The Hub July 2015 | Page 11

Jade Morrison came to Canada from South Africa, knowing no one but her husband who was transferred here for work purposes. It took Morrison almost two years to gain work permits of her own. She spent a lot of time at home, alone, before looking for one of her favourite activities from back home: yoga. “I found a sense of family at Moshka Yoga in Windsor,” Morrison said. “It helped me make friends that were unrelated to my husband’s workplace, and gave me something that was my own in the city.” Despite her many attempts, Morrison has been unable to convince her husband to join her. When we became friends, I had the same thoughts he did. Yoga looked like you had to be quiet and still, not to mention flexible - certainly not principle elements of my personality (seriously, ask anyone). Low and behold, yoga does not require you to be quiet all the time. Lots of people fall asleep. And there’s a wide variety of types of yoga to keep even the most fidgety person (a.k.a. me!) from breaking out in song. Ashtanga yoga is a traditional, but rigorous, yoga practice that repeats the moves in the same order every time. Bikram yoga is what is considered “hot” yoga, and takes place in artificially heated rooms. Iyengar yoga focuses on extremely specific and proper alignment, taking time to perfect each pose. Restorative yoga uses blankets and boxes to prop participants in specific poses - creating a relaxing environment without exerting yourself too much. Vinyasa yoga is often set to music and choreographed, ݥѠ