Happy International day of peace today. Spread it far and wide! Be it!

When the power of love overcomes the love of power the world will know peace. Jimi Hendrix

Let's be extra kind today because heck, why not?

This made me cry! haha.. (yeah, i'm a sap)

In every moment you have a choice. Love or Fear. Moment after moment.

Michael Stone Dharma Talk: Let the Heat Kill You from Centre of Gravity on Vimeo.

I can't believe The Briefing is just 5 days away!!

Heres the trailer for The 2011 Briefing at UBC.

Are you going? Can you go? I am so sad I can't go but I'll be there in spirit. I've got my yoga classes to teach that night, and I've never been one to miss those!

It takes place Tuesday January 25 from 5-8pm at UBC Woodward 2 and you can register here for a toonie, and make your voice heard!

It's called The UBC Dollar Project (click here for more info).

You can hear about 8 different community projects and vote for your favourite one! And YES Shanti Uganda is one of them! **click here for Shanti's site**

I love the whole concept so much. The fact that you can pay a dollar and make a HUGE impact in the world. Thats so beautiful to me.

And to me, just listening to the speakers and hearing their passion, while learning about the world around me and the various causes being discussed would be so fascinating to me. If you can go, go!

I can't wait to hear all about it! And being an Ambassador for the organization and feeling so passionately about it, I am rooting for The Shanti Uganda Society all the way! We need that fence asap, and every single bit helps! For more info on Shanti's Fence Project click here

To keep up with Shanti Uganda and all the good they do, and their various projects etc, you should sign up for their newsletter. Its lovely and will make you feel really, really good inside. much like yoga. Namaste.

All my Mt.Pleasant classes resume starting today! Weee!

According to Cliff Arnall, a psychologist with the University of Cardiff in the United Kingdom, there are many factors that make Monday, Jan. 17 the worst day of 2011, but I'm not buyin' it! (and neither should you)!. There are plenty of reasons to smile today!

Todays the day that all my classes at Mt.Pleasant start up again officially! Yay! Its yoga bliss in our glorious neighborhood once again.

All classes are a go, and it's going to be a great session♥

Baby & Me Yoga: Its starts this morning (Mondays 1045-12-ish-generally a little longer) It's going to be very busy this morning. Today is the first day and I'll be there super early to set things up. Please keep in mind that the first class is a little hectic for the very young babies due to sounds in the room. (sometimes really new little babies get a little overly stimulated and extra fussy the first time they are in a room with other baby sounds) But they do chill out by the second class! And thats a guarantee. Don't worry, its all good, and super fun! And by the second class they are lovin' it:)

Prenatal Yoga: Busy as always but with a new bigger room! (right next door to the old room) New session starts Wed at 630. "If you can get there a little early (10 mins) it would be a big help. (if you can't, it's totally cool). It's just that I can't get in there until 615 to set up, and it too is a busy one. Oh, and the waiting list is gone and we've opened up more spaces! And due to the size of the room you can always drop in as well :)

Daytime Yoga (mixed levels hatha) starts again today as well at 1230! (1230-200 Mondays and Wednesdays). You can double up to attend both days and get a huge discount as well. Can't wait to see my regulars today and meet some new folks as well.

To register click here

Remember that at both Mt.Pleasant and The Roundhouse prices are pro rated so as long as theres room you can still register for the class of your choice at a big savings (meaning, the classes missed will of course be deducted from the price)

Ok, I've gotta fly! Giddy UP. See you on the mat xo

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.

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

So watch the thought and its way with care

And let it spring from love

Born out of concern for all beings.

~Buddha

Came across a wish tree today...

People in my neighborhood made a "wish tree". It was a pleasant sight to see. Many of the wishes were for more trees. People wished for health and happiness for loved ones, and someone even wished to become a grandparent. Looking at the wishes made me happy, and I couldn't help but make a wish that the wishes of all who posted their wishes, came true.

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.

Have you noticed the effects of your yoga practice spilling into the other areas of your life?

A few of the cats..

Yeah, I'm feelin' a little punchy today..

(these are pics from yoga dogs calendars. and yoga cats)

website is here

My favourite would have to be "cheeto" as I have always had a thing for orange tabbies.

cute cute and more cute!

Yoga Dogs calendars were created by Alejandra Borris a former Yoga teacher and her husband Dan Borris.

They came out with a Yoga Cats calendar as well. (I'll include a few cat pics in my next post)

Their website is

www.yogadogz.com

(I went a little overboard on the pics but couldn't help it. They're all so funny & cute)!

The Shanti Uganda Society

If you are attending the Camp Moomba Yogathon today make sure you stop by our table! This is one extraordinary organization ♥. ♥. ♥. ♥.

My wish is for everyone to find their yoga.

We are just so lucky. I mean really...

Does it get any better than this?

To those who know me I know I may seem a little "over the top" (maybe even "irritatingly" happy a lot of the time) haha.. but I'm human and believe it or not, I have my dark days as well.

I know very well that we are all experiencing our own reality in every moment and that things are continually changing and evolving. We don't always feel like celebrating and aren't "always" overflowing with bliss ( because well, quite frankly, shitty things sometimes happen to us at times!) Life is truly so uncertain and none of us ever know what is around the corner.

But all in all....It is a such beautiful world and there is never a shortage of things for me to feel incredibly and deeply grateful for. For instance teaching yoga is a continual source of joy and inspiration to me. I would recommend it to anyone, anytime, any day of the week because Yoga is for everybody. As long as you can breathe you can practice yoga.♥

It's no secret that I teach weekly Yoga classes to everyone from pregnant mom's to babies, (post-natal) to kid's, and to all- levels and ages of adult's. This isn't by accident. Sure, it's more study time for me and more prep time each day (keeping things fresh and new) but I love it. I really really do.:)

And the best part?

(short of owning my own yoga studio that is) I have full control of my class pricing! (aside from applicable taxes of course.) I get to keep my classes affordable. That truly is a luxury. There aren't many places you can teach and set your own price structure. I feel very blessed to be able to do this and for as long as I can continue to.. that is what I'll be doing. So far it has been 6 years. I make my own prices and schedule and feel really good about keeping yoga accessible to people. My classes are $12 to a maximum of $14 to drop into and even cheaper if you register. (most are 90 minute classes)

My Yoga practice is one of the biggest things in my life, right up there with my partner and loved ones. My love for yoga just keeps growing and I feel a richness, inner peace and gratitude for my practice that I have difficulty putting into words.

Yoga means many things to many people. There are so many facets of yoga. It is just so profound. And yet your yoga practice can be whatever you want it to be!

Simple. Thats what my practice is. And it becomes even more simple the longer I practice and teach. And thats the beauty of it. It is your own practice and yours alone. For me a yoga class is time for me. A rare chance to pause and reflect and breathe. To be in my body. To let go of the past, the to-do list, whatever is going on tomorrow. Yoga really helps keep my life and my body in balance. It's a chance to draw in and nourish myself. To recharge.

Whether it's Ashtanga, Kundalini, Iyengar, Yin (although I believe everyone would most certainly benefit from some yin- it's delicious!!) Whatever it is... find the style for you. If you don't resonate with a certain teacher or venue or style, try another one!

Maybe Yoga for some people is golf, or tennis or running? I truly believe that the more people who practice some form of yoga, the more love and peace there will be in the world. And the benefits are absolutely countless and undisputed.

Hope to see you in a class soon!

My classes are super casual with lot's of variations for everyone. This is my full time job and all I do.

I hope to see you on the mat soon :)