My yoga routine

My yoga routine has evolved  a lot over the years...
 
It first really started, as explained in  Life Happens, as suggested by my psychologist after a diagnosis with MS (multiple sclerosis).  At first is was mostly stretches... deep conscious breathing done in my living room following some DVD I bought... it was weird at first.... to take the time to slow down...  I had never done that!I was only 31... who slows down at 31?  Slowing down is for old people...  but I needed to do it!  I really trusted that psychologist and wanted to give it a try...  my husband joined me to encourage me... 

A few months after that, I started getting books on yoga... to get to know different options... and I got more DVDs...  and as I got physically in better shape and managed to restore my sleep I went into Hatha Yoga.  This type of yoga is used in America mostly as a physical activity with deep breathing and meditation component and his recognize as a stress reducing discipline -  I needed to manage my stress in order to deal with my MS.  I register at a studio and it was amazing.... I went there for almost 2 years and then the studio moved to Ontario (3 hours away from where I live).  I went back into practicing at home what I had learned.... with some more DVDs... and some books.

Over that period of time, I included into my routine the 5 yamas of Patanjali into my everyday life:  Ahimsa (non-violence), Sataya (truthfulness), Asteya (non stealing), Brahmacharya (spiritual advancement) and Aparigraha (non-appropriation).  Those yamas changed my life... and while I was still doing my breathing, meditation and asanas they started guiding who I was off the mat!  And this is really what yoga is all about... not just a physical exercise...  For Ahimsa, I gave up meat... Sataya, I learned to speak the truth always using the appropriate words not to hurt people (back to Ahimsa)... Aparigraha I became a minimalist (why should I own everything?  do I really need that much stuff?  aren't I taking it away from other people?).  I am also, by increasing my meditation practice and by looking into Buddhism, working on Brahmacharya.  As for Asteya, I never stole anything really but keeping stuff I do not use is actually stealing from someone who could use it so I ended up decluttering my house!

At one point I needed to go back to a studio...  so I started going to a yoga studio own by Yasmin and I got to meet this amazing young yogini... I started practicing Ashtanga yoga... I did that for almost 2 years only to realize that it did not agree with me.  I had even started doing my yoga teacher training in Ashtanga and I had to quit because I was getting overwhelmed and physically to a place I did not wanted to go...  Let's say that MS was very happy I took up Ashtanga!

I went back to my home practice...  which is what I still do for now...  It is a mix of Hatha and Ashtanga... with low intensity...  and lots of deep breathing, stretching and meditation.  Not even sure it has a name...  but it works for me...

It goes like this and I do it at 5 am because this is the best time for me!

Start of with deep breathing and alternate nostril breathing as well as kapalabathi breathing.
Some stretches to awake by body - eyes exercises, shoulder, wrists, hips, legs and twist...  to awaken myself...
Then I go into some sun salutations...  number varies day to day
I then do warrior, triangle, boat, bridge,  foward fold and whatever asanas I feel like doing...
More twists
I end up in savasana all the time

It can take anywhere between 30 min to an hour depending on the time I have...

I also modify this routine according to how I feel, the seasons and my hormonal cycle.

This is what suits me now... but I am starting to feel the need to go to a studio... and there is a Sivananda yoga studio close to my place...  according to what I was told by a yoga teacher and a dear friend of mine, this is the type of yoga that would be perfect for me... so I will give it a try soon...

In teh mean time I am practicing being a true yogine on and off the mat!!!  And it is not always easy... but always very rewarding!!!

namaste,
love and peace,
nath
xox

On being TV free for 10 days

I did not have access to a TV between Thursday night the 31 of January and Monday night February 11th. TV was physically there but it was not hooked on any service so it was pretty much useless!

The part that most concerns me is that I did not miss it AT ALL!!!

And quite frankly, if I did not have a 12 years old son, not sure I would have hooked it up to any service!!!  Might even have thrown it out the window!!! (figuratively speaking - I would not want it to end on any one's head!)

Truth is my son is already different because of his "crazy" mom...  being vegetarian, minimalist, not owning a car or a house.. having only 1 TV and 1 computer.... seriously who lives like that by choice???  Well I do.... and my husband does... and so does my son (and many other minimalist I know do!!! He's not unhappy about it... but I figured that not having TV could make a difference... I mean , teenagers love to speak about TV shows they watch!!! 

