Getting comfortable with discomfort - Part I

I am back after another brief blogging hiatus.  I have been travelling quite a bit over the past few weeks, my first trip taking me to Vancouver to partake in a 50 hour Yin Yoga workshop with Bernie Clark.  This workshop was transformational.  I know, I know, more about transformation, but as someone who had previously engaged almost exclusively in the world of the more yang-styles of the practice, this workshop absolutely blew my mind!

One of the original 'Yinsters' and a MASTER teacher: Bernie Clark

The theme of the week for me was 'getting comfortable with discomfort'.  Yin yoga is a style of yoga where you perform a relatively few number of postures and hold each of them for a long time.  It is done mostly on the floor and a lot of props are often used to help you stay supported in the pose.  The main idea is to get the muscles to fully relax so that you can exercise the joints and connective tissues of the body.  What does it feel like?  Well, it feels like whatever part of the body you are targeting is in traction!  And if you have never had traction, well, it is kind of like having braces.  If you haven't had either, well you must be perfect and not need yin yoga.  No, I am just kidding.  Yin yoga is for everyone, and for those of you who have never experienced anything like it, the sensation that you are trying to create is a bit of a dull, achy sensation.  In other words, its a bit uncomfortable.

But this is only the physical side of the practice.  This style of yoga also has energetic benefits.  It works to unblock the energy meridians of the body -- the same ones that acupuncture and acupressure work on.  One of the catch phrases in Yin is that we all have 'issues in the tissues'.  This is alluding to the fact that we store emotions in our body as energy and when we unblock these meridians, these emotions come bubbling up again.  This is creates a wonderful opportunity to release this stored energy, which is very good for us, however, it can be quite uncomfortable.

What is more, Yin yoga also has many benefits for the mind.  Given how still you are for most of the practice, it is quite meditative in nature.  Again, this practice is quite rigorous in that it is asking you to quiet the mind amidst the relative chaos that is happening in the body - more about getting comfortable with the discomfort.

Not surprisingly, my need to get in touch with my 'Yin-side' (haha, no pun intended, but it is funny, get it?  In-side?) spilled out into the rest of my trip.  I felt like I was being tested - as if the Universe was saying, 'so you want to be more Yin do you...'  For starters, we had to get up each day at 5:30 in order to get to the sessions on time.  I am not a morning person and I typically to do not enjoy getting up so early.  Okay, that is a HUGE understatement.  Being tired is one sensation that I loathe and waking up after so few hours of sleep (I was staying with two friends and we tended to stay up LATE) would normally send me into a state of complete and utter panic.  This has been the case since I was a young child, and my family learned to steer clear of me in the morning lest they say the wrong thing or look at me the wrong way.  For me, being tired, especially first thing in the morning when my blood sugar is so low, is very uncomfortable.

I would be lying if I said that I woke up each day with a huge grin on my face, but I did manage to keep myself calm, cool, and collected.  My only incidents were on the first day where I nearly threw up as I was signing in at the studio (darn low blood sugar), and nearly knocking myself out as I left the house one morning, but otherwise, I simply took deep breaths into my low belly and rode out the discomfort I was experiencing.  I was surprised at how quickly the discomfort surrendered into ease.

More tests arose throughout the week, needing to sit on the floor for long periods of time, doing a lot of walking in shoes that had no business doing so, sharing a small space with two lovely gals and not getting on each others nerves and more.  In the end, I have to say that it was all much, much easier than I thought it would be.  I had a lot of fears going into the week, many of which turned out to be unfounded.  As I said at the beginning of this post, overall it was a great experience.  I learned a TON of information that I will be integrating in both my classes at the studio and my retreats in Nordegg.

Myself and my two beautiful travelling companions and roommates: Krista and Melanie

As Bernie would say, 'Yin is IN'... and I would have to agree!

Much love,
MareBare xoxo

P.S. If you want to know more about where I took this course: click here:
Semperviva Studios in Vancouver, BC

P.P.S Stay tuned for Part II of this post (coming soon) -- I took my new Yin-self into the backcountry with three beautiful gals!

