Day 84 - Saturdays...

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 47 - Maintenant en français!

Bonjours tout le monde. J'essaierai d'écrire mon blog en français aujourd'hui sans Nathalie, ma traductrice! (S'il vous plait pardonner mes fautes de grammaire…)

Je doit dire que d’adore parler en français. Je me sens trés différente quand je m'exprime en français. Je sais que je souris plus parce que je fais autant d'erreurs et je me trouve drôle. Le problème pour moi c'est que je ne practique pas assez. Parler français me donne beaucoup de plaisir. J’aime le son des mots et j'aime le défi de changer comment je communique, alors j'ai beaucoup aimé d’enseigner (en français) la séance de 72 salutations de soleil chez CHARLIE*SATTVA*yoga-à-porter ce soir. C'était ma première événement pour la Foundation David Suzuki et nous avons recueilli $90! Bravo! Merci Caroline pour l'organisation.


Now in English:
Tonight, I led 54 sun salutations, which actually became 72, at CHARLIE*SATTVA*yoga-à-porter, a super awesome independent yoga inspired boutique on Bernard in Mile End. It was a great group of beautiful of mostly French Canadian women, so I decided to practice teaching in French, which I enjoy a lot. This was also my first community practice in support of David Suzuki Foundation and we raised $90! Wahoo!



One side note, regarding yesterday’s melt down, thanks for the feedback and concerns (via blog posts, phone and Facebook), my friends, (and thanks for the flowers, Craig). I’m feeling better today. As one of mentors said today, all these reactions are part of the 108 challenge and the path toward enlightenment. She’s right. As every experienced yogi knows, sometimes the yoga brings shit up and sometimes we cry to release deep tension. I think this is a bit of what I’m going through. Anyway, I move on…



UPCOMING

*The next community practice is this coming Sunday, June 6 from 9 to 11am at Loft Crudessence, 5333 Casgrain, Suite 801. (There’s a strong possibility that the front door will be locked, so go around the back of the building and enter the door that has #5334 on it and follow the hall to the elevators.) We're having a veggie pot luck after the practice, so bring a dish to share! :)

Day 10 - From Spring to Winter, what a difference a day makes...

Poor Mother Nature. She's been so abused and we've driven her mad. Yesterday, I was rejoicing the coming of spring and today, we, Montrealers woke up to a full on snow storm that lasted all day. It's now about 6:30 pm and the ground is covered with wet, slushy snow. I guess this means all those beautiful flowers I photographed yesterday will die. What a shame.

In concert with the weather, I'm feeling cold, tired and a little all over the place. I had an exam this morning in my Ayurveda course, which I could have been better prepared for, and my guts have been feeling uneasy since last night. But, much to my lethargy, I invented a new tummy taming smoothie this morning (I'll post the recipe next) and managed to do 96 sun salutations upon returning home from school.

I find on days like today, the hardest part is starting the practice and figuring out what to do, but once I find my flow, everything is good. After dragging myself through the first 36, I decided to do the whole Ashtanga standing series within the surya namaskar sequence, which allowed me to ground myself and focus. I finished with headstand, shoulderstand and backbends, and a much needed savasana relaxation, which I felt I could have enjoyed for 108 days, maybe years. In fact, perhaps after 108 days of sun salutations, I will need 108 days of savasana... I digress. I have 12 left and I'm saving them for after dinner, not because I'm lazy, but because I find they help me digest.

Despite my current state of fatigue, I am pleased that this 108 project is gathering momentum and I feel happy. Tonight, for the first time in a while, I'm staying home to relax and enjoy some one on one time with Craig. We're going to have vegetable soup and authentic perogies from the Polish bakery on St Viateur. We may even watch a movie and be in bed before midnight. This may not seem too exciting, but believe me, right now, I couldn't have better plans.

Today's Surya Namaskar Recipe is generally practiced after the sivananda salutation as a pre-cursor to the Ashtanga Sun Salutation A.

