My Instagram Gallery

A little photo diary. If you have the app, come play with me :: @kateUdurie

Pausing to capture a moment lights up gratitude. Real-time journaling is so liberating. xo

. OH MY GANESHA
An explosion of hearts,
from my insides out.
Oh how I L O V E to LOVE YOU.
This is our week three {valentine offering} in honour of love month, as our exploration of capital L Love continues on the mat together.
What do you think #Ganesh has to do with Love?
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#lovenotes #remembering #youare #iam #weare #love #loveisthepractice #crackopen #theanswerislove #breatheitin #breatheitout #repeat
#iloveyou #ganesha #ganesh #rumi #truthbomb

. IN CASE YOU WERE WONDERING
love
is
the
answer,
e v e r y
damn
time.
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.

#truthbomb #loveislove #loveis #youare #iam #weare #love #loveisthepractice #loveistheanswer #breatheitin #breatheitout #repeat
#iloveyou

$. SECOND LIFE BIRTHDAY CELEBRATIONS Tomorrow is January 20th. My 8th {second life} birthday. Second life because on that very day, 8 yrs ago, my life both ended & began in the matter of a moment. This was the day I sustained a TBI. And in honesty, I naturally wrote the day I was ‘given’ a TBI {but then edited my words to what you see above}. Isn’t it fascinating that I still have moments of hesitating in speaking what feels true, but hard? . It is on this day that I now choose to celebrate life. THIS life. The life I was given. To LIVE. Call it what you will, but for me it was divine intervention of the most brutal & brilliant kind. The greatest gift I never wanted to receive. A gift I would never give back. And a gift that I would never give to anyone else. A gift I still struggle with. A gift that has given me more than it has taken, at one hefty daily price. Making it one of the reasons this gift is hard to fully reconcile & why I celebrate & bow in reverence to it all. Because isn’t that the truth of it all. This whole life. This being human. This having a body. A mind. This having a heart. A spirit. This having a Soul. This connection to something right here, right now impermanently true AND this connection to something far greater & deeper shared permanently across or beyond time, me & you. Sometimes, or many times, that feels hard to fully reconcile too. And yet I celebrate & bow and revere ‘it’. Somehow I do. The mystery. The unknown. The uncertainty. The love. The One. The truth. Of this life, and living. For me, the two are inseparable. What happened that day, and this greater force that unites us & unites us all. That IS us all. Love (or ___, it has many names). Happy birthday to me. To us all. First life. Second life. Or more. May we live the one we are living. May we love our way thorough. May we celebrate. . And on this day, of THIS January 20th, I have been blessed w the opportunity to unite with YOU, on the mat...in the very room where I taught my 1st official studio class: SUNDAY, 2pm FLOW at @pureyogaottawa Centretown ...because these 2 bless-ed souls @pureyogiamber @pureyogajen believed in my path, believed in what lay ahead.$

$. THE PRACTICE So blessed to have this practice. The capital P practice of it all. The capital Y yoga of it all. The capital H humanity of it all. The capital D divinity & capital S soul of it all. So devoted, to it’s depths, it’s reach, it’s unending possibilities. Wherever I am. In geography. In body. On mat. Or on cushion. On foot. In car. On Bike. Chair. Or Laying. At home. Or at work. Away. Or here. Or in between. On or off. In mind. In state of being. Emotion or feeling. In thought, word, or speech. Behaviour, choice, action seen or unseen. In relationship with self. With others. In heart. In healing. In spirit. In Soul. Inside and out. Within and without. Connected or not. Aligned or lost. The practice is there. It’s all there, for you. Each of these layers, a world to behold. A world to unfold. The practice is there. Love. So blessed to have this Practice. xo _/\_$