I just have to make sure that this is not ALL he does... so TV time is restricted to 1h per day for him during the week (unless he is watching a documentary on animals or history...where he actually learns something!)... a little longer over the week end or holidays... but TV is always off between 10 am and 6 pm!  We do not refrain from doing anything because of a TV show... and if no one is watching, it is CLOSE!  It is not used as background noise!!! Also, since we only have one, and very different tastes in what we like to see, we need to share it...

All this makes it so that TV is not the main focus of our lives... it is so easy to let it invade our lives... I mean what you see on this thing is well studied...  you see nice people, well dressed, fashionable... nice houses... nice cars... the newest of everything - from cell phone, to ipad, to cars and appliances!  Money is no problem!!!  No one needs to shower.. or work for that matter! You can eat in restaurants all the time, whatever you want and be perfectly healthy and as thin as a stick!  You can even drink and it is just fine!!!

I remember when I became a minimalist, watching TV was not easy.. and it was the reason, at first, why I would sometimes have drawbacks!!  Why would I not be allow to have this nice dress?  or this new front load washing machine in red (when mine was washing my clothes just as well - btw, I never bought the red front load washing machine - but I did think about it seriously!)?  Also when we decided to give up our car... it seemed like all I could see was adds for new cars.. with 0% interest and no down payment!!!  Never mind when I gave up meat....  all those chicken wings... pepperoni pizzas...  smoke meat...  hamburgers....  it was all there in my face!!! 

This is actually when I started watching less TV... and realize how well conditioned we are!  Of course if you see something on TV you are very likely to want to have it!!!  Who wouldn't?  Publicity company spends billions of $$$ each year selling us stuff we do not really need! They know what they are doing and what buttons to push!!! It is their job to do so!!!

All that said, the good side of not watching TV is that it gives me time to spend quality time with my son!  I got to play a few board games with him... we even had lovely discussions sitting on the couch as a family!  We spent more time outside! We appreciated what we have.... instead of creating new "needs" or "wants".  I invested more time reading... and just breathing!!!

More quality time...
Less worries...
Less comparing myself to others...  just being happy with who I am and the path I chose to travel!

TV is now back on...  but my relationship to it has changed even more...  I will try and have my family vote a TV free day...  like we did with the car a few years ago.... and we'll see where that leads us! I will keep you posted on how that TV free day goes...

do you guys have a TV?
what do you watch on it?
would you consider picking one day a week where the TV remains off all day and see what happens?

love and peace,
nath
xox

If you like something keep doing it!

If you like something keep doing it!  You will eventually get results! This is a sentence we hear often... and it seems "cliché"... and I did not always believe it!!! 

However, I applied it... only for the reason that doing what I like makes me happy...  so at first, I must admit, it was kind of a selfish act... doing it because I like it!!! Somewhere I wish it would eventually help someone or many... but it was just a wish.... and I was not sure it would!

And I kept doing it!!!!

What is "it" you might ask...

Well sharing my knowledge on well being, nutrition, yoga, meditation and minimalism... because all those things affected my life deeply and I am convinced that it can affect positively many others... 

So all those things became part of me...  I am totally "synchronized" to those subject... and it is all I read about (or almost), talk about and write about!!! 

I wrote an article for a yoga web site... because I wanted to give hope to people with multiple sclerosis...
I talked about vegetarianism to who ever ask me about it because I truly believe this is the way to be healthy and avoid major fatal and chronic diseases...
I am writing on this blog and hoping to make people think...
I wrote a book on how I turned my life around  in the hope of helping people who feel stuck in their current situation...
I give stress management course, change management courses and other soft skills training as a 9 to 5 job because I believe anyone can benefit from those tools... and everyone should be given the tools!

I do my yoga and meditation mostly everyday.... I am vegetarian (even 90% vegan), I live a minimalist simple life...  I feel great and I think people can feel it!  So I preach by the example!!!

And I am starting to see results.... I get emails, testimonies and requests for help.... and then I get to do even more of what I love!!!

I was even asked to be a guest blogger... and I agreed!!!  This gives me a chance to get in touch with even more people about what I love!!!

