As I write this, the slow, steady pulse of the live African drum beats in my head. I reflect back to the last three weekends. I reflect on creation, manifestation, breakdowns, breakthroughs, and personal victories. As the drum beats...
Sunday, September 26th, 2010... Kinndli's Bump Party wraps up at Power Yoga Canada. Her friend and inspiration - Paige Elenson, founder of Africa Yoga Project - gets ready to teach as the food tables and baby gifts are moved and the mats are rolled out. Jenna, Trish, Angela, John, Parastu, and I - along with some others - occupy the back row. Some of our other friends are scattered in other parts of the room. As Brandy starts to drum, we all scramble to get onto our mats as Paige begins to teach. From the beginning, Paige focuses on Creation as a tribute to Kinndli and all the other mothers in the room. As the drum beats...
As I reflect on the theme of Creation, I cannot help think about manifestation. Manifestion brings forth creation. An idea, a goal, a desire. These are seeds. Once planted and nurtured, it takes root. In order to see this creation through to the fullest, it must be maintained and fully nurtured... Like a mother to a child... As the drum beats...
I reflect on the events of this day that brings my friends and I together on our mats to partake in Paige's powerful delivery of the Baptiste Power Vinyasa Flow. We all had an early morning as we made our way to downtown Toronto for the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon races. Angela, Jenna, and Kim are getting ready to start their first half marathon. John Fortin - ROGA leader and recent finisher of his first Ironman - and I prepare to pace them as unofficial runners. Trish was the keeper of the jackets and official photographer of the group. After I park my car and get directions to the meeting spot, Jenna is sent ahead to meet me while the rest of the group line up in the starting chute.
The race starts. It takes Jenna and I ten minutes to get across the start line. Once the crowds thin out a bit, we settle into a pace that we want to maintain. We pass through the different neighbourhoods that are a part of the downtown core as we head onto the Lakeshore. We are going very strong all the way past the halfway point and up to the turnaround. I remember joking to Jenna that it is a good thing she is not living in her condo at this time. Her condo is a couple blocks north of the turnaround and could have been very inviting to escape to.
On the way back, Jenna starts to slow down. She is starting to hurt and wants to take walk and stretch breaks. I let her go at her own pace but I also encourage her to force the march as she is walking so it would not hurt as much to start running again. As we keep moving, I try to keep her spirits up while keeping her out of her head as the going gets tough. She remains intact as I tell her stories, point out people I know, and help her out with extra fluids. She also gets cheered on by spectators who call her out by name upon seeing it printed on her bib. As we get closer to the finish, I encourage her to pick up the pace. While it is tough for her to do so, she does pick it up. I can sense she is getting emotional at this point.
Crossing the finish line was definitely a personal victory for her as it was for the others who finished earlier. She swears that she would have quit if I wasn't there for her. I do not believe that for a moment. We did not spend four months of teacher training and personal transformation under Kinndli's watch to have quitting on the mind. A breakdown gives way to a breakthrough. As the drum beats...
I see myself in Jenna the same way she sees herself in me. In fact, all of us up and coming yoga teachers sees something in the other person that mirrors who we are in some way. This is why we are all so close in the Power Yoga Canada community. Seeing Jenna through her journey, I could not help but reflect on my darkest moments during the Haliburton Forest 100M two weeks prior. This was especially true when we saw Helen running on the Lakeshore and we spoke while Jenna stretched. There is a newspaper article with me in it from the race. I now await the article.
Around midnight, I stumbled into aid station five with sore and wet feet that were bandaged earlier. The first twelve and a half hours were great with me setting another course PB for 50 miles. I was nearing extreme exhaustion, I had heard a bear off in the woods somewhere, and I was emotionally beaten up. QUIT was on the mind as I stumbled in and sank into a chair by the fire. After gathering my wits and with much encouragement, I set off with another runner who came in after me. I still had some doubt as I got to aid station six and started doing the math on what had to be done to get to aid station seven before 4h00 with less than two hours to go. Gary's words sounded like doubting taunts in my mind. 10km to the top going mainly uphill on a couple of the trails? Just GO! DO IT! My mind screamed as I set off. I remember letting loose on all the downhills, forcefully marching up the hills, and forcing a jog on the forest roads. The time to the top? 1:20:00, beating the cutoff by 20 minutes... Whoa!
