I'm STOKED!

Projector? Check.

Pelvis and Baby Model? Check.

Yoga gear? Check.

Tons of studies backing up much of what you are going to learn from me this weekend? Check. 

I am all ready for the Yoga Conference and its is going to be fantastic because it always is. I feel so blessed and honoured to be sharing my knowledge on my two absolute favourite topics in this life.Yoga and Pregnancy/Birth. 

Today (Friday) is a very short workshop (Introduction) from 6pm-8pm and Sunday promises to be way more in-depth as we meet from 11:30am-6:30pm. 

Get ready to laugh, (maybe cry) and have LOADS of fun with me this weekend! Theres still room! I'm stoked. There is something for everyone at The Yoga Conference including a HUGE show floor that you can attend for free! Scroll down a few posts and you'll see free passes for the show. Just print them off. Hope to see you there xo

Social psychologist Amy Cuddy shows how standing in a posture of confidence, even when we don't feel confident -- can affect testosterone and cortisol levels in the brain

Fantastic talk! Fascinating, lovely and inspiring. I feel especially touched by this talk as I once suffered a brain injury in a car accident and had to start over again as well. I can totally relate. The climb back up isn't easy but you must persevere. And sometimes in this life you do have to fake it, until you become it, and what you do practice day in and day out, you become. The talk is 21 mins long. Sit back and enjoy xo

It's official! I'm on vacation until June 18!

I'll be Yoga-ing it up in Southern California but will be back soon (you'll barely even notice I'm gone). Just make sure you do your homework. The practice happens whenever you think of it, wherever you are. *Oh, and be sure to register for the class (s) of your choice. I want to see you as soon as I get back! I'll miss you. I'll still be visiting my Facebook Page while I am away and it's here. Take Care & Namaste xo 

Heres the video on the making of Sophie the giraffe

It's not a wonder why its so expensive, and babies sure love it. It's too bad more things weren't made with such care.

My sincerest thanks

Without getting into any gory details I'd really like to say thanks to so many of you. Friends, family and students alike. You know who you are (and there are lot's of you).


These past weeks have been a difficult time in my life and you all mean the world.
And my partner Silas thanks you too.


Ahh..life. We all have these periods. Thanks for making me smile through it all. :) None of us gets out of here unscathed and while at times bittersweet, it is still a beautiful world. And mostly because of friends like you.

Happy International Midwives Day!!

“When we do our Practice…”

Have you noticed that the sunset is more vivid when we do our practice? And that there are fewer “jerks” on the freeway? The hardwood floor is the most comfortable bed in the world when we do our practice. Our mate is more patient and kind when we do our practice. Even the government seems more organized - when we do our practice. We want less and give more, we notice beautiful hearts, and are more forgiving of the mean-spirited. When we do our practice it is as if we live in a different world with our hearts open wide. But of course it is not the world that has changed; it is we who have changed, and that is one of the great secrets of yoga. We change but it appears as if the world around us blooms like a flower.-Max Strom

I've been at births and I have had a loved one die in my arms and...

Finally someone else speaks of the correlation between birth and death. I have never been to a birth that hasn't reminded me of that moment when my grandma took her last breath in my arms. Its not morbid or sad in anyway. It is real life and is something that we will all face both at the beginning and end of our lives. 
Thank you Dancing Star Birth for posting this video on your Facebook Page today. Poignant and touching, this video chronicles the last days of the life of a man named Lord Gould. He says that when you really know you are about to die "Life screams at you in its intensity". Let us not be afraid to die or afraid to live while we are here. Namaste friends.  

Hope your weekend is full of wonder!

I absolutely love this.

And I think to myself...what a wonderful world.

David Attenborough-Wonderful world-BBC

Its a horrifying topic but I am feeling compelled to share.

Just got in from a TRULY amazing day at The Vancouver Yoga Conference, and believe me...YOU want to go! (For more info click here)! It goes on all weekend long and maybe i'll see ya there? Makes me feel grateful to live in Vancouver.

Anyways, upon arriving home while checking my Facebook I saw this item on strokes and really felt the need to share. I am copying word for word the post I read and here it is courtesy of Biomechanist Katy Bowman, MS of Aligned and Well.

She has some VERY interesting things on her website and Facebook page by the way!

Anyways, I am copying this post word for word from her and here it is:

This is a quick must-read for everyone. Strokes, if they are caught soon enough can be a much-less significant event. Learn the signs...