Basically I get to help people like I always wanted to... maybe it is taking a different format then I would have imagined years ago but as a dear friend on mine told me that the destiny is the same no matter the road travel... 

In other words, do what you love and you'll get to do more of it!!! And you'll get to do what you were born to do!!!

I am not saying that you just quit your day job and start something new completely... this might not be possible... but start in your spare times...  as a hobby... and you'll see where it brings you!!!

What is it that you would LOVE to do???

Do you need help getting started?

love and peace,
nath
xox

I am so happy that "Life Happens" is now out...

Writing this book has been a 9 month process... yes.... just like a pregnancy!!! 

It has been a roller coaster of emotion since I started writing it.... going to that part of my life again was not easy...  but worthwhile....  got to know myself even better!!!

A roller coaster of emotion going thou the submission process and all the different stages... 

And I assumed that once it would be out... the roller coaster would stop!  But is has not... and that's OK!!! 

I am happy to share that the book is now not only available thou iUnivere but also on Amazon and Amazon Canada as well as Chapters Indigo.

I am also happy to share that I got a few comments back from my first readers... and it feels amazing to see the impact I might have on people!!!  Really so glad I can help!!!

This was the only purpose of this book.... to show that there is always hope... that everything is possible!!!  That you HAVE to look for solutions as long as you did not find what suits you...  do not settle for less than what you truly desire!!!

hope you enjoy it!

love and peace,
nath
xox

Move is officially over!

                            Living room with my baby pink rocking chair (painted by me)and chakra banner

This is the result of my move!!!  My favorite corner in the apartment!!!

The move went well... even thus my husband had just got back from work as he works graveyard shift... and did not sleep for more then 24hours!!!
We loaded everything in a 17 cu ft Uhaul and moved 3.7 miles away...  loading and unloading roughly took 3.5hours!  with a little break... and 3 pairs of extra arms!!!
My easiest move ever!!!
Having much less stuff really does help!!! I remember the time I move from my house to my apartment, it took roughly 5h loading the truck!!!! And there was my husband and I and 5 pairs of extra arms!!!  Can you imagine all the useless stuff we just moved around?
Unloading mostly everything in the living room right by the main entrance surely did save a lot of dirty snow from invading my place!!! It was a very cold day and there had been a light snow the night before...

This all happened on Friday...  and I took the rest of the week end to put everything away... and to be quite honest I even finished my last 2 boxes Monday night!

The actual moving day without a car was not a problem....  however, I did realize that the logistic of the few days after a move without a car, especially without a oven, was somewhat cumbersome!!!  Just going for breakfast and coffee Saturday morning took us 2.5 hours!!!  45 min each way... and 1h sitting down by the fire place at Starbucks...  surely was a great break...  but took time away from unpacking!!!  Same goes for supper on Saturday and lunch on Sunday...  but it was all well worth it!!!

I am now living in a smoke free, noise free, clean apartment...  and I sleep much much better!!!! Quality air and sleep to me is essential!!!!  And I HATE noise!!! Even my cat is more relaxed!  The energy in our previous place was really bad and I had to get out of there!!!

In 3 night I have caught up all my sleep deprivation... and I am back to waking up naturally in the morning 10 minutes before 5 am...  right on time to do my meditation and yoga!!!!

It feels so much better!!!

Now once I get my new hot water tank it will be the perfect place!!!
Taking a 2 minutes shower because I run out of hot water surely is great for the environment... but once in a while I enjoy a 5 minutes shower!!!

Have you moved lately - how did it go?  Are you planning a move - declutter before - useless to move stuff you will not keep after the move? Or are you dreading having to move - perhaps because you have LOTS of stuff?

love and peace,
nath
xox

Missing my yoga

Over the last few weeks... even thus I know I shouldn't have....  I have decreased my yoga practice!!!

And this is not so good for me... and I am really NOT proud of myself for this!!!

Of course I had all kinds of good reasons...  like we always have when we do not want to do something!!!

I was (and still am) really tired because my neighbours keep waking me up around 3h30 am!!!  Fortunately, there is one more night of that and then I am moving so this will put an end to this excuse!!!

I am too busy...  with my book being release, my day job and the move! Well I should know better...  Yoga gives me energy, mental clarity, peace of mind... all this makes me more efficient in a sense so not as busy!