The trip back to Gary's was more difficult. The effort to get to the top totally wore me out and I found myself stumbling and trying to stay awake. After leaving that station, I was happy to see the sun come out. However, I was not prepared for the hallucinations that had a grip on me for the remainder of the race and the drive home. I quickly counted off the aid stations on the way to the finish. I was looking to finish at least half an hour before the cut off.
The final loop around the Normac trail was really tough. I thought about the cost of it all - the cost of me giving it my all, the cost that I would have to live with if I had quit earlier, and what brought me to where I am at the present moment. I was totally broken down at this point but I did not want to be the one that quits - especially since I wanted to continue to inspire others. I thought about the Roga group getting ready for the half marathon and the highs and lows. I thought about John embarking on his first Ironman as I was finishing my race. I thought about Lorene in Budapest and wondered what the results were for her race the day before as I was into the first half of my race. I thought about some of my distant running buddies who I wished I was with at the moment. I thought about the shifts I made since embarking on my journey to become a yoga instructor. In a final resolve to move, I screamed. I let my feelings be known to the surroundings in the woods - What I hated, what I wanted, my opinions... I HATE THIS! LIES! MOVE IT! SO WHAT?! A loon echoed my screams each time.
The final 4 miles were completed with with determination and seething emotion. The support I had through to the end was a reminder to me - I was never alone. It was a story that was running me throughout the night. Why did I let those stories of loneliness, unworthiness, and everything else negative run me? Why did ego get in the way? It did not matter in the end. The fact is that with two seconds left to the cut off, I crossed the line and was finally able to crash into a chair and let it all go before cleaning up and claiming my belt buckle. Breakdown yields to breakthroughs and personal victories. As the drum beats...
Paige's class is in full swing. It is infused with Brandy's instruction of an African dance that signifies a woman's rite of passage into motherhood. After that brief pause, Paige continues to move us through the Baptiste Flow. The messages delivered are very powerful and I cannot help but feel more energised to go to the growing edge and beyond in my practise. "Opportunities that are created lead to something bigger." This was the quote that really moved and inspired me. It still sticks with me to this very day. As the drum beats...
After the class wraps up, a group of us gather around and discuss our day and our lives. Among us is Dallas. Dallas is still battling cancer with chemotherapy. However, she is a lot more mobile now. She continues to be a part of the Power Yoga Canada Community by volunteering her time to the Energy Exchange programme. We are immensely happy to see Dallas sitting among us as we reminisce over the last few months. As the drum beats...
Later on, Monica, Pino, Eva, and I discuss goals as part of our Padawan meeting. We are all infused with new insights and ideas as we share with each other. There is definitely a connection with all of us in the group and it is all good. I later conclude the whole day by joining the Roga group at the pub across the street where we discuss the day's race and all the stories surrounding it, and possible races looking forward. As the drum beats...
The drum beating was definitely the highlight of the day for me. In fact, the beautiful sound still perforates my mind at times. It was as strong on this day, as it was the week before when Power Yoga Canada was alive for Yoga Aid, a fundraising event that raised money for Africa Yoga Project as the chosen charity. There was definitely a lot of energy in that class which involved doing 108 Sun Salutations. I definitely had fun assisting that class.
Paige, your class was truly an inspiration to my mind, body, and spirit. I thank you dearly for sharing your practise with the rest of us. Keep up the greatness in what you do and I hope to meet you either at Baron's Teacher Training Bootcamp, during your next trip to Canada, or perhaps on my trip to East Africa where I hike Kilimanjaro, and then work at an Africa Yoga Project site afterwards.
