tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28850127343949564602024-03-13T12:42:32.146-07:00Yogalicious!Jennifer Parkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00088604232058604699noreply@blogger.comBlogger29125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2885012734394956460.post-17763346499324797402015-02-10T19:54:00.000-08:002015-02-10T20:01:47.425-08:00Hurts So Good: Foam Rolling Supports a Sustainable Yoga Practice and Active Lifestyle<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZU3HWGwuoxU/VNrPfiDHW2I/AAAAAAAAAh0/PhC411NJ1sg/s1600/Rollermed..jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZU3HWGwuoxU/VNrPfiDHW2I/AAAAAAAAAh0/PhC411NJ1sg/s1600/Rollermed..jpg" height="191" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Self-myofascial release (or SMFR) targets 'trigger points' in<br />
the muscles, releasing tension and toxins while improving<br />
flexibility and blood flow. Come get your roll on!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0px;">Yoga - like anything - can hurt or heal you. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">I’ve witnessed many students’ bodies, minds and hearts transformed by the power of asana, breath work and meditation. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">But I’ve also seen - and experienced first-hand - how painful chronic injuries can result from practicing in a way that’s overly aggressive, unbalanced and unsustainable.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Yoga is supposed to eliminate our bodily aches and pains not cause them, right?</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Popular yoga in the West tends to have a disproportionate focus on sweaty, vigorous strength-building forms of practice - which can be excellent for burning through the stress and blockages of body, mind and heart. I first fell in love with this kind of yoga and I still teach and practice it sometimes. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">But like any repetitive physical activity, yoga will expose and exacerbate pre-existing imbalances in the body - i.e. one dominant leg works harder than the other; one shoulder or hip over-compensates for the weak side with an old injury; chronic tight back continues its unconscious default of taking on the lion’s share of the work, etc.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">When we repeatedly work the body without proper recovery, it’s only a matter of time. Eventually tight, knotted, shortened muscles create stresses on joints leaving the body vulnerable to injury.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">It’s usually not muscle but joint-related injuries that cause us to cease the practices we love. So why not make them sustainable by mindfully treating the day-to-day stiffness in our muscles and connective tissues resulting from practice? </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>ROLL ON</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">One super-effective way to loosen things up is self-myofascial release (SMFR) using a foam roller. The basic technique is this: you use your body’s weight in various positions applying sustained pressure as you roll over and release “trigger points” or sore spots that form in the muscles or tendons.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">It’s like giving yourself a deep-tissue massage without the expensive masseuse. And if you’ve ever had one, you’ll know, at times, it’s a bit like tough love: in the moment, it does not feel so good, but you feel wonderful afterwards. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">I bought a foam roller a few years ago when I learned about the benefits of SMFR but it mostly just sat in my closet. My quads, hamstrings and IT band were so tight that I avoided the short-term pain of rolling despite the relief I knew it could bring.</span></div>
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<b>COMMIT</b></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">When old hip and knee issues flared up again, I finally committed to rolling as part of my personal wellness program. I have to say it’s made a huge difference. Now I can run, cycle, hike and practice yoga without any joint pain or risk of injury. I feel free and strong in my body again. And I am truly owning my practice. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Wanting to share what I’ve learned, I’ve recently design a 60-minute group foam-roller class set to soothing sonic beats where people can come get their roll on in a fun, relaxed small-group setting. The preregistered sessions will run out of my small home studio space located near Pandosy Village beginning in March. Cost will be $60+gst/4 classes with small group sizes so we have plenty of room to roll around!) For more information and to choose a session convenient to you contact me at 250.864.8401. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Namaste, Jenn</span></div>
Jennifer Parkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00088604232058604699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2885012734394956460.post-14076468878892378582013-10-20T01:49:00.000-07:002013-10-20T20:24:29.440-07:00PracticeI've recently started my own 30-day challenge, inspired by so many students and fellow yogis who make the incredible commitment to deepen their practice and build the habit of yoga into their daily lives. It's so inspirational, especially given how early in the morning many show up for practice!<br />
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So far I've completed six days - carving out the space wherever I can - and I'm amazed by how quick and lucid the memory is, in my body, mind and heart, of why I chose yoga - or it chose me - or whatever; but most importantly why we keep coming together.<br />
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As a teacher, your personal practice can shift dramatically; instructing becomes a part of "living your yoga," but it can get harder to find time to squeeze in your asana practice. But no regrets. Not a single one. Teaching has deepened my connection with myself, my community and the world over the last six years in ways so rich that I can barely fathom some of the old poverties of being and relating; choosing a new, exciting, scary path rather than staying on an old, "safe" track which no longer nourished me, has taught me so much about taking risks and trusting in self and Universe; Great Mystery.<br />
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In many ways it brought even more up and close with yoga. Striving to align with yogic principles off the mat and out of the studio has been an ongoing passion and reality check - but walking the walk, I've come to realize, also means continuing to feed my mat practice. Even if it feels like there isn't time.<br />
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Every part of me needs it. And so does our world. By filling myself up first, spiritually speaking, I have so much more to offer; when we are full, we can nourish our relationships and our planet.<br />
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Getting too far away from asana practice makes me forget the feelings of exhilaration, space, freedom, peace, seamless and fully embodied ok-ness that my mat time manifests; not to mention, it puts me out-of-touch when teaching and gives me a bad case of asana envy.<br />
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When I get back to my mat, I remember. And I pick up the practice where I left off; life is a slipping in and out of yoga (Divine Union) and the space I carve out for mat practice always helps me to stay longer, slip less, keep committing.<br />
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Not every day can be a bad-ass Power Flow practice. There is a time for the <i>tapas</i> and samskara-burning heat of a challenging and transformative yang practice. And there is a time for stillness, and the healing, quiet waters of yin and meditative practices. The doing and the non-doing, the being and becoming. The evolution and involution. It's now and never-ending.<br />
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I love my mat more than ever - probably because it's collected everything from sweat and tears to nasal drip and dust. Such love is sacred and yields such abundant beauty but it is a relationship and an investment that, like any bond between two people, requires effort, work, time and, of course, love. Never stop giving to your practice and you will never stop receiving. Aum.<br />
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<br />Jennifer Parkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00088604232058604699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2885012734394956460.post-38163082433132731322013-03-06T20:54:00.003-08:002013-03-06T20:54:32.258-08:00Involution<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Go inside.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Turn a light on.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Shine it around.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Read the ancient writing on the walls.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Investigate the shadows.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Make your heart your home, again. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>And again. </i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>And again.</i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Inside, your real estate;</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>Axis mundi</i>, temple of light.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Divine, here, unwind;</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">And know thyself.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Now, in folds of sweet solitude.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Drops of new nectar.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Golden glow of dawn.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Welcome, peace, here.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Like for the first time.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Fluid, but flowing in</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">New whispers of lovely.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Lovelier than any need.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The love inside is one step ahead.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Chase your pain,</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Back to the breaking open.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Om.</span></div>
