Author Archives: angela j

Honouring Myself

Posted by May 9, 2016 Happiness, health, motherhood, parenthood, yoga Leave a Comment

Mother’s day for this year has come and gone. Even though I have been a mother myself for nearly nine years I still find the lead up and the day very difficult since I lost my mom to cancer twelve years ago. I tend to anticipate the sadness of the day by busying myself and making plans other than celebrating. And this is what I did this year. I knew my love for teaching yoga teacher trainees would be a happy way to spend the day so I committed myself to that.

One of the topics I shared with the group was the importance of taking care of yourself as a teacher and a yogi. We discussed how some days you have to give your classes to other teachers when you are feeling tired and drained. I know from past experience that trainings that last for full days and weekends leave me feeling this way yet a voice in my head said “You will be fine to teach your regular classes on Monday morning. You have toughed it out before. You can do this”. While I can appreciate my internal motivational speaker at times, I had to stop and ask myself why I felt the need to “tough it out”. Luckily I have a profession that allows me to take time off so I did just that. No plans for most of the day just an opportunity to rest and listen to my body. As my children left for school they asked me: “What are you going to do all day? Just lay around and drink coffee?” My answer was: “Something like that”. I feel it is important to show them that I decided I needed a day to slow down and honour myself as a woman and as a mother. I want them to learn that parents need time to take care of themselves so that they can be parents who are present, healthy and happy individuals. Perhaps if my mother had shown me I wouldn’t be hearing the “tough it out voice”.

So today, the day after Mother’s Day, I’m slowing down to honour my mother and the sacrifices she made for her four kids. And I’m honouring myself as a mother and my need to rest and renew.

“There is no way to be a perfect mother….but a million ways to be a good one.”

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My Mom and I on Lake Kamaniskeg, her happy place.

Five Reasons Why YOU need to go to Summer Camp!

Posted by Feb 9, 2016 adventure, fitness, glamping, Happiness, hiking, kayak, SUP, wine, yoga , , , , , Leave a Comment
Five Reasons Why YOU need to go to Summer Camp!

It’s that time of year again when parents are booking campsites, summer holidays, and sorting through local resources for kids’ camps while school is out. Do you remember how much fun summer camp was when you were a kid? Playing outdoors all day. Getting dirty and wet. Trying new activities and facing fears. Meeting new friends and creating long lasting relationships. All that fun doesn’t have to be reserved for children only. I think it’s about time us adults got in on this too. And that is why last year I organized the first YOGA ADVENTURE RETREAT in Long Point, Ontario. Over and over I kept hearing participants at the retreat say “This is like summer camp for adults….only with wine!”. So here are my 5 reasons why YOU need to come to “Adult Summer Camp”.

 
#1 – Time to unwind, relax and reconnect with yourself!
We all lead busy lives and often when we do schedule a family vacation we are so busy preparing meals, cleaning up and organizing activities, it doesn’t actually feel like much of a holiday. Maybe you feel guilty about taking time just for you, let’s face it most parents do. However, when you take time to recharge, you come back to the people you love ready to give them all of you.
Last year my family purchased a home early in the year and it turned out our closing date was one day after the retreat, which I had organized long before we bought our house. Everyone thought I was crazy to still go on the retreat and then move the next day. It ended up being the best possible scenario because I returned home energized and calm, ready to take on the stress that moving brings.
When on retreat your meals are lovingly prepared for you. No clean up either. Your activities are taken care of and spaced out so there is lots of time to take in the peaceful surroundings. The accommodations are as close to sleeping outside, and a five star hotel at the same time, as you can get. I don’t remember the last time I slept so soundly. The only thing that woke me one night was the “hooot” of an owl!

#2 – Get out of your comfort zone and face some fears!
I always remember doing activities at camp that were outside my comfort zone. It was an adrenaline rush and brought a sense of accomplishment and confidence that isn’t often felt in adulthood. Remember how you grew as a person, how it changed you? That doesn’t have to end once you have a mortgage and parental responsibilities. So if the thrill of zip lining through the Carolinian forest gives you butterflies, it’s time!

#3 – Get out in nature
There’s nothing like fresh air and the lovely songs of birds all around you to bring you back to yourself and what matters most in life. It’s not even a feeling that can be put into words. Long Point is a World Biosphere Reserve and home to Bird Studies Canada. You are bound to spot some amazing wildlife.
I believe food, wine and exercise is 1000 times better when you are in nature. I remember arriving at Long Point Eco Adventures last year and immediately sharing a bottle of Burning Kiln red wine under the canopy and just looking out over the marsh, unwinding and chatting. It was the perfect way to transition to the weekend. We spotted all kids of birds and was my first time seeing an Oriole!

