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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

$. CRACKED OPEN Sometimes the loving energy emanating from a gift is so powerful I can't absorb it all right away. I have to carry it around for a while, sit with it, soak it in, feel it, be with it, & wait until it's ready to be fully expressed...fully received. So, I waited. THIS package contained more love, gratitude, connection, community & yoga magic than I could possibly take in on Wednesday. WED. AUG. 9 | PARLIAMENT HILL YOGA It had absorbed the love from every soul, every breath, every moment, every intentional choice at #PHYoga. It felt the magic. It felt every heart crack open. It felt all the feels. It witnessed the celebration of a dream come true. A celebration of dreaming from the inside out, & sharing those dreams out loud. It witnessed the power of LOVE & what happens when we truly believe in peace & possibility. When we never give up. When we keep loving & keep believing it's possible even when it's hard, especially when it's hard. When we cultivate a LIFE LIVED. On purpose AND with purpose. When we create purpose out of our pain. And when we realize we cannot do this alone, when we realize we are not alone. It witnessed all this, and more. It absorbed all this, and more, as 2,000+ wide open hearts shared a mindful, meditative flow practice, inspired by @loveyourbrain & in honour of this beautiful program & everything it stands for. One we are blessed to officially have here in Canada, in Ottawa, at @pranashantiyoga! A FREE program for the brain injury community. After my TBI 6.5 years ago, Yoga, Meditation, Connection & Community CRACKED ME OPEN; A GIFT I want to place at the feet of every soul who sustains a brain injury, at the feet of every soul with a brain, with AN INVITATION to open it, when ready, to crack open, when the time is right, FOR YOU. This story is not over. And the people behind this gift, behind #PHY, behind so many of the breadcrumbs that led me to LoveYourBrain, catalysts of support helping me LIVE MY LIFE on purpose & with purpose are not only the beautiful souls who move mountains at @lululemon #ottawa, but are treasured friends & family for life. I love you with all my heart. Forever in service. xo _/\_$

$. LOVE YOUR WATERMELON DAY Ok, so it was yesterday, this national day of watermelons {with a juicy twist of course}. AND Ironically {or not so much} I was in such deep monotasking + cocooning mode for my own melon, I forgot {yep!} to share this beautiful story & celebrate w/ this great collective of humans behind @nutcasehelmets! But, like any proper celebration or holiday, I believe in stretching it out far beyond the official 'day'. I mean, why limit the good vibes & deep truths/wisdom/reminders that accompany such rituals. Right!? Ok then. Here we are. ;) THE WATER{MELON} Nutcase celebrates this day w/ deep passion & roots, as this more-human-head-shaped melon is what inspired founder Michael Morrow's first helmet prototype back in 2004!! People around the world now associate protecting their melons with the Nutcase motto, #ilovemybrain. How amazing is that!? Thank you NUTCASE for all you do to help the world love their brains & protect their melons. • May every soul who steps on a bike {or any helmet-recommended activity} remember this motto when second guessing whether a helmet is needed for their journey. PUT. IT. ON. Please. Think about that melon inside your skull...that soft, delicate, invisible partner in life, your life, a part of you & the only one you get, irreplaceable and instrumental in nearly everything you need to do to live your life. Trust me, your brain is working for you 24x7, and loving every part of you as hard as it can. And whether or not you realize it, You LOVE your brain. So... IF YOU LOVE IT, PUT A HELMET ON IT _/\_ • Check out these LOVE letters from Nutcase customers, rippling fields of gratitude N love for Nutcase AND for having had a helmet on to protect their brain & even save their life {a choice they had to make in the first place}:: https://nutcasehelmets.com/pages/love-letters • Happy National Watermelon Day • May we all take pause in appreciation for our melons. Today, and every day. xo$

$. LOVE IS THE ANSWER Whatever the question, love is the answer. yes YES y e s But you know what? Letters clustered together into words, organized into a sentence, intended to say something, mean something, be something ... can sometimes just feel like simply letters, clustered randomly, into pretty sentences. Until. Until explored. Until questioned, with curiosity. Until lived, with your life. Until felt, with an embodied experience. Until reflected, breathed, contemplated, seen, heard, processed, ___________. Until practiced. This is one of my favourites, & perhaps laced into them all. Love. It's so much more than I ever could have imagined, and lifetimes worth to explore. To practice with my life. On purpose. With purpose. One breath. One moment. One intentional choice at a time. • "Love is the answer, whatever the question." - Wayne Dyer • Yes it is. xo _/\_$