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Jennifer Parkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00088604232058604699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2885012734394956460.post-42302335650894362262013-02-04T00:03:00.002-08:002013-03-03T21:08:38.622-08:00The Yin and Yang of it<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">I am offering a series of workshops in the coming months that explore the yin and yang qualities of yoga. Through my own practice, I've learned that nurturing both aspects creates balance, and supports a dynamic, intuitive and sustainable yoga practice. </span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></span>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;">The Workshops:</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px;">Explore the other side of yoga. Yin is a deeply healing and restorative practice of asana (physical postures). We will get quiet, go inward and move safely into long, deep holds that target the body’s expansive web of connective tissues or fascia.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px;">Yin is the perfect complement to a dynamic practice and an antidote for stress and burnout: it helps relieve physical and emotional tension, lifts fatigue and makes the joints more “juicy” and mobile, while increasing the flow of prana (vital ener</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px;"><span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline;">gy) in the body. We will use sensation as our guide, cultivate trust and open to “receiving.”</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 16px;"><b>Yin Sanctuary</b> ~ Sun Mar 30, 1:30-3:30 p.m. @ <a href="http://www.thatyogaplace.ca/events/workshops/">That Yoga Place</a>, Stony Plain $30</span></span></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rCzpfLPkGA8/UQ9rM_SmUuI/AAAAAAAAAfU/l375YOsiRic/s1600/yin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rCzpfLPkGA8/UQ9rM_SmUuI/AAAAAAAAAfU/l375YOsiRic/s320/yin.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 16px;"><br /></span></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 16px;"><b>Yin/Yang Mandala</b></span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;"><span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px;"><span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline;">Experience the many harmonizing benefits of combining a strong, dynamic "yang" practice with a quiet, slow "yin" practice. We'll get sweaty and also deeply still. Strive. And arrive. Yang is the Sun. Yin is the Moon. Yang builds strength and feeds transformation. Yin honours the unchanging and essential wholeness of who you already are. Both energies are needed to balance mind, body and spirit. Come get your yin-yang on!</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 16px;">RSVP as space is limited 780-960-0868</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 16px;"><br /></span></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 16px;"><br /></span></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 16px;">Got any questions about these workshops? Feel free to call or text me at 780-974-8401.</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;"><br /><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/events/514993361885891/">http://www.facebook.com/events/514993361885891/</a></span></span></div>
Jennifer Parkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00088604232058604699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2885012734394956460.post-89812734852690858122013-02-03T23:38:00.002-08:002013-02-04T10:14:20.412-08:00To My Yoga<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 16px;">Yoga saved my life. Okay, not literally. But it reached me where no one and nothing else could, and started to reel me back in. </span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 16px;"><br /></span></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 16px;">Well, I had no idea what yoga was doing, of course, or even that I needed a line, but my body did. </span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 16px;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 16px;">The first time I tried yoga I was in Fort St. James - about 250 km northwest of Everything, living (so to speak) in small-town northern B.C., and working like there was no tomorrow, as a reporter in a one-person newsroom.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 16px;"><br /></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 16px;">Being in the moment was not even a concept to me. </span></span></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XVPrmLhdnKA/UQ9oM0k7RnI/AAAAAAAAAe0/IjX1eNjrzGY/s1600/relaxation_with_yoga_by_efoja.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="241" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XVPrmLhdnKA/UQ9oM0k7RnI/AAAAAAAAAe0/IjX1eNjrzGY/s320/relaxation_with_yoga_by_efoja.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 16px;">But the amazing thing about our physicality - and yoga - is that the body can experience what the mind has yet to put into words.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 16px;"><br /></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 16px;">I was all brains and adrenaline, spending seven days a week chasing my dream to be a journalist, one idiom and adjective at a time. Headlines and deadlines. </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 16px;">Nothing else mattered.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 16px;"><br /></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 16px;">Until yoga woke me up.</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 16px;"><br /></span></span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: x-small; line-height: 16px;"><b>It's like I was living in a perpetual storm without an umbrella or raincoat, and didn't even know it, and just for an hour I stepped out of it and undercover, and there was this instant of ineffable calm.</b></span></span></blockquote>
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<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 16px;">From that day forward, I sought yoga out in every town, city and country I visited. I grew a practice. I nurtured it through sunshine and inclemency. I became devoted to something, for the first time, whole-heartedly, because it made me believe - at first, in fleeting glimpses, and then more panoramic vistas which took my mind, body and breath away - that I was already, and always, whole. </span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DyAFj1ukPqo/UQ9knr3fdcI/AAAAAAAAAeU/vZvXdcytdss/s1600/securedownload-1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DyAFj1ukPqo/UQ9knr3fdcI/AAAAAAAAAeU/vZvXdcytdss/s320/securedownload-1.jpeg" width="245" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Where it all began. I attended my first public <br />
yoga class in Prince George, BC in 2001.</td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 16px;">Yoga did not peddle a religion or rulebook. It inspired a unique brand of faith in which belief arose through insights gained first-hand by my own heart and head. So there were no compromises. Only choices, which simply arrived, when other ones lost their hold on me. </span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 16px;"></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 16px;"></span></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 16px;">I am talking about self-limiting beliefs, actions, activities, relationships; the ones that keep our pain of separation - </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 16px;">from our own true nature and our essential wholeness -</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 16px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 16px;">at bay. Yoga taught me that we must chase our pain back to its source, feel it again in our bodies, sit through the anger and tears and mind games with our own disillusioned child, and then surrender. Just let go. As many times as necessary.</span><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AgYgxknpjjk/UQ_u3rXz2oI/AAAAAAAAAf0/NQ5SkLJtfyM/s1600/DSCF0176.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="122" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AgYgxknpjjk/UQ_u3rXz2oI/AAAAAAAAAf0/NQ5SkLJtfyM/s320/DSCF0176.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 16px;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 16px;"><br /></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 16px;">Through the rise and fall of breath, yoga spoke to me in an ancient and pre-linguistic language which moved my soul in ways that felt innately natural. Now we tussle, play, dance the dervish, revisit old and unforgiving places, explore new dimensions and re-route the bungled pathways I still travel on sometimes between fiction and truth. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 16px;">We laugh. We cry. But through it all, my trust in yoga only grows. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 16px;"><br /></span></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 16px;">Wholeness is like the cycles of the moon: sometimes it waxes and sometimes it wanes, but it's always there, night or day, winter or summer, rain or shine.</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 16px;"></span></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 16px;">I've learned more about my self, human nature, Mother Earth, the galaxy, psychology, spirituality, people, politics, business, health and happiness from yoga, than from any book, course, job, goal or dream of living I ever had. </span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 16px;"><br /></span></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 16px;">Once, I believed that all I needed in life to be happy was my portable laptop (including wi-fi and online Thesaurus). Now, I travel with two soul companions: my trusty MacBook and my Manduka yoga mat. </span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 16px;"></span></span>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 16px;">Check out my current public yoga class <a href="http://yogalicious-om.blogspot.ca/p/current-teaching-schedule.html">schedule</a> and <a href="http://yogalicious-om.blogspot.ca/2013/02/the-yin-and-yang-of-it.html">upcoming workshops</a> in Edmonton and area.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 16px;"><br /></span></span>Jennifer Parkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00088604232058604699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2885012734394956460.post-47432916527427459292013-01-20T14:14:00.002-08:002013-01-20T14:14:29.379-08:00Word: Love<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Workshop Links: <a href="http://hotinleduc.ca/index_files/Schedule.htm">Hot in Leduc</a> and <a href="http://www.thatyogaplace.ca/events/workshops/">That Yoga Place</a>.</div>
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Got Questions? Call me at 780-974-8401.</div>
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Meditate and Spread the Love: <a href="http://yogalicious-om.blogspot.ca/2012/11/isit-my-30-day-meditation-challenge.html">iSit</a> and <a href="http://thehappyquest.wordpress.com/2012/12/21/ikind/">iKind</a></div>
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Jennifer Parkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00088604232058604699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2885012734394956460.post-83420526374771760882012-12-13T21:42:00.001-08:002012-12-13T21:51:23.195-08:00iSit: Days 20 to 30 ... and onward!With the holidays around the corner, who has large amounts of time to just sit around and do nothing?<br />
