Yasmin Yoga

Stomach Flu Natural Remedies

2012-01-06T13:26:00.000-08:00

Oh, the stomach flu! What a nasty bug. And one I got to know quite well in the last few days. Yes, that's right, after my emotional and material purging over the last couple of weeks, I've had the opportunity to physically purge the toxins out of my body. I feel much better today, albeit still a little weak from the torment of vomiting my guts out on Wednesday night and wrestling with fever yesterday.

Having spoke to a few friends and colleagues, I hear I'm not the only one recovering from this aliment, so I thought I'd share some ayurvedic remedies should you also be affected by Viral Gastroenteritis (a.k.a the stomach flu).

First, how do you know the difference between the stomach flu and food poisoning?
Although the stomach flu and food poisoning have similar symptoms (vomiting, headaches, fever, loose stools, etc.) and are both an inflammation of the stomach and intestines, their cause differs. Food poisoning is a bacterial infection resulting from eating something disagreeable, whereas the stomach flu or viral gastroenteritis is a viral infection contracting by contact with an infected person. Both conditions usually last one to three days, but it may take two weeks or longer for the digestive system to regain its full strength. However, if you are affected by either food poisoning or the stomach flu, your immunity and digestive system was probably weakened to begin with. This is why in the same family, one or two people may get sick and the others not, even if everyone was exposed to the same food or virus.

So, how do you get over it?

Rest is top priority. Stay warm and cozy in bed and just sleep and/or breathe deeply.
Avoid dehydration by taking small sips of room temperature water once vomiting has ceased. (Small sips are important, as big gulps with may further aggravate the system.)
Re-hydrating with electrolytes is important. I used the new Vega Sport Electrolyte blend in water and it helped a lot. But, you can also make your own: 1 c water + 1 tsp agave nectar (or maple syrup) + 2 tbps lemon juice + a pinch of salt
Rice water is also soothing. To make it, simply boil brown rice (organic is best) with double or triple the usual amount of water. When the rice is ready, strain it and drink the water.
Clear broths or other clear, non-acidic beverages are beneficial.
Fennel and coriander tea is good too. Just put about 1/2 tsp of freshly ground fennel and coriander seeds (equal parts) in a cup of hot water and let steep for five minutes before drinking.
When you are ready to start eating again, I highly recommend plain rice with maybe a little yogurt or ghee + a Kitchari diet for a few days. ("Kitchari" means "mixture" or "stew" and is a staple food in India). Below is a recipe for Kitchari.
Go see a doctor or health care professional, if you have blood in your stool or if your symptoms get worse after a couple of days.
There are many wonderful ayurvedic herbs that can also help rebalance the digestive system, but these can only be recommended on an individual basis, as not all herbs are appropriate for all people. I should be up and running in a few days, so if ever you want to set up an ayurvedic appointment you are welcome to contact me: yfgow@yasminyoga.com

KITCHARI RECIPE: The best comfort food to get the digestive system back on track...
1 c split mung beans (soak for 1 hr before using)
2 c brown rice
4 1/2 c water
3/4 tsp sea salt & black pepper
1 tbsp freshly ground cumin
1 tbsp freshly ground coriander seeds
1 tbsp freshly ground fennel seeds
1 tbsp turmeric
Small pinch of Hing or asafoetida (It helps prevent gas and can be found at an Indian store.)
About 1/2 - 1 c easily digestible veggies (zucchini, sweet potato, carrot, turnip and/or squash)

Put everything into a pot & bring to a boil. Then cover & let simmer for on Low for ~45mins. Enjoy with 1-2tsp of ghee (clarified butter) or coconut butter or oilve oil. For a little pro-biotic boost, adding a table spoon or two of plain yogurt is good with this dish. (Tip: avoiding adding the veggies, if your digestive system is very weak.)

Don't know how to make ghee? It's really simple.

GHEE RECIPE
Melt 1 pound of unsalted butter (organic butter is best for therapeutic applications and if you can find grass fed cow butter all the better) on stove and let simmer for 15-20 mins on low heat. Stir continuously. Scrape foam off the top and discard. After about 15-20 mins, it with stop boiling and become clear. At this point, turn off heat. Let cool for 5-10 mins. Then strain (with cheese cloth) into clean, dry container. Cover and store in cool, dry place like pantry.

* Please feel free to also post your own suggestions for stomach flu or food poisoning cures!

The Art of Letting go

2011-12-31T13:28:00.000-08:00

As we sift through drawers, closets, and forgotten boxes, the dust makes my eyes water and my nose stuff up. Emotions well inside. I remember the young student who gave me this red card with the embossed deity on it the cover. He was seven at the time he was in my kids yoga class, but he must be in Cegep now. There’s also an astrology book found in this collection of stuff. The instructor who gave it to me way back when doesn’t speak to me anymore because of a disagreement. In other box, I find every attendance sheet of every class I ever taught since 2004. I can’t believe that was eight years ago, and I really can’t believe I’m in the process of packing up and moving out of my studio.

This was my week to sort through everything at Om West and decide what stays, what to recycle, what to discard, and what to bring home. On Thursday afternoon, I sit on the floor of Studio 1 and sort CDs. There are a couple without labels. I put one into the player and the notes of Yann Tiersen’s theme song for Amelie begin. Suddenly, I’m lost in a cloud of memories and undistinguishable feelings. I stare at the window and try to regain my composure. “We’re almost done,” I tell myself. “Soon this will all be over.”

I’m not very good at organizing, so trying to figure out what to do with all these accumulated documents and materials is stressful for me. It’s a lot of small intestine work, my friend Nadia would say. I feel constipated, both physically and mentally. But miraculously, after three days and several car trips later, we’re done, and the studio has never, in its 15 years of existence, been more orderly.

By 8:30pm, Craig, who all day was helping me sort and stay focused, is waiting by the door. The car is packed. But all of a sudden, I have an urge to sit and have a good cry. The lump in my throat has become so large, it’s restricting my breath, and my lower lip is quivering uncontrollably. It finally hit me— All the decisions I made here, all the people I met, all the events I’ve hosted… I never before realized what I actually created and did in this place. I don’t want to leave. I feel like going back upstairs and hugging every wall.

Craig walks over and puts his arms around me and whispers things like, “Everything is still going to be here next week,” and “Think about all the you’re now going to have.” But I know I just have to let myself release emotions until I feel better.

We eventually make our way home. I am comforted by conversation with Antoine, the new owner, and a bowl of warm Thai curry that is delivered to our door.

So now the sorting is over, and it’s end of a monumental year.

Craig and I are in Bancroft, Ontario at Kat and Vito’s alpaca farm. My friend Jamie Lee, the artist, and Ron Obadia, chocolate yoga co-founder are here too. I’m happy to be celebrating the start of 2012 surrounded by beloved friends. We have a big bonfire planned tonight and I brought a box of paperwork to burn. This will be my way of symbolically letting go of the past.

It’s the dawn of a new beginning, and the start of a new adventure. I’m ready and I’m so stoked.

Kids Yoga Camp 2008

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Practice your own letting go ritual this weekend:

Write down anything and/or everything that has upset you. Then, as soon as you are done writing, destroy the paper by burning or shredding it.

Cleaning out closets and storage boxes can also be liberating.

Then, take time to be silent so inspiration can come.

Happy Happy New Year. May peace and joy prevail.

Eco-Christmas Ideas & New Year's Manifestion exercise

2011-12-25T11:29:00.000-08:00

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Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays!

The Holidays have always been such a special time of year for me, and for my family. My dad is Mr. Christmas. He absolutely adores these festivities, and my parents home is the perfect setting. They live an gorgeous cottage just outside Montreal that is nearly 120 years-old. The living room has this incredible cathedral ceiling and a massive stone fireplace. Decked with twinkling garlands and a 10 foot tree, this room is Christmas personified. It's so nice to spend a few days here.

I am so grateful for all my blessings and my heart is full of joy and exhalation as we come to the end of a most memorable 12 months. And an incredible year lies ahead! 2012! Amazing. A historic adventure, I'm sure. I pray for peace, compassion, and global tolerance and acceptance.

Made yesterday and full of Holiday cheer, here is my first video in a long time! (Yes, I'm a little rusty in front of the camera...) In this video, I'm sharing some of my own Christmas traditions-- my eco-gift wrapping ideas, my make-shift decorations, and a special Alternate Nostril breathing exercise designed to promote energy, happiness, inspiration and love, while relieving stress, fear, frustration and anxiety.

Wishing you a wonderful New Year full of inspiration, creation, light, love, health and wealth.

Much love,
Yasmin

My 30th Birthday!

2011-11-21T07:14:00.000-08:00

The police shut down my party on Saturday! It was a blast. Plus, I got the skeleton I wanted!

Today is my actual birthday. Thirty years old! Holy Moly!

Many people have asked me how I feel turning 30, and I have to say I'm so freaking excited! I cried on my birthday when I went from 12 to 13, because I thought that entering my teens meant I was no longer a child. Thankfully, I now know that childhood can last a life time. I feel like I am simultaneously 6 and 108, and this will never change.

In the last year, perhaps more so than in other years, I feel I've come into my own. I know and like myself much better than ever before. I attribute this shift of perception to all the knowledge I'm acquiring in Ayurvedic school. I am more understanding and accepting of the things I didn't like about myself before, such as my tendency to be a stubborn perfectionist. As my good friend Natalie predicted, I am now less interested in trying to be someone I think I should be, and more interested in enjoying myself and just being who I am. This has been an amazing experience, because not only am I more accepting of me, I am more accepting of others too. And I am having so much more fun!

Speaking of fun, I am so grateful to have been able to share my birthday celebration with my friends, family and teacher training students, who got me the six foot skeleton as a group gift (which is killer! Thank you!!). And even thought the police kicked everyone out of the loft at 12:30am, I got to wear a tutu dress and we really had a radical time. (The drums were awesome. James, you rule.)

I am also grateful to be passing my studio on to two lovely new owners and I am excited for what's coming up: Craig, my beloved, and I going to Paris for ten days at the beginning of Dec. and we will be moving in to our own place hopefully by Jan. 1. Plus, on the professional side, I have two dvds
coming out Dec. 6 in stores across Canada, and I now have my own jewelery collection with Ice.com! So exciting!!

PS If you are one of my lovely yoga students, remember it is customary to do 108 sun salutations on your yoga teacher's birthday! (Wink!)

PPS Thank you to Craig for all the organizational genius and to Miranda from Ahimsa Yoga for the great space! xo

Embracing Change

2011-11-04T04:50:00.000-07:00

I have a big announcement... I sold my yoga studio.

It seems strange to see those words and even stranger to say them out loud. But it's true. After being the sole proprietor of Om West Holistic Centre for five years, I am choosing a new path. This is no doubt a huge change for me and it was a difficult decision. I have spent 17 years at this yoga centre.

My yoga life began in the dimly lit, carpeted studio at 46 Ste Anne Street in Pointe Claire Village, which is about 25km west of downtown Montreal. It was circa 1996 and no one cool had ever tried yoga expect maybe the Beatles 30 years prior. I'm an awkward teenager working part-time for Gigi, the owner of said yoga studio. With her encouragement/enforcement, my friend and I start practicing Ashtanga yoga with Mark Darby, who is fresh from India and impatient with awkward teenagers. (By the way, Darby is now a renown world-traveling yoga teacher, but he had his Western debut at Gigi's humble little studio, as did several other yoga masters.) For some reason, I stick with ashtanga yoga, although I distinctly remember not having much affinity towards it back then.

A few years later, at age 18 or 19, I end up on a deserted island in British Colombia learning yoga from Claire, a spirited 24-year-old who had taught yoga in Costa Rica. I'm mesmerized by her soulful beauty and I wanted to be like her, so because of her prompting, I started teaching yoga to kids. The summer ends and I'm back in Pointe Claire. Gigi puts me in charge of the kids yoga program at her Centre. I have no idea what I'm doing, but I borrow a book from the library and I make it up as I go along. (Admittedly, making things up as I go is a tactic I continue to rely on to this day!)

Two years later and I'm in Australia for a year. I'm at RMIT university. I am teaching adult yoga, and I attempt to record my first yoga cd (alone in a basement radio booth). It's January 2003 and I'm back again at the Centre in Pointe Claire Village. Gigi convinces me to stay in Montreal and manage her centre. Good call, because in the year I was Down Under, North Americans go crazy for yoga. My evening classes quickly overflow. Pretty soon and I'm all over the place teaching 6000 classes a week and I LOVE IT, but I don't really have much formal training. So after briefly flirting with the idea of moving to Norway, I commit to living in Montreal for another year, and register for Mark Darby and Hart Lazer's 200 hour yoga teacher training. It's there I meet my best yogi friends Mark Laham and Jamie Lee. I'm extremely tempted to follow Mark's path of nomade yoga teacher, but when Jamie decides to buy Yoga Source, a studio in the South Shore, getting a studio of my own seems like a good idea. In 2005, Gigi offers to sell me her studio. I say, no. When she asks again in 2006, I say, yes, and acquire a bank loan.

I discover that owning a studio is a lot more complex than managing one part-time. Argumentative staff, a dissatisfied client, and big bills, there are moments I am sick with anxiety and stress. Someone says, "Why don't you try some yoga? Ha Ha," and I want to kill him or her. However, I then find Marianne, a wonderful mothery manager, who helps me get organized. A few years go by. The studio grows, and my responsibilities continue to increase. I'm overwhelmed and I really can't think straight. I need guidance.

I find Lisa Lajoie, a spiritual mastermind, and she and I become pals. "I'm not sure if I want all these responsibilities, and I'm not sure I'm meant to be a yoga teacher. Sometimes, I feel like I poser..." I rhapsodize. Lisa and I talk a lot. But I still I don't know what to do. I pray for inspiration. I meditate. I write. I decide to embark on an inner pilgrimage, a mala of 108 practices. On April 15, Lisa suggests I start on the 108th day of the year, which is three days later. I protest I'm not prepared, but she shoots me her 'Don't mess with me' look, so I go home and freak out all night. Nevertheless, on the morning of April 18, 2010, I start my journey of 108 daily sun salutations in company of my friend Ron Cherilus and some of the students of Om West.

Of course, what transpires next, are the 108 days of surya namasker that are already outlined in the pages of this blog. During this time, it becomes increasingly oblivious to me that I no longer want to run a yoga centre. But I feel like a mother afraid to admit she is too young to raise a child, so I keep my mouth shut, and force my way through hours of tedious administrative tasks. The 108 days end with a 32 hour consecutive yoga marathon at Om West. It's the most amazing experience of my life. I am doing my favourite thing in the world, I'm in my studio, and I'm surrounded by my favourite people. I am so in love with each moment. I don't want to let it go.

Marianne and I part ways in the fall and Tasreen joins me as studio manager. Working with Tas is great. Along with my new business advisor, Blair, we implement procedures and systems. I'm learning a lot about business, and the studio is becoming busier. Sales are going up, but I still feel burdened with decisions and tasks. By Christmas, it's clear I need a radical change. At first, I think getting a partner would be helpful, and I toy with this concept for a few months. Unfortunately, a good partnership candidate fails to appear, so I start exploring other options. I sign-on, then quickly sign-off with a business broker. He doesn't understand the needs of the studio, and I'm determined to find someone who will care, really care about the well being of my Centre and the students who come there. My goal is to find new owners before I turn 30. I don't know the first thing about selling a business. With no broker and no leads, I worry, then I pray and meditate.

What follows is rather serendipitous. One quiet Friday afternoon in May, I get a Marma Point Massage from Antoine. Afterward, we sit and have tea. He tells me how much he and his wife, Pamela, love Om West, and he says that if I ever consider selling it, to tell him first as they would be very interested. From there, we meet and exchange non-disclosure agreements. I spend the summer organizing more paperwork that I have in my entire five years of business ownership. But then things fall into place, and here I am. Pamela and Anotine will officially take my place as owners Jan. 1, 2012, and I will stay on to teach a few regular classes at Om West.

I have to say, it feels good to share this story. I am grateful beyond words to my parents, my boyfriend Craig, my teachers, my advisors, who have been there for me every step of the way. I have learned so much and grown so much. I feel I understand business now and I want to help other yogi entrepreneurs. I am a little nervous, but also excited, about what lies ahead.

I'm turning 30 in about two and half weeks, and apart from celebrating with family and friends, all I want is a skeleton. So if you happen to know where I can get one, or if you happen to have a spare, can you let me know?

Thanks.

Yoga Holidays

2011-07-20T14:13:00.000-07:00

Namaste!

Thank you for following my blog posts and connecting with me. I am taking the summer off from the blog-o-sphere to work on my upcoming yoga dvds and to revamp my website. BUT please come join me on Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/yasyoga

Everyday, I offer small blurbs via Facebook about food, germs, breathing, postures, blissful adventures, ayurveda, and more. (Btw, I finished ayurvedic practitioner school just two weeks ago!)

+ Alternatively, find me in person and let's practice together!

West Island Schedule @ Om West

Westmount Schedule @ Vic Park

Have a wonderful summer!

Veggie Burgers Recipe ~ Burger végétalien pour l'été

2011-06-27T10:21:00.000-07:00

Inspired by my friend Kat Guerrerio's veggie burger recipe, Craig and I created these burger accidentally and they are marvelous! My suggestion is to make a bunch and freeze them.

Ingredients

1 cup brown rice / 1 tasse riz brun
1 cup red lentils / 1 tasse lentilles rouges
1/2 tsp sea salt / 1/2 c. à thé sel de mer
1 tsp tumeric/ 1 c. à thé curcuma
1 tbsp coconut butter or olive oil / 1 c. à table beurre de coconut ou huile d'olive
1 chopped onion / 1 oignon haché
1 clove garlic chopped / Une gousse d'ail hachée
1 cup finely chopped spinach or kale / 1 tasse d'épinards ou de chou frisé finement haché
1/3 cup ground walnuts / 1/3 tasse noix moulues
3 tbsp salsa (optional) / 3 c. à table salsa (optionnel)

Directions

To cook rice and lentils, bring 3 ½ cups of water to boil with 2 cups of grain, salt, turmeric and coconut oil. Then lower heat, cover and let simmer for approximately 20 minutes.
While grain is cooking, sauté onions and garlic for approximately 5 minutes or until soft.
Once grain is cooked add onions and garlic to the grain mixture along with spinach, walnuts, and salsa.
After allowing mixture to cool for 1 hour in the fridge, make into patties and bake in an oven preheated to 300°F for 30-40 minutes. Flip them and cook for another 10-15 minutes at 400°F to crisp, keeping an eye on the patties so that they don’t dry out.
Top with fresh vegetables (avocado is great on this) and your favorite condiments and enjoy!

Directives

Pour cuire le riz et les lentilles, faites bouillir 3 ½ tasses d'eau avec les lentilles, le riz, le sel, le curcuma et l’huile de noix de coco. Baissez le feu, couvrez et laissez mijoter pendant environ 20 minutes.
Pendant que le riz et les lentilles cuisson, sauté les oignons et l’ail pour environ 5 minutes.
Dès que le riz et les lentilles sont cuits, ajoutez les oignons et l’ail avec l’épinard, les noix, et la salsa, bien mélangez.
Après avoir laissé refroidir le mélange pendant 1 heure au réfrigérateur, faites des galettes cuire dans un four préchauffé à 300°F pour 30 à 40 minutes. Les retournez et cuisez encore 10 à 15 minutes à 400°F pour qu’ils deviennent croquants, tout au long en gardant pour vérifier qu'ils ne brûlent pas.
Garnir avec les légumes frais et condiments de votre choix et bon appétit!

See Kat's original recipe ~ Voir la recette de Kat

So Hum Summer Solstice Yoga Practice

2011-06-21T18:42:00.000-07:00

It was a glorious summer solstice!

For the fifth consecutive year, I am running my Sunrise Yoga by the Lake program this week and next. We meet at 6:00am on the pier in Pointe Claire Village near my studio, and begin with a 30 minute group meditation. The pier faces East and it's so heavenly. We hear a variety of birds and the water gently lapping the shore. It's not exactly the beach, but it kinda feels like we're on the ocean. The group then practices asana at their own pace. Mostly, they are my teacher training students, who are all working on the Ashtanga Primary Series, but there are a few other students that come as well. It's nice for them to have the opportunity to do a self-guided practice, as it builds their confidence and allows them to work on postures we might not get to in a group class. I am, of course, on hand to help with adjustments and answer questions.

Seeing as it is the Summer Solstice (and my grandmother's birthday and my half-birthday!), we decided to do 108 Sun Salutations. It was amazing. A beautiful flow. I love my teacher training students so much. They are such a great group of super enthusiastic nut balls and we have a lot of fun together. The sun salutations were their idea, but I was in to it as well. So we meditated first, using our personal mantras, which were presented to us individually in a ritual given by Chopra Center teacher, Sheila Southon, who taught the group the Chopra Primordial Sound Meditation course this spring. Those who didn't yet receive their personal incantation, followed the mantra of the universal breath "So Hum"-- sooooooo on the inhale and hummmmm on the exhale. It's a very relaxing practice, which I highly recommend.

