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

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 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 95 - The Great Unknown

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.