reflecting? i am.

Reflecting on this past year? The good and the not so good? Its a natural thing to do. We can all find lot's of things to be thankful for even through we can't escape challenges and hardships. Thankfully we all have each other and can ask for help when we need it. Happy new year to you! It's going to be a great year! I really hope to see you at yoga.

Quite simply, the way yoga spills out into our lives and relationships just makes everything else better. We are able to handle what life throws at us a lot better, and things just aren't quite as hard anymore. We slowly let go of things that are unhealthy for us/no longer serving us, without even trying. And we just feel better. We get rid of those aches and pains, we sleep better, are more fluid, and have greater range of motion. The list just goes on an on. Its the best self care I know of. It isn't going to solve all of our problems, but it is the one thing that keeps us in shape and balanced, yet doesn't take our energy away. It gives us energy, and peace and clarity at the same time.

I really hope to see you at yoga. All my classes are really affordable and even cheaper when you double up to attend twice per week (yoga shouldn't cost an arm and a leg), so register away!

I wanted to take this time to thank you all for your support and for just being you xoxo

2011 is going to be a great year! Plus I am in another teacher training right now and am learning lot's of new snazzy stuff! ;)

I've got a ferry to catch so better run! namaste & see you at yoga xo

Read this quote this morning, and since my mind keeps wandering back to it I thought I'd share. I think it's quite wise, and a good thing to remember as the new year approaches.

"The minute you settle for less than you deserve, you get even less than you settled for." -Maureen Dowd

Ever wonder how to "stop" people from following you on social media sites?

I know that most people want want want followers but I woke up to see a hate group following me on Twitter and it turned my stomach before I even got my morning coffee into me. You can probably tell by my blog that I am not all that saavy when it comes to these things (haha...and thats putting it mildly)!

Facebook is another story. I love it and have loads of fun on there. I love that it is so interactive. I spend a lot of time on there each day laughing and joking with friends etc. Facebook is really my 1st blog to the people who know me. People know what I am up to all the time, we share reviews on things, opinions, and all kinds of information. There's the occassional debate which I also enjoy, but most of all lots of laughs. Lot's and lot's of laughs. Facebook is probably my biggest form of entertainment and I'm not ashamed to admit it. I hope it never goes away.

As far as Twitter goes I don't participate much on there. I haven't really spent much time on it and don't understand it very well. My posts generally just go straight from here or my facebook fan page onto my twitter, therefore becoming tweets of their own. I don't really have to do anything to make that happen so I don't often take notice of who's following me and such, but this morning a picture of a baby with a red circle around it and a line going through it caught my eyes in my follower list. When I looked closer I knew I needed to blow this person/group right off my twitter page asap but didn't know how. Luckily a friend gave me a link and I blocked them.

Thought I'd put this out there because I didn't know how to get rid of them. Followers are great, but I don't want just anyone following me. Especially if they hate something or someone that I love! And with twitter you don't have to accept friends/followers etc. They can just choose you. If you have to sell a part of your soul for for followers? No thanks. I'd rather have none. I'll pass on any haters of any sort.

Below is a link to ditch someone on your twitter should you have anyone who does not represent the person you are/causes you believe in etc.

http://support.twitter.com/articles/117063-how-to-block-users-on-twitter

I'm into sharing two things and hate isn't one of 'em. Sharing information and sharing the love. Namaste.

Photography as mindfulness. Photography is mindfulness.

I have literally thousands of photos on this computer. I am not especially skilled at taking photos, and the camera I use is nothing special. Taking pictures is another way I practice mindfulness, and other than yoga I find nothing more relaxing and peaceful. To take a picture you have to be in the moment. Owning a camera is really wonderful for stress reduction. It takes you right out of your head (and off your butt haha). And the world is just so beautiful that you don't even have to go anywhere special to take pictures. My hobby used to be quite expensive before digital cameras came along with the cost of film and developing and such. Not anymore! There is still something to be said for a paper photograph though.

If you were thinking about taking up a hobby in the new year I can not recommend it enough. Especially if you live out here as the scenery doesn't get any more spectacular. Namaste.

hurtin' for cash now that christmas is over?

