Day 14. Empty

Mostly the river was empty on my walk today. Except for these hardcores who were snowshoeing and skiing and animals who haven't lost their playfulness underneath the snow.

This new (/old?) little structure just appeared today. I presume a place to sit when people are taking a break from skating/snowshoeing/skiing.

Today it was empty. The figure in the background passed it by, even.

Day 13. White

Today was a snow day! I love snow days. Especially when you have a big, frozen (now), river covered in snow to explore. There are paths carved in. One for skating and one for walking. It's pretty much bliss.

Especially for one snow-faced dog who likes to dig her entire head into the snow. Let to run on a big, white playground, the world is her oyster.

Day 12. Cold

This guy is gonna be.

As if Winnipeg's downtown is dreary, grumpy and cold enough (in demeanour) as it is.

For the record, I still like going downtown, despite my criticism. It's a place of pure potential isn't it? Rather than normal cities where things are built up around a downtown like it's a beating heart, our city's livelihood somehow goes on despite it's heart having stopped. That's pretty cool, and I'm not banking on anything, but there is still the promise of resurrection... one of my favourite things.

Day 11. Something that is hard for me

Sitting still. Forgiveness. Just being. Spontaneity. Not knowing. Surprises. Being too busy. Rushing. Moving slowly too. Sadness. Seeing sadness expressed. Choosing between a bunch of different things. Backbends. Belly breathing. A bunch of other stuff too.

Day 10. Something that is easy for me

Turning inward.

I am a recluse by nature or maybe I’ve been nurtured into it, but I like to try to balance that with expansive openness to the people around me. It’s an odd sensation to open up and to soften and to be a little vulnerable, but in some weird way, it feels right.

I feel like it would be easier in some ways to walk many roads alone. I feel like Thoreau was on to something when he went off to Walden Pond. I can barely read his book because I so envy the life that he lived there.

But something tells me that that isn’t full living. At least it isn’t what I am meant to live.

And then Thoreau says something like this:

‘How vain it is to sit down to write when you have not stood up to live.’ And during this time I began to wonder, was I truly living?

And I emerge from my forward fold and get clumsily back up into the world and smile, til next time. And then I do it again.

Day 9. Sweetness

Sweetness usually is associated with stuff you eat, right?

For me, this image captures the equivalent of a candy shop... A sewing store.

All of these eye-candy colours to choose from... so much vibrant creative potential.

Yum.

Day 8. Family

In many ways it would be difficult to get anything near the whole of my family into one photo. So, here is a photo of the littlest part of it, as I try to get into the photo in time for the timer and look like a weirdo at the same time. Mission accomplished, it seems.

Day 7. A Favourite Place

I presume that this was this lady’s favourite place.

Or at least it is the favourite place of someone who loves her.

It’s a pretty nice favourite place: facing the river with a big, wide open hilly field ascending up behind her. Other people who call it their favourite place, i bet, are:

• Geese in Summer and Autumn
• Kids on sleds in Winter
• People throwing frisbees
• Dogs who walk
• People who like to smell grass, see sky, watch water.
• People who sit on benches and watch the guys above.

Come to think of it, this is one of my favourite places too.

Day 6. Freedom

There is a building in my neighbourhood that somehow contains freedom within its deep, earthy red brick walls. I lived there with my sister once, in this sanctuary. She left there and chose freedom, unburdening herself from the heaviness of this world, unearthing her roots, flying away. This is the building. The paradox of it takes my breath away.

Day 5. Something that scares you

This one stumped me for awhile. Not because I'm not scared of anything (the contrary is true), but because I wasn't sure how much I should show. The other day, for example, I saw a dead rabbit on my path. It terrified me, but it's a little creepy to take pictures of roadkill, so I didn't.

Finally, I decided on this photo. It's not crisp or clean, and it's hard to see what could be lurking in the shadows or in the haziness of it. I prefer to know where things are. The grey area, the murkiness, the haze terrifies me a bit.

Day 4. Romance

Um. Probably this should be called 'bro-mance' since the romantics involved are brothers. But seriously, I kept my eyes open big today. This was the biggest romantic moment I experienced.

Day 3. Best friend

My best friend, for our purposes here today, is a parka. The North Face Arctic Parka, to be exact. (Please pardon the product placement, but I really, really appreciate this product.)

1. The ginormous hood: I can fit my ginormous head and a hat and whatever else I want in it.

2. The warmth: It lets me be outside as long as I want. I've never been cold in this jacket.

3. It looks good in the snow. Okay maybe it doesn't look good, but it doesn't look bad.

4. It's too big which means I can fit lots of other stuff underneath it. Like clothes. But I don't need to because it's that warm.

5. It has a fancy red lining which no one knows about except me. And also you:)

Day 2. Light

Going around, looking for light.

Life could be worse:) The dogman came with me (as you can see.) She thought looking for light was fun too.

Day 1. Self portrait + ten facts

This picture is one of the only self-portraits I could find. (Not because I'm not self-involved, just because my self-involvement doesn't manifest n the form of self-portraiture.)

This is at Laurel Springs, California, after a puja in honour of Shakti.

I'm back at my room and all hopped up on the energy of it. Thus the pictures.

I don't usually have a bindi on my forehead.

Ten facts.

1. I like winter better than summer. Mostly due to the clothing of the season. I think it feels nice to be bundled up.

2. My favourite colour used to be violet, then yellow, then black, and I might full-circle it back to violet.

3. I am really bad at pop culture, even though I google a lot (A LOT) of stuff.

4. I like the idea of relaxing, but am not so good at it.

5. I empathize more with animals than with people (though I like/love people.)

6. My favourite time of the day is morning. I feel grey and sad if I sleep through too much of it.

7. I hate when my clothes smell like cooking.

8. I think it's so fun to make up recipes. When I just had an allergy test and found out my allergens, I was a tiny bit excited to make up recipes without them in it.

