Archive for the Category » Just Crazy… In A Good Way «

Aug
04

Paddle Board Yoga- Trend… Really?

It wasn’t too long ago that I wrote about another trend in yoga that involved smoking pot… and I sort of thought that was a little out there.

But there’s another trend making its way through the yogic ranks and, as someone who lives near a lake, while I love the idea of it, I’m really not sure how, at $2000 bucks a pop just in equipment alone, it could really even catch on.

Yoga atop a paddle board on the water.  Everything about it sounds wonderfully peaceful with the additional benefit of really targeting the core, as you work to keep yourself steady and not flipped over into the water.

Again, the heat of the sun on your body… sitting only centimetres above the cool water… the gentle lapping of the waves… seagulls…. It really sounds idyllic. 

According to the instructor in the video below as well as others who are leading the trend, while balancing on the board helps you achieve a much more thorough workout for the core, it is really the connection to nature that is the biggest draw.  As you quietly practice, there is a whole other world of aquatic flora and fauna just beneath you.

Currently, I think it has grown popular in places like Florida, though more and more they seem to be cropping up all around the U.S.  It’s definitely made my list to try… though, given the outlay for a paddle board, I only have an old windsurfer at my disposal.

I’ll let you know how it goes…..

 

Category: Blog, green, health, instruction, Just Crazy... In A Good Way, Practice, Spirit, Trends, WTF, yoga  4 Comments
Jul
20

Got My Bikram On!

Over these past several years, I’ve dedicated more than one post to the wonders of Baptiste.  I’ve read and followed his books, been to a Bootcamp (which I loved!) and generally, let the Baptiste Power Vinyasa Yoga dictate my practice for the better part of a decade… and love it!

However, recently, I’ve let myself succumb to the charms of another… whose methodology has opened a new door into a whole new way of practicing yoga.

Yes, I’d heard of him.  I’ve even written about him here.

But… I’ll be honest, I never really took him seriously.   What with the yoga competitions and all… he just seemed like just another egomaniacal one-named guru cashing in on the trend.

I mean, really.

But then, thanks to an extended trip to the city and the modern wonders of the Groupon… I received an offer I couldn’t refuse.  An inexpensive opportunity to experience that known simply as Bikram…

And, lo and behold, I’m hooked.

The first class nearly killed me… sending me into a claustrophobic anxiety attack, gasping desperately for fresh breath in the suffocating heat- never has savasana been so welcome.  But damn!  Even after that first class I felt transformed.

Cleaned, pulled and emerged, not unlike the slimy pupa freeing itself from the restriction of her shell.

And sweat?! Holy moly… I felt purged from the inside out.  All the yuck seeping out through my pores.  Not to mention the 600 calories I supposedly burned!

And more wondrous, throughout the rest of the day, the experience stayed with me, so much so that I enjoyed a heightened consciousness and deliberateness in everything I chose to put back in, from food to media.  Weird.

Everything about my day felt different… true renewal.  A feeling I want everyday.

But alas… my return to the sticks.  And trying to recreate Bikram on my own.

Category: bikram, health, Just Crazy... In A Good Way, people, Postures, Practice, strength, surrender, Trends, yoga  One Comment
Nov
09

Yoga For Chickens: Relaxing Your Inner Chick by Lynn Brunelle

Yoga For Chickens: Relaxing Your Inner Chick by Lynn BrunelleLook… there’s very little else I can say to encourage those who haven’t yet made their way onto the mat, and until now, I wouldn’t have thought of this one, but if a chicken can freaking do it then, really…

As you’ve probably guessed, this won’t be your yogi’s yoga manual.

In this clever and fowl take on the practice, not only has Lynn Brunelle, one of the creative minds behind the TV show Bill Nye the Science Guy and the board game, Cranium, offered yoga from one of the most unique perspectives in print, she’s provided just that little extra encouragement in the form of an eagerly game, albeit slightly harried, model to guide you through the poses.

Written and illustrated by the talented Brunelle, Yoga for Chickens is geared to “lead you along the poultry path of self-awareness” and if you are interested- and who wouldn’t be- ponder along with you, your “being and chickenness.”

There is practical instruction, though brief, introducing readers to poses they might not be familiar with, such as “Wingstand,” “Rooster’s Sunrise Salutation,” and “Boneless Chicken Pose” (more commonly known as Corpse Pose).  But what is most charming about the book is the tidbits of wisdom, the things we likely have already heard, but could use perhaps another reminder, in a unique and memorable way.

As you might rightly assume, your average chicken is probably a little ruffled trying yoga for the first time.  But, as with anything, if a chicken can transcend her fears and give it a go… what are you waiting for?

Category: health, instruction, Just Crazy... In A Good Way, Postures, Practice, reading, yoga  Leave a Comment
Sep
11

Oh Those Canadians: Yoga… ‘Cannabis Enhanced’

Leave it to the Canadians and their legalized marijuana to find yet another excuse to get high:  yoga class!

I suppose to some, yoga and pot are synonymous anyhow.  But to those of us who practice regularly, the high we get from a practice, any practice, from more mellow Iyengar to balls out Bikram, is just so satisfying and remarkable on its own, it keeps us coming back to the magic of the mat as often as we can.

But, apparently there is another faction of yogis that feel there’s just that much more can be achieved through a practice enhanced by the ganja… the herb… the tea… by the cannabis that they’ve developed a series of classes incorporating the hallucinogen to maximize their yogic experience.

Dee Dussault, founder of Follow Your Bliss center and Ganja Yoga classes, told Relaxnews that she has “been smoking marijuana for four years, practicing yoga for 15 years” and “teaching cannabis-enhanced yoga for about one year.”