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With so many things on your to-do list, how can you possibly also carve out time and space for a meaningful meditation practice?<br />
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May I suggest, how can you afford <i>not</i> to?</div>
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Throughout the last week, I've felt the rising tension and anticipation on the roads, in the malls, at the post office, even in the yoga studio. </div>
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Last Saturday night, I gave myself a flat tire when I ran impatiently into a curb backing up at a gas station. I was running on empty, literally, it was minus 100 degrees Celsius, I was hungry, tired and anxious to get home after being in a workshop all day. The karmic effects of my actions left me without a car, less time, more to do and a $200 bill for a new tire.</div>
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If only I could have been less reactive, I thought to myself. Maybe this meditation thing isn't going so well after all.</div>
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But here's the thing: Meditating is like turning on a light; the room gets brighter; suddenly you see more clearly and what you notice, now, cannot be unnoticed. This is a good thing. At least you're in reality.</div>
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I felt calm, absurdly at peace and unattached to the drama of "my little disaster." After all, I'd caused it. Now, at least, I could choose how to let the consequences effect me or touch others around me. </div>
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Sometimes we catch ourselves in unconscious behaviour. Other times, it may be too late, but a least the fall-out doesn't have to be full of drama, delusion, blame or self-pity, and we can go on living.</div>
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The moments spent in intentional stillness and mindful presence directly affect the quality of your future moments. Meditation has a domino affect. Do it often and devotedly. My 30 day challenge is over but my practice has just begun. </div>
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I will end with this quote from <i>The Seven Spiritual Laws of Yoga</i> by Deepak Chopra, which I highly recommend for anyone wanting to delve into a yoga and meditation practice: </div>
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The Upanishads tell us, 'As great as the infinite space beyond is the space within the lotus of the heart.' From the time of your birth, you have been called to explore the world outside of you. Meditation is the exploration of your inner world. Yoga encourages you to be as familiar with your inner world of thoughts, feelings, memories, desires and imagination as you are with the outer world of time, space and causality. When you can move through both the inner and outer domains of life with freedom and finesse, you fulfill the highest purpose of yoga."</blockquote>
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With a deep and full heart, Namaste. ॐ J.<br />
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Jennifer Parkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00088604232058604699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2885012734394956460.post-6083544187692235592012-11-29T15:16:00.005-08:002012-12-02T11:31:38.977-08:00iSit: Day 12 to 19As I write this, I am eating Domino's Pizza and drinking diet pop. I'm even dipping the crust in Lite Ranch dressing. <i>Ooooooooooh. So Bad.</i> I'm fully aware of what I am doing. And it's delicious ... in a dirty caloric non-vegan tri(again)doshic without-chia-seeds-on-top kinda way.<br />
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Meditation won't change you overnight, but a regular practice, I am learning, <i>will </i>not let you get away with much unconsciously. Trust me, aside from the double negatives in that last sentence, this is a good thing.<br />
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Big brother is outside. He is a manifestation of ego. But your sacred sentinel. She is inside. Just get still and quiet, turn inward and slip through the manifold veils of thought and mindlessness. She has always been, and will forever be, watching you. Big Brother has nothing on her.<br />
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So who am I ... if not my thoughts?<br />
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Well, we know that we are what we eat. <i>Ugh.</i> As I wrote that last sentence approximately 50,000 cells in my body died and new ones are now being built and fuelled on cheesy chicken-pinapple-mushroom-bacon 'Za and Aspartame. Well, I guess that means it's a <i>Greens Plus</i> shake for dinner!<br />
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For the moment, though, I am eating my pizza slowly, enjoy it thoroughly and feeling hunger wane and fullness replace famine. My gluttonous mind, craving a wolfish winter carb-out slapped four greasy slices on my plate. But there is no way I'll feel well if I devour all of those wedges. Sacred sentinel is sparing me the anguish and heartburn.<br />
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You can sit for 49 days under a Bodhi tree or practice in a split second to quiet the mind, calm the body and free your spirit from past conditioning, present suffering and future fantasies and guessing games. Or you can even gaze at a pizza mandala, possibly taste nirvana, and just try not to take a bite!<br />
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iSit not to change myself - although transformation is often a side effect of spiritual practices. iSit and devote my self to the consciousness practice of meditation because ...<br />
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...it's stirring up the dust and sweeping under the rug;<br />
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... I feel calmer, clearer, happier, more fully present, but less attached to outcomes and my emotions surrounding them;<br />
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... I make kinder, gentler, more life-supporting choices;<br />
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... I feel more creative<br />
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... I'm more attentive with others and have a split second longer to check my ego before she breaks loose, finds a soapbox and a megaphone;<br />
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... I can hear negative thought patterns more loudly, recognize them as "grasping mind," and let them go, then respond instead from a place of compassion and love. <i>Warning: this is harder in winter traffic. </i>Although chances improve greatly, I find, when listening to CBC Radio 2 Tempo's classical music ... and when you ...<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">never stop practicing. </span></div>
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<br />Jennifer Parkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00088604232058604699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2885012734394956460.post-51871825586357689762012-11-22T09:57:00.002-08:002012-11-29T15:17:49.528-08:00iSit: Days 7 to 11<b>Don't just do time. </b>Sitting isn't one of those things that you get good at then stop. The goal is not mastery of the practice so you can be done with it then move on to the next thing. The practice never ends. The Buddha sat under the Bodhi tree until he became enlightened, which took him 49 days and nights straight. Most of us don't have that kind of time - or inclination. Then Siddhartha Gautama Buddha got up, stretched his legs, probably did a few Downward Dogs, and continued his practice going about spreading the dharma of <a href="http://www.timeenoughforlove.org/Definition.htm">enlightenment</a> to the world - but his every awakened breath and move was now meditation in action.<br />
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<b>Boredom, contraction and inertia are part of the practice. </b>It is in my nature to take the bull by the horns when it comes to new things. Growth curves and struggle make me feel so awake and alive! I become a proverbial sea sponge, ride the waves, coast a while, then I hit the sand, dry up, and end up in someone's exotic sea shell collection. Just notice, without judgment, that you have fallen in a rut and are "doing" time. Be present, for each fluctuation of mind, body and breath, knowing that what ebbs eventually flows. And every once in a while, give yourself a good dunk. A drop or two of sea water is as good as the whole ocean. Smile. Get inspired. Pay attention. Share a positive outlook or kind word - it may be all that's needed to taste the infinite again and turn someone else's tide. Embrace the whole ride.<br />
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<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><b>Experiment. </b>Sit, walk, stare at a candle flame, count your breaths, listen to the sounds of silence, cross your legs, uncross them, meditate on Om, stare at your Third Eye, do mudras, smell your surroundings. There is no right or wrong way to meditate, as long as it is embraced with sincere and sustained focus and attention. The world of meditation is your oyster. Shuck it.</span></i><br />
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<b>Make meditation a priority. </b>On Day 10, I waited until the 11th hour to do my meditation practice. I'd been avoiding it all day, and when I finally crawled into bed and remembered my 30-day project ... one more thing I had to do ... I pulled the covers up around my face, set my timer, and got still. But I was fighting sleep the whole way. Soon enough my Oms became Zees. But I made it to the harp and got a Gold Star. Give your meditation top priority. It isn't dusting, doing your taxes, changing your oil or one more task on your To Do list. It's your whole To Be list! And better yet, it's checked off; done; finit! Because you, already, are! Meditation isn't a mundane "time out" to forget the outer world, but a sacred pause to remember that inner <i>is</i> outer: is there anything more important than that?!<br />
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<b>Meditate out in the world, right where you are. </b>Yesterday, when I was waiting in line at the Registry and then the bank, and then in traffic, I felt my body contract and irritation levels rise as my self-righteous and bitchy ego started running laps on the unconscious treadmills of untrained puppy-dog mind. <i>Yappity-yap yap yap yap ... </i>so I threw her with a bone, distracted her with the still, clear gaze of my unwavering Buddha attention. And she bowed, licked her chops and curled up at my feet. Om. Good dog.<br />