Our Sun Salutations were done together, but in silence. Only the breath moved us. We did regular surya namaskar A, holding downward dog every sixth salutation. So awesome to practice outside at dawn on this special day. I must admit, I've been nostalgic about my 108 practices from last year. Although I doubt I could ever do 108 days of 108 sun salutations again, I have such fond memories of that time. Last year on this day, my mom and I joined the yogis from the Naada Yoga studio at the lookout on Mount Royal for a sunrise practice, which was also blissful.
(Link to last year's solstice blog post)

After yoga, we have a picnic breakfast, which is such a huge treat. My student Bruce says that the fresh bagels I bring each morning from St Viateur are the reasons he joined the teacher training program!

I know it seems crazy to get up so early (4:48am to be exact) and practice, but as I've said a thousand times (or so it feels) this week, it's a lot easier to get up for yoga and meditation than it is to go to work. I suggest trying a week of consecutive practices at 6am. The benefits are enormous, as one practice builds upon the last.

Now I must go to bed, for early mornings require early nights!

Wheat Free Blueberry Pancake Recipe

2011-06-08T08:41:00.000-07:00

Photo by Craig Bannerman

After many months of searching for the right method for making wheat-free pancakes, I finally succeeded in making the BEST PANCAKES EVER. And I am now sharing the recipe with you:

(voir ci-dessous pour la recette en français)

Ingredients
1 1/4 kamut flour
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tbsp baking powder
1 1/4 teaspoons sucanat (natural unprocessed sugar)
1 organic egg or egg replacer*
1 1/2 cup almond or soy milk
1/2 tablespoon coconut butter, melted
1/2 cup frozen blueberries, thawed (or fresh blueberries)
Sliced banana
Maple syrup

Directions
1. In a large bowl, sift together flour, salt, baking powder and sucanat. Then, beat egg and milk into dry mixture. Mix in the coconut butter and fold in the blueberries.
2. Set aside for 1 hour. (Important step! It makes the batter rise and makes fluffy pancakes!)
3. Heat a lightly oiled (with coconut butter) frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle. Before flipping, wait until edges brown slightly and bubbles appear through the pancake.
4. Brown both sides and serve with sliced banana, maple syrup, and a smile!

* Make them vegan! For egg replacer, mix one tbsp of ground flax seeds with three tbsp of warm/hot water. Stir until gelatinous and use in recipe instead of one egg.

___________________________________

Crèpes sans gluten au bleuets

Après plusieurs mois de recherche afin de réussier les cêpes sans gluten, j'ai finalement réussit à faire les MEILLEURES CRÊPES À VIE. Et je partage maintenant la recette avec vous:

Photo de Craig Bannerman

Ingrédients:
1 1/4 t farine de kamut
1/2 tsp sel de mer
1 tbsp poudre à pâte
1 1/4 tsp de sucanat (sucre naturel non processé)
1 oeuf organic ou substitut d'oeuf*
1 1/2 t de lait d'amande ou de soya
1/2 tbsp beurre de coconut fondu
1/2 t bleuets (décongelés ou frais)
banane tranchée
sirop d'érable

Directives:
1. Dans un grand bol, mélanger farine, sel, poudre à pâte et le sucanat. Ensuite battre l'oeuf et le lait dans le mélange sèche. Ajouter le beurre de coconut et y plier les bleuets.
2. Laisser de côté pour 1h (étape importante, ça fait lever la pâte et donnes des crêpes plus moelleuses!)
3. Chauffer une poêle légèrement huilé au beurre de coconut à chaleur moyenne. Verser la pâte sur la poêle. Avant de tourner attendez que les côtés brunissent et que des bulles apparaissent au travers de la crêpe. Brunissez les 2 côtés, servez avec des bananes tranchées, du sirop d'érable et un sourire!

*Pour remplacer l'oeuf, mélangez une cuillère à soupe de graines de lin moulus avec trois cuillères à soupe d'eau tiède / chaude. Remuez jusqu'à ce que gélatineuse et l'utilisez dans la recette au lieu d'un œuf.

et voilà, les meilleures crêpes à vie!

Urban Goddess Retreat

2011-06-03T11:58:00.000-07:00

Les déesses urbaines!

I had the greatest time at our Urban Goddess Retreat last weekend. We (myself and organizing partner Jasmine Goyer) couldn't have asked for better participants or a better location. There was fantastic group chemistry, lots of deep belly laughing, and great conversations. Perhaps I underestimated how amazing a gathering of extraordinary women can be. Our female attendees spanned four decades and came from a variety of professional backgrounds, from contemporary artist to YMCA kids camp coordinator.

The setting was ideal: a beautiful spa in the country, just an hour or so from Montreal, with comfortable rooms, great treatments and delicious food. It was a serious luxury for me to teach in this retreat environment, where no one had to drive or go anywhere else after our meditations and long asana practices. The hospitality and integrity at Spa Eastman was really optimal.

Coupled with our yoga and meditation sessions, Jasmine and I invited Vered Haiun to teach Dancerotek (sensual erotic-clothing-stays-on movement) and Masala Bhangra (Bollywood style dance). Let me tell you that Vered is one of my heroines. A dance instructor for over 20 years, she oozes "VaVaVoom" from every pore of her body. Moving around all sexy-diva-like to super loud music was the FUNNEST!

We also brought in Tracey Mackenzie, the no-nonsense-tell-you-like-it-is feng shui guru, to share some design strategies to help us improve the flow of energy in our home environment. Tracey is also incredible and she inspires me so much. In fact, when I go home on Sunday night after the retreat, I immediately reorganized my living room, threw out an old chair, took the desk I never use out of my bedroom, and scanned the rest of apartment for clutter. (Still a work in progress...)

Anyway, I think the greatest gift I received over the weekend was the freedom to indulge my sensual, feminine, joie-de-vivre side that often gets forgotten when I get stuck playing boss or teacher. I was inspired by the other women on the retreat and I look forward to growing this project. We'd like to offer a monthly Urban Goddess soirée with different speakers and a retreat like this one every season.

Do you have any ideas? I'd love your involvement, even if you live far away and can't physically join us. (We are also envisioning an online community to share tips, videos, projects, discussions, etc.)

Welcome gift basket with goodies from Vega, Manitoba Harvest, Pukka Tea,
Energy Baths, Green & Black, and RSVP Magazine!

Practicing tree pose overlooking the beautiful forest.

The Urban Goddesses take Goddess Pose

Jasmine Goyer and yours truly.

See more photos on Facebook

Death becomes us

2011-05-23T18:39:00.000-07:00

I'm sad.

Remember that beautiful baby alpaca I wrote about yesterday? Well, this afternoon, I had the misfortune of walking into the barn and finding Walnut dead, crushed under the weight of his sick mother. I ran into the house to get Vito to help me move the mother alpaca, but sadly, it was too late. It appeared as though the mother had collapsed as baby Walnut was feeding and trapping him beneath her. The mother alpaca has been getting progressively worse and is expected to follow her baby soon.

We buried Walnut's body in the back of the property. Having had such a strong bond with the little alpaca, Kat was inconsolable. In his quiet way, Vito was also clearly deeply affected. In fact, we all were.

A sad lesson in the impermanence of life...

As Kat put it, "I know death is part of life, but I don't know why it is still so shocking."

Baby Alpaca in Bancroft, Ont

2011-05-22T18:45:00.000-07:00

The Buddha says, “It doesn’t matter how long you’ve been away, only how soon you come back.”

So here I am. Back, after a few weeks of being conflicted over what to write about.

I’m in Bancroft, a small town smack in the middle of Ontario. It’s our annual Victoria Day (Memorial Day for you Americans) weekend visit to our friends Kat and Vito’s farm. Apart from the black flies, it’s heavenly to be in the country with such good friends: Jamie Lee (artist extraordinaire), Jamie’s friend Sara (a fire dancing poi spinner), Jeanine Caron (blogger of Wonderings and Wanderings), and Kevin Gauthier, a chocolatier, who just returned from a six month tour of South-East Asia. Unfortunately, Craig could not join us, because he is preparing for his photo exhibit, which opens Tuesday.

Last year, I was in the midst of my 108 day Sun Salutation project and Kat, Vi, and then two-year-old Gioia had just moved up here from the Toronto area. This year, their family has expanded and now features nine alpacas, a pony, two dogs, a cat, a rooster, a bunch of chickens, and ten-week-old baby Veda Flora.

After touring an Art Festival in downtown Bancroft, we went for nice long forest trek, accompanied by an unusual gang: Invincible the cat, dogs Misty and Xena, and Walnut, the six week old alpaca personally delivered by my most amazing friend Kat. Kat is truly an inspiration. Not only is she capable of reaching her entire arm inside a birthing alpaca with newborn Veda and toddler Gioia at her heels, she is also the best vegan chef I know. Click here for a link to one of Kat’s recipes from my last visit her. And below is Kat’s recipe for Lentil Walnut Burgers. (Walnut as in the nut, not the alpaca...)

I am very grateful to be away from the city for a few days. It’s nice to lounge and catch up with friends. Nature and fresh air is so soothing to us city-slickers.

I’m also super excited and grateful that I get to be in the country again next week for our Urban Goddess Retreat at Spa Eastman. (By the way, if you are interested in joining us, there are a few still available. For more info, email Jasmine: jgoyer@yasminyoga.com)

Meet Walnut, a six-week-old alpaca

Kat’s Lentil Walnut Burger

¾ cup dry red lentils

2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

10 mushrooms

1 cup fine chopped onions

4-5 garlic cloves (minced)

½ ground walnuts

1 pound of minced spinach (optional)

1 tsp dry mustard

½ wheat germ or bread crumbs

Cook lentils: ratio of ¾ lentils to 1 ½ water. Bring to boil, reduce to simmer for 30 mins. Sauté onions, garlic, and mushrooms. Once lentils are cooked, mash them together with apple cider vinegar, ground walnuts, mustard, and bread crumbs. Then add in onions, garlic and mushrooms. Let mixture cool for approximately 30 minutes, then form into patties. (Patties can be frozen on cookie sheet for later or cooked right away.) Broil 5-8 mins per side, then dress with sprouts, avocado, tomatoes or however you’d like. Yum Yum.

The Royal Wedding

2011-04-29T22:19:00.000-07:00

{Note to reader: For full effect, engage a posh British accent to review to this textt.}

Countess Yasmina Krystyna Von Ashtanga Yoga here reporting on the Royal Wedding...

What a lovely, lavish, luxury to be privy to this historical event today, this day, being the Royal nuptial of HRH Prince William and his beautiful bride Miss Catherine Elizabeth Middleton. A smashing dress, a bunch of trees, some Christmas carols, a quick kiss, and a three-year-old bridesmaid, who adoringly covered her ears, as the crowd in front of Buckingham Palace was just a bit too much for her to bare sans ear plugs. Shortly after the service at Westminster Abbey and the Queen's Breakfast (I sat with Elton), I begged pardon of her Majesty for I simply had to depart. I had pressing matters to attend to in my land of Om-West-alot. The Monarch understood, of course, given that tonight, this night, in the grand land of Om-West-alot was shhhhheduled an extraooorrrrdinary Ashtanga Yoga Conference accompanied by the live performance of the esteemed Sir James Olmstead of Percussion. Graciously, the Queen lent me her enchanted Royal Winged Horse and I arrived right at the cusp of the hour in time to greet my court. And all was well and good.

The End.

-------------------------------------------------

All right... Jokes aside for now. I know all this Royal Wedding hoopla is over the top and super fromage, but with all the doom and gloom projected in the news these days, it's kinda nice to have something else to focus on for a day or two, I mean now that the Habs are out of the playoffs. Right? (psst: did you catch the hockey reference?)

I'm really no wedding dreamer, and I don't even own a TV, but even I got a little caught up in the festivities today. (Clearly.) Here's what really went down:

After teaching a sun and moon salutations practice at a big, fun lululemon event in Montreal last night, I drove over to my parents' house or a sleepover. As mentioned, I don't own a TV, so my mom had proposed a sunrise Royal Wedding date on her couch. At the crisp hour of 5:30am, we were up. Reluctantly at first, my dad joined us too, but he came dressed for the occasion. See the Gordie Gow English Wedding bonnet below:

(Knock offs of the splendid Gordie Gow Royal Wedding Bonnet are in the works right now, says a source.)

After the long anticipated kiss, we all enjoyed homemade pancakes fait par maman and then it was off to Om West for yoga teaching at 9:30am. But this time, I wore my best Royal Wedding Chapeau and pearls to the amusement of my students. (See adove and below.)

Tonight was Ashtanga Yoga to live music played by James Olmstead. Another packed house, but this time no one had to practice in the hall.

So all and all, a good day with a good excuse to play!

What did you get up to?
Your thoughts?

Vegetarian Jambalaya - Good Friday Recipe

2011-04-22T12:49:00.000-07:00

Today, a student told me she was fasting for Good Friday-- no meat products or oils. She asked me for a simple yet delicious vegetarian recipe for tonight's dinner. Now, I'm not really one to use recipes, but I recalled a great one that my friend Evan made for me ages ago. It's a super tasty vegetarian Creole style Jambalaya and it's easy to make. I thought I'd share it with you folks as well in case some of you are also in need of a little vegetarian inspiration.

VEGETARIAN JAMBALAYA RECIPE à la Evan & Yasmin

Ingredients

1 medium onion, chopped
2 chopped celery stalks
1-2 chopped yellow, orange, or red pepper
1 cup sliced mushrooms
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups eggplant, diced
1-2 zucchini, diced
1 tsp olive oil
1 cup chopped fresh tomatoes
6 cups water or vegetable broth
3 cups uncooked long grain brown rice
2 tbsps reduced-sodium soy sauce or Brags
1 tbsp minced fresh parsley
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp paprika
¼ tsp black pepper
2-3 bay leaves
1/2 to 1 tsp cayenne pepper, to taste (optional)
Chili flakes to taste (optional)

Directions

1. In ¼ veggie stalk or water and/or olive oil, sauté onions, celery, peppers, mushrooms, garlic, eggplant, and zucchini in large non-stick skillet until sweet and tender. Stir in the tomatoes, soy sauce, parsley, and seasoning. Let simmer for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly. Stir in rice and veggie stock/water.

2. Transfer contents into a large baking dish. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees F for 65-70 minutes or until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed.

3. Garnish with parsley and serve with a green salad and/or corn bread!

Yum Yum!

(If you try it, let me know what you think.)

Pagan Full Moon Party

2011-04-18T20:39:00.000-07:00

Forgive me. It has been a while since I last posted a blog. Lately, life has been moving far too quickly for me to keep up with everything. But here I am.

We have arrived at the 108th day of the year. Today is my last day of 54 chandra namaskar and it's a full moon no less! To celebrate, I am inviting students to join me at Om West for a practice of 54 moon salutations by candle light. I am really looking forward to tonight's practice. I made Almond Crescent Cakes that are traditionally served during Pagan Full Moon ceremony and have prepared gifts for my students, prayers, and beeswax candles.

Throughout this 54 day journey, I was not alone in practice. I enjoyed the company of many students and friends, including: Bossa Pavkov, my trusty student of five years and 108 sun sal pal; Bruce Chase Dunn, who stayed true to his own 54 day yoga challenge (read his story below); And Erin Halpin, a close family friend and student, who, for Lent, did cumulative sun salutations for 40 consecutive days. I also thoroughly enjoyed sharing the moon salutation practice with all my students.

The last few days have been the hardest. You see, I've been at the Toronto Yoga Conference since last Thursday and I taught nearly 250 people over five full workshop. So I had difficulty finding time and energy to practice with all the travel and teaching. But I did it. Rather than killing myself with midnight asana that I clearly did not need more of, I visualized my entire 54 practice on Thursday sitting on the couch in our rented condo. It was very challenging, yet extremely gratifying. On Friday afternoon, I did the practice manually as I felt up for it before teaching. Saturday and Sunday practices were a combination of virtual salutations and physical one. (Special thanks to Craig for joining me last night and encouraging me despite my huge fatigue.)

Here is the very sweet and nicely presented piece written by Bruce:
(More photos and videos to come this week...)

A prayer from a Wiccan Full Moon Ceremony

Lady Moon bright and serene,
Shining with the bounty of the Mother,
Look down on us your Children of the Earth.
Come, light of the Goddess,
Fill us with your power.
Lend us your blessings,
Let your light surround us.
Impart to us your light and blessing.
Your love and grace, surround us.
Surround us Goddess,
Surround us with your love.

(For more info about theses Wiccan Full Moon
rituals and prayers, click here)

Cookies & Music for yogis

2011-04-03T21:13:00.000-07:00

Things are progressing nicely with the Moon Salutations. I am actually working on a little video to show you a clip of my practice, but it's not ready yet. So meanwhile, here's a vegan chocolate chip cookie recipe from Emilie Brunet, one of my yoga teacher trainees at Om West:

INGREDIENTS

1 cup coconut butter, almond butter (or margarine)
1 1/2 cup natural crane sugar (or brown sugar)
1/2 cup applesauce
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 3/4 cup flour (spelt, whole wheat, or kamut)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 cup dark chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. In a large bowl, beat margarine, both sugars, applesauce and vanilla until well blended.
3. In a medium-sized bowl, sift together flour, baking soda and salt.
4. Beat the flour mixture into the wet ingredients.
5. Add the chocolate chips and mix well distributing them evenly.
6. Drop balls of dough on non-stick cookie sheets.

7. Bake for 9-10 minutes or until edges have browned.
Makes about 2 dozen cookies. Yum Yum.

-----------------------------

I've also been meaning to share my new favorite playlist of yoga tunes. This was complied by Bruce Chase Dunn, another teacher trainee. It's such an amazing mix. (Maybe one of you blog supporters might be able to create an YouTube playlist of these tracks or another cool playlist for us to practice to??? I hear this is possible...)

Bruce's Radio Om mix

Visions of you - Jah Wobble
Walking thru babylon - Thievery Corp.
Teardrop - Massive Attack
The Stopper - Cutty Ranks
I Hear Vibrations - Wooden Shjips
Holographic Universe - Thievery Corp.
One More Dub - The Clash
Two Sevens Clash - Culture
First Snow - Emancipator
Clap + form your soul - Damu
Lagos Communique - Thievery Corp.
Regiment - Eno + Bvrne
Angel - Massive Attack
Seen + not seen - Talking Heads
Keep On Runnin' - Cat Power
House of Cards - Radio Head
Pink Moon - Nick Drake

-----------------------

If you have any other cookie recipes or playlists to share, please post them. Craig is a cookie monster and I am forever looking for cool music to practice to.

+ April 18th is just around the corner. This will mark the last day of my 54 day Moon Salutations and the one year anniversary of the 108 x 108 day practice. I would like to do something really cool and I want you all involved. Any ideas?

My Baba & the Lineage of our Teachers

2011-03-27T10:19:00.000-07:00

OM
VANDE GURUNAM CARANARAVINDE
SANDARSITA SVATMA SUKHAVA BODHE
NIH SREYASE JANGALIKAYAMANE
SAMSARA HALAHALA MOHASANTYAI

ABAHU PURUSAKARAM
SANKHACAKRASI DHARINAM
SAHASRA SIRASAM SVETAM
PRANAMAMI PATANJALIM
OM

In Ashtanga yoga, we say a Sanskrit chant before each class to pay respect to the lineage of yoga teachers dating back to Patanjali, the 'divine descendant', who, as legend has it, wrote the Yoga Sutras.

My take on this tradition is that since yoga teachers have many forms and anyone who has touched our heart is a yoga teacher, the chant honors all the people who have guided us and contributed to our lives. In the prayer, we recognize the wisdom of our teachers, but we also recognize that the wisdom of our teachers comes from their teachers, so we also honor our teachers' teachers' and teachers teachers' teachers'... And with this humbling intention, we begin our practice.

It's in these tender moments that I always acknowledge my maternal grandmother, who in many ways influenced my path as a yoga teacher. She died ten years ago this weekend. She wasn't a yoga instructor per se, and as far as I know, she never practiced asana, but my grandmother was a guru, my guru. We called her "Baba" or "Babs." This was easier for us three grand-kids to say than 'Babcia', the Polish word for grandmother. (Ironically, "Baba" is also an honorific term used in Hindi and mark of respect to refer to Sufi saints.) Nevertheless, my Baba's real name was Krystyna.

My mom and grandmother Baba

To mark this significant anniversary of my Baba's passing, we are currently hosting an art retrospective of more than 60 of her paintings, graphics, and weavings at my yoga studio. It's was my mom's idea to transform Om West into a gallery, and the exhibit is incredible. Her talent is remarkable, and I am proud and honored to be able to present my grandmother's work to our community of yogis and friends.

Born in Białystok, Poland on August 21, 1919, my grandmother was fiercely courageous, strong willed and direct. She and my grandfather (who passed away in 1974) immigrated to Canada shortly after World War II and settled in Sherbrooke, two hours south east of Montreal, where they raised my mother and her two siblings. Baba loved her garden, her art, her cat, her family and coveted her independence and freedom.

My grandmother taught me about nature, energy, creativity, intuition, and spirituality. Curiously, Baba was a clairvoyant. Although she would rarely talk about it, she did say that strong intuition was a gift that many of the women in her family shared. Deeply spiritual, Baba was devoted to the teachings of Jesus. However, in later years, Baba was also interested in Hindu and Buddhist philosophy, and became a follower of Sathya Sai Baba, an Indian guru. As a kid, she exposed me to various meditation temples and ashrams, which was the ideal preparation for me as a teacher of yoga and meditation.

