Blog | Bala Yoga

Should I go away for my yoga teacher training or stay home?

Dec 12, 20233 min read

Should I go away for my yoga teacher training or stay home?

I've been teaching for over 20 years now and I get students who ask me on a very regular basis about how to become a teacher and how to...

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Jessy

Sep 27, 20232 min read

When the student becomes the master

A few years ago, on a mentoring call with one of my teachers, I was asked about a training program I had gone to the previous week and I...

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Jessy

Aug 31, 20223 min read

Getting back to your mat after a break

We all know THAT feeling. You took a break from your wellness routine, maybe because of an injury or maybe because it was summer and...

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Make Your Yoga and Workout More Eco Conscious

Jessy

Apr 22, 20226 min read

Make Your Yoga and Workout More Eco Conscious

Happy Earth Day! It's a great day to reflect on each of our roles in protecting this beautiful world we live in. While the single best...

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Why You Need to Understand Progressive AND Regressive Loading

Jessy

Mar 16, 20223 min read

Why You Need to Understand Progressive AND Regressive Loading

I have so many students (and I have done this myself as well) who believe that they have a bad knee, a cranky low back, computer neck or...

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Jessy

Jan 27, 20222 min read

Acknowledge Your Pain

'I've got it so much better than some people do.' 'I don't know why I'm feeling short tempered lately.' 'It is what it is.' 'I don't know...

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Jessy

Dec 5, 20213 min read

There goes a layer of conditioning

I've been struggling lately. I've intentionally cleared time in my schedule because I am wanting to build a yoga teacher training. I love...

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Jessy

Oct 22, 20213 min read

What is good movement?

I remember, many years ago, running the Toronto marathon. The route took us down a road for several kilometers before turning around and...

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Jessy

Aug 9, 20213 min read

Cultivating a long-time practice

The other day I had a talk with a friend and asked him why he left his former job...a job that I would call a dream job. His answer was...

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Why I Stopped Worrying About Moving the Right Way

Jessy

Jul 19, 20212 min read

Why I Stopped Worrying About Moving the Right Way

I've always loved the details of movement. Watching how different bodies do the same movement in their own unique way is amazing to me....

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Jessy

May 5, 20213 min read

What Lifting Weights Taught This Yogi

I've always been into trying all of the ways that I can move my body. When a CrossFit gym moved into my small town, I wanted to try it...

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Jessy

Apr 20, 20213 min read

How I Celebrate Earth Day Every Day

I'm writing this in honour of Earth Day, which is coming up this week. Earth Day is important to me as an opportunity to take a moment to...

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Jessy

Mar 24, 20214 min read

What Lead Me to Become a Yoga Therapist

When I was a baby, my mom tells me, I used to suck on my toes and put my foot behind my head while on the change table. Naturally, she...

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If it hurts to squat, not squatting won't fix it

Jessy

Feb 24, 20213 min read

If it hurts to squat, not squatting won't fix it

If you hurt your _____ (fill in body part name) and it hurts to do any movement (here I used the example of a squat), your body is most...

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For the 1st time, I didn’t reach for the ice...

Jessy

Jan 26, 20213 min read

For the 1st time, I didn’t reach for the ice...

So I had one of those epic falls on the weekend. Trust me, you would have stopped to see if I was ok, and if you’re my sister, you’d have...

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My Number 1 mantra for my yoga practice and how it has allowed me to release negativity

Samantha Kemp-Upton-Thomas

Jan 20, 20212 min read

My Number 1 mantra for my yoga practice and how it has allowed me to release negativity

You know, all those successful people smashing their goals, taking new steps, eliminating toxic relationships and overall just really...

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Jessy

Dec 18, 20203 min read

What I learned in 2020

Well 2020 was not at all what ANY of us had planned, but there were some good lessons I learned along the way that I want to share with...

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Jessy

Dec 1, 20182 min read

Here I go to do the scary things...

In the last 6 months I’ve taken my yoga off the mat and into new territory. I’ve really spent time in svadhyaya (self study) as I’ve gone...

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Jessy

Sep 1, 20182 min read

Make the most of this moment

I struggled a lot this summer to be productive in a traditional sense. I had a lot of bookkeeping and planning projects that I just...

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