We’ll offer a range of classes, workshops, and Teacher Training and special events on Zoom in 2024 as well as teaching live in the Studio (16 participants). Practising online and in person is meaningful in different ways and we hope you’ll enjoy either or both. Thank you for your continuing support in these uncertain times. And we hope you use and enjoy our pre-recorded Home Practice audios and videos.
The Studio is open for in-person classes with online advanced bookings and payment in advance only. The preferred payment method is by e-transfer to info@estheryoga.com. Sorry, we cannot accept drop-ins. Credit is available with 24 hours cancellation ONLY.
Please check this space for updates or send us an email if you have questions. Take good care – we look forward to welcoming you back to the Studio.
Esther Myers Yoga Studio offers yoga workshops in Toronto. Each workshop is unique and allows you to focus on a specific theme. Please register in advance.
Toronto Workshops at Esther Myers Yoga Studio
A three way conversation: Psoas, Abdominal Wall and Diaphragm
Friday, February 28, with Tama Soble, 1:00pm – 3:00pm ET, $40
on Zoom
The psoas muscle, abdominal wall and diaphragm form the core of our physical bodies. Their interaction affects mobility, breathing, digestion and spinal health. During this workshop, we’ll explore each structure independently, then all three in concert, experiencing the stability, enhanced movement and breath capacity they offer. Please join and learn more about the brilliance of our bodies.
Image: Curved sticks surround a river boulder in Woody Creek Colorado, Andy Goldsworthy, 2006
Dao Yin Workshop and Incense QiGong
Sunday, March 2, with Donna Oliver, 2:30pm – 4:30pm, $40
at the Studio
Daoyin is another older form of Qigong. Some call it “Chinese yoga” as it promotes deep mind/body/energy awareness. It usually consists of gentle slow stretching exercises and movements to encourage the body’s energy to flow through the meridians/channels energizing the practitioner. Popular forms of Daoyin are the Eight Brocade and Incense Qigong.
Inversions revisited and revived
Sunday, March 16, with Monica Voss, 2:00pm-4:00pm, $40
at the Studio
Returning to inverted postures after a hiatus requires time and patience and moral and physical support. It will be easier with a repertoire of preparatory stretches and active breathing techniques. But better still, if we practise in person together.
Please join this session – even if inversions are beyond your grasp at the moment – to increase upper body fluidity and gain confidence weight bearing through your hands, wrists, arms and shoulders. This workshop will include spinal release, breath practice and relaxation. All are welcome!
Hit Refresh: century-old strategies for breathing new life into your day
Friday, March 21, with Maria Meindl, 1:00pm-3:00pm ET, $40
on Zoom
These days, we hear a lot about the pace of modern life, but those concerns are not new. Practitioners have been looking at ways to help busy people navigate the time-crunch for over a century. The Feldenkrais technique and its predecessors offer many strategies to refresh and calm the nervous system, even when you have next to no time to spare. Not surprisingly, breathing has a lot to do with it. In this workshop, historian and Feldenkrais Practitioner Maria Meindl will introduce you to a few time-honoured ideas and encourage you to come up with your own.
Maria Meindl became fascinated by the simplicity and power of The Feldenkrais Method in the early 1980s.
Yoga and Self-Compassion
Sunday, April 6, with Monica Voss and Ana Bodnar, 11:00am-1:00pm ET, $45
on Zoom
Yoga is a personal practice based on kindness, awareness and reflection. Join Monica on a self discovery through asana practice, breathing and relaxation. Ana will offer the theory of self-compassion, practical methods and discussion, all supporting the development of increased happiness.
Monica Voss has been a student and teacher of yoga for over 45 years and co-owns and teaches at Esther Myers Yoga Studio.
Ana Bodnar is a Clinical Psychologist and Yoga and Meditation teacher who has taught workshops on Self-Compassion in many settings, including the University of Toronto.
Image: Sun in the Sky, Ansel Adams
Harmonizing Through Blood, Bones, Heart and the Natural World
Friday, April 11, with Mariko Tanabe, 1:00pm-3:30pm ET, $45
on Zoom
You are invited into an experiential exploration of the creation of your body, from conception through the embryological pathways that lay the foundations of the body you have today. Discover the architecture of bones, flesh, and the immense power of blood and heart to bring a depth and power to your practice and everyday movements.
Through movement, touch, vibration, meditation and discussion, explore the seminal heart–brain axis, and other ways to harmonize body, brain and heart and to nourish your essential relationship with the natural world.
All are welcome to participate at their own level of comfort and experience.
Image: Vitruvian Man, Leonardo da Vinci, c.1490