Do Something Different

Last week I mentioned my intention of creating connections. I have always had this love/hate relationship with social media, who am I kidding, mostly hate. But I've been actually enjoying it lately. I have now been connecting with others around the world and it's been pretty amazing! 

Earlier this week, I had a 90+ minute Zoom chat with a former actor/comedian. We shared stories of our pasts and present lives.  I had no idea she used to do standup and she had no idea of my love of comedy! She told me a couple days later that she had been telling her husband all about our great conversation! We couldn't believe all the little synchronicities. I've also been chatting all week with my Yoga teacher friend in the UK and my Hydration coach in Chicago! 

Hydration Coach?! I had never heard of one either, but through my many connections I joined a Hydration challenge. I actually accidentally signed up to 4 different challenges this week. I didn't know they were all going to fall in the same week. So it's been quite the ah...challenge. 

We've all heard how we are supposed to drink 8 glasses of water a day. I primarily only drink water, I've always been a water drinker. I've never been a coffee drinker, only in recent years have I started to drink tea and rarely do I consume pop. Well I discovered some very interesting facts about our water consumption.

We are supposed to drink half of our body weight in ounces of water in a day. And coffee/tea/juice/pop, do not count as those important fluids. In fact, drinking any of those is taking away from your water consumption and dehydrating you. There's so many more tidbits of info I've been sharing with my clients this week, as I've been learning but I'll save the rest for the next newsletter.

I am planning to start a weekly breathwork/meditation session in February. I teach this in my yoga classes, but I want to have a class dedicated just to these practices, so I would like to offer a 30 minute online group Zoom session. I will guide you through the session, so for 30 minutes a week you will have a chance to just sit back, relax, breathe, feel that stress melt away and calm your mind. It's truly amazing how good you feel even just after 5 minutes of mindfulness.

If this is something that interests you, then click the link below. For now, I'm trying to figure out the best day/time that would work for most people. I have included 3 different days/times, but none are set in stone and I can be flexible with the time on those days. Please check all the options that could work for you and I'll be in touch with everyone who is interested and we can finalize the details.

My plan is to start with one class a week and add more based on interest. Once we have a day/time picked out, you will have the option of joining either by paying $8 to drop in when you can or $22 for the month.  I'd really like to start our first session next week! 

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I can't stress enough how much these practices have helped me through this past year. I had a very emotional breakdown this week and I immediately had to take myself through one of these practices. After the huge emotional release, I started to feel a bit better, then after dinner I decided to put some music on and had a solo dance party, for about 2 hours, which turned into a yoga flow dance.

That's why these practices go hand in hand with yoga, we really need to move our body to help release the negative vibrations from our system. And boy did I need that after my week!

Much love, 
LL

Lantzville Foothills

Om For The Holidays!

Every time I sit down to write, I think about the month, then the previous, then next thing I know, I've gone all the way back to January again.  What an incredible year it's been! So much has changed and so much has happened!  I can't believe the year is over! 

This morning a friend and I went on a Snowy Yoga Hike.  It was a little bit treacherous and the first time hiking in the snow with someone, but we survived!  The sun came out only afterwards, which I got to enjoy from the roof top deck while looking for some inspiration to write today. 

I realized when I discovered recently that I had lost all my music on my new phone, after I boarded a plane, that I used to always write on every flight I took.  The goal today is to write, which also includes writing a little bit every day.  I used to write a lot between friends. I miss the old days of just writing, passing notes in class, exchanging letters via the mail or just writing to friends for the fun of it.  A revelation I had earlier today, to encourage me to write more, will result in a new experiment I will try out in the new year.   

My trip home was spent with food, family and friends, a Yoga Workshop and a Shakespeare performance involving Royal Canoe.  Although it was brutally cold during my week stay, it was a great visit.  

Candlelight Yoga

It's that time of the year now when we want to stay warm and cozy inside!  So it's the perfect time to begin Candlelight Yoga classes.  Or if you are willing to brave the wintery outdoors, a Yoga Hike is still an option.   If you are interested in joining me, send an email to hello@laurahleechristie.com. 

