A Yogini's View on Life

Golden Morning

2011-07-18T11:26:00.002-06:00

This morning was a gift from the Gods! A yellow shaft of light came through the curtains and I hurried out of bed to the living room to see the sky. This was a different, cosmic sunrise. The sky was golden and the trees, buildings, roads, cars, grass and flowers all had a golden, shimmering hue. The icing on the cake was a full double rainbow!! So, in my housecoat I sat on the balcony and marvelled at the 5 a.m. sky - one of the most wonderful gifts in the world.

66th Wedding Anniversary

2011-07-18T11:20:00.002-06:00

My parents just celebrated their 66th wedding anniversary! Not many couples will experience that, so it is pretty special. My Dad is madly in love with my Mom, and she has always been there for him, to take care of him, to laugh at his jokes and to raise their five children. Yes, she does love him deeply. She just turned a very young 86 years old and is a shining light in our family. Even our friends think that she is magnificent.

Mudras

2011-05-29T18:28:00.003-06:00

Every morning, before I get out of bed, my fingers are slow dancing - doing Hasta Mudras, hand gestures that balance my body and refresh my mind. Who would have thought that just placing your fingers in a certain way would help your liver, or digestive system? Well, someone did, and he/she knew what was what. Mudras have been practised by many traditions to help tame the monkey mind, but definitely more is happening.

How to tap into this amazing energetic resource that is so simple? Just do it. If we do it, we feel the results; if we only talk about it, we don't get any results.

Take time to relax and gently touch the thumb to each finger for one minute, touching the tip of the thumb to the tip of the finger - four minutes is not too much to ask to get your Self together first thing in the morning. The positive effects are cumulative. If need be, set your alarm five minutes early. Believe me, you won't regret it and will find that you start the day better than before. Enjoy!

Empty Mind

2011-01-18T15:31:00.002-07:00

This morning I awoke with an empty mind. Where did my thoughts go? I don't know. My mind was a blank, and I had no plans, no worries, no questions, no fears - just a very quiet mind.

White Snow

2011-01-16T16:26:00.003-07:00

White snow, white sky, white skin. This is the situation in Edmonton right now. Even the normally green spruce trees are seriously weighed down with snow on their branches, which look black against the white snow. Across the street is a white large bump that resembles the shape of a car. Maybe the owners are in Mexico. I hope their car doesn't melt in the spring.

The beauty of the snow is in the sparkle of the crystals when the sunlight shines upon it. The sunlight is at the moment hiding behind the greyish white sky, so no sparkle. As I look out my window, the view is black and white. There is an amazing amount of snow and it just keeps falling.

And my skin...white as a geisha girl.

Happy Holidays

2010-12-26T09:24:00.002-07:00

This year Christmas has been relaxing. Our home has been full of visitors since December 6th and the most active visitor was my little 20 month old grandson. All the plants were shifted to one side of the room with a chair barricade for protection. Did that stop the little tyke from digging in the dirt? Of course not, he loves the dirt! You know when a miniature person with innocence and incredible joy runs around the house, there is a little Krishna present.

Krishna is the epitome of love, joy and playfulness. When he was a child, he used to love butter and would climb up high in the cupboards to get to where his mother hid it from him. Everyone loved him so much that no matter how naughty he was, he was always forgiven, because he was so darn cute. When he was a young man, his flute playing and dancing, enthralled the gopis who were the beautiful cowherd women. When he was mature, he guided Arjuna to do his duty and to live his karma, as poetically given to us in the Bhagavad Gita.

Every little child is a Bala Krishna, a baby Krishna, a gift from God and a representation of curiosity, bubbly optimism, innocence, laughing joy, spontaneity, trust, and love. May the child within each of us display these qualities, enjoying life to the fullest.

Tea & Scones

2010-05-24T04:46:00.003-06:00

I never thought that I would ever get a suntan in England! It has been hot and sunny on the fantastic Isle of Wight and walking along the coastline, watching the sailboats has been so beautiful. This island is magical. It is almost frozen in time. Old thatched roof cottages, English flower gardens with rainbow colours, high old stone walls and buildings dating back to the 11th century entice the eyes and the third eye.

The front seat on the upper deck of a double decker bus is revealing to me what lies behind the high hedges and walls - rolling fields of grain, sheep freshly shorn and bare-naked as well as cows who do not realize that they have arrived in heaven. The architecture is a feast of a variety of brickwork, stonework, and wrought iron that wows me with the intense imagination of history.

Oh, you might ask if I am doing any yoga? No. But this evening I shall be teaching a few ladies on the Isle and I know that I shall be back, hopefully with a pack of Canadians who want to be immersed in Island culture. There are so many things to do: visit Carisbrook Castle with foundations more than 1,000 years old; see how Queen Victoria lived in her Osborne House (house - try elaborate, ostentatious castle - but to be fair, she did have a spinning wheel and played the piano). The walking trails are manageable and enchanting with views of the ocean or winding trails where you can feel the faeries and nature spirits smiling at you. There are paths that wind among ancient beech and oak trees and little quaint shops that hold surprises and smiles.

