Warmth + Me = :)

Ask yourself the following question: remember me, [insert your name here]? What kind of answer did you get? Yes, talking to yourself can seem strange, but it doesn't have to be an out loud conversation. Asking yourself a question can come in the form of an inner dialogue or simple reflection. It all comes down to identifying your current state of "inner affairs." 

This week, I noticed I was enjoying longer showers. After all, I was riding my bike in the rain and let's face it, the days are getting shorter and the nights a lot cooler! But I digress. I later stumbled upon an article in the Globe & Mail reporting on just that fact: a scientific study of the psychological meaning behind long showers. This version of the article, on the NBC site talks about the same study: http://bodyodd.nbcnews.com/_news/2011/07/05/6992690-wash-the-loneliness-away-with-a-long-hot-bath?lite

Summary: "...physical warmth...temporarily soothes emotional distress."

This got me thinking about my own behaviour. I am working around the clock for a Master's program and have found myself feeling a little run-down and have even been taking my stress out on those around me.

Now, the long showers were absolutely soothing, but did not deal with the underlying dilemma I have created for myself over the last few weeks: how to stay hard-working while maintaining an acceptable level of sanity and remaining agreeable and lighthearted with those around me. 

I decided to go for a swim at the University pool to clear my mind. After my swim, I walked past a warm and inviting sauna in the locker room. I got in. I spent about 20 minutes thinking about how I could get "back to me" and, in the words of this shower-study, "soothe my emotional distress."

The solution was right there in front of me: add one part warmth, one part relaxation and mix it all together with a bit of self-reflection and voila! A bunch of the weight on my shoulders melted away. I think I just might try doing this every week. That way, I won't even have to ask myself "remember me?" because I will already be back to the person I know I am and should be!

If you haven't spent some quality time alone, or at least recharging your own personal battery, fall is a perfect time to do so! You can wrap yourself up in a warm scarf, sip some hot tea, put on some cozy pyjamas and read a book... and what a great time to attend some hot yoga classes!

These scientists seem to be on to something... just add a little heat, and life gets a little more soothing - for you and yours!

Baba Yoga!

This past weekend I had the opportunity (and I should also say privilege) of teaching my father-in-law his first yoga class.

After months of hesitation, he finally said yes and joined in for not only one, but TWO yoga classes, two days in a row!

To my pleasant surprise, he was the most gung-ho member of the group and was absolutely loving it.

So the moral of this story folks? Don't knock it until you've tried it!

Get out there and do some yoga!!!

The happy results!

The Fire Within

As I write this post, I am sitting in Vancouver International Airport reflecting on the experiences I have had over the past week and listening to some pretty upbeat tunes.

Let me give you a bit of context. I just spent the past 3 days in Whistler, B.C. at the Wanderlust Festival enjoying yoga classes, workshops, the company of my best friend, mountain air and above all, a renewed desire to pursue the things I value in life.

I had the opportunity to participate in some classes and workshops at Wanderlust that reminded me of the importance of following our dreams, persisting, and being yourself.

As I began a new life in Ottawa, a new career and finding my place within a new yoga community, I was starting to feel somewhat overwhelmed and even intimidated by the task at hand. After all, university is competitive, finding a job is competitive and finding a teaching opportunity in a yoga-full city like Ottawa is challenging too!

However, as I spent my days in classes and workshops at Wanderlust, things seemed to come into focus.

The spark came in Jeff Mah's class "Will the Real Tadasana Please Stand Up." The class centered around finding our connection with the ground and understanding how we connect with our feet from the ground up. Jeff engaged us into seemingly never-ending single leg balancing poses that challenged our minds and muscles, but at the core, revealed something very clear to each of us: how we connect, or  conversely don't connect, to the earth. He said something to us along the lines of, we are going to stay in this pose until the rest melts away and all that is left is the reality of your connection to the ground.

That statement struck a cord with me. Perhaps my fears and insecurities were stemming from all the "extras" hanging around my head... the what if's, am I good enough's, will I succeed's, etc. What I needed to do was strip away the rest, all the doubts, and get down to business: I want to succeed in what I do, so why don't I just get out there and be successful?

The flame started to flicker in a workshop by Julia McCabe. It was a workshop for yoga teachers and how to stay creative in what we do. She described her trajectory as a yoga teacher and invited us to share our questions and even fears with her and the other attendees. She stressed the importance of being ourselves and finding inspiration from our everyday lives.

