|
You are the light of your soul.
You are bountiful.
You are beautiful.
You are bliss.
You are. You are. You are.
Inspired by a Kundalini yoga mantra
Yoga Goddess - What a name! And it says it all. Dreamed by yoga goddess and guru Zahra Haji, Yoga Goddess is committed to teaching women how to embrace their bodies and experience new physical and spiritual health. All Yoga Goddess offerings are designed to support women in reconnecting with their essence, potential and beautiful vastness. The techniques used by Yoga Goddess are based on the ancient teachings of Kundalini yoga & 10-body yoga. Our unique Moon Goddess series is additionally inspired by the writings of Miranda Gray .
"I have thoroughly enjoyed your class, Zahra. I am sure that you have heard this from others, but let me say, it was life changing. To feel that kind of confidence and clarity grow in the past 6 weeks has been nothing short of miraculous in my life, in some very real ways I have felt like I have come home to myself after a very long time away. I am wholly convinced of this practice's efficacy in treating a wide range of problems, and I am grateful for the opportunity to learn it. It has increased joy and happiness and contentment in my life immeasurably."
Angela Cope, Toronto.
"You are a teacher"
It was November 2003, the weekend of the Santa Clause parade. Along with my friends Gina and Rishma, I had a private class with Yogi Akal, master of numerology and yoga. We did some spinal warm-ups together before Yogi Akal moved to individual numerology readings. I didn't know much about numerology at the time, but I'd felt compelled to meet this master. It would turn out to be life-changing.
Yogi Akal said to me "You are a teacher." I looked at him and I said, "No, I'm not a teacher, I am actually in marketing but I've been considering doing yoga teacher training for fun." He looked at me decisively and repeated, "I am telling you, you are a teacher." I wasn't convinced so I kept on questioning. With the same intensity he persisted, "You are in a yoga school, talking to a Yogi and you are asking me if you should do yoga teacher training?" I knew, in a place far deeper than my mind, that he was right.
I spent seven days crying after I put my tuition on my credit card and went into debt, for the first time in my life, to become a yoga teacher. My mind was reeling with the commitment I had made without doing any research or any rational decision- making. Me who generally didn't make any decisions without knowing all my options had committed to over 500 hours of training!
It wasn't an easy process and it continues to be challenging to study with a master but I know now what it means to let life work through you. I was born a teacher and when the time was right my teacher appeared to guide me through my process. I feel honoured and blessed to be doing what I'm doing.
How Yoga Goddess got her name
When I was ready to begin offering my own classes, I needed a name - something that would be uplifting and inspiring and that would have something of me in it. I meditated on it and was surprised when the words "yoga goddess" came to me and wouldn't shake, along with a vision of a G represented as a swirl. A friend of my partner at the time referred to me as "the yoga goddess" but I was afraid that using the nickname would sound narcissistic. I needed other input (me, and my questioning..) and over coffee asked a friend. "Is that name weird? Arrogant? What would people think?" Before he could answer, a small, beautiful white-haired woman approached.
"I overheard your conversation and I felt I had to come and tell you something. When you walked in, I gasped and said the goddess Lakshmi just walked through the door." Willow , as I'd learn her name to be, had answered my question. That evening, I faxed a rough sketch of the swirling G from my vision to a friend who is a designer and within days had my Yoga Goddess logo, like magic.
Belize
A year later, my girlfriend and I were talking about taking a vacation together. I wanted to go to Brazil but she kept calling it Belize . Finally I said, "Do you just want to go to Belize ?" Little did I know that this was the ancient land of the Moon Goddess Ixchel. It's also where I found my shell necklace in the shape of the spiral - from Southern Belize where Ixchel is said to come from. It just happens to be in the exact formation of my logo and vision - even the lines match!
As soon as my feet were back on Canadian soil my intuition guided me to pursue a yoga program in women's studies. While studying how yoga can help a woman heal her body I came across a book that changed the course of my life. In The Red Moon , Miranda Gray reveals our womb wisdom - how to rise and fall in love with the rhythms of our bodies, and their connection to the earth and moon. Thanks to Miranda's work, the Moon Goddess series, my great passion, was born. Through this class, I continue to honour Ixchel, and the other goddess energies that help women connect with the Divine Feminine.
contact us |