Yes, I really like it here and shall enjoy doing yoga tonight, as the great food and walking are rounding my belly and shortening my hamstrings.

Loving England

2010-05-16T04:15:00.003-06:00

The ancient feeling in England is so grounding. The buildings made of brick, the old, beautiful flower gardens and the historic sites make me think that I live in a very babyish country. The landscape is cultured with paths that actually lead somewhere. In the backwoods of Canada a path may lead to the top of a mountain or a gully so that the next step is flying. Actually, both countries are so amazing! More to come....

Relatives Everywhere

2010-04-29T18:53:00.005-06:00

A few years ago there was a family gathering on my Mom's side of the family. There were only about 550 people there who looked slightly like me. Apparently there are 1000 of us with only 2 or 3 souls left in the Ukraine. Canada was the place to be!

Last night at yoga class, I was talking to a woman who asked my last name. She then asked if I had relatives in the Two Hills area. We talked about the church and graveyard and she said that she had relatives buried there, and I told her that I did too. She said her grandfather's last name was Ursuliak and told me her grandmother's last name. This is how small the world is: her grandmother's last name was the same as my grandmother's. I took all the details of her heritage and she took mine.

When I got home I asked my mother about these people. She and my Dad knew the family and surprised me by saying that the yoga student's great grandfather and my great grandfather were brothers from my Dad's side!!! My Mom went to the same school as her Mom and was a few grades ahead. Mom knew all of my yoga student's aunts, uncles and great aunts and uncles! My relatives are everywhere. What a lovely surprise to reconnect.

Edmonton's Weather

2010-04-29T17:11:00.002-06:00

The weather in Edmonton is changeable, one moment sun, next moment, windy, next moment rain, next moment snow. Then once in awhile there is a rainbow. I will chase after a rainbow because they are too beautiful to miss. I am waiting for one to appear soon - after the cool weather.

It is a good thing that I didn't put away my winter clothes or feel the need to change from winter tires to summer tires yet (on my van that is). Spring in Edmonton is a challenge. One day I am sitting on my balcony in shorts and drinking lemonade; the next day I am freezing, wrapping a blankie around me, have a warm cup of tea and craving soup. Ah, but I like Edmonton. I like the weather. The weather is changeable, like life. Really, we never know what is going to happen next.

Yoga in Mexico

2010-03-17T16:12:00.004-06:00

I know. It has been a while since I have blogged. No excuses. Here I am back again! Back after a nice holiday in Mexico. What does a Yogini do on her holidays? Yoga, of course. Being a senior teacher with the Yoga Association of Alberta, it is necessary to take 150 hours of classes within a three year period from other senior teachers to be re-certified by the YAA. So, being me, I procrastinated until the bright idea hit me to go to Mexico and do the 150 hours all at the same time with the South Okanagan Yoga Association Teacher Training Course. Great idea!

Landing in Puerto Vallarta on a hot sunny afternoon was sweaty but worth it. Ah... the ocean, the tropical plants, the flowers, the margaritas. Oops, do yoginis drink margaritas? Well, one won't hurt. :) The malacon is the walkway that goes on for miles beside the ocean . It is a delight to meander watching the locals and touristas mingle. The long time tourists, or foreigners who live there, are noticeable with their leather dark skin. The smell of the ocean, the sound of the waves and the beautiful sunsets were nectar to my soul. After two days in PV a first class bus whisked me south to Melaque, a quiet, clean, Mexican town where my two weeks of intense yoga sadhana (practice) were a supreme delight. The countryside is beautiful there - rolling mountains, tropical forests, ocean, and even crocodiles! Yes, crocodiles. Apparently they lived in the lagoon next to our guest house. And in the distance was a volcano which we were able to see on clear days. Colima Volcano.

What is it like to be immersed in two weeks of yoga from 7 am to 7:30 pm everyday with 1/2 hour for lunch and only one afternoon off? Heaven! Mantras, Mudras, Philosophy, Hatha Yoga, Shat Karmas (cleansing techniques) and more Hatha Yoga. Mugs McConnell from the Okanagan and Carla Wainwright from Prince George were very capable teachers for the classes and each glowed in their special areas of expertise. The surprise for me was that my teacher, Dr. Swami Gitananda, was mentioned many times as a specialist in pranayama and for being well respected in the world yoga community. This affirmed my own yoga teachings and practice over the years. It is a blessing to have a good foundation with a respected teacher.

I returned home, renewed, refreshed and even more committed to yoga. What a gift yoga is!