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<br />Jennifer Parkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00088604232058604699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2885012734394956460.post-53543077174104160042012-11-17T14:55:00.000-08:002012-11-29T15:17:41.593-08:00iSit: Days 4, 5 & 6<b>When you sit, don't expect Nirvana.</b> If you do, you are still bound by expectation and clinging to desire.<br />
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Day four, I oscillated between self-congratulations and despair, one minute chasing the tails of enlightenment and the next, dragged down by doubt, self-judgment, worry and darkness.<br />
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Meditating will not make you a "better person." Self-improvement has its place, but not on the zafu cushion.<br />
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You are already perfect; the body just may not feel that way and the mind may not believe it. I don't think "perfection" means what we, typically, think it means.<br />
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The only objective is toward full concentration. With sustained effort, you may shift focus, beyond mind and body, out of doing and into being. Here, there is no commentary (which is a freakin' relief!) just boundless unbound. I am at home, and awake, and at One with Peace, itself, in the whirling dervish of the present moment. Then suddenly Kurt Cobain is serenading me from a bed of 1,000-petalled lotuses and I reach, and <i>Pop!</i> It's gone. Don't expect Nirvana.<br />
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<b>Sit in your shit.</b> It's stinky and unflattering and it may change what other people think of you, including yourself. But who knows?! Maybe that's a good thing! Dogs instinctively roll in their own poop to mask their own scent from other predators and prey. But what if sitting in your karmic dung heap ... getting really still and unceremonious and honest with yourself ... could help you sniff out the delusions and lies, drop the disguise ... and recognize that the only predator or prey, is fear, itself? And what if you could hold only that piece of Truth every minute of your day or life? Now that's powerful shit!<br />
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<b>You don't need more time, just more attention and focus. </b>Whether you sit for 10 minutes or two hours is irrelevant. It's quality over quantity. Day six I spent several minutes with my inner Drama Queen before losing interest in her seductive rant. Then there was this spinny thing. It's happened before, in my palms and in my chest and in my head. Little revolving energy orbs which dissolve my sense of inside and out. These spiralling reeling sensations are like being inside a dance. I am neither spatial moving body nor the intelligence in the time-bound steps, but flow itself. Could this be Rumi's unseen Friend, come out to play? Here I am!<br />
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<br />Jennifer Parkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00088604232058604699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2885012734394956460.post-52826574381267878502012-11-14T10:08:00.004-08:002012-11-29T15:17:33.061-08:00iSit: Days 1, 2 & 3iSit is my campaign to embrace the practice of meditation once and for all.<br />
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To sit and do nothing is not an act of idleness and passivity. It is an active choice to get quiet, still and present - 'cause that's where all the real stuff is happening anyway.<br />
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Here's what I've learned so far:<br />
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<b>1. It helps to set an alarm.</b> You might be tempted to peak at the time, but having an automatic time-keeper helps frees you to let go of abstract goals and objectives, and instead focus on your experience. Just make sure the alert isn't loud and annoying: Today I was jarred out of my Zen place with an irritating <i>"boing-boing"</i> noise. Tomorrow it will be a lovely harp.<br />
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<b>2. Best to sit upright to meditate. </b>On Day 2, I began with a morning five-minute sit/float in the hot tub. Sitting tall, I watched my breath move in and out of my nostrils and observed the sensations of my body receiving and releasing my breath. I was quickly distracted by the 43-degree Celsius water. <i>This is probably what hot flashes feel like. </i>And the sensations of bubbles and buoyancy. <i>Coolio. I am a meditating goddess.</i> It felt effortless to hold myself upright. <i>Reminder: buy <a href="http://www.ehow.com/how_5173457_do-yoga-swing-exercises.html">Yoga Swing</a> to explore the effects of anti-gravity.</i> And the effervescence against my skin was more delightful than usual. Amazing, how the intensity of experience gets dialled up when you give 100% of your attention. Makes you wonder what you've been missing. <i>Ommmmmm.</i><br />
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I taught a yoga session Monday night and wasn't feeling so hot beforehand. When I started to feel nauseous during class, I brought the students into a Warrior I-Intense Side Stretch sequence and paused a moment to check in. I allowed myself to experience the dis-ease in my belly without trying to alter my condition, but rather accept and breathe through it. But no sooner had I zoomed in on the unsavoury sensations than my mouth erupted into saline waterworks which signalled that I was going to be sick. I ran for the door, regretfully leaving my students in a deep pretzel bend, and hurled full throttle into the garbage can next to the water cooler. <i>Upchuck-asana.</i> Now that is a first.<br />
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Needless to say, my evening meditation was completed in supine position in bed, during which my efforts were usurped by Neo Citron and my cozy fleece blanket. Om to the Zee.<br />
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<b>3. It's freakin' hard.</b> Day Three, I thought it would be fun to do a fireside meditation, but the frenetic dance of gas fire flames tripped me out, so I slammed my eyes shut, and kept it simple. One second my mind is empty and spacious, flames forgotten, and I'm listening to my lively heart beat; the next, I'm contemplating the effects of caffeine on my blood pressure, due to the coffee I had while walking through Ikea two hours earlier, wondering what the secret ingredient is in Tim Horton's blend, and fantasizing about the lengths to which they go to keep their narcotic additive under tight wraps. <i>I'm visualizing covert armed factory drop-offs of unmarked shipments. Not even top execs are privy to the nature of the Secret Spice. ...</i> I'm pretty sure this is not meditation anymore. Crap. Back to my breath. Now there's that lovely harp.<br />
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<br />Jennifer Parkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00088604232058604699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2885012734394956460.post-8472988516070510342012-11-11T22:37:00.000-08:002012-11-29T15:17:21.605-08:00iSit: My 30-day Meditation Challenge.Right about now is when the ball drops. The Earth throws her hip too far to the left, and winter's orbit sends me into a contracted state of goosebumps, grumbling and grandstand fantasies of escape.<br />
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My bear instincts kick in and I can be found at the fridge. My serotonin plummets. I pop Vitamin D like its Valium and wonder if yoga's a strong enough prescription, and whether I should take two or ten.<br />
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These old folds, where once I was stuck, somewhere in between figments of a better place than Here and wondering if My Life was stacking up well enough, taunt seductively, like warm blankets against the cutting cold morning air, and I want to sink in more deeply and go back to sleep.<br />
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But here's where I get my Molly-Maid on and iron out all that <i>samsara hala hala</i>. Here's where I fight back - like a Gentle Warrior, of course - with the weapons of Mind, Body and Breath.<br />
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Even a snake knows not to crawl back into old skin!<br />
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This year I will not hibernate in dark, unconscious caves. I will light a fire, and watch the shadows dance upon their stony walls until the flames have fanned into my heart, and dance becomes destiny.<br />
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That is why today I am starting a 30-day meditation challenge. That's right, I will sit in defiance of auto-pilot cycles of suffering. I will sit, even when I don't feel like it; and my boyfriend has even agreed to sit with me. I guess that means this month we have a standing sitting date. I might even, sometimes, sit on the spiky Medi-Mat - a.k.a. torture mat - that I just picked up last week.<br />
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Peaceful protest or sadomasochistic love-in, I'll let you know how it goes. Maybe you want to sit too?<br />
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This is my rally for reality.<br />
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<br />Jennifer Parkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00088604232058604699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2885012734394956460.post-11443977813806846472012-10-15T13:21:00.002-07:002012-10-15T15:40:19.762-07:00Just Stop!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Sometimes I need to get really still</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">to discover my longitude and latitude.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Just like a wrist watch with low batteries </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.0px;">starts to tell the wrong time.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.0px;">A captain with a faulty compass will drift off course; </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.0px;">which can make for a hell of a journey. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Throw in the anchor, ’til she finds her bearings! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Break out the flotation device. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Bob and navel gaze, </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">until your spirit refuels and you can tread and pull again.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Getting still, helps me get back on the move. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.0px;">I find my center by following the ache within the ache</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> within the ache ... back home.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.0px;">I bear witness to whatever lovely and inglorious</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> truths</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> lay exposed in my head and heart. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And that kindness helps me rediscover my True North</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> - </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Love </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- and I’m on my way again. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Then I have stillness in motion. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Inner quiet amid the day’s noise and necessities. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.0px;">This state is neither fixed or final. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.0px;">But its effect is clear and immediate. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.0px;">We are only human. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.0px;">The pause, is just as essential as the inhale and exhale.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> Maybe there’s no sticky mat rolled out, </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.0px;">and you’re not dressed in your stretchy Lulus, </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.0px;">but you are in your yoga. <b>It’s all practice. </b></span></div>