Vortexes, magic and miracles

I spent last week in the Phoenix area.  My dad and stepmom have a house in Goodyear and we are super fortunate (and extremely grateful) to be able to use it during the winter months.  I know what you are thinking... more holidays?  Really Maren, REALLY?  I hear you, but let me put it to you this way:

A beautiful house to go to + a car to drive + a short three-hour flight = an offer we can't refuse...

You do the math.

We are not alone in our 'quest' to shorten up the loooong Canadian winter, as we had a multitude of friends/family in the area as well.  In fact, I learned that almost 600,000 Canadians spend their winters in the PHX area -- the 'snowbirds' if you will.  While I am not a snowbird (yet), I can truly understand what the draw down to the desert is!

Anyhow, as part of our vacation Trent got the brilliant idea that myself and 'the girls' should go to Sedona for a girls night.  He even found us a deal on Travelzoo for a night's accommodation/spa treatment/breakfast and a yoga class.  Do I need to do another math equation to illustrate for you why this was also a no-brainer?!  No, I didn't think so. 

Our trip to Sedona proved to be lovely.  Much, much better than I expected even.  The hotel was absolutely beautiful and very luxurious.  The spa even more so.  Our meals were all fantastic and we really enjoyed our 'girl time'.  We spent a lot of time giggling but also a lot of time discussing those 'big questions'... we were in Sedona afterall...

My beautiful travel companions: my mom Dianne, Gail and Darcie

While we didn't come up with any of the 'big answers', I would say that it was an enlightening trip for all of us: full of magic and miracles.  If you have never been to Sedona and you ever get the chance, go.  It will inspire you, it will mesmerize you and it might even change you... for the better. 

Hell, look what it did for my vertical jump:

No, that is not an illusion.  That is really me on the left... IN THE AIR!

See?  Miracles do happen.  That, or I was standing in a vortex.  Either way, it was MAGICAL!

Marebare  xoxo

Groundhog Day

I have been trying to formulate this post in my head for over a week now, and it is ironic that it happens to be coming to fruition on Groundhog Day.  You see, I spent last week in Mexico.  We went there for the wedding of some dear friends of ours and our group (42 of us) stayed at an all-inclusive in Nuevo Vallarta.

The Happy Couple

First of all, let me just say that the wedding was fantastic, absolutely beautiful.  The bride and groom are so perfect for one another and deserve all of the happiness in the world.  It was definitely one of those weddings where you 'just know' that it's the real deal.  It also brought up a lot of happy memories for me, as Trent and I got married (almost 8 years ago!) at an all-inclusive resort in Costa Rica.  Given that the past year has been a bit of a tricky one for us (there is merit in the '7 year curse', I swear!), it was a great time for us to remember our wedding day and to re-affirm our commitment to one another.  We left Chephren at home with my parents, so it really was a nice trip for us to reconnect.

Our wedding in Costa Rica: March 2004

Now, with all of that being said, did staying in an all-inclusive resort ever PUSH MY BUTTONS!!!!  The irony of this fact is not beyond me and I spent a lot of time reflecting on the fact that Trent and I also chose an all-inclusive resort for our wedding.  We had 30 people along for the ride which made us feel so very grateful and honored and it was a really, really fun week.  It helped that we finished off the trip with a 3-month long honeymoon travelling in Central America.  It was definitely a trip that I will never forget.   

