A Prayer for A New Year
On the cusp of the new calendar year, we ask that we be guided to clarity as often as possible, so that we can see events, people and circumstances for what they are and not what we think they should be.
Maya
The illusion is that we are separate.
The illusion is that we are alone.
The illusion is that we are powerless.
All The Single Ladies (and Fellas)
I’d like to speak to my single friends out there.
I know single life. Despite being in a long-term relationship, I remember all too well what being single was like. People shocked at why I was single, trying to fix me up with who they considered like-minded suitors, and occasionally eyeing me up with a look that insinuated that perhaps there was something about me that they didn’t know about that was at the root of my “single” status, a built-in personality quirk, a relationship-assassin, if you will.
…Then We Took Berlin
I’m lying on the bed in the hotel room in Berlin that’s been home for the last 9 days, sun streaming through the window pane, bathing me in a sunbeam that only my pup Willow could truly appreciate as much as I’m doing right now. I’m feeling reflective, as I always am at the tail end of the yoga trips I hold. The last of our bunch left this morning, and as everyone slowly trickled onward to wherever their next destination was, I started to feel that pang again. I feel it every time a retreat ends, but the sensation is not solely relegated to these specific trips we take.
The Wolves in Sheep’s Yoga Pants
The fact of the matter is this, yogis: we should know better. We should know better than to start spreading hate and judgement all over the internet because we feel wrong done by. Every single second of every single yoga or meditation practice we’ve ever chosen to spend our time and energy on was intended to teach us that connection is our goal. We are being divided and separated by our governments, by lobbyists, and by heads of companies that have something to gain by making us feel less than, and if Chip and Lululemon fall into that category for you as an individual, then so be it. But hold on a second – every single thing we’ve learned from the yoga teachers and teachings is meant to be applied between stimulus and response. We gget riled up by something, and…HANG ON…how are we going to react? How do we want to impact the world? We’re supposed to know better. What promotes unity and evolution when faced with the threat of separation? Throwing judgement and venom around or doing every thing you possibly can to do your part to make sure it doesn’t happen again? For those of you who have gone off on a downward spiral of self-indignation and anger, did you take a moment to write a letter to Lululemon’s team in Vancouver or to a store manager in your community to suggest that the issue of the fabric should be looked at again as the strive to produce technological fabrics that work with all bodies evolves? Did you decide to give Chip a break by remembering when you too said something that might offend and focus on what good Lululemon has done so far in its evolution as a community-driven company?
From Paros to Paris Pt 3
The first rain to fall in 6 months has passed through Paros over the last 3 hours and has left a warm, blustery wind in its wake. We’re halfway through this retreat, and we are surrounded by beauty. The landscape here is absolutely divine.
Whistler While I Work Pt.2
I have always worked hard in this career, knowing that it was actually less of a job and more of my raison-d’être. I put my blood, sweat, intention, honour, and tears into what I do, and I have always hoped that I would be fortunate enough to reach people on a grand scale. That hope is now being realized.
Whistler While I Work Pt.1
I’m sitting on the balcony of the hotel suite that I’ve been put up in for my teaching gig at Wanderlust Whistler, staring at the mountains in front of me. My day has been a long one: a flight from Montreal to Vancouver, a few hours to kill at the airport followed by the bus journey up to Whistler. Almost 12 hours in transit, and despite feeling the fatigue that a journey like today’s brings, I feel so much excitement, which isn’t unusual for me when I travel to places I’ve never been. The complete and utter newness of this experience has my senses heightened, allowing me to soak everything in for the first time. What is somewhat unusual for me is this sense of stillness I’m feeling.