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The animal inside me

Hint: it has a thick, ever-changing skin I’ve been reading the short story collection by Rachel Rose that’s quite rightly longlisted for this year’s Giller prize. It’s called The Octopus Has Three Hearts. Animals figure prominently as fascinating characters and devices, like metaphors on growth hormone. I love how she’s got me thinking.  I slowed…

Mucking around and coming clean

Moving past a fear of failure Have you ever avoided trying something new or different, something unknown, to protect yourself from the possibility of failure? Who hasn’t, right? I certainly have. It’s hard not to when we are conditioned to believe that the goal is perfection. And that anything less than perfect is a reflection…

Three tools that fire my creativity

Self-care supports your brain for idea generation In the last couple of years I’ve made a concerted effort to treat my creative life the same way that I view physical fitness or health. It’s something to be nurtured, exercised, and trained.  Rather than ascribe to the common view that only a lucky few are bestowed…

What to expect at an all levels yoga class

Here’s what you need to know before unrolling your mat Many public yoga classes are geared towards a broad population, from beginners, to decades-long practitioners. It makes sense because yoga is accessible for all people and can be modified for different abilities. As well, with the pandemic forcing many studios to pivot and narrow their…

The best post-run yoga stretch

Target multiple areas with this variation of yoga’s low lunge The physical benefits of yoga have shown up in a big way for me in my ability to stay active in other sports. Like running. I have always enjoyed the meditative quality of a solo run. This form of exercise always gets me out of…

Cultivate concentration with outdoor yoga

Beyond enjoying the beauty of nature, practising yoga outdoors challenges our ability to focus Lately I’ve been unrolling my yoga mat in my backyard. There’s something so reverential about sun salutations under the fiery orb. The added challenge of standing and balancing on uneven ground perks up my muscles in new ways. Plus, the moving…

How I maintain balance during the heat of summer

I incorporate stillness amidst the busy, positive energy of the season Summer is a season of spontaneity. It’s always seemed to shun the necessities of schedule and routine. Maybe that’s a holdover from school days ending and giving way to wide open spaces filled by daylight, when I’d spend hours riding loops around the neighbourhood…

Creative acts are my therapy

On sharing our inner light through creation Sunday was Father’s Day and the summer solstice. The longest day. Sun at its peak. Life in full motion. Everywhere there’s energy and growth and a feeling of optimism. I avoided the sun’s rays. It was blistering hot, oppressive, so I stayed indoors choosing to occupy myself with…

Why every meeting should start with meditation

In our press for greater productivity, efficiency, and effectiveness, there’s one tool that’s often overlooked. A collective pause.  While individuals are sitting in meditation increasingly to stave off burnout, reconnect with purpose, and refresh the mind, teams also have a lot to benefit from this practice. Just two minutes of meditation to start a meeting…

Staying present with anxiety

Teaching yoga does not immunize me from the need to learn I have a confession to make. I struggle with anxiety of the hypochondriac variety. For my entire adult life, I’ve lived with chronic migraines, a condition that has made me acutely aware of my body and its micro-sensations. The neurological condition that people equate…

May the fourth be with you

On celebrating our differences I recently celebrated a birthday, which always gives me pause for reflection on who I am and how I show up in the world. For much of my life, I felt different. Like I didn’t belong and was wrong somehow. I was always consciously molding myself to whatever way of being…

Learning to love yoga that flows

How slow Vinyasa won me over Do you avoid yoga classes described as Vinyasa or “flow” style because you worry that they will be too fast paced or include challenging movements and transitions? I used to avoid them! I preferred yoga to be more slow and still — and I’ve done my fair share of…

Running into Spring with yoga

How my yoga routine helps my run recovery and keeps me moving. As Spring calls me outdoors, I don’t miss a running day thanks to yoga.

Breathing into March’s twists and turns

I sensed a giant collective exhale as we entered March. As I write this the sun is shining brilliantly and the snow is giving way to patches of green grass. Over coffee I watched a couple of cardinals dance and flit about each other perhaps making plans for an upcoming nest in our lilac tree.…

Frogs sit still and so can we

This photo is of a giant concrete frog on a playground in my neighbourhood. In normal times, it would be covered with children climbing and jumping and playing. But as we near a full year of pandemic life where I am, the frog sits alone, untouched. I noticed this, pondering this strange existence we’ve been…

In loss there is growth

This is a post about what can grow in the dark places. The shadows where love used to be, the places that are tender and raw, that seem arid and malnourished, and yet give way to light and hope and growth. These plants have risen from the ashes of loss. They’ve been reaching for the…

I’ll wash, the air can dry

Our dishwasher is on the fritz. It’s a relic and so it didn’t come as a surprise, just an inconvenient truth. And after digesting the initial disappointment, I was surprised to find myself entertaining the idea of delaying a replacement purchase. Maybe we don’t need a dishwasher, I thought. Let’s be honest, there is a…

A bug’s life

Yesterday the ladybug made its way downstairs. It was flitting about the light by my side of the sofa. The extra movement like a conversation. I wished I could decipher what it was trying to say to me, but I couldn’t read the pattern. These past months I’ve grown out of practice in the fine…

What is soft bends rather than breaks

My natural state is to push, to power through, to stubbornly stand my ground. (Hello, I’m a Taurus bull.) As a society, we’ve tended to reward this earth-bound quality recommending that you “dig in your heels”, “put your foot down”, and “hold firm”. The ideas of endurance and gritting through are idealized. Still, I’ve made…

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