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.

Too much of a good thing is wonderful-Mae West