The Ujjayi Sound-- A Guided Practice for Beginners

BKS Iyengar pranayama

The breath is the king of the mind.

Staying Simple

Be blessed

in the basic awareness
of knowing
you do not know
the answers,

In this humbleness
is strength
guiding all
toward their own true nature,

Not the weakness
of complicated cleverness
that disguises the ego
as the master,

Be willing
to blend peacefully
into common-place cycles of life
with sensible precaution
of the silent destiny
always at work,
regardless of your particular opinion,

There lies comforting understanding,
within faithful surrender to the unknown,
invisible, inevitable presence,
that a clearer pattern exists,

Containing the joy
of simply being
amidst the unforced process
of the Tao.

Gordon Neumann

"Anyway, I keep picturing all these little kids playing some game in this big field of rye and all. Thousands of little kids, and nobody's around - nobody big, I mean - except me. And I'm standing on the edge of some crazy cliff. What I have to do, I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff - I mean if they're running and they don't look where they're going I have to come out from somewhere and catch them. That's all I do all day. I'd just be the catcher in the rye and all. I know it's crazy, but that's the only thing I'd really like to be."

— — J.D. Salinger (The Catcher in the Rye)

Are you ever a tourist in your own town?

I used to make a point of it at least 3X's per week. I'd just force my self to leave the house (and my to do list) for a few hours, and I'd be out there strolling, camera in hand. Sometimes I'd just get on my bike or hop on a bus, the sea bus, aqua bus, skytrain...what ever!

It's one of those things you sometimes have to force yourself to do because (of course we all have a million other things we "think" we "should" be doing). But lets face it...whats the worst thing thats going to happen if we take a little "me time" once in a while? Umm...well, for me my mood is gong to be better, my immune system is going to be stronger, my mind is going to be clearer, I am going to way more fun to be around.

It is very important to take a break. Regularly. Even if you absolutely love what you do.What are you investing in with that little bit of time devoted to yourself? Your whole entire life. Every aspect. and area. Your health, peace of mind. It's much like a yoga practice. It is too easy sometimes to listen to our mind telling us that there is no time.

I have been letting the chaos if life and business get the better of me this past while so I am making a pact with myself to get back out there.

Whatever is on my to do list simply can wait!

Getting out, much like getting on your mat, really clears the cobwebs out. I have always found that after a nice walk/ride/ personal adventure I am so much clearer and able to tackle those tasks I resist and avoid doing (with all my might)!

Make time for you. Make time for your own self care.If you don't do it, who is?

Make time to get outside. Don't wait for the visitors to come and force to you to be a tourist! This city is breathtaking and FILLED with prana! It's all there for the taking. If you are like me getting out can be difficult sometimes but you can do it. Force yourself!

You'll be so glad you did ♥

The most beautiful people we have known are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known struggle, known loss, and have found their way out of the depths. These persons have an appreciation, a sensitivity and an understanding of life that fills them with compassions, gentleness, and a deep loving concern. Beautiful people do not just happen.

a little yoga humour..

One Conscious Breath

Breath is the bridge between the body and the mind. Regulate breath, and the body and mind will follow.

That is (as far as I am concerned) one of the few guarantees in life. And it's free! Yippie!

The Brain Tumour Foundation is hosting an Education Day here in Vancouver on September 18!

Have you been affected by a brain tumour or know someone who has?

Brain cancer is something that most people don't like to think about but its very real.

Did you know that In Canada, there are an estimated 55,000 people living with a brain tumour, and each year an additional 10,000 are diagnosed? It is really frightening but there IS help out there and support.

Brain cancer is one of those orphan cancers that doesn't receive very much attention/funding etc. but I can tell you... it is a devastating diagnosis.

But there is hope! There's always hope and lot's of it!

Thousands of people find emotional support and comfort and resources through The Brain Tumour Foundation of Canada's programs and services, all the while gaining a better understanding and knowledge of their disease.

Next month The Brain Tumour Foundation is hosting an "Education Day" and you are invited! It's a morning of hope and support and information for all!

It is a Pediatric Brain Tumour Seminar Saturday September 18th from 9:00am-12:00pm and is at BC Children's Hospital, Main Auditorium. 4480 Oak St, Vancouver.

