A Dream

I just had the most vivid dream. More often then not I have vivid dreams but I can't always remember them. This one I definately can. 

I was going for a walk in Stanley Park with a friends dog that I must have borrowed. Lol. If you don't know what Stanley Park is you should it's beautiful :) 

 It's Vancouver's big patch of green!

Anyways so the dog and I were having a ball walking through the park until we reached the Lions gate bridge. 

So we're trotting along on the bridge no problem until the dog runs up to me and he has two random chew toys in his mouth. "Where on earth did those come from?" I shrugged my shoulders, picked one up, and threw it for the dog. Unfortunately I threw the toy off the bridge. There was another toy so I figured it was no big deal until the dog ran after the toy and jumped off the bridge. Yep. The dog flew through the air so slow and dramatic. At first he looked like an Olympic diver but then the wind took him along and he flipped like a rag doll through the air. At first when he landed he didn't move but then he started to swim to retrieve the toy. I was dumbstruck. I ran towards the waters edge to get to the dog. He did manage to get to the shore. Chew toy in mouth there he lay. Motionless. I ran to him and pushed on his stomach until all the water gushed out. It was such an epic moment. People were crowded around wondering if he was going to be okay. And then he took a big breath of air picked up his new toy and we carried on with our walk. 

Random. What does it even mean?

P.s The dog looked like Beethoven from that old school movie. 

Sucker Punch

.

Meh.

So hubby and I, and another couple went to see "Sucker Punch" last night.

Belly-buttons, Breasts, Action. . What's not to like I can hear many a dude saying. The story line was incredibly confusing. It was a dream within a dream. Again. Didn't we just see that? Believe me this was no "Inception" like not even close. 

"Spoiler Alert"

A dark story right from the get-go. Mother dies, Angry Step-Father isn't in the will so he plans to kill her daughters. Older daughter escapes, tries to kill Step-Father, misses. Meanwhile he's already killed little Sister. Older daughter runs away gets caught, and evil Step-Dad takes her to a mental institution, which turns out to be a hussy-house. But not. . . ? Her dancing is so mystical that it sends her and the other girls to another dimension where they are safe to defeat what looks like Orcs from "Lord of the Rings" after she finishes dancing her stunned guards come out of their trance and she has another piece of the puzzle that will free her and her comrads. They almost retrieve all the pieces but the main guy is onto the sneaky girls, he kills off all but two of them. After all the show must go on! The girls decide not to dance but to go ahead with the plan. The main girl realizes in the end that she is the final piece of the puzzle and that it was her destiny to rescue other girl. Then it flashes back to the mental institution just before a doctor gives her a lobotomy. Yep. It was all a dream it would seem. 

Lame.

Jonathan Livingston Seagull

Precious. 

How mundane must the life of a seagull be? 

It is for most but not for one known as Jonathan Livingston Seagull.

He knows that theres more to life then just eating and meandering around. Jonathan pushes his boundaries and finds out that life indeed is full of challenges to surpass. This is a story of triumph over the odds, faith in your own ability, and the strength to stand up to the pack. I thoroughly enjoyed this book from the moment I opened it! I squealed in delight when I realized what this book was about and I saw the first photograph. Well done Richard Bach. A beautiful book.

Yoga teacher training part 2

One month exactly until I embark on the next level of my personal yoga journey! I'm currently enrolled in Moksana's 250 hr. Teacher training program. I love everything about this studio. It's tucked in Fan Tan Alley, there are many teachers with a wealth of knowledge, and the environment in the studio is one of peace, love, and learning.

I've really been enjoying teaching so the thought of broadening my knowledge and being able to share this with my students is beyond great. In the grand scheme of things I've just embarked on my journey. Theres so much more to experience and enjoy. I've been pre-reading some of the textbooks for the course just so that I can be a bit ahead of the game. It's just how I roll :) My favourite is: 

What an amazing book. I'm only on chapter 6 which is no where near complete but I've taken so much away from the reading already. Yoga is so much more the just the physical. I think a lot of people believe that yoga is a workout, almost acrobatic if you will. I'm learning about the heart and soul of yoga. True practice links mind, body, and soul. I'm so thankful that I have the opportunity to have this experience. Stay tuned I look forward to blogging about my day's at the studio when the course begins! Until then.. 

Namaste!

Two Old Women

This was a lovely read. Took about a day, it's not very long, but it's content is rich with heart-felt value and triumph over the odds. This is an old tale of two women from the Gwich'in tribe in Alaska. When a harsh winter leaves the tribe with little food the chief makes the difficult decision to leave the oldest members of the tribe behind (two old women.) It seems they have become a burden and the chief believes he is making the right decision for the sake of the rest of the tribe. Once they've moved on the women have a decision to make. Should they stay there and let death come quickly in the night or should they fight to survive to show the tribe what they can do when they apply their wealth of knowledge to the extreme circumstances. 

