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.

Too much of a good thing is wonderful-Mae West

The library is one of my favourite haunts.

I love them. Big ones, little ones, dingy ones, brand new ones. Just give me a library and I'm happy.

I spend oodles of time at them and feel real comfort.

I also like the borrowing aspect. You can have anything you like. For free! I don't watch much in the way of movies, but did you know that the library even has new releases? For free?

They also have all sorts of children's programs/baby and me programs etc.

Again...

*the word is free.

The convenience, the tranquility and the atmosphere are only 3 huge reasons to revisit your local library. I have been a lover of libraries for a very long time and don't see that ever changing.♥

To see what's shakin' at your local neighborhood library click here

yoga you can eat. yum!

Aren't these cute and yummy looking!? They are made by a woman named Patti Paige who owns a place called Baked Ideas in New York City.

Heres a link- Baked Ideas

Their work is really incredible! They sell items online but sadly not to Canada at the moment.If you love sweets and Art you could always check them out the next time you are in the Big Apple!