Thinking of Baba now and observing her powerful artwork on the walls of my studio, I'm overcome with emotion, which is hard for me to express. I wish I had asked her more questions when she was alive, but I am making up for it now. I talk to her in thought and prayer and I occasionally feel as though she is really close to me particularly when I'm sitting alone about practice, and oddly, when I taste dill, because she used to put it on everything.

As mentioned, at beginning of the Ashtanga chant, I usually invoke her memory, and sometimes I get so caught up in thoughts about her, I actually forget the words to the Sanskrit ashtanga chant! Thankfully, my students understand that I'm a bit quirky when it comes to the order of things and discerning my rights and lefts, so someone is always quick to fill my long awkward pause.

Me posing with Baba's abstract work from the 60s & 70s

My brother Stefan, my mother Marta and cousin Kalil

My cousin and I keep checking who owns what so we know
who we have to negotiate with to acquire the pieces we want.

Studio 2 features Baba's landscapes, which she switched to in the early 80s.


Baba's landscapes from the 80s & 90s


A portrait of my grandmother with a letter from Quebec Premier Jean Charest, expressing his condolences upon Baba's death.

Kocham cie, Babs.

Day 27: alignment vs flow

2011-03-21T22:29:00.000-07:00

Today marks the midpoint of my 54 day moon salutation project. It's definitely a lot more relaxed than last year's 108 sun salutations for 108 days. Obviously, this 54 lunar flow practice is a lot shorter than the 108 surya namaskar practice and the fact that I'm not blogging everyday about the practice makes the whole thing seem a lot less intense. I'm certainly not analyzing the process as much. Well, at least not outwardly.

But this practice still has it's challenges. It can be very difficult to find motivation to roll out the mat and do a personal practice, especially after teaching and demonstrating asana all day. However, that is honestly the best time for me to practice. Often when I'm tired, sore and don't feel like practicing, I end up surrendering my calculating mind to the flow of postures and let postures unfold organically. I stop trying to do things "properly" and I just let go. Sure, my alignment gets a little sloppy, but I've decided that too much alignment blah, blah can be tedious and sometimes even counterproductive. Western yogis (myself included) have become super alignment obsessed, and although I agree, it's important to make sure the joints are in the right place to avoid injury, I also believe that if we focus too much on that stuff, we can missed the point of the practice. We can over think the pose and under experience the moment.

This weekend, I taught a 16 hour workshop called "Essentials of Modern Ashtanga Yoga." The course was about how to adapt the traditional ashtanga primary and second series to modern urban lifestyles. Now, I'm an ashtangi by yogic birth-- my first teacher at age 14 was the then very strict Mark Darby, the first officially certified ashtanga teacher in Canada-- but I've since dabbled in various other yoga styles and even did a teacher training with a senior Iyengar instructor. So suffice it to say, I feel fairly confident in my alignment techniques and I usually inflict these principles on unsuspecting type-A, ashtanga students, who often prefer to plow through the sequence then listen to instructions about sustainable postures and foundational stability.

Nevertheless, I had an 'ah ha' moment this weekend. I elected to play Sharath's led primary series on CD for the students to practice. (Sharath is the grandson of Asthanga guru Pattabhi Jois.) Sharath's teaching pace is much faster than mine because he offers no instructional details. He just says the name of the pose and then counts the breaths. There are no alignment cues whatsoever. Normally, this would concern me, but I was right there to adjust when needed and I knew it was important to give the students the chance to just move with the postures and breath. Although their postures weren't super calibrated, the energy in the practice room was a bit different. It was concentrated, excited and simultaneously, peaceful and quiet.

Is that not what we ultimately search for?

Perhaps alignment techniques are those things that train us to focus at first. They help us learn about ourselves, but after a while, it's time to let go of all that instruction (inward and outward) and allow the yoga to happen to us, one beautifully messy posture at a time.

After all, yoga isn't all about making perfectly aligned asanas of ourselves. There are seven other equally important branches of the eight-limbed Ashtanga yoga tree. (More on that later.) Above is an artwork by Bruce Chase-Dunn, my teacher trainee, of the eight limbs of the ashtanga (meaning 'eight limbs') yoga system. Note that there is no hierarchy to the limbs. Everything can be experienced all at the same time.

Here's a link to an interesting interview with Sharath: Click here

I like what Sharath said when asked what consititutes a good yoga student:

"Students who understand yoga, that is very important. Their body might be very flexible, they can perform all the asanas but they are not able to understand what is yoga. The student who understands what it is, who understands what is parampara, the lineage, that is very important. Lineage, and who are able to understand what is yamas and niyamas and try to perform them in their daily life - I think that is a good student. Many people they don’t understand what is yama, niyama, ahimsa, satya, asteya, brahmacharya, aparigraha. Not all yoga practitioners, asana practitioners I should say, are able to perform these or to understand what these are."

Relationships & yoga

2011-03-17T05:32:00.000-07:00

Photo by C. Bannerman

"Oh Yeah, I blog," is the sentiment my boyfriend Craig expressed on his blog after being away for awhile. I can relate.

Sometimes I make blogging into this big thing in my mind, so I just don't always get to it. I think it needs several hours of thoughtful expression neatly laid out on a page in order to be published, and often, surprise surprise, I don't have time. It's that "what am I going to write about?" issue that leaves me somewhat paralyzed at times.

In other excuses for not writing in over a week, I'm 23 days into my new 54 days of 54 moon salutations and I'm in the thick of a new wave of inner transformation. All these questions about my direction and personal happiness have all but totally engulfed me. Poor Craig. I suspect, or rather I know, he is getting the brunt of my mental meanderings: "I need space. Now, please hug me. Now, go away and let me work..." I can't be an easy person to live with right now. Luckily, I'm with probably the most patient man on earth. He just adapts. He ebbs when I flow, and flows when I ebb. It's this little dance we do in order to accommodate the creative minds of one another, but more recently, it's the little dance he does in order to accommodate my creative mind. We definitely need our own place to work, but we also need to be fairly close, because we need to bounce ideas off each other as we create. I ask to read stuff aloud to him all the time and he asks my opinion about the images his working on, although lately, my sharp critiques about the political views he reflects in his photography have been uninvited.

Recognizing each others expertise, we do ok when we work together. I do words and he does photos. Sometimes our sureness over the end result conflicts, but generally, this gets sorted fairly quickly once we each produce our necessary components and we take a moment to be objective about the project.

Speaking of joint ventures, we are now working on a collection of images from the 1008 asanas I practiced during the Guinness marathon in August. Here's a sample. (Craig really is a master of lighting, and my six week gaffer course I took in film school really should stay out of his way.)

Photo by C. Bannerman

And in other news, the Montreal Gazette interviewed me for an article about men and yoga. It was published last Thursday. Check it out, and note the gentleman on the right, my Craig...

Link to article

Photo by Peter McCabe, The Gazette

Surprise Party

2011-03-06T20:48:00.000-08:00

Let me tell you about some fabulous people I know: My mom, Marta and my dad, Gord.

They are turning 60-years-old this week. Yes, both of them. They were born a day apart on March 8th and 9th respectively. They are the most youthful 60-year-olds I have ever seen. Active, energetic and still visibly in love even after spending 30+ years together, my parents are something else.

Last night, their ski friends threw them a surprise party, but not just any surprise party. It was themed, because their parties are always themed and a Jay Peak party is not a party without a theme, I was told when I asked why I must were "gym/sports attire" to the chalet. You see, my parents are recently retired physical education teachers and belong to a wild and vivacious group of close knit friends that weekend in Vermont, tearing up the slopes of Jay Peak ski resort. Most have cottages in an area called Alpine Haven, all walking distance from one another, which mean apres-ski festivities are always in close range and held regularly.

I'm a bit of an outsider. Yes, I can ski, but, having concluded that winter is just not my season at age 10, I am rarely seen at the cottage, much less the hill. The running joke among my parents' friends is that they have a talented freestyle skier for a son, who is always around, and make believe daughter, whom few have met. Of course, I do show my face down there from time to time, so the joke is getting a little old. Anyway, this surprise party was an important event and there was no way I was going to miss it.

Craig and I picked out some great costumes-- Craig, a competitive swimmer and me, an eager aerobics instructor-- and as my brother drove, we worked on decorating the pinata he had carefully papier-mâchéd earlier that day.

It was hands down the best party I've been to in long time. To say my folks were surprised is an understatement. They were told they were being taken to a restaurant by the people they share a cottage with, but after cocktails at another friend's house, they returned home to "pick something up before dinner". We waited inside the doorway and then popped out screaming "surprise". Both mom and dad began crying almost immediately. It was very sweet.

The evening progressed nicely. Those people really know how to have a good time. The chalet was decorated with a basket ball hoop, streamers, countless balloons and a giant blow up snowman named "Buddy." (Apparently, a party isn't party without Buddy.) The "Alpine Haven Glee Club" performed several songs dedicated to my parents' aging and the pinata was a hit, litterally. There was tons of food and lots of dancing. Mid-Lady Gaga, my dad turned to me and said, "I wanna dance like this at your 60th, ok?"

The party only ended because the organizer slipped outside and cracked her head open on the ice. Although clearly concussed, she'll be ok.

As mentioned in my last blog posting, I'm hardly a party animal, but I really did enjoy myself. It was special to see how beloved and supported my parents are by such a great group of people.

Despite the fun, I did manage to slip upstairs unnoticed and complete my 11th day of 54 moon salutations. Although this may seem a bit unsocial, no one seemed to mind and it was pretty cool for me to practice amongst all that lively energy.

Speaking of practice, it's near midnight, I am eager to roll out my mat, so good night, my friends.

Sleeping City in the Sun

2011-02-27T19:36:00.000-08:00

It's a gloriously bright sun-shining Sunday, but Montreal is asleep recuperating from the city's 8th annual "Nuit Blanche" (White Night) festivities. The whole town went nocturnal: museums open until 3am, music on the streets, open air swimming at the Bonventure Hilton, and over a hundred art installations.

I have a hard time staying up uber late, but despite urge to crawl under the covers at 11pm, Craig forced me to put on long underwear and venture out into the cold in search for adventure. We caught one of the free "Nuit Blanche" shuttle buses and headed to the Redpath museum for its famed 'midnight flash light' tours. Having missed the opportunity to explore this historic McGill museum in past years, I was excited to see dinosaur bones and stuffed creatures in the dark. But alas, after standing in line for 20 mins in negative 15, we were turned away due to over capacity. Oh well, next year.

We walked down McGill College to Indigo bookstore where my friend Darryl and his The River Beauty Band were performing. I love coffee table books, so it was fun listening to live music while turning pages of Andrew Zuckerman's photography, travel guides in Scotland and Marilyn Moore retrospectives.

Our last stop was the McCord Museum of History, where the party was packed with grinning adults. You see, there is a large interactive toy exhibition with a massive homage to Lego. There were even stations set up for play, so visitors constructed DNA coils, an Eiffel tour and even a Where's Waldo. On display were Lego replicas of the Millennium Falcon, the Twin Towers and a whole Lego city. Enough to bring out the child in everyone.

We were home around 2:30am. A good effort on our parts, but I'm sure the celebrations continued until sunrise this morning.

I sometimes wish I was a better party person. The night intrigues me, but I have such a hard time staying awake past midnight. I suppose it doesn't help that my days are also packed with activity and it's near impossible for me to sleep in. (It's 8:30am and here I am typing away my thoughts!)

Yesterday afternoon, I did my fourth consecutive day of lunar series in the Lululemon window on Ste Catherine Street (more on that later) and then I co-hosted a cinema night at Om West, which was pretty cool. We projected a film called "Time Wave 2013", a really interesting doc about the Incas and the prophecies surrounding 2012, the end of the Mayan Calender. Curious stuff...

That's it for now. I'm off to enjoy the rest of my day off-- maybe brunch on Laurier with coffee (a rare treat), followed by window shopping around my Mile End hood, then Moon Salutes!

Happy Day 54

2011-02-23T20:51:00.000-08:00

Today is the 54th day of the year. I feel festive. After all, 54 is half of 108, a most auspicious number. Plus, it's mid February and I'll celebrate anything that helps me embrace this long, cold month in Montreal.

As mentioned in my previous posting, I feel ready to embark on a new adventure. My original plan was to start sun saluting again. This time, I thought I'd do 54 surya namaskar for 54 days, but after some soulful reflection and a brief chat with Lisa Lajoie, one of my confidants at the studio, I've had a change of heart. I still want to invest energy in a personal practice of 54 days, however, I want to do something totally new and different. Sun Salutations are so 2010... This year, instead of Surya Namaskars, I'm going to explore Chandra Namakar, the Moon Salutation.

I did a little research today and came up with enough ideas for my practice with Bossa today. The flow is so beautiful. The lunar salute is like a fluid dance that circles around the mat. No up dogs and no down dogs. Very different from the sun salutation. I loved it. Bossa, who was one of my premier 108 sun saluters last year, also enjoyed the change. It took us about a hour to do 54 at a pleasant pace. I definitely have to videotape the sequences and share them, but first, I need to practice different combination of postures and figure out what makes the most sense.

I'm really looking forward to next six weeks or so of Moon Salutations. I'm not promising that I'll blog everyday like last year, but I will definitely chronicle the journey somehow. I'm stoked to hear that some of you are planning on joining this 54 day plight in your own delicious way. I'm smiling inside, because Craig, who is somewhat of a reluctant yogi, is currently in the office doing his own sun salutations and yoga practice to the new Radio Head album. This is totally on his own accord, without any prompting from me. He came home and asked where his mat was and threw down. How very interesting... :)

Anyway, please share your stories and experiences with me and our little solar/lunar salutation blog sangha (community) about your 54 day plan. It keeps us all inspired. Speaking of inspiration, isn't this a great photo of the moon? It's Craig's photo, which I 'borrowed' from his blog. See his moon post.

Lastly, in case you are curious (I was), here are some other interesting facts about the number 54:

A Rubik's cube has 54 colored squares;
+54 is the international calling code for direct dial phone calls to Argentina;
There is 54 milligrams of caffeine in Mountain Drew, my student Glenn's favourite and most nostalgic beverage;
A score of 54 in golf is referred to as a "perfect round", but has never been achieved in competition, not even by Tiger;
Studio 54 sounds like it was a pretty radical place to hang out at back in the day or so Max, the 84-year-old yogi tells me of his frequent disco nights spent there;
The 1998 movie 54 was about Studio 54 and starred Ryan Phillippe and Salma Hayek (I didn't see it);
And there are 54 cards in a deck of playing cards, if you include the two jokers.

Day 54/365...

2011-02-21T20:37:00.000-08:00

Sorry I've been slacking on the blog front. I've been very involved in teaching and course development at my Om West Studio. I'm working on some cool stuff. Nevertheless, yesterday, I had a thought. Wednesday is the 54th day of the year... So, I'm thinking, how about 54 sun sals for 54 days this year? It's just six weeks. Could be fun.

Wanna join me?

Thursday in Montreal

2011-02-03T12:55:00.000-08:00

It's Thursday afternoon and so far, I have spent a wonderful day.

05:30 Up and about (yes, a.m.)

06:00 Digging out car (again) with Craig's help (thank you so much!)

06:30 Yoga with new private clients

08:00 Yoga again with the marvelous, Max + oatmeal and berries with Max.

10:30 Hair cut at L'Academie Aveda-- hair academy on St Laurent (It takes a while, but Cynthia was lovey and gave a great head massage. AND it was only $17.09!)

12:30 Lunch at Patati Patata with Craig (I really like french fries...)

14:30 Soy Latte and emails (now blogging) at Laika on St Laurent (Does anyone work in this town?)

Tonight, I'm teaching my third private yoga class of the day and then going to a party, if my energy persists until then!

Ok, enough about me. How about this glorious City? It feels so good to just stop and appreciate my urban environment. My beloved hometown is covered in deep fluffy, sparkling white snow and the sun is finally shinning. It's Thursday afternoon and Laika is packed with cool looking folk with funky hair, chunky eye wear and Apple laptops. However, no sign of Patrick Watson, whom I've often seen hanging out here. Spring may not be here yet, but it's coming. I feel it!

In other news, we recently sold out all three Yoga Basics classes at Om West. This only confirms my theory that the world needs more intro to yoga courses and less pretentious yoga for acrobats classes...

Have you heard of this chick Tara Stiles? She's a model, yoga teacher and YouTube star from NYC, who is upsetting "Traditional Yoga Puritans" (TYPs) by offering yoga tips for couch surfers and hangovers. The TYPs are also ruffled because she doesn't follow a particular lineage of yoga teaching and her training is questionable. I understand the latter, but her real crime, it seems, is that she's become super famous, super fast and TYPs hate that, especially when the new "IT" yoga teacher is a self-promoting, young, non-conformist like Tara.

Check out this article about Tara Stiles' rise to fame. "Yoga Rebel" was published in the New Yoga Times on Jan. 21: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/23/nyregion/23stretch.html?pagewanted=1&_r=2

Read the article and then let's talk.

I want your opinion. What makes a good yoga teacher?

Brrrr it's cold out there!

2011-01-29T05:25:00.000-08:00

I'm back in Montreal. Quel différence en température! Quite the shock going from +30 to -30 degrees Celsius within 24 hours! We arrived on the coldest day of the year, which I believe was -42 with wind chill. It seemed like the minute we landed, my skin dried up, my lips became chapped, and everything started aching.

I know, boo hoo... I'm really grateful to have been able to spend two weeks in Caribbean. And it's warmer now in Montreal. Negative ten never felt so hot!

As promised, here's the recently launched video number two for January. It features suggestions on what kind of practice with help beat the winter frost and was filmed by Alex Zuno at my studio, Om West, during our holiday yoga practice and veggie potluck on Dec. 12.

Lastly, I need your help. Something very cool is about to happen, but before I can leak the news, we need 1008 Facebook fans to join my Yasmin Yoga page. Can you support? I promise, no bullshit. Here's the link:

YasminYoga FB

Buddha Breath - video

2011-01-14T18:51:00.000-08:00

It's been a while since I posted a video, so we'll see it works... This one features the simplest yoga practice in the world: Buddha Breathing on the couch! I've been doing a lot of this lately and for the first time yesterday, I noticed a big difference in ability to breathe into my diaphragm. (Intercostal breathing is generally way easier for me.)

If this video isn't up to par, I have the wonderful Alex Zuno work on it when I'm back. My intention is to do a least two videos a month this year, so there is more to come!

Beaches, Palm Trees & Deep Reflection

2011-01-10T16:59:00.000-08:00

We have escaped the Canadian winter in favour of a couple of weeks in the Caribbean. We've been in Sint Maarten for just over a week and I'm finally settled in. It takes me a while to get into vacation mode, so I'm grateful that this time we are able to be away for more than a few days.

Sint Maarten or St Martin is absolutely beautiful. The mountainous landscape of tropical forest, stray goats and turquoise water takes my breath away each time our little rental car turns a corner. I am so thankful to be here. The people are lovely. It really is the "friendly island."

We are spending our days exploring new beaches, walking, talking, swimming, and reading. I am currently entranced in The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz. The book is divided into four principles or "agreements" that are meant to guide the reader towards personal freedom and that is exactly what I am seeking in the year 2011, or 20-HEAVEN.

Here's a little summary of the Agreements:

Be Impeccable with Your Word-- Use words that heal rather than destroy or harm.
Don't Take Anything Personally-- Recognize that everyone is going through their own shit and that other people's reactions toward often have very little to do with you.
Don't Make Assumptions-- Instead of trying to mind read and guess what others are thinking, ask questions and get more clarity.
Always do Your Best-- Give as much as you can, no more, no less, and know that "your best" will change according to the condition you are in and/or what's already going on in your life.

I like this format and it makes sense to me. These Agreements seem like an effective way to heal and let go of unnecessary suffering and stress. My Resolution or New Beginning, as I prefer to call it, is just this: I am freeing myself from the bonds of fear and becoming a more confident decision maker.

When I am not mesmerized by the scenery around me, reading or spending time with Craig, I am self-reflecting. I sit or lie on the beach and I contemplate my existence. What am I here to learn? And what can I improve upon? I question the nature of the limitations I place on myself-- what is my fear and why do I carry it around with me?

Sometimes I notice that the area around my diaphragm is so tight I find it hard to take a deep breath. I recognize the emotion sitting in my belly is anxiety or fear, but most of the time, I have no idea where it stems from. These sensation must have been there a lot longer than I've been conscious of them. So, I am using the tools I acquired through my practice to help soothe my being and let go of these deep seeded fears, one layer at a time. I close my eyes and I breathe slowly and rhythmically into my abdomen while envisioning the tension releasing itself from my body and disappearing. Some yoga asana also helps me loosen up.

And what are your New Beginnings or New Year's Resolutions for 2011? Are you seeking to clean up your mind like me? Are you trying to kick a bad habit like smoking, as my beloved is doing? (Congratulations for being smoke free for over a week, my love!) Or are you seeking to start an new project?