. SACRED
All of it. May it be so.
As light meets darkness.
Sunset.
As darkness meets light.
Sunrise.
The teachings of the sky,
the wisdom of light, and of night.
Each day. Every day.
We are reminded.
A fragment of what we can turn to,
to remember.
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.
When we are
in the dark.
When we are
in the light.
When we are
in the light, covered by dark clouds.
Ours. Others.
A moment. A day. A chapter. A season.
When we are
in the dark, and trust there,
in the returning of the light,
and trust there, that it has never gone.
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Sun and moon.
Rising. Falling.
The spaces in between.
Each a part of the other.
Each a part of the whole.
Each necessary. Each connected. Each exceptionally, you and me.
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When we are
in the dark,
like the hidden sun on a cloudy day. Like the moon & stars in a blanket of night.
We are, still radiating light.
The sun keeps rising.
Clouds or not.
May we keep rising,
through it all.
Sacred. All of it. May it be so.
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“A truly spiritual person lives for Truth, and breathes for Love.” - Mata Amritandamayi (Amma)
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If you arrive in a moment like this.
May we pause in the space, the grace, the wisdom and teachings of our source - and trust, and love - that we are made of this too.
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If you arrive HERE & flip to picture (video) four.
May we pause together, in space and time. And be in this moment.
May we live for Truth. And breathe for love.
Be still. Close your eyes. And feel the powers of the ocean.
She teaches us too.
Feel the waves, ebb & flow.
Each rise & each fall.
And the deep enduring stillness, the peace beneath it all.
Breathe in.
Breathe out.
Slow it all down.
Sacred. All of it. May it be so.

$. P E A C E In any moment there is possibility. For this: Peace. For anything. . . . It’s all right here. It’s already inside. What is it that helps us to know it, touch it, feel it, see it, hear it, connect with it, be it. That is the journey. . . . Deep reverence to the experiences & encounters we’ve been blessed by at @habitastulum so far. Thank you @swanloveyoga & Jafeth for being exactly who you are, and gracing us with your love, wisdom, presence and truth. . . . Sat Nam Sat Nam Sat Nam . . . 📸 @jason_welyki capturing morning moments of grace. . . . Today I accepted the invitation to let it flow by the oceanside. . . . xo _/\_$

$. TRUSTING, IN Greeting This day This breath This moment This choice ... With an open heart And soft edges ... As open as I can be As soft as I can be With as much trust as I can muster One breath. One moment. One intentional choice at a time. ... Feeling the resistance The discomfort The dissonance The heaviness That is present. That arises. That has been. And is. That is moving, speaking, stirring, awakening, gracing, hurting & healing. ... Doing my best To allow Instead of avoid. To receive Instead of push away. To listen Instead of pretend to know. To be with, it all. ... Trusting, IN. ... Break Down. Breaking In. Open. Upwards. Break Through. ... This practice. This life. It’s true It only works...if you do. And that work begins in any moment, in every moment, you are willing. To practice. ... 1.1 we remember. I remember. ... Permission granted. I am willing. I will keep practicing, I will keep showing up, I will trust. I will be your vessel. Down, in, open, up, and through. Again & again. Here I am. ... Not easy. Not easy. And let’s be VERY CLEAR, even in paradise. Especially in paradise. Even w/ loving support. Epic blessings around you. Sometimes all that layers on - well - more layers. And as beloved Jon Kabat-Zinn will forever whisper in our hearts, “wherever you go, there you are.” What these special opportunities can grant us, if we are intentional enough, clear enough, and yes, courageous enough ... is a sacred pause. To turn IN. To tune IN. Instead of tuning OUT. Instead of turning our attention outwards away from the discomfort, inner resistance & dissonance that will simply await our ‘return’. Literally & figuratively. To ask for support. Love. Patience. Time. What you really need. Not easy. Not easy. Worth it. And as I write this. Know I am writing this to myself, and perhaps you. A reminder. A soulful remembering. To believe. To trust. To know. ... then to align. With our whole. Life. xo _/\_$

$. TATTERED TORN ‘N BEAUTIFUL This beloved jean shirt may be my most favouritest piece of clothing {aside from my @lululemon #align pants, of course}. . This guy’s been on so many journeys with me, crossed many oceans, kept me layered & warm during trainings, meditations, walks, cuddles, coffees, chats, meals, and yoga practices. . Tattered, torn ‘n beautiful indeed. With each rip, a new “love line”... with each new fray, I loved him more. Mmmmm Love Lines. “Life” Lines. Signs of Life Lived. Each fray = a story, a moment, an experience, a transition, a beginning, an end. And all the breaths shared in between. . AND, he’s seen better days. ;) A few rips & frays were extra zealous - going right to the seams. Both sleeves hanging by a thread. I thought about replacing him. I’ve even been out shopping & tried on a few possibilities... but there is no replacing this guy. If I could save him or find a way to buy us more time together - then that’s what I resolved to do! . Recalling the many comments & confusion he’s elicited - especially since the last few deep rips - like “what is the point of this shirt?” and “why don’t you just buy a new one?” and “would you like me to help mend it for you?”. Oh my heart!! So incredible! I was inspired! . For many of us, our default mode is to toss things aside that are a bit tattered, torn, worn down, or broken. Why? Many reasons. Perhaps because buying a new item seems much easier, new is more ‘sparkly’, and repairing things seems to have fallen out of favour. Many of us didn’t learn repairing skills and/or these services are harder to come by (depending on what type of thing we’re trying to repair) + sometimes it comes at a premium due to lower demand ... so off to the store we go to buy a NEW ONE & throw out the old. . Well not this time!! . Invoking the epic sewing skills of my mama & the many incredible souls that inspired me over the years to get my sew on, here I am. Today I pulled out my rickety sewing skills ... I chose to leave a bunch of his rips just as they are. Love lines. Life lived. ... and bought this guy a few more ... years!? _/\_ Tattered. Torn. AND Beautiful. xo$

