We were fortunate enough to have our friends from ARTTA Trading join us in the studio for a Palo Santo Demo Night! If you’re familiar with Palo Santo, you can only imagine how beautiful it smelled , but if you’re not familiar with Palo Santo, you’re probably wondering what on earth I’m talking about. Luckily, ARTTA Trading is passionate about informing people about Palo Santo, its uses, and the importance of sustainability — here’s what we learned!

If you’ve ever been to The Aura Store, chances are you’ve noticed a table filled with tools and accessories that you may not be familiar with. This table of witchy tools often earns confused glances and plenty of questions, so we figured we'd put together a little guide to help make sense of some of the less familiar items we carry.

Sound is one of the oldest known forms of healing. Everything has a vibration and we as individuals have our own unique frequencies, which is why here at The Aura House, we are big fans of sound baths. Here’s everything you need to know about Sound Baths and why you need one.

Reiki is steadily becoming a more well-known practice in Western Society, and over the last two decades it has grown significantly in popularity. If you are involved or interested in the holistic wellness community—The Aura House included— then chances are you’ve heard this word at least once or twice.

So that leaves us with the question — what is Reiki? …

By the time you reach adulthood, you’ve likely experienced the feeling of being on the outside of a clique. Whether it was in school, at work, or in social settings, we can all agree that it is probably a feeling we’d like to avoid being faced with again. Unfortunately, cliques exist in a variety of settings— and yoga studios and wellness spaces are no exception. The fear of judgement begins to creep in, and before you know it, just the thought of seeing those on the inside of the clique floods your body with feelings of anxiety and insecurity. We know that feeling. That’s why we actively work to eliminate “cliquiness” from The Aura House through acceptance and community.

The Spring Equinox not only marks the end of Winter and the beginning of Spring but also marks the beginning of a new astrological year, with the sun entering the sign of Aries on March 21. For those who observe the Wheel of the Year, they may celebrate Ostara, one of two springtime festivals. So if the idea of longer, warmer days has you in a celebratory mood, here are some simple ways you can celebrate the Spring Equinox.

So how can you expand your comfort zone? Here are some of our tips.

1. Define your boundaries.

2. Lean on your community.

3. Remember you can change your mind.

4. Don’t forget that you can do hard things.

Your comfort zone isn’t something to run away from entirely. It's a place where you can unfold and unwind. But when you allow yourself to expand your comfort zone you will find yourself able to live a life that is truly unbound.

We can all feel it! The days are getting longer and brighter, the temperature is (slowly but surely) getting warmer, and before we know it, Spring will be upon us. As we get closer to the Spring equinox (keep an eye out for our blog all about celebrating Ostara/The Spring Equinox!), we’ll likely find ourselves itching to clear out the heavy, stagnant energy that may have made its way into our spaces over the course of the darker, winter months. If you’re ready to shed the old and welcome the new, we have a few tips to help jumpstart your spring cleaning.

… A common misconception is that restorative is simply “napping on your mat” (Maya K), sometimes you might fall asleep (guilty) but in those cases all I can say is, you really, really needed that rest. For all the other times it’s a very deep relaxation, it’s a moment where you are supported and safe. Passive healing is what is taking place, as you hold these asanas for longer periods. The practice of Restorative Yoga helps the breath slow down, lowers the blood pressure and hopefully produces a sense of calm … leading to an increased well-being.

Yin yoga differs from more yang styles of yoga (like Hatha or Vinyasa) in both its approach and execution. In a yin yoga practice, you can expect to spend a lot of time on the ground as all of the postures are practiced from kneeling, sitting, or laying down. You spend anywhere from 3-10 minutes in each posture, usually around 5 minutes, and poses are often supported by props so that you’re able to really settle in for the entire duration of the hold. These long, slow holds are not held in place by our muscles. Instead, we use our body weight and gravity to keep us in place, allowing for gentle stress to be placed on the connective tissues. This gentle stress will, in the long run, create more supple and mobile connective tissues and joints …

There are all sorts of reasons why we may find ourselves needing a little extra loving from ourselves. Maybe you’re doing some inner healing that is taking a lot out of you right now, or maybe there have been changes in your life that have taken you away from you. Maybe you’re feeling like you’re lacking peace of mind, focus, energy, or confidence. Whatever it is, we can all use a little extra self-love. Here are some simple ways you can show yourself a little extra care and affection.

As you are likely aware, the month of February marks Black History Month. While young folks are learning about the important contributions of Black people throughout history in school, it can be a great deal harder to incorporate those lessons into our lives as adults. Here at The Aura House, we place a great deal of emphasis and importance on decolonization, active anti-racism work, and unlearning the biases that have been built into our society. While it is not up to aspiring allies to decide whether or not we are actively being allies, it is up to us to continuously do the work and try our best. In honour of Black History Month, we’d like to share a list of titles that we’ve added to our reading list this month— but remember, this work doesn’t only need to happen during the month of February. It is an ongoing process of learning and unlearning that is the responsibility of non-BIPOC folks every day of the year.

In just a few weeks' time, the earth will begin to reawaken. The sun will stay with us longer, the days will grow warm, the birds and other animals will return, and before we know it, seeds will begin to sprout. Spring is a time of new beginnings and clearing out stagnant energy. We all know the feeling— the first day that its warm enough to crack the windows and let in the fresh air, when the sun shines into the evening and green starts to colour our world again. Imbolc is our reminder that those days are near. We have entered a new season here at The Aura House as well. We can feel it in our bones. This time around will be different for our Brampton yoga community — for that we are hopeful.

Even though going out to your favourite yoga studio space is the ideal, when virtual practice is all that you can access, how can you keep your practice going and make the most of it?

When the new year rolls around, it’s common for us to be inundated with messaging about self-improvement and how to stick to our new year’s resolutions. While there is nothing wrong with wanting to work on personal growth and evolution, we feel it’s important to offer a few reminders to accompany this messaging. Here are 3 things we believe should be avoided when setting new year’s resolutions.

1. Don’t “should” all over yourself

2. Don’t shame and blame yourself

3. Don’t set unrealistic expectations for yourself

As we move forward into the new year, there are a couple of things we wanted to remind everyone of so that we can start the year on the best foot here at The Aura House.

1. Anyone who arrives for class more than 3 minutes after the class start time is not permitted to enter.

2. Class space is limited.

3. Props (mats, blocks & bolsters ONLY) can be rented at an exchange of $1 per prop.

4. You are the authority of your body.

We’ve all heard it before— the narrative that the new year is time for a full overhaul of who you are to launch you into being better than yourself. But what if we change that narrative? What if instead of becoming a new you, you simply become the next you. What if instead of being better than yourself, you become a better version of yourself as you are …

This blog outlines 5 major updates that you need to be aware of:

1) Temporary reduced schedule

2) Changes to your membership & membership options

3) Community Safety & Sustainability Policies

4) 1-1 Appointments & Special Events

5) Aura Store Hours

The top 5 reasons why you should come to Community Week 2021!

5. Meet all of our teachers and try their offerings at a reduced rate

4. Get attuned for the new year with speciality appointments

3. It’s a more affordable way to practice and find value IN practice

2. Spending time with an inclusive community

1. It’s the gift to yourself that you didn’t even know you needed

Symbolically, the Winter Solstice has long represented the return of light, the coming of the sun, and the end of a long, dark, cold period. It’s for that reason that Yule makes such a wonderful time to set intentions for the coming season. It is the ideal opportunity to leave that which no longer serves you behind in the dark, creating space for the light. Setting intentions can be intimidating, so we’ve put together a short guide to Yule intention setting to help you along.