There is beauty and power in the daily practice of an ancient art 鈥� an art and science of the mind, the body and the spirit.

In a studio in Tin Town on Rosewall Crescent in Courtenay, this is happening every day of the week. And it is happening not just in one form, but in several forms and in complementary ways.

That鈥檚 because this particular studio houses The Asana Room yoga studio and Toshikan Martial Arts, a karate dojo, which have shared the space since September, along with the original occupant Yoga on Rosewall yoga studio, which has had a strong and loyal student base in this location for many years.

In September, Mac Newton, owner and karate sensei of Toshikan, purchased the studio from Yoga on Rosewall owner, Vicky Catchpole, who agreed to continue her well-established Iyengar style yoga classes in the space. At the same time, Catherine Munro, owner and teacher of The Asana Room, moved her studio from Cumberland to the Tin Town location where she continued the tradition of Vinyasa Flow yoga classes.

鈥淚 knew very little about yoga before sharing the space with the two yoga studios,鈥� says Sensei Mac. 鈥� In fact, I was quite ignorant about it. I thought, like many people, that yoga was all about stretching and that it was rather passive.

"Even now, I have only a superficial understanding of yoga, but I鈥檝e learned that it primarily has to do with strength 鈥� strength of mind, body and spirit. This is the primary reason for practising karate, too.

"And the primary benefit. People become stronger persons through the growth of their practice in either yoga or karate.鈥�

This experience of growing in strength in all ways as a person fits entirely with the ancient philosophies of yoga and karate, and with the name Toshikan, a Japanese word meaning House of Indomitable Spirit.

Toshikan Martial Arts offered classes in the Qualicum area for several years, before moving to Courtenay last fall. Sensei Mac teaches goju-ryu style karate, offering traditional karate for children and adults.

Sensei Mac, however, observes that a traditional karate school differs from a school that views martial arts as a sport.

To discover whether karate is enjoyable for you, Sensei Mac offers the first two weeks of class free for new students.

Like karate, the practice of Vinyasa Flow yoga has many physical benefits, but Catherine Munro, principal teacher and founder of The Asana Room, agrees that, ideally, enhancement of the inner self develops as the physical practice deepens.

Catherine is highly respected as a yoga teacher for many reasons, not the least of which is her own daily practice, which she has cultivated for over 20 years. For many years, in addition to teaching at The Asana Room studio, she has also taught 200 and 300-hour yoga teaching trainings both locally and internationally.

The studio is at Unit B-2440 Rosewall Cres. in Courtenay. For more, check out www.comoxvalleykarate.com and  www.theasanaroom.com.

鈥� The Asana Room