I Heart Yoga and Music

Things I love and have discovered about my yoga practice:

- I love downward dog after 4 Sun A's and 4 Sun B's... no really!

- I wiggle my fingers and toes when I am "done" with a pose (this was separately observed by Andrew and friend S.)

- I love the tingly feeling during savasana after a really physically challenging practice.

- I do not feel as "safe" during savasana in a packed or full class... as a result my eyes stay open.

- The "day brain" is finally conditioned to shut off automatically as soon as I step onto my mat.

- I can wrap my fingers around my big toes!!!!! (only took four years of practice). WOOT.

- Yoga makes me happy. For real. (Our strawberry plant is very happy!)

Yesterday yoga in the park was last minute cancelled due to a friend needing help to move. I'm still achy, but from lifting and carrying heavy boxes. After moving twice a year for the past 8 years (university and 5x in 2yrs in BC) I was relieved that it was her and not me. lol.

Halifax is interesting with it's burgeoning yoga community and... no "yoga in the park". I've been mentioning it here and there, trying to see if someone will organize one. Then, I decided that if I want to have a yoga in the park, then perhaps I should simply organize one myself. As I'll be there practicing anyways, perhaps others would like to join... an actual instructor will find out and take over! So... big gulp.... I made a facebook group and began the process of committing myself to regular (weather permitting) yoga in the park. :)

On another note, Rose from Living on the Witchy Side has sent me a set of fantabulous questions! :)

1. Obviously you like practicing yoga outdoors, given how much you invest in your practice and your connection to the environment, I imagine this can be a little intense sometimes. What was the setting of your most intense outdoor yoga session?

Practicing yoga alone outside has usually the most intense results for myself. I love practicing with people, but I feel most comfortable with the silence when I am alone. My most intense yoga experience outside was when a bunch of ladies stayed at our friends cottage in Christina Lake, BC. One morning while everyone was munching on breakfast at the top of the hill, I ventured down to the cement outcrop over looking the lake and rolled out my mat. With moutains all around, a crystal clear blue lake and coniferous trees as my silent watchers that yoga practice was perfect in it's peacefulness. I noticed how different practicing yoga outdoors was in BC compared to the maritimes. There were barely any leafy trees in the Interior, mostly pine trees. The sound of the wind moving through them made me realize my longing for home and that although beautiful as it was, nothing could compare to my powerful Atlantic ocean. We moved home a year later.

2. You mentioned music rather briefly, are you a musician, a singer or both? (my music "corner" at our tiny apartment)

Since I was 10 music has been my life. It's funny that I don't talk much about it here, maybe because I try to stick with my "theme" of eco-yogini and such. I played classical piano for 8 years and took singing lessons also (my mother informed me that she was extremely happy with no longer having to listen to my "pre-singing lessons" voice lol). I became more interested in singing, so I picked up the accoustic guitar and began to write songs. I wrote my first song in grade 11 and it's pretty silly. Song writing and singing has been a necessary outlet for my angst and emotions. I love music more than I love yoga.

3. You have implemented many changes in your life to make it more sustainable. Which change has been the most difficult for you to make? Which has had the biggest impact on your life?

Wow, I struggle with the "more" aspect of this question a lot, always feeling a bit guilty with what I should be doing. I would say the most difficult (after a quick consult with Andrew) has been buying local, healthy and sustainable foods. We decided that something that mattered a lot to both of us was buying local and sustainable and non-pesticide foods as often as we could. We were disappointed with the first food box, mostly because of the lack of control over where our produce was coming from and our growing distrust for the company. We didn't want to buy lemons, they don't grow in Nova Scotia. We also wanted to steer away from "Big Organic". We've bought a half share with a "close" farm: Vista Bella Farms and are excited about actually paying the farmer directly. So far he has answered our emails quickly and with loads of information. Unfortunately the half share only starts delivering in August... The farmer's market hasn't been very pleasant for us either, although absolutely beautiful in the Historic Halifax Alexander Keith's Brewery (picture from main area taken last summer), it's crowded no matter how early or late we go and I begin to have little mini "panic attacks" and we have to leave.

The biggest impact would most definitely be the DivaCup for myself. It has been a total life changer. I LOVE my DivaCup and cannot believe I functioned for 15 years as a menstruating woman without it. lol. I guess this one doesn't apply to Andrew though haha.

4. Some of the foods you've eaten are ones that are not so common in many peoples lives (I would love to be able to eat lobster more than once a decade), what is the most exotic food you have ever eaten and what food would be a step too far for you?

Those who know me are reading this and laughing a lot. I am THE fussiest person I know... probably the result of very real stomach concerns and my scaredy-cat personality. That and the fact that my brother puts condiments on EVERYTHING (think plum sauce, relish, mustard, ketchup dumped on mashed potatoes and mixed). That's kinda cool that I eat things that might be considered "exotic"; never happened to me before! :) Thanks Rose! Probably the most exotic food I've ever eaten for my standards was Vegetarian lasagna... since I don't eat sauce of any kind and I don't like tomato anything, I managed to get through an entire piece without gagging and felt very proud of myself afterwards. :) I have eaten at a few traditional "Asian" restaurants while living in Montreal and enjoyed most of what I ordered there...

I'd say a step too far has always been sushi. Once a group of girls went out to this famous sushi restaurant in Montreal (I had already eaten- they eat LATE there!) and although I thought that initially the sushi looked beautiful, colourful mouthfuls of raw fish, eventually I started to feel nauseous and they all looked like slugs... shiny slugs. I hear it's fantastic though, I just recognize that my eating habits aren't exactly "typical" :).

5. I am borrowing this question, most recently from Mel but from many people before: If you could have any three people from anytime and anyplace who would they be and why and what would you eat?

My late Tante Virginia because she died when I was young enough to just begin to get to know her and she was an amazing person. My late-Grammie because she moved away and then passed before I could really get to know her and I hear she was a very independent, strong and interesting woman. Finally, my Grand-Mère, who is still alive but unfortunately travelling the path of becoming more and more lost. My only memories of her are of her as a confused or unhappy woman. I wonder what she must have been like when she was younger, perhaps my age? I would love to have met her then and get to know her as a woman and not my sad and confused Grand-Mère.

We'd eat something that Tante Virginia made, as she was a well-known fantabulous cook... hopefully something I like (lol) perhaps la Rapure; a traditional Acadian dish that is yummy with molasses.

I think on this note I will go play me some music, this has inspired some of my creative music-ness!

Blessings and happy June!