Breathe. Be. Believe.

Schoooooooooooooooooooooooooooool's out..... until Monday when I start my summer job. Hmph.

This last week has been RI-DIC and I haven't had time to post at all! It's been a week full of good-bye parties, clean up, department meetings, workouts, and celebrations. I haven't even had time to update my Daily Mile account with my workouts- Shame on me! While I've been on hiatus, Caitlin @ The Arty Runnerchick wrote a HI-LARIOUS post using her blog friends as characters in a dramatic story starring us fro-yo lovers. Check her out- she is ridiculously funny, extremely fit (girl runs faster than I can bike) and gorge-ous.

My beautiful friend Kate from the Entourage had a birthday and we ROCKED Safari like we were moviestars. I was so hungry that I ate the warm chicken wrap with side of edamame (I LOVE that they offer this as a side!) so quickly and didn't snap a photo. I did get one of Kate and her birthday cake that we all helped her with. Some more than others (I can't resist a Duncan Hines special).

 Then, this happened.

My running partner getting a quick workout in at the restaurant.

The bride-to-be showing off her dance background.

Seriously. Why can't we just be normal?

Lady Gaga makes an appearance.

Rompers are in style, and I figure what better accessory than my Nine West dream pumps. Thank you for being born, Kate!

Sears family portrait. In the middle of the dance floor.

For the previous photos, I apologize. It is impossible to go out with the Entourage and not have a freaking blast. These chicks are just the best. Often, our boyfriends/fiances/husbands are found shuddering in the corner once it's time for the dancing portion of the night. They know that props will definitely be used. They're also very prepared for push ups to commence at some part of the evening. What can I say, we mix workouts with pleasure.

My heart.

 Less than 12 hours after Kate's celebration, it was off to celebrate a beautiful bride-to-be! Kathryn is getting married in August and I am so thrilled for her. She met her Australian fiance in London, England! Due to this, the wedding will include fascinators (those headpieces you saw while watching 8 hours of coverage of the Royal Wedding. Oh, wait... that was just me?

This actually happened.

With the other royal bride.

Kathryn's shower was the MOST beautiful shower I've ever been to- I felt like royalty. Specialty teas, sandwiches, homemade lemonade, and my favourite... the dessert.

I had two cupcakes.

My friend Jackie and I got into the fascinator spirit.

Fierce.

Beyond the amazingness that's been in the last week, I also feel exhausted. I went for two runs this week and felt like my legs were bricks- each run was 4km and I felt like I was going to die. I was dealing with some emotional baggage this week and it literally zapped me- I felt out of balance and suspended of energy.

I taught my regular Yoga class on Wednesday night to my yogi clients. Sometimes I have to remember that I'm teaching as I can get quite lost in the flow. I downloaded a new album called Bar Beats Red and played it while teaching the 1.5 hour Vinyasa Yoga class.

Look past the album cover of hot chick in red dress- the CD is chill and awesome.

 
I am a huge music fan and found myself getting lost in the trance of the music- exactly what I hope to deliver when mixing Yoga with Music. It is a hard thing to do- often the plinkity-plunkity music of yoga is intimidating and I find distracting. I love lounge-type instrumental music that can hit people's chakras subconsciously. I'll talk about chakras in another post- extremely powerful stuff to tap into!

At the end of class, we sat in Cobbler Pose with a Strap (this link shows Cobbler lying down, we stayed seated) and practiced our Uddiyana Bandha breathing. Inhale through the nose, exhale through the mouth. When you think you have no air left to exhale, you pull the navel towards the lower back and up, keeping the chest relaxed, trying to hold the breath for a few seconds before inhaling again. This can be powerful and energizing- selfishly enough exactly what I needed. With time, this breathing technique (called Pranayama in yoga) can lead to core strength and can help with balancing poses.


I felt fantastic afterwards and ready to move on from the mentally draining week. My yoga guru says something that I believe sums up the spirit of yoga: "Breathe. Be. Believe."

Wishing you peace and joy over the long weekend- Canada Day here!

How do you deal with stress? 

Often, working out can help me deal with stressful times, but sometimes getting mad and angry while exercising doesn't do the trick. My love affair with yoga has been a long one, but it truly has changed my life and my ability to approach and handle situations. Blogging, though stressful sometimes (anyone else feel this way?) is quite empowering as I've always found writing to be a means of stress relief.