I'll certainly be there!

The topics are:

-Late Effects of Brain Tumor treatment

-Transitioning panel discussion

For more information or to register click this link www.educationdays.ca

A link to the Brain Tumour Foundation of Canada is www.braintumour.ca

The ultimate expression of meditation comes when we can feel all the pains of the world, experience them with mindfulness and equanimity so they dissolve into energy, and then recolor that energy and radiate it out as unconditional love, moment by moment, through every pore of our being.

—Shinzen Young

Jeepers creepers where'd ya get them peepers

The human body is simply beyond words incredible. This is a picture of my eye. Behind my eyelid, behind the eyelashes and mascara, this is my eye. Have you had your peepers checked lately? Much can be detected through an eye exam. Plus you may get to keep a cool picture of your eye like I did!

Yeah, I know I'm weird...(I even watched my own colonoscopy haha)

Take care of your eyes. The world is simply far too beautiful a place.

I don't want to take my eyes off of it for a second.

Patanjali and his 8 fold path of Yoga

This art of right living was perfected and practiced in India thousands of years ago and the foundations of yoga philosophy were written down in The Yoga Sutra of Patanjali, approximately 200 AD. The core of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra is an eight-limbed path that forms the structural framework for yoga practice.

In the video below Deepak Chopra gives a very brief description of the 8 limbs.

The 8 limbs are:

Yama : Universal morality

Niyama : Personal observances

Asanas : Body postures

Pranayama : Breathing exercises, and control of prana

Pratyahara : Control of the senses

Dharana : Concentration and cultivating inner perceptual awareness

Dhyana : Devotion, Meditation on the Divine

Samadhi : Union with the Divine

Ever wonder? I have been wondering lately. I've been saying "mine", "my", "I" and "me" too much lately.

Its amazing what doing a few little interviews does.

It makes you realize how you have defined yourself.

I love the press don't get me wrong... keep it comin'!

After all, this is yoga-land and teaching yoga is how I make my living so I do have to promote myself. I'd be crazy not to. If my classes are empty I'm not going to eat, plain and simple. But what I have been realizing lately is how I have been defining "myself" over and over again in a certain way, and by doing so I have been putting my happiness into the hands of something in which I have no control...

"I" am Lori Lucas and "I" am a yoga teacher.

If we label and define ourselves a certain way then what happens (and who are we), if it is all taken away? What if you label yourself a certain way, and then you get fired? Who are you then?

I have found myself putting too much stock into those things that are outside of myself lately.

Its all just a sign for me to up my meditation practice, thats all and it's all good.

I'm still hoping for busy classes and will quite happily take any good press that comes along!

I am just going to check in with myself and keep an eye on my mind (the ego).

Thats all we really can do.We are all sooo much more then our passing thoughts and feelings throughout the day, as well as any labels we or anyone else puts on us. It's important to remember that.

Namaste,xo

Do you do regular breast self-exams?

We want to be able to recognize any changes in our breasts as they come up if we can.

Nothing is fool proof, but whether you have noticed it or not our breasts change like the weather throughout our cycles and our lives.I was just up at the breast screening mammography clinic myself last week for a repeat mammogram and ultrasound due to some abnormalities in my own breasts (cysts). It happens to all of us whether we are aware of these changes or not. Our breasts are very busy through the month and always changing.

♥Make sure you Do them ♥ Get to know your breasts. Real well.

We want to do them throughout our lives, whether we are still having our periods, whether we have reached menopause, or any of the times in between. Including while pregnant, or if nursing.

-Check your breasts on a regular basis, (i.e. once a month)

-Check 5 to 10 days after your period starts so your breasts will be less tender.

-Irregular Periods? Pregnant? No longer have a period? Pick the same day of the month.

-Do not check more often than once a month, you might miss a change that is developing slowly.

-If you forget to check, don't worry; simply check your breasts the next month.

Click on the picture below and it will enlarge.

*I get a monthly reminder send to me via email. You can too!

Click here

Do you have a laptop?

I recently bought one. It's really more of a notebook and very similar to what's in the picture here. Small, lightweight and very inexpensive..

