Monday, 20 August 2012
Wednesday, 8 August 2012
Re-treat Yourself
I'm lovin' this sunshine, and these long days of low stress, chillaxin', 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.
That's how I roll: like a Dixie Chick high on Kombucha, battin' average outta Rat-Race hell.
ॐ ॐ ॐ
Summer is a dream, 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.
But my favourite thing about fall is retreating!
Yes, folks, mark your calendars for the Fourth Annual Fall Soul Yoga Retreat, Nov 2-4, 2012 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 chef Sally Vaughan-Johnston, in-house spa services and more.
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 website and the poster below.
And thank you so 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
Thursday, 2 August 2012
Five Things I Learned Today
Actually, it was yesterday, but I'm just getting around to posting.
1. Don't shake your bottle of Kombucha tea (pronounced kom-BOO-cha) before you drink it, 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 twice yesterday.
2. Make time for your friends. 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!)
3. Give people the chance to do the right thing before busting in like the karma police. 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.
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.
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: "Fat-stacks agent swindles frugal yogi-tenant."
I wasn't gonna let him break my spiritual bank or steal my hard-earned paycheque.
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.
I hope I've helped him do the right thing. But only Karma knows what really went down.
4. Always maintain an interest in your work. 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. "Work is" not drudgery but "love made visible." (Kahlil Gibran)
5. Trust in yoga. 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., Lotus Soul Gym on Whyte Ave., 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.
1. Don't shake your bottle of Kombucha tea (pronounced kom-BOO-cha) before you drink it, 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 twice yesterday.
2. Make time for your friends. 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!)
3. Give people the chance to do the right thing before busting in like the karma police. 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.
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.
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: "Fat-stacks agent swindles frugal yogi-tenant."
I wasn't gonna let him break my spiritual bank or steal my hard-earned paycheque.
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.
I hope I've helped him do the right thing. But only Karma knows what really went down.
4. Always maintain an interest in your work. 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. "Work is" not drudgery but "love made visible." (Kahlil Gibran)
5. Trust in yoga. 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., Lotus Soul Gym on Whyte Ave., 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.
Monday, 23 July 2012
Get Inverted
This week’s playlist is inspired by the theme “Upside-Down!”
It’s summertime - the perfect time to take a holiday and get inverted! We will turn our mats into the grassy fields and backyards of our youth while invoking the spirits of play and curiosity, in a safe and sanely structured class.
Tonight at Yoga Within's Summer Hatha Yoga Series (5:45-7 p.m.) 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!
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.
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 with discernment, while observing the body’s response and navigating the voices of Ego and Inner Child, both of which have so much to teach us.
Thursday, 19 July 2012
Passport to Yoga
Who needs a studio? Who needs a mat?
You can squeeze your yoga practice in just about anytime, anywhere.
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.
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.
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!
Hmmm, wonder where I'll catch the yog bug next ...
(It didn't take long!!)
This is what I call 'tactile travel and tourism.' Yoga is such a great way to see - and be in - the world.
You can squeeze your yoga practice in just about anytime, anywhere.
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.
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.
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!
Hmmm, wonder where I'll catch the yog bug next ...
(It didn't take long!!)
This is what I call 'tactile travel and tourism.' Yoga is such a great way to see - and be in - the world.
 |
| In a courtyard corridor on the U of T campus. The architecture inspired a walk down the wall and into Full Wheel. |
 |
| In front of a serene statue somewhere on King St, I think. (Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery). |
 |
| On a scorching black marble bench in front of the Royal Ontario Museum, on our way to see the Egyptian mummies. Ouchy! |
A bientôt! Hasta asana! ("Until the next pose" en Espagnol!)
xo Jenn
Tuesday, 10 July 2012
Om, Alma Mater
I 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.
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.
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.
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. Mais, oui! All we need is Here. All we have is Now. And Montrealers get it. They should all have honorary degrees in Life.
Ici. Maintenant. Vive le moment!
 |
| (Leaning) Utthita Hasta Padangustasana on McGill's Arts Building steps. |
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.
 |
| Aerial Yoga workshop at Ashtanga Yoga Montreal. |
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.
 |
| Upavistha Konasana (Wide-Angle Seated Forward Fold) at McGill Bookstore in Cultural Studies section. |
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. Mais, oui! All we need is Here. All we have is Now. And Montrealers get it. They should all have honorary degrees in Life.
Ici. Maintenant. Vive le moment!
 |
| Yoga with Paul Broomfield in Old Port. |
Monday, 2 July 2012
Summertime (... and the livin' is easy)
Happy Canada Day long weekend, all!
Hope it's been fun, relaxing or whatever you were needing.
I've been a busy bee, and Friday squeezed in a much-needed flow class with Aman at Lotus Soul Gym and limbered up for some weekend gardening and my long-awaited move to beautiful Beaumont!
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!
Also this fall, there are plans in the works to do a class inside the charming store Bodhi Fit 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.
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 here.
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.
Join me Monday nights for the Summer Hatha Yoga Series at Yoga Within ~ a strong drop-in class, set to music, in which we will explore hips, hams, heart-openers, balancing, kick-ass hardCORE sequences and more!
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 (Uttanasana), Toppling Tree Pose (Patanvrkshasana), Dancer Pose (Natarajasana), Eagle Pose (Garudasana). 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!
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!
My other yoga this past weekend was continuing to read the epic Steve Jobs 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.
Peaceful times, new beginnings.
Much love,
Jenn
Hope it's been fun, relaxing or whatever you were needing.
I've been a busy bee, and Friday squeezed in a much-needed flow class with Aman at Lotus Soul Gym and limbered up for some weekend gardening and my long-awaited move to beautiful Beaumont!
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!
Also this fall, there are plans in the works to do a class inside the charming store Bodhi Fit 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.
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 here.
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.
Join me Monday nights for the Summer Hatha Yoga Series at Yoga Within ~ a strong drop-in class, set to music, in which we will explore hips, hams, heart-openers, balancing, kick-ass hardCORE sequences and more!
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 (Uttanasana), Toppling Tree Pose (Patanvrkshasana), Dancer Pose (Natarajasana), Eagle Pose (Garudasana). 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!
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!
My other yoga this past weekend was continuing to read the epic Steve Jobs 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.
Peaceful times, new beginnings.
Much love,
Jenn
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