"If In Doubt, Yoga”

I’ve always been very on the fence about yoga. My full experience of yoga consists of the occasional class taken at the gym I went to when I was at uni (which is now an embarrassingly long time ago), a few sessions with a friend who became a yoga instructor in Indonesia, and a couple of mornings trying to stretch and bend on the rolling deck of a sailboat. So basically hardly any. I’ve always been very drawn to the benefits of yoga - who doesn’t want to be more flexible, strong and at one with the universe. I’ve never really got my head around the more spiritual side of things - I mean, how much exercise can you possibly be getting while you lie around on the floor breathing? - and have been put off by how expensive the classes can be. Recently though, I’ve been feeling more and more like yoga could be just the thing my body needs. Maybe I'm getting older, or just getting colder, but waking up in the morning and feeling stiff and tired is becoming less and less acceptable to me. And my mind is definitely a lot more open and accepting of new and different ways to improve my life than it was when I was in my early 20s (as if my life needed improving then, wasn’t I and everything about me just bloody perfect?!) 

So my body was able and my mind was willing - I was just looking for the right situation and circumstances. Hamilton has provided yet again, and I found myself tagging along with my friend to her local yoga studio, In Fine Feather on Ottawa St N. I was promptly signed up for the 30 Day Trial (30 days of unlimited yoga for $30) and handed a class schedule. The studio is open all week, with classes throughout the day, and since I don’t have a job (yet!) I decided to really throw myself into it, and resolved to practice yoga every day for the next 30 days. My aim was to go to the studio for a class a day, but if something came up and I couldn’t make any of the classes, I would make sure I did at least half an hour at home instead. 

I’m writing this post on day 15, halfway through my yoga-challenge. Right now I’m ready and waiting to head to my 12 o’clock class, and I’m actively looking forward to it, which as anyone who knows me will testify, is an unusual way for me to feel about exercise. And there’s no beating about the bush, it’s definitely exercise! I might not be sweating buckets, constantly out of breath or in agony the next day, but even after just 15 days I can already feel benefits and changes start to happen.

Almost immediately I started to become more aware of my posture, how I stand, sit and hold myself when I walk. I’ve always known mine left a lot to be desired, but sitting up straight seemed too uncomfortable, unused muscles having to work to hold me upright, and slumping and slouching was just so much easier. After just a few classes, though, I started to catch myself slouching or curling my shoulders up around my ears and began to straighten up. Sitting up straight feels like the more preferable way to hold my body, and it’s getting easier every day.

My balance is definitely improving as well. My feet and ankles aren’t very strong, and I’m certainly not the most graceful of creatures. I wouldn’t say I was now either, but I don’t feel that it’s necessarily my strength as much as my technique that’s got better. Breathing, focus and concentration are just as important as strong muscles and it feels like developing one side will help the other. Every day I practice I notice small improvements, poses getting stronger and my legs getting less wobbly, which is also wonderfully motivating - on a similar 30 day gym trial I never really noticed anything getting bigger or stronger except my desire to not go any more! 

Yoga has also helped me to realise that there is time, and lots of it, to do everything that you need to do. I take an hour out of the day to make my mind and body stronger and healthier, which surely must be one of the most important things on my to-do-list! As I lie in Shavasana at the end of class, something I previously thought was a pointless waste of time in a workout, I realize that one hour out of the 12 or so waking ones we get is really not a huge amount. If I can find time to do this for myself every day, then what else might I be able to find time for? Taking that small amount of time to breathe, stretch and relax has made me more productive in the rest of my day. It’s helping me to worry less about ‘running out of time’, allowing me to be more present and have a good time - an unexpected side effect that I never got from going to the gym.

At the halfway point I’m stoked to already be seeing benefits, and I’m excited to see how much improvement I’ll make over time. More importantly, I hope I’ll have made yoga into a habit that I can’t kick.

Gettin' Crafty

I've been in Hamilton, ON for almost a month and it's amazing how comfortable and settled I feel here - the weather has been gloriously sunny and mild and I never dreamed I would be walking around Canada in a t-shirt in November. I've been exploring my new home while trying (pretty half-heartedly I have to admit!) to find a job, discovering lovely coffee shops, my local library and farmer's market. I finally got my hands on a bike last week, and it has revolutionized my life - flying along the bike lanes on Cannon st in the autumn sunshine has been the high point of most of my days since. I've been to a lecture on the local food movement in Hamilton at the university, met a beekeeper and picked a pumpkin from the patch for Halloween. I've even taken up yoga. It's fair to say my days have been pretty packed, but somehow I've also managed to seriously indulge my crochet cravings. I hit up a couple of fantastic yarn sales and doubled the size of our collection…the bag of yarn is now pretty much an entire corner of the living room. And oh, how I've been making my way through it! 

On the second Friday of every month the city of Hamilton holds Art Crawl, an arts and crafts market, on James St downtown. Artists are invited to come to James St and display their wares, free of charge, to the wandering public. As soon as I heard about the event I knew I wanted to get in on it - the main reason I've avoided markets is the high cost of renting a stall - so since almost my first day I've been desperately crocheting every moment I get (including whilst waiting for a job interview!) to get some goods together. Scarves and gloves seemed the obvious place to start…

Some beautiful cotton yarn on sale became a range of yoga headbands…

And there's clearly no need to explain the appeal of making these tea cozies!

The Vintage Tea Garden on Locke St will have a display of cozies for sale - I'm hoping tea lovers find them as adorable as I do (in fact, here's the one I made just for me!)

But I've spent most of my time in the last week making Remembrance poppies to raise money for the Canadian Royal Legion. It started with one for myself and one for my housemate - within days people were asking if I could make a couple for them and their buddy/kid/boss. Around the same time I stumbled across a knitting group that meets every other Wednesday night at at baby store in my neighbourhood, and while I was there making more poppies I asked the owner if I could put a jar on their counter to collect donations. She agreed, and during the week I made around 60 - the last lot ran out on Saturday afternoon, and I collected the donation jar on Remembrance Day. In less than one week we managed to raise $164 - I'm so pleased people liked the poppies enough to get one, and to donate so generously for them…people of Hamilton, good on ya! 

Art Crawl is tomorrow, and I'm nervous to have my things on display for sale for the first time. But all the lovely crafty ladies I've met in the last few weeks have been so encouraging and helpful, and the response to a simple little flower was so positive that I can't help but be hopeful. At the very least I know I'm going to enjoy hanging out on James St with my knitting, a thermos of mulled cider and a steady supply of muffins from my favourite coffee shop…there are worse ways to spend a Friday night!