A macbook wasn't in my budget, although of course I would have loved one of those! But considering what I do on here my little Acer thingy is just fine for me, and we do have a lovely Mac desktop at home so we can still indulge while at home. I'm still not particularly computer saavy though (as you may notice by looking at my blog haha)

I was a late bloomer.

(I've even been known to call my ipod my walkman..haha..and thats no lie)!

Anyways, what I wanted to share here is that I recently found out that using a laptop uses 90% less energy then a desktop computer and I found that amazing. That is such a HUGE difference and definitely worth sharing. Knowing that, I plan on using my little laptop more, and my desktop a little less, as it sure can't hurt! Every little bit helps this beautiful world we live in ♥ .

Vancouver City

I love these time laspe videos. This one is incredible.

How do you deal with difficult people?

Sometimes taking the high road is very difficult lets face it. It isn't always easy to get through sticky situations with peace and grace.We're human and each one of us is so different.

We are all a work in progress and none of us are getting out of here alive. I'd like to believe that each of us is basically good. Relationships can still be tricky though. Very tricky. Not to mention painful.

We may never understand another's behavior, ever. And we may not have any other choice but to deal with it, and ultimately relationships can sometimes be a source of very real pain.

Sometimes you may wind up feeling used, tricked, or that you were never loved at all.That hurts. Big time :(

It is in those moments we may lose track of our higher selves (especially if we should feel an urge to protect ourselves or others, when being attacked). None of this crap is any fun. Maybe we ourselves are viewed as the difficult party at times?

Do you turn to your mat or meditation cushion during these times?

Yoga, meditation and pranayama are powerful tools.

Meditation shows us that we are so much more then those hurt feelings and thoughts running through our heads. It can really help you to move past the pain. I am also a fan of good 'ol fashioned Psychotherapy. There is professional help out there should you need it. Never feel ashamed! Its nobody's business and life can get very complicated at times for the best of us.Find a friend to listen, get on your mat, sit with the pain, (order some pecan pie like I did last night haha) have a good cry, go for a run...do what ever it takes. Just unload.

It might be something that takes a long time to heal from.

Give yourself the time to heal and remember that you are never alone. Chances are the person who hurt you is suffering at some very deep level themselves. Or maybe they are afraid? Afraid of what, you may never know. Sadly some deeply unhappy people want to bring you down emotionally so they aren't alone. Us humans act in strange ways sometimes. Lets face it we all do.

Relationship conflict and stress have been shown to have a clear negative impact on health, affecting blood pressure, contributing to heart disease, and correlating with other conditions. That’s why it’s in your best interest to minimize (or sometimes sadly) eliminate negative relationships in your life. We aren't going to change anyone. We can sometimes "influence" another person but in the end we can only change ourselves.

Be good to yourself and to the good people in your life and remember that line that rings so true..

"Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle."

And always remember that there is help out there and you are never alone.

And people do love you, just as you are ♥

With such a small life, with such a small energy source, it is simply stupid to waste it in sadness, in anger, in hatred, in jealousy. Use it in love, use it in some creative act, use it in friendship, use it in meditation: Do something with it which takes you higher. And the higher you go, the more energy sources become available to you. At the highest point of consciousness, you are almost a god. -OSHO

Giant Bubbles on the Beach

Prenatal yoga at Mt.Pleasant is drop in only the next 4 weeks...

Prenatal Yoga at Mt.Pleasant is drop-in only the next 4 weeks...(Aug 18, Aug 25, Sept 1 and Sept 8) *$12

The new session begins Wed Sept 15. (Weds from 630-745pm)

New Fall sessions for all classes are about to begin so I can't recommend enough registering. (this class in particular generally has a waiting list so I highly suggest registering).

Prenatal yoga-wise I also have two classes per week at the Roundhouse in Yaletown Tues and Thurs evenings from 545-715pm.

(and of course there is baby & me yoga for after baby arrives at both places as well as Mixed levels classes..) Lot's of affordable yummy yoga for all stages of your life.

Looking forward to seeing you on the mat!

♥ Namaste, xo

Laughter. let 'er rip! and often...

