By Nicky Poole, 889 Yoga Teacher + Living Yoga School Faculty

 

889 is launching its first SELF-PRACTICE class! This class is designed to guide you in creating your own self-practice and will run every Saturday morning from 9:00-10:30am. We are so excited to bring this offering to you and feel it is such a powerful way to enhance your yoga practice. Our 889 Self Practice class welcomes both complete beginners and experienced yogis.

 

We have designed an all levels 889 signature flow sequence with all the postures drawn and written down for you so it is very easy to follow. There will be copies of this sequence available at the front desk and inside the class for you to practice from. I have also attached the sequence for this fall below so you can start practicing today!

 

I encourage you to make this class your own. Explore a yoga sequence that honours your own needs and abilities. Enter or leave the self practice room at any time in the 90 minute window. Move at your own pace, with the assistance of a teacher (me!) in the room to help you and answer all questions that come up.

Come and experience a more personalized yoga experience, learning yoga the way it was originally taught.

 

All Levels 889 Signature Flow Sequence: FALL

 

FAQs:

Is this class 90 minutes long?

Yes, but you can enter or leave ANY TIME from 9:00-10:30am on Saturday. We simply ask that you enter with respect to the other students who are already moving or meditating. So you can come and practice and meditate for 90 minutes, or just 20 minutes.

 

Is there a teacher leading the class?

No, but there is a teacher in the room for the entire 90 minutes to give you one on one support, assistance and to answer any questions you may have related to your practice. It’s like a private lesson just for you in a group format.

 

I have a lot of questions about yoga and don’t really know where to begin.

Then this class is perfect for you, because you are able to have a dialogue with your teacher during class to get answers to all your questions. Your teacher will show you how to practice each pose with a lot of attention to alignment and your own unique needs.

 

What’s the benefit of this style of practice over say a regular flow class?

You develop a great deal more focus, confidence and self knowledge by making decisions over the pace, length, intensity and content of your own practice. The instructions and assistance that the teacher gives is just for you. This is the way yoga has traditionally been taught and practiced. It is an individual practice, and not a one size fits all group experience.

 

Is there music?

No, the class is beautifully quiet. It is just the sound of people breathing, moving, and quiet one on one conversations.

 

I’m used to being told what to do in a yoga class, so how do I even begin?

Easy! We have developed an 889 signature flow series. It is available as a ‘cheat sheet’ in every class. If you have no idea where to start, we suggest simply grabbing a sheet when you come in (conveniently drawn with pictures of the postures so you don’t even need to know there names!) and get started.

 

I want to do my own thing, not follow the 889 sequence.

Great, we welcome that too. It’s an open space for community practice. We can assist you as much or as little as you are comfortable with.

 

The sequence looks too easy/ too hard for me.

The 889 sequence is simply a guide. Use it and modify it as necessary. Leave out certain poses if they are not suitable for your body. Or, add in more complex transitions and postures if you are looking for more of a physical challenge. We do think that this sequence is great though!!

 

What’s the benefit of practicing the same sequence each week?

You will notice the improvements that come from perseverance. You will be able to measure your progress. You will develop a relationship with the teacher that is relevant to your evolution. We can personalize the sequence each week and add in relevant strengthening or stretching movements to make it best suitable for your unique needs.

 

Can I come and just do restorative or yin yoga or maybe just meditate?

Yes, absolutely. Each person will be doing there own thing. Our teacher might even spend some time to give you a lovely neck or foot massage whilst you relax!

Nicky Poole
In addition to being 889’s Lead Living Yoga School Faculty, Nicky is also one of our Principal Teachers. Nicky’s journey with yoga began at University, and deepened after an extended period of travel in the Indian subcontinent, where for six months she immersed herself in the culture of yoga. After a few years of regular asana practice from the Ashtanga Vinyasa tradition, Nicky completed her first yoga teacher training in Bali in 2004. Following this, Nicky founded Breathing Room Yoga in Saigon, Vietnam, where she nurtured a thriving yoga community for five years until 2009. Nicky is a graduate of Shiva Rea’s renowned Prana Flow teacher training program, and is registered at the highest RYT500 level with the yoga alliance, having taught well over 4,000 hours of classes over her career. Nicky has assisted senior Prana Flow teachers (Twee Merrigan, and Simon Park) at conferences, teacher trainings and retreats worldwide. Along with extensive studies in this lineage, Nicky has completed well over a thousand hours of teacher training in the practice of Ashtanga, Yin Yoga, Restorative Yoga, Kids yoga, Ayurveda, and Pre-Natal yoga. Nicky is nearing completion of a 800 hour philosophy course Traditional Yoga Studies (established by Georg Feurstein). In 2009, Nicky moved from Vietnam to Toronto and was given the role as Yoga Community Leader at 889. In 2012, she launched the inaugural 889 Living Yoga Program, a 200 hour Yoga Alliance teacher training program which she directs and co-teaches alongside some of Toronto’s finest teachers. Nicky is constantly studying the arts of yoga, practicing and learning. Her passion for communicating has prompted her to sharpen her skills as a writer on the 889 blog and for local health and wellness magazines and television shows. She lives with her husband and two little boys Tai and Kien, who remain her greatest teachers and sources of inspiration. She loves to help her students learn more about themselves through the discipline and creative expression of yoga, and is proud after more than 12 years of practice to still call herself a curious beginner.