, Internet Fundraising at the Heart and Stroke Foundation.