Moksha (def’n): Liberation, FREEDOM The first Moksha hot yoga studios opened in Toronto, Canada in 2003. The Moksha community has now grown to approximately thirty studios. Moksha is now taught worldwide in the UK, Trinidad, Austria, Thailand, China, Switzerland, New Zealand, and Australia. Ted Grand and Jessica Robertson are the directors of Moksha Yoga Inc., and along with Natalia Brajak, the founders of the Moksha yoga movement. Both Robertson and Grand began as social and environmental activists. The two believed that yoga could be a powerful tool to create a peaceful movement of environmental and social awareness. Their mission to share and spread peace continues with results in areas of environmentalism, social awareness, inclusion, personal growth, and healthy living. The Moksha community is rooted in environmentalism. Each studio is required to meet compulsory environmental standards. Robertson and Grand themselves ensure that each studio meets these standards when built, and maintains the criteria in operation. The Moksha series was designed for all bodies and all levels. Inclusiveness and accessibility are focused on in both the series and studio operations. Community and social awareness are also important facets within the Moksha school of thought. These components have been developed in many different ways including compulsory teacher community outreach, weekly charitable donations by all studios and agency partnering. Moksha Yoga developed a partnership with the Arthritis & Autoimmunity Research Centre Foundation to develop a national campaign entitled, “The Power of Movement.” Moksha studios have collectively raised over five-hundred thousand dollars for community organizations. Moksha studios also provided the seed funding as well as monthly funding to the New Leaf Yoga Foundation. Hot yoga has proven successful health benefits for many of its participants. Some of these benefits have included: weight loss, reduced pain, reduced or elimination of chronic headaches and reduced stress. Environmentalism Since Moksha’s inception in 2004, every decision is made with serious consideration of the environmental impact. Some specific criteria for each studio include: Low-energy radiant heating designed by the US Environmental Protection Agency for efficiency Sustainably harvested or re-used materials for studio flooring like cork, bamboo or recycled floors. Non-toxic paints (No VOC), cleaners, and yoga mats and products. Low flow shower filters to conserve water use. Where available, to be powered through Bullfrog Energy. All printed material is carbon offset, all brochures are printed on 98-100% post consumer materials Each studio also has a responsibility to be a resource centre for participants and teachers who are interested in refining their own environmental practices. Moksha Yoga Benefits Some benefits that Moksha participants have reported experiencing are as follows: Deeper and more regular sleeping patterns Improved posture Increased energy, vitality and productivity Relief from chronic pain Improved immune system Increased cardiovascular health Weight-loss in overweight participants and weight-gain in underweight participants Increased self esteem and overall mood Reduced alienation as a result of belonging to a strong yogic community Reduced Stress Long term headache and migraine relief Improved digestion Regulation of menstrual cycles Relief from scoliosis Improved sport-related stamina (in particular running, biking, rowing, boxing) The Moksha Yoga Series Moksha Yoga is a series of postures practiced in a heated room. The series was designed by Ted Grand to stretch, strengthen and tone the muscles while detoxifying the body and calming the mind. The class follows this basic structure: Savasana or corpse pose is the first posture. The student lies flat on the back with the palms turned up and the feet slightly separated. This is grounded in the idea of starting a challenging practice in relaxation, this is also done with the intention of releasing the stress of a day before beginning class. The standing series is a cardiovascular set of postures. The focus is on building strength, balance and endurance through hot yoga postures done from a standing position. Postures are held anywhere from 10 seconds to a minute, allowing the skin to sweat and detoxify the body. The floor series strengthens the upper body, spine and abdominal muscles. The student’s body is warmed up from the heat of the room and the standing series so the hips and spine. The floor series relieves tension, treats lower back and knee pain and improves posture. Final Savasana. After a vigorous class the body is put into a state of deep relaxation. At the end of class students leave at their own pace. The final savasana is meant to be a tool to effect deep relaxation that lasts long after a class has ended. Teacher Training Program Moksha's teacher training program has become internationally acclaimed. Students, come from around the world and choose between the July teacher training in Toronto, Canada, or the March training in Kerala, India. Following the one month intensive is a ten month distance learning program. During the first month of the training classes are daily for fifteen hours. The distance-education program includes one project completed for the end of each month. The Moksha training focuses on everything the history and philosophy of traditional yoga; anatomy, physiology, and the safe, effective, and fun practice and instruction of asana (postures). The training is attended by individuals from all professional backgrounds including medicine, psychotherapy, academia, corporate, performing arts, finance and healing arts. Only those who complete both the month-intensive training and the year-long distance-training receive certification to teach. Moksha has currently seen two hundred eighty students graduate from their teacher training programs. Graduates use their certificates to teach Moksha Yoga and other forms of yoga. Ted Grand Ted Grand created the Moksha series of postures. He took this experience as an athlete along with extensive study at a yoga-hospital in India as two of the many