WCB Hostages

2009-10-23T04:42:00.003-06:00

On Wednesday, October 21 I was supposed to teach a meditation class at Worker's Compensation Board at 10:30 am. My husband came home from work and told me not to go because there was a hostage situation there. I called one of my bosses but her phone did not answer, so I called security and they told me not to go to work because the police had blocked off the streets and everyone was getting evacuated.

Radio and television stations were playing clips on the event and I went to teach yoga at another WCB venue for noon. There the students could not settle down. We were all worried because the man who was holding the hostages had a gun. I found out the reason that my boss did not answer her phone. She was a hostage! Apparently there were nine hostages to begin with and he eventually let everyone go without incidence after an all day siege. Later that night I got an email from another student who worked in the building who said that she was okay. When the gunman entered the building she was working as a cashier. She said she ducked down quickly and crawled to the back of the room to phone 911.

On Thursday I called to see if I should teach classes and the head of the department wasn't sure at first, but we decided that everyone needed to relax with yoga. It would help to calm everyone's nerves after this ordeal.

Often I have mentioned to the yoga students that we never know what will happen in our lives, but yoga will always keep us centered when difficult situations arrive. We may be the one to hold the energy of peace when chaos appears.

Attachment

2009-09-16T16:53:00.004-06:00

Okay, so I'm attached. After all these years of doing yoga I still find it difficult to let go of little bits of paper with information on them: like what to do to clean your house with natural products, yoga information or lovely cards from people I love, etc. So, as I enter a "4" year in Hindu numerology, it is time to clean up and recycle or file. The Hindu calendar year starts in October and goes to the end of September and "4" is about material testing. How attached am I really?

Many years ago a fire took my home and everything in it. I was left with a little bit of metal from a huge cooking pot that melted into the shape of a heart - no kidding, that's true. All I had was the grungy farm work clothes I was wearing and thankfully my family was okay. There was a feeling of loss and a feeling of freedom at the same time - freedom from possessions. For a while I had no attachment and felt lighter, but the fire happened in February and in Canada we need a lot during the winter.

The sages say that it is fine to have material possessions, but it is good to develop an attitude of non-attachment or our possessions possess us. It also helps to be organized and know when to let go. My sister says that when she buys a new piece of clothing, she gives something in her closet away. Geez! That is pretty non-attached to clothes. Did I learn from her? No, my closet is packed with clothes I might need later (and never do). Okay, so it is time for me to clean up and and get into the non-attachment mode. Wish me luck!

Folk Festival

2009-08-09T15:05:00.006-06:00

Thousands of wonderful people attend the Edmonton Folk Festival every year and tickets are sold out as soon as they come on sale. Amazing talented musicians from all over the world appear on many stages in relaxing, natural amphitheaters. The audience gets to sit on the grass, feel the wind, gaze at the sky, get a sun tan and/or burn, and enjoy cool music. What is even more special is that you can leave your bags and jackets on the place you have staked out to sit and no one will take a thing (as far as I have heard). I am really impressed with that level of trust and honesty. You can walk around alone in a huge shoulder to shoulder crowd and no one will harass you. That is freedom!

One of my favorite groups at the Folk Festival was Hanggai. I didn't understand a word they sang, as it was in Mongolian, but wow did they impress me. Their songs touched me with their rhythms which sounded like galloping horses, and the deep throat singing was very earthy. I could close my eyes and almost feel like I was in Mongolia. No I have never been there in this lifetime! Another great ageless group, The Wailers, were a crowd pleaser. My husband and I danced to every song along with hundreds of others from babies to silver haired old hippies. Bob Marley was there in spirit. Cherryholmes, a family of very skilled and entertaining bluegrass singers were high energy. They were nominated for a Grammy in 2006. I had no idea what the favorite dance music of little tikes was, but now I know. When Cherryholmes started to play, those between 1.5 years and 5 years leaped to their feet and their bouncing, twirling, jumps and fancy footwork was a joy to behold.

Birth/Death

2009-07-23T19:18:00.003-06:00

In April, May and June there were three beautiful new babies born in our family. July 8th there was memorial service for an aunt who had died earlier in the year; July 9th was the 60th wedding anniversary of an aunt and uncle; July 10th was the wedding celebration for a cousin; and July 11th my sister's sister-in-law died; July 14th was my parent's 64th wedding anniversary and July 15th was my Mom's 84th birthday.

Whew! Birth, death, wedding, birthday, anniversary - that just about covers all the important events in life. How do I feel? Grateful. Life is delicate and such an honour to experience. I am so happy that I have yoga and meditation to keep me together during the difficult times. One takes on a more objective and philosophical look at everything happening, so that it does not get too overwhelming.

It is important when a person that you know dies to contact their family. They will appreciate a phone call. It is nice to share a special story and it will make the family feel better. Some people don't make an effort to make contact and miss an opportunity to really help those left behind. All special events need to be acknowledged. It makes people feel special - and they are special!