. GIVE
May we give ourselves what we really need.
Start with a little.
Because... {as someone wise once said before}
Little by little.
A little.
Becomes a lot.
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If a little bit of this thing we call Yoga is what your mind or body, heart or spirit, soul ... the whole ... really needs to receive.
Let’s practice giving that, on the mat, together ... Modified holiday schedule::
Today. Wed. Dec 26
9:30am FLOW/YIN, @pureyogaottawa Westboro
Friday, Dec 28
9:30am FLOW, @pureyogaottawa Centretown
Sunday, Dec 30
2:00pm FLOW, @pureyogaottawa Centretown
Monday, Dec 31/NYE
9:30am FLOW, @pureyogaottawa Westboro
Tuesday, Jan 1, New Year’s Day
12:00pm, SLOW FLOW, @pranashantiyoga ... back to regular schedule!
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📸 Ruby practicing her form of Restorative Yoga, possibly Yoga Nidra, maybe Meditation. Who’s to say. Capital Y Yoga goes far beyond what meets the eye.

. LET IT SNOW
It’s a Christmas Miracle!!!
Snow. On. The. Ground.
A blanket-o-white.
Am I dreaming of a white Christmas?
Yes.
Was it the most epic symbolic, potently powerful downpour of rain for Winter Solstice on Friday?
Yes.
Did it wash away most of the snow? Sigh.
Yep.
Did I celebrate Solstice like a mofo anyway?
You better believe it.
Did I quickly dig into the symbolism, meaning & energetic potency of this holy-day, incl. a heavy rainfall on Winter Solstice itself (whoa) & use it fire up my practice, mindset & rituals?!
Ohhhhh ya.
Did I choose to trust in the holiday spirit beyond what eyes can see, snow or no?
I did. {Still am. It’s a practice}
Am I rejoicing in the snowfall that unexpectedly arrived yesterday & remains today?!
Hecks ya. I mean WTF. Folks, this IS the definition of a Christmas Miracle. I’m kinda losing my sprinkles.
Could it have gone the other way? Could it still go the other way?
You better believe it.
Will I ride the waves in the coming days as Mother Nature {& People & Life in general} continue to gift us with what they may?
Yes, yes, I will.
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Oh these preferences & aversions of ours. What a force they are.
Some go deep, and cut deep, to the bone. They can pull on our mood, our outlook, our temperament, attitude & behaviour.
They can influence our words, interactions, communications & choices. They can enlighten & dampen our spirits.
Ohhh but what power we have, what shifts we can make, when we simply shine a little light on them. At the end of the day, it really isn’t what we look at that matters, it’s how we choose to see. And that we’re willing.
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This ‘process’ is a little piece of a deep, persistent, consistent practice of mine.
One that I continually work with, work on, reflect & refine. As much as the epic moments keep the fire stoked & the path lit forward ...the moments when I forget, revert back to old ways, or when I don’t practice wHoly or at all...can be just as valuable & insightful. If we take the time to sit w them & work w them.
Both sides are teachers; different kinds.
It’s a practice.
And I remain ever committed to keep showing up, to just keep practicing.
One breath. One moment. One intentional choice at a time.

