Snow and more Yoga!

Well I am having a fab time.

Admittedly it has been quite an emotionally and mentally draining week what with all the self enquiry on my course, but like with everything, when you make it through to the other side, you feel so much lighter again.

The course was incredible, inspiring and enlightening, lots of letting go, realisations and acceptance of things. Divine timing.

It snowed on Saturday, quite a treat, and quite a relief after the ongoing bright and cold weather, which was putting me on edge, what with its vata nature...it's actually quite funny as the weather reflected the shift in my being, from one of being on that edge on Friday, to one of grounding on Saturday as the snow fell and coated the roads and pavements.

The Yoga classes here have been amazing, a true gift, I just stumbled upon this studio (YYoga) as it is close to my hotel, and managed to get a 2 week pass to as many classes as I like for a mere $33 (what a gift!) so I have been making the most of it and getting to class as much as I can, alternating Anusara with a trio of teachers and Ying Yoga too - a bit of Ying and Yang, one strong and the other relatively passive (but deep though!).

Class this afternoon was truly inspiring, the teacher is a true gem, 7 months pregnant with twins, totally down to earth, totally does not look like the stereotypical Yoga teacher, totally funny,and totally accepting of herself. I loved it and have been on a high ever since. Trouble is this feeling is addictive...and it comes naturally through Yoga, plus its free!!

I have 3 more days here to immerse myself in yoga before moving on to New York and getting stuck into a few studios over there!

xxx

Yoga and Stanley Park

I finished Level 1 on Sunday and celebrated by attending a 2 hour Yin Yoga class, only that it wasn't Yin, but restorative, which would have been wonderful, if we weren't in a windowless and very warm room, literally mat to mat and no fresh air to breathe and relax. Plus, after spending so much time in silence this last week or so, I found the sound of crystal singing bowls being played at full volume on the stereo a little stressful.

Don't get me wrong, I am all up for the healing (and relaxing) benefits of singing bowls, but I thought my ear drums may burst and my body felt really stressed by the whole experience. Plus I found it really difficult to go inwards as there was just too much external noise stimulation during the whole session. Oh well, just goes to show what happens when you spend so much time in silence - you simply can't cope with too much noise!!

On my day off I went to an Anusara Yoga class, which was super strong in terms of developing one's upper body strength, all good fun, and learning lots from these sessions.



I walked through town to Stanley Park to reconnect with nature and see some green after being stuck downtown all week. It is really rather beautiful in the Park, lots and lots of trees and great views of the mountains, plus an opportunity to smell sea air. It started sleeting however, quite a different experience to the last time I visited in June and was able to sunbathe on the beach!

I am now on day 2 of Level 2 and still really enjoying the training, it rally is eye opening in so many ways, long may it continue to inspire like this!

xx

Phoenix Yoga therapy training is great!

I am absolutely loving the Phoenix Rising Level 1 Yoga therapy course - it resonates with me on every level and I just wonder why it took me so long to find it (although of course I know the answer to that!).

Based on Carl Rogers, "becoming a human" and experiential approach it works on the basis that we already know how to heal ourselves - our body has been with us since we were conceived and it has lived with us through all our life experiences and holds everything at a cellular level, all tensions and unexpressed emotions, all that stuff that sometimes gets in the way of us living life fully, of being all that we truly are, and of loving ourselves unconditionally.

It is big stuff and has the potential to facilitate big shifts and lots of inner and outer change and transformation. Day 3 in, and I have already experience some of this for myself. I mean I have always known on an intellectual level that for change to happen we need to change ourselves on the inside rather than making tangible changes on the outside (those follow to reflect the inner change), but I have never experienced this with such awareness and such speed as I have these last 3 days. Phew.

Not to say it is without its challenges - any kind of inner work is hard going, but you only go as deep as you want to go - you are responsible for your own experience and the practitioner merely facilitates the process. I am also having to unlearn a lot of what I have learned about Yoga asana and the way it has been taught to me, what with its often black/white approach to satisfy our often dominant logical minds...that actually every body is different and every body needs to be where it needs to be in a posture. Fascinating and insightful and indeed liberating stuff.

Anyhow there have been far too many realisations to waffle on now...and this is only my experience and we are all entitled to our own...and I a very much looking forward to starting Level 2 on Monday...and fingers crossed for Level 3 in the summer.

On the other side, I am still getting to Anusara classes and enjoying the opportunity, although not so keen on practicing in warm and windowless rooms.

Anyhow 9pm means bed time for me this week.

x

Yoga in Vancouver

Well it didn't take me too long to unpack and settle into my room - I am such a true cancerian as I like to have a "home" regardless of where that is, somewhere to come "home" to each evening!

Within a few hours of arriving (in the rain, apparently it always rains here!) I had navigated my way to the grocery store to stock up on supplies before heading to the health and fitness centre affiliated to the hotel I am staying - and what a stroke of luck as I get to use it for free so I enjoyed a much needed steam, swim and jacuzzi, before attending a Power Yoga class - all good fun, power it was and I was fairly wired for a few hours afterwards!