In all the years they've spent with the tribe they've surely come to know a thing or two. My favourite part of this book was learning the ancient survival techniques and sharing in the womens life stories . It felt like I was right there with them. A very powerful little book that teaches you to never give up on yourself or others. Definately worth the read :)

Meditation 2

In a previous post I wrote about a meditation technique I like to use. 

Here's another technique/tool i've come to use. 

 

I've started to introduce a yogic breathing technique called "Ujjiya breath" to my students. The way I like to describe this technique is to imagine your fogging up a piece of glass with your mouth closed. If you've just done this you'll notice an audible sound comes fourth through your throat. This is how it's explained technically: 

 

 Inhalation and exhalation are both done through the nose. The "ocean sound" is created by moving the glottis as air passes in and out. As the throat passage is narrowed so, too, is the airway, the passage of air through which creates a "rushing" sound.

 

 I like to use this technique while we're lying in Savasana (Corpse Pose) in the beginning of class. I find that when meditating hearing the breath allows my mind to center on the sound. My mind is less likely to drift if I have to focus on the 'Ocean like" sound. I put a picture of an incense burning up there because in addition to hearing the breath I find that having a soothing smell to go along with the technique really adds to my ability to focus. With these two elements in action there is only breath, my mind can settle, and I become calm and ready for the practice ahead.

Happy meditating :)

 

Tal Kal came to visit!

Tal came to visit the day after we had a freak snow storm! I'm glad we were able to pick her up, we needed two guys to push us out! The guy and his buddies had just moved in next door and apparantly we were in his parking spot when in fact we were parked on the side of the road which is the cities property not theres! That's a whole other story in it's self lol.

That's me trudging in the snow lol. We're trying to get to the bus stop. I would have driven us but I've just learned standard and feel like that would have been disasterous. Plus taking the bus is kinda fun :) 

Yay we made it!

On the bus :) Off we go!

Got of the bus and realized that I have never been to this shop! It's at 738 Yates Street. It's so cute. They have over 500 things to choose from so be prepared to stare dumbly at their shelves. 

We ended up having to ask for help haha. I wanted something I hadn't had before! She suggested we buy a candy called bon bon. It's pretty weird but addictive. Once you have one you'll eat them all! 

After devouring our candy we went for a little vintage shopping :) I'm thinking you should have gotten the hat Tal haha. 

We were at my favourite vintage clothing shop in Victoria it's called Flavour! It's on Johnson St. All who love vintage must go there, they have new clothes downstairs and vintage/used upstairs!! Go go go shop till you drop.  

Classic Victoria, I had to have my Rogers chocolate fix! Located on Government St. What a gem. 

It was getting nasty outside so we took refuge in none other then the Irish Times also located on Government St. Tal bought me that toque at Flavour :) 

Half price nachos mmmm. 

This is what I ordered to drink! It's kind of amazing. It's called the "Five mile beer diet" which means that all of the beer on that little sampler sheet was produced within Five miles of the pub. What a great concept. Very local. 

Here's a closer look at the sampler sheet :) It's a great choice if your not sure what to order or if you'd like to try out some of the local brews. 

After our snack we suited up, searched for the warmth of coffee, and waited for the bus to take us home! What a great day :)

Next morning I made pancakes for Tal and Hubby :) I used this recipe

The pancakes puffed up really great and were delish! 

 Hubby and I posing with our coffee. Insert corny photo here. haha. 

After work we went to "Reds Pub" I think it's called on Blanshard mainly because they have a pool table but their food was pretty good as well. Hubby and I ate a cajun chicken pasta with garlic bread that was the best i've had in a while. Tal had a sandwhich which she enjoyed but the salad onside was nothing special. . 

We played many a round of pool after dinner. Tals a champ. 

Oh the silliness :) 

We suck at pull-tabs. 

Besides that I think we had a pretty great couple of days :) As most of my Vancouverite friends say "Victoria is a nice place to visit" I think it's a great place to live in! 

I heart you Tal, thanks for the visit! 

Water for Elephants

This book is amazing!

Definitely the best so far. It's edgy, exciting, heartwarming and at times crude. The moment you open this book you get sucked into the old school world of circus performance. Back when circuses travelled on their own trains. I had a very hard time putting it down. 

The book begins with tragedy, it follows the tale of Jacob Jankowski a young man who loses everything in a night and finds himself hopping a moving train in search of a different life. Little does he know he's hopped onto a circus train. He quickly finds work on the circus as he is a trained veterinarian. Jacob finds out how hard circus life is within moments of boarding the train. The workmen are gruff, the performers are pretentious, and the bosses are cold-hearted. Along the way Jacob meets many characters, falls in love with a married woman, and saves an elephant named Rosie from an un-timely death.

This book is absolutely worth the read! I just couldn't wait to un-lock the next part of the mystery or read what was in store for Jacob and the rest of the circus crew. Life was not easy, let me tell you that. I cringed at the thought of their constant hard-ships and minor triumphs. No matter what there was one phrase that always rang through. "The show must go on!" How true indeed.