25-W207 Gentle Yoga for Strength, Calm and Well-being – Anita Sielecki

This course is suitable for participants interested in slowing down, gaining a better understanding of the body-mind connection and exploring how yoga-inspired mindful movements can support a calmer mind and healthier aging. It is not necessary to have previous yoga experience or a flexible body to participate. The classical yoga practices will be modified to make them accessible and beneficial for all bodies. We will learn simple breathing exercises – to build healthier lungs, bring greater awareness to body sensations, calm the nervous system and slow down the thinking process – and introductory yoga-based movements, to increase range of motion, gently stretch the muscles, and help develop more strength, balance and flexibility. The pace will be progressive and participants will be encouraged to move within their capacity, noticing and respecting how their body feels in each moment. A few minutes of guided relaxation will close each session.
Instructor: Anita Sielecki

During her graduate studies in physics and applied mathematics Anita began practicing yoga in the early 1970s. Invited to continue her research at the University of Alberta biochemistry department, she arrived in Edmonton in 1976. After some adjustment to the local weather, her next step was to find suitable yoga classes to deepen her training, not an easy task in those early years. Certified as a yoga instructor in 1990, she has taught for Campus Recreation since 1993. In 1996 she took early retirement, leaving her career in science behind in order to dedicate her time to the teaching of yoga and meditation, preside over the Yoga Association of Alberta for 10 years and organize yoga/meditation retreats with remarkable international teachers.