The Lunge Salute
1- Start in Tadasana, the mountain pose.
2- Press down through your legs, INHALE, raise your arms overhead and look up at thumbs. Shoulders down, long neck.
3- Pause. Feel a dynamic pull between the earth and the sky.
4- Then, without locking the knees, EXHALE, fold up, over your stable legs into Uttanasana, standing forward bend.
5- INHALE, come up halfway and lengthen the spine.
6- EXHALE, bend the knees and step the LEFT leg back into a straight leg lunge.
7- Hold the pose for three breaths
8- Details of the pose: Finger tips can rest on the floor or onto blocks, or hands can rest on the front thigh. Centre the LEFT knee directly over the ankle. Extend from the heel to the crown of the head.
9- After three to five breaths, EXHALE, hands to the ground.
10- Step the LEFT leg back into plank pose for a couple of breaths. Support your lower back, by lifting the lower belly in and up toward the kidneys, located in your mid-back.
11- EXHALE, bring the knees to the floor and slowly, pulling the elbows into the ribs, lower the torso to the floor. This movement is called Chatarunga Dandasana or four limbed staff pose.
12- INHALE, sphinx, cobra pose or upward dog. Legs reach back, open the heart and gaze forwards with a long neck.
13- After one or two breaths, EXHALE, slowly tuck the toes under and transition back into downdog.
14- INHALE lengthen your spine from the crown of the head to your tailbone.
15- EXHALE, lower your knees to the floor.
16- INHALE, step your LEFT foot forward between the hands.
17- EXHALE, tuck the RIGHT toes under and straighten the back leg.
18- INHALE come up onto the fingertips and evenly extend the neck.
19- Hold the lunge for a couple of breaths, then EXHALE, hands to the floor.
20- INHALE, take a giant step forward and lengthen the spine.
21- EXHALE, fold over stable legs.
22- Keeping a small bend in the knees, INHALE rise up to standing and stretch the arms overhead.
23- EXHALE, lower hands down the centre of your body.

*NOTE: When I do this sequence in the 108 practice, I break it in two separate sun salutations: Right foot forward first, then step forward from downward dog to the top of the mat, and the second time with left foot forward.

Day 9 - Time to chill, talk about Studio 54 & observe the tulips

It might be Monday, but after such a busy weekend, it is time to take it easy and appreciate spring. The sun is shining and so I decided to walk over the mountain into the city for my first class. Downtown is about a 45 min walk from my house, and it's so beautiful to walk along the paths of Mount Royal. I felt like I was in the forest in the country. Very relaxing.

My inspirational 83-year-old student Max likes it when I do yoga with him, so he can see what I'm doing. We easily completed 27 sun salutations together while talking about his heyday frequenting Studio 54 in New York. Max is a holocaust survivor and the former owner of a big fashion house that is now operated by his daughter. He is incredibly active and lives in a large elaborate apartment with a painted living room floor, bronze statues in every room and furniture from his travels around the world. I enjoy talking to him about art, food, music and the history of Poland and the Jews. My mom is Polish and I speak a little Polish, so Max, being born there, and I often stop in the middle of a sun salutation or posture to try and remember what the Polish word is for whatever we are referencing at the time. Today we were stuck on how to translate 'sleeve.'

I took a leisurely stroll home, pausing several times to capture the beauty of spring flowers with my digital camera, which I am still learning how to operate. I love walking, especially by myself. I call it yoga walking: Breathing deeply, while observing the sun's warmth on my face, the songs of the birds above, and the oily texture of the young maple leaves. Soon all the trees will be fully covered in foliage, so everyday I am watching and appreciating their grow process. Today's photos are of the flowers and buds that caught my attention this morning.

This is a photo of Bossa & I practicing on the water at the end of Ste Anne St in Pointe Claire just a block down from my studio.


Surya Namaskar Recipe - Day 9: The Sivananda Salute to the Sun

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And a recipe for a smoothie I made for breakfast using the Vega Health Optimizer:

Banana Mango Vanilla Chai Smoothie
1 peeled banana
1 mango chopped (can be frozen)
1 - 1.5 cup of almond milk (can use rice milk too)
2 scoops of Vanilla Chai Vega Health Optimizer (vegan protein powder + greens + omega fats + fiber + probiotics)

Directions: Put it all in the blender and press 'ON.' Press the 'OFF' button when it's smooth and enjoy in a tall glass. (Makes two servings.)