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<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Friends, come get filled with solace and space at the Fall Soul Yoga Retreat, Nov 2-4. We have <u>one</u> spot left! Info at <a href="http://jenniferparks.ca/Retreats.html">www.jenniferparks.ca</a></span></i><br />
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<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: normal;">Love Jenn</span></i><br />
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<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span style="background-color: purple; color: magenta; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large; letter-spacing: 0px;">ॐ</span></span></i></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Peace and quiet help a lotus to bloom in the muck. <br />
Photo taken at Yasodhara Ashram in B.C. this summer.</td></tr>
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Jennifer Parkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00088604232058604699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2885012734394956460.post-70401704232433277252012-09-10T00:11:00.000-07:002012-09-10T14:49:23.065-07:00My Top 5 New Reasons for Lovin' Yoga<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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1. You can go almost anywhere in the world and find a yoga studio. Before you've even left home, just give a quick shout-out to your Omies on FB and you'll have a personalized yogi Rolodex of studios and teachers to check out while on your travels. That's how this summer I was blessed to meet and share space with such amazing teachers as: Rockne White at Reflexions Yoga in Penticton; Dana Skoglund of Mission Yoga in Kelowna; Melissa Kavanagh of Shanti Yoga and Elissa Gumushel at The Studio in Nelson, BC. Better than Expedia or Google by quantum leaps.</div>
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Mission Yoga in Kelowna, BC</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At The Studio in Nelson, BC with<br />
Anusara goddess Elissa Gumushel </td></tr>
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2. You can do it anywhere: in your bedroom, on a deck, in a hot spring, at the mall, under a tree, in a vineyard, on a bridge, sidewalk, fire-escape; at work, at an ashram, atop a car, on a country road, inside someone's garage, at school, in a library, park, parasail seat or playa!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bridge session in Nelson, BC.</td></tr>
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3. Sharing yoga with a child is better than bribing them to like you with a toy or candy. They will loooove yoga, intuitively feel more connected to you <i>and</i> you keep your karma clear. Plus, you'll hang your ego out to dry as you watch this little person effortlessly twist and bend into shapes you've only seen in your Dharma Mittra Asana book. Check out my friend's daughter, Ava, taking her afternoon nap in Yoganidrasana (Yogic Sleep Pose). My Inner Child didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Little people are amazing!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yoga play in Fort St. James, BC.</td></tr>
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4. As much as I love words, sometimes, often, words simply fail to express satisfactorily the heart's deep joy, an inner peace, a playful spirit, a quiet mind, a raucous, reflective or restless, renegade soul. When at such synaptic crossroads, busting into a spontaneous yoga pose can sum up in an instant - in speechless superlatives - what the mind cannot think, the heart cannot sing and the body cannot dance alone. Yoga is a true conversation with the moment; one I never get tired of having. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At Mission Hill Vineyards in Kelowna, BC.</td></tr>
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5. It's a practice. That's all. Not a religion, dogma, bond, competition, immunity or make-over. Like any practice, it won't really make you perfect but it will make you a <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Arial Unicode MS', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: bold;">prac·ti·tion·er</span></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><sup style="bottom: 1ex; font-size: 0.75em; height: 0px; line-height: 1; position: relative; vertical-align: baseline;"></sup></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span class="pronset" style="color: #333333;"><span audio="http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/dictionary/audio/luna/P07/P0701600.mp3" default="http://dictionary.reference.com/audio.html/lunaWAV/P07/P0701600"><embed align="texttop" flashvars="soundUrl=http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/dictionary/audio/luna/P07/P0701600.mp3" height="15" id="speaker" loop="false" menu="false" quality="high" salign="t" src="http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/d/g/speaker.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="17" wmode="transparent"></embed></span> <span class="show_spellpr" style="display: inline;"><span class="prondelim" style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">[</span><span class="pron" style="color: #333333; display: inline; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">prak-<span class="boldface" style="font-weight: 700;">tish</span>-<span class="ital-inline" style="display: inline; font-family: Georgia, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: italic;">uh</span>-ner</span><span class="prondelim" style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">].</span></span></span></span>You are already YOU, anyway. But beware! Yoga has been known to have the side effect of making you even more perfectly you. Exercise caution-asana towards anyone who tells you otherwise, and then there's only one thing left to do: practice. Then practice some more. And keep practicing. Period.<br />
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<br />Jennifer Parkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00088604232058604699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2885012734394956460.post-69084094536868128972012-08-30T13:18:00.002-07:002012-08-30T14:37:53.873-07:00Love is a Circle<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">This summer - from Montreal, Quebec to Nelson, B.C. - an epic journey. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">I am so full ...</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">... of mountain peaks, totem poles, sunshine, sand, Lakeshore Boulevards and rocky glacier-fed streams ...</span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Woodbury Resort, B.C.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Reflexions Studio, Penticton, B.C.</td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">... campfire cloves and fine wine, Rocket Stove popcorn, tent windstorms, the new scent of polyvinyl air mattresses baking in afternoon heat ...</span></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Camping in Woodbury, B.C.<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">... sweet sun-kissed skin, goose-bump rousing watery baptisms in nature's aqueous hot springs, caves, baths, basins and tributaries ...</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Soaking at Ainsworth Hot Springs, B.C.</td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">... millions of smooth and mineral-rich rocks to collect, scintillating sparkly fractals of light and loveliness, holy unscheduled time, laughter and silence ...</span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At the Beach.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nelson: Spontaneous Fire-Escape Yoga</td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">... Oso Negro fresh-roasted coffee, Vegetarian Hippy Poutine topped with Mushroom Gravy, Nutritional Yeast and Hemp seeds, emergency roadside ice cream pull-overs, Wild Sockeye Salmon and Kombucha kicks into high gear,</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"> writing in wired cafes ...</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kaslo, B.C. cafe, riding an elephant chair.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ice Cream: Anytime, Anywhere.</td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">... slow strolls, simple talk, meaningful connections, old and new friends, bare feet, grit in my hair, make-up breaks, forgetting Self in Spirit, remembering how to tell time again like a kid (a freckle past a hair!) ...</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My friend, Neely, and Alison Rubin at <br />
Harmony Yoga in Spokane, Washington.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Playing with my food.</td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">... blessed beauty, growth, experience, with the one I love - Ash - and </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">flowing with Grace, on the mat and off, with the other One I love to infinity - yoga.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After my morning Americano at Fruit of the Moon,<br />
a roadside cafe outside Woodbury Resort, B.C.</td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">... </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">on the beach, in the grass, upon solid rock, cork floor, bridge, fire escape, water, air ...</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shanti Yoga in Nelson, B.C.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bridge yoga in Nelson.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ash getting his Zen on.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dancer: Fire Escape Yoga Sessions.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bridge on Bridge.</td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Om Om Om. Nom Nom Nom.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">xo</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Check out info on my fall retreat here:</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/events/267072033410506/">http://www.facebook.com/events/267072033410506/</a></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><a href="http://www.jenniferparks.ca/Retreats.html">http://www.jenniferparks.ca/Retreats.html</a></span></div>
