Yogabodii

Looks like I've been hacked again, pleased don't accept any new requests from me or anyone who thinks they are me!?

Dogs are my kind of people. 🐕

Backbends are extensions. They have the ability to elongate and decompress our spines. They have the power to help us broaden our collar bones, stretch our chest, increase the lung capacity. Backbends help us face the world and build our courage. They are a tool. If you practice with some consistency and precision, with props and without, you will give your spine the power it requires to heal, correct, and face your fears. Backbends come up in many poses, not just the backward extensions. Do you ever feel like you need to just get out of your body? Let me help, I’ve got your back!

This is so relevant. We tend to be short breathers. Shallow breathers. And give our breath away. But if you follow your breath for as long as your thoughts… we begin to experience breath with more….More longevity. More breadth. More oxygen. For longer streams of consciousness. 🙏🏻 #2023

A little year in review… what happened in your world? I rehabbed from replacement, I bonded and fought and then rebounded with my teens. I sang one of my last gigs :(, I supported and worked as united forces with my sister, my mother and father, I kicked COVID’s ass, I went to a concert without a mask, and I cried a lot. I lost. I found. I grew. I lost more. I surpassed my health goals. I let go of expectations. This year??? I’m not sure what’s ahead. You?? I’ve stopped projecting. I’ve stopped reacting. And, I have started to review and take stock. What do want and desire from 2023? I’m making my vision board. I’m practicing contentment and acceptance. I am open to change and evolution. I know I am capable. Capable of healing myself. Capable of assisting others. I am here. And I am here for you. Just let me know in Your own Way and I will hold that with you, for you, and together we will get to the other side. You have my word. 🙏🏻.

One of the hallmarks of is learning how to straighten our limbs. The extension, the lengthening, the contraction, and the alignment all play a big role. And why such focus on straightening the arms? Our limbs are the avenue to spinal freedom. The longer, the straighter, and the further we can teach our limbs to move from the trunk of our bodies the more spinal freedom. Our spines are meant to twist, turn and bend forwards and backwards. Many of us do not have that range of motion or flexibility. But once you have the basics of foundational poses under your the possibilities are endless. And your will reward you in ♠️.

Learning how to stand on your head is not about the achievement but about the pursuit and what you can acquire along the way. Retraining our bodies and offering a road map to do so comes in many disciplines. yoga is one way to teach, reteach, align, rehab, and heal ourselves.

Downward facing dog is truly a yogi’s best friend. She decompresses us, she strengthens us, and she inverts us. When you can only practice one pose, find downward dog for several long breaths. Try it a few times a day consistently for a number of days that make sense for you. If you believe in the magic of yoga, you will reap all the benefits she has to offer by adding this routine into your days.

When I was a kid, I absolutely loathed Halloween. I never said anything to my parents, I always made some kind of costume, your basic ghost with two eyes cut out of old sheets, and went along for the journey. I felt totally intimidated to knock on neighbours’ doors, awkward about my costume, it was always raining and the car lights blinding, but i continued on the journey. But one Halloween, I decided I was going to be seal. My mother had a fur coat in our front hall closet that made me feel safe and protected as I snuggled in it and hid from Halloween. I declared I was a seal wrapped in my mothers fur (it was the 70’s!) and I watched Halloween through the crack of the closet, from where I safely perched myself to see all the kids come to our door. I knew in my 6-year old self, this wasn’t my holiday. The dark, cold, creepy costumes, my mother sorting candy to ensure safety. We heard about razor blades in candy apples and poison injected into raisin boxes…this was just not for me. And some of these childhood impressions just stick with us. I still do not like Halloween. For many of the same reasons but adding one more super unpopular contributor, the candy. Now, resist the urge to judge, who doesn’t “like” candy?? It has come to be almost common knowledge how sugar is addictive, inflammatory, and indigestible. So, for me, you won’t find me at a party all dressed in drag, not at my door answering the calls of goblins and gools with buckets of candy. I’ll be hiding, disguised and camouflaged by nature waiting for Nov 1! November 1st has been claimed as , , and . Now, those are holidays I can get excited about!

Taking your yoga off the mat is just one reason to practice this magnificent art and science. A discipline requires commitment and consistency. And an art requires an open mind, fresh air, Mother Nature and freedom. Freedom to practice classically or otherwise. Freedom to listen to your body or follow a sequence. Allow yourself to be infused by colour, shapes and your environment. Allow yourself the luxury of letting go. Let go of the rules, let go of the thought process and let the yoga be your guide. I know… it sounds “woo-woo” right?? 🤷‍♀️🙏🏻

A sequence is a story. A story we tell our minds. “Sometime ago…or once upon a time…”. The story we are telling through the art of yoga is one that takes place in the here and now. The story of the present. Last night was a particularly clear night sky where for a few hours we could see the northern lights. A , also known as storms!💨 Allow your story to bring you clarity, in each moment of each day, of each week, each, month, and each new year. This is just one way we can take our asana yoga practice off the mat and into our present day living.

Those of us who have tasted and found yoga know that this system was designed for all bodies. There is no one size fits all but there are techniques and applications that allow us all to practice yoga. And when you make the efforts to show up on your mat and practice, know this…if you achieve nothing else, you will allow a new kind of light to pe*****te through our tough exteriors so we then taste what yoga can do for you. Come see how your own practice can support you, protect you from injury, and soften your exterior to allow your interior to become more receptive.