Spring Cleaning and Bikram Yoga

You may be scratching your head and wondering how those two things can go together, but in the World of Erin there are many such strange pairs of things. In this case there is a natural parallel to these two things. 

 

It is nearly the end of January and though there is snow on the ground where I am, it is mostly melted in other spots and very soon we will be blessed with snowdrops (the flowers, not the flakes) crocuses, and daffodils outside. The arrival of the warmer temperatures and the longer and longer days (hooray!) puts thoughts to the projects outside and the cleaning and, well, airing out, that needs to be done inside after a long winter of closed doors and windows and recirculated heat and air.

 

My home is not overly dirty, but it is dusty with ash (a natural by-product from my wood stove) and since I have a forced-air furnace, there is also circulation of that ash and dust to all of the other rooms. In short, the house needs a damn good airing out and cleaning – but that won’t be tackled until the snow is gone and I have a warm (ok, I’ll settle for warm-ish – even 10*C would do!) day with sunshine outside to inspire open windows.

 

That will also, most likely, be the day that all of the window screens get a wash and get re-installed and that the front door screen gets put back on. 

 

Note to self, I seriously needs to wash all of my windows – so I will need to get my hands on a proper window squeegee (that would be an awesome scrabble word!!) and a decent (read: safe) ladder…

 

Spring cleaning is meant to let all of winter’s miasma and stale air out of the home, and to bring in the fresh clean joy of spring – along with clean new air.

 

To me, Bikram Yoga is like spring cleaning for the body, mind and soul.

 

A quick little bit of background: Bikram (or hot) yoga is a series of 26 Hatha Yoga positions and two breathing exercises that are practiced over the course of an hour and a half in a room that has been heated to a (stinking hot) temperature of 40*C with an approximate humidity measurement of 40%. In short, it is yoga done in a hot sweaty hell. The thought of practicing something I love (yoga) in temperatures that I hate (hot sweaty hell) wasn’t appealing to me at all – but I have a number of friends who have tried it and they swear by the benefits of it.

 

I did MUCH personal research before attending my very first Bikram Yoga class at Bikram Yoga Comox Valley. Bikram Yoga allows you to get the most out of your usual yoga practice. Since you are not starting from a “cold” position, your muscles loosen up much more quickly and you are less likely to injure yourself. There are some offsetting risks that need to be considered – Bikram Yoga practice can be dangerous for those with heart and/or blood pressure problems and there is, of course, a serious risk of dehydration – so being well hydrated before attending a class is a must. I have taken two bottles of water in with me – one to sip while in practice and one to guzzle when done. The need for water and electrolyte replacement is understandable when you realize just how much sweat can come out of your body during practice.

 

My first class was an awesome experience – I hadn’t taken a yoga class for roughly 3 years – I was on the Island of Jersey for my last class! I went with one of my girlfriends who had been to classes previously and I was way at the back of the room where, with my glasses off, I could look to the postures of the people around me so that I could adjust accordingly. The instructor (David Milanovich, also one of the owners) kept his eye out for me and made certain I was OK throughout the class – and in a room filled with 40+ regular participants, his attention to the detail of each student’s practice impressed me.

 

All in all, I had an amazing first experience with Bikram and promised myself that, when I could afford it (it is rather expensive) I would be back.

 

November of this year rolled around and - Woo Hoo – Island Daily Deals had a week special for Bikram Yoga Comox Valley – one week unlimited!! I bought my pass, planning to use it during my week of vacation in early December.

 

Well, I have been sick every month for the last three months – so that pass has been waiting and waiting for me to use it before it expires… I FINALLY made it in yesterday for the first of the three classes I will be able to attend this week. It was GREAT. I sweated out a ton of toxins, I am certain, and had loads of excess energy for the rest of my day. I am a little stiff this morning, but will be attending another class tonight and that should, hopefully, drain out some of that stiffness. I will be attending another class on Wednesday night and then my week pass will be kaput because none of the other classes offered through the week are ones I can attend because of my work schedule.