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<br />Jennifer Parkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00088604232058604699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2885012734394956460.post-3518106902666770262012-08-27T13:59:00.001-07:002012-08-27T14:10:50.342-07:00The Greatest Escape<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Wherever you go, there you are. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Sun or stars, shadows or high noon;</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The same knowing moon shines on you. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Whether in Paris or Peru.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">You may visit exotic places, meet new faces.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Be a stranger in a strange land, act stranger still;</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Chase your passions and dreams,</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Run from your heartaches, boredom, troubles, fears, </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">But through and through, they know no borders.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Wherever you go, there you are;</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Incontrovertibly, you.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Your Grand Getaway, then, my friend,</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Is not to Giza, West Ed. Mall or </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>(Insert Desired Destination of the Day, Month, Year)</i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Here's a hint: it's much nearer.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">It's not a vay-kay, but a stay-kay, </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Global in reach, but locally made and consciously grown.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">It ain't to Kansas, </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">in "Seven Sleeps,"</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Destination: Retirement-Ville,</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">or Any Other Perceived or Pined-For Utopia.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Your Holiday Haven, </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Your Greatest Escape</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> ... to unshackled freedom, </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Available </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>en momento </i></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">("in this very moment" en Espagnol) ...</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Is back to</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">~ Jenn xo</span></div>
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Jennifer Parkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00088604232058604699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2885012734394956460.post-8804091202165660352012-08-20T14:59:00.000-07:002012-08-20T15:09:10.934-07:00Livin 'n' Lovin<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />Jennifer Parkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00088604232058604699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2885012734394956460.post-31553496386761723332012-08-08T22:41:00.003-07:002012-08-09T11:59:50.657-07:00Re-treat Yourself<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I'm lovin' this sunshine, and these long days of low stress, <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">chillaxin'</span>, all yogi-like, in my coveted mobile office. Some days it's on a sticky mat wearing Lulus. Other days I set up my proverbial ink well on a patio or beach, in a backyard or cafe ... wherever I can order an Americano, access WiFi, submerge my senses in a little white noise, breathe like a boob-drunk baby and write my little ol' heart out.</div>
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That's how I roll: like a Dixie Chick high on Kombucha, battin' average outta Rat-Race hell.</div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #f1c232; font-size: x-large;">ॐ </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #e69138;">ॐ</span> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cc0000;">ॐ</span></span></div>
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Summer is a <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: large;">dream</span>, but fall is, and will always be, my favourite season. I love the shift to cool, crunch, and colours; the slow transmutable glow from mellow-yellow to soothing orange to crimson red - like Harvest sunsets that stir the heart into unbridled, exalted prayer for all that Is, May Be and Once Was, upon two times called Forever and Nevermore.</div>
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But my favourite thing about fall is <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: x-large;">retreating!</span></div>
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Yes, folks, mark your calendars for the <b>Fourth Annual Fall Soul Yoga Retreat, Nov 2-4, 2012</b> at River Lodge in Stony Plain, AB. Join me for a weekend of vinyasa flow and yin-style yoga, organic harvest wine-tasting, nourishing soul food prepared by local Red Seal <a href="http://www.chefsally.ca/">chef Sally Vaughan-Johnston</a>, in-house spa services and more. </div>
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Treat body and soul, relax and rejuvenate, celebrate Nature's abundance, inner spirit and yoga's clarifying gifts. I can't wait to share this amazing weekend with you! Check out all the deets on my <a href="http://www.jenniferparks.ca/Retreats.html">website</a> and the poster below. </div>
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And thank you <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: x-large;">so</span> much to the following Edmonton and Area studios and shops for their gracious and open-hearted continual support in helping me spread the word about these retreats. Namaste ॐ</div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><a href="http://www.lotussoulgym.com/">Lotus Soul Gym</a></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><a href="http://www.lululemon.com/edmonton/westedmonton/">Lululemon</a></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><a href="http://saluscentre.com/">Salus Centre</a></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><a href="http://yogalifestudios.ca/">Yoga Life</a></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><a href="http://www.mokshayoga.ca/">Moksha Edmonton</a></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><a href="http://www.divineoasis.com/">Divine Oasis</a></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><a href="http://hotinleduc.ca/">Hot in Leduc</a></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><a href="http://www.namastesoulspa.com/NamasteJoomla/">Namaste Salon & Spa</a></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><a href="http://www.mintyogaclothing.com/">Mint Yoga Clothing</a></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><a href="http://www.thatyogaplace.ca/">That Yoga Place</a></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><a href="http://www.bodhifit.ca/">Bodhi Fit</a></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><a href="http://www.trueashtangayoga.com/">True Yoga</a></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><a href="http://noorish.ca/yoga/">Noorish</a></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><a href="http://www.soulfitnessstudios.ca/">Soul Fitness</a></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><a href="http://www.pranayogastudio.ca/">Prana</a></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><a href="http://watergarden.ca/">Water Garden</a></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><a href="http://www.rootsonwhyte.ca/">Roots on Whyte</a></span></div>
<br />Jennifer Parkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00088604232058604699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2885012734394956460.post-35298073072534463922012-08-02T16:04:00.002-07:002012-08-03T09:38:31.862-07:00Five Things I Learned TodayActually, it was yesterday, but I'm just getting around to posting.<br />
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1. <b>Don't shake your bottle of Kombucha tea</b> <i>(pronounced kom-BOO-cha)</i><b> before you drink it</b>, like you might an O.J. or Gatorade that's sat too long on a corner-store shelf. This tart trendy nouveau-hippie bevvie is loaded with active enzymes, viable probiotics, amino acids, antioxidants and polyphenols, that froth, grow and explode EVERYWHERE when agitated, like your big-fat-'F' high school science experiment. Not cool. Especially in places where urban tree-hugging hipsters co-nestle and congregate. I did it <i>twice</i> yesterday.<br />
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2. <b>Make time for your friends.</b> I'm bad for this. I love them to death, but often get too wound up in my work, projects and need for solitary down time. But just a phone call or visit, a laugh, shared story, five minutes of connection in the middle of your hectic afternoon will put a smile on your face, pull the plug on stress and become the day's highlight ... if you let it. We are not our jobs, to-do lists or over-scheduled lives. We are human beings who need time for just being human. (P.S. Thanks for the hugs and stories, Joe!)<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YIaBcqdoyik/UBr_xAsMq0I/AAAAAAAAAHM/6cSyMXBiFVg/s1600/Friends.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #ffd966; color: #741b47;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YIaBcqdoyik/UBr_xAsMq0I/AAAAAAAAAHM/6cSyMXBiFVg/s1600/Friends.jpg" /></span></a></div>
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3. <b>Give people the chance to do the right thing before busting in like the karma police. </b>During my rental property check-out inspection a few weeks ago, my landlord (a real-estate agent acting as a multiple property manager for his client) tried to bully me into believing I should not be reimbursed my $1550 damage deposit due to what was clearly only minor wear and tear.<br />
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After refusing to sign the inspection document, I left the premises, distraught, bewildered and spiritually near-broken by what my gut told me were seriously honed manipulation tactics and systemic abuse.<br />
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For 10 days, he ignored my emails and texts and I received no cheque or Statement of Accounts in the mail. So this conflict-phoebic yogi bit the bullet and sent him a note stating "Tomorrow I will take legal action, and if I don't hear from you, my former editors at the newspaper will hear from me." A bit dramatic, I know, but effective, I hoped. I could see the headline now:<i> "Fat-stacks agent swindles frugal yogi-tenant."</i><br />