Whatever commitments we make to ourselves at this turning point is our New Beginning and an opportunity to grow. The roads may not always be smooth, but it's important to stay focused and know why we are heading in a particular direction. Detours are unavoidable. My suggestion? Weave the commitment into your practice and make the yoga work for you. Like a ritual, every breath and every pose can help motivate and inspire you to stay on track.

The Warriors are my favourite poses for this purpose. As I practice them, I imagine I am embodying the courage, strength, stamina, calmness, focus, determination, stability and nobility of a true warrior that can overcome any and all adversity. I know this may sound a bit silly or cheesy, but this really helps me engage with my practice and helps me get more out of it.

For a little inspiration, here are some photos of Craig took of me last night on the beach in front of our pad:

Warrior I - Virabhadrasana I

Warrior II - Virabhadrasana II

Warrior III - Virabhadrasana III

"We search for everything we believe we don’t have, not knowing that everything we are looking for is already inside us. We are born with it."
Don Miguel Ruiz Quote

Food Glorious Food!

2011-01-01T14:30:00.000-08:00

As promised, here are some vegetarian recipes to inspire you this holiday. They come are from Om West's potluck brunch of Dec. 12th.

Graham's Masoor Dhal
Ingredients

4 tablespoons oil (Graham uses extra-virgin olive; not very Indian but a nice flavour contribution)
6 cloves
6 whole cardamoms
2 pieces of cinnamon stick; 1 inch (2.5cm) long each
1 red onion, chopped
Fresh ginger root, peeled & chopped; piece about 1.5 inches by 1 inch
2 fresh green finger chiles, de-seeded & cored, then finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 teaspoon of garam masala
1 1/3 cups of Masoor lentils (they're very orange when uncooked)
Juice of 1 fresh lime
Pinch of salt

Directions
Heat the oil in a pan. Add the cloves, cardamoms, and cinnamon and fry until the cardamoms split open. Add the onions and cook until translucent. Add the ginger, garlic, chiles, and garam masala. Cook for 5 minutes; medium heat. Add the lentils, stir thoroughly to incorporate the other ingredients, and cook for 1 minute. Add enough water to come about 1 1/4 inches above the lentils. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for about 20 minutes. Stir in lime juice. Remove cinnamon sticks, but keep aside to add as a garnish, along with a dried red chile if you have one for the presentation. (Serves 4)

Bon apetit!

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Mango Chutney (also from Graham)
Ingredients

6 green mangos, still firm to the touch and too bitter to eat
2 teaspoons salt
4 red finger chiles, de-seeded & cored, then roughly chopped. Hot red Thai chiles are perfect. The cooking & pickling process will relieve most of the 'fire'.
1/2 pint (300 ml) malt vinegar
14 ozs (400 gms) sugar
1 1/2 ozs (40 gms) fresh ginger root, peeled and chopped
4 ozs (100 gms) mixed unsalted nuts and raisins, roughly chopped
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
2 teaspoons ground coriander
3 garlic cloves, crushed

+ Pickling jars, sterilized. They must be glass top mason type jars. Metal top jars will react with the vinegar.

Directions
Peel the mangos and grate the flesh into a bowl. Sprinkle with 2 teaspoons salt and set aside for 30 minutes.Grind the chiles (mortar & pestle is best), then add a little of the malt vinegar to form a paste. Place the remaining vinegar in a pan, add the sugar, and gently simmer untill sugar dissolves. Squeeze the grated mangos with the back of a spoon to extract the juice. Discard the juice. Add the mango flesh to the pan and gently simmer for another 6 minutes. Add the crushed garlic to the ginger root and mix these 2 ingredients well. Add the mixture to the pan and stir in. Add the chile paste to the pan and mix well.Add the cumin seed and ground coriander to the pan. Cook the mixture for 12 minutes. Add a pinch of salt to taste. Stir in the nut and raisin mix and cook a further 4 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

Then Bottle the cooled chutney in the jars and seal. Refrigerate for 1 week minimum before unsealing the jars.

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FOR DESSERT, try these Amazing Vegan Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies from Nathalie...

Ingredients

1 cup quick cooking oats
3/4 cup unbleached all purpose flour
1/3 to 2/3 maple syrup (depending on desired "wetness" of cookies)
2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/2 cup sunflower oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon molasses
1/4 cup dried fruit/ chocolate chip/ peanut butter chip.. (chop, if dried fruits used are big like apricot or plums)
1/4 cup finely chopped walnuts or other nuts

*Ideally use all organic ingredients!

Directions
Blend wet and dry ingredients separately and then mix together. Cook for 10 - 12 mins at 350.

Yum Yum

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Here are a few pics from our lovely community pot luck:

(Bruce, Real and Marta, my mom in our community kitchen enjoying the spread.)

(Jas & Yas-- two peas in pod...)

(Om Westers feasting!)

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Oh yes, check out this link. It's an awesome five minute Ted Talk given by this young kid about the nature of food and the agriculture industry:

http://www.ted.com/talks/birke_baehr_what_s_wrong_with_our_food_system.html

Jan 1, 2011

2011-01-01T12:57:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!

I know I've been a little lax on my blogging lately and I apologize for that. There was a lot of studio related craziness before the holidays and Christmas was nuts, as it usually is.

I imagine you are recovering from a wonderful evening of toasting and carousing. How did you bring in the New Year? With family and friends? Quietly? Reflectively? Can you believe that I got to bed at 8 am today?! Neither can I.

We're staying just outside of Toronto at our friend Ryan's pad, and we missed the last Go Train heading from the city back to Burlington. So we wandered around downtown T.O. for a while, connecting with friends speckled around the CBD. Eventually, we ended up back at the house party we started at. We rested on our friend's couch for a couple of hours and took the first train out at 6:45am. I almost never pull all nighters, so I'm feeling a little groggy today. At least the two glasses of champagne I nursed all night aren't weighing as heavy on me as the beverages consumed by my beloved, who despite his headache is oddly playing Ryan's Guitar Hero video game...

It's unusually warm outside. I think the temperature is something like +12, and it's damp and cloudy, so it feels a lot like London. I just finished my first 108 of 2011 and get this, I did a set of 18 outside on the balcony in my pajamas! It was really refreshing and probably could have done more, but I was near the end of my practice.

As with every January 1st, I'm feeling a bit nostalgic. Perhaps more so this year than previous ones, because of all the extraordinary events of 2010. It really was most incredible 12 months of my life to date. My mom says than what you do on Jan. 1 sets the tone for the rest of the year. It did last year. We were staying with friends in the Eastern Townships, two hours south east of Montreal and I got up before everyone and did 108 sun salutations in the basement then proceeded to do nine consecutive days of 108.

Today, I am happy to be with Craig and Ryan, happy to be writing, and happy to think about heading off to St Maarten tomorrow with Craig for two weeks of beach strolling, lounging, reading, writing, exploring and yoga-ing. Amazing. I am so grateful.

I wish you all the best, my friend.

May 2011 bring you exciting adventures, beautiful sun sets, stimulating conversations, deep contemplations, blissful meditations, mind alerting revelations, divine inspirations, cosmic creations, sweet dinner parties, great music, health, wealth, friendship, joy and love.

PS Vegetarian recipes coming... Stay tuned.

Nude & vegetarian!

2010-12-13T10:14:00.000-08:00

My dad's reaction on my voicemail this morning was pretty funny:

"Hello, daughter. It's around 8 in the morning and I'm sitting reading the Gazette and low and behold, I turn the page and there's my naked daughter right in this big, big picture with an article written about her. My goodness, gracious!"

Yes, there is a nude photograph of me in today's largest English Montreal newspaper, The Gazette, but it isn't gratuitous. Plus, it's for a good cause. The cause of vegetarianism & eco-nutrition! (View article)

I'm Ms September in the 2011 Raw Beauty calender featuring healthy, athletic and NAKED vegetarian, vegan & raw food models. The Gazette article is about the calender, environmental eating, and the "controversy" over the pairing of food with nudity. (Eye-roll. Let's not discuss those poopoo nakedness. That's just ridiculous.)

As you probably know, eating a plant based diet is very important to me. I stopped eating red meat at age 11 or 12, and haven't eaten chicken in over ten years. I have been vegan on and off. Currently, I avoid dairy, but occasionally, eat organic eggs from a small farm near Montreal and the odd piece of goat cheese. I also use ghee (clarified butter), as part of my ayurvedic treatments.

My reasons for not eating meat have shifted over the years. I honestly don't remember why I first became vegetarian. I think it's because of my mom, who doesn't eat read meat. Now, I avoid animal products mostly for ethical and environmental reasons. In her article, Michelle Lalonde mentioned I speak about environmental sustainability and food, and that I believe that eating meat at every meal is selfish. All true.

My lecture was co-written by Brendan Brazier, my vegan friend, who is the formulator of Vega and author of the Thrive Diet. (Btw, the Thrive Diet is an excellent resource for people considering a plant based diet.) Here are some stats regarding animal agriculture from our Eco-Nutrition talk:

Due to erosion, the overuse of inorganic nitrogen fertilizers, and other farming practice, the Earth is currently, losing arable topsoil at a rate of 75 to 100 gigatonne per year. If soil loss continues at present rates, it is estimated that there is only another 48 years of topsoil left!

Given depleting rates of fertile land, one would expect that the world’s grain crops would go to feed people, but instead most of it goes to feed animals. In fact, 70% of the world’s arable land is used to grow food to feed animals for our consumption.

This is a huge waste of land, because it takes:

7 kg of grain to produce 1 kg of beef
4 kg of grain to produce 1 kg of pork
2 kg + of grain to produce 1 kg of poultry

The irony is that livestock food isn't even nutritious to the animals. Cows for instance are supposed to eat grass, not grain, so they emit flatulence, releasing tons of highly toxic methane gas into the atmosphere. I'm not kidding! These farting cows produce a greenhouse gas that is 21 times more destructive than the CO2 emitted by gasoline engines!

It is estimated that the animal agriculture in North America produces 38% more green house gases than all of transportation combined! This includes all stretched Hummers and jet airplanes...

Now water: It takes a minimum of 47.6 bathtubs full of water (2000 gallons) to produce one pound of beef.

Not a very sustainable and efficient industry, eh?

Stay tuned for better options and awesome veggie recipes to try this winter.

* PS the Raw Beauty calender makes a great Holiday gift and is for sale online or at my Pointe Claire studio, Om West.

World AIDS Day

2010-12-01T20:52:00.000-08:00

Today is December 1st, World AIDS Day. It's the official end of my Stephen Lewis Foundation fundraising campaign and I'm thrilled to announce that WE DID IT!!! Since the start of the Guinness World Record challenge in August, just over $10,800 was collected for SLF!

(I can now admit I was a bit worried that perhaps this fundraising goal was out of my league, because I've never raised that much money before.)

I'm so grateful to my generous supporters and sponsors. Thank you, thank you, thank you! This is really special to me.

Radio Canada International had me on The Link today with Marc Montgomery to talk about my SLF campaign as well as the Guinness Record. It was fun. I brought Craig, who is a huge CBC fan and Jasmine, my new business associate in charge of press. Thank you to Seana Pasic, who was so nice to greet us and give us a tour of the studios. Also, thanks to friendly man at the reception who insisted on singing all of our favourite Christmas carols! Here's a photo Jasmine took of me talking to Marc, the host:

I've been trying to create a video of the interview, but my computer keeps getting choked up. So here's the link:

http://www.rcinet.ca/english/column/the-link-s-top-stories/15-46_2010-12-01-yogi-sets-guinness-world-record-to-help-aids-victims/

* * *

In other great news, I spoke to my DVD distributor and it looks like we might release a series of videos for beginners! Very cool.

Birthday!

2010-11-21T21:06:00.000-08:00

Whether it's mine or someone else's, I love birthdays. Always have. It's such a great reason to see all your family and friends at the same time and celebrate. I'm all about that. It's sad for me to hear others trying to hide or poopoo their birthday, because deep down I think everyone wants to be acknowledged as the birthday girl or boy. (Thank God for Facebook. Now no birthday child is left behind!)

I turned 108 today! It was a great day. But alas, I have a confession: no sun salutations... I had every intention of practicing my annual 108. However, a wonderful and late party with friends last night lead to leisurely lounging in bed until noon this morning followed by brunch, a walk up the mountain, and early dinner for 25 people at my parent's house celebrating four November birthdays, so I had little opportunity to sun salute. It's also a full moon, and traditionally, we're not supposed to practice at this time. Anyway, excuses aside, I figured I'd take it easy and 'go with the flow'. After all, it's one day a year I can do whatever I want "because it's my birthday."

It's was a really lovely weekend and I was really spoiled. Friday, Craig and I went to the Centaur Theatre to see the stage adaptation of Don Quixote, which incredibly creative and highly entertaining. Last night, we had some friends over for homemade pizza. Great conversation and great spontaneous live piano music performed by Nico and Andrew. And tonight, it was nice to be with family.

Ok, it's late. I've been officially 29-- I mean 108 for 53 minutes! I think it's time for bed.

Happy Birthday Voltaire, Rene Magritte, Goldie Hawn, Björk, and Cousin Manela!

:)

Back to the Future of Yoga

2010-11-17T20:33:00.000-08:00

Recently, I spent four weeks being my own receptionist while in between studio managers at Om West, my Pointe Claire yoga centre. I noticed within the first week of answering calls and emails that most people wanted the same thing: A course for beginners that would make them feel comfortable and where they would learn how to practice yoga safely without feeling silly.

So, I started teaching a new course this week: Yoga Basics for Beginners! It's a four week program designed to introduce new students to the fundamentals of the yoga practice. This is something I've wanted to do for a long time, but didn't get around to organizing it until now.

It's great. I have more than a dozen people registered in my Tuesday class and about the same in my Saturday class! Their enthusiasm and keen interest in learning about the practice has totally re-invigorated my teaching.

Having spent so many years leading people through intermediate and advanced practices, posture to posture, I realized I really missed teaching yoga 101. So, this Yoga Basics program is awesome for me as an instructor and great for my studio. After all, there more people out there who don't do yoga then there are avid practitioners. I hope to make this an ongoing thing at Om West.

Here's an excerpt from my handout "Young Yogi here some things you need to know…"

There is no right or wrong way to do yoga & anyone can do yoga-- Yoga is an art, a healing science, a lifestyle and mindset and ANYONE can do yoga, regardless of age and ability. The great yoga master, TKV Desikachar, wrote in The Heart of Yoga: “The starting point is never the teacher’s needs but those of the student. This requires many different approaches; there is not just one approach for everybody (…) It is not that the person needs to accommodate him- or herself to yoga, but rather the yoga practice must be tailored to fit each person.”
Practice on an empty stomach-- Meals should be taken at least 90 mins prior to practice, so you digest fully and avoid eating heavy food. A small snack before practice is ok, especially for diabetics, hypoglycemics or pregnant women.
“Don’t make and Asana of yourself," (David Swenson, Ashtanga Yoga Master)-- The original intent of the yoga practice has little to do with yoga postures (‘asana’). Yoga postures are meant to build strength, stamina and increase flexibility so that the practitioner can maintain a steady pose for long periods of time without discomfort. So as senior yogi Hart Lazar says: “Let go of competition, especially with yourself at a younger age!”
Breathe-- The breath is key. It's the life of the pose! In yoga, we breathe in & out through the nose during regular asana practice. My basic rule: if you can’t breathe in a pose, you are in too deep!
Seek stability before flexibility-- Be sure that you are stable & grounded in a pose before seeking depth or a greater “stretch”. You don’t build a house without a solid foundation, so think of your postures in the same way.
When not to go upside down-- Inverted postures, like shoulderstand, are not recommended during menstruation as there is a natural downward flow of energy during this time and reversing this flow can disrupt the cycle. (It can also cause a flood!)
Keep the potpourri out of the studio-- Refrain from wearing perfume, cologne or essential oils when practicing with a group, because these smells get stronger the more you sweat and this can be distracting, not only for you, but also for everyone around you.
About chanting-- Most classes begin and/or finish with OM chanting. “OM” isn’t a word. It’s a vibrational sound that helps release tension from the body and helps to connect to the breath and the body. Ashtanga classes traditionally start with an invocation in Sanskrit which pays tribute to the lineage of teachers past & present. Other yoga styles may also chant as part of the practice.
What’s “Namaste”?-- Most yoga classes finish with a gesture and the saying “Namaste.” In Sanskrit this means: “I honor the divine spirit within you and recognize that this is the same spirit that is in me."
Better out that in-- It’s possible to feel a little sensitive or emotional after your practice. This is normal, as yoga and meditation dislodge deep tensions from the mind and body. Clear the residual tension by resting, drinking a soothing tea/water, eating good food and practicing again tomorrow!

However, most importantly, find what’s right for you. Have fun and enjoy your practice. There are many different types of yoga and many different teachers. It’s important to discover what and who resonates with you, and this may change over time. In fact here some web directories to help you find yoga classes near you:

www.yogamontreal.com
www.yogadirectorycanada.com
www.yogafinder.com

Anti-Flu Yoga

2010-11-11T10:42:00.000-08:00

Wearing a hat outside and choking down dozens of chewable vitamin C might help ward off the flu for a while, but if our emotions are out of whack, our immunity system is severely compromised.

I can't remember the last time I got a cold or the flu, but it recently hit me hard, and I know it has everything to do with the sadness I felt due to the death of our family friend last week. I stayed home yesterday and tried to rest, but I'm not really good at being sick. I think it's because I'm so rarely home that I get excited about the possibility of finishing a bunch of domestic projects. My boyfriend, Craig, is the complete opposite. He does nothing but sleep and sleep, when he has the flu. I have a really hard time falling asleep during the day, so I stare at the walls for a while, but then I get an idea and jump out of bed, regardless of how achy I feel.

Yesterday, I cooked Indian parakas, steamed a heap of veggies, made ghee, and lentil soup. I also watched a movie and tried organizing my computer. But I went to bed early and drank a litre or two of my mom's special Anti-Flu Elixir (recipe is below). This morning, convinced I was fine after a long night's sleep, I practiced yoga with Max, who insisted we wear masks to minimize the risk of sharing my cold.

It was kind of fun actually. The mask wasn't annoying. In fact, I appreciated the fact that it kept my breath warm and humidified. Max has also been feeling a little congested and has had a sore throat for a few days (maybe I caught his cold), so we worked on chest opening poses like dancer, inverted plank, fish, camel and bridge. These not only help to open the lungs (good for asthmatics, by the way), but they also bring energy to the throat area. Shoulderstand is also excellent for sore throat relief, as it promotes circulation in this region. We did a few sun salutations too as they increase circulation throughout the whole body.

In case you want to try this Immunity Anti-Flu Yoga practice, here's a sequence to try:

1- Restorative chest opening pose using a block or blanket under shoulderblades (3 mins)
2- Cat/Cow to warm up spine
3- Sun Salutations - slowly 3-5 x
4- Windmill - stand with feet hip width apart and twist torso right to left, keeping arms relaxed (6-10 x)
5- Triangle pose
6- Twisted Triangle or side angle pose
7- Wide legged forward bend, fingers interlaced
8- Dancer pose
*Transition to sitting
9- Boat pose (to increase digestive fire)
10- Inverted plank pose
11- Boat pose
12- Fish pose
13- Lying on back, knees to chest, head to knees
14- Down dog
15- Camel pose
16- Plank
17- Bow or Half box pose (also to increase digestive fire)
18- Down dog
19- Bridge and/or wheel 2x
20- Child's pose - head on floor or block
21- Shoulderstand (supported with blankets under shoulders) or legs up the wall
22- Kapalabhati breathing
23- Alternate Nostril breathing
24- Savasana or same chest opener as start - if coughing, rest on side in fetal position (5-10 mins)

* All postures should be held for a minimum of five breaths. This practice is approximately 60 mins. Do what you can. (Photo is of my student Amber in progressions of Camel pose.)

I'd love to hear your feedback on the above sequence.

And one last thing, here's the recipe for my mom's Anti-Flu Elixir:

In a cup of boiling water, add: 2 cloves of crushed garlic, a tsp or tbsp of honey, juice of half a lemon or lime. Optional super ingredient: 1/2 a 'thumb' of crushed fresh tumeric or 1 tsp of dried tumeric! (Can use ginger instead of tumeric.)

Drink this concoction at least 3 x day. Yum!

Death

2010-11-05T19:21:00.000-07:00

It's Friday evening at the end of an intense few days.

Someone close to me died this week. She was 53-years-old. My aunt's best friend for nearly 30 years and a woman I saw almost everyday because she worked at the hair salon below my studio. She used to pinch my cheeks when I was little and her husband gave me first hair cut when I was one or two. My father took me to their salon, which was then in a big shopping mall. I was wearing overalls of a gender neutral color and I suppose my dad wasn't paying much attention, so they buzzed my feathery blond head, thinking I was a boy.

Even though they called the cops on my kids yoga camp this summer, our families are tight, so this death has touched me deeply.

She had bad migraines for many years. She tried a little yoga and said it helped her a lot, but then wedding season started and she got busy. Then she got sick. The doctors couldn't diagnose her. Meningitis? Tuberculosis? They ran so many tests, but nothing was conclusive. After a few months in the hospital, she got better and in July, she came back to work. She seemed very weak. She was back in the hospital at the beginning of September and it was determined she had "lymphoma of the brain." Her brain was "full of lesions."