 

One of my dear friends, who also practices Bikram Yoga here in the Comox Valley attended a charity auction before Christmas with some friends – and one of her friends won a 10-pass gift certificate to the studio. That friend, knowing my friend practices, gave her the certificate – and since she and her husband already have their classes bought, she gave the gift certificate to me! So once I finish out this week, I can pare down to two classes a week for the next 10 weeks!

 

Next week I am seeing a Naturopath for the first time... I am seeing her to find ways to boost my immune system and general overall health so that I am NOT sick every month for another three months - so this spring I am looking forward to spring cleaning my home, my yard, AND my self.

With love across the waters,

Right Now The Bear is Winning…

… But not for long.

On Saturday morning I got up for work as usual.  Let the dog out.  She came straight back in.  Cat wanted out.  She turned around and also came straight back in.

This is not usual, but on Saturday morning it also wasn’t wholly unexpected either as we were in the midst of what on the Island of Jersey (Channel Islands) is known as a Right Hoolie (not to be confused with a regular Hoolie which just blows the rain around and makes things generally miserable.  We were having gale force winds combined with rain so heavily pouring down that visibility was being impacted. I didn’t force the outside issue as I could let the cat out the front door to a covered (if windy) front step & Jasmine and I would be going out for our regular walk later on anyhow.

After the walk I actually had to strip at the door (inside, not outside) so as not to spread puddles of water all around my living room. Into the shower and ready for work I then got.

Last pre-departure pee time outside for Jasmine and what do I see, but a whole section of my fence lying down in the alley AND one of the walls of my marvellous compost bin lying on the ground with compost pulled out on top of it.

Hm.

When on my breaks I looked up how to repel bears from compost and also bear proofing fencing. FYI, bear-proof fencing sounds scary as hell as the best ones are electrified with high voltage as it takes a lot more than a simple electric fence to stop a determined bear.

Yipes!

I stopped on the way home to pick up some more zap straps, some 2.5’ screws and some groceries for me (I found mint flavoured rosebuds!!) and while looking for the zap straps and screws I also asked about purchasing some lime. Evidently it helps break compost down faster AND it masks the scent of anything a bear would consider to be “yummy”.  None to be had, but the gal I was speaking with DID offer an interesting suggestion – cayenne pepper.  Bears don’t like to smell it (having taken a big whiff when I was dousing my compost pile, I can understand that) AND the taste makes them think twice about eating.

All items in hand, I came home and went outside to prop up the pulled down panel and douse everything with pepper.  It was actually more fun than it sounds.

I spoke with my folks that night & Dad will be coming up to help me repair/replace at least the back section of the fence (which actually has no posts sunk into the ground – no wonder the damn thing just fell over) in a couple of weeks time, but my job for yesterday was to go outside and shore up the fence and compost bin.

While it wasn’t terrible work, it was raining and so it was damp.  Everything was even still in place this morning when I got up, so maybe the cayenne pepper is still working even though it’s wet out!

Today’s projects are more domestic.  Some leaves raked and into the compost bin, bread in the oven baking now and cookies planned as well. I also needed to make a couple of calls to find out where I could get something called “navijack” which is a composite of sand and gravel used to make concrete.  Great news, there’s a big gravel pit not too far from my home that sells it either by the yard, or at a $20 minimum – so the half yard I will need isn’t going to cost as much as I thought it would – woo hoo!

Anyhow, for your reviewing pleasure, here’s what I was working on yesterday…

Propped up

Yes, this is a corner. That's right - that "corner"post
is mostly gone and wasn't actually in the ground!

Look at the right side - yes, that's an 8-foot length
of re-bar, bent at a 90* angle!

With love across the waters,

Choice, Chance and Change

You must make the Choice,

To take the Chance,

If you want anything in life to Change.

So true.  A friend of mine (currently living on Jersey, in the Channel Islands) posted this to her Facebook page a few days ago and the thought has been with me ever since.

Make the Choice.

Take the Chance.

Experience the Change.

So simple. I wonder why it is that we never get off the ground on most of the changes we think we want? 