. SWEET MOMENTS
silence isn't empty.
it's full of peace
it's full of possibility
of brain pain softening
& everything else enlightening, brightening
arriving into epic proportions of presence
of nothingness becoming everything
in a single sweet moment.
• silence isn't empty •
• and neither is this cup •
this cup,
my cup,
is full
of gratitude.
a cup full
of peace,
of pause, of silent surrender
to the pain
to the essential quietude
& all that ensues
with open reception.
this cup is full
of sweet summer breezes
and sun beams between branches.
of sweet words exchanged with my beloved,
still vibrating in my veins.
of sweet paths crossed and energies exchanged with dear souls in days past, quality superseding quantity in my being.
of lingering feels of the journey shared,
absorbing blessings from yoga in the love cocoon.
of my breaths breathing
of my heart beating
of my edges softening around the pain
of expanding into the pause
of absorption into stillness & silence inside of a moment ... stretching and dissolving into the sky
from a little cafe table, in the middle of a city, feeling deeply connected )so hum(
and savouring the last creamy smooth cooling spoonful of vegan strawberry soft serve slide down my throat
•
this cup is anything but empty
silence is anything but empty •
sweet moments are there,
if YOU are there for them.
opened & received. thank you.
#meditationmusings #sweetmoments #pause #silence #quiet #peace #possibility #mindfulness #presence #practice #love #sohum #iam #onebreath #onemoment #oneintentionalchoiceatatime #lifelived #onpurpose #withpurpose #spoonie #tbi #braininjury #loveyourbrain #gratitude #sacredpause #holyshift
#liveyourlife
#haveadaythatmatters #haveadaythatmeanssomething

$Sometimes we've just gotta put our big girl/boy boots on & rock out...one foot in front of the other, one breath at a time, one intentional choice at a time. Here's this week's possibilities to practice this YOGA thing together {fringy boots n hotel robes optional}:: MONDAY 9:30am FLOW, @pureyogaottawa Westboro 12:00pm WARM FLOW, @pranashantiyoga 4:00pm FLOW, @myyogatown Preston TUESDAY 12:00pm WARM YIN, PranaShanti WEDNESDAY 9:30am FLOW/YIN, Yogatown Preston THURSDAY 12:00pm FLOW XPRESS, Yogatown Preston 4:30pm HOT FLOW, PranaShanti FRIDAY 9:30am FLOW, Pure Yoga CT SUNDAY 2:00pm FLOW, Pure Yoga CT Full drop-in schedule: katedurie.com/yoga A round-up of some other AWEsome offerings:: AUGUST: @happinesshabits613 tix + deets: myhappinesshabit2017.eventbrite.com (sign-up + more events being added) AUGUST 9 Parliament Hill Yoga by @lululemon (free) I'll be guiding a @LoveYourBrain inspired practice! Looking for a love-tribe to DEMO & share their hearts n brains w me (front/middle, etc) please comment/msg me if interested _/\_ AUGUST We're kicking off our THIRD 6-week Yoga, Meditation & Discussion Series, a free program for the concussion/TBI community at PranaShanti AUG 8! Sign up for the WAITLIST: loveyourbrain.com/lyb-yoga-canada + katedurie.com/loveyourbrain for more information Enrollment on a first-come, first serve basis, please sign up for the waitlist, reach out w questions Participation is open to the concussion/TBI community & those who support them OCTOBER 6 | LYB FUNDRAISER We're officially celebrating the Community Launch of LoveYourBrain IN CANADA on Oct 6!! Venue TBC week 🤞+ tickets to follow: LYB-friendly yoga/meditation practice Kevin & Adam Pearce keynote Q & A w LoveYourBrain team Screening of The Crash Reel doc (condensed) Science behind Yoga & Meditation for brain health Guided Meditation w Kyla Pearce Food & Drink Epic Space Connection & more... OCT6-8 We're hosting the @loveyourbrain YTT at @pranashantiyoga. A handful of spots left, register + deets here: loveyourbrain.com/teacher-training-ottawa. Please contact LYB w q's, details re: curriculum, becoming a partner studio, or teaching LYB. xo _/\_$

$. LOVING OUR BRAINS AT PHY Join me on WED. AUG 9 12pm at @lululemon's #PHYoga for a @loveyourbrain inspired practice, in honour of the brain Injury community - and loving ALL BRAINS! • LOOKING FOR DEMO SUPPORT Would you like to share your practice & align your heart, your energy, your movements, your presence & help guide on AUG 9? Demoing at the front OR middle of the Parliament Hill lawn? 12-1pm | Wed. Aug. 9 I'd ask that you arrive no later than 11:45am so we can organize mats n plans + give me a few mins to get m'brain on before class begins ;) PLEASE COMMENT BELOW, email me, or message me if you're interested. _/\_$