You can Save someone's life by sharing this.

STROKE: Remember The 1st Three Letters... S.T..R ...
My friend sent this to me ...and encouraged me to post it and spread the word. I agree. If everyone can remember something this simple, we could save some folks.

STROKE IDENTIFICATION:
During a party, a friend stumbled and took a little fall - she assured everyone that she was fine and just tripped over a brick because of her new shoes. (they offered to call ambulance)

They got her cleaned up and got her a new plate of food - while she appeared a bit shaken up, Ingrid went about enjoying herself the rest of the evening. Ingrid's husband called later telling everyone that his wife had been taken to the hospital - (at 6:00pm , Ingrid passed away.)
She had suffered a stroke at the party . Had they known how to identify the signs of a stroke, perhaps Ingrid would be with us today.

Some don't die. They end up in a helpless, hopeless condition instead. It only takes a minute to read this...

STROKE IDENTIFICATION:

A neurologist says that if he can get to a stroke victim within 3 hours he can totally reverse the effects of a stroke...totally. He said the trick was getting a stroke recognized, diagnosed, and then getting the patient medically cared for within 3 hours, which is tough.

RECOGNIZING A STROKE

Remember the '3' steps, STR . Read and Learn!
Sometimes symptoms of a stroke are difficult to identify. Unfortunately, the lack of awareness spells disaster.
The stroke victim may suffer severe brain damage when people nearby fail to recognize the symptoms of a stroke.
Now doctors say a bystander can recognize a stroke by asking three simple questions :

S * Ask the individual to SMILE ..
T * = TALK. Ask the person to SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE (Coherently) (eg 'It is sunny out today').
R * Ask him or her to RAISE BOTH ARMS .

If he or she has trouble with ANY ONE of these tasks, call the ambulance and describe the symptoms to the dispatcher.

NOTE : Another 'sign' of a stroke is
1. Ask the person to 'stick' out their tongue.
2. If the tongue is 'crooked', if it goes to one side or the other that is also an indication of a stroke.

A prominent cardiologist says if everyone who gets this status shares it; you can bet that at least one life will be saved.

Pretend today is going to be great.

Do so, and it will be. Research shows that although we think that we act because of the way we feel, in fact, we often feel because of the way we act. A great attitude always leads to great experiences.- Fred Tracy

pills pills pills. lives are wrecked by them and others saved.

Have you cleaned out your medicine chest lately? I have been doing my fall cleaning and attacking one cupboard at a time and feel like its never going to end. The above bag is from my own cupboard and its larger then it looks. I was amazed by it actually. Although it has no actual pharmaceuticals in it and very few (if any) were actually bought at a "drug store/pharmacy", all drug stores will gladly toss them in their bio-hazard for us, which is wonderful as I'm sure we all know by now the environmental concerns of throwing them in the trash and flushing/ pouring them down the drain etc. with trace drug residues in our water supply/community drinking water and such.

But what do you do with tinctures/liquids and salves ? The truth is, I just don't know. And neither does anyone else seem to.

Even after speaking with two different London Drug Pharmacists, two different Choices Markets locations, and even The Recycling Council of British Columbia (click here for them- an AMAZING resource) this morning I still don't quite know for sure...

One Pharmacist when I asked what they did with liquids told me that he just sends them back to the manufacturer. Somebody else said to throw them in the garbage and to mix it (the substance) in with used coffee grounds or kitty litter, and still another person told me to just flush them. (the latter I am not willing to do). The Recycling Council dude and I had a really great conversation about lots of issues, and they really are a terrific resource. In the end on this topic he said that its really hard to mandate every single product we have/use but we are really close in BC to having to having that happen! Isn't that exciting?

In the meanwhile I'll just hang onto my tinctures until I learn of the best way to dispose of them.

If you have any suggestions feel free to pass them along. As well, I'll repost on this topic should I get the answer. Namaste.

Only the man who learns to relax is able to create, and for him ideas reach the mind like lightening. Cicero

Is this not the most idyllic scene? I hope to dream about this very place tonight :)

"Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth
seeking the successive autumns."
- George Eliot

I am so grateful for all of you.

Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.

~Melodie Beattie

I like to stroll in my neighborhood.

Pay it forward and change the world.

Our stunning universe. Enjoy.