Today I was delighted to find the "Y" Yoga centre a mere 10 minute walk from my hotel in Yaletown. This is a trendy place with an emphasis on Hot Yoga and Power Yoga (both are really popular over here)but also - thankfully - Anusara and Yin Yoga too. I tried Anusara about 6 months ago in London and loved it, so was keen to give it another go and was not disappointed, it is a fantastic approach to Yoga. Plus I get a 2 week pass for a mere $33 - the cheapest thing in this city! - so I can go to classes whenever I like for free now!

Anusara Yoga weaves clear, precise principles of alignment with energetic movement while honoring the deep connection of body, mind and spirit. Yo are asked to challenge yourself with this rich, detailed practice, infused with a philosophy that celebrates life. An invocation is chanted to open the class and partner work is often instructed.

We sat and listened to the teacher talking about self-acceptance before moving straight into a challenging practice with lots of heart and hamstring opening poses and strengthening movements. We used the walls to ground the feet and we partnered up to practice handstands, we had the opportunity to practice headstand and we certainly twisted it all out. The room was annoyingly warm (the hot yoga and power yoga heat the room) and the relaxation far too short, but I left feeling much clearer and calmer than when I arrived.

I spent the afternoon wandering downtown in awe of the number of Starbucks in this city, it seems like they are on every block and they are always busy so people in this city must drink a lot of Starbucks - let alone all the other choices in coffee shops and fast food joints, quite unbelievable! I finally locating a wonderful (and yet rather expensive) Wholefoods shop where you can buy all manner of healthy things! I managed another free swim, steam and jacuzzi before resting my aching limbs and calling it an early night in preparation for my course, which starts tomorrow. So exciting!

x

Skiing at Mount Washington

Skiing was amazing, I loved it!

We drove up to Campbell River, our base for the weekend, on Saturday afternoon and despite the rain, it was lovely to get a little further up-Island - the Campbell River region is alive with beaches, luxuriant forests, crystal clear lakes and lots of streams teeming with trout. Simply put, the further we travelled, the more rural and beautiful it became and the more excited I felt!

We were fortunate to be staying with one of Sami's friend's, Deanne, at her parents house while they are away and Deanne being such a generous lady made sure we were comfortable and ate well all weekend. I was doubly fortunate to be able to borrow Sami's sister's ski wear and Deanne's ski boots and skis. Lucky me, a relatively stress free ski trip!

So on Sunday morning Derek, Sami and I headed out at 8.30am and drove the 40 minutes or so up to Mount Washington - the small ski resort with silly amounts of snow, something like 479cm this year or something like that, regardless I have never seen such thick snow so that often all you could see of a tree was its top poking through the snow!! You have to love the mountains, such an incredible energy and especially with all that snow!



After kitting up and paying for our passes we headed out to the nursery slope and Derek and Sami explained to me how to ski and - more importantly - how to stop skiing!! And then we were off...and after 2 runs on the nursery slopes we decided to embrace the green runs and built up to the main one, lovely and long.

Of course I fell over lots and I experienced moments of huge fear - not so much about hurting myself (although admittedly I was not to excited about the whole twisting knee thing when falling over) but more so about hurting someone else. I guess I didn't feel in total control and if the slope was clear ahead of me then hat was fine, I went for it, but if there were other beginners falling around then it made me really uneasy in case I happened to inadvertently run into them! Plus sometimes the slopes can seem really steep!

Anyhow Sami and Derek were really patient and great teachers - introducing me to the lifts and just talking me through everything. It was seriously so much fun - especially when I happened to career off the path and ended up sinking in really deep snow by one of the lift pylons and spent 5 minutes trying to ease my skis out, thankfully only Sami and Derek seemed to notice and even they didn't have a clue what I was doing!

After lunch the weather really deteriorated, lots of snow and poor visibility and it was so cold. I was tired too - I had been unintentionally using my poles quite a bit and putting too much energy into the whole experience - so we only lasted one more run. Derek went off to do a blue run and said there were people falling over all over the place as the snow was all messed up and it was difficult to see clearly - amazing how quickly the weather can change in the mountains.

Back at the car it was a relief to remove my ski boots, I am not used to having my ankles contained like this, let alone carrying around that extra weight - such an incredible feeling, the feet all light like that! So all in all a fantastic experience although I think I would opt to snowboard next time as I was once a very committed surfer and the idea of being on one board seems much more natural to me than being on two skis. In fact I can't wait to give it a try!




Anyhow after a lovely dinner that evening and a game of cards I was in bed by my usual 9pm - honestly I have no idea what has happened to me recently, I am barely able to keep my eyes open beyond 8.30pm - and up by 6.30am on Monday morning so that we could drive back to Victoria in time for Derek to get to work by 11am. Yet more rain but we did get to see some eagles and lots more trees and even a rainbow - hoorah!!