sources he used in creating the Moksha sequence of postures. He specialized in making a class that could reduce stress, challenge students heart/lungs and muscles while still being accessible to all body types and fitness levels. Prior to becoming involved in yoga Ted studied organic farming and gardening in northern California and worked on an organic farm in Nelson British Columbia. Before his time in organic gardening, Ted worked as an action-focused environmental activist for many years with Green Peace and other organizations. In the mid 90s he began to realize that many of his days as an activist were spent being angry and feeling helpless. When Ted began practicing yoga as a different outlet he noticed that change takes place just by doing yoga postures. Ted lives in Toronto with environmental activist and singer/songwriter Tara Maclean and their three girls Sophia, Stella and Flora. Ted is the co-author of ‘The Little Moksha Yoga Book.’ Jessica Robertson Jessica Robertson grew up with environmental-activist parents on land expropriated for a potential new airport outside of Toronto, Canada. Robertson was raised in an open-minded environment where yoga, alternative schooling (Waldorf) and outdoor education were central to living. As a child Robertson suffered from intense migraines and chronic, sometimes debilitating back-pain. At age of nine her doctors uncovered a rapidly increasing curvature in her spine (scoliosis). A year later, at the age of ten, she was diagnosed with arthritis in her knees, wrists and ankles and began to wear a hip to shoulder plastic body brace. Much of Robertson’s youth was spent seeking methods to manage and relieve the pain. She tried high-dose medication and was encouraged to think about spine replacement surgery. None of the conventional methods were proving successful. She tried a range of alternative therapies as well. Finally she gave in to her parents and began a yoga practice. At eighteen Robertson began annual study with a monk from India named Baba Hari Das. Focusing on breath and working through asanas had a dramatic effect on her pain levels. Robertson eventually realized that yoga was reducing her pain, and that by practicing in a hot room the pain could be relieved for days at a time. She decided to take a yoga teacher training as an opportunity to focus on pain relief and see what kinds of improvements she could make in the body. Prior to this training, Robertson had worked for several not-for-profits fighting for the protection of the two causes that she remains committed to: human rights and the environment. While teaching yoga in New York it occurred to her that activism can take many forms. She realized that yoga both empowers and changes lives. Robertson co-founded New Leaf Yoga Foundation. Robertson is also a musician. Robertson and sister Deena formed the Kirtan music group Lila. Their first CD, ‘myth and myrhh’ was independently released in April 2008. Jessica is co-author of “The Little Moksha Yoga Book” The Little Moksha Yoga Book The Little Moksha Yoga Book is a short book detailing the ninety minute Moksha Yoga Class. It pairs posture diagrams with point form instruction in order in order to aid students in better understanding their practice. Karma Movement In order to remain committed to accessibility, the Moksha community offers opportunities to donate both time and financial contributions to charitable organizations and to offer yoga to all those who wish to participate regardless of their financial position. Moksha studios offer weekly “Karma” classes for a donation, so that those who could not normally afford yoga can attend a class weekly or bi-weekly. The proceeds from these classes are donated to local charitable organizations. Selected agencies that Moksha has donated to include: Toronto’s Red Door Women’s Shelter, Children’s Aid Society, The Power of Movement, Rape Crisis Line, New Leaf Yoga Foundation The studios also offer a trade program. If a willing participant is not in a financial position to attend classes regularly, they can apply for this program. The “trade” would donate a certain number of working hours to the studio in exchange for unlimited yoga classes. The goal is inclusivity regardless of socioeconomic status. New Leaf Yoga Foundation New Leaf Yoga Foundation is a Canadian charity that teaches yoga asanas (poses) and seated meditation to at-risk and incarcerated youth.
In the beginning some staff members were skeptical Now they’re asking New Leaf teachers to come more regularly and encourage many of the youth facing the most difficult challenges to attend the classes. Some participants are learning to sit quietly. These are youth that will return to their communities with the new skill of using their breath before using reactive and potentially dangerous behaviour, knowing that they have the inner strength and resilience to make more positive choices.
In June 2007, the pilot project for New Leaf was funded by Moksha Yoga studios’ karma class donations. Since then, New Leaf has expanded their reach into 4 detention facilities for youth across Ontario, and is currently working to start projects for at-risk youth in Toronto as well as begin programs in other provinces. Their program continues to grow and evolve thanks in huge part to monthly donations from studios and individual donations from Moksha students.
Power of Movement In 2005, Moksha instructor Dorna Chee was diagnosed with lupus, an arthritis related autoimmune disorder. After a frightening near kidney failure, Chee knew she wanted to help raise funds for the doctors and nurses at Toronto Western Hospital who had helped her stabilize her health. Chee developed a partnership with Erin Moraghan at the Arthritis & Autoimmunty Research Centre (AARC) Foundation and the two along with Moksha Yoga Downtown (Toronto) studio owner Tracey Dos Anjos. This partnership resulted in joinging up with Grand and Robertson to begin the largest yoga fundraiser in the world entitled “Power of Movement.” Since 2007 this event has raised over one hundred fifteen thousand dollars in Toronto alone. The program will launch nationally in 2009 in major cities across Canada.