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Bringing yoga to the comfort of your home By Dominik Kurek OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF Those who have wanted to try yoga but have been worried about looking foolish or not being good alongside others in a studio, need not fret anymore. That's because Oakville's Denise Pala is bringing yoga right into people's living rooms in a month-long television series on the TV Cogeco community channel. "I want it out there so people can go On Demand if they want to watch it, they can record it, they can take it anywhere. You don't have to come to a yoga studio and be part of a studio to take our classes and experience something really cool," Pala said of the show. "Yoga makes you feel really good." She says people, who may have been discouraged from going to a yoga studio, could try this instead. The longtime Oakville resident and optician turned yoga teacher, is appearing in a workout video-style show on the local channel. Along with a number of instructor friends, the 13-episode Your Yoga Practice show will lead people through various styles of yoga, stretches, breathing exercises and more. The show premieres this Sunday (March 11). While Pala will lead the majority of the workouts, some episodes will feature her friends, who practice various styles of yoga. The other instructors are: Joe Banwait, Jesse Barlow, Elena Spina and Shonna Turpin. "I've got an awesome group of yoga teachers who are incredible motivators and yoga educators in Oakville," she said. "It's so important for people out there to know there are different styles. There are men that do yoga, too. There are powerful styles of yoga, gentle and chair yoga, and yoga for teens and kids. I've put together a great team to show that. This is for everyone." Pala and her family have been serving the community for many years. Her family's Space Optical business has been around for a quarter century, where she herself works. However, when Pala tried yoga about six years ago, she immediately caught the bug and went back for more. "I thought, I want to go deeper into this. I really would love to teach yoga," she said. Pala has completed two teachertraining programs, one in Hatha yoga and the other in Ashtanga. Now, she teaches yoga full-time, puts on occasional non-profit yoga programs, is an ambassador for Lululemon of Oakville and when she's not doing that, she puts in some time at the optical store -- as a Lululemon ambassador, she encourages healthy living, both physically and mentally. Artscene "I love teaching. My style of yoga... works for a lot of body types. It's not crazy challenging and it's not boring slow. It's an invigorating style of yoga that leaves you balanced." Denise Pala, yoga instructor Some of her students encouraged Pala to film some yoga videos so that when they travel, they can continue to do yoga on the road. She ended up putting up a few yoga instructional videos on YouTube. Then, after seeing a TV show featuring yoga, she thought she could do something similar and was encouraged to do so. That's when she approached Cogeco. The half-hour show is scheduled to air three times a week for a month on Sundays at 10 a.m. and 9:30 p.m. and Mondays at 6 p.m. "I love teaching," Pala said. "My style of yoga is kind of a mixture of the Hatha and the Ashtanga. It works for a lot of body types. It's not crazy challenging and it's not boring slow. It's an invigorating style of yoga that leaves you balanced." Yoga has a lot of benefits for the body, she said, and encourages men to try it as they will see benefits sooner than compared to a conventional gym workout. And yoga will not consume a person's life either, instead it will enhance it, she said. "Yoga is something fantastic that will add to your life and all the other things that you do." 29 · Friday, March 9, 2012 OAKVILLE BEAVER · www.insideHALTON.com GRAHAM PAINE / OAKVILLE BEAVER enhancing life: Yoga instructor Denise Pala (front) is one of the featured instructors in Your Yoga Practice, a series of instructional yoga episodes that will be featured on TV Cogeco, beginning this Sunday. Pala says she's filmed the series to help enhance people's lives wherever they are. Here, Pala is filmed during one of her classes at the Clarity Centre Yoga Studio on Feb. 12, along with participant Anna Lafoyiannis. The show airs Sundays at 10 a.m. and 9:30 p.m., and Mondays at 6 p.m. Last day to vote for favourite band By Catherine O'Hara SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER Today's the last day to vote for one of the four finalists who have made it to the championship round of Metroland's Best of the West band competition. Posted on the Beaver's website (www.oakvillebeaver. com) are the video entries for each the bands. Take a few moments to listen to the tunes and let us know, which band you think should be crowned Metroland's Best of the West champion. Oakville's Joob is up against Shanny & the Nannigans, from Flamborough, Milton's The Compound, and The Travelling Tallymen, of Burlington. One lucky band -- the one with the most votes -- will land a gig at this summer's Sound of Music festival in Burlington. The contest was open to Halton bands from Oakville, Burlington, Flamborough, and Milton. Earlier in the competition local bands vied for votes and the chance to represent their community in the finals. The deadline to cast your ballot is today by 5 p.m. The contest's winner will be named the week of March 12. To vote, visit www.oakvillebeaver.com and click on the Metroland's Best of the West logo in the top right corner.