Personally, I think my biggest challenge is in making the choice - fear of making the choice? Perhaps. I can see something isn't working for me, I can feel it and I can taste it in my daily happenings, but sometimes I'm afraid of what happens next.  What happens AFTER I make the choice? If it doesn't work, sometimes I can go back to the old way, as long as I didn't burn bridges... but most of the time, once the choice is made and actions have been taken, there *is* no going back. 

This one sort of falls into the "evil you know" category for me. What eventually forces my hand, in almost all "negative impact" situations is that the current negative experience FAR outweighs the perceived "evil I don't know" - making it impossible for me to stay where I am, or doing what I am doing.  Thankfully, I have only had a couple of these experiences in life and have been able, once recognition kicks in, to make the choices and take the chances needed to force the change.

I know a lot of people who don't cope well with change.  They freely admit to it & avoid it at all costs. I have always liked it - change, when needed, is a great thing.  At work, at home, personally, professionally - change (when needed) is a great thing.  Change simply for the sake of change isn't necessarily the best thing in the world, but I haven't really lived my life by the adage that "if it ain't broke, don't fix it"  because really, if you never look outside the windows to see what else is there, how do you know it actually ISN'T broken?

Taking chances all depends on your personal risk tolerance levels. Some people take loads of physical chances - bike riding without a helmet, driving without a seat belt, hell - running with scissors! Some people are more chance-oriented when it comes to their money (nope, not this girl, I need to ensure my "sleep at night" factor is covered) and some others are more chance-oriented with their lifestyle, relationships, locational choices... well, you get the picture.

As you can see, I have been chewing on this for a little while now.  I wonder, what are your thoughts on Choice, Chance and Change...?

With love across the waters,

Thursdays child has far to go

Mondays child is fair of face,
Tuesdays child is full of grace,
Wednesdays child is full of woe,
Thursdays child has far to go,
Fridays child is loving and giving,
Saturdays child works hard for his living.
And the child that is born on the Sabbath day,
Is bonny and blithe and good and gay.

I've been thinking about this nursery rhyme for a while now. I was born on a Thursday and most definitely seem to have had far to go. I was reminded this past week just how far I have gone to this point in my life, and am now wondering how much further I need to go before, well, before I get there?

I started out this life in Nanaimo, BC. From there, as a child, we moved to various points in Vancouver and back to Vancouver Island. As a young adult I moved from Cowichan Bay to Victoria - my first actual move - out of my parents' home and to my own. Next to Calgary. Maybe not for the right reason, but once the reason I moved there for was no longer part of my world, I stayed another year there, alone and far from my family, just to prove I could.

And I could.

Back in Victoria for a few years and then out to Ontario. Better reasons this time. More lessons and some of them repeats of previous ones, but most definitely lessons learned. 11 years in Ontario - and two homes. One in Etobicoke (pronounced eh-toh-BI-coe) and one east of Oshawa in Courtice (pronounced CUR-tis.)

From Ontario I went to the Island of Jersey - which is part of the Channel Islands and, most definitely, a beautiful place to live. I also went there for the wrong reason - VERY wrong reason. OK. Lesson learned!

From Jersey, last summer, I got to come home. All the way home to Vancouver Island again. Now I live in Comox - which is pronounced just like it looks. And this was for a right reason.

Finally.

Yes, a long way to go to get back home. Was it all worth it? I think so.

I learned a lot of lessons along the way. Some of the better ones are:

• Watching home improvement shows ALWAYS results in spent money
• Spray painting anything outside when there is wind (and not wearing a face mask) results in colourful snot
• Taking apart a tin garden shed whilst wearing flip-flops is ALWAYS a bad idea
• Big toes bleed WAY more than you would think they could
• European chocolate *is* better
• Moving to another province (or another country) *is* worth doing, even if done for the wrong reason
• Family is so very precious - not to be taken for granted, never to assume they will be here forever
• Ditto for friends
• Taking pictures is always worth the effort to remember the camera

I think what I have learned best, so far, is that (when thinking about a choice I get to make) if I think I may some day ask myself "what if I had only..." then the risk needs to be taken.

Am I there yet, though? I don't know - I guess I'll figure that out some day - but for now, just now, I'm content to be where I have arrived - home.

So now I ask you... what day of the week were you born? Is the nursery rhyme accurate for you...?