Happy in Honduras

The funny thing is, I can't put my finger on what exactly bugged me about our resort experience.  It was a very nice resort; very clean, nice amenities, great view of the ocean from our balcony (we saw dophins!), nice beach and a great group of people.  And while I did enjoy parts of the trip (especially the company), I couldn't help but feel that something wasn't right.  To be honest, I am still trying to work it out in my head.  Here are some theories:

Our room

1. Guilt.  Guilt.  Guilt.  Over what?  Well, the list is long, but here are some of the things on my list:

• The tremendous disparity of wealth between us and the workers at the resort (I made a point to talk to a lot of them and find out their stories - how much they made, who they were supporting, where they lived, etc.  I was reassured by many, many Mexicans that working at the resort was considered a good job). 
• Travelling without Chephren (okay, I don't think that is it... It is my belief that a week away for mom and dad is more than okay and even healthy for the marriage).  Plus, he was with his Grammy and his Grampy and I am pretty sure that he likes them more than us anyways.
• Excess (too many drinks, too much food, and oh, did I say too much DRINKING?!)  You feel guilty if you don't eat/drink yourself silly... after all, you paid for it, right?  This kind of mentality made both Trent and I crazy.  I feel the same way about buffets... they create all kinds of unhealthy eating habits and behaviors.  Actually, this reminds me of going to a buffet with a good friend of mine long ago.  He was determined to 'get his money's worth' and therefore made it his mission to not only eat as much as he could -- but also to eat only the most expensive things at the buffet.  Dude polished off about 30 crab legs... There really is such a thing as too much of a good thing!!!

2. My second theory is that it has something to do with the fact that I was yearning for a 'real' adventure.  I say this because Trent and I invested a lot of time and energy trying to figure out how to get off the resort.  We wanted to ride the local buses, eat at some sketchy restaurants and check out some of the cool little surf towns in the area.  We did do some exploring of the area, and other than the wedding, I would have to say that these were my favorite experiences of the trip.  Trent and I did our fair share of travelling before we had Chephren (okay, let's be honest, it was more like 'dirtbagging' than travelling) and there is a huge part of me that is craving this lifestyle again.  I love the uncertainty and the challenges associated with this lifestyle and we gave it all up to have a family.  The question we were asking ourselves in Mexico was: was that really necessary?  There are families out there who are managing to maintain the dirtbagging lifestyle even with small children.  Either way, it was good to get us talking about it and has helped us to identify how much we miss our 'old life'. 

3. Finally, and this is kind of related to the 2nd reason, the resort ended up feeling like 'Groundhog Day' to me (the Bill Murray movie I mean).  Not at first, but by day three you are thinking, really?  Again?  The same food, the same faces, the same activities, the same, same, same.  As an adult living with ADD, Groundhog Day is something that gives me nightmares...

So, that's it then.  I wish that I could leave you with some glowing nugget of wisdom or some heart warming realization that I have come to.  I am sure that it will eventually lead to this kind of epiphany, but I'm not there yet.  And since it's Groundhog Day (for real), I thought maybe I would throw it out to the Universe to deal with.  Anyone have any brilliant insights?

May your days be filled with peace, love and VARIETY!

xoxo

Marebare

Quick update

Lots of change happening here on the the old Hasse Ranch (or as my friend recently wrote as he addressed our Christmas card 'La Hassienda' -- don't know why I never thought of that before, love it!).  I have started a new project (I know what you are thinking, what NOW? But it is a much simpler project than the last one, believe me), and before I start posting about it, I was feeling like I needed to update my readers briefly (okay, let's be honest, am I ever brief?  No, but I am going to give it a shot).

So, here is what is UP:

• I am going to use point form to help me keep it brief (this girl is thinking this fine, frigid morning!)
• We are moving.  (Can I please get a yahoo?)  We are moving into the nearest town - Stony Plain into Trent's Dad's house.  It is a LOOOONG story how this all came to be, and I won't bore you with the details but the bottom line is: Smaller house + Less Driving + Opportunity to PURGE my material life = Blissful Me!
• My parents are also moving - check that, have MOVED.  Also into Stony Plain and will be living 1.5 miles away from us.  Yes, I measured and yes, it is going to feel like half a world away, but we are telling ourselves it is SHORT TERM!
• I spent the month of November in Maui.  I didn't blog because I wanted to 'disconnect' from technology and 'reconnect' with 'Le Nature'.  It was amazing.  I did outside yoga almost daily, watched the sunset over the ocean many, many times, went parasailing, went diving, went whale watching, and spent a glorious amount of time by the pool and on the beach with my family.  In other words, I spent most of the month feeling inner bliss.  (And no, I am not overjoyed to be back home in Canada, but I am getting used to it!)