Most importantly, she reminded us to be inspired by the fire within us - that burning desire inside of us that is urging us to do something, that tells us we can succeed and that gives us the passion and energy required to get where we're going.

That struck another cord. And things began to become clearer as I shared my fears with a fellow yoga teacher beside me, only to discover that she too felt the same as me and, to little surprise, so did most of the group! The reassurance of knowing you are not the only person feeling something is quite comforting and often inspirational - they are continuing on their path, so why aren't you?

It all came together as my best friend and I gathered in Olympic Plaza in Whistler to listen to the upbeat musical stylings of Michael Franti and Spearhead, during the song "Hey, Hey, Hey." 

As we stood there, surrounded by magnificent mountains and a bunch of wild dancing hippies, we clapped our hands and sang along. As I looked around, I knew my flame had once again began to burn within me - I wasn't alone and I was going to get where I wanted to go. Correction: I am going to get where I want to go!

So whether you decide to attend a festival in a far away city, or get inspired by a happy tune, take it from Michael Franti:

"There's a crack in the gutter where a flower grows, reminding me that everything is possible, that nothing is impossible...you gotta live for the one you love, you know, you gotta love for the life you live you know... I won't let another moment slip away."

Don't waste any time living a life you have no desire to live... just get out there and do it!

I may have a few more hours to wait for my plane to take off, but I am already stoking my fire and stockpiling the fuel I will need to keep it burning strong!

Disconnecting to Reconnect

After an extended absence from my laptop, the internet and civilization, I have re-emerged in Ottawa where the constant rain the past few days has certainly made our grass greener, and our lives a little more frantic! But alas, the rain has also given me an opportunity to return to the screen and keyboard for some internet connecting.

Last I left off, Greg and I had embarked on a meditation and yoga challenge. The challenge did not go exactly as planned (after all, the best laid plans...) but we did manage to do some hostel yoga, some beach yoga, and some almost daily mediation. Here are our after shots:

As you can see, we got slightly darker in our skin tones and perhaps a little more refreshed looking. What is came down to for us turned out to be quite simple: disconnecting was the best way to reconnect. We were able to reconnect with each other, with nature, with our goals and with nothingness.

We travelled around a few cities but spent 7 nights camping at a small campsite in Sinop - a place most people don't visit in Turkey but which I would highly recommend. Not only did we have the beach and the Black Sea to ourselves, but the little city of Sinop has some hidden gems to visit, particularly the Ottoman jail that left us very thankful for our freedom.

All that being said, after having returned to "civilization" and the chaos of a transcontinental move, it has been quite easy over the past few weeks to get swept up in the aforementioned chaos and get anxious and even angry with those around me.

What a meditation, yoga, or really any kind of strongly focussed challenge can bring you is the focus to exclude from your mind what is not important or necessary and instead, connect with what truly is important for you and your well-being.

For me, the best way to reconnect is to find myself is in remote locations that are not highly frequented by other people and to bask in my own existence. While this sounds highly philosophical or fancy and fandangled, it's actually quite simple and easy to achieve, even in the city.

So, where do you go to disconnect?

Summer Challenge

"When we least expect it, life sets us a challenge to test our courage and willingness to change.

At such a moment, there is no point in pretending that nothing has happened or in saying that we are not ready. 

The challenge will not wait. Life does not look back." 

Paulo Coelho

A light Turkish Breakfast, Kusadasi 2011

After a long and busy year of teaching, Greg and I are heading out to the Black Sea region of Turkey for some R&R and exploration before we make our way back to Canada.

Of course, no vacation is complete without a little challenge... and we agreed on one last night that will begin as soon as we touch down in Trabzon.

Inspired by the before and after shots of people who meditated daily for a month as posted on MindBodyGreen (http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-3391/Before-and-After-Photos-A-Month-of-Meditation.html), we decided to do our own meditation challenge: we will meditate on the thought or idea of our choosing together for at least 5 minutes every night before going to bed.

We also challenged ourselves to practice a yoga sequence everyday of the trip as well. For this element of the challenge, we decided to use the Ashtanga Primary Series (http://www.ashtanga-yoga-canada.com/support-files/ayc-primary-combined-sm.pdf). We likely won't do the entire Primary each day, but have made a commitment to get through the first page as a basic requirement.

So there you have it: our summer challenge in a nutshell. It's going to be a wild summer full of adventure and chaos, but this should help keep us grounded, healthy and at peace.