Back at Sami's we spent the next day or so chilling out with Rosie at home and after bath time I got to give her her evening bottle and read her bedtime story before Sami and I collapsed on the sofa with rubbish American television and salad!! I am so sad to be leaving them - Sami is a great mother and Rosie is such a good little girl with a lovely temperament so that she is constantly smiling and giggling and is interested in everything - especially my crystal pendulum and hair!! She is trying to stand at the moment, and crawls really fast so that you can't afford to turn your back - especially as she is teething and tries to chew her way through her books!!

So I would just like to say a huge thank you to Sami for such a great trip - you are indeed an angel and I love and miss you guys already!!! Hope to see you al again soon.

xxxxx

Vancouver Island!

Well I have only been here in Canada for 5 nights but it feels much longer as it has been so relaxing.

I am having a blast - as they would say out here! After a night at a hotel near the airport, I took the ferry over to Vancouver Island, an hour and a half journey from Vancouver itself, to meet my best friend Sami, and her 10 month old daughter Rosie, and her partner Derek.

I have been sleeping lots and lots - I had not realised how busy and hectic life had become back home and how inherently tired I have been these past few weeks. I have also read a couple of books, which is such a treat, as I love reading but never seem to have time to indulge back home.

We have been out walking along the beautiful Gorge and into downtown Victoria (the capital of Vancouver Island), plus of course shopping at a mall. There has been a lot of playing too, Rosie is simply delightful, there is no other word for it, and such a joy to be around, she has such a wonderful temperament, lots of smiles, giggles and chatter.




Sami and I met a few of her friends for dinner at this super lovely restaurant last night with yummy healthy food - there is certainly the choice for lots of healthy food out here, I love going to the supermarket and just looking at all the organic choice,even if it does all seem very expensive to me right now. We chatted and laughed lots and I feel like I have made new and inspiring friends, always a joy.

Sami, Derek and I are off to Mount Washington, a 3.5 hour drive up Island today to go skiing for the weekend. I can't wait - not only is this an unfulfilled ambition but I simply adore the mountains. HOORAH!!

xxxx

Resting in London!

The words "resting" and "London" don't always go hand in hand but I am certainly resting with Hannah at her lovely comfortable and warm house, chatting, putting the world to rights and taking time out to read the Kite Runner while lying on the sofa.

Utter bliss and a much needed transition from Guernsey before my trip to Vancouver tomorrow. I am very excited. Finally the chance to focus on my own practice and learn from more experienced teachers and further my knowledge of this wonderful science in the process - well that's my intention in any event.

Wonderful. Many blessings.

Em xx

Off to Vancouver to indulge in Yoga

I am off to London on Sunday and Canada on Monday and I am so excited. I am spending the first week on Vancouver Island staying with my best friend, Sam, and her lovely little girl, Rosie (plus Derek may I add), where we are booked to go off skiing for a weekend - this will be my first attempt at skiing and is even more exciting as it will be my first time and it has been an ambition for a long, long time.

Then I spend almost 3 weeks in Vancouver on my own undertaking a Level 1 and 2 Yoga therapy course with Phoenix Rising, who have been leading the way with Yoga therapy training for many years. I am flying back via New York so I can have the opportunity to check out some New York Yoga studios and enjoy some classes, New York style.

I was in Vancouver in June 2009 and had such a fantastic time with my friend Hayley, before visiting Sam. There is so much Yoga in Vancouver and lots of lovely health food shops and salad bars and I can't wait to really embrace it all this time.

It's a new moon this Thursday, so yet more new beginnings - quite a relief after the intense - and rather unsettling - energy of the recent full moon.

Happy times.

xxx

Wassailing fun!

I was delighted to be invited to the 2011 Wassail last Saturday courtesy of James of Rocquettes Cider. The ancient art of wassailing involved us all coming together to celebrate the coming year and wish for plenty of long hot summer days and a plentiful crop of apples and...yes...some great cider.

Not that I am a cider drinker, but it was fantastic to be involved in this event. I took my friends Jo and Sam along with me and we met everyone else at the Last Post for some hot cider before walking down the road making lots and lots of noise (children shouting, me banging a spoon against a saucepan, Jo hitting the maracas so hard one of them broke, Sam banging a baking tray, someone blowing into a bugle, James humming his harmonica, more people banging singing bowls and saucepans and everyone making stupid amounts of headache-inducing noise) all the way to the orchard.

Once at the orchard the noise continued to wake the orchard (last year was apparently good and it worked because they had much more apples than usual) as we stood around an apple tree glowing in candlelight, before James read his Pagan rhyme and blessed the tree with what I assume to be cider, and people hung medallions of toast from the branches to feed the Robin who is guardian of the orchard!



So much fun!

Back at the Last post we were treated to the sounds of "the John Welsey Stone" who played a lively set of "Raw humped up sounds in the Wassail tradition". Plus there were hotdogs if you were so inclined - no vegetarian this year though!

It was a night of coincidences and I had a thoroughly enjoyable time meeting up with old friends and making new ones in the process.

So let's hope for lots of apples this year and more wassailing fun next year!

xxx