I once read somewhere that a child laughs 300X per day and an adult laughs 15 times per day.

Whether the numbers are true or not there is always room for more laughter in all of our lives! This baby reminds me of a very sweet little fellow named Zak who comes to one of my baby and me yoga classes. He was laughing like this non-stop, and for so long the other day that my cheeks and jaw hurt before the class even started! (and he is much younger than the baby in this video ) Ahh..blissful, magical, pure and completely unconditioned babies.♥

I learn a lot having these wonderful little humans in my life on such a regular basis and am so grateful.

Do you eat local?

This morning I read that around 900 million tons of food is shipped around the planet each year. Thats 4 times the amount that was shipped in 1961. Wow. That is staggering.
Do you try and eat local? As much as I have been slacking in my garden this year our little household really does try. We grow some of our own food and do our best to eat food that is local and in season as much as we can. I try and keep the exotic foods to a minimum (although I do love my olive oil and bananas and can not lie).

If you haven't really thought much about it before start out small. Just do what you can do, and thankfully there are farmers markets galore, community gardens, organic food delivery programs and resources of all kinds out there. And luckily for us Vancouver not only is yoga land, but it's also organic food land! Eating local is even better then buying organic food from somewhere else so why not buy fresh organic local food? Growing your own is very fun too!

Eating local not only is delicious and healthful for the environment (helps in the fight against global warming), but eating in season is really good for us from a health standpoint as well... not to mention sooo delicious.

Plus, it keeps us in touch with the seasons!

When we eat local we're helping to support our local farmers, and we're putting money back into our own economy. As well, local food is fresher and at a much lower risk of contamination due to not having to travel some crazy distance from farm to plate.

Give it a whirl and you'll see how amazing it is. The food is loaded with nutrients, delicious, and surprisingly not costly at all. You'll be doing something wonderful for you and your family, the environment, your community and your taste buds. yum!

For more information (local farmers market locations, whats in season, gardening resources etc.)

you can click here

Bon appetit!

"The greatest gift you can give yourself is a little bit of your own attention." Anthony J. D'Angelo

Observe the wonders as they occur around you. Don't claim them. Feel the artistry moving through and be silent..." ~ Rumi

yeah, vancouver sure takes a pretty picture..

Life

P1200345
Originally uploaded by Lori Lucas

For a long time it had seemed to me that life was about to begin — real life. But there was always some obstacle in the way, something to be gotten through first, some unfinished business, time still to be served, a debt to be paid. Then life would begin. At last it dawned on me that these obstacles were my life.
— Alfred D. Souza

"This perfect state untouched by suffering is called yoga."

-BHAGAVAD GITA

Hello Yoga friends! If you are on facebook why don't you join me...♥

Hi Yoga friends! I just made a Facebook fan page specifically for all things Yoga and me!

I'll be adding things to it daily (as time allows).

Come join me! It's called Yoga with Lori Lucas as well and you can just click on the Facebook badge to the right of here to join!

Hope you are enjoying this glorious weather!

And don't forget the Roundhouse picnic in the park at David Lam Park tomorrow from 12-4. (and the movie at dusk!) Free Yoga with me and lot's of other fun stuff!

Yoga is at 1230 & again at 2pm.

Hope to see you over on Facebook!

Namaste xo

Whats good about Friday the 13th? You can register for Fall programs at the Roundhouse!!

I love Firday the 13th personally!

(call me weird haha..people do all the time! )

Starting tomorrow online registration starts up for all programs at the Roundhouse! Which includes LOADS of glorious Yoga with me!

Yoga for everybody!

(even if you aren't born yet I have classes for you too)!

Classes are as follows:

-Tuesdays

-Prenatal Yoga from 545-715pm

-Mixed Levels Classical Hatha Yoga from 730-900pm

Thursday's

-Baby & Me Yoga from 1230-200pm

-Prenatal Yoga from 545-715pm

-Mixed Levels Classical Hatha Yoga 730-900pm

For the rest of my public class schedule please look to the right hand column of my blog under "Labels" (I will soon be throwing together a facebook fan page as well to keep you updated on all things yoga and me)!

To register online for Roundhouse programs click here

Or call- 604-713-1800