Only one question remains: what's your summer challenge?

See you in in July!!!

Overheard in Yoga

Yoga teachers are full of wisdom. They seem to have an innate sense for saying things during a class that resonate with us long after we roll up our mats and carry on with our day. 

Some of these insightful words have resonated with me and continue to pop up in my head whether stretching out in down dog or at work sitting at my desk.

Here they are:

"Smile, it's just yoga."

Because really, it is just yoga. After all, it's just life as well. So why not smile and enjoy it?! There's no need to be too serious when it comes to yoga or life and turning a frown upside down seems to lighten everything up, from the weight of your body in chatturanga to a tight deadline. Have you ever heard that a smile is contagious? Well this comment isn't just for your well-being, but your positive energy will in turn influence others around.

"If there's no breath, there's no yoga."

In the middle of a challenging series, a teacher once reminded me to breath. Breathing is the key to yoga; linking our bodies and our breath to form one harmonious flow. When we link these two elements together, we achieve inner-peace and focus. So next time someone cuts you off in traffic, take a deep breath and take your practice out into the real world - you just might be surprised with the results!

"This training will give you everything you need, but nothing that you want."

My yoga mentor passed these words of advice on to me, as they were once passed on to her, at the beginning of our teacher training course. While I kept repeating these words in my head as I practiced every day, I realized how this statement can easily be tweaked to say "life will give you everything you need, but nothing that you want." While this may sound harsh or drastic, it is a rather important thought to keep in mind with anything we do - we must constantly strive to seperate our ego from our actions. Following the path of our ego and allowing ourselves to get everything we want, rather than what we need to seek out what serves us in everything we do. A challenging yoga pose will, if practiced consistently, produce an array of positive and even enjoyable benefits just as going through a rough patch in life might actually be just what you needed to open up something hidden inside. Doing things we want does not always get the end results we had hoped for. Rather, doing what we need to do (however unpleasant and challenging it may be at times) will in the end give you everything you need and free you from the attachment to the things your ego thinks you want.

"If you know something, share it."

This advice was passed on to me by the owner of a studio here in Istanbul. He stressed the importance of sharing our knowledge and not withholding it for fear of someone using it and becoming more successful as a result. As individuals, but especially as teachers, we need to share our knowledge with those around us and our students. Our intention should always be to enrich the lives of others without concern for the repercussions, because when you share something you know, it only serves to help others grow and flourish. Withholding information does not serve anyone beyond our own ego. 

So the next time you hear your yoga teacher pass on a piece of insight, listen and learn - there is a wealth of information out there just waiting to guide and inspire you on your path to a happier, healthier and ultimately wonderfully fulfilling life.

Crow Pose Candor

I love bakasana. I haven’t always loved it, but now it is one of my favourite poses. Not only does it strengthen and open the shoulders, arms and wrists, but if gives me a sense of lightness and weightlessness that I don’t often get walking around on two feet!

A dear friend of mine, Gizem (pictured below with Gonzo), recently adopted a baby crow she found roaming the streets of Istanbul. She has nursed the little crow into a strong and able bodied one. Seeing her and Gonzo reminded me of my own personal journey with bakasana and I wanted to share it with you so that if you have not yet enjoyed the benefits of the pose, you soon will.

Photo Credit: Gizem Erden, Istanbul 2012

When I think about bakasana, I smile. But, as I mentioned before, it wasn’t always so. I remember the first time my yoga teacher asked me to balance on my hands and lift my feet of the ground, my face tilting perilously over the ground in front of me. A smile was the furthest thing from my face.

However, little by little, I continued to practice, lifting one foot, then the other, until one day they both came up and there I was, flying like a crow.

When I look at Gizem and Gonzo I am reminded of how my own yoga teacher took me from a flightless, and perhaps lost, little bird, wandering the streets of Istanbul and helped turn me into a strong and confident, not to mention airborne one.

All it takes to achieve this is some determination, guidance and encouragement.

As a recently certified yoga teacher, I have had the joy and opportunity of teaching bakasana to a few students and seen the results first hand. Doubt and uncertainty quickly turned into confidence and smiles. I think they may have even enjoyed themselves!

So if you aren’t already a fan of bakasana, get out there and try it. And if you are a devoted frequent flyer, then take a moment and be grateful to your body, your mind and that teacher that gave you the courage to spread your wings and fly.