. FRESH MOMENTS
Monday. A fresh week. A fresh morning. A fresh day. Always a fresh moment; there for us to begin again, to choose again, to make the next best, the next most loving choice.
May we bring forth wisdom from previous moments + courage to open into new choices, thoughts, words, actions, ways of being.
Choosing love ... even when it's hard. •
This week's possibilities to {practice} together::
monday
9:30am FLOW, @pureyogaottawa Westboro
12:00pm WARM FLOW, @pranashantiyoga
4:00pm FLOW, @myyogatown Preston

tuesday
12:00pm WARM YIN, PranaShanti

wednesday
9:30am FLOW/YIN, Yogatown Preston

thursday
12:00pm FLOW XPRESS, Yogatown Preston
4:30pm HOT FLOW, PranaShanti

friday
9:30am FLOW, Pure Yoga Centretown

sunday
2:00pm FLOW, Pure Yoga Centretown

Full drop-in schedule here: katedurie.com/yoga
•
📷 It was such a pleasure to catch sight of these FRESH florals adorning the LOVE ALTAR at class yesterday! Thank you so much for this beautiful offering @justmeclary !! You are such a kind, loving soul. We are truly blessed by you 🙏
+
The message that whispered to me when I gazed towards the altar during::
LOVE IS ALIVE ✨💕✨ Yes. It. Is.
Practicing ... always xo
#love #wip #canyouloveevenwhenitshard #loveoverfear #lovewarrior #chooselove #practice #lovealtar #fresh #thismoment #lifelived #onpurpose #withpurpose #onebreath #onemoment #oneintentionalchoiceatatime

$. SHE LIVED HER LIFE To paraphrase a movie I recently Netflixed, "Don't 'have a nice day,' Have a day that matters. Have a day that's true, Have a day that's direct, Have a day that's honest. Have a day that means something. ... and try to make this t i m e (this day, however you spend it, try to make the time, *the moments*, that we are here, living this day), mean something." -Harriet Lauler • I watched this movie in about 6 different nuggets of time, over a number of days, & was very sure to rewind & rewatch parts when I got distracted and missed a moment or missed the dialogue. Trust me, I don't always do this with any ol'Neflix show. This film touched me. There was something about it, and I could tell it was one of those films for me, from the very first nugget I watched. It was called The Last Word. Not an award winning film by any stretch, but it was laced with a message, a lesson, a learning, a teaching, a meaning, a practice, a human truth, a life truth, one that is near & dear to my heart, my brain, my mind, my body, my spirit, my soul, the whole ... my life. One that may seem overly simple, yet deeply powerful IN PRACTICE. • HAVE A DAY THAT MEANS SOMETHING. Whatever that means to you. • May this time that we have, This time that we are here, while we are here, living, matter. May it matter. May it mean something. To you. Have moments that matter, moments that mean something. May we truly live it, live them, may we truly live. The life we have here to live. • At the end of the film, at Harriet's funeral, she is honoured by words that {of course} brought me to flowy tears:: "Harriet Lauler lived her life. And I am going to honour her by doing the same." Mmmm An epic truth. I sure hope to be graced with many more breaths to LIVE THIS LIFE, my life. But one thing is for sure, I am practicing this. And hopefully when my time comes, anyone who loves me, anyone who knew me can say, Kate Durie...she LIVED HER LIFE. On purpose. With purpose. One breath. One moment. One intentional choice at a time. xo _/\_$

. LOSS, A TEACHER IN GRATITUDE
TBT ...that time when I got to dress-up, wear high heels, a super cute dress n be all fancy with this guy. Yep! He invited me to a swanky party at the US Ambassador's resi for their 4th of July party.
First, let me be clear, I love wearing clothes that make me feel naked for a living AKA yoga gear {thank you @lululemon, @teekigram, @spiritualgangster + other faves for creating such soft, smooth, flowy, seamless, butter-like gear}.
BUT, since I'm in a regular state of spoon-management & have had to make some pretty intentional lifestyle choices for my well-being post-TBI, I don't have the most active social life. Certainly not an active night life, party life, or anything that might constitute a noisy, multi-sensory, overstimulation um, life. All of which are very fun, entertaining, soul-stimulating, socially nourishing, cognitively engaging things - which I love - but the whole of me, current me, my new, present brain, does not.
My 'OLD LIFE' was FULL of this type of stuff. My schedule was maxed to the brim w it, from pre-work, to lunchtime, to afterwork, to evenings...dressing up was the norm, going to events, shows, parties, gatherings, exhibits, of all kinds. I sought it out. I loved it.
So, it was a BIG LOSS.
Still is, in many ways, a lot of the time.
BUT. Not all of the time, and less & less of the time. + the more intentional + mindful I am about cultivating & creating this life lived, on purpose, with purpose, taking into account, taking to mind + heart the WHOLE OF ME, one breath, one moment, one intentional choice at a time, the more at peace I am w my choices and where I am. While I'm there.
It's A PRACTICE, to be sure.
A work in progress. Fo'sho.
But this loss AND all losses, can become great teachers, in gratitude.
Did I ever plan for & pace for & look forward to & soak in & loveee this experience so completely!? Yes. I. Did.
And when #PHYoga got cancelled for a few weeks, was I sad, disappointed, did I miss it? F ya. Loss. But then, when we came back we together yesterday.
GRATITUDE WAS ABUNDANT.
Have you ever felt that?
Loss -- {time} -- Gratitude
#loss #gratitude #lifelived #onpurpose #withpurpose

