Candace Cooke
I first discovered yoga while traveling through India in 1998 but it wasn’t until I found Ashtanga Yoga that it became part of my daily life. Once I found this system of yoga I was forever 'hooked'.
There are so many levels of the practice and the physical asanas are just the beginning. The sutra’s and the philosophies have helped me immensely, they are the back bone of all yoga practice and they explain how one can be lead deeper into themselves through their asana practice.
I have been blessed to study with some amazing teachers along the way including Sri K Patthabi Jois, Tim Miller, Ron Reid, David Williams, Nancy Gilgoff, Eddie Modestini and Nicki Doane, David Swenson, Fiona Stang and Julian Deck, Darby, and my ongoing teacher Rameen Peyrow.
I am so happy to be back in the yoga community again, it has been quite a while since we sold The Yoga Lounge in Canmore and so much has gone on since then that didn’t really afford us much time to be involved at all. It is so wonderful to see a new community slowly growing, and to watch peoples practice’s evolve. I am learning everyday from our students and their practice’s ~ that is a special gift.
I am truly thankful for my practice, it has given me strength during the last two years when I wasn’t sure that I could get up and go on. It has helped me to see things in a different way, to bring in positivity when faced with the most awful situations, put a smile on my face when I didn’t think it would or could be there again. My ongoing practice has brought about peace and love and that is more than I could have hoped for.
I would like to mention Alastair here as well, he is my best friend and husband, without his passion and dedication we would not have the beautiful space that we have to practice in, and without him I would not be where I am today! You will probably see our son Joshua around the studio as well, he is a real treasure, he keeps us on our toes always and his enthusiasm for fun and life are such an inspiration!
Every day is a new day and every practice a new practice, for that I am grateful. The present moment is the greatest gift that we all have and that is where I am always trying to be.
"He who binds to himself a Joy,
Does the winged life destroy,
He who kisses the Joy as it flies,
Lives in Eternity's sunrise."
~The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying
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