Tragic, yes. But apparently, she died with a smile on her face.

* * *

I spent a long time contemplating death this week and the rituals surrounding it-- the wake, the funeral, the eulogy, the burial, the reception. The grieving process is interesting, because we spend our whole lives trying to avoid death and when it arrives, and there's a 100% guarantee that it will, we are so unprepared. I often wonder why.

Several years ago, I read this fascinating book called "A Year to Live." Written by Stephen Levine, a counselor and teacher of healing and meditation, it is about the process dying fulfilled and satisfied with the life we’ve lived. Having spent more than 20 years working with people in palliative care, Levine observed that most people panic at the face of death because of the feeling that they are unprepared and that their lives are somehow unfinished and unresolved.

Buddhists believe we should always live in preparation for our death, so that we leave no unfinished business behind.

With this as a premise, Levine decided to enact the ultimate New Year’s resolution: to live one year as though it was his last. After all, he writes, “No one knows the day on which the last year begins.”

Levine’s book is full of suggestions on how to do this, but his most important and most profound suggestion is to commit ourselves to the simple practice of forgiveness and gratitude.

This theme is also present in another amazing book I just finished. "Five People you Meet in Heaven" by Mitch Albom is such a beautiful story. Here's one of my favourite quotes:

"You have peace," the old woman said, "when you make it with yourself."

re-Emerging

2010-10-28T14:10:00.001-07:00

Hello my friends,

It's been so long since I've written and yet, so much has happened. In the past month, my studio manager quit/retired, I taught at the Vancouver Yoga Show and I hosted a major fundraiser for the Stephen Lewis Foundation. It goes without saying, but I've been busy.

I was also been feeling a little down. Maybe it was the work load and the deep fatigue. But I think mainly it was the feeling of not being totally integrated.

In the last few months post 108x108/Guinness, I have been trying to establish a new rhythm for my life and honestly, it's been a challenge. My work is piled high and I'm still adapting what happened to me in during those 108 days. "How have I changed?" and "What's next?" are questions that continue to circulate in my mind.

I am aware that I have changed, but am unsure how to express it, which is probably why I haven't been writing.

People are really curious about how I felt physically after doing 32 hours of yoga. I suppose many think that's it's the body that undergoes the most strain during a marathon, but I would tend to disagree. Physically, I recovered rather quickly. (In fact, I was honestly more sore the day after a 45 minute run up Mont Royal than I was after the Guinness challenge.) But there was so much more mental, emotional and spiritual energy that propelled me through 108 days of sun salutations and 32 hours of continuous practice. And it's in this space, I am still recovering and trying to find my place.

I have made some headway. My meditation practice feels richer. I'm increasingly conscious of how I am feeling emotionally moment to moment, and so my gut instincts appear sharper. This is allowing me to make better decisions and is helping me overcome my fear of confrontation. I am no longer waiting to address situations that tend to upset me, and so, as result, I am feeling less burdened by heavy emotions.

This said, I am still doing a lot of inner clearing, and I need time and space to do this. So, fortunately or unfortunately, I have to let go of a few things. This includes our annual Eco-Fair, which will have to be put off until next or maybe the spring. I just don't have it in me to organize another big event before the holidays.

I am grateful for the support of my family and friends during this process and very excited to start working with my new studio manager, whom I just hired.

I have to share this very sweet note my dad sent me this morning from Turkey (my parents are on a one month post-retirement honey moon tour of Turkey):

Dear Yas,
I just thought it was time for me to remind you how much I love you and admire you for what you are doing and trying to do. Don't give up on your dream and be afraid to take chances. I know it is hard but you will succeed. I send you light and love,
Dad
PS Keep believing in your self

A photo of my mom & I at DARE 10.10.10., the Stephen Lewis Foundation fundraiser I co-organized with Ron Cherilus on Oct 10. We raised $5956!

Guinness Group

2010-09-29T21:30:00.000-07:00

Finally the Guinness photos are posted!

It was an incredible experience, but I couldn't have done it without these remarkable and supportive people. (And only half of team is in this group shot!)

That's right. In order to authenticate this record, it took a team of over 50 wonderful people to volunteer a minimum of four hours of their time to act as witnesses, timekeepers, stewards, or yoga teacher adjudicators! I am so so grateful to all of you. Thank you from my heart.

Now we relax... The work is done and the certificate hangs in the reception of my Pointe Claire studio, Om West Holistic Centre. Below the Guinness certificate is this beautiful drawing done of my 32 hour practice by Jennifer Herring during her witness shift. She is incredible.

Here are some other photos:

Reversing biological age

2010-09-08T20:05:00.000-07:00

I am always amazed and inspired by the stories I hear from students about their incredible transformations through yoga. It makes me so excited to know that this practice changes other people too and not just me. And what really blows my mind is that it isn't age specific.

Of course, we hear that yoga has all this great benefits for everyone-- improving posture, expanding concentration, reducing stress, increasing strength and stability, blah, blah, blah-- but to know and see that it's not just a bunch of marketing bullshit is the best reward for me.

Here's the example that I've been tripping over for a few days:

My 83 year old student Max, whom you met earlier in my 108 days, practices with me privately at his home two to three days a week. In the last eight months, we've added more pranayama exercises (translated as 'breathing exercises') to our 90 minute regime. I wanted to see if this would have a significant impact on Max's normal breath function, because Max suffered a bad pneumonia several years ago and was left with a hole in his left lung. Obviously, this alone severely impacts the dept of his breath. Plus, he is in his eighties.

To keep track of his health and breath capacity, Max sees a pulmonologist at least once a year for a pulmonary function test. Using a machine called a spirometer, the test is designed to determine the 'flow volume curve' of the patient (or the volume of breath inhaled and exhaled). This test last about an hour and at the end an average is taken. At Max's worst, his test scores indicated that his lung volume was at 65-- a healthy adult would score about 100 on this kind of testing. Last year, Max was up to 85. This year, his doctor wanted to him to retake the test because his result was 135! Apparently, his doctor could believe an 83 year old could have such a dramatic improvement in just one year. Incredible. He told me his was elated and immediately called all of his family members. I'm so proud of him.

Breathing is the most important aspect of life. The more efficiently we inhale and exhale, the better everything operates. I often tell my students that "Breath is medicine." When we are too deep in a pose and pushing too hard, we restrict our breathing and our activity becomes something other than yoga. Not everyone cares about this, but I do. Without breath there is no lifeforce in the pose and without this, there is no yoga.

* * *

Here's a link to an article you might enjoy. My mom sent it to me. It's about another 83-year-old yogi in Australia, dubbed "Yoga Supergran", who can still do mayurasana and teaches 11 yoga classes a week. ROCK ON!

ARTICLE: "The yoga supergran who can still assume the lotus position... at the age of 83"

Infinate space and possibilies = excitement + fear/confusion

2010-08-27T18:34:00.000-07:00

After spending eight days in Maine (ironically on the property where Taylor Swift just shot her latest video "Mine," which premiered tonight), I returned to teaching full time this week.

Things have been a little intense. I find myself wondering all the time if this was all a dream. Did I really do 108 days of sun salutations? Did I really do 32 hours of yoga straight?

While I was away on holiday, I spent a lot of time staring out at the ocean, fascinated by the line that divides the deep blue water from the pale blue sky. I wondered for a brief moment why so many, myself included, find this to be one of the most captivating and desirable views on earth. I think it's the immenseness of it-- this landscape of infinite space and endless possibilities. It's simultaneously exciting and terrifying.

At the moment my current state of mind is like a bit like a boey without an anchor. Part of me feels free-- free from the obligations of the last four months and free with a floating idea of accomplishment. The other side of me is getting tired of treading water, not knowing which way to go next. I feel antsy and a bit confused, which can be a little frightening after having so much direction and purpose.

I guess this is the stage 'they' call "TRANSITION"...

It's weird. I'm having a hard time processing everything and figuring out what to do with my spare time, what to teach and how to express myself. In truth, I'm feeling overwhelmed. A couple of my friends suggested that I'm in some kind of denial because I have been reluctant to talk about the challenge even to those closest to me. It's not that I don't want to talk or write about it, it's just that I don't really know how to communicate the experience right now. Perhaps it just hasn't sunk in yet.

Nevertheless, I made some big progress today. After staring at the unopened envelope containing the "Official Guinness World Record Certificate of Approval" on my desk for almost a week, totally intimidated by it (please don't ask), I finally caved to Craig's insistence.

It's pretty cool. Everything is there. They even spelled my name correctly.

(But don't rush out and buy the next Guinness Book of World Records for me, please. I won't be in this upcoming edition, because it was already published by the time I challenged record for the longest yoga marathon... Maybe next year!)

* Oh, and save the date: Sept 19, we're having a reunion yoga practice and pot luck at my studio.

It's OFFICIAL!

2010-08-19T06:26:00.000-07:00

I just got the word:

Dear Yasmin Fudakowska-Gow,

Thank you for your recent evidence. We are pleased to confirm you have set a new Guinness World Record for 'Longest Yoga Marathon (Female)'.

A certificate has been couriered to you and should arrive shortly.

Yours sincerely,

Guinness World Records

WooHooo! I think I'm going to have a gathering of sorts at the studio sometime in September. Maybe a potluck party? You will all be invited, of course. :)

For now, I'm in Maine on a little beach retreat with Craig and my parents. It's lovely to wake up near the sea and do yoga outside. I am trying to practice twice daily-- a hour before breakfast and an hour before dinner. It's a good routine, but I'm allowing myself a little flexibility to do whatever I feel like. After so much busyness in the last four months, it is also great to spend time with people I love. I am enjoying being immersing myself in vacation mode, which involves plenty of reading, beach combing and food.

(The book I'm reading right now is "Three Cups of Tea" by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin. I highly recommend it. Very inspiring.)

* * *

I still want to meet my fundraising objective of $10,800 for the Stephen Lewis Foundation by Dec. 1. We're 22% of the way there. Anything you can contribute to this great cause is really appreciated. Please spread the word. Also, if you have any ideas for how I can continue fundraising, please let me know.

Here's the link to my online donation page: http://stephenlewisfoundation.akaraisin.com/p/yasminyoga.aspx

Reflections one week later

2010-08-06T15:19:00.000-07:00

Hello my friends,

I just want to let you know that all is well with me. I am slowly emerging from the 32 hour yoga marathon practice and this blissful 108 day journey. I am unharmed. My muscles were a little sore last Wednesday, the day after, but all and all, I feel good. (Especially after being a sloth for a couple of days. Here's a photo Craig took on Aug 4th, the 'day after'. Jamie, Craig and I sprawled on the couch eating pizza and watching a movie.)

I am still processing the events of the last week along with all the attention my story has received. (An article about the marathon was published in The Times of India on Aug 4. And yesterday one of the editors from Yoga Journal called the studio to congratulate me. I have know idea how all these people heard about this, but it is very funny to me. I suppose this is my 15 minutes of fame!) The whole experience is still surreal to me. I keep finding myself questioning, "Did I really do 108 days of 108 sun salutations? Did I actually do 32 hours of yoga? How did I do this?"

I am currently going through all the footage of the 32 hour practice and listing all 1008+ postures I did. (I need to submit a final list of poses for my Guinness application, which is nearly complete.) This is a tedious process and I've been working on all day, but the more time I spend looking at the videos the more emotional I'm becoming. It feels like I am experiencing the whole 32 hour practice all over, at least the emotions of it. It's intense.

I've actually been getting emotional quite a bit lately. I am so touched by all the notes and messages I've been received. One woman who came for the last two hours of my practice told me after that being in the studio at the final minutes of the challenge made her think of all the unmanifested dreams they still have and how they too could be realized. I become teary every time I am reminded that this wasn't just about me. This was a shared experience that I would not have been as powerful if even one of those people visiting, practicing or volunteering hadn't been there. It was like an alchemy of the energy of everyone present. I really felt like I was simultaneously being lifted and grounded by the people around me. I feel so so so grateful for all your support.

At first, it was strange to practice knowing that there were about a dozen sets of eyes on me, watching and noting my every move. But then I moved into a different space, where I was so intently focused on every aspect of my body and practice and they, the witnesses, timekeepers, camera operators, spectators and practitioners, became an integral part of this journey. They allowed me to enter even deeper consciousness, one that helped me let go and dive into unknown waters of transformational bliss. It was very powerful.

The hardest part of the 32 hours for me was 5:30 pm to 10:00 pm. One of the breaks got mixed up and I ended up having to do a four hour and twenty minute set, as opposed to a four hour one. It also seemed that at that point, I was still so far off my goal time and dusk was settling in. There were also a thunder storm, so it became dark very quickly, which didn't help

But, the night practice from 11pm to 7am was truly amazing. That's when, as Craig said, "All the rockstars came in." Len Blum, the reformed Hollywood writer of The Pink Panther, Howard Stern's Private Parts and other block busters, was the yoga teacher witness over night and he was so fantastic. He was alert the whole time and offered me several wonderful adjustments. My parents also came into the studio with their yoga mats in hand for the "2 am yoga class," and my brother hung out with us as well. The team of witnesses and timekeepers included some very cool people. However, the highlight for the night for me was when Miranda read Rumi poetry aloud for about an hour straight. She has such an amazing voice and she is such an intellectual. Marie-Marguerite Sabongui also joined us for encouragement. She was such a trooper. But alas, the MVP of the night, would have to be my boyfriend Craig. He was (and is) my right hand. He was so devoted to this whole project from Day 1 doing the photos, practicing with me, reading over my blog posts at night, and during the final 32 hours, he was champion. He dealt with and oversaw every issue that came up, he catered to not just my needs (smoothies, electrolyte beverages, etc.), but also made sure that every volunteer was comfortable at all times.

So now, one week later, it seems like a life time has passed since my 108 days. I admitted to Craig this evening that I'm a little nostalgic for the practice and the blogging days. He reminded be that this is a new beginning and that there is no reason to pause my blog. Very true.

I have been practicing here and there. I did 90 sun salutations on Sunday outside in the country, which felt amazing. My plan is to practice six days a week (Sunday to Friday) and do one 108 practice a week. As I said, I'd like to develop a practice that follows and supports the hormonal changes in a woman's body throughout the month. But first, I want to close this Guinness chapter and submit all my paperwork for their review. Hopefully, I will be able to send everything tomorrow and maybe go on vacation to Maine!

By the way, so far, we've raised close to $2500 for the Stephen Lewis Foundation. Thank you Thank you Thank you! My goal is $10,800. So, I'm continuing to fundraise until Dec. 1.

If you want to make a donation, here's the link to my online fundraising page:
http://stephenlewisfoundation.akaraisin.com/p/yasminyoga.aspx

PS I started writing this post on Friday, Aug 6 and finished it on Wed. Aug 11

Day 108 - Speechless.

2010-08-03T18:32:00.000-07:00

We made it. 108 days of 108 surya namaskar. 32 hours of yoga... What a beautiful journey.

Lots to process.

It was a deep practice and an incredible experience.

I'm so grateful.

Thank you Thank you Thank you

(I may disconnect for a few days just to absorb, but I'll be back soon.)

Day 107 - 15 hours, 51 minutes

2010-08-02T19:58:00.000-07:00

I feel truly blessed to have a friend like Yasmin.

(That may be a cliche thing to say, but a warning to potential readers: this blog post will be filled with high sentimentalism. Don't know how to avoid it; it's just how I feel!)

So: I feel blessed to have a friend like Yasmin. And I feel honoured to have been asked to write this post in her stead, since she's busy breaking a Guinness world record today. I'm sure many of you, like me, have been moved, inspired, and motivated by this page over the last three months. She's really pushed herself to the limits physically, emotionally, and psychologically - and like Len Blum said to her a few weeks ago, the blog has been a major part of the journey. It has forced her to reflect on lessons learned. A lot of those reflections resonated with me - reflections about the pains of personal growth and of uncovering things you may not want to see in the process, reflections about dealing with criticism, reflections about moving past exhaustion while continuing to be good to yourself. And so, I feel fortunate to have a friend who doesn't shy away from digging deep. I'm going to miss hearing her written voice here.

I guess my blog post serves as a testimonial to her initiative. Tonight at 9 pm, 12 hours into the challenge, Yasmin sat in lotus and gingerly did a speakerphone interview with the Gazette. When asked why she's trying to break this world record, she said that for a long time her work has been to encourage others to push themselves beyond their imagined capabilities and to then witness their progress. She said that doing her 108 x 108 and culminating in this 32 hour challenge was her way of practicing what she preaches. She said she wanted to inspire others to follow her lead: to not settle for what they think they could do, but to set goals beyond their limits, and then exceed those limits. In a period of transition this summer between graduate school and 'real life,' I've been contemplating my personal limits a lot. Hearing her say that really shook me, and reminded me that (sentimentalism alert!) I would be doing everyone a huge disservice if I didn't just suck up my fears and try to make my own impact on the world. Thank you Yasmin.

For those of you who want a straightup factual update about how she's doing: we're at the half way mark. It's the middle of the night. There is a very supportive energy in the room, and aside from a few tense moments surrounding witness/timekeeper/teacher shift switches and confusion about breaktimes, the environment is pretty stress free. Yasmin is getting mellow now, but her energy is good, and we're all confident that she's gonna make it to hour 32, and do it with a smile. Craig is making sure she's well fed and Frances and Marie-Anne are making sure she's on time.

A closing thought: A few of us practiced with Yasmin in the last 4 hour segment, and as did our sun salutations I counted them down out loud for us. It was bittersweet. There is something grounding and comforting about moving through the salutations and counting them, something unifying about counting them down together. It reminded me of when I first came back home to Montreal and did 54 surya namaskar with Yas on day 30-something. I'll miss the counting but we've all come a long way. It's been a good journey.

(It took me a while to write, so there's an hour's difference between the time in the photo, and the time of this post)

Oh, right, I forgot. Hi! This is Marie-Marguerite, by the way.

Day 106 - tomorrow's the big day (FAQ)

2010-08-01T16:55:00.000-07:00

Donations for the Stephen Lewis Foundation -
People can donate online and receive an instant tax receipt. My fund raising page can be reached through the Om West website: www.westislandyoga.com or directly at: http://stephenlewisfoundation.akaraisin.com/p/yasminyoga.aspx

Hello, it's Miranda again - Yas' frequent 108 companion. She asked that I write the intro to the blog tonight because, as you all know, tomorrow is a monumental day and the priority for this evening is: REST.

Today we practiced in the beautiful park near our house, the weather too gorgeous to pass up. It seemed strange going through those motions for the last time together, in this mission. I asked Yas if she thought she would miss it and she laughed saying she wasn't sure what she was going to do with all of her free time. But, truthfully, the real test is before her.

Tomorrow's challenge is a formidable one, but Yas is ready. Her journey through these last 106 days has brought about so much growth and awareness, priming her for an even vaster expansion of her practice, commitment to exceeding her own boundaries, and insight into herself. It is difficult to prepare for such a feat of human ability but, if anyone can do it, Yasmin can.

So, starting tomorrow at 9 a.m. and concluding on Tuesday at 5 p.m., the doors to Centre Holistic Om West will be open to all people who wish to practice with, show support for, or cheer on Yasmin. And, if you cannot offer your physical presence, send all the loving, supportive energy to Yasmin that you can!

And, some pertinent information and answers to those burning questions about Yasmin and the initiative (in Yas' words)...

Who am I?
I am 28 years-old yoga instructor, writer, speaker and activist. I started practicing yoga at age 14 and started teaching at 19, while in university at Concordia in Journalism and Communications. I am now the owner and director of Centre Holistique Om West (Om West Holistic Centre) in Pointe Claire Village.

About the project -
For the three and a half months, I’ve been on a ‘spiritual pilgrimage’ to complete 108 sun salutations for 108 consecutive days. Aug 2 and 3 are my last two days of this journey, which I’ve documented on here on my blog. To celebrate the end of this incredible adventure, I decided to do a 32 hour yoga practice, and in doing so, be the first woman to challenge the Guinness World Record™ for the longest yoga challenge and raise money for the Stephen Lewis Foundation.

What is the significance of 108?
108 is an auspicious number in many religions and texts, Hinduism and yoga included. According to an article on Yoga Journal,

"The number’s significance is open to interpretation. But 108 has long been considered a sacred number in Hinduism and yoga. Traditionally, malas, or garlands of prayer beads, come as a string of 108 beads (plus one for the “guru bead,” around which the other 108 beads turn like the planets around the sun). A mala is used for counting as you repeat a mantra—much like the Catholic rosary.

Renowned mathematicians of Vedic culture viewed 108 as a number of the wholeness of existence. This number also connects the Sun, Moon, and Earth: The average distance of the Sun and the Moon to Earth is 108 times their respective diameters. Such phenomena have given rise to many examples of ritual significance.

According to yogic tradition, there are 108 pithas, or sacred sites, throughout India. And there are also 108 Upanishads and 108 marma points, or sacred places of the body."

