Dear Friends,
In this edition, I want to begin with a story — a moment from my teaching that touched me deeply and reminded me why this work matters.
If you’d prefer to head straight to class updates and upcoming events, simply scroll down — all the details are waiting for you there.
🧘♀️ Couch Yoga
Breathing deeply and vocalizing can be scary and intimidating for some people.
Recently, a student left within the first ten minutes of class because I got a little too enthusiastic about deep breath and sound. I could tell they were struggling to release sound through their vocal cords — and I demanded too much, too soon. The class continued with the remaining person.
That departure became my lesson. They found their voice by walking out. Learning, after all, is about readiness. (A few weeks later, they came back.)
The following week, only one student showed up — a new face.
They sat slouched on the studio couch, rocking gently, feet on the floor, shivering.
I asked if I could sit too. With their okay, I took the other end of the couch, giving us both space.
We spoke in small fragments between long moments of quiet — mostly yes/no responses, soft and hesitant.
“Didn’t sleep much last night,” they said.
I listened. They shared their own strategies for better rest. Then more silence.
They began to open up about a significant health challenge. I mentioned I knew someone with the same condition. Silence again.
Quietly, this person said, “They took my grandmother’s language away.”
Residential schools.
I shared that my own mother never spoke her mother tongue to any of her children, and that I’d recently visited her homeland and family across the Atlantic. I felt heard — and somewhat vulnerable.
Silence.
Listening.
Breathing.
Present.
Snippets of loss.
Almost touching grief.
Quiet acknowledgement.
I asked if they felt ready to do a little yoga.
“Yes.”
We began sitting on the couch — feet flat, tall, internally supported spine.
Feeling heart. Feeling breath. Releasing spine over legs, hands to floor.
The session felt like gentle poetry — a quiet dance.
Eventually we found our way to standing, facing each other.
“I feel so much lighter,” they said, smiling. Eyes bright. Standing tall. Shivering gone.
I hope they slept well that night.
The only place to meet someone is where they are.
Once a week, in a medical setting, I offer yoga therapy with people navigating mental health and addiction.
I sometimes wonder who is the teacher and who is the student.
No one is immune to pain and trauma.
We all have the capacity to heal.
🌱 Teaching & Learning
I also teach at Green Room Yoga in East Vancouver:
- Tuesdays, 9:30 AM – Vigorous Hatha practice
- Thursdays, 6 PM – Gentle Hatha flow
Both classes balance grounding and vitality — meeting the energy of the day.
As one of my teachers once said, “There are no beginner students, only beginner teachers.”
I’m only now beginning to understand what it truly means to meet people where they are.
Guiding a roomful of unique individuals through practice is an art.
It requires being both vulnerable and grounded — a practice in itself, rooted in self-regulation and safe space.
🎶 Mantra as Practice
The art of “seeing through listening” — Shravanam — is the first of the nine limbs of Bhakti Yoga.
At the heart of Bhakti lies Mantra and Kirtan.
Sanskrit is, arguably, the indigenous language of pre-colonized India, which was then known as Bharat.
If you’ve ever wondered about cultural roots and authenticity in Western yoga, engaging with these traditions can bring depth, integrity, and joy to your practice and your life.
My five-week Sanskrit mantra course, The Secret of Mantra, happens only once a year.
👉 Learn more here.
It’s a chance to dive deeper and embody the sounds that awaken devotion, awareness, and wisdom.
By the end, you’ll carry at least four Sanskrit mantras singing through your bones and every cell of your being.
Through chanting together, we’ll also rest in the depths of sweet, sacred silence.
🔔 Sound Baths
If you’re ready to relax deeply into the mystery…
🌑 Friday, November 21 — 7–9 PM
New Moon Sound Bath Ceremony
🎟 Register here.
❄️ Saturday, December 20 — 7–9 PM
Winter Solstice & New Moon Deep Sound Sanctuary
With warmth and presence,
Odette Slater
Somatic Facilitator
BA (Hons) Contemporary Dance
Yoga, Pilates, Reiki, Cranio-Sacral, Doula
📞 778-321-2412
🌐 odetteslater.com