I love this time of year...it's no secret...I am such a fan of the twinkling lights, the music, movies like Elf, It's Wonderful Life and Love Actually, catching up with friends old and new, the mugs of hot cocoa I make three times two times once per day, and the general belief that the world really does get better this time of year. Call me a sucker...I'll take it all...with bunting and bows on the side.
I spent the first part of this holiday season in Bali with Ganesh, serving as an assistant with the School of Sacred Arts on their 200-Hour Yoga Teacher Training in Ubud. It was an awesome and exhausting month that was finished off with the grande finale of watching 28 students graduate and enter the yoga community as teachers! I had the chance to reconnect with my amazing teachers - Simone MacKay, Cat Kabira, Bex Tyrer, Randall O'Leary, Tina Nance, Dr. Brown, Eka Sabeh - and friends. I ate delicious vegan food every day, sipped nut milk lattes under the blazing sun and monsoon downpours, enjoyed immersing myself in yoga culture again and re-igniting my passion for the love, unity and understanding this practice fosters.
It was a little odd beginning the holidays with palm trees and temperatures in the upper 20s (80s) and tons of humidity, but I now realize it was the perfect way as it stoked my inner gratitude fire.
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| Ganesh in holiday glow. |
In retrospect, this has been a year of immense growth and change for me.
January kicked off and it was the first time since the age of thirteen that I didn't have some semblance of a paycheque coming my way! I had left my job as the National Manager of Diversity & Inclusion at the YMCA of the USA's headquarters in Chicago at the end of December 2013 after much deliberation. As such, January meant I found myself at The Yoga Loft in Moose Jaw day in and day out, working out my time off on the mat and pondering what my next steps in life were going to be. I knew I had my 200-Hour Yoga Teacher Training in Bali coming up in April, but that was really the next thing on my radar. Dave and I had time to get re-acquainted with each other living under the same roof (finally!) and we spent time taking walks (yes, even when it was -40 out!), cooking dinners together and just enjoying being with one another.
February brought more of the same and we took a little vacation to the magical land of Canmore. We enjoyed our mini-break by snowshoeing, hiking in the snow and I even tried my hand at cross-country skiing (read: FAIL). We spent many a night by the fire, watching the 2014 Winter Olympics unfold, cheering on both the US and Canadian teams (the women's hockey match was devastating for me and a joyous occasion for Dave) and sampling as many dark and luscious craft beers we could find!
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| Canmore Mountain Goodness |
By March, we were both tired from the winter weather and ready for some respite. I was beginning to get things in gear for my Bali adventure and Dave was looking forward to the end of April and the beginning of May when he would join me for a week in Indonesia. We spent Dave's birthday weekend (the coldest weekend of the winter) in Saskatoon at the beginning of the month and spent another weekend visiting friends in Winnipeg (little did we know what was in store for us later this year!).
In April, I boarded several flights taking me from Regina to Ubud, Bali where my yoga teacher training unfolded at The Yoga Barn. I've written enough about the adventure, but suffice it to say, this training has such a profound impact on me - emotionally, physically, mentally and spiritually. I made new friends, learned so much and experienced a space I never imagined I would ever visit in my life. Ubud has crawled its way into my heart and I was so excited at the end of the training when the co-Founder and one of my teachers, Simone, asked if I would be interested in coming back to assist during the November training. As you well know, the answer was yes and I knew when I departed that it wouldn't be for very long. At the end of the training, Dave joined me and we ventured into the more mountainous region of Bali to stay at a lovely little spot called Heaven in Bali. It truly was. Every morning involved breakfast looking out over a ravine and every night ended on our little porch sipping wine and reflecting on our adventures. It was a great opportunity for us to share and reconnect after yet another month apart.
