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 :)

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.

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.

15 quotes on waking up

One of my favourite things in a yoga class is when the instructor reads a poem or shares a quote either at the beginning or the end of the class.  Something to get you thinking, something to take home with you.  I try to do this in most of my classes and through doing the reading and the research to find little drops of inspiration, I've come across some real gems.

Here are my favourites.

On opening your heart

Stop the words now. 
Open the window in the centre of your chest,
and let the spirits fly in and out.
~Rumi

On opening your mind

I want to unfold. 
Let no place in me hold itself closed, for where I am closed,
I am false.
~ Ranier Maria Rilke

Full circle

We are here to do. 
And through doing to learn.
And through learning to know.
And through knowing to experience wonder.
And through wonder to attain wisdom.
And through wisdom to find simplicity.
And through simplicity to give attention.
And through attention to see what needs to be done.
~ Ben Hei Hei

On Feelings

Feel your emotions, live true your passions, keep still your mind.
~Geoffrey M. Gluckman

On Stillness

Be still.
Stillness reveals the secrets of eternity.
~Lao Tzu

On Yoga

Yoga is the study of balance, and balance is the aim of all living creatures:
It is our home.
~Rolf Gates

On Gratitude

The best things in life are nearest.
Breath in your nostrils, light in your eyes, flowers at your feet,
duties at your hand, the path of right just before you.
Then do not grasp at the stars, but do life's plain work as it comes,
certain that daily duties and daily bread are the sweetest things in life.
~Robert Louis Stevenson

On acceptance

Out beyond ideas of right doing and wrong doing, there is a field.
I'll meet you there.
~Rumi

On angels

Every blade of grass has its angel that bends over it and whispers "Grow, Grow".
~The Talmud

On Peace

Peace is every step.
The shining red sun is my heart.
Each flower smiles at me.
How green, how fresh all that grows.
How cool the wind blows.
Peace is every step.
It turns the endless path to joy.
~Thich Nhat Hanh

On Waking Up

The breeze at dawn has secrets to tell you.
Don’t go back to sleep.
You must ask for what you really want.
Don’t go back to sleep.
People are going back and forth across the doorsill
where the two worlds touch.
The door is round and open.
Don’t go back to sleep.
~Rumi

Because Rumi said so

Today, like every other day, we wake up empty
and frightened. Don't open the door to the study
and begin reading. Take down a musical instrument.
Let the beauty we love be what we do.
There are hundreds of ways to kneel and kiss the ground.
~Rumi

Because Patanjali said so

The mind becomes clear and serene when these qualities of the heart are cultivated.

Friendliness toward the joyful
Compassion toward the suffering
Happiness toward the pure
and understanding toward the impure

Peacefulness towards all beings.
I am blessed with peace.
I am peace itself

Joyfullness towards all beings.
I am blessed with joy.
I am joy itself.

Kindness towards all beings.
I am blessed with loving kindness.
I am loving kindness itself.

Compassion towards all beings.
I am blessed with compassion.
I am compassion itself in action.
~Yoga Sutra of Patanjali 1:33

Because St. Theresa said so

May today there be peace within.
May you trust God that you are exactly where you
are meant to be.
May you not forget the infinite
possibilities that are born of faith.
May you use those gifts that you have received,
and pass on the love that has been given to you.
May you be content knowing you are a child of God.
Let this presence settle into your bones,
and allow your soul the freedom to sing,
dance, praise and love.
It is there for each and every one of us.
~St. Theresa's Prayer

Because Gandhi said so

Happiness is when what you think, what you say and what you do are in harmony.
~Mahatma Gandhi

What are your favourite droppings?  Please share in comments.