I don't have time!  Well I did find time to watch about an hour of TV.... most of the time crappy TV.... why not do my yoga instead???

And it is not the first time I do that... and it always ends in the same way... I get to a place I do not like...  why do I keep testing it?  Yoga is really good for me!!!!  I should know by now!

Must I say again, that I am not proud of this...  and I am paying the price of it today!!!  My energy is low, I am stressed, my hands are shaky....  a place I do not want to go for health reasons!!!

As there is not point to actually beat myself up over this, I am deciding as I write this to take up my practice again as of next Monday!!! I usually do not practice over the week end anyway... and tomorrow is moving day so I do not want to say something I may not be able to do!!!

I am forgiving myself for doing this...  as we always should... be forgiving with ourselves!  No one is perfect... and we may jump off the wagon at one point...  but the idea is to realize why... address it, correct the situation and move on!!!  Jump back on as soon as you can!!!

This is true for anything in your life.. any lifestyle change you wish to make or wish to adopt.. be it food habit, sleep pattern, exercise regimen, meditation or yoga practice, juicing, writing....  any goal you set for yourself!

You may not always get there the first time!  But keep trying... I know I need to!!!

My goal is to include 5x1h yoga practice per week...  I will make it... in due time!!!

Be patient with yourself!
Be forgiving with yourself!

Love and peace,
nath
xox

What would you do if you knew you could not fail?

I came across this question years ago....  and the answer was very long...  I had a long wish of desire... and I was suggested (by a wise one) to look at that list and analyze every item on it...
one by one - deeply
to see why they were there...
each and everyone of them...

only to realize the following (after months of thinking and meditating):

1) most items were there because they were on other people's wish lists - I had heard it and thought it was cool!
2) a few items were there because I just wanted to have a list
3) very few items were there because they resonated with me...

1) and 2) were scratch off the list! They were never mine to start of with!!!

3) were looked at very carefully...  and I wanted to find the common denominator in them...  what did these items had in common? and why?

This made me realize that all the remaining items were meant to help others... and they were the "ways" I knew I could help others... not necessarily what was achievable for myself!

I started with this huge desire to help others.. and looked at what I like to do:

write
meditate
yoga
walk
bike

The first thing that resonated with me was yoga!  So I tried being a yoga teacher... this was not my real thing!!  I love yoga... but not as a teacher!

Therefore I started this blog a little over 2 years ago... in the hope of having readers I could potentially help... and I started very small... with very few hits!!! and even wanted to give up on a few occasions because I had not enough hit to my satisfaction!
But the people reading my blog kept sending me positive feedback... and I continued, slowly but surely, to get more hits!!!  So I decided to keep doing it!!! Plus I love writing... it makes me feel good! So at one point I decided that, even if it was just for myself, I was learning from the experience... and it was not a waste!

It turns out that I am not the only one thinking that!  Sarah Kathleen Peck wrote a nice blog about writing.  Very inspiring!

From this blog, my desire to write grew stronger, so I started writing more often... and even decided to give it a try with a book...
I think this book may help a few people dealing with difficult times in their own life...  I am sharing with them how I dealt with my own difficult times - giving tips and hint at how to get better! Surely trying to give hope!

I do not know where this will bring my next...  but it is right where I want because I am doing something I love! It is amazing how when you do something you truly like and for the good reasons, things turn out well in the end...  I am nowhere near the end, at least I hope, but things are turning out well....

I realized that all the things I like support each other...  I like to do yoga and bike because I spend lots of time sitting down and writing so it feels good with my body.  I like to walk and meditate because it slows me down and also give me ideas for what to write next...
I like to write because it helps others...  or it feels like it!

Last week end, I was at Chapters and I came across this same question again: "what would you do if you knew you could not fail?" and the answer was automatically: write a book - only to realize that I had just done that!  It made me smile... 

I kept thinking about it on Saturday and Sunday... to see if there was not anything else.... and I could not find... I am doing what I want...  I am really happy! And I seriously think that doing something you love puts more chance on your side of succeeding - only because since you love it you will not stop until you do!!!

There is no secret!!!  Find what you truly love... what vibrates with all of your being.. and just DO IT!!!!  over and over again!!! and you will NOT fail!!!

What about you?  What would you do if you know you could not fail???
Please let me know...

love and peace,
nath
xox