Monday, October 22, 2012

hotdoggin'

Sometimes a girls just gotta do a little hotdoggin'.

Here are some things I've been working on over the last year.  The shadow pics are from last summer up at my cottage at Rice Lake.  The instagram pics are from yesterday, on a long drive home from an amazing day with my homeboy. 

*All photos taken by my homeboy


crow ~ bakasana

dancer ~ natarajasana

forearm balance ~ pincha mayurasana

tree ~ vrksana

hand to foot ~ hasta padangustasana

handstand ~ adho mukha vrksasana

eight angle pose ~ astavakrasana

wheel ~ urdhva dhanurasana

rockstar ~ rockstar


single leg crow ~ eka pada bakasana



Stopping to smell the flowers

~Peace :)

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

when fingers don't wanna fing



Life seems to go a little something like this:

It's the times when I need yoga the most that I feel the laziest.  The restlessness builds up through my spine and what I need is to flip upside down, draw circles with my body and engage in some light head-banging.  But what I end up doing is sitting at the computer reading stories about other people doing yoga.

It's the times when I need to write the most that I feel the least creative.  My mind races with stories untold - which are dying to be told - and I catch myself speaking aloud, writing it all into thin air.  These are the times that my hands crave the catharsis of writing.  These are the times when I sit, with idle hands, still reading stories about other peoples stories.

So in an attempt to get this out of me, to unleash whatever it is that is building up inside me, I fly through a couple of sun salutations.  I sit down to write.  Only to discover that my body really does just want some rest.  My fingers really don't feel like finging at all.

It's best not to force it. 

Here's a poem instead.  A lovely little poem by Clay Harrison.

One to remind me to take solace in, and give thanks to, the simple things in life. 

One to remind me that sometimes it's okay to be a bit lazy and uncreative.

A poem that could just as easily be called "Stop fucking worrying about what your'e not doing and pay attention to all the wonder that's happening around you!  See those trees changing colour?  They don't care whether or not you did yoga today.  Enjoy the beauty of the moment...then go write about it."


Precious Moments by Clay Harrison

Rainbows and roses after the rain,
The splendor of twilight embracing the plain...


Strolls by the seaside beneath a full moon,
A butterfly's flight from an empty cocoon.


A carpet of leaves of pure autumn gold,
Reflections of love in the young and the old...


Blossoms of apple and cherry and plum,
The joy of a child when Christmas has come.


The beauty of sunset setting the hillside aglow,
The wonder and peace of new fallen snow...


Bee's making honey, the glory of spring,
A mockingbird learning a new song to sing.


The stillness of dawn's pale lavender skies,
The leaping of hearts when a baby first cries...


The splendor and grace of an eagle in flight,
The silence of stars guarding the night.


A baby's first step, a daughter's first prayer,
Our flag proudly waving in cool mountain air...


A lover's first kiss, a hug from a friend,
It's these precious moments we pray never end.



Friday, October 5, 2012

money money money mo-nay



This month is all about finances.  And although watching every dollar come in and out most likely will not make me happier, at the end of the day actually dealing with my finances might.

For years, my parents would sit me down to have 'the talk'.  No this talk was not about the birds and the bees, I knew about that.  This talk was about money.  My eyes would glaze over, Salt 'n Peppa's Shoop would play on repeat in my head and 'the talk' would end with me just walking out the door.

Student debt, a maxed out credit card and a struggling yoga teacher's salary does not a happy budget make.  But for the first time ever I'm excited to tackle my bank account.

If last month is any indication, writing out a chart of my resolutions will help me to make better decisions throughout the day.  Through writing down the things I thought would give me more energy and then tracking them at the end of each day, I've become a conscious choice maker. 

With the intention of being out of bed by 7:30am, I set my alarm in the morning to get me up and get my day going even if my first class isn't til noon.

If I know I don't have time to get for a long walk during the day, I leave a little bit earlier so that I can walk to and from work. 

Every time I go to make a meal, my chart flashes to mind, and that box beside '3 servings of veggies' is just screaming to be checked.

On the other hand, saying yes to that fifth glass of wine at the end of the night probably not the best idea, but at least I'm aware of the fact that I'm making a decision to drink that fifth glass of wine.  And when I feel  like shit the next day, I can clearly track it back to decisions made.

Already this week with each purchase I make, I'm running up the tally in my head to see if I'm within my budget; and then analyzing what's in my hand based on what I want vs what I  need.  Do I need new shampoo?  Yes.  Do I need a new sable coloured hand towel for the washroom becuase it's fall?  Probably not. Did I get it anyways?  Yes.  Again, just because I'm aware and making choices more consciously doesn't always mean that I'll make the right choice, just that I'm aware.

I'm going to keep up with my resolutions from last month, because I do feel like I have more energy and I think that those are resolutions I'd like to keep going for a long while.

This months resolutions with regards to finance are a bit different.  Some are daily and some are just things that I'd like to do within the month. 

Daily:
~ write down every dollar spent and what it's spent on
~ follow a daily/weekly budget
~ read one article about basic finance

Within the Month:
~ visit with a financial planner
~ read The Wealthy Barber (which I've already started and am actually enjoying.  An old Christmas present from my parents one year that was promplty tossed in a box.  I've had to borrow my parents copy)

So, will having more energy and a better handle on my finances actually make me happier??  I have no idea.  But so far having resolutions and making choices consciously is definitely making me feel good.