Day 96 - Why we do crazy things

“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 87 - Some fun

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 74 - Food glorious food

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.)

Day 60 - Body part surya namaskar

I got this text from Miranda (my neighbour) yesterday: "Anthea and I have a 108 proposal for you!"

(I love this. These two amazing women continue to have crazy and interesting ideas on how to vary the 108 practice!)

Their idea: We focus on specific body part for each set of 12 sun sals. For instance, we do 12 basic surya namaskar A, while concentrating our attention on, say, the knees and then, the hips, etc. Sounded like a cool concept, so we agreed to try it this morning.

We also agreed that we would, as a juxtaposition to yesterday's talkative practice, do our sun salutations in silence, so we wrote out a list to avoid the need for discussion. Here's our list:

1. Feet & ankles
2. Quads & knees
3. Pelvis, moola bandha + vagina ;)
4. Inner leg line/ spine
5. Rib cage & uddiyana bandh
6. Wrist & hands
7. Shoulder girdle
8. Neck & jalandhara bandha
9. Mouth, jaw & eyes

It was a really intricate and meditative experience. I felt that certain body parts we easy to connect with and others more difficult. My feet and hands were the easiest, probably because I'm used to doing that, but I had some pretty cool revelations in the process nonetheless. I discovered that, despite knowing better, I still lift the knuckle of my index finger in downward dog and so there is more pressure on my outer wrist and pinky finger, which for sure is related to my wrist and shoulder tensions. I also noticed that when I transition from forward bend to chaturanga, I most often step back with my left foot, unless I jump, of course. And when I step forwards from downward dog to the top of my mat, I use my right foot. Curious...

I had a harder time connecting with my pelvis and rib cage. I felt that there was too much focus on all at once and that 12 sun sals wasn't enough time to address each aspect of the area. Miranda and Anthea agreed stating the pelvis is "dense" and that there's a lot to it.

Next time we do this practice, I'll focus on less body parts. I think need more time to explore, because once I started observing a certain part of the body, so much information is revealed and I went deeper into the experience. This reminds me of practice my teacher Hart gave us to do for homework about five years ago. He suggested we place our hand on the floor for five minutes and just watch what happens. I'll admit I wasn't really into the idea back then, because I couldn't focus, but I think I'll give it a try now.


You can try this practice in any context. Let me know what you come up with!

Miranda's post-practice comment: "I feel so aware of my whole body right now. It's so cool!"

Day 49 - Coming together

In concert with yesterday's conversation about intention, I spent a good amount of time reflecting upon my reasons for setting out on this 108 adventure. The answer came to me in my sun salutations this morning.

I had a beautiful 8am outdoor practice in park with Anthea and Miranda, my downstairs neighbors. It was so nice and quiet and I had a chance to work things out in my mind. I feel reawakened to my true intention. I purely and simply want to complete 108 sun salutations everyday for 108 days to elevate consciousness, and to share the journey with others. If I can also raise money for some great non-profit organizations along the way, that's a wonderful bonus.

I really want to collaborate with other yoga teachers and help weave together various yoga traditions. Anthea, as you will see in the video below, showed us an elegant variation on Surya Namaskar from Vijnana yoga.

* * *

This afternoon Craig and I went to La Maison de la culture to see the exhibition of "The Quilt of Belonging," a magnificent 36 metre long tapestry featuring 263 embroidered blocks from the cultures of every nationality in the world and all the First Nations communities in Canada. Today was the last day it was being displayed in Montreal and so the artist, Esther Bryan, who put the initiative together was present for the closing. It felt a little serendipitous to meet her and see her finished work. Bryan's intention was to create a piece of art that would unite and represent all the diverse cultures of Canada. She told me of the labour intensive process of putting together this massive project, but how everything came together in the end...

What is Vijnana yoga?

The term "vijnana" means "understanding from the inside." This style of yoga stems from the teachings of Sri Krishnamacharya, the teacher of Pattabhi Jois, B.K.S. Iyengar and T.K.V. Desikachar. It was developed by Isreali yoga teacher Orit Sen-Gupta in collaboration with her teacher, Dona Holleman, a senior student of B.K.S Iyengar. Vijnana yoga is based on the seven vital principles: Relaxing the body, Quieting the mind, Focusing through intent, Rooting, Connecting, Awareness of breath, and Expanding.

Day 44 - Healing at Godspeed

I am starting to notice something truly unbelievable and totally unexpected. Allow me to explain:

I figured that in doing this crazy 108 day challenge, my body would likely face a much slower recovery time, because of all the strenuous practice and the fact that I am not taking any days off to recuperate for three and a half months. But, astonishingly, I am now experiencing the total opposite. I am healing faster then ever before.