Where is this all happening?
The challenge will take place at my studio, Om West, at 46-3 Ste Anne St., Pointe Claire Village, starting at 9:00am on Mon. Aug. 2 and ending Tues. Aug. 3 at 5:00pm. People are welcome to drop in and visit or come practice with me!

What is the current GWR record?
The longest yoga marathon lasted 29 h 4 m and was achieved by Michael Schwab (Austria) during the event Vienna Recordia, in Vienna, Austria, on 26-27 September 2009.

What is my goal?
My goal is 32 hours, although to get into the GWR book as the first woman, I need to do a minimum of 24 hours.

The Schedule of the 32 hours

Monday Aug 2
8:00 am Set up
9:00 am START
1:00 pm Yas’ 1st scheduled 20 min break
5:20 pm Yas’ 2nd scheduled 20 min break
9:40 pm Yas’ 3rd scheduled 20 min break

Tuesday Aug 3
2:00 am Yas’ 4th scheduled 20 min break
6:20 am Yas’ 5th scheduled 20 min break
10:40 am Yas’ 6th scheduled 20 min break
2:00 pm Yas takes a 15 min break
4:15 pm Yas takes a 10 min break
5:00 pm FINISH!

What are the GWR rules?
The activity must be continuous, the activity must be of a type that would be acceptable in a yoga class, the record breaker must demonstrate a broad range of postures, the attempt must be supervised by a yoga teacher.

Day 105 - final prep

2010-07-31T12:29:00.000-07:00

Wow, I don't really know where to begin to describe how I'm feeling. Generally, I feel relaxed and ready for the challenge ahead, but undoubtedly, I'm also a little nervous. I couldn't fall asleep last, although I think it had more to do with the noisy neighbours having a dinner party then nerves.

I spent the day planning out my practices in blocks of four hours. I'm not quite done yet, but I'm enjoying the process of visualizing the practice and thinking about which poses I will do when and where. I am going into greater detail than I initially planned because I found yesterday morning that the Guinness World Records actually requires me to count and document all the poses I do, which I didn't realize before. I think it's better I plan this out ahead of time. So, I need a bit more organization, but I think that's a good thing. Plus, when I get tired, I may loose creativity and will need some guidance.

I've been listing all the variations of the poses I wish to do (and trying out a bunch), because each variation counts as a unique pose. This is lots of fun. It's allowing me to stroll down memory lane and dig up ideas from all the workshops I've been to and all the teachers I've studied with from myriad traditions from Anusara to Bikram. I'm also using the Dharma Mittra and Yoga Journal websites for a little inspiration. I even spoke to Leigh at Sea of Tranquility bookstore and I'm going pick up DM's famous poster of 908 asanas from Leigh's store tomorrow so I can hang it in the studio for motivation during my 32 hour practice. Leigh is also lending me a large Nataraj (statue of Shiva) to put in the studio.

So, everything is under control. I know what I'm going to eat-- Vega smoothies, Vega bars, avocados, bananas, dates, maybe even oatmeal raisin cookies. I know what I'm going to wear-- lululemon offered me a couple of tank tops and I'll wear my favourite pants. I know whose going to be there-- as of Thursday evening, we filled our volunteer schedule thanks to Frances! I know friends, family and students are going to be there through out the practice to cheer me on. And in my heart, I know this is a beautiful transformational experience and one I am meant to go through.

(Thanks to Craig for sharing his perspective of these 108 days yesterday.
He's my rock, you know.)

* Want to sponsor my 32 hour yoga marathon and Guinness World Record setting attempt? Donations for the Stephen Lewis Foundation can be made in person at Om West on Aug 2 & 3 or online anytime until Dec 1:

http://stephenlewisfoundation.akaraisin.com/p/yasminyoga.aspx

Day 104 - Anybody know 1080 different posses? To the Library...

2010-07-30T19:43:00.000-07:00

Hi everybody, it's Craig writing tonight's post.

Yasmin sprang this on me at about 1030pm when I was falling half asleep to Planet Earth in the office. She asked me if I would be willing to write up something for her while she finishes her last set of 6 million headstands. I'm happy to help, although I will admit that I am not the best writer and my spelling is tearable, but I'll give it a whirl. I asked " what do I write about? what should I say?" Her response was to just write about how I feel about all this 108 stuff and what we are trying to do next week. Wowzers, I could write a book rather than a blog post about all that. So here we go. I have to be honest. Better grab a soy based coffee.

This started very much the same way it is ending, quickly with little time to prepare. I was with Yasmin when she found out that the 108th day of the year was only about a week or two away. I saw her eyes pop out of her head as she gazed past everything with all the wheels in her pretty head spinning. Right then and there I knew we were in for something big. This had been an idea for sometime, but it was a part of another project that fell by the wayside and was now about to be brought back to life. We kicked around some original ideas on how to present it, but most of which would of had us selling the studio and me turning tricks to fund those ideas. We continued to brain storm. She had said that she enjoyed the Blog (when she read it) I made while I was working the Olympics this last winter. I like to think it was sort of the archetype of this blog. Daily Photos, Write ups, News, Current events, and expressing the emotional roller coaster we all ride on a daily bases, but from a first person stand point. That's where things get tricky. Its not easy to put yourself out on display for the world to see. There are nay-sayer's who think you will be showing off, which is usually fueled by these people's own insecurities. There are huge sacrifices of time needed to do this, writing isn't easy for anyone-- think late nights. There will be restrictions on travel-- thank the gods for my Iphone or we wouldn't have been able to leave town for that one and only weekend in May. A photographer will need to give up his brand new camera so that when he's not around, cause he has a life too, you can take your own 'dailies,' but bring them home and yours truly will photoshop them every night before anything else gets done, because I rule, and you need my help. (Sorry drifted there for a moment).

As far as the daily photos go, the visual part of this blog has been my favorite part. I can honestly say that I have really enjoyed having a new image to work on or set up to shoot every single day. We have had to switch things up and read literally into Yasmin's write ups, like tonight's. (Oh and I'm super stoked to get my Canon G11 back...I've missed you little buddy, but no worries papa's coming home.)

So, fast forward to today. Its been over 100 days and we are starting the last weekend of Salutations and ending it with a bang. When Yasmin first told me that she was going to try to 32 hours of straight yoga and try and set a Guinness record, I thought she was off her rocker or perhaps the heat had finally gotten to her. I was wrong on both counts, but, at the same time, I was not surprised. Yasmin can do this. Yasmin will do this. She just needs some help and I am so happy to be apart of it. I am more thrilled that so much help and support has been flowing in from you and the community. This is where I have to give a HUGE shout out to Frances Vicente and Natalie Riviere. These two angels have been doing the lions share of the work to get this thing even off the ground. Not to say that Yasmin has not been staying up way too late and pulling out her hair to gett'er done, but my goodness, Thank you Thank you Thank you, Frances and Nat! I couldn't have done it, wouldn't even know where to start. I've had the "easy" job: Keeping Yasmin grounded and not letting her freak out too much. (Here's a little inside knowledge you may have already picked up along the way. Yasmin and Craig are total opposites, which is a good thing. A really good thing. Yin and Yang, Hot and Cold, Light and Dark. Ya dig? We need each other so that each of us can archive more and in turn, gain more together. Yeah about that honesty part, I am more excited to get Yasmin back than my camera.)

Lets be serious here for a second, if you're reading this then you must be human too, and sometimes we have selfish thoughts and sometimes we need to figure them out. I have been having a rough couple of weeks myself with monster transitions in my own personal life. I've tried very hard not to feel like I am secondary to all this craziness, but to be honest I've felt eight-ondary from time to time. I like to think I'm a good bottle and that I can just put it all away, not so. So to you, Yasmin, I have and I will again apologize if I have turned your focus away from your goal. Its just that you have inspired me to set and achieve my own goals. Like we have talked about, that is a good thing. I just get a little antsy if I have to wait too long to start something. I can't wait until school is less than a week away. (I have one more semester of commercial digital photography school.) Boy, you'll be pulling me off the walls. But, you now have my undivided attention until we see this thing through. You are ready.

We are ready to (as I say) kick the shit out of this challenge. It's going to be hard, but we have everything in order and so much energy behind us, that we cannot fail. We've got everything from O2 tanks to Excel spread sheets already to go, plus an amazing group of people on board to help us out every step of the way. So lets everybody, enjoy Saturday with a big breakfast, coffees and list of last min things to grab or do before The Day Of Rest, then the Big Show.

Today's photo is Yasmin Yoga-ing with a stack of books and the internet planing out how to do 32 hours worth of different posses. I thought this would be a lighthearted image to start the weekend, and I'm driving this bus today, so I'm posting what ever I want.

Now that wasn't so bad now was it.
Thanks
Craig.

Day 103 - The nice things and the small hurts

2010-07-29T18:55:00.000-07:00

I've had a really nice day.

I woke up at 7:00am next to the love of my life, which I always appreciate, did my prayers, grabbed a delicious piece of papaya and went off to teach my enthusiastic 83 year-old student, Max. Then I had a treatment with Mira, a lovely Body Talk therapist, who has been an amazing source of insight for me over the last year or so. She is so wonderful. When she pats my arm and says "It'll will be alright," she is so sincere that I immediately feel better.

After the Body Talk session, I walked over to this amazing park in NDG on Sherbrooke and Girourd to practice. It was perfect weather for practicing-- sunny, cool and breezy. I found a spot in the shade near the playground and began my practice which today focused on letting go of the small hurts I've experience in my life. Each sun salutation was dedicated to releasing any conscious or subconscious pain incurred because of the actions of a particular person or myself. So at the start of the surya namaskar I recalled an uncomfortable memory in my recent or long ago past, and then I consciously used my breath and movements to visualize cleansing the residual tension.

At times, I noticed the sharpness or the speed of my transitions varied depending on what I was thinking about and how fresh the emotional wound was, but ultimately, it felt good to acknowledge these negative experiences and then symbolically release them.

I made my way to a little cafe for a post practice veggie wrap and a wfii connection. I didn't get much work done because I ran into a good friend. We chatted for a bit then I had to rush off to ayurvedic massage appointment with one of my teachers. The massage was amazing. Just what I needed. While I was at the Ayurvedic Centre, I had a chance to chat with my teachers, Anita and Manu, who have been so wonderfully supportive of my 108 project and this big 32 hour Guinness thing. They shared some advice about what food I should eat and how I should prepare, and they told me that they were proud of me, which is special to me, because I respect them a lot.

This evening, I had dinner at a friend's house, despite my mandate to stay in this week. I'm tired now, but I think it was good for me to shift focus for a few hours and good for Craig to have some time on his own.

Ok, I apologize if this posting is so colloquial. I'm ready for bed.

Bonne nuit.

Day 102 - All beings everywhere

2010-07-28T18:01:00.000-07:00

Things are really starting to come together. There were a few moments today that touched me greatly. One was finding out that a girl I haven't seen or spoke to since elementary school heard about my project, and made an online donation to my Stephen Lewis Foundation cause, which was beautifully unexpected.

Another lovely moment was finally doing yoga with my 90 year-old grandma. (Please don't tell her I told you her age! She'd kill me, for sure.) My glamorous and youthful grandmother lives in a retirement home. I visit her about once a week and do her nails. It's become our bonding thing. Plus, her memory is a little foggy, so she knows when I've been to see her by the condition of her manicure.

This evening we went for a little walk and she was complaining about the stiffness in her legs, so I got her to do a few stretching exercises with me, and I even got her to pose for some photos. I had fun with her. In the photo above, she is telling me, "You always do crazy things."

(If she only knew...)

* * *

Today's practice was dedicated to all the people I pass in my life without much notice.
Examples:

the postal carriers
the tax drivers that wait at the stand near my house
the people who take care of the Bixi stands
My grocer and his wife
the people who pick up the recycling and the garbage
the people who plant flowers in municipal gardens
the street cleaners
the man who fixed the leak in our roof last week
the owner of the cafe I like to sit and work in
the waiters and waitress and cooks at my favourite restaurant
the people who take care of my grandma
the people who take care of all grandmas and grandpas and other seniors
the patients in hospitals
the people taking care of the patients
the families of these patients
the police officers
the people in prison (my teacher's suggestion)
the families of the people in prison
the people affected by war
the people who are dying
the people who recently buried a loved one
the women giving birth at this very moment
the babies being born
ETC.... All beings everywhere!

It was really powerful. I was tired today, but this practice gave me the strength I needed to complete all 108 surya namaskar.

Day 101 - dedicated to the ones I love

2010-07-27T18:14:00.000-07:00

At this time next week, I will be done. That feels weird.

For the last 101 days my entire life has revolved around these sun salutations and this blog. What will I do with all my free time? It will feel great to have some leisure time, but I'm not hoping this will end quickly or wishing it would go on longer. I'm happy where I am right now and looking forward to day to come. Craig feels differently. He says he's really looking forward to "having his girlfriend back."

At the suggestion of my teacher yesterday, I am dedicating my practices this week to the people in my life. Yesterday, I offered each sun salutation to a specific teacher. Today, it was for the people in my community, to you, to those who have been part of my journey thus far. I visualized each individual beside me during the surya namaskar. This brought me so much joy. I felt I could go on forever. It's a beautiful way to practice ONENESS and will be very important during my 32 hour yoga marathon next week.

Day 100 - A place of release and ease

2010-07-26T20:04:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it's day 100... 10,800 sun salutations...

I feel so good. I feel grounded and relaxed. And for the first time since I can remember, I feel free from the conscious and unconscious need for approval. I have entered a beautiful space that is harmonious and pure. I full of gratitude.

This morning, I met with my teacher, who I previously mentioned said he strongly disagreed with what I was planning. Our meeting went really well. I was happy to see him. It had been a while. I knew he was going to ask me tough questions, which he did. I answered openly, honestly, and stayed genuinely positive. I felt really stable talking about the 108 days of sun salutations and the upcoming 32 hour practice. I even made him laugh a few times. He said he was basically concerned about two issues: my safety and my motivations. Both valid.

We talked about the safety concerns, and he was a bit worried because he remembers me as being quite flexible, but not very strong. I told him that in the last six months, I have been trying to decrease my flexibility and increase my strength, which I feel I have done. He said he didn't quite know how I should build a sustainable practice, but we ended up discussing a few ideas that make sense.

As for his concern about my motivations, I shared with him my sincere desire to follow my unique path of healing and self-realization to which this event has become a part of. I also said I was doing this publicly in order to raise money for the Stephen Lewis Foundation and to share my experience with others. Nevertheless, he, quote, "hates yoga hype." That's ok. I understand this point.

Anyway, in the end, he offered some suggestions on how I should practice leading up to next week's big event and how to make the process more holistic.

Everything in its right place.

I feel at ease.

PS I now have a fundraising page, so if you are inclined, you can sponsor me online with a donation to the Stephen Lewis Foundation and receive an instant tax receipt:

http://stephenlewisfoundation.akaraisin.com/p/yasminyoga.aspx

Thank you. I really appreciate it.

Day 99 - Rumi

2010-07-25T20:04:00.000-07:00

As with many artistic souls, poetry has always been a source of inspiration for me. I am particularly fascinated by the work of Rumi, and one poem in particular has captured my heart since it was introduced to me at the beginning of my teaching path almost 10 years ago.

Here it is:

I would love to kiss you.
The price of kissing is your life.

Now my loving is running toward my life
shouting
What a bargain! Let's buy it.

Gamble everything for love,
if you are a true human being.
If not, leave this gathering.

Half-heartedness doesn't reach into majesty.
You set out to find God, but then you keep
stopping for long periods
at meanspirited roadhouses.

Don't wait and longer.
Dive in the ocean,
leave
& let the sea be you.

Silent, absent,
walking
an empty road,
all praise.

These words have never meant more to me, then now...

Day 98 - Joys

2010-07-24T20:21:00.000-07:00

One of the greatest pleasures this whole 108x108 project has offered me is the chance to connect with other people and to share the blissful, transformational power of completing 108 sun salutations.

Yesterday, Bossa did her first 108 and sent me a message hours later saying she was still glowing from the experience. I love hearing about other peoples revelations. It makes my heart soar and keeps me motivated.

This morning, Miranda and I were joined by Colleen and Jocelyn, two of her students. They had never attempted a surya namaskar practice before and afterward, they kept raving about how great they felt. Jocelyn said her stiffness in her back disappeared and that at one point, she felt as though all of her energy was radiating from heart. They also said that during the flow, it seemed as though all negativity in their bodies was released.

These reactions remind me why I started this project to begin with. I remember how powerful my first 108 practices were. In fact, I distinctly recall experiencing tears of amazement and realizing sacredness of this repetitive sequence after my first one. What I've discovered now is that this practice is never the same, but it is always transcendental in some way and always takes me to a higher place. I like sharing this with people and watching them make their own discoveries through the process.

I received couple of nice and unexpected notes today. My student Mary Ann sent me a "10 days left"email and said she is still keeping up with her practices of 36 a day since my first day, April 18. Also, Canadian Olympic Slalom skier Anna Goodman sent me a message today saying she's been enjoying this blog and could relate to the endorphin fluctuations I was talking about yesterday. Here's part of what she wrote:

I just wanted to wish you good luck with the whole thing. It seems like [the 32 hour yoga practice] will become a mind-over-body challenge, and I personally think that is the hardest and most rewarding part of sports for me. A lot of the time when I get overwhelmed I try to put skiing into perspective and step back and enjoy the moment, even if it is the biggest competition of my life. With the good days and the bad days, it's all about the journey and what you get out of it as a whole, and (for me) it's really not worth focusing on small bumps in the road, but embracing the great moments in your day! Which, by reading your blog, you obviously do!!

Anyway I guess I just feel like I can relate in some ways to your blog's journey towards your final goal!

Today your blog really rang a bell for me about the potential endorphin crash!! I've heard about that before as well, and I think I experience it after every ski season, but once you have relaxed a little bit and accepted and embraced what you have just gone through, there always seems to be more challenges, travels, adventures and inspirations on the horizon to stay occupied and motivated for future endeavours!!

Anna Goodman

PS I also experience a joy today when I finally figured out how to do the 'ashtang' (lowering down part) in sivanada style sun salutation. You are 'supposed' to lower knees first, then chest, then forehead, but the catch is your nose isn't supposed to touch the floor, which makes it really challenging. It felt good on my neck when I pulled my shoulders back and drew my chin in.

Day 97 - Endorphins: Highs... Lows?

2010-07-23T16:06:00.000-07:00

My mom is concerned about me having an endorphin crash after these 108 days and falling into a depression. Have you ever heard of this? Apparently, when athletes stop their intense training programs, their endorphin levels decrease that they are susceptible to depression.

(Endorphins are chemicals in the brain that act as neurotransmitters and are released during exercise. Sometimes called a 'runner's high' their release creates a euphoric state in the body. Maybe that's the yogasm that I was talking about it previous postings.)

If this is true, my plans to do 108 days of couch surfing once this project is over may be affected! :) I'm kidding, but I am looking forward to have a few rest days after this is done. My friend Patrick predicts that I won't be able to stop doing 108 surya namaskars. However, I think I'll be ready for a change. I'm sure I'll want to continue to do a daily practice of some sort, but I'm not sure what exactly.

For a long time, I've wanted to explore how to create a series of yoga practices that would support women in each phase of their menstrual cycle. My idea is that each week there would be a different sequence that caters to the monthly hormonal shifts in a woman's body. Of course, men could also do these practices, but they would be specifically designed for women. I think this will be my next project, but it will require some testing and personal research.

* * *

My practice today was done with Bossa in her vegetable garden. It was the first time Bossa did the whole 108 practice with me. We did it in about two hours and Bossa was super proud of herself. In fact, she just sent me a text message saying how great she feels. I like hearing that.

Day 96 - Why we do crazy things

2010-07-22T17:51:00.000-07:00

“Emancipate yourself from mental slavery - none but ourselves can free our minds.”

- Mr Robert Nesta Marley

A discussion with some friends over tea this afternoon ignited an interesting conversation about the crazy things people do and why. My friends, Michelle and Julien, live in Sydney, Australia and are in Montreal on there way to Paris where they are starting an amazing adventure of their own. They are planning to cycle through France to Turkey then along the Silk Road through the 'Stans' and Iran toward Asia. They have quit their jobs and have no idea how long their trip might take. "Maybe a year or two or three," Julien told me, laughing.

Now, if that's not nuts, I'm not sure what is. I think they are so brave and adventurous and I'm sure they will have the time of their lives. Having told them this, we started talking about what makes us chose to embark on unusual journeys like the ones we are each approaching. Julien thinks its our inherent 'nuttiness' that makes us think outside "the box." Michelle says that we decide to do these things because it is part of our path to self realization and discovery. I agree with both, but I also think has a lot to do with our curiosities about life.

We are all curious about different things, and some people are more curious than others, which is totally fine. I, for one, am driven absolutely mad by my curiosity about spiritual and human development. Sometimes I feel totally entranced by the need to discover and learn things for myself. After all, I cannot grow through someone else's experiences. I have to grow through my own.

Having said this, I also am profoundly aware that not everyone is willing to confront big challenges for the growth opportunity, which is also ok. It's a really scary thing, because inevitably when we outgrow the shell we're used to, we have to leave it behind in order to find something more suitable.

(Photo is of my rendition of the Bellow's Breath, also known as Breath of Fire.)