#4 – Make new friends and enjoy the “old” ones
Whenever my kids attend camps they come home and tell me about their awesome new BFF. It seems that kids can easily make new friends. I remember summer camp being a time where we would be put into groups, at first I felt shy about these new faces and then in a short amount of time we were interacting and laughing together, creating long lasting friendships. It was amazing last year to see how everyone meshed. There was such an eclectic group and we bonded over who as the first to fall in the lake while SUP’ing or who helped who portage the kayaks over the fallen trees. This human connection is irreplaceable and lacking in our day to day. Many people came with friends that they hadn’t spent more than a couple of hours with in a long time. It was great to see them taking their friendships to a new level and made me wish I had brought a friend along with me.

#5 – YOU deserve to have some fun too!
Why should FUN be reserved for kids only?! It’s tough to find fun activities as an adult. And maybe it’s time we took back our fun. It’s time to let go of the responsibilities, the rigid schedules and “To-Do” lists. This is your weekend to focus on you, to let loose and belly laugh at yourself and with others. I guarantee you will NOT want to leave come Sunday!

Three days and two nights on the Yoga Adventure Retreat will leave you feeling brand new and energized. Check out EVENTS and reserve your room today!

Namaste & ZIP ON!

-Angela

How being a YOGI helps me in the gym

Posted by Sep 16, 2015 sports, workout, yoga for athletes , , Leave a Comment
How being a YOGI helps me in the gym

I have worked out in a gym much longer than I have been practicing yoga. When I think back to my time in the gym before yoga I realize that I wasn’t working out as efficiently as I could due to a lack of knowledge and coaching. So here is how becoming a yogi has made me better in the gym.

Breathing

When practicing yoga you develop a refined sense of your breath. You learn to observe, control and deepen your breath. You begin to discover ways that your breath gives you strength beyond what you perceive yourself capable of. This doesn’t end when you finish your yoga practice. You can use these tools to help you maintain body awareness in the gym too ensuring that you stay safe in your exercises and to give you the ability to lift more or do more reps.

Improved range of motion

Yoga is touted with being one of the best ways to improve flexibility. And while it does so much more than that it certainly is a means to getting deeper in your squats. A lot of athletes don’t think they need more flexibility. Yet if you remove the weight in some of their exercises and ask them to show you their range of motion they likely won’t get very far with their body properly aligned….and they expect to do it properly with weight?! You will feel so much more power in your movements when you move with more ease through a full range of motion. And less likely for injury to happen when compensation is at a minimum.

Core strength & awareness

I’ve seen strong athletes with apparent, defined abdominals struggle to hold a side plank. It’s not that they don’t have the core strength to do so but they also need to fine tune how they use their core. Once we learn to stabilize from the core we can develop more strength and power in our movements. I see this in myself when I spin. When I’m aware of my centre and I draw in (like I’ve practiced so many times in yoga) it allows me to use less effort to push harder.

Energy locks

In yoga we refer to energy locks as Bandhas which means to lock, to hold, to tighten. There are three bandhas in the body and one that ties them all together. I won’t go into much detail here about how to find them or what they do. For that you are going to have to give yoga a try. To understand them you need to imagine that energy can move out of the body (not very useful when training) or stay within the body (more energy in to push harder or longer). Here’s an example that you can try if you’ve ever done prowler runs. Try a set with your chin forward then try a set with your chin drawn into your chest (i.e making a double chin). In the later you should feel stronger, faster, and the exercise slightly easier. Remember it takes practice to refine this just like anything else.

I love being in the gym, pushing myself, and I also love yoga, taking care of myself. I cannot imagine doing either one of these without the other anymore. If this has piqued your interest maybe it’s time to set the dumbells down and roll out a yoga mat!

Spring Yoga Adventure Retreat 2015 Recap

Posted by Jul 10, 2015 adventure, fitness, glamping, health, hiking, kayak, passion, SUP, wine, yoga Leave a Comment
Spring Yoga Adventure Retreat 2015 Recap

A month has already passed since myself and two dozen other adventurous souls embarked on the first Yoga Adventure Retreat in St. Williams, Ontario. I’m still buzzing from the energy and fun that we had. I never would have believed that months of planning, organizing and marketing would have resulted in such a relaxing and rejuvenating experience for myself as an organizer but also for each individual who came. We had the best group of people come together. They came from all over Ontario and many had never met each other yet some how everyone enjoyed each other’s company and brought their own flavour to the weekend.