With the drum beats in my mind... Namaste...
Sunday, September 26th, 2010... Kinndli's Bump Party wraps up at Power Yoga Canada. Her friend and inspiration - Paige Elenson, founder of Africa Yoga Project - gets ready to teach as the food tables and baby gifts are moved and the mats are rolled out. Jenna, Trish, Angela, John, Parastu, and I - along with some others - occupy the back row. Some of our other friends are scattered in other parts of the room. As Brandy starts to drum, we all scramble to get onto our mats as Paige begins to teach. From the beginning, Paige focuses on Creation as a tribute to Kinndli and all the other mothers in the room. As the drum beats...
As I reflect on the theme of Creation, I cannot help think about manifestation. Manifestion brings forth creation. An idea, a goal, a desire. These are seeds. Once planted and nurtured, it takes root. In order to see this creation through to the fullest, it must be maintained and fully nurtured... Like a mother to a child... As the drum beats...
I reflect on the events of this day that brings my friends and I together on our mats to partake in Paige's powerful delivery of the Baptiste Power Vinyasa Flow. We all had an early morning as we made our way to downtown Toronto for the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon races. Angela, Jenna, and Kim are getting ready to start their first half marathon. John Fortin - ROGA leader and recent finisher of his first Ironman - and I prepare to pace them as unofficial runners. Trish was the keeper of the jackets and official photographer of the group. After I park my car and get directions to the meeting spot, Jenna is sent ahead to meet me while the rest of the group line up in the starting chute.
The race starts. It takes Jenna and I ten minutes to get across the start line. Once the crowds thin out a bit, we settle into a pace that we want to maintain. We pass through the different neighbourhoods that are a part of the downtown core as we head onto the Lakeshore. We are going very strong all the way past the halfway point and up to the turnaround. I remember joking to Jenna that it is a good thing she is not living in her condo at this time. Her condo is a couple blocks north of the turnaround and could have been very inviting to escape to.
On the way back, Jenna starts to slow down. She is starting to hurt and wants to take walk and stretch breaks. I let her go at her own pace but I also encourage her to force the march as she is walking so it would not hurt as much to start running again. As we keep moving, I try to keep her spirits up while keeping her out of her head as the going gets tough. She remains intact as I tell her stories, point out people I know, and help her out with extra fluids. She also gets cheered on by spectators who call her out by name upon seeing it printed on her bib. As we get closer to the finish, I encourage her to pick up the pace. While it is tough for her to do so, she does pick it up. I can sense she is getting emotional at this point.
Crossing the finish line was definitely a personal victory for her as it was for the others who finished earlier. She swears that she would have quit if I wasn't there for her. I do not believe that for a moment. We did not spend four months of teacher training and personal transformation under Kinndli's watch to have quitting on the mind. A breakdown gives way to a breakthrough. As the drum beats...
I see myself in Jenna the same way she sees herself in me. In fact, all of us up and coming yoga teachers sees something in the other person that mirrors who we are in some way. This is why we are all so close in the Power Yoga Canada community. Seeing Jenna through her journey, I could not help but reflect on my darkest moments during the Haliburton Forest 100M two weeks prior. This was especially true when we saw Helen running on the Lakeshore and we spoke while Jenna stretched. There is a newspaper article with me in it from the race. I now await the article.
Around midnight, I stumbled into aid station five with sore and wet feet that were bandaged earlier. The first twelve and a half hours were great with me setting another course PB for 50 miles. I was nearing extreme exhaustion, I had heard a bear off in the woods somewhere, and I was emotionally beaten up. QUIT was on the mind as I stumbled in and sank into a chair by the fire. After gathering my wits and with much encouragement, I set off with another runner who came in after me. I still had some doubt as I got to aid station six and started doing the math on what had to be done to get to aid station seven before 4h00 with less than two hours to go. Gary's words sounded like doubting taunts in my mind. 10km to the top going mainly uphill on a couple of the trails? Just GO! DO IT! My mind screamed as I set off. I remember letting loose on all the downhills, forcefully marching up the hills, and forcing a jog on the forest roads. The time to the top? 1:20:00, beating the cutoff by 20 minutes... Whoa!