Day 95 - The Great Unknown

2010-07-21T18:03:00.001-07:00

I had a fantastic practice in the park this evening. At Len's suggestion, I did my 108 a much faster pace using a breathing technique called Bhastrika Pranayam (Bellows Breath). It's a slightly intense, deep in and out breath through usually done through the nose lifting the arms up and down. In the version that Len shared with me, he breathed through his mouth with the teeth almost touching and lips separated. This breath is meant to detoxify the body and stimulate the digestive fire. (Here's a link to video of this pranayam)

Also, going quickly through surya namaskar, allowed me to gather momentum and relax the muscles in my shoulders and neck, which was Len's point. He says I am holding a lot of tension there and also advised me to avoid chaturanga for a few days. My experience was amazing. I did pretty much the opposite practice as yesterday-- instead of spreading 90 sun sals over two hours, I did 81 in 35 mins. It's not what I'm accustomed to, but I feel super energized now, my neck is pain free and the headache I woke up with has disappeared.

In other news, I received an email from one of my former teachers last night. It was a reply to my email requesting his advice and his blessing for my upcoming challenge. Unfortunately, he is not supportive of me doing 32 hours of practice "and calling it yoga." This really bummed me out. But after thinking about it, I understand his point, as this is an unusual request and I haven't studied with him in a long time, so he doesn't really know how my practice has evolved over the last year and a half or so. Plus, he would not be a good teacher if he just threw around his blessings without hearing the full story of a student he hasn't taught in a while. After all, as a responsible instructor, he has to make sure his students are safe. Anyway, I'm going to meet him on Monday morning to discuss. I hope I'll be able to convince him of my sincere desire to honour the practice and myself through this silly project of mine. However, I also willing to go forth with my plans with or without his full support.

Sadly, I knew from the onset that my 32 hour Guinness challenge would insight some controversy, as do most great adventures that traverse the unknown.

Day 94 - getting advice + a four hour practice

2010-07-20T18:04:00.000-07:00

At this time in two weeks, I will be done. I will have finished my 108 days of 108 sun salutations and my 32 hour practice will be complete. It's hard to imagine, so I don't bother trying. I'm just doing what I've done before: simply focusing on one breath and one posture at a time.

Today, I did my first planned out four hour practice without a break. It was really nice. I loved being able to linger in certain poses and really take my time. It felt luxurious. The first hour I did pranayama, mudras (hand positions), mantras, and opening postures. Next, Miranda joined me and we spent two hours going slowly through the 90 surya namaskar that remained for the day. Then, in the last hour I did the seated sequence of the Ashtanga primary without vinyasa. I ended with a six minute savasana.

As I mentioned, I'm planning on breaking up the 32 hour practice in segments of four hours or so with a 20 minute break in between. I will outline what I want to do for each four hour practice, but I'm open to modifying it according to how I feel. After all, it wouldn't be yoga if I was just forcing myself into poses simply because they are on my list. I really want to explore the subtleties of different postures and see what I can learn from doing a focused practice for so long.

This evening I met with Len Blum, co-director of United Yoga Montreal and a highly respected teacher. I had asked if he would help me plan out the eight four-hour practices. He agreed, but first he wanted to question my motivations... and my sanity. He said I seem mentally prepared for this challenge and that he was happy that I am interested in exploring the practice and delving into different areas of it rather than just plowing through a bunch of asanas for the sake of it. Len suggested that an outline is good, but that I shouldn't be too committed to it in case things come up along the way and I need to change the plan. I reassured him that I am fine with this. He also offered to be the yoga teacher on duty during what will likely be the toughest part, midnight to 8:00am. I am so grateful for this offering, as I know having someone there to help me through the night will make a big difference.

On that note, I'm going to go to bed and rest. I need to take advantage of early bedtimes for the next couple of weeks.

Please send along your suggestions. I am taking all feedback into consideration.

Day 93 - Preparations

2010-07-19T19:06:00.000-07:00

Deep breath... Deep breath....

I have to confess I'm anxious about this upcoming 32 hour Guinness yoga marathon. I had lunch with my friend Jamie this afternoon to talk about it. He used to do Ironman triathlons back in the day and used to coach top triathletes, so I thought he might have some advise for me on how to prepare. His words: "I thought I was well trained, but nothing prepared me for the Ironman. I did multiple four hour runs and eight hour bike rides, but it's something completely different when you put it all together in those conditions."

Jamie also shared stories of top pro-athletes he knew that got internal bleeding from over exertion during the 15 hour race, and how his own digestive system shut down during the Ironman and he needed two bags of I.V. at the end of it.

My reaction was a big GLUP, and "Oh god, what have I got myself into?"

But after we got the fear factors out of the way, he had some good suggestions like plan out my food intake ahead of time and make sure that I have 'real food' on had as well as all the shakes and sports bars, as the balance between protein and carbs is super important for extra long endurance events. He also thought it was a good idea to plan out my 32 hour practice in segments of 4 hours, which I planned to do any way, and to speak to our teacher Hart Lazer for his suggestions. Jamie also said he would talk to his friends who are still in the triathlon coaching business.

After talking to Jamie, I contacting one of my students who is a medical doctor to get his advice. He said stimulants like coffee and tea will help me stay awake at night, which is common knowledge, but that oxygen may also help. He said he would talk to people he knows in the respirology department at the hospital to get more info for me. He also told he thinks I'll be ok and that the current state of my physical fitness as well my ability to concentrate will get me through the challenge.

So, what's next? I am still doing my 108s, but I've handed my classes over to my teaching apprentices for the next two weeks, so I can focus. I need to speak to my friend pro-triathlete and Vega formulator Brendan Brazier for his take on my nutrition. I'm booking an appointment with the osteopath, and going to see my teachers for their advise. Starting tomorrow, I am also planning out eight practices of approximately four hours, so I know what I'm going to do when. I'm also committed to going to bed early and getting as much rest as possible.

It helps to have a good support system. The people at Stephen Lewis Foundation are very excited and are helping me set up a fundraising page so people can sponsor me online and get an instant tax receipt. And my parents are being amazing. Check out this nice email my mom sent out to her friends:

Hello Friends,
You may have received my email a while ago regarding our daughter Yasmin's Yoga Challenge. She has been doing 108 Sun Salutations for 108 days and the project is coming to an end at the beginning of August. The purpose of this major physical test is to unite the yoga community by challenging people to set themselves healthy goals (physical/emotional/spiritual etc.); she was also raising money for the Can. Institute for the Blind in May; the David Suzuki Fnd. in July and the Stephen Lewis Fnd in July/Aug. Of course she is also doing it for herself; to see if she can do it. You can check out her blog (yasminyoga.blogspot.com) and read her daily chronicles and see familiar faces if you go through the accompanying photos. She is ending it on Aug.2 and 3 with the equivalent of a 32 hour marathon of yoga. She is also aiming for the Guiness Book of World Records which has established a new category for her. It is like the yoga "Tour de France". She will try to beat the record for doing yoga for 32 hours non-stop! It is held by a man, and they (G.B.W.R.) have indicated that if she, as a woman, beats 24 hours, she'll make it. But there are conditions. She has to continuously have a team of non-family witnesses; so I ask you: would you be able to help? Secondly, she is asking for funding while she is doing this.
My lovely, crazy daughter will no doubt succeed in this endeavor barring any mishap. She is super determined and focused. As her Mom, I will do everything to help her succeed, including asking you for help.
Peace and Joy,
Marta

Day 92 - Debate over Traditions

2010-07-18T18:34:00.000-07:00

So, I caught the bouquet last night. It hit me like a bullet in the chest and apparently, my shocked expression was priceless.

I'm not really into wedding hoopla, so I was quite happy to continue a conversation on the sideline and watch 'all the single ladies' fight over the bridal bouquet. But when the announcement for the toss came, the groom saw me and ushered me into the mosh pit of anticipation. I purposefully stood in the back and wasn't paying attention when the cluster of white roses somehow plowed its way through the five or six bouncing women in front of me and literally landed in my lap. Craig, who is way more traditional than I am, thought this was 'great' and hasn't stopped teasing me about it.

I like weddings. People are always happy and it's nice to have a gathering to celebrate love. Our friends, Noah and Sarah, were beaming last night, which was wonderful to witness. The food was delicious and atmosphere was joyful.

I'm still curious though why weddings are orchestrated in a certain way, because at times it seems like certain traditions are a little mechanical or forced. I often wonder what makes people want to follow traditions in general, and why they are considered so important. Is it for fun? is it for sense of belonging? or is it for other people?

Craig and I debated this a bit on the drive home from Stanstead. He's thinks traditions are good; I'm think they are confusing. I'm not against them, but it's the "because that's the way it is" stuff that I can't wrap my head around. I challenged Craig on all kinds of social conventions that don't make sense to me like wearing black at a funeral, eating turkey on Thanksgiving, tossing the bouquet and garter at a wedding, among others. He had some good points, like traditions give you something to look forward to, they are symbolic, and they create community.

In the end, we both agreed that it's up to us individuals to contemplate and reinterpret traditions so that they are meaningful to us and let go of the rest.

I'm curious. What are your thoughts on this?

* * *

As for my practice today, I did 54 sun sals before breakfast next to the river behind our B&B. It was heavenly. The birds, the wind in the trees, along with some swaying chimes created a magical symphony. I wanted to do the whole 108 this morning, but I had to cut it short because of timing. So, I'm home now and I'll be getting to the second half in a moment.

Day 91 - in the townships...

2010-07-17T09:47:00.000-07:00

It's about 12:30pm and I'm sitting on a floral quilt covered bed in a lovely B&B. There's a wonderful summer breeze blowing through the window which over looks lots of colorful wild flower and greenery. For the first time in two weeks, I feel totally relaxed.

Craig and I are in Stanstead East, a gorgeous town about two hours South East of Montreal. We're staying at the Riversmead B&B and this afternoon, we are attending our friends' wedding, which will be a lot of fun. Craig is photographing the wedding and I going to be his "voice activated assistant. (I wish you could see this: Craig is trying to figure out how to tie his tie using a YouTube tutorial... hilarious.)

I had a beautiful outdoor practice this morning. It felt good to practice totally on my own for a change. Well I wasn't completely alone, Toby, the resident golden retriever, sat beside my mat for almost my entire 108 sun salutations.

I made a video blog to describe what's going on and how I'm feeling these days

Day 90 - elation, elevation

2010-07-16T15:08:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it's day 90. I'm 5/6 of the way through now. Only 18 days left. Wow...

The challenge in front of me is amazing. I am so looking forward to it. Things are coming together now. I have a large digital clock which Integrated Sports is lending to me for the event and people are emailing saying they want to be involved in some way.

I hope we have a lot of people participating and I hope we raise a lot of money to the Stephen Lewis Foundation.

Thirty-two hours of yoga... What an opportunity to showcase and play with sequences from all the yoga traditions. It's going to be such an enchanting experience. I can feel it.

Today's practice was very special. I was with Bossa by the lake. The wind was so powerful and so energizing. I let it cleanse and free my spirit. Our surya namaskar flowed with such ease and with so much strength. We did 40 sun salutations in about 15 mins and we weren't rushing at all. We were just so enthralled in the moment.

I am blessed.

If you want to be part of my final days of this 108x108, please let me know soon.

You can sponsor me with a donation to the Stephen Lewis Foundation.
You can practice with me.
You can tell people about what I'm doing.
You can bring your yoga students.
You can volunteer to be a yoga teacher observer, a timekeeper, or a witness.
You can offer your massage or energy skills during my breaks.
You can come and say hi.
You can join our celebration on August 3rd in the evening.

I will promote any yoga studio that wants to be part of this challenge with me.

EMAIL:
events@westislandyoga.com

Day 89 - oh my...

2010-07-15T22:30:00.000-07:00

It's really late. I don't know what to write about. All day, I have been working on the supporting documentation for the Guinness challenge. I'm nervous. It's only in two weeks and there is so much to prepare...

I think I'm going to take some time off from teaching for the next few weeks so I focus on the rest of my 108 sun salutations and planning my 32 hour practice on Aug 2 & 3. I'm looking forward to being able to do yoga for such long time. It's going to be amazing.

I know I need to let go and just allow things to fall into place. It's hard, because ending these 108 days well is really important to me and I need to rely on so many people to make this Guinness Record challenge happen.

Today's image was taken at my student's dental office on Drummond, which I've been teaching in since I was 18-years-old. This evening, I managed to do a good set of 18 sun sals after our practice. (The rest of my 108 was scattered-- 18 this morning, 18 on Drummond, 54 on my friends' roof top terrace and the last 18 in my room.)

Ok I need rest. Good night, my friends.

PS Please, if you able to help out in any way, email us asap: events@westislandyoga.com or bannermanphotography@gmail.com

Day 88 - WORLD RECORD CHALLENGE

2010-07-14T21:21:00.000-07:00

Soon I will be at the end of my 108 days of 108 sun salutations. It has been an unbelievable adventure and a very powerful experience for me. I have made deep connections with people. I have overcome injuries and many mental blockages. I have expanded my view of what is possible in this world and I have seen others do the same. I have opened my heart to many beautiful things and I am some much more aware of my rightful place in cycle of life. I am blessed to had the support of wonderful people around me during this time, and blessed to have the inspiration to continue.

My friends, I have decided to complete what has been an extraordinary three and a half months in an extraordinary way. On August 2nd and 3rd, I am challenging the current Guinness Book World Record for longest yoga marathon, which currently stands at 29 hour and 4 minutes.

This record has been broken several times around the world, but it has never been challenged by a woman nor a Canadian. I have been in contact with the people at Guinness for some months and they have agreed to open a new category for me: Longest Yoga Marathon (Female). This is huge, because it will invite other yoginis to attempt this after me. My goal is 32 hours.

I know that trying to break a World Record for yoga is not conventional in our teachings, but this is an opportunity to expose yoga a significant way using a new voice. I want you to know that this idea has come from my heart and is fueled by a sincere desire to promote yoga for all of us, to bring together our community and to demonstrate the divine balance of shiva/shakti, yin/yang, male and female energy. My challenge will require everything the practice offers: inner strength, mental focus, physical stamina, flexibility, patience, balance, grace, and a strong spiritual connection. This an opportunity for the entire yoga community to come together.

I will also be using this as an opportunity to raise money and awareness for the Stephen Lewis Foundation, a humanitarian organization that works to prevent the spread of HIV in Africa.

I assure you, I will not harm myself during this World Record setting attempt. I am well trained, and I was taught by some of the best yoga masters in the world. And now, after nearly 108 days of surya namaskar, I am even more prepared for this final challenge, but I can’t do it alone.

Please, I need your help.

In order to authenticate the World Record, Guinness requires the following:

16 witnesses for five hour blocks
16 timekeepers for five hour blocks
8 yoga teachers for five hour blocks
8 ‘stewards’ to manage the log books and volunteers
Someone to be the official videographer
Two stop watches down to the 0.01 seconds
A big digital clock to hang on the wall (it needs to be in the video recording and in the photos)

I also need -

Yoga participants and cheerleaders to practice with me and encourage me
A food & beverages sponsor
Financial assistance from Corporate Sponsors to help cover the costs of the event (Details below)

We have contacted different media outlets about this event and already there is a lot excitement. The Guinness Book of World Records may also use our photographs and video footage on their website, in their international television programs, in their books, and/or in their dvds. So, corporate sponsors of this event will have the opportunity for great promotion.

Our three top sponsors will have the opportunity to:
- hang their company banner on the wall in the location where I’ll be practicing
- place their logo on the clothes that I will wear during the challenge
- be mentioned in our press releases
- have their logo on our websites and Facebook page
- possibility be featured in one of the Guinness’ international publications

All funds collected after the initial cost of the event are covered will be donated to the Stephen Lewis Foundation. (The exact cost of the event will be determined in the next couple of days.)

If you would like to make a donation or help in any of these areas, please contact Frances, who is organizing the schedule. Her email: events@westislandyoga.com

Thank you Thank you Thank you

Day 87 - Some fun

2010-07-13T19:08:00.000-07:00

Tonight I am allowing our dear Yasmin a respite from the blogging world and taking the wheel. I am Miranda, the illusive downstairs neighbour, who has now moved to St. Laurent, but continues to demand an audience with our blissful practitioner. I just had the pleasure of dining with Yasmin, her partner Craig, and a good friend of theirs, Warren, and saw the opportunity to release my duties for cleaning up and took over the blog instead (clever, eh?).

Three weeks from today marks the conclusion of Yasmin's 108 journey - one which I have been fortunate enough to participate in regularly. She bounded into my temporary home on day 21, and our friendship has grown through the sharing of sun salutations and sensational salads. Admittedly, I was intimidated by her mission at first, having only completed one set of 108 the day before I met her - irony at its pinnacle.

I felt compelled to join her on that second day of 108 for me, and the twenty first for her, appreciating the mindful meditation that 108 Surya Namaskar allows for. After completing my second set of 108 I discovered the transcendent power of her mission and I knew that my personal journey with Yasmin had only just begun. I lent to her fresh ideas and renewed energy, and she lent me an admirable and indomitable dedication. Practicing in my home, her home, parks, and roofs, a fortuitous friendship has emerged.

Today we practiced in my new yoga studio, pumping the ageless tunes of Cyndi Lauper, allowing the electric energy of the synthesizer and her timeless voice to invigorate and enliven our motions. I relish the experience of 108 because it is never the same thing twice; it is never a monotonous set of movements. I feel continuously inspired by the burgeoning friendship that has emerged from Yasmin's 108 and honour the unity she inspires throughout the yogic community.

Returning to my city of birth to open a yoga studio has been a daunting affair but Yasmin, true to her goal of creating bridges between all yogic traditions from the onset, has been a guiding light and ready advocate for my personal mission. I could not have asked for a better inauguration into this city and to the world of yoga in Montreal.

The photo today is Yasmin in the goddess pose, surrounded by the vibrant colours of the natural rubber yoga mats that adorn my studio with nature's inherent rainbow - a testament to the myriad ways in which feminine power can be manifested. Additionally, we recorded a video inspired by Cyndi Lauper's "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" - allowing for a playful and dramatic interpretation of the sun salutation. And, let's face it, we had fun!

Day 86 - Phoenix rising

2010-07-12T19:46:00.000-07:00

On the wall of my studio is a beautiful painting by Robina Nicol of three colorful phoenixes. It's a very special piece and highly significant for me, especially now.

I've had an emotional day, but I'll spare you the details, because I feel as though I'm on the brink of something great. Like in Robina's painting, there is a strong fire burning inside me that destroys some things in order to give life something else. I also feel a strange emergence of three powerful forces that are preparing to break free from within me-- the master light, the true sacred feminine energy, and a force that unites. It simultaneously excites and terrifies me.

I'm sorry if I sound vague. I can't really describe what's happening at this point. I have a lot of stuff to deal with right now, but I sense something unbelievable is coming. I just don't know what form it will take and when it will arrive.

Day 85 - World Cup & Oneness

2010-07-11T18:13:00.000-07:00

My head is filled with World Cup Football fever. Spain's 1-0 win over the Netherlands was quite the triumph for the country, who had never played in a World Cup final before. I watched the game with Craig and my parents. I love watching soccer and it was great to see today's match along side my dad who is a former competitive soccer player and coach.

The game was so fast and so inspiring. The Spanish team was brilliant, but the Netherlands certainly put up a good fight. I am particularly taken by the thought of how hard both teams needed to work to get to this point in the tournament, and then how strong, determined and energetic they were until the end. I also enjoyed watching the victorious Spanish fans celebrate on the streets of Madrid (as seen on tv) and on St Laurent Street in Montreal as seen from our car window. This was not just a football win, but the opportunity to unite a fragile country that has experienced so many inter-cultural divisions. It's really wonderful that each province of Spain was represented on the team.

Of course, this is all paralleled in my thoughts about my 108x108 project that is still ongoing, but well on its way to being complete. I do feel as though I'm coming to the end of a tournament of sorts. I wasn't trying to beat anyone else, but I am constantly in the process of battling my own insecurities, my mental distractions, my boredom, my tensions, and my feelings of solitude. There are also the judgments and criticisms of other yogis to contend with, which mostly revolve around questions of my yogi-ness. Once I've overcome one thing, I'm on to the next personal challenge and so on. It's a never ending process, but it's getting easier, as though there are less and less opposing forces.

I know I will finish my 108 days, but I still want to see a few things happen as result. I still want to bring the yoga traditions together so that we can all celebrate the power of our practice as one united community while promoting our unique diversity. The concept of Surya Namaskar, is to honour the sun, the single greatest force we all experience on Planet Earth. This transcends most yoga traditions, just as the game of football or soccer does for the international community. I also want to elevate the status of the female yogi, who for centuries was not accepted on par with her male counterparts, nor was she allowed to follow traditional studies. Because of this, there is a lack of information on how women can use yoga to embrace their femininity and fertility. Now, women dominate the practice, at least in North America. I want to see more female Gurus and more female instructors teaching their female students how to understand their ever changing bodies and enjoy their natural cycles. I also want to see more yoga teachers practicing what they preach FOR REAL.

