I got blogged!!!

http://maddeliphotography.blogspot.com/2011/10/oommm.html

My sister is an amazing photographer and she is blogging about her photos and her amazing photoshoot that we did together!!!! Check it out!

Website Launch!!!

Exciting news! My website is complete and has been published! Long time coming, very exciting! Check it out! Tell your friends!

www.yoga4lifebc.com



Finding Balance

The last month has been a whirl wind. I feel like every time I come off of a training, I am a little bit different and need time to integrate... this training was no different.
Interesting with yoga therapy - especially this training with Susi (Hately), being quite anatomically focused, so I wasn't thinking that I would be quite as altered as I am.... BUT when it comes down to it, when you get into your body and start to listen, a spiritual experience is ready for you.... whether you are prepared or not!!
My intention this week is to find balance. I've been going pretty full tilt on my integration process that I feel like I've forgotten (temporarily) a few other aspects of my life. I am excited to be getting this far, having clients, seeing results.... but I can't forget the rest of my life. It is so wonderful and I feel like I am more in the future than I am in the NOW. Back to THIS moment. Its a beautiful thing.

So with that, let me introduce, my new tea mug. The Tea Guru from Teaopia.

beautiful ruby red!

 I am getting into loose leaf teas. They are so yummy, so many flavours. I just feel loved when I drink this tea.

Tea Guru

The ultimate bliss dessert - tea, strawberries, and dark mint chocolate.... ommmmm, I mean yuuuummmmm

perfect strainer - my tea is cooked and ready to go!

Here I am, on the couch, with my tea and my cat is encouraging me/leading by example of how to find balance and chill out.

I am learning everyday from my cat - she has it right. Find a fire, lie down, and chill

Much love to everyone! Funny how every day really is day one....

Maddeli Photography

New yoga photoshoot courtesy of my sister and her company Maddeli Photography!
Check out these photos and hire this woman. Seriously, she knows what she is doing!!!

last weeks practice week 3

Wednesday – Practice at home after gentle hatha this morning.

Thurs – got up this morning, just not quite right. I guess you could say I got up on the wrong side of the bed…. Just off. Anyways, made my tea and got into my yoga – legs up the wall, more legs up the wall, hip opening series with ankle to knee (wow that has opened up!), legs up the wall on a Z fold – pull overs (those have improved a lot too!), some cat/cow. I’m feeling right again. Beautiful. Off to walk the dog and off to work!

Friday – doctors appointment – one word “ouch”. My yoga legs up the wall.

Saturday – Yoga thrive.

Sunday – my first SLoWga! Gentle hatha went well and SLoWga was so fun! Check out the blog post about me and SLoWga at the Shanti Yoga Blog!

Monday – Happy Thanksgiving! This morning I woke up to my nephews crawling into bed with me. Eli is 5, Madden is 2. Eli got a new book “the yoga ABC’s” – we did it together! It was so fun! Then a little legs up the wall afterwards – Eli liked that one a lot. Yoga photoshoot with my sister in law from Maddeli Photography, I'll post a few soon. They are amazing!

Tuesday – Yoga thrive in my living room on my lunch break. I’m starting to miss regular classes, I’m excited to get back into it.

Day 15 - Exploring

Came home for a lunch break today, man I love working occupational therapy in the community! Did a little yoga thrive during this lunch hour. Didn't realize until half way through that I repeated the first class on the DVD, but man was it good and I got so much more out of it!
Reflections from the past 2 weeks:
- I'm not in pain
- I don't have to sleep with a bolster anymore
- My warrior one is WAY BIGGER (still not full full like I would plough myself into before, but still way bigger) and I don't twinge right after.
- I'm learning my yellow lights way more
- I feel lighter (this is not a weight thing this is a feel awesome thing)
- I love to pass these pearls onto others (today I had my 6th new client! Another appointment booked!)
- Feeling better feels awesome.
- I deserve to not be in pain.
- My hip abduction and external rotation has opened up dramatically
- For legs up the wall, I am actually better off with my bum about 6" to a foot off of the wall
- My pullovers are improved and I'm noticing increased mobility in my shoulder blades
- I'm getting used to the fact that just because I can grip and grunt myself into head stand does not mean that I am serving myself by doing so... and that is OK....
- exploring the body is really fun, super interesting

Oh and my business cards came today! Ready to start promo-ing myself a little more! Website is under construction, but its coming along!