Dead Heading

2009-06-24T05:32:00.007-06:00

Most of us are in our heads all the time, thinking and re-thinking about what to do, what we should have done, where to go, worrying about things we can do nothing about - blah, blah, blah. Gardening gets us back into our body, connecting with the earth. It feels so good digging in the dirt, planting a seed or a bedding plant. Watering makes all the difference. Over water and the plant will get sick and die; under water and the same fate awaits the poor plant. Watering just right perks up plants and people. Gardening is calming and creates patience, as well as an appreciation for the beauty and abundance of life. Once we have planted, our gardening karma is to water and weed.

Last week I went to visit my brother and sister-in-law who live on an acreage. They were transplanting bedding plants and I taught them how to dead head! Dead heading makes all the difference in the world to a flowering plant. If we don't do it the plant gets spindly and won't give many flowers, because all the power goes into making the seed pods. I especially like petunias and really notice how they perk up after I dead head them.

What is dead heading? Dead heading is a type of pruning. When a flower is wilting and looks like it is tired, follow the stem down to the origin and snip it off with your finger nail or with scissors. It is a good idea to learn how to dead head our over abundant and totally insignificant thoughts that are draining our life force, causing us to lose sleep and energy. How do we dead head our thoughts? We create calm in our minds by meditating or contemplating. There are many different meditation techniques. Just find one that suits you and do it when you feel like it. You will perk up just like a beautiful plant!

Birth

2009-06-17T08:07:00.007-06:00

In our family there have been three births in three months! What a blessing. Each baby is so innocent, pure, delicate and sweet. Each birth for everyone is different. It all depends on our karma. Some babies shoot out of the womb, impatient for life experiences, some have to be pulled out with forceps, not quite ready to release from the safety of the womb. There are so many different ways to be born - as many as all the people who have been born. Some babies are sleepy for the first month, taking it easy as they adjust to life on planet earth, while some babies are born wide-eyed and alert.

I teach Prenatal Yoga and enjoy seeing the growth of mothers' bellies. Sometimes I wish there was a belly window so we could view all the amazing changes taking place inside. That "preggy glow" is special as the mother literally shines and radiates her brilliance. In Yoga we are taught that we have 72,000 nadis or subtle channels of our energy body. When a mother is pregnant she is glowing with her 72,000 nadis and her baby's 72,000 nadis for a total of 144,000 nadis!

Last year I was asked to be at a birth and was there for quite a few hours, then I had to go teach a yoga class. The baby was born while I was away! This year I was at a water birth, which I had never seen before. The mother so enjoyed sinking into the warm water, relieving the pressure. Baby shot out of her like a cannon! The umbilical cord was about eight inches away from the mom. It looked like a braid. The baby was beyond that, floating under the water! Apparently, if the baby stays under water, while still attached to the cord it is fine (and looks so amazingly surreal). Within moments a nurse pulled baby from the water and voila - a new human being! Birth is a miracle.

Saw Deepak Last Night

2009-06-05T07:14:00.005-06:00

Deepak Chopra is an icon. He modernized spirituality and defined it to skeptics in scientific terms. I saw him last night at a talk he gave. "We have 100 trillion cells in our body and they all have consciousness." It is amazing that each cell knows exactly what job it has to perform and never doubts or complains. It is doing Karma Yoga - the Yoga of action, the Yoga of service. So, what happened to our brains that we hesitate, procrastinate and doubt our connection to the universe? That is for each of us to figure out by being aware of every moment. It helps us to read good books by Deepak and Eckhart Tolle who are two of the foremost current informers of cosmic consciousness. Happy reading!

Birth of a Yogini's Blog I Wish I Could Spend a Day in Your Head

2009-06-04T15:32:00.011-06:00

Someone once said to me, "I wish I could spend a day in your head."

"What for?" I asked, because for me, sometimes I wish I could spend a day out of my head! "You look at the world so differently from anyone else I know." she said. That may be true, as my life has been different from anyone I know. When I was 18 years old, I was walking down a street in Edmonton with a school friend and I had an unusual feeling inside. At that moment I knew that my life would be different from the people I grew up with. It scared me a bit because I wanted to "fit in" and "be normal." Well, that ain't the way it worked out.

When the door was open, I flew through. You know how someone wise said, "Think before you act." For some reason I didn't get that message in my genetic make-up. I wanted to experience as much as I could in this life time. Little did I know that you can go too far - to the other end of the world! In India I was introduced to Yoga by a very smart man who looked like Santa Claus, Swami Gitananda - Hatha Yoga, Yantra Yoga, Mantra Yoga, Laya Yoga, Karma Yoga, Yoga Chikitsa (therapy) and more. Yoga became my work, my life and I have loved every moment of it! Welcome to my blog.