The trip back to Gary's was more difficult. The effort to get to the top totally wore me out and I found myself stumbling and trying to stay awake. After leaving that station, I was happy to see the sun come out. However, I was not prepared for the hallucinations that had a grip on me for the remainder of the race and the drive home. I quickly counted off the aid stations on the way to the finish. I was looking to finish at least half an hour before the cut off.
The final loop around the Normac trail was really tough. I thought about the cost of it all - the cost of me giving it my all, the cost that I would have to live with if I had quit earlier, and what brought me to where I am at the present moment. I was totally broken down at this point but I did not want to be the one that quits - especially since I wanted to continue to inspire others. I thought about the Roga group getting ready for the half marathon and the highs and lows. I thought about John embarking on his first Ironman as I was finishing my race. I thought about Lorene in Budapest and wondered what the results were for her race the day before as I was into the first half of my race. I thought about some of my distant running buddies who I wished I was with at the moment. I thought about the shifts I made since embarking on my journey to become a yoga instructor. In a final resolve to move, I screamed. I let my feelings be known to the surroundings in the woods - What I hated, what I wanted, my opinions... I HATE THIS! LIES! MOVE IT! SO WHAT?! A loon echoed my screams each time.
The final 4 miles were completed with with determination and seething emotion. The support I had through to the end was a reminder to me - I was never alone. It was a story that was running me throughout the night. Why did I let those stories of loneliness, unworthiness, and everything else negative run me? Why did ego get in the way? It did not matter in the end. The fact is that with two seconds left to the cut off, I crossed the line and was finally able to crash into a chair and let it all go before cleaning up and claiming my belt buckle. Breakdown yields to breakthroughs and personal victories. As the drum beats...
Paige's class is in full swing. It is infused with Brandy's instruction of an African dance that signifies a woman's rite of passage into motherhood. After that brief pause, Paige continues to move us through the Baptiste Flow. The messages delivered are very powerful and I cannot help but feel more energised to go to the growing edge and beyond in my practise. "Opportunities that are created lead to something bigger." This was the quote that really moved and inspired me. It still sticks with me to this very day. As the drum beats...
After the class wraps up, a group of us gather around and discuss our day and our lives. Among us is Dallas. Dallas is still battling cancer with chemotherapy. However, she is a lot more mobile now. She continues to be a part of the Power Yoga Canada Community by volunteering her time to the Energy Exchange programme. We are immensely happy to see Dallas sitting among us as we reminisce over the last few months. As the drum beats...
Later on, Monica, Pino, Eva, and I discuss goals as part of our Padawan meeting. We are all infused with new insights and ideas as we share with each other. There is definitely a connection with all of us in the group and it is all good. I later conclude the whole day by joining the Roga group at the pub across the street where we discuss the day's race and all the stories surrounding it, and possible races looking forward. As the drum beats...
The drum beating was definitely the highlight of the day for me. In fact, the beautiful sound still perforates my mind at times. It was as strong on this day, as it was the week before when Power Yoga Canada was alive for Yoga Aid, a fundraising event that raised money for Africa Yoga Project as the chosen charity. There was definitely a lot of energy in that class which involved doing 108 Sun Salutations. I definitely had fun assisting that class.
Paige, your class was truly an inspiration to my mind, body, and spirit. I thank you dearly for sharing your practise with the rest of us. Keep up the greatness in what you do and I hope to meet you either at Baron's Teacher Training Bootcamp, during your next trip to Canada, or perhaps on my trip to East Africa where I hike Kilimanjaro, and then work at an Africa Yoga Project site afterwards.
With the drum beats in my mind... Namaste...
congrats on haliburton. Cya on the trails
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