A Holiday Yoga Sequence

I know this time of year can become stressful, so I encourage you to take short Yoga breaks when you need to, even if it's only a moment of simply some deep breathing.  But if you can spare 10 minutes, try this:

 http://www.chopra.com/articles/10-yoga-poses-that-fend-off-stress-during-the-holidays

Wishing you all a happy, healthy and harmonious holiday season! 

Crazy Awesome!

So far 2016 has been quite an incredible year!  Back in January, I started a Yoga Business course, which has kept me focused on creating a whole new website and defining how I want to proceed to grow my business. This involved a Yoga photo shoot at beautiful Neck Point, which is where all the pictures on my site were taken.  This course was intended to have me really think about and dive into the reasons why I became a Yoga Teacher.  Through this process, I have been thinking a lot about my life and all the number of reasons I found Yoga.  I am grateful that everything in my life has lead me on this amazing journey. 

This year I started officially offering Group Yoga Hike classes and the feedback I have received has encouraged me to promote these classes more than I had been doing.  It has been a lot of fun bringing different groups of people through the various beautiful parks & trails for our Yoga Hikes.  Last weekend while at Neck Point, a bald eagle flew over and then watched us from a nearby tree, which inspired the group to immediately get into Eagle Pose for a group photo! A unanimous vote was taken at the end of class that morning to exclaim that Neck Point was everyone's favourite location to date.  Obviously one of mine as well, since that's where I had chosen for my photo shoot back in the Spring. 

This summer was wonderfully busy as I worked on one of my final projects for my course and the season ended with me purchasing my very own home!  It was not something I had planned at all but for fun I started looking at options thinking that maybe by next year I would be ready to make a purchase. However, within a month of looking, I found the perfect place, in the perfect location and the perfect price! In 2 weeks, I will be moving into my new home and am very excited! 

A couple weekends ago, I took a trip to Vancouver to go see my favourite Winnipeg band, Royal Canoe, who were on the first stop of their Canadian tour promoting their new album.  It was a great show and I was lucky enough to enjoy the show with several Winnipeg friends who all live in Vancouver now. I even got all 6 members so sign my CD, which was a difficult task to try and track them all down afterwards.   

 Life right now is simply crazy awesome! 

Vancouver Ferry

Royal Canoe 

On My Way

This month it will officially be 8 years since I became a Yoga Teacher!  And to celebrate I have made some changes with a whole new website!  I'm still working on a few things but here's your chance at a sneak peak.  

It's hard to believe it was that long ago that I was taking my Yoga Teacher Training on beautiful Gabriola Island.  After spending the first 5 years teaching in Winnipeg, I've spent the last few teaching on or around Vancouver Island.  So much has changed in my life but the one constant has always been Yoga. 

This past weekend I had the pleasure of taking a new group of lovely women on their first Yoga Hike through Bowen Park.  Each of them expressed along the way how much they were enjoying the class.  I am beyond thrilled any time I can introduce new people to an activity that has become so important to me.  I am honoured and truly grateful every time I get to share this experience with others.  I've said it many times before, but there is something extremely wonderful about doing Yoga out in nature.  The idea came to me when I first moved to the west coast almost 3 years ago now.  

At the time, I would spend my days exploring and hiking around Gabriola Island, but as it was during the fall & winter months it was either raining or the ground was wet, so after my hike I would go home to roll out my mat and do Yoga.  Then it finally occurred to me that if I simply altered my Yoga poses to only be doing standing poses, I could incorporate Yoga on my hikes!  This practice has become a daily occurrence, whether I am enjoying it alone listening to music or teaching others, I love every minute of it!

My day does not feel complete without a Yoga Hike.  When I am solo, I use the time to meditate and contemplate on the positive changes I would like to see happen in my life.  It's almost like a moving changing vision board that I focus my thoughts and attention on. It's been pretty amazing to see what has unfolded and I look forward to what's to come!