The retreat was held at the beautiful Long Point Eco Adventures (www.lpfun.ca). The accommodations were unique with amazingly comfortable beds (each one had a personal heater), in room flush toilets and an outdoor shower. I almost didn’t want to leave the room. The staff went above and beyond to make us feel comfortable. The facility is top notch and everyone must visit sometime. Trust me when I say you won’t want to leave!

The retreat began on a Friday evening. I arrived ahead of schedule and grabbed myself a bottle of cab frank from Burning Kiln Winery (www.burningkilnwinery.ca) across the street. I quickly fell into the groove of being on holidays as I sipped my wine under the Marshview Tent overlooking the serene Long Point inner bay with one of my guests. We watched all kinds of beautiful birds fly around us and shared wonderful conversation. Slowly other guests arrived and joined us under the tent after being led to their own tents to drop off their luggage. Before we knew it our dinner, which was catered by The Blue Elephant restaurant in Simcoe (www.blueelephant.ca), was delivered right to us under the tent. The food was plentiful and delicious. They clearly used local, fresh ingredients and we could not get enough. Especially the chocolate cake…or maybe that was just me! After dinner we rolled out our yoga mats on the grass and enjoyed a gentle, relaxing yoga practice then met at the campfire for some conversation and laughs until one by one we headed to bed. You couldn’t help but marvel at the beautiful sky full of stars. Next time I want to experience the observatory they have right on site. I personally had one of the best sleeps I have had in a long time. It was so quiet there.

On Saturday morning we woke up to a yummy breakfast served in the Kambuka tent. There’s something about fresh coffee and fresh air! Then we split into two groups to head off to our morning adventure. Half the group departed for a kayak tour along Big Creek and the other half drove to Port Dover to do some Stand Up Paddle board along the shores of Lake Erie. Both groups thoroughly enjoyed their tour and found them physically challenging and rewarding. The kayak group overcame an obstacle when a tree was blocking their route, they had to portage over it. I was in the SUP group and we faced some rough waters but still managed to paddle for 7.5 km and fit in some SUP yoga at the very end. Those in the SUP group were able to fit in a short yoga practice back at LPEA before the kayak group arrived back. So far the weather had been great even though the initial forecast was calling for rain most of the weekend.

Saturday evening we all gathered and walked across the street to the Burning Kiln Winery. We had a tour of the vineyard and the production facilities and learned so much about the birth and growth of wine production in an area of agriculture most known for tobacco. It was very educational and interesting. Then we headed to our own private tent onsite for a wine tasting. The staff at BK were wonderful and lots of fun. Maybe it was the wine talking but I felt like this might have been my favourite part of the weekend. That feeling of being outside all day, satiated from the physicality of our earlier adventure and perfectly relaxed in the evening sun. Our meal was provided by David’s of Port Dover (www.davidsportdover.com) and was absolutely amazing. Many of us took home some “grown-up” souvenirs to enjoy later. Some of us enjoyed more wine back at the campfire until we all headed to bed.

On Sunday morning we once again had breakfast in the Kambuka tent and headed out for a short hike through the Carolinian forest which stretches all the way to Long Point, a designated UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve. The sun was out and we enjoyed one last yoga practice outdoors. Soon after, the thunder and rain began delaying our zip lining tour. Six of us were able to wait out the thunder but many had to head back home so they left with a voucher to come back and take the tour. Those of us who stayed faced our fears, screamed until we were hoarse and bonded over goosebumps and smiles. We all gave each other hugs goodbye even though just a short time ago many were strangers. It was sad that the weekend had come to an end, I didn’t want to leave. Most told me how much they truly enjoyed the weekend and how they couldn’t wait for the next one.

I loved every second of the weekend and I have all the participants to thank plus Long Point Eco Adventures, Burning Kiln Winery, David’s, The Blue Elephant, SUP guides, Kayak guides and Mother Nature for providing us with this gem of an area called Norfolk County! To see more pictures from the weekend click here :http://1drv.ms/1d1u2h4  IMG_4553 IMG_4560 IMG_4589

If you are interested in the next Yoga Adventure Retreat subscribe to my blog and I will post dates as soon as I can.

Namaste & Zip on!