Classes range in participation from four to fifteen students, and along with mats, towels and water bottles, it’s a strict policy of  BYOP: Bring Your Own Pot.  There is no sharing or mooching and there is certainly no buying or selling.

Classes include “a vaporizer café and chat (approximately 30 minutes), followed by a profoundly trippy yoga class, set to mystical music (approximately 75 minutes). Light munchies served afterward” for about $15 CDN.

Most of us don’t live in the Toronto area to take advantage of this unique approach to yoga, but if you’re interesting in experimenting with your own ganja infused practice, Dee Dussault offers a few pointers:

-  Focus more on the sensations that one feels in the body than on trying to achieve more intermediate or advanced postures while high.
-  Really slow down, focus inwards, let go of your idea of what “yoga” is supposed to look like. Just “be” in different poses. Hang out there, let the ganja take you to new realms of experience. Notice your breath. Notice how the body moves and feels. Do some simple stretches, whatever your body calls for.
- Always listen to your body, and err on the side of doing less than you think you can.
- Stay away from balancing poses unless you are used to them, as marijuana can negatively impact balance for some people. Spend a lot of time in meditative poses.
- If your mind wanders, just come back to your breath. If thoughts interrupt or distract you, see if you can commit to focusing on the breath and the feeling of the body.
- Marijuana is great for making us super-interested in things for the short-term. Be super-interested in things you’ve never noticed about your body before. Continually commit to coming back to the breath, to the body.
- If you feel anxiety or cannabis-induced paranoia, try “Child’s Pose” – kneel on your knees and lower legs, with your hips reaching down towards your heels, and your forehead on the mat. You can have your arms extended over your head, or by your sides. Child’s pose reduces mental tension and anxiety.

Category: Articles, Class-y, health, Just Crazy... In A Good Way, news, Practice, yoga  One Comment
Mar
01

More to Yoga Balls Than Just Yoga… or Orbular Decoration

yogaballThe ubiquitous yoga ball.  I have three.  I offer them a guilt-ridden, never used you for anything other than corner dressing loving glance everytime I pass them stacked precariously in the playroom.

But, as a homeschooling mom of three- two of them active, boisterous boys- I will certainly look at my otherwise under-utilized orbs (minds out of gutters, people!) a little differently after reading this.

It’s remarkable, really…

Kids learn better balancing on yoga balls.

The yoga balls provide cross-lateral movement as the kids’ bodies makes small adjustments to stay balanced on the balls. These small movements engage both sides of the brain, which makes their memories work better and helps them to stay focused.

Right on… from pummelling each other with them to actually sitting and learning on them.  Hello, Monday!

Category: health, Just Crazy... In A Good Way, Kids, news  7 Comments
Dec
15

Lululemon… A Little Tongue-in-Cheekiness!

I guess when you feel you’ve beat the odds, shown the world and pretty much flipped the bird at all of our big retailers-flaunting increased sales and resisting the urge to jump on the markdown wagon- you can have a little fun… after all, it is the homeland- home city, in fact- hosting the 2010 Winter Games.

Lululemon Athletica employee Laurel Richardson models a hockey helmet toque that comes complete with a marker to black out front teeth, and a Canada hoodie complete with a gold-coloured zipper from the company's new product line in Vancouver, B.C., on Monday December 14, 2009. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

Lululemon Athletica employee Laurel Richardson models a hockey helmet toque that comes complete with a marker to black out front teeth, and a Canada hoodie complete with a gold-coloured zipper from the company's new product line in Vancouver, B.C., on Monday December 14, 2009. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

Not to be outdone by the official Canadian fashion supplier of these Olympic Games, the historic, and all but irrelevant, Hudson Bay Company, yoga fashion juggernaut Lululemon is offering up it’s own tongue-in-cheek version… but not really… and not officially, of course…  of Vancouver 2010 Olympic wear.

Despite possible opposition from the powers that be, and the fact that they launched the line-hooded sweatshirts, toques and tees- only a mere two months before the games, Lululemon

insists this clothing line is about patriotism, not ambush marketing ahead of the Olympics.

But the Lulus are no dummies.  With more than a few crazy marketing stunts under it’s belt the Vancouver-based company comes well versed in the rules and regulations pertaining to Olympic marketing.  They have dotted their i’s and crossed their t’s ensuring only a whiff of Olympic Games, rather than outright Games stench, with  their “Cool Sporting Event” tagline.

Olympic fashion is huge during the Games, with Roots scoring bigtime in Games past… remember the tams- erk!  Everyone will have something to contribute to the lucrative Olympics marketplace but will make every effort not to step on the official toes, including Roots itself.  With a new line of outerwear launched this fall, coined the Canada Collection, it is geared to capitalize on the country not the games.

Of course.

So, here’s to Olympic Games fashion fever.  As the yoga lemming I am, always on the lookout for the next yogic trend… and given these Games are but a relative stones throw… chances are pretty good I’ll opt for cache over history… sorry HBC.  While Hudson’s Bay blankets- and could there be anything more Canadian than an elk head sweater ?!-have there place, there’s really nothing like a set of blacked out teeth to get asses in stores.  Maybe next time, ye olde Hudson’s Bay.

Category: clothing, Just Crazy... In A Good Way, news, Products, Trends  Leave a Comment
May
15

Chocolate Yoga… God Must Be A Woman!

Look, I’m not sure I’m buying this trend exactly… but anything that involves chocolate warrants an open mind!!

Category: Blog, Eating, Just Crazy... In A Good Way, Practice, Spirit, Trends  Leave a Comment