. COOKIE INTERMISSION
We will be {briefly} pausing regularly scheduled programming for some holiday cheer. I’m taking a wee cookie intermission if you will - I’ll be away for 2 classes this week:
NO warm YIN at @pranashantiyoga on Tuesday at noon,
NO FLOW/YIN at @pureyogaottawa westboro on Wednesday morning.
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My mama is up for an early Christmas ... so we’ve been baking cookies, holiday tunesin’ & will be in a ‘chestnuts roasting by an open fire’ and ‘A Child’s Christmas in Whales watching’ state of being.
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But I am teaching TODAY, MONDAY
9:30am FLOW @pureyogaottawa Westboro
12:00pm WARM FLOW @pranashantiyoga
WEDNESDAY
5:45pm YOGA+MEDITATION @pranashantiyoga
FRIDAY
9:30am FLOW @pureyogaottawa Centretown
SUNDAY
2:00pm FLOW @pureyogaottawa Centretown
... and back to regularly scheduled programming 🍪
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Mmmmmmm cookies xo
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$. THE 12 DAYS OF WINSTON Okay, well there’s only space for 10 pics ... but living with this guy is like having your Christmas wishes come true, like receiving all 12 days of Christmas offerings in one quiet fuzzy moment of purrrfect love. . Since being hOMe, we haven’t skipped a beat. He blesses me and teaches me continually. My fuzzy healer. Feline Buddha. Mister Winston. So grateful to cocoon with this guy. In fact, I’m pretty sure he taught me everything I know about cocooning! _/\_ . P.S. Yes, it’s true. My phone is filled with Winston photo shoots. I’m sorry Rubes!! For the record, she’s a deep cocooner and prefers to burrow many layers under the comforter most days. Harder to capture that one! ;) We love you Ruby!! . . . #12daysofchristmas #winston #blessed #thelittlethings #whatyoufocusonexpands #morningritual #cocooning #lovecocoon #fuzzybaby #buddha #winston #ruby #love$

$. EMERGING FROM THE COCOON Been doing this. Cocooning. Loving my brain. Soaking in the magic we created in Costa Rica. Restoring. Weaning meds. White spacing. All the {non-doing} things. Now let’s be clear, it hasn’t been ocean side on a hammock the whole time hahaha ... but fireside with m’fuzzies & a blanket-o-white outside is pretty dang close. Say what!? Truth. . And tomorrow, I’m emerging! Feeling so so blessed & first-day-of-schooly about returning to my regular schedule at @pureyogaottawa & @pranashantiyoga. I miss you + Can’t wait to get back on the mat, the cushion, and share sacred space with you. To reunite our shared practice, our path, our journey ... to keep igniting this thing we call Yoga. . If you’d like to move & breath & be together, here’s the plan: MONDAY’S: 9:30am FLOW, @pureyogaottawa, Westboro 12:00pm WARM FLOW, @pranashantiyoga TUESDAY’S: 12:00pm WARM YIN, @pranashantiyoga WEDNESDAY’S: 9:30am FLOW/YIN, @pureyogaottawa, Westboro 5:45pm FLOW/YIN*, @pranashantiyoga * called Yoga + Meditation on the schedule FRIDAY’S: 9:30am FLOW, @pureyogaottawa, Centretown SUNDAY’S: 2:00pm FLOW, @pureyogaottawa, Centretown . I’m in town for the holidays this year, so I’ll get to see you throughout this special season - including a class on Christmas Eve & New Year’s Day. But take a peek on the studio schedules online/app or here katedurie.com/yoga, as I have a couple subs coming up {Christmas visit w m’mama}! xo _/\_$

$. MY TEACHERS Here, you stand. To each of YOU, who so courageously & so openly showed up & stepped into the fire again and again: Thank YOU for giving ME more than you can possibly know, but, that I hope with all my heart, that you can AND will feel it too...as you walk this path ... a path we walk, one breath, one moment, one intentional choice at a time. I am grateFULL to the brim for the opportunity to share: what is beaming from the depths & corners & crevices of my being, my soul; the love I have for this capital P practice, this thing we call Yoga. Here’s to you! Each of our YTT almost-grads, T H A N K - Y O U. . And this, THIS, most certainly extends to @pureyogaottawa = visionaries, teachers, human beings, the real deal @pureyogiamber @pureyogajen & the beyond beyond epic team that supports offerings like this from behind the scenes: @kriscliche, @ashewch + the entire team - seen & unseen, frontline & behind the scenes. Pure is the foundation upon which all of this was made possible AND is our Yoga hOMe. Which is where this bless-ed human comes in: @tiffaniharrisyoga! I couldn’t have asked for more in a partner-in-YTTguide-love. I keep reflecting on the seeming miracle of being paired w/ this soul, to share this journey with. It reminds me & pulls many threads fwd from my ‘first life’ in the Corp world. Wise CEOs who spoke clearly on the importance & multiplier effect of this dynamic. I sure feel it & only intend to grow it. T H A N K {YOU} for your brilliance! . AND thank you to all MY TEACHERS & my teacher’s teachers. To the literal teachers {who go by such or a similar name} on this yogic/meditative/spiritual path - your impact & the grooves you’ve left on my heart & mind are impossible to quantify. To the less suspecting teachers, but whom I speak of & teach about, share of, often: the people in our lives, around us, every day, any day, throughout all the seasons of our lives; the people we’ve never met but inspire & impact us; all those who came before us - who paved the way; to our injuries, illnesses, losses, pain & suffering...to LIFE: the greatest teacher of all! Thank you thank you thank YOU. xo _/\_$