Yoga can change the world, quite literally, but we yoga teachers and students need to come together as ONE. We are a highly sophisticated community, privileged to the ancient wisdom of our practice and capable of changing the world with our social and environmental teachings of understanding, self-healing, and respect. If we fearlessly work in collaboration with one another, we will attract more students to the practice, make a descent living, and improve quality of life on a massive scale.

Amen & namaste.

(All photos were taken and processed by Craig Bannerman. The former in my parents' living room, the latter while driving up St Laurent after the game. And in the spirit of honesty, Craig, using the marvels of modern technology, enhanced the first image with shots of the game from press photos.)

Day 84 - Saturdays...

2010-07-10T18:36:00.000-07:00

I like Saturdays. Always have, always will. I feel as though Saturday offers the opportunity for anything, because there is still another day off after it.

Sometimes, like today, I bound out of bed on a Saturday morning (usually early) and then get a little confused by all my options of things to do-- do I clean my house? bake something? walk up the mountain? rearrange furniture? reply to emails? clean out that over stuffed drawer? call a friend and go for breakfast? start a new project? or practice? I'm most productive in the morning and I usually have a ridiculous amount of energy, so sometimes I try and do all these things at once. But today, after sipping a concoction of liquid iron supplement, warm ghee (for detox) and one serving of Vega Sport, I decided to start my practice before it gets to hot or I get too hungry (whichever comes first). My body felt a bit sluggish as it usually does on the first day of menstruation. Normally at this time, I would do a restorative practice with long held forward bends, but since my regular practice has now morphed into 108 sun salutations, I just went slowly the different variations of surya namaskar and took a break in child's pose when I needed it. I completed the first 54 before breakfast and finished the second half just before dinner.

I felt stiff during the latter part of my practice, but I think that's mostly because of all the walking Craig and I did this afternoon in Jean Talon Market, speaking of spontaneous Saturday adventures. We decided to go for coffee and produce. What an awesome place. I love being there. It's such a joyful place, filled with eclectic people, diverse musicians, vibrant colors, fragrances of flowers, fruits and veggies. We had fun. Craig took pictures and I played around with some postures, but I didn't actually do sun salutations.

(This photo montage is not pulled from the web. It's Craig Bannerman's original photography layout taken and processed today.)

Day 83 - Distrubing the Peace

2010-07-09T20:19:00.000-07:00

Today was an important day for Om West. It was first time in history that cops came to the studio because they received a complaint that we were disturbing the peace on this Friday afternoon.

That's right, my friends. The owner of the hair salon below us called the police and said that game of charades our kids from camp were engaged in was noisy and was upsetting his customers.

Now, being a yoga teacher, I am totally sympathetic to noise disturbances and our building isn't well sound proofed, but it's really quite comical that someone would go to such lengths in an attempt to keep a group of yoga kids silent and motionless on an afternoon where they were stuck inside due to thunderstorms. The kids weren't even ill-behaved. They were simply having fun playing charades and trying different balancing poses that caused some to topple over and giggle.

As for the police, they arrived at 6 pm, two hours after the last kid left, and 'interrogated' Penka, who in the middle of giving a shiatsu treatment and who had led the game of charades. She said they were polite, but I'm glad I wasn't there. I'm not sure if I could have kept a straight face during the questioning. I don't even know how to respond to these accusations. I informed my landlord of the situation and he thought it was funny and ironic that the police came to a yoga studio to tell the owner she and her students need to be more peaceful.

I'm not upset about this. More concerned for the sanity of the hair dresser, who is actually a close friend of my family's and even cut my dad's hair this very afternoon. Obviously, he was having a bad day and decided to unleash his frustrations on the yogis above. (I'm actually grateful that I now have yet another interesting tale to share with you. )

Anyway, it's finally Friday evening and I'm so happy to be home. Craig's at a pub celebrating a friend's birthday. I am enjoying some alone time listening to the rain outside and enjoying a short glass of porto given to me by a student at my inauguration party. I like port, but I can't even remember the last time I had it.

I did my last 72 sun salutations with Miranda and her friend Bree in Miranda's new loft space on St Laurent. It was steady and fluid and great to practice in what will be Miranda's Ahimsa Yoga Studio as of July 17.

Good night, friends. Try to stay out of trouble this weekend, ok? :)

Day 82 - Aqua Surya Namaskar

2010-07-08T20:29:00.000-07:00

It's a perfect day for the beach. I'm with our kids yoga camp on a field trip to Cap St Jacques, a small lake beach about 40km west of Montreal. The girls ages 5 to 13 are playing in the water and I am watching our bags. It's hot and humid again today with another record shattering high of 41 degrees. Apparently yesterday a 14 year-old died of heat exhaustion. We are watching our group closely for signs of sun burn and dehydration.

I just finished doing sun salutations in the water with three of the older girls who have been coming to the studio since they were kids. Morgan, 13 and a singer, just plopped herself down beside me. She thinks the sun sals with did in the lake were "so fun" and that they should count toward my 108 for the day, so I'm up 18.

I have only 18 left for the day. I woke up early and did a practice of 54 before 7:15 am. Then 18 with Max and now another set of 18 aqua surya namaskar, which were most entertaining. I will have to wait until tonight when it's cooler to finish up for the day.

Today, I noticed that I seem to be practicing much more smoothly. My movements are more exact and I am quickly working out tensions that, in the past, would linger for a while. In short, I feel myself responding to my physical needs sooner. When I feel discomfort somewhere in my body, I immediately modify the flow and focus on alleviating the tension. I am also trying to pay more attention to satisfy my natural urges as they arrive. This includes the urge to drink, eat and sleep. Well, I'm still working on the sleep one, but the others are getting much better and I feel better as result.

Recipe: Fresh Summer Pasta Sauce

2010-07-07T19:50:00.001-07:00

I taught this recipe to a group 10 to 13-year-olds during our Kids Summer Yoga Day Camp at Om West. It's super easy and the kids loved it.

Ingredients--

6 fresh organic tomatos
2-4 garlic cloves
a handful of basil leaves
1/4 cup of oilve oil
1/2 tsp of evaporated cane juice (or sugar)
salt & pepper to taste

Using a food processor, simply blend all the ingredients until smooth. You can heat the sauce if you really want to, but I rarely do. To finish, pour the sauce over your favourite pasta, serve and enjoy!

Day 81 - Heat wave

2010-07-07T19:01:00.000-07:00

For the last few days, we've had record highs in temperature. It's been in the mid 30s or higher with the humidity all week, which is nearly 10 degrees warmer than the historical average., and the smog is so thick we can barely see the tops of the buildings. This is pretty serious. Of course, climate change is responsible for these spikes in temperature and it boggles my mind that people still question this as fact.

Regardless, at present, the best we can do is be completely vigilant on how we can reduce our personal impact on the environment and how we can peacefully inspire others to do the same. I'm not going to run through a list of eco-tips, but I will share some ways in which we've been keeping cool these last few days.

First, I have to admit I have an air conditioner at home, but it's second hand and we only have it in our bedroom. Plus, it's only set at 25 degrees. We have been camping out here and its been kinda of fun eating, working and sleeping in one room.

What we eat also affects our body temperature. It's rather obvious, but spices and heavy cooked food increase our body heat. Spices, for obvious reasons and heavy deep fried food, as well as meat aren't advisable in summer because the body needs to produce more heat in order to properly digest those kinds of foods. Craig and I have been enjoying a bunch of amazing raw and semi-raw summer meals-- fruit smoothies for breakfast, wicked salads, avocado-cucumber gazpacho. (Check out the Fresh Summer Pasta Sauce recipe in the next post. I made it with my Kids Yoga Camp today and they really enjoyed it.)

Another effective way to survive a heat wave is, of course, to be close a lake, ocean, and/or pool. This afternoon, my student Bossa and I did sun salutations by her pool. We did the first half then had a swim. We tried surya namaskar in the pool, but it was pretty challenging. Some standing and balancing poses work well in water, and a floating savasana is like a dream... I highly recommend it.

A photo of my sun salutations with our Kids Yoga Camp taken this morning by the lake near Om West:

PS... I did get a chance to see the semi-final World Cup match between Germany and Spain, and although I rooting for Germany, Spain did score a fantastic, deep header goal, which was most impressive.

PPS... As of today, I've completed 3/4 of my 108x108 project. That's means that since April 18, I've done 8,100 sun salutations!

Day 80 - Around the Sun in 80 days...

2010-07-06T19:30:00.000-07:00

My mind has been a bit shifty today. It's been bouncing from one idea to the next and I've had some trouble focusing. I suppose this is related to my continued efforts to reorganize my apartment and by extension, my life. I'm not entirely finished going through everything, so many places in the house have piles that still need sorting and boxes that need a home. I feel a little disoriented, but I'm plodding along. Today, I managed to repair a few things that needed gluing and I finished renegotiating the space in my dressing room/yoga space, which feels great.

While I was cleaning, I was thinking about how far along I am in my quest. I can't believe it's been 80 days of 108 sun salutations. Tomorrow will be the 3/4 milestone. This project will be done before I know it and I have a lot of mix feelings about that. Part of me is looking forward to the 108th day, but another part is going to miss this routine. After all, these sun salutations, these photos and this blog are such a big part of my life. It often feels like this, along with teaching and managing the studio, is all I do. At times it's a bit isolating, but I know this will change soon.

Today's 108 was also a little scattered throughout the day. My shoulder is feeling much better, but I am still practicing slowly and leaving out chaturanga every few sun sals to give myself a break. It also helps to rest in between sets and to try to keep a clear focus.

Lately, my focus is on cultivating greater abundance in my life, which is also why I've been spending so much time clearing out my home and office and getting rid of things that aren't helping me go further. Of course part of this is physical junk, but the other aspect, which is more important is to clear out stagnant mental energy as well. To help me through the psychological mine field, I created a mantra to help me stay connected to my intention. During surya namaskar and as often as I remember throughout the day, I repeat these simple words: "I am channeling more abundance into my life to enhance my health, wealth and happiness."

(in case you didn't see Sunday's photo, here's the before picture:)

PS... People have already started asking me what I'm going to do on August 2nd & 3rd, my two last days. At the moment, my ideas are still percolating, but I'm running low on the energy needed to plan events, which is why I haven't been promoting any new community classes lately. I want to continue offering 108 or 54 practices at other studios in July, but at this point, I'm spread a little too thin. Do you have any suggestions?

Day 79 - Cleaning therapy

2010-07-05T21:01:00.000-07:00

As discussed yesterday, lately I've been in the mood to organize things probably because Craig moved in and we now have all of his stuff piled into the apartment. I can't stand clutter. It's distracting and confusing. I never know where anything is. Now, people who know me well may find these comments pretty ironic, because I have a reputation for being a little messy, but I'm trying to change. I want to be more organized and one thing's for sure, I don't like being surrounded by useless junk, so I'm continuing the process of purging things I don't want. Today, got rid of two bags of clothing, some books and appliances that need fixing. It feels great.

When I am not falling asleep at the keyboard I will write out some un-cluttering suggestions for you based on Feng Shui and Vastu principles that will hopefully inspire you to do the dame.

As for my 108 today, I did them scattered throughout the day and in air conditioning... It is so hot and humid, I had students texting me throughout the day stating that if I was going to teach outside this evening they were going to stay home.

PS It's supposed to be hot all week. Hope you remembered the cooling breath I taught you about a month ago!

Recipe: Vegan Banana Bread

2010-07-05T20:37:00.001-07:00

Yesterday, being my "Suzy Homemaker Day", I made this delicious banana bread with some brown bananas in the house. It's a vegan recipe inspired from my favourite cookbook, How it all Vegan by Tanya Barnard and Sarah Kramer, and it was very tasty, so I thought I'd share it with you. (I tweaked it out a bit and changed the name.)

Banana Rama Date Bread

3 riped bananas (mashed)
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 cup oil (I used sesame, but coconut would also be awesome)
1/2 sweetener (evaporated cane juice)
1/2 dates (chopped)
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup wheat germ
4-5 tbsp ground chia or flax seeds
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp backing powder

(Preheat the oven to 375F.) In a small bowl mash up the bananas either with a fork or with clean hands. (I prefer my hands.) Next, add the lemon juice, oil, sweetener and dates. Then in a separate larger bowl, mix together the dry ingredients. Then add in the banana mixture and stir together until 'just mix.' Pour batter into a lightly grease loaf pan, and bake for 50 - 60 minutes. Test with a fork to see if it's cooked. Let it set for 10 minutes before cutting.

Serve with tea or jam or butter or something else you might enjoy with your Banana Rama Date Bread!

Day 78 - Organizing organizing...

2010-07-04T21:10:00.000-07:00

I had a very productive day, but I've left my blog too late and now I'm very tired. Nevertheless, I feel good about what I accomplished at home. I did housework yoga and de-cluttering. I cleaned out my closets and drawers and made a huge bag of stuff to bring to the Mile End Mission. With the help of some friends, I categorized all my random photos that were stuffed in a drawer and mixed up since 2001.

I've become very interested in Feng Shui and Vastu, (the Indian version), and one of the things I recently learned was that remedies and medicine should not be kept in the kitchen, because this is a place for health and abundance. If there is medicines or remedies stored there, then it brings sickness into the home. So, today I also tackled my over following supply of supplements, tinctures, vitamins and minerals and did a good purge of expired products and transferred the stuff I consider medicinal, as in it's taken when a cure is needed to a certain problem.

My closet has been an over following disaster for a long time, so it was good to reorganize it and get rid of stuff I no longer wear. I even sewed little buttons on to my cloth hangers so my camisoles don't slip off. Very Martha Stewart, if I do say so myself.

My practice was scattered into 36 sets throughout the day, which was nice. Sometimes it's nice to do several practices in one day.

Day 77 - Summer rituals

2010-07-03T20:09:00.000-07:00

I participated in three social rituals today: soccer fandom at Cafe Olympico, a bridal shower, and my favourite summer kick-off, the Montreal Jazz Fest.

The best place to watch World Cup soccer is a block away from my house at either Club Social or Café Olympico, two little corner bistros known for their lattes and football fans. Craig and I went down to Olympico this morning to watch Germany play Argentina. It was over following with people and emotions. The spectators, some of whom donned the colors of their team, were absolutely captivated and superbly animated. And what a game. Germany played so well.

I really enjoyed sitting and watching the game. It was a nice to do something different, a good mental and physical break. Plus, I love watching soccer. It's the "beautiful game," because, for one, it's the only sport played creatively without hands. It also requires incredible dexterity, agility and stamina, and it is accessible any where in the world. In a way, soccer/football is classless. My only complaint is that there so many dramatic fake injuries. It annoys me when one player touches another from the opposite team, and then the former exaggerates their supposed foul. That's a little unsportsmanlike, in my mind.

My afternoon was spent at my friend Jackie's bridal shower. Although I have a hard time taking anything wedding traditions seriously, I have to admit that a gathering of women to celebrate one of the woman's union is a special right of passage. It's communal, supportive and loving, and something we should do more of in our society.

I did half my 108 in my living room this evening and the other half at the Jazz Festival, which closes after this weekend. I managed to find a little patch of grass and after a few sun sals, I was able to stay focused on what my practice and enjoy the live music on stage. Craig and I wanted to see this amazing guitar player named Andy McGee, but we couldn't get tickets. Click here to see an unbelieveable YouTube video of him playing.

I'm so looking forward to the rest of summer, and guess what? As of today, I only have one month left in this 108 journey, which is scheduled to end August 3rd. Everyday I am discovering new things about myself and my practice. Today, I was able to bring a much deeper level of sensitivity to my upper back, just below my neck. I don't think I ever paid much attention to this area before, unless I had pain there. I noticed that if I focus my attention on the area around C7 and keep it 'buoyant', there was much less tension in my neck and trapezius muscles.

I'm pretty happy that my practice still fascinates me and I'm so curious how I will feel when I'm done.

Day 76 - New students/Old student + World Cup Football

2010-07-02T13:52:00.000-07:00

The morning 6 to 9 am 108 practices are finished. It was gorgeous weather today, not a cloud in the sky and warm, with a summery breeze. Perfect conditions. I think I got a bit of a sun burn, but it was really glorious this morning.

We had a few new folks joining this morning. My student Peter arrived with his two kids in tote, Eva, 5 and Jacob, 11. And you know what? Those awesome kids did nearly 72 sun salutations with us, despite our efforts to encourage them to rest. They were so determined and smiling the whole time. Eva even tried to convince her dad to stay for the rest of the practice. They really made the atmosphere light and fun.

Just before we started the last set of 36 sun salutations, I got another surprise guest, a former student who I hadn't seen in about two years. She says she's been following my journey on Facebook. It was really nice to reconnect with her. I often wish more of my old students would pass by the studio and say hello, because I remember everyone I've taught and I'm always curious how they are when I don't see them for a while.

I've enjoyed these early morning practices on the pier with my students, but I am kind of looking forward to getting back on my own practice schedule again starting tomorrow. And I'm looking forward to sleeping in past 4:30am (or attempting to anyway).

On a closing thought, did you see the Uruguay/Ghana game today? It was super intense. Shoot outs are so tragic. Being the daughter of a former competitive soccer player, I love watching the game. However, I hadn't had much time to follow much of the World Cup. This afternoon, in a juice bar on Drummond, Frances (my student/friend/employee) and I found ourselves clutching hands, wailing at the television during the 30 minutes of the game. Very emotional. Kudos to Uruguay, but I would have liked to see Ghana advance as the last standing African team, in the tournament.

Day 75 - Canada Day (aka la Fête du déménagement/ Moving Day)

2010-07-01T16:46:00.000-07:00

Change is in the air and its kind of exciting.

It may be Canada Day every where else across the nation, but in Quebec, today is la Fête du déménagement, Moving Day. Apparently, approximately 120,000 Quebec households moved on July 1 last year and something like 70% of all leases begin or are renewed on this day.

In Montreal, this is a particularly interesting phenomenon. The city is 'moving and shaking' and the atmosphere is electric. Moving trucks, which almost double their prices at this time of year, pretty much take over my neighbourhood. At one point this afternoon, I counted four on my street alone. There is so much chaos on the streets and the alleys and sidewalks are full of unwanted furniture and all sorts of trinkets.

All four of my downstairs neighbors moved out. Miranda and Andrew have gone to an amazing loft on St Laurent where they will operate their Ahimsa Yoga Studio starting at the end of July. For fun, I joined them for took a walk around the block to see what people were tossing out. They snatched up a wicker laundry basket, some frames and cast-iron frying pan. I was under strict orders from Craig not to bring home "any crap", but I found a nice tin box to store pencils and pens on my desk.

As for Canada Day, I did not partake in any celebrations. I was supposed to help out at the Om West booth in the Pointe Claire Village, but after four mornings of 6am sun salutations and a full teaching schedule, I desperately needed to rest, so thankfully, my wonderful admin staff agreed to manage the festivities without me. And tonight, I have vowed to be in bed before 10pm, so unfortunately, I will also miss out on fireworks.

I'm feeling pretty tired from getting up so early all week, but I am focusing on eating well ,which makes a difference, and it feel great to do my 108 outside with my students first thing in the morning. Today, being a holiday, the dock was full. I think we were 11 or 12 people. It was a fun practice and also nice to share breakfast together afterward.

PS Craig would like to wish Canada a happy 132nd birthday.

Day 74 - Food glorious food

2010-06-30T18:45:00.000-07:00

Lately, it feels like I'm always hungry, regardless of the amount of food I eat. This insane appetite is unusual for me. At first, I figured it's obviously because of all the physical activity I'm doing, but now I think it has more to do with quality of food I need as oppose the quantity. After all, the body will crave food until it feels properly nourished.

I've also been feeling a bit dizzy. So it appears as though I'm not getting enough nutrients from the food I'm eating, which is why I'm starving all the time. Yesterday, my Ayurvedic teacher Anita confirmed my suspicions and told me my iron is low and I'm lacking B12. This is no surprise because I should be eating a lot better than I am these days. The problem is that I have no time to cook and I usually wait until I am starving before I think about what to eat. The result is a lot of crackers, chocolate, cookies and chips are being consumed, because these are more convenient than making a meal when I'm tired. I realize this is no excuse and I must prioritize my time better. After all, if I'm committed to doing about three hours of yoga a day, I really must also commit to re-energizing myself...

My friend Brendan Brazier, who wrote a nutrition book called "The Thrive Diet", says that athletes (and I guess I now fit the bill) need to consciously choose more nutrient dense foods than regular folk, because they are constantly breaking down muscle tissue in training, and thus require the best materials to rebuild their tissues in order to become stronger and recover faster. If an athlete eats junk food all the time, then their body can't repair itself as well, because there isn't an abundance of nutrients like vitamins, minerals, fiber and healthy fats available.

Anyway, I am paying closer attention to when I eat and what I eat, because I dislike feeling dizzy and I need as much energy and stamina as possible. As one of my classmates said, my body is "my instrument" and it constantly needs fine tuning. So, steamed beet greens, watercress, kale, arugula it is!

Now, as for the 108 today, I was on the pier again this morning with my group of eight students. It was freezing, but once we got into the flow it was ok. Len joined us again this morning and taught a great Twisted Surya Namaskar, which I tried to film, but it's a pretty slow practice and ran out of space on my memory card. (I have to reshoot it from memory.)