Embrace the Edge, Yoga Retreat in Mexico

Fiji McAlpine

I came to yoga to try and find relief for a sore back after injuring my back at work when I was 21-years-old. I felt immediate relief after my first class, and before I knew it I was going three times a week just to experience relief from the pain. After a month my back had recovered significantly and I had fallen in love with the practice almost by accident. I started my training in Central and Southern California and then went on to study in Costa Rica and here in British Columbia. The training never stops for me so I am always looking to experience more and love getting inspiration from workshops when my favorite teachers come to town. Power, precision, intention, inquiry, endurance and joy would all be words that could frame what I try to practice and teach. I teach a vinyasa flow that is very eclectic, as far as traditional style is concerned, which is very much a testament to my own curiosity as a student in yoga. I spent years diving into different streams of yoga, most intensely with Ashtanga, Jivamukti and Anusara, which converge well into the flow that I now practice. Who I am today has really been shaped by the practice that I found and fell in love with years ago. The first and most significant impact was in saving my life by learning to honor and love my physical form. I speak openly now about the internal battle that almost cost me my life when I was 20 years old and battling anorexia. I had learned to overcome and ignore physical sensation in a battle between my mind and body that left me a meagre 90lbs. When I started yoga I thought I was doing something for my back but I had unknowingly stumbled upon something for my heart that would over time help me mend and once again unite all the aspects of myself that had become severed.

David Procyshyn

DoYogaWithMe Founder My first yoga class came when I injured my back and shoulder. I’ll always remember how uncomfortable and unpleasant that first class was. But I will also always remember how I felt afterwards: my pain had finally subsided. So I kept going to yoga, and the pain in my back eventually went away. As long as my practice was relatively consistent, my back was fine. My teaching style varies quite a lot, from very gentle hatha flow to a challenging intermediate class, while always weaving in a focus on body awareness, good alignment and effective breathing. I recommend my classes to students who are looking to learn the fundamentals within the postures, to understand core strength, to thoroughly stretch the body and access the deeper areas of the consciousness through meditation and relaxation. Yoga has been one of the key transformative forces in my life. It has taught me to be present and in my body, to feel compassion and empathy, to be in community and to confront the inner challenges we all have each day of our lives. doyogawithme.com