. CHOOSE FEELING HEAD to TOE
Some things truly do keep getting better and better AND better. Lululemon is one of those things. But it’s not a thing, and it’s not just one thing. It’s thousands & thousands of things, over thousands & thousands of days, by thousands of PEOPLE. Human beings who make all these THINGS happen, who make all these ingenious PRODUCTS, who devise all these epic EXPERIENCES, who cultivate COMMUNITY. Again & again.
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I feel so blessed to be part of this community, what feels like a family to me, and am honoured, continually humbled by, as well as lit in my role as a #lululemonambassador! I count that blessing every day.
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Recently, @lululemon celebrated their 20th birthday {say what!?} & as part of the incredible #lululemon #ottawa celebrations the #westboro + #rideau team pulled together a little stroll down memory lane! Mannequins decked out in gear from years past - showcasing not only progression but strength, vision, & a connection to who they were here to be since the beginning.
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But let me tell you...when #choosefeeling came on the scene 2-3 years ago AND the #alignpant. Game changer. I can honestly say, this changed the yoga gear world for me, changed how I feel when I practice & I go to get dressed in the morning. I wear yoga gear on avg 6 days/wk. The vast majority of those days, my choice is THE ALIGN PANT. I’m sad when they’re all in the wash. I love my other pants. They look amazing. My eyes adore some of my other pants more, but they don’t come close when it comes to how Align makes me FEEL. No joke.
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When #choosefeeling came out there was a whole range. Based on how you wanna feel when ya sweat! And yes, some of us like to feel hugged in AND some of us like to feel naked (just to name 2)! It also tots aligns (ha!) w/ the work I facilitate (#desiremapyoga thanks to @daniellelaporte!!), love so much & LIVE on the daily.
I like to feel NAKED. FREE. Pure EASE. Unobstructed. With all my gear. From head to toe. Which includes my mat aka treasured lululemon #themat = an absolute game changer when I tried it at @pureyogaottawa for the 1st time!
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So. This is a post of LOVE & GRATITUDE from me to YOU lulu. Aligned from head to toe.

$. LIGHT UNITED Humbled, honoured, inspired, deeply connected, blessed, nourished, fuelled, exhausted, in love, devoted, dedicated, aligned, practicing, remembering, forgetting, returning, showing up. All at the same time. At different times. And everything in between. . I have been unplugged from these social webs for the past many days so that I could intentionally tune IN. Plug in. And remain completely, as completely as I am humanly capable of in any given moment, checked in, to the unfolding of this journey that I have been blessed to be guiding with my partner in @pureyogaottawa YTT Intensive love ... @tiffaniharrisyoga!! . We are down to the final days of THIS CHAPTER with this incredible group of souls. But, let’s be clear, the journey has just begun! And continues and continues. And begins again, and again, and again. . This morning, as I prepped for our afternoon lecture on Yoga Philosophy I took a little peek into the Yoga Shala as the crew participated in a Mysore style of practice — about an hour or so of freestyle time on-the-mat to practice for their first practicum, embodying, feeling, self-guiding, refining, tuning in. A divine practice to cultivate as students, as teachers, as a home practice, a daily Sadhana is sweet & powerful medicine on infinite levels of being. And perhaps that daily practice includes a little Asana. As a mindfulness teacher I sat with once said, TEACH from the goodness of your practice. I believe this applies to those who teach in the formal sense ‘as a teacher’ a ‘yoga teacher’ or otherwise, but simply as a human being. As we are all teachers, and each other’s teachers through how we show up for life - through our thoughts, words, speech, behaviour, attitude, actions, through our choices. . Not easy. But hella worth it. . Which is why we practice. One breath. One moment. One intentional choice at a time. ... May the journey continue, until our very last breath. And beyond. xo _/\_$