Don't forget your local library. There are so many to choose from and the library has so much more than books. And it belongs to you and me! Sheer peace and enjoyment I always find at the library.

I spend a chunk out of each day studying, and personally I find there is no better place to do it than the library.

Came across this quote this morning and love it so thought I'd share.

"Libraries will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no libraries"-Anne Herbert

To find a location near you, or to see what's shakin' at a particular branch click here

PEACE IS EVERY STEP

by Thich Nhat-Hanh

Peace is every step.
The shining red sun is my heart.
Each flower smiles with me.
How green, how fresh all that grows.
How cool the wind blows.
Peace is every step.
It turns the endless path to joy.

I'm having a giveaway!

Wow!! There are only 4 days left in this year! Time just flies! 2011 here we come!!

To help celebrate the arrival of the new year I will be giving away a free 2011 Inner peace prenatal calendar to the first 4 participants that show up to my Prenatal Yoga class at Mt.Pleasant on Jan 5 at 630-745pm. (please note that this particular class is drop-in only).

*For info on my regular class schedule and registration please follow the link on the right hand side of this page.

They are available for purchase and are truly lovely. Proceeds from this calendar go to Shanti Uganda Society. This is an organization that assists and supports women, children and communities in Uganda.

To purchase one click here

Namaste.

Be happy, it's one way of being wise-Sidonie Gubrielle

going on 88 and a real inspiration

I love it when she says "when they say it can't be done i've got to do it." This woman is the perfect example of if you use it you "keep it" (as opposed to, "if you don't use it you lose it"). Lifetime learning, trying new things by pushing the evelope, and and moving her body through her her yoga practice and dance has clearly kept her balanced, vital, clear, and both strong and flexible in body and mind.

They say there are two kinds of people. The elderly, and those who will be elderly (if they livelong enough of course). This woman is lovely, though I'd share.

Some Christmas funnies!

Whatever your sense of humour I'm wishing you LOADS of laughter in the new year. And to those who celebrate, a VERY Merry Christmas (and if you don't, after today it will be over!)

Almost forgot how much I love the Jingle cats!

I love these cats! They really know how to rock. I hope they tour again soon. They put on a great live show. ( lol! ) xo

I'm not a fan of new years resolutions. you?

Resolutions no, intentions YES. Specifically for the New year? Not so much. I'm more of an "as I go" type of gal. I know myself so well and for me, the second I make a resolution (a.k.a. put pressure on myself), or say "I'd never", I'll do it. haha.. And then I feel horrible..blah, blah,blah (thankfully I grew out of that, and now save myself a lot of pain)!

I strongly believe in the line never say never. How do I know what I am going to be doing when I am ninety years old? (or if I will even get to be elderly in the first place?) I am simply not a fan of beating myself up, so I try not to. At this point in my life I make choices as I go along, and am always asking myself what I want more of, and less of in my life. I am hugely blessed to be in a solid relationship (the new year will mark 10 years), where my partner and I are generally on the same page. When we're not we really try and do the right thing for both of us. That often times means compromise. Thankfully we are both pretty easy going so that isn't usually too much of an issue.

The new year still holds so much hope for so many though, and with good reason. As far as the environment, global warming etc goes, the passing of time does make a very real difference, if we don't change our ways. I think that most of us have made some big changes that do and have, made a difference (or at least I hope it has, and will continue to do so).

In many ways I suppose the new year is a fresh start. *Although it's nice to know that if you blow it, every morning thereafter is a fresh start too. Its another opportunity to to ask yourself questions and decide to bring in more of what you love, and ditch what no longer serves you (or at least limit the stuff that no longer serves you). If this post sounds a little matter of fact, I sure don't mean for it to. I would never want to imply that making changes is easy, or that life is for that matter. Quite the contrary! lol! I just find that for me, having a strong support network, admitting when I am wrong, stopping to ask myself questions along the way, and most of all asking for help, helps me. And I find (for me) that setting intentions is being much kinder to yourself. I've quit a lot of things in my life and made enormous changes in my life over the years, and it was never the result of a New Years resolution.