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I wasn't gonna let him break my spiritual bank or steal my hard-earned paycheque.<br />
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The next day, before serving the legal paperwork, I gave him one more chance. This time when I called he answered, sounding tired and slightly more humbled. He said he was settling the account and would send me "something" shortly.<br />
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I hope I've helped him do the right thing. But only Karma knows what really went down.<br />
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4. <b>Always maintain an interest in your work.</b> Whether you wait on tables, push paper in a corporate office or run your own business, taking pride in what you do and staying clear and passionate about your purpose, is something you will always have when the winds change or times get tough. If you don't like what you do, change your work. Life's too short. "<i>Work is"</i> not drudgery but <i>"love made visible." </i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">(Kahlil Gibran)</span><br />
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5. <b>Trust in yoga. </b>If you're a yogi, you get it. If you're not Down, Dog, why not meet me at the crossroads between spirituality, science and serendipity, tomorrow night @ 6 p.m., <a href="http://www.lotussoulgym.com/schedule_whyte.html">Lotus Soul Gym on Whyte Ave</a>., and find out why the practice of yoga is so amazing, and will teach you all that you ever need to know about yourself, life and the unseen universe! Seriously intergalactic stuff, yo.<br />
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<br />Jennifer Parkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00088604232058604699noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2885012734394956460.post-56483257357091892992012-07-23T13:04:00.002-07:002012-07-23T13:04:45.354-07:00Get Inverted<br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">This week’s playlist is inspired by the theme “Upside-Down!”</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">It’s summertime - the perfect time to take a holiday and get inverted! </span>We will turn our mats into the grassy fields and backyards of our youth while invoking the spirits of <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">play</span> and curiosity, in a safe and sanely structured class.<br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Tonight at <a href="http://yogalicious-om.blogspot.ca/p/current-teaching-schedule.html">Yoga Within's Summer Hatha Yoga Series (5:45-7 p.m.)</a> you will be guided through a flow sequence of asanas that root you to the earth and challenge your core so that you may free the body, mind and heart to shift perspective and soar! </span><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">We will commune with the animal kingdom through postures like Bird-Dog, Down Dog, Dolphin, Camel, Cobra, Crow, Rabbit and Locust, working our way into Chair Twist, Triangle, Bridge and/or Full Wheel, variations of Shoulder Stand, Plow, Headstand and/or Handstand.</span><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Learn to listen and trust your self. Break free of fear-based patterns which clamp the spirit and limit expression of your innermost joy and freedom. This class is suitable for beginners and regular practitioners. Modifications will be offered and, as always, I encourage you to show up and challenge yourself <u>with discernment,</u> while observing the body’s response and navigating the voices of Ego and Inner Child, both of which have so much to teach us.</span><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">See you in the yoga playground! xo Jenn</span><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Check out my regular and sub schedule this week <a href="http://yogalicious-om.blogspot.ca/p/current-teaching-schedule.html">here</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UMlGsMUCCMk">Power Animals <b>~ David & Steve Gordon</b></a></span><br />
<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gELhNbDcLE0">Hey You <b>~ Pink Floyd </b></a></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NGCJNH1oX68">I’m Yours <b>~ Jason Mraz</b></a></span><br />
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rL5oZjU3df0">Cant Keep It In ~ Cat Stevens</a></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=65V8-h5k_JA">The Lime Tree <b>~ Trevor Hall</b></a></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eIzMcCNAmp4">Birmingham <b>~ Amanda Marshall</b></a></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uwIGZLjugKA">All Summer Long <b>~ Kid Rock</b></a></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Graa_Vm5eA">Banana Pancakes <b>~ Jack Johnson</b></a></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MUTf5qvS0Lo">Margaritaville <b>~ Jimmy Buffett</b></a></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7TqsA-8Y4Ck">Hanuman Baba (Dub Farm Re-mix)<b> ~ Krishna Das</b></a></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d29Vfh1hpUo">Summertime <b>~ Eva Cassidy</b></a></span></div>Jennifer Parkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00088604232058604699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2885012734394956460.post-57212847283475789482012-07-19T12:58:00.001-07:002012-07-19T13:55:06.195-07:00Passport to YogaWho needs a studio? Who needs a mat?<br />
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You can squeeze your yoga practice in just about anytime, anywhere.<br />
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While recently in downtown Toronto - on another one of our random adventures - my travel companion, Ash, and I, ducked off the busy, sweltering sidewalks of my old stomping grounds and youth, and grabbed a cooler patch of shady grass in a corner park at Queen and University Streets.<br />
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I kicked off my shoes, spread my toes in the grass and breathed deeply; then flowed through a couple of tension-busting, vision-widening sun salutations and warriors, balances, backbends and inversions, soaking in the hustle and bustle of cosmopolitan life from a center of dynamic and joyful stillness.<br />
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Your yoga is like that crumpled wallet-sized photo of a loved one you carry around with you. It's a passport to far-far-away and right-back-home; your daily sunscreen that protects you during prolonged exposure; your reusable bottled water and portable iDevice to keep you connected. You can't actually leave home without it!<br />
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Hmmm, wonder where I'll catch the yog bug next ...<br />
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(It didn't take long!!)<br />
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This is what I call 'tactile travel and tourism.' Yoga is such a great way to see - and be in - the world.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fCinTCCAtDM/UAhjlEExYLI/AAAAAAAAAFs/PWbBPiG9sG8/s1600/DSCF3101.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fCinTCCAtDM/UAhjlEExYLI/AAAAAAAAAFs/PWbBPiG9sG8/s320/DSCF3101.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In a courtyard corridor on the U of T campus. The architecture <br />
inspired a walk down the wall and into Full Wheel.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In front of a serene statue somewhere on King St, I think.<br />
(Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery).</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On a scorching black marble bench in front of the Royal Ontario<br />
Museum, on our way to see the Egyptian mummies. Ouchy!</td></tr>
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A bientôt! Hasta asana! ("Until the next pose"<i> en Espagnol!</i>)</div>
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xo Jenn</div>
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<br />Jennifer Parkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00088604232058604699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2885012734394956460.post-78812325936552890242012-07-10T12:25:00.002-07:002012-07-12T10:06:53.367-07:00Om, Alma MaterI love Montreal! It's a true city of the senses. When the wind blows, you can simultaneously smell espresso, fresh baked baguettes and sweets from some nearby patisserie; you can hear seagulls in the Old Port, a musician idly strumming a guitar from a park bench, the delightful rolling inflections of French conversations emanating from street corners, cafes and open windows.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(Leaning) Utthita Hasta Padangustasana<br />
on McGill's Arts Building steps.</td></tr>
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Montrealers know how to live; they stay up late, sleep in, drink wine, eat poutine, smoke way too many cigarettes; talk politics and art with their neighbours, consider bagels an institution and would rather ride a Bixi bike in a dress or suit than hail a cab to a bar on a Saturday night.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aerial Yoga workshop at Ashtanga Yoga Montreal.</td></tr>
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Vive le Montreal! It feeds my spirit and touches my soul every time I return to this cultural Mecca of my university days. Back, when I thought yoga was a waste of time because it didn't make you sweat; took my studies way too seriously and fancied my future the key to my happiness. Back, when I began questioning the status quo; wearing beatnik duds; trying on feminist theory, critical cultural analysis, documentary filmmaking, big words and even bigger ideas; all from the back bleachers of McGill's off-white classrooms.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Upavistha Konasana</i> (Wide-Angle Seated Forward Fold)<br />
at McGill Bookstore in Cultural Studies section.</td></tr>
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Today, I would rather do yoga than pontificate. Today, I know money and credentials and ideas can enhance life but what truly enriches it is what has been in front of me the whole darned, divine time: the many gilded and guised gifts of the moment. <i>Mais, oui! </i>All we need is Here. All we have is Now. And Montrealers get it. They should all have honorary degrees in Life.<br />
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Ici. Maintenant. Vive le moment!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yoga with Paul Broomfield in Old Port.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Jennifer Parkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00088604232058604699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2885012734394956460.post-44997112689390802732012-07-02T13:54:00.004-07:002012-07-03T19:53:05.204-07:00Summertime (... and the livin' is easy)Happy Canada Day long weekend, all!<br />
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Hope it's been fun, relaxing or whatever you were needing.<br />