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| Lotus Studio at The Yoga Barn. |
At the beginning of May, we returned to Moose Jaw and I then quickly took off again for a US tour to see family and friends. The trip took me to Illinois, Oregon, Arizona, Georgia and DC where I got to catch up with and hang out with my amazing family and friends. It was a whirlwind, but one worth being caught up in! At the end of the month, I began teaching at The Yoga Loft in Moose Jaw (thanks to Robyn Cunningham, the amazing founder and owner). I love teaching and enjoyed every class and every interaction with the students. I felt so grounded and so excited to start sharing what I learned and was even more excited to continue my role as a student, learning from the other instructors there and learning from every person who walked in the door of the studio. As winter turned to spring, Dave and I took more walks and spent more time in Moose Jaw as conversations about where we would be going next heated up. It was at that point we discovered that we wouldn't be going anywhere but would be remaining in Moose Jaw for the foreseeable future.
June heralded warmer temperatures and yet another opportunity for us to tackle another adventure. At the end of the month, we made our way to hike up to Abbott's Pass, a climb Dave had done the previous summer with a group of friends, but one I hadn't yet experienced. It was major! The weather was quite fierce for that time of year and while the bottom of the climb was sunny and warm, by the time we reached the hut, it was blowing and snowing like it was the middle of winter! We had a great time there, chatting with fellow climbers, drinking hot chocolate (who doesn't like that?!) and watching the snow swirl outside. We made it down in one piece and celebrated our adventure in high style by making our way to Canmore to enjoy a "hero beer" and a hearty meal.
July brought major changes as the military opted to send us to Winnipeg! At the end of the month, we took a week-long venture to the city to determine where we wanted to live and to begin the process of securing our housing for when we arrived at the end of August. In addition, that meant cleaning up our place in Moose Jaw and getting it ready to put on the market! Whew! Our house in the Jaw sold after it's second showing and we found a lovely little spot in Osborne Village in a converted church that we now call home.
August was moving month and we packed everything up and loaded it on to the U-Haul. After many goodbye dinners and outdoor picnics, it was time to say goodbye to the place Dave had called home for over 10 years. There were tears, hugs and lots of laughter as we reminisced with our military family. We drove out of Moose Jaw on the 28th of August heading East toward the bigger city life that awaited us in Winnipeg. Bittersweet, to be sure...but, new adventures are always fun.
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| Moving day...UHaul Fun! |
September brought yet another change for both of us as Dave began his new position and I found myself minus work again. We quickly set up our new place together and I began working on starting my own business, Journeys on the Mat. Throughout September, my training for the Walt Disney World Goofy Challenge (happening in January) ramped up and I was able to explore Winnipeg on foot logging many 30+ miles on the weekends with Dave as my pit crew! I jogged, ran and weaved over trails and pavement exploring parks, rivers and neighbourhoods. We spent many nights walking the streets, getting familiar with the city and adjusting to our new surroundings. Moving is always a challenge and it can cause quite the strain on relationships, but by always keeping priorities in order, anyone can make it through!
October was a quiet month for us. I continued getting things set up for Journeys on the Mat and was officially registered in Manitoba as a business! We made new friends and spent time at our local pub as well as with our military family here in the Peg. I was getting myself ready to return to Bali and Dave continued to settle into work, taking a trip or two to the Jaw to get some flying under his belt.
And there we have it! The year in review! As you know, November had me back in Bali and December is winding down. For the holidays we are heading out to Vancouver Island (Sidney, Victoria, Tofino and Comox) to spend time with friends and with each other in the place we love the most. We are looking forward to long walks on the beach, hiking awesome ocean-side trails and taking in the sights, smells and sounds of the season.
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| Ah...Tofino life! |
I'll end with this...
Yoga means "union" and I fully understand how important this concept is as our lives continue to move faster and we can feel less connected. This union is what helps us all remember where we have come from, where we are now and all the things we have yet to understand and experience. I wish you "union" for the New Year - with connection to yourself, connection to family and friends, and connection to those experiences that feed your soul and fuel your inner fire. Thank you all for your support and love this year...
I wish you nothing but joy, love and peace during this time of year and even more so as we move into 2015.
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