But hey, thats only me right? it might just be the ticket for you or someone else!

I just love that provided we have good health, each moment can be a new start in just about any direction you choose in this part of the world. We just have countless choices that those in so many other places in the world couldn't even fathom. I wish all of my friends, family and loved ones, and those in my community, and all across this miraculous planet of ours a wonderful, healthy, vital, loving, joyous and peace filled 2011. I'm ready to bring it on.

Namaste xo

embracing change. its now winter in our city. ♥

Ever hear of Kriyas?

Kriyas are ancient purification exercises called the Shat (six) Karmas (actions) or Kriyas.There are 6 purification practices were mentioned in many ancient yogic texts. They are meant to purify the whole body, as well as open the energy pathways of the body which are called nadi's. These practices are very powerful and advanced and should not be attempted without an experienced Teacher. Originally kriyas were all taught as part of The Hatha Yoga tradition, but unfortunately they are rarely part of a Yoga Teacher Training program here in the west. I have been blessed to have studied and practiced at great lengths with some very knowledgable teachers here in town (Shakti Mhi and Bernie Clark). I learned first hand (and through much practice), how to safely practice them, and safety is key. The few that I do quite regularly are: Neti-(nasal cleansing), Nauli- (abdominal massage), and as some of you practice with me, Kapalabhati (purification of frontal lobes and lungs). Kapalabhati is a kriya as well as pranayam technique. Some kriyas I wouldn't even try personally (no matter how much instruction I had and no matter who the Teacher was) but for the most part, some of these kriyas may change your life. You may find yourself feeling better, with more vitality than you have in years! Neti in particular is worth trying and is safe for most folks. *Check with your Doctor* Neti pots are for sale literally everywhere these days. When I was taught neti it wasn't with a neti pot. It was with a full cup of saline using both nostrils at the same time. I was basically drinking (sucking) a full cup of saltwater up both nostrils at the same time as it poured out from my mouth. I know, it sounds so strange, and gross! hahaha.. But it really isn't bad at all (as long as you have the salt water ratio down) *and the technique was being passed down to me by my teacher*. Neti has been used by practitioners of yoga and Ayurveda in India for hundreds, if not thousands of years. And like so many other yoga practices it has gone mainstream with Doctors widely recommending it to their patients for nasal issues, allergies and colds, sinusitis etc. I've never really had any ongoing nasal issues (other than the common yearly cold) but I love how it makes me feel. Purification is a central theme in yoga, and from an energy standpoint the practice cleanses the energy channels and helps to balance the right and left hemispheres much like nadi shodana.

There are more advanced techniques using various herbs and oils, but the simplest technique known, is jala neti. Jala neti uses water (jala) for the cleansing process. Above is a pic of my neti pot I snapped this morning before embarking on my morning neti. Neti isn't part of my daily routine but I do it a few times per month (and it is best to lubricate your nostrils with sesame oil after doing neti as it can dry out the nasal passages). With all the dust, pollen and other irritants we breathe in we can get really clogged up and not even realize it. Neti is a good place to start kriya-wise. And with cold/flu season being here it is an inexpensive, holistic and drug free way to breathe freely. Like anything, you should do your research and speak to your caregiver, and as far as any of the other kriyas out there. Only practice under the guidance of a VERY qualified teacher. After all, we are playing with the energy body and that is powerful stuff. Namaste.

It's official! My prices have come down. Yippie!

I was bummed with the HST, mainly because it meant that the prices would be going up on my classes. :(

As of right now prices for Mixed Levels and Prenatal Yoga at the Roundhouse have dropped! Its a done deal. (Not that they were ever expensive..)

It is just important to me to keep yoga affordable. Yoga is for everybody. I mean its only Yoga!

Registration is on at both places for all classes starting up again in January.

The biggest savings are when you double up and attend twice per week, although the savings are for individual classes, as well as the drop in price.

Namaste. See you on the mat ♥

Have you seen the movie HOME?

Wow is all I can say. It is just incredible. This is the most visually stunning movie I have ever seen in my life. And so informative. It is a movie about the earth. Our home.

This is the best documentary I have ever seen. Watch in full screen. Even if you were a climate change denier you will be mesmerized and will learn so much.