As mentioned yesterday, the acute pain in my wrist, which affected me when lifting things and doing anything weigh baring on Saturday, completely vanished over night. What's more surprising to me is the speed at bruises and cuts are disappearing from my body. Last week, I got about a dozen deep, razor-like cuts on my thumb while moving an air conditioner, and I practically watched it heal in front of my eyes within 24 hours. What is happening to me is incredible.

I was slow to start my 108 practice today. Marianne, the manager of my studio, got into a major debriefing session about the CNIB event. By the way, the final count for our CNIB campaign is just over $2000. Thank you so much for your support.

Despite the office distractions, I managed to flow through my whole practice at the studio before coming home to a late dinner with Craig. Practicing with all those teachers yesterday at the Yoga Mala gave me lots of inspiration to explore new variations of surya namaskar.

As for today's photo, I got little creative with the self-timer and a slow shutter. This is me jumping from downdog to uttanasana.

Day 5 - Petr Svoboda's left shoulder

The pain in my left shoulder isn't much better today, but I have a renewed respect for injuries, and sometimes I need a reminder that every injury I've had has made me a better and more compassionate yoga teacher. Today this was reconfirmed.

Yesterday while I was whining about how tired I was and blaming my lack of focus on alignment screw-ups, I failed to see how hurting my left shoulder could actually serve a greater purpose. You see, for the past year I've been working with retired hockey pro Petr Svoboda. Since we started practicing together, Petr has talked about the pain in his left shoulder to which I've prescribed chest opening postures and exercises that loosen the shoulder girdle. Although some of the postures offer temporary relief, there has been little lasting results. Granted Petr was somewhat inconsistent with his yoga this winter and his injury stems from two fractured cervical vertebrae incurred during the 2001 hockey session while playing with Tampa Bay, but today we bonded over our mutually sore shoulder and together we developed a new sun salutation. (Sorry, no photos of Petr and I today. There wasn't anyone around to take our picture, so I posted this picture of his hockey card. Once our sore shoulder relief surya namaskar is perfected, we'll do a little video for you folks.)

What I find most interesting about my injuries or my traumas is that they usually occur at the same time as one of my students is experiencing the same thing. It's as if the universe created the pain within my body or my life, so I could better understand the student and be of greater assistance in the healing process. This was certainly the case a few years ago with the compressed discs in my lower back and the sciatic pain I endured for over a year, as well as with a former hamstring strain that last more than six months. When my students asked me about injuries, I used to say, "You name it, I've had it or done it." All of it, particularly my back problems, has led me to the thorough investigation of yoga as healing science, which is why I'm now so into my ayurvedic studies.

Seeing as The Petr Svoboda Sun Salutation isn't ready for broadcast, today I'm continuing to work on the spine with the Cat Salute, although my friend Ali has another name for it...

Surya Namaskar Recipe - Day 5: The Cat Salute

1- Standing in Mountain Pose, INHALE, stretch arms over head.
2- Keeping the knees slightly bent, EXHALE, fold forward, hands to shins.
3- INHALE and lengthen the spine.
4- EXHALE, step back to all fours-- shoulders over hands, hips over knees.
5- INHALE, pause.
6- EXHALE, round the back, bringing chin to chest, lifting navel to spine, and tucking tailbone under.
7- INHALE slowly arch the back in the opposite way by softening between the shoulder blades, reaching the heart forward and looking up with a long neck.
8- EXHALE, round the back.
9- INHALE, arch and extend the tailbone back to decompress the lower back.
10- EXHALE, round.
11- INHALE, arch and tuck the toes under.
12- As you EXHALE, shift back into downward dog for two-five deep breaths.
hands down beside your chest and tuck the toes under.
13- After two to five breaths, press down through your palms, INHALE and step, walk or jump forward. Lengthen your back.
14- EXHALE, forward bend.
15- Feeling the feet solid on the floor, INHALE and rise to a standing extending the arms over head.
15- EXHALE, slowly lower hands to heart.


Anyone can do yoga!
Here are some facts about featured yoga student Petr Svoboda's professional hockey career:

Petr Svoboda played for the NHL for 15 years. He was selected fifth overall in the 1984 NHL Entry Draft by the Montreal Canadiens and won the Stanley Cup with the Canadiens in 1986.
He also participated in the 1998 Winter Olympics in Japan, winning a gold medal with the Czech team. Petr scored the only goal in the gold medal game against Russia.

NHL points 1984-85 to 2000-01:
Regular Season
Games played 1028
Goals 58
Assists 341
Points 399

Playoffs
Games Played 127
Goals 4
Assists 45
Points 135
Legends of Hockey - Bio Petr Svoboda


*Thanks to Magic/Awesome Craig Bannerman for the today's photo and hockey stats.