Quiet Winter Evenings

My evenings are yin.
My days are yang.
From the moment I wake up at 6:15 a.m., 'till Margot hits the sack at 7 pm, I feel like I'm go go go. My job is very yang: lots of movement, lots of talking, lots of on-the-spot decision making. It's quick. It's active.
Now, more than ever, I need evening yin time. Time to knit, to watch Mad Men, to read, to talk quietly. To breathe.

Yang moment

Art on Sunday!

 

Winter with a Toddler

Winter with a toddler (i.e. Margot) is tough!
It takes ages to bundle her up to affront the winter . Snowpants. Boots. Tuque. Boots are kicked off. Boots. Tuque is pulled off. Coat. Zip up. Tuque. There goes her boots again! Mitts? I'm not even attempting mitts.

Needless to say, it is a struggle. Then, I have to get dressed. I still haven't figured out if it's easier for the parent to get dressed before or after the child.

Yesterday afternoon, we went on a nice family walk around our neighborhood. The sun was out; the air was friendly; it wasn't too cold. We placed Margot in the jogging stroller (SUV of strollers) . She had a lot of room for her extra blankets, books,  and dried apricots in her little tupperware. Quite a nice ride! It would be more seasonal to put her in her orange plastic sleigh and pull her, but there's not enough room in there for all her stuff and it doesn't cover her face (just in case she gets cold).

Shoveling with a rake is really efficient!

This is crazy! B.M.*, Simon and I used to go for a walk almost everyday (even in winter!). Aren't the best walks the ones right before you go to bed,; you get energized and then sleep so well? At around 9:00pm or so, even on a really cold evening, you lace up your boots, pull your tuque to cover your ears, and go for an evening stroll (and spy in people's houses)?
And nowadays,  walking (and we're talking here, just around our neighborhood and for about 40 minutes) has become such a big deal, requiring so much energy. It's so much simpler to stay in.


*B.M.: Before Margot

On Saturday evening, we had a nice family moment of sitting in the living and reading on the couch. All three of us. Margot did get up once in awhile to run to her room to get books, but I'm quite impressed by her concentration ability! I had to capture that moment on camera. Yes, we were posing for that picture, but prior to it, we were reading for a good twenty minutes. I think that it's important to read to your child, but most importantly, that your child sees you read.

A Yogini's Journey - Part 3

On  December 19th, I decided to purchase a one-month unlimited yoga pass at Adishesha yoga . Since I roughly had one month off before I started teaching, I decided (actually, my mom is the one who presented this idea) to try it. It does seem a bit daunting: Unlimited yoga. Do it!  I figured if I did more than 12 classes, I would get my money's worth. And yes, I did do 12 classes.

Here's what I realized:

-90 minutes is actually quite a long time for a yoga class. I much prefer 75-minute classes. Perhaps I'm more comfortable with 60-75 minutes because this is what I practice at home.

-The title of the class (be it a Hatha, Hatha Flow, Hips & Backs & Shoulders, Vinyasa, Gentle Yoga) rarely means anything. The teacher is the one who decides and sets the tone for the class.

-It takes time. The entire process (driving there and back) of a yoga class is approximately two hours. Time is a luxury.

-It's much simpler to do yoga at home. The challenge is to be disciplined about it. I actually miss Yoga Today.

-I think that for someone of my level, I need an advanced teacher who does a lot of hands on adjustments.

-There are many good teachers out there. Rarely, if ever, I have come across one that wasn't good. But I haven't found a spectacular one. My search continues...

-Styles of yoga I don't really enjoy: yin and restorative. I never feel like it gets the prana moving.
-Style I do enjoy: flow (a.k.a. vinyasa). It energizes my body, mind and breath and I always feel awesome after a flow class. There's a bit of everything in a flow class and variations are often presented. I'm aware that it's a popular style of yoga and that everyone does *flow*,  but it works! I feel open, strong, playful, limbered and balanced after a class.
-I also like hot yoga. Not bikram, because it's always the same 26 asanas. I like a hot yoga class that is creative and varied (and not TOO hot!). Last year, in the Spring, I did a one-month unlimited at Moksha because I received a special deal. It was a good experience and I did feel like I was glowing after class. But parking was a hassle, the classes were packed (needed to reserve in advance), the change rooms were crowded, and it wasn't spiritual enough to my liking (some classes didn't even chant"om"!); it felt like a lot of students attended classes strictly to be in shape, only focusing on the physical aspect of yoga. And yes, there was a lot of lululemon there!

Overall, the one-month unlimited was a positive experience and I'm glad I did it. It forced me to go to class and to try out different yoga teachers.
Yoga is something I truly enjoy. It's playful! And I smile a lot when I'm in class.

Raisin Organization

Here's Margot developing her "logico-mathematical" intelligence (or is it the spatial one)?

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Margot's Hobbies: Mustard, Art and Photographs

Who says playing with mustard isn't fun? Come on!

 
Margot was quite taken by Bill Reid's The Spirit of Haida Gwai during our visit at the Museum of Civilization last Sunday:

Flipping through the 2010 photo album keeps her occupied and focused:

Cold January

This morning, the temperature dropped and with the wind, it feels like -30C. Quite a chilly one!

Snow Angel

Snow flying up!

 

 

Having enough of going uphill.

Still trees

Note: The above pictures were taken in Calabogie, where we celebrated the New Year with N+R.

Fun Ride at the Sugarbush Trail

Instead of napping, this is what Margot does: