The Sunday Series: 7th Edition! Dianna Kington || Interviews With Inspiring Women IN and Around Leamington Essex County

Sometimes, ideas and inspirations get lodged way back behind all of the 'to dos' and the messes. Our souls need movement. For me, my ideas seem to come while on a walk, the pounding of my feet like a meditation of sorts numbing the day to day worries, allowing my daydreaming to take over. 

This summer, while on one of these meditative journeys, it dawned on me. I was frustrated with the status quo. My work with photography felt a little stuck, and the conversations with other creatives seemed to be on one of those hamster wheels. The same themes running their way through conversations about value and time and maybe sometimes feeling voiceless in our dreams for our work and our lives. 

This is how 'The Sunday Series' was born. It dawned on me that there could be a space created for sharing, a space created for inspiring and a space created for a change in this conversation. 

If you are like me, a creative, a dreamer, a seeker and maybe a little lost - this might me the inspirational conversation that brings a little shift to your week. The conversation that reminds you that anything is possible.

Enjoy!

Dianna Kington followed her dreams. She followed her heart and it lead her to our great little town, Leamington.

Meet Dianna!

1.  Where have you come from? How did you land in Leamington?

Hi, I’m Dianna Kington and my husband David and I have been living here in Leamington since the summer of 2013.  We moved from Tillsonburg, where we raised our family and lived for 23 years.  After our children grew up and moved away, we began looking for a new life ‘adventure’, fueled by my dream to create my own yoga studio.  We were both very drawn to living in a lakeside community and we started to visit this area in 2009.  We grew to love Leamington and all that it had to offer – in fact, I felt a strong pull right away that this was where my dream would unfold.  We were looking for a home where I could create a home studio and we were willing to wait until the right place presented itself -  going with the flow - and in June of 2013, it did. 

Dianna Kington, Oasis Yoga at home.

Lake side Yoga. Lake Erie, Leamington, Ontario

 2. How did you fall into yoga? Did it find you, or were you looking for it?

Yoga really found me 20 years ago when I was in need of some personal time and changes in my busy life of family, home and career. There’s a saying in yoga that ‘when the student is ready, the teacher will appear’. I was ready and she appeared. I have been studying with her ever since. At first, the practice was a respite from the ‘busy’ of life but very quickly, for me, became much more.  I thoroughly enjoyed the physical practice of poses as a way to build outer strength and flexibility but found that the outer changes were also becoming ‘inner’ changes of patience, acceptance, perseverance and mindfulness. 

3. When you came to Leamington, you opened your studio in your home. How long did you host Oasis Yoga in your home studio? You quickly outgrew your space and have recently opened up a newly renovated space. (gorgeous!!) What do you think are a few of the reasons your practice has grown so wonderfully? When did you know it was time to open a new space? 

One of the reasons we chose our home here in Leamington, was that it suited opening a home studio.  Oasis Yoga launched in September 2013 and right away I found that many people were drawn to the classes.  What started as four or five classes per week, quickly build into ten and more.  

Having additional certifications and trainings allowed me to offer a variety of styles and classes for students with varying levels of experiences.  While there were other yoga opportunities in Leamington, there was no full yoga studio and I found that many students were drawn to the studio experience for their practice.   The word spread very quickly, the demand and requests for classes kept growing and in the Fall of 2015, I began to think about expanding.  

It’s funny, but when we first moved here, I had no idea that my teachings and yoga would be so welcome here.  During those first two years, I was also connecting with other yoga teachers in the area who were looking for opportunities to teach in a studio environment and to share their love of the practice.  It was time for Oasis Yoga to move to a bigger space.

We live in busy, stressful and demanding times and people feel very distracted in their ‘outer ‘ world. In a yoga class you are invited to let go of all that ‘outer’ thinking and tension.  It is a time to focus on yourself and what you need in your body and mind. People come to yoga for the outer physical elements but also for the elements of  ‘inner’ awareness.  We practice poses, breathing techniques, meditation and you are actually given time to relax at the end of every class – something we all need.   Yoga also encourages a positive outlook in our life beyond the yoga mat, and I think many folks are drawn to that as well.  