A link is HERE

Namaste...

Due to popular demand...

There WILL be Yoga over the holidays at Mount Pleasant!!

We will run run our Wednesday Daytime Hatha and Prenatal Yoga classes during our fall/winter break for 3 weeks. *Classes are drop in only ( and a measly $12)

-Daytime Hatha is from-1230-200pm -December 22, Jan 5 and Jan 12

(usual time and room)

-Prenatal Yoga is from 630-745pm and there will classes December 22, Jan 5 and Jan 12 as well (same room, same time and everything)

So no need to let your practice slide over the holidays!

All new sessions officially begin at Mount Pleasant January 17 & 19, and classes at our beloved Roundhouse will all start up one week earlier (the week of January 11), and registration is on for January for ALL classes at both places so get on it! There is a mat with your name written all over it. Casual, delicious, non threatening yoga for everyone, in both Yaletown and Mt.Pleasant!

There isn't a better way I know of to start your new year! I say bring it on! It is going to be a fabulous♥

yoga is our natural state.

You cannot do yoga. Yoga is your natural state. What you can do are yoga exercises, which may reveal to you where you are resisting your natural state. ~Sharon Gannon

I love love love my computers. But their impact on the world? not so much..

Lets face it... none of us are going to give up our computers! But it's good to know some facts and ways to lessen their (and our) impact on the environment. And we'll save money too! Yippie!

I was surprised a a lot of this stuff so decided to share.

(all these facts taken from a cute little book simply called "how to reduce your carbon footprint" -by joanna yarrow)

Some sad facts are:

-The IT industry accounts for 2% of CO2 emissions which is the same as aviation

-Over 31 million PC's are thrown away worldwide each year.

-The average PC takes around 2 tons of chemicals, fossil fuels, and water to produce, generates around 220 lb of CO2 per year, and is junked after 3 years.

-The plastic alone in each PC requires nearly 2 gallons of crude oil to make

-It's estimated that an average PC is in use for 4 hours each work day and idle for 5-6 hrs

-If you leave your computer on overnight you'll waste enough energy to laser print around 800 pages

-Only about 15% of the 250 billion -worth of power used by computers worldwide each year is spent actually computing-the rest is wasted while idling.

Some tips I just learned this morning are:

-If you need a desktop choosing one with a flat LCD (liquid crystal display) screen uses about 30% less energy than cathoderay monitors.

-Laptop computers consume up to 90% less energy than a desktop

-If you upgrade your existing computer instead of buying a new one, you could save around 500lb of fossil fuel.

-If you set your computer to enter power saving mode after 10 minutes of inactivity-this could cut its energy use by 60-70%

-Its best to shut off the computer if we aren't using it for a hour or two- it's a myth that computers use a lot of power to start up.

Namaste fellow yogi's!

Are you addicted to groupon?

I know there is groupon, swarmjam, and some others, and it's fabulous to be able to save some cash these days anyway we possibly can. I don't know too many people who aren't looking for ways to save money.

I sure am! Especially since the HST came into play!

**There is a new local group buying one called Ethical Deal. They have daily deals from local GREEN companies! It looks like the best one of them all. We can save money and not hurt the planet, and shop local! (it is Vancouver based)

The website is here

As far as yoga goes, it should never cost a fortune in my opinion, and thats why the cost of my classes are like groupon everyday. The cost of my classes on a regular basis are as inexpensive as I am allowed to make them. $9-$13 a class when you register and just a little more if you drop in.

(*And registration is on for January btw!)

Click here for The Roundhouse and here for Mount Pleasant

Happy Ethical shopping and I'll see you on the mat! ♥. ♥ .♥. ♥ .

The Shanti Uganda Society

This video is a couple of years old now but if you haven't seen it you should check it out. It is truly wonderful what this organization does and has accomplished, and is still doing. Although they have reached some goals, please consider helping if you can..

Shanti Uganda's website is here (www.shantiuganda.org)

It feels so good to be a part of this. Let's all help!

