Feeling Enlightened at Toronto’s Yoga Conference 2016

Yogi’s, yoga based businesses, health and lifestyle people convened to the 2016 Yoga Conference show. The Metro Toronto Convention Centre played host to Canada’s largest Yoga trade show from March 31 – Apr 2.

The first stop that I made was at The Gaiam booth, which was actually the best stop I made all day. Steve was kind enough to let me store my jacket behind their booth while I looked around for the afternoon. My friend and I tried out the chair they were demoing called the Gaiam Balance Ball Chair. It’s pretty self explanatory. It’s a chair with a balance ball in it, so that you are working your core as you sit down. He also gave me a 20% off card and at the end of the show a yoga mat. How nice!

Bodylogix was also handing out some free samples of their protein powder.  Once I got home I tried the vanilla flavour in my green smoothie and it tasted delish. They even have a vegan protein option.

There were also quite a bit of meditation booths set up. I visited three. One lady showed me Sahaj Marg meditation. She told me to close my eyes and focus on the ‘light’ and if my mind wanders, just bring it back into focus. We meditated for 20 minutes together. She was also kind enough to call me up the next two days to meditate with me.

If you want to learn more go to: http://en-us.heartfulness.org/  or to http://www.meditationtoronto.com/

Onto more health food stuff, we tried out some very “powerful” blueberry juice that was quite tasty. VanDykes 100% Wild Blueberry Juice has all of the antioxidants and health benefits of lowbush wild blueberries, with no sugar or preservatives added. They recommend drinking about ⅓ of a cup each day, no more, no less. You can get this juice at a variety of health food stores across the GTA including WholeFoods, and Loblaws.

There was definitely no shortage of weird apparatuses to try out that I didn’t ever see myself buying. One was the cymatic mat. It’s a wooden ‘mat’ that you lay on with headphones. When you lie on it, you can feel the vibrations from the music in the board. It’s supposed to be good for meditation and relaxation.

We also checked out the Surfset boards. They were being showcased at the trade show with classes. They looked similar to surfboards, but on land. It’s supposed to give you a full body workout to build balance, core strength, stability, agility, lean muscle and aerobic conditioning. Classes are held out in Barrie, ON at 119 Dunlop Street East. You check out their website for more http://surfsetcanada.ca/ details. This company were also does yoga teacher training courses through their Shine Om yoga studio. Classes run from September to April with a three day four night retreat included with tuition.

One of my last pit stops was at Jade Yoga. They make yoga mats that are environmentally friendly, provide better grip and cushioning than your typical $10 mat from Winners. If you do yoga on a regular basis, I would suggest investing in one of these mats. Gaiam actually offers the same mats as well.