4. How does yoga benefit a body? Who attends your classes - who is yoga for?

I could talk about the benefits of yoga for a very long time because it offers so much. Physically, it builds strength, flexibility and balance but it also builds body and breath awareness. We have a saying in yoga that you don’t have to ‘fit’ into a pose, “yoga meets you where you are”, which means that there’s a style of yoga for all body types and issues.  Classes typically incorporate spinal movements of forward folds, back bends, lateral stretches and twists into the practice – all the movements that help maintain a healthy back. Many poses are considered to be ‘hip opening’ which helps to counter our chronic seated lifestyle. Over time, people start to realize that, with a regular practice, they feel better in their bodies, aches and pains are less, movement is easier and they start to feel better about themselves.

At Oasis, we have students of all ages and abilities. We have chair classes for those looking for a practice that doesn’t involve getting down on a mat. We have gentle classes for those looking for a gentler way to connect to their body or to begin a yoga practice.  We offer dynamic, moving classes for those looking for more of a ‘sweat’ and workout. There are classes for intermediate students looking to build more into their practice and we offer prenatal and meditation, as well.

One of the things I love about yoga is that it teaches us to step outside our comfort zone and I think many people are looking for the motivation and ways to do that. It takes some courage to step onto a yoga mat for the first time, not knowing at all where it will lead and what we find on the mat often encourages us to take those chances and steps in life. I love seeing this growth in students. 

5. Not only do you offer yoga classes in your space - the space has been utilized for other things as well - what else is offered in your studio?

Leamington has a great wellness community. From the first day I opened, I connected with some very wonderful wellness practitioners and friends.  We’ve had healthy eating and detoxification workshops, aromatherapy workshops, meditation techniques, women’s wellness afternoons to name a few.  I am very fortunate to have a couple of life coaches and alternative healing practitioners that have connected with Oasis and offer their services at the studio as well.  It’s a wonderful space for folks with common interest to gather and share. One of the things I am most happy about and grateful for are the connections that students have made with each other on their shared paths to health and happiness. Many friendships have been rekindled and formed over a yoga mat. 

6. Giving back is such an important part of business when you are part of a community the size of Leamington, with so much history and connected-ness. You have been organizing an event called Yoga for Hope. Can you tell us more about this event? 

Yoga is a strong believer in ‘giving back’, we call it karma yoga and the wellness community in Leamington is a very giving one. At Oasis, we have hosted events to support Little Hands, Kids for a Cause, a wonderful local charity supporting county families who have a child that is suffering from a life threatening illness and every summer, we also give back by hosting supporting events for Pajama Angels and their signature event Yoga 4Hope.  

Yoga 4 Hope is day-long outdoor event in Windsor offering a variety of classes with different teachers and many exhibitors.  It’s a chance for all yoga enthusiasts to gather for a good cause. All the funds raised through Pajama Angels and Yoga 4 Hope go to support local, county efforts and assistance for people suffering from cancers and chronic diseases. 

This summer, the Oasis Yoga team will be offering their time and teaching skills at  three ‘by donation’ events, with all funds raised going to Yoga 4 Hope at their event on Aug 27^th. We have Yoga in the Park in SeacliffPark every Saturday morning from June 11 – Aug 13^th from 9-10 am. It’s an all levels fun outdoor yoga class and everyone is invited. We are hosting a fun Movie Night at the Studio on Friday June 17^th at 7pm where we will show YogaWoman, a documentary about some leading female movers and shakers in the yoga world. 

We are also hosting a Yoga Mala on Saturday June 18^th, 1 pm at the Ruthven-Olinda Church. This event is a traditional yoga event honouring the coming summer equinox by practicing Sun Salutations. I love being able to share yoga and give back at the same time. 

Seacliffe Beach Yoga in the Park

In each of the past two summers, the yoga students attending the Yoga in the Park have given over $1000 to the event. The organizers were thrilled and amazed that our little community and studio had so much to give. 

FIND THE PREVIOUS INTERVIEWS HERE!

Thank you so much for your time with this interview! I am grateful that you were so open to sharing your dreams, your inspirations and your time. Please take part in any of the events mentioned above - connect with Dianna at Oasis - your body, mind and soul with thank you!

Don't forget to be in touch to book your photography session for this summer. I have limited bookings through July and August! Talk to you soon!