9. I think it's empowering to make things with my hands.

10. Yoga revived my heart a hundred million times.

Dear sangha friends,

Does anyone even come here?
Or is it just me?

Either way... Happy new year!
Did you make a resolution (or a hundred?) Did you set any intentions? One of mine was a thirty day photo challenge.
I figured there would be no better place to post than here.

Hey! You should join me, if you like! The idea is pretty straight forward. Each day, post a picture. If you're not into pictures, why not a poem or a short story or a something else?

Here are the topics of inspiration:
Day 1. Self portrait and ten facts about me
Day 2. Light
Day 3. Best friend and 5 reasons why
Day 4. Romance
Day 5. Something that scares me
Day 6. Freedom
Day 7. A favourite place
Day 8. Family
Day 9. Sweetness
Day 10. Something that is easy for me.
Day 11. Something that is hard for me
Day 12. Cold
Day 13. White
Day 14. Empty
Day 15. Handsome
Day 16. Dark
Day 17. Outside
Day 18. Bedtime
Day 19. Friends
Day 20. Job
Day 21. A journey
Day 22. A favourite place I haven’t yet been
Day 23. Golden
Day 24. Food
Day 25. Yellow
Day 26. Magic
Day 27. Breakfast
Day 28. Purple
Day 29. Smile
Day 30. Self portrait and ten new facts about me

The land of milk and honey

Dear Sangha,

Here is the closest thing to the view that I saw daily (missing the sweet faces that I saw too, obviously) at Laurel Springs Ranch near Santa Barbara.

Isn't it sweet?

This was in the morning, on the way to meditation, mantra, and asana practice, before breakfast, (except not before breakfast for me because I would get up extra early and eat apples and almonds and tea first.)

Evening yoga practice

Summer solstice + the lovers' full moon of June = a lot of light and a lot of energy.
All of this light makes it an auspicious time to look outward and see all the beauty that surrounds us. It's a good time to open up to all of the loves in our life, enjoy them and ourselves.

Because of all of this light, it can also be a challenging time to relax and to find the sanctuary of sleep. The effect of all of this radiance might be restless sleep, not being able to fall asleep at all, or not being able to wind down. Here is a lovely yoga sequence that helps to restore our natural rhythm of sleeping deeply/awaking refreshed. It can help you wind down at the end of the day, but it can also help you to find a steady rhythm if you do it in the morning.


Yoga practice to wind down...
Start with some sun salutations. It's all about how you do them. Surya namaskar can be stimulating/awakening, fluid and watery, steady/slow. The way you do them is the way you will end up feeling afterward.

For sleep, Surya namaskars should be slow, strong, grounded. Focus especially on the forward bend and downward dog.


Do 5-10 sun salutations holding each posture of the sequence for three full breaths.





From standing, take your right foot back to pyramind pose. Hold 5 slow breaths.




Look up and turn to your left foot in for Padottanasana. Hold 5 slow breaths.
Turn back to the front of your mat, step both feet to the top of your mat, forward fold.
Move through a slow sun salutation.

Repeat on other side: Left foot back. Pyramid Pose; 5 breaths/Wide leg forward bend; 5 breaths/slow sun salutation

Move onto your back.
Reverse Tabletop OR reverse plank; 2 X 5 breaths















Shoulderstand (one of the best postures for sleep); hold 10-15 breaths



Plough pose; hold 5-10 breaths

Gentle twist on each side; 5 breaths


Bridge pose; 5-10 breaths


Happy baby pose (loosens low back and tight hips for sleep); as long as you like.

Savasana.
Bring a soothing thought to mind. If you fall asleep with a pleasant thought, it will colour your sleep.

Sweet dreams.

Breakfast Cookies

Dear friends,
For those of you that weren't just being polite, I am posting the recipe for "Breakfast Anytime Cookies." They used to be called Carrot Breakfast Cookies, but doesn't that sound so limiting?
Here's the recipe:

Breakfast Anytime Cookies
1 cup white whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/3 oil (I used Grapeseed, but you could use anything you like, including butter.)
1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon grated orange zest (I would have put this in, but didn't have any at home.)
1/2 cup oats
2/3 cup shredded or grated carrots
1/2 cup raisins
1/3 cup toasted, chopped pecans or walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a small bowl, thoroughly mix together the flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon; set aside
In a large bowl, mix together the oil, granulated sugar, dark brown sugar and vanilla. When well mixed, add the egg and orange zest and beat for another 20-30 seconds. Add the flour mixture to the sugar mixture and stir until flour is absorbed. Stir in oats, carrots, raisins and nuts.

Spoon whatever size cookies you'd like onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake about 12-15 minutes (or more for big cookies.)
This isn't that big of a recipe. I tripled it and got four dozen little cookies.
Enjoy with love!

Golden Fabric first batch for Kaela

Hi Mikaela!
Fancy meeting you here.
Here's your first batch of fabrics. If you see a specific shade/texture you like, take note and let me know, k? We don't have to pick that specific one, but it will give me a good idea of what you like. They are also all different types of fabric: some are thicker, home decor kind of stuff and some are more cottony (which we could double up to make a sturdy bag for your mat.)
You also don't have to just pick one fabric. If it seems too busy or just like too much, we can always do a solid other fabric and use it for some extra detail.

This one is sort of thick cotton.


Sturdy + textured...

Light canvas/cotton

This one is shiny-ish. Not sure if you can tell...

More to come...

Second batch

Oriental cotton Textured

Weird toile, but I love it!

Old curtains kind of...

Cotton mandalas

Japanese canvas

Cute and nerdy

K. That's it for now. Sit with that and let me know where you end up!