Shanti Yoga Beach Clean Up!! "Because yoga doesn't stop on the mat"

One of the best thing about living in BC? The fact that we have ocean and mountains in very close proximity to eachother. I feel lost without both and feel very spoiled/privileged to live here! As such I am very excited to announce the 2nd Annual Shanti Yoga Beach Clean Up!

Where? Centennial Beach - meet at the consession
When? Sunday, October 9/11 @ 1:30pm (Right after SLoWga!)

Our crew last year - can we double it?? I think so!!

We are operating under one of the yogi niyamas - Saucha

 Saucha is cleanliness of body, heart, mind and environment. It is directly translated as that and nothing else

Practice evenness of mind, thoughts, speech and discrimination.

  Keep the environment clean and clear.

Practice orderliness surrounding the self and our thoughts.

Orderliness of environment.

Clearing of energy.

By the practice of mental purity one acquires cheerfulness, one-pointedness and vision of the self.

Beach yoga! Time to give back!

Join our gang at Shanti Yoga - Centennial Park @1:30pm Oct. 9/11

"Because yoga doesn't stop on the mat" - Chantal O'Sullivan (owner of Shanti Yoga)

Day 12, 13, & 14 -Therapeutic yoga weekend

Day 12 – Friday – This week has been great, busy, and more great. I’ve taken the leap to trust in myself and my skills enough to see clients and so far I am getting phenomenol feedback. Saw 2 more new clients today – had some great feeling knees and backs! My one client walked down the stairs from my home studio, looked back at me with a huge smile and said “did you just see me walk down those stairs?! That was so easy!!!”. It was so great. I am really happy for her. Amazing what an hour of relaxation and pure movement will do for the body.

My practice today? Restorative – bolster work, found the floor -  followed by some pizza and veg on the couch –asana. Fantastic friday night practice.

Day 13 – Dan’s birthday! Before our festivities start I pop in Susi Hately’s collaboration with the University Alberta – Yoga Thrive, therapeutic yoga for cancer survivors. This series is great for anyone in need of a little yoga TLC. I did session one – legs up the wall, ankle to knee, pullovers, seated side bend, tree pose, warrior one, pyramid, savasana – it was great. Some great ideas for my class tomorrow too! So excited that there are 7 full sessions in this DVD set!

One of my hubby’s bday presents was that he got to be my guinea pig for some breathing exercises that I wanted to test out from Donna Fahri’s The Breathing Book. Breath exploration and straw breathing. I bought a bunch of different width straws and we tried it out. Very interesting experiment, I’m excited to use these in the near future. Happy Birthday to my Daniel - he was pretty relaxed after this!

Day 14 – Yoga teaching double header today, new start time of 10:15am at Shanti Yoga! Gentle Hatha and my new SLoWga @ noon! Class was amazing, had a great group of yogis. A little breath exploration, some pure movement through the hips, a little warrior one and pyramid, a nice long savasana – smiles all around! I’m getting some wonderful feedback about my infusion of therapeutic yoga principles into my classes – it’s nice to know that it is making a difference. My practice? Not there yet, but I’m really jonesin’ for some pre-bed time movement – I’m sure there will be a bolster or 2 involved. I was noticing that I have not had back pain in quite a few days! As Susi would say “Oh isn’t that nice not to be in pain…..?!”, quite funny how you don’t notice that it is not there after a while. I am grateful. Big time.