They just have so many ways to help and so many gorgeous items you can purchase. Gifts you can buy to enjoy yourself personally, or gifts you can buy and give to others! Click here

And gifts of action. All which give and give and keep giving!

-To sponsor a midwife click here

-To donate supplies click here to see what's needed

-To volunteer locally click here and in Uganda click here

-to donate to help build the fence that is now needed click here

-To purchase the beautiful jewelry and textiles made in the women's income generating group click here

And with the New year approaching so quickly check out Shanti's beautiful Inner peace Prenatal Yoga 2011 calendar here - you may even be in it as some of the lovely moms from my prenatal classes volunteered their time! This calendar is so lovely.

Click here for their December newsletter or here for their blog to stay up to date with the latest happenings!

The bottom line is that there are countless ways to help!

Lets give some gifts this holiday season that give twice :)

Namaste..

Defining moments in life

You may have seen this, or other clips of this rare hero's work circulating around the internet, Facebook and CNN. His name is Narayan Krishnan. He has been at this for a quite a while now (since 2002), and has fed, cared for, and freely given of himself to the needy in his community every single day since then..

He was 20 years old with everything going for him. He had even passed up a lucrative job in Switzerland as a chef when he had an experience that he calls his "defining moment"..

As he puts it:

In June 2002, Krishnan witnessed his life-changing event -

He saw an old man suffering from acute hunger and eating his own human waste.

As the old man ate the food given to him, he held Krishnan's hand, giving the very real sensation of a powerful energy. This triggered an experience of inner happiness and fulfillment Krishnan had never felt before.

Since then he has worked tirelessly and without a break, serving 1.5 million meals to the hungry, destitute, uncared for, mentally ill, elderly, sick, and helpless folks in his community. And not only food, but love. Clothing. Hair cuts and shaves. And dignity.

Anyways, his videos are out in full force again this holiday season as they always are this time of year.

This man is a true hero if ever there was one. One line he says that gets me everytime is;

"Just give". "Feel the joy of giving"..it's so simple and yet so true.

Should you want to learn more about what this incredible man and his team do or wish to donate his website is http://www.akshayatrust.org/

Namaste.

Life is so beautiful and precious. Stop, sit, breathe and take it all in..

The more you sense the rareness and value of your own life, the more you realize that how you use it, how you manifest it, is all your responsibility. We face such a big task, so naturally we sit down for a while.

-Kobun Chino Otogawa (乙川 弘文 , 1938—2002)

Out of clutter, find simplicity-Albert Einstein

Are you a giver? Do you overgive?

I know it's the holidays and we'll all be giving to different degrees, but do you give too much on a regular basis? You can give too much you know, and it can creep up on ya in a bad way.

I am a giver and I have suffered from burnout on more than one occasion. A couple of times this year in fact. Thats when I retreat and my self care goes into overdrive. Sometimes I catch myself 'teetering on the brink' of burnout. Sometimes its my partner that notices and reminds me to slow down. One of the hardest lessons of my life has been saying no. But you have to sometimes. You can't say yes to everything. We've all been there.

This year in particular I have been looking hard at the things that drain me, and some of those things I have let go of altogether. It can feel a little selfish, but at the same time it feels soooo good to emotionally and physically free yourself up. I haven't found the perfect balance (by a long shot), but I am on a roll and working on it more everyday. I am finding that getting started is the hardest part. I've been asking myself all kinds of questions and finding (and dealing with) ALL the big energy drains in my life.

Do you have things in your life that weigh you down just by thinking of them?

These things not only cause us exteme stress but can make us feel crappy about ourselves as well. We all know there are things in our lives that we can't change. But what about the things you can change?

Its sort of like therapy. It isn't "easy" but it is so freeing and worth it...

If you are an over giver like me I highly recommend saying no once in a while. You will not only be doing yourself a favour, but you will have more to give to the people and causes that really matter to you. Give back to yourself. Nurture yourself. Make time for you.

Its good to give what you can, just remember to give back to yourself too.

*Registration is on for all of my classes for January. Daytime, night-time...Classes for everybody. Delicious, affordable yoga -in both Yaletown (click here) and Mount Pleasant (click here)

There is a mat with your name on it waiting for you. Namaste.