I can't believe I almost forgot to post this on here. There is a link to my Facebook below (on the footer) or find me on Instagram (@coraleyl) to enter. Steps 1-3, complete with #'s, must be completed to be eligible (step 4 is optional but encouraged☺️)

Good luck!


#Giveaway time! Win this beautiful #Moltenlavamala by #malacollective by following the steps below:
1) follow @coraleyl on Instagram and/or Coraley Letcher Yoga on Facebook (it's okay if you can't do both 😘)
2) share this post to help spread the word
3) post a picture of yourself in a prenatal yoga pose (you don't need to be female or pregnant to do this) with the hashtags #prenatalwithcoraleygiveaway and #ferniestoke
4) (optional) share your birth story or how yoga helped to support your pregnancy/labour (birth partners - feel free to share your experience/perspective too!). Hashtag #empower #share #support (key themes in my prenatal/postnatal classes) if you choose to participate in step four.

Winner will be chosen at random on August 1st. Good luck!

Happy Summer yogis! Here's what's happening with yoga for the summer!

We will have a special guest speaker at prenatal on Thursday July 30 sharing her experience with using yoga and pranayama in labour. All are welcome to stay after class and enjoy the talk.

Due to an interest in one on one sessions/talking more in depth about yoga techniques for labour, I'm offering a private lesson special from now-September. Book a 45 minute prenatal private for $55 or book three 45minute sessions for $150. Email me to book or for more information!

Postnatal yoga will begin in August running through September. Dates and times TBA - watch the schedule page.

Elkford yogis - I'll be coming with another teacher to offer you a 3 hour workshop on Yoga for Body Image in September. Check your inboxes/watch the events page for details.

Need some TLC? The October retreat details will be up by next week. Save the weekend of October 2-4 for some you time in the rustic Fernie Wilderness Adventures Lodge!

I have the opportunity to delve into pre and post natal studies a bit deeper with Mamata Yoga's online course this summer. An opportunity I am very grateful for! Check out their blog for some great insights and birth stories!

Love Coraley

2015 has not been the year I was expecting it to be. At the start of this year I was working hard at moving forward with my yoga and writing, making connections, planning retreats, upgrading my teaching qualifications and looking forward to all of the new opportunities and adventures that my motivation and enthusiasm were bringing my way. All of the excitement culminated in February when we realized we were pregnant. But February also brought with it a tide of strange coincidences that started to sweep away some of the excitement and replace it with worries. Some financial strain came on, followed by intense pregnancy symptoms that resulted in sapped physical and mental energy and left me with little time to devote to my work. I no sooner started to recoup my energy and found myself facing an old health issue.
I'm no stranger to dips in motivation, or struggling to persevere through difficult life circumstances. I view the times where life gets a bit more challenging as a good opportunity. They can create periods of immense growth; they can be amazingly affirming if they entail being abstinent from something - say a physical yoga practice, or our work - by helping to reaffirm our passion and desire for what we choose to pursue. More often then not, even when I want to berate myself for not finding a way to push through and do what I want to be doing, versus what my body/mind/life circumstance are dictating I can do, I can find the bright side to where I'm at, or at least acceptance of that place, and end up the better for having the chance to practice yoga off-the-mat, a much harder endeavor than anything I've worked towards in asana. But this streak of lows culminated in something I was not ready for, when I suddenly lost my dog Dakota at the beginning of the month.
Anyone who knows me at all knows about Heidi and Dakota. Undoubtedly after any amount of time in conversation with me they will come up. The reason for this is quite simple: I have never been loved by any human being -ever - as flawlessly as I have been loved by those two dogs. Don't get me wrong, I love my people. And the dark times in my life have served as opportunities for me to realize exactly how blessed I am to have, and have had, so many amazing people in my corner. But dogs are not like people. They do not stumble over things with the wrong words marring their way. Their own feelings do not muddle the support that they give, or how they give it. They do not judge, or grow tired of you, or ever - ever - stop thinking, even for a second, that you are the best thing on the planet.  And it is because of these qualities that my dogs came to be the light that pulled me out of the darkest, hardest time in my life. Because when I didn't know where to look for the light in myself, they still saw it. And their belief in me, their love for me, forced me to start believing in myself.
Losing Dakota has been a challenge.
It has been a lesson in checking in. In learning a bit more about the places in my life where I forget relying on "happiness within" and instead place it on others. Because losing him felt like losing a piece of myself. A chunk of my history and yes, some of the strength that built up in me as I bloomed out of the dark places I have faced in the past.
It has been a practice in letting go. Because I was not ready. And I did not want to. But I loved him too much to put him through anything unnecessary in order to try and keep him here just for me.
And it has been the ultimate test in looking for the light. In finding happiness in memories, and in celebrating the time that we did share, in celebrating everything that was amazing about his gentle, strong, loving, protective, intelligent and infinitely giving soul instead of getting stuck in the sorrow of not having more.

But I will not lie to you. Grief is the hardest yoga I have ever done.

I wrote a pregnant momma meditation for Mala Collective  that you can check out here: http://www.malacollective.com/blogs/mala-collective/18386884-blossoming-momma-meditation If you are on their site and like what you see type in "coraley15" at checkout and take 15% off on me:-)

Mid-January I took a break from yoga to get back to my dancing roots by helping out Shred Kelly with their new music video Sing to the Night. It was a super fun project to work on and I think they nailed the choreography, don't you? http://exclaim.ca/Music/article/shred_kelly-sing_to_night_video

Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication - Leonardo da Vinci

I'm off tomorrow to start my 500h training in Edmonton.  I'm thrilled and I can't wait to share with you some of the inspiration and insights that I'll be all fired up with when I get back to Fernie next week! Until then, here's a little update on some of the exciting things that I've got going on.

Five punch classes for my regular, in-town classes  (check the schedule section of the website for dates and times) are on sale at an introductory price of $40/pass.  That works out to only $8 a class. No expiry.

Retreat to Nature at Island Lake Lodge
Join my June 16th to 19th at the amazing Island Lake Lodge for yoga, hiking, nature walks, fine food and more.  Pricing, details and tentative schedule available under the workshops tab of the website.  Limited space available for the standard room option - book early to avoid disappointment!

February 14th special class - TBA
I'm cooking up an awesome collaboration with a local business for an amazing Valentine's Day experience.  Check back soon for the details!

PS. Visit my Facebook page Coraley Letcher Yoga and click on the Retreat to Nature event page for a special offer.