I think that's about it.  See?  Brief.

What?

Oh... the Project.  Nope.  Not telling.  I am working on the first post right now and you will have to wait for it.  Not long though, I promise ;)

Here's to CHANGE!

Love,
Marebare xoxo

Questions, questions, questions.

As I have alluded to in previous posts, taking on this challenge wasn't exactly a long-standing plan, but more of an impulsive decision. That being said, there are a lot of areas that I haven't yet considered. A friend of mine posed me the following questions on the facebook group, and I thought it might be interesting to explore them here:

She wrote:
"Maren, I have a few questions. What if friends want you to come out for dinner with them? Must you decline? Or what about if you want to go snowboarding/skiing for the weekend, do you not purchase a ticket? Trips - must they be in a car with premade meals? What of money for 'fun' things? I assume alcohol fits in the be...verages category, does that mean your going to buy all Canadian homegrown wine? Ahh so many questions! So exciting!"

Okay, going out to dinner:
I think that I have sort of made up my own mind on this one. I am going to attempt to avoid big chain restaurants at all costs. So, if it is locally owned, it is okay. Also, no extravagant meals (not that I normally partake in these anyway, but, I guess that it should still be stated). I don't think that it would be realistic (or fun) to spend a year without going out for a meal AT ALL. As a rule, I rarely eat out anyway, so now it is just a matter of finding some neat little businesses to do it in. I am looking forward to both the challenge and the new experiences. By the way, if you know any great little restaurants/cafes in the Edmonton area, please let me know and I will try them out or pass them along to others.

Next, recreation:
The recreation thing is easy for me (mostly), because I tend to participate in sports that are either low cost or free once you have all of the necessary gear (which, luckily, I do). My sports of choice include: running, biking, cross-country and backcountry skiing (if people can put up with all of my falling!), ice climbing, rock climbing, hiking, scrambling, paddling, etc. Again, mostly free once you have the gear. There are two places where I am going to be challenged here. Number one is, what happens when I need new runners? (which is inevitably going to happen this year). But, I am going to leave you in suspense on this one and leave it to a later blog entry to discuss it. Number two is, I am training for a triathlon right now and need to use the rec centre pool (since all of the outside bodies of water around my place are FROZEN SOLID! To know more about how I feel about his, please see the entry about MOVING!) Given this frigid situation, I am a member of a rec centre so that I can do my swims and some of my bikes/runs there when the weather is too cold. I don't see this as 'consumption' because no end product is going into the landfill and it is really an affordable price for a monthly membership. If you disagree, I welcome your comments and/or suggestions.

Next, travel:
Okay, this is the toughest one of all for me because, as many of you know, I am truly a travel junkie. I think that I did ten trips last year alone! I am addicted and if I could, I would spend all of my time, energy and money in order to continue on in this very same fashion! So, for this year, I honestly don't think I could give it up entirely, but I am going to reduce the amount that I do travel. We are discussing taking two trips, one in the spring, and one in the fall. We will of course continue to go to the mountains on the weekends as often as we possibly can, and we are planning on spending most of the summer in Nordegg. So, if I am 'cheating' on any area of my plan, it is for sure this one. I just can't help myself!

Finally, wine:
Okay, another area in which I don't plan to be perfect. I love wine. In fact, I love it so much that I might even say that I like it more than coffee. I also think that I am going to need to continue to enjoy wine in order to make good on the rest of my challenges (!). My plan therefore is to continue to drink wine, but just drink less of it. We already purchase a lot of Canadian wines so I don't think that we need to make huge changes here. Again, I would love to hear from you if you have feedback or input on this one.

So, I think that about sums up the answers to the questions. I look forward to your feedback if you should have any.

And now, for an especially fitting quote:
Wine is constant proof that God loves us and loves to see us happy. - Benjamin Franklin

Salut! And thanks for reading!
Marebear :)