by Nicky on September 21, 2026
Nature uses many consistent principles that allow life forms to thrive. The embryo in-utero undergoes mirroring of the macro process of biological evolution. For example, the human foetus continues to exhibit features that we have knowingly evolved away from such as gills and flippers. Many millions of years ago when single celled organisms were swimming around in the priomordial oceans, these organisms began to develop responsiveness to their environments. Their shape began to change to make it easier for them to move and to find nutrients. Later, these organisms developed a central nervous system and we began to see the beginning of brains. These structures required a structure of armour to protect the spinal cord, but also needed to be able to articulate from side to side to enable movement. The spine is one of natures most beautiful creations, and perfectly balances two of yoga philosphy’s most important concepts: sthira (stablility) and sukha (good space).
by Nicky on September 1, 2026
I am the hugest fan of Mahatma Ghandi. The way he lived his life of passionate activism and non-attachment in accordance with the deeper teachings of the Bhagavad Gita have inspired me since I was a little girl. I came across this today on Paulo Coelho’s blog and was inspired to share it here with you. It is just a simple collection of quotes, that we should all take the time to read and do our very best to embody.
by Nicky on August 15, 2026
We are truly blessed here in Toronto to have such a wealth of integrity and talent in our yoga community. There aren’t many cities in the world who can proudly claim to be home to such a diverse and intelligent collection of yoga teachers. This weekend, on Friday, Saturday and Sunday at the beautiful National Ballet School on Jarvis Street is the fourth annual Toronto Yoga Festival.
by Nicky on August 8, 2026
Take a simple object like a stone or a piece of wood, place it in front of you, gently focus on the object without blinking, allow nothing else to take hold of your mind, and gradually become totally present in a natural and relaxed manner. Look at everything which occurs to you without holding on to it, and gradually you will become peaceful. Everything which rises up will subside of its own accord, without any forcing on your part. Soon you will not be able to leave this non-conceptual state, and you will no longer want to move. This is a sign that you are becoming more familiar with the state of becoming peaceful, and you will reach a state of spontaneity.
by Nicky on July 28, 2026
By Nicky Poole, Yoga Community Leader
Pranayama is an aspect of our yoga practice, as important, if not more so than the practice of physical postures. The simplest definition of the sanskrit word pranayama comes from two words: prana meaning energy, or life force, and yama meaning restraint. So pranayama is the control of our vital energy, and this is most effectively done through regulating the pattern and pace of our breath in some way. There are many, many different forms of pranayama, today I am going to outline a great one you can all practice safely which can help to cool you down in this midsummer heatwave! It is called Sitali Pranayam and will be a valuable tool in your yoga toolbox.
by Nicky on July 27, 2026
Greetings everybody! My aplogies for the lack of blog posts lately, I have been enjoying unplugging from cyberspace whilst on a yoga retreat, and most recently travelling home to NZ and Vietnam with my family. Now that I am back, I would like to tell you about my experience in Venice Beach in early July with my teacher, Shiva Rea.
Maybe you are having a really bad day at the office. Maybe your computer keeps crashing. Maybe you are racing to meet deadlines.
You need a breathing break. It just takes 3 minutes and you will feel energised and refreshed after you do this.
Follow along and DO as you read.
Are you or someone you love experiencing hair loss from the side effects of Chemotherapy?
889 Yonge and Henna Heals are offering an opportunity for you to have your crown beautifully painted with Henna, a temporary, all-natural plant based which comes from the Henna (Lawsonia inermis) flowering plant. Henna has been used since antiquity and is popular in Pakistan, Northern Libya, Morocco, Mauritania, Yemen, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, as well as India for decorative purposes to bring the wearer luck, joy and enhanced beauty.
In this second part of our breathing series, I am sharing with you a personal breath evaluation exercise taken from one of my favorite books The Breathing Book, by yoga teacher Donna Farhi. The purpose of this exerciese is to gather information about the way in which you breathe.
The diaphragm is a dome shaped muscle that looks somewhat like a jellyfish or an opened parachute. At the top of the dome is a tendon above which sits the heart. The fibres of the diaphragm muscle radiate outwards from this central tendon like panels on an opened umbrella. The edges attach to the ribs and lower spine, fanning it out to literally form a roof-like structure to the abdominal cavity. Its rhythmic contraction and expansion occurs 24 hours a day and it is responsible for 75 % of all of our respiratory effort.
I recieved a most unexpected and thoughtful gift today. A beautiful bouquet of spring flowers arrived at 889 Yonge for me from Christine, Emily and Mandy. (Christine and Emily are the owners and visionaries behind 889, and Mandy is the Operations and HR Manager - you may not have met her, but she keeps the ship running!) I had no idea what they were for, and upon opening the card was reminded that today was in fact my one year anniversary of joining the team as a teacher, and yoga community leader.
by Nicky on April 18, 2026
I’m familiar with the AA Serenity Prayer, it hung in my grandmothers bedroom in a beautiful gilded frame written in exquisite and elaborate calligraphy. I remember asking her about it when I was very young, maybe just 5 years old, and she explained it to me with such eloquence I used to recite it to myself whenever I got frustrated or angry. Little did I know, I had just received one of the most essential teachings of yoga, and begun the practice of mantra when I was still in kindergarten.