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I've been a busy bee, and Friday squeezed in a much-needed flow class with Aman at <a href="http://www.lotussoulgym.com/">Lotus Soul Gym</a> and limbered up for some weekend gardening and my long-awaited move to beautiful Beaumont!<br />
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I'm looking forward to the changes and new connections this shift in geography brings. In case you're wondering, I will continue teaching my north-end classes over the summer, and then will be tweaking my schedule a bit, come fall, to include more classes in south-central Edmonton, Leduc, Beaumont and surrounding area. Next retreat's set for Nov 2-4 in Stony Plain at River Lodge!<br />
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Also this fall, there are plans in the works to do a class inside the charming store <a href="http://www.bodhifit.ca/">Bodhi Fit</a> in Beaumont, which is just a 15-minute drive from South Edmonton Common - it will likely be an afternoon or evening group run through the neighbourhood followed by a yogi stretch class! This fall/winter, I hope to get a regular evening or weekend class going in my home, where there's an open, sun-lit space with hardwood floors that's begging to be a yoga sanctuary.<br />
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In recent weeks, I've been subbing quite a bit - at Salus Centre, Hot in Leduc, Nirvana Yoga, True Yoga, Lotus Soul Downtown and Whyte Ave. It's been a delight and great opportunity to see some old friends and make new ones. Every day is different and full of surprises, and I feel blessed to "do" what I do; what I live, what I love. You can check out my summer sub schedule <a href="http://yogalicious-om.blogspot.ca/p/schedule.html">here</a>.<br />
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I hope to see you this summer, on the mat - and beyond! - to celebrate the spirits of sunshine, longer days, frolic and nurture in nature.<br />
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Join me Monday nights for the Summer Hatha Yoga Series at <a href="http://www.yogawithin.ca/">Yoga Within</a> ~ a strong drop-in class, set to music, in which we will explore hips, hams, heart-openers, balancing, kick-ass hardCORE sequences and more!<br />
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The focus for first class - July 2 - will be on building up to a variety of balances that require open heart and shoulders, internal rotators and hip flexors: Intense Stretch <i>(Uttanasana)</i>, Toppling Tree Pose <i>(Patanvrkshasana)</i>, Dancer Pose <i>(Natarajasana)</i>, Eagle Pose <i>(Garudasana). </i>Please let me know if there are poses you'd like to work on, or songs you'd like on the playlist, and I will be happy to accommodate! Hope to see you!<br />
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On dates that I will be away in Toronto and Montreal, soaking up some eastern sunshine and vibes, the lovely Natasha Michaud will be teaching this class. So if you drop in on July 9 and 16, this month, she will be there to challenge and inspire you. Next week's class, she will be focussing on the many expressions of backbends with a strong core component and great tunes to rock you through it. You don't want to miss!<br />
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My other yoga this past weekend was continuing to read the epic <i>Steve Jobs</i> by Walter Isaacson, picnicking, visiting with friends Sunday and container gardening at my new abode, under a wide-brim hat, arms deep in dirt. So, so therapeutic! ... and there's nothing like a cold Creemore to cool off and chill out and salute the summer.<br />
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Peaceful times, new beginnings.<br />
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Much love,<br />
Jenn<br />
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<br />Jennifer Parkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00088604232058604699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2885012734394956460.post-64490312829703490322012-06-26T22:59:00.001-07:002012-07-03T19:52:53.213-07:00Handstand HeavenI love handstands. In fact, these days, I can't stop doing them.<br />
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I kick up whenever I get the chance - against walls, trees, fences, cars, posts, jungle gyms - wherever I happen to spot a sweet space that looks like it needs a little upside-down action.<br />
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My new favourite is using a sturdy tree branch or the kiddy goalpost in my neighbourhood, which is low enough to catch my heels and provide a guiding support as I practice rooting through my hands, drawing up and out of my wrists and elbows, and then harnessing what arm power I've got by getting really super-connected: </div>
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I plug my shoulders into their sockets and hug my ribcage girdle into my torso; from there, I draw up through my spine, sweetly curl my tailbone under, and engage my pelvic floor muscles like I've <i>reeeally </i>gotta go, and that's when things start to get interesting!</div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;"><b>Adho Mukha Vrksasana or <i>Downward-facing Tree Pose</i></b></span></div>
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Engaging Mulha Bandha, a.k.a. the root lock, is like flicking on a switch that sends out two opposite but compatible waves of energy along two divergent lines in the body: 1) pubic bone-naval-sternum-throat-Third Eye; and 2) pelvic floor-inner thigh-to-bottom-of-foot.</div>
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Thus begins a spirited and often tenuous dance of equal opposites: effort/ease; work/play; earth/ether; tenacity/discernment; heart/head.</div>
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Here, upside-down ... which kinda starts to feel like right-side-up ... I can play with pulling my feet away and balancing without training wheels!<br />
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When I come back down, I often feel a rush of energy and alertness, and stronger, more powerful; but also an increased lightness of being, and joy has been shaken from my belly - like the last cookie in the cookie jar - and made its way into my throat.</div>
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Even a split second upside down, can do wonders for building confidence, improving your mood, shifting your perspective (literally!) and reminding you that anything's possible when you can stand on your hands, reach for the sun with your tootsies and make the sky your regular stomping ground.</div>
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Plus, nothing beats feeling like a kid again - and proving to yourself that 20 or 30 years ain't nothing but a thing, Chicken Wing!</div>
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Here's a great Yoga Journal link for a step-by-step to doing <a href="http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/788">handstands</a>.<br />
<br />Jennifer Parkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00088604232058604699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2885012734394956460.post-76579654807320621552012-06-18T14:38:00.000-07:002012-06-18T14:41:35.821-07:00Tonight's Playlist<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Many of you ask about songs in my playlists and so I've decided to start posting them in my blog. </div>
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So here's tonight's playlist for<b> Fun Flow to Music, 7:15 p.m.- 8:30 p.m. at <a href="http://www.yogawithin.ca/location/">Yoga Within</a>.</b> Some of these songs will be played in my earlier <b>Hatha class, 5:45 p.m. - 7 p.m. at Yoga Within. </b></div>
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Hope to see you! Jenn ॐ</div>
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<b><b><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bkilJbXdpqE">Yellow</a></b> ~ Vitamin String Quartet</b></div>
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<b><b><a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=2885012734394956460#editor/target=post;postID=7657965480732062155">Orinoco Flow (Sail Away) (String Quartet Tribute to Enya)</a></b> ~ Vitamin String Quartet</b></div>
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<b><b>Calling Ganesha (Invocation)</b> ~ Sean Johnson & The Wild Lotus Band</b></div>
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<b><b><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_ZzjMfQlgs">Take Me Higher</a></b> ~ Fertile Ground</b></div>
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<b><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OH9Eckixo-o"><b>Better People (Album Version) [Album Version]</b> </a>~ Xavier Rudd</b></div>
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<b><b>Sober</b> ~ Vitamin String Quartet</b></div>
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<b><b><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EnZzE89Qn7w">Hyperballad</a></b> ~ Bjork</b></div>
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<b><b>Om Shakti</b> ~ Sean Johnson & The Wild Lotus Band</b></div>
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<b><b><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2vJEfU4qCmM">Blessed to Be a Witness</a></b> ~ Ben Harper</b></div>
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<b><b><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WRmBChQjZPs">One Day</a></b> ~ Matisyahu</b></div>
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<b><b>Chakra Beatbox </b>~ MC Yogi</b></div>
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<b><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-eXYJnV3V4"><b>Love Is My Religion</b> </a>~ Ziggy Marley</b></div>
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<b><b><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zgvUaOuEdwA">Lake of Fire (Live)</a></b> ~ Nirvana</b></div>
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<b><b>Ram Sita Ram (Union)</b> ~ Sean Johnson & The Wild Lotus Band</b></div>
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<b><b><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RaNDc5uHAY4">Disposition</a></b> ~ Tool</b></div>
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<b><b><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNMrs1NSHS0">Can't Keep It In</a> </b>~ Cat Stevens</b></div>
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<b><b><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZtBjpxIwm30">El Camino</a></b> ~ Amos Lee</b></div>
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<b><b>Summertime</b> ~ David Ralicke</b></div>
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<b><b>Nirvana</b> ~ Soul Food</b></div>
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<b><b>Om</b> ~ Soul Food</b></div>
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<br /></div>Jennifer Parkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00088604232058604699noreply@blogger.com0