$. THE S P A C E BETWEEN it's the s p a c e in-between. moments, breaths, poses. between end points, check boxes, outcomes, results, accolades, destinations. infinite. may you may i may we soak IN the in-between. right here. as life is being lived. right now. wishing you, wishing me, wishing us so many peace+bliss full moments of 'here' this week, and always dear souls xo _/\_$

. THE PAUSE, UNPLUG
Just arriving on the mat. Knowing you got to practice, you made the choices it took to get there, mat rolled out, body laid down, eyes closed. Then, you take that first embodied breath. Mmmm there it is. The pause. Unplug.
I'll meet you THERE.
Two possibilities today::
12:00p FLOW XPRESS, @myyogatown
4:30p HOT FLOW, @pranashantiyoga
Regular schedule here: katedurie.com/yoga
•
I love this quote, a prolific author my mom introduced me to::
"ALMOST EVERYTHING
WILL WORK AGAIN
IF YOU UNPLUG IT
FOR A FEW MINUTES,
INCLUDING YOU." -Anne Lamott
Although we human beings are nothing like computers or cars or electronics when it comes down to the really epically important stuff, so many analogies help us make sense of human life, & have been especially helpful in TBI life.
The funny thing is, I'm realizing that TBI life is helping me understand plain ol'human life, better.

Lately {as in, for the last 6.5 yrs} I have been struggling AKA learning with lots of growing pains, how to explain what it's like to live w this TBI. How to help those I care about better understand & support me, how to support them/us through it, how to help myself better articulate my needs/challenges & make sense of it in my own mind, body, heart, spirit, soul, whole...life. To create the best possible life w what I have to work with.
Long story short - why this quote, this analogy inspired me, is this =
The PAUSE, UNPLUG
Taking a 15-20 minute white space PAUSE,
fully UNPLUGGING, away from whatever multi-hour activity you're doing during (eg. work, computer time, dinner party, social gathering, driving, any noisy enviro). {I can remember the early days of trying this, fighting this, hating this, resisting this...it's still a challenge, I'm still workin on it, wip for many reasons, but one thing is for sure, it friggin works!! Tip: get help, ask someone to hold you accountable, to love you that hard}

HOW:: Pre-determine a time. Set a timer/reminder. Find a quiet space, go there. Close your eyes, turn off lights, put on noise cancelling headphones, lay down...
FULL POST on FB, soon katedurie.com/blog
#tbi #braininjury #pause #unplug #bluescreen #pacing #loveyourbrain

. SOLAR POWERED
We bow to the sun.
We salute the sun.
We soak in the sun.
We bathe in the sun.
We breathe in the sun.
We open to the sun.
So grateful for the sun.
This guy & I.
We be solar powered ... SOULar charged.
But seriously.
Have you seen this cat!?!
w i n s t o n
This quiet sun bath moment was brought to you by the Ganesh perch, in the love cocoon.
And no, I can't help myself. I'm like the paparazzi with this guy. ;)

. THE heART OF THE NESTLE
This guy nails it every time. To nestle is to 'lie comfortably within or next to something or someone'. Yes, please. Synonyms include snuggle, cuddle, nuzzle, burrow. Again, yes. Please.
Highlighted by a welcomed return of light pouring in and a theme that seems to be emerging for the week.
One that is symbolically {& literally} foundational to my being...
But doesn't always mean is easy in practice or actualization.
So I, you, we ... just gotta keep coming back.
••••••••••••
. Possibility
&
. Peace
••••••••••••
Both cultivated from within.
And perhaps, or, most definitely,
Must originate from there too.
Nourished and sustained through awareness,
By choices, practice, and love. xo

. CHASING SUNRISE
You know that feeling
when July 1st feels like January 1st?
That feeling when
what you said the plan was for 2017, {ahem, you know the plan I'm talking about ... the one you truly, honestly, literally started putting into place, into motion, many months BEFORE 2017, but took until NOW to really begin its realized state of being.
THE YEAR OF ONE THING
And more of these two things::
. Less
. No
AND even more of this one::
. Love
These things called "legacy yes's" can take a long time to unravel, to see through, and to be of service to until the end.
The process of strengthening the skill of less & no, even when the yes is perfectly aligned & heart + soul-nourishing. If it's not aligned to the ONE THING, or it's not a fully embodied choice {aka intentional, mindful, bringing the whole of me - mind/brain/body/heart/spirit/soul - into the choice} then it's a NO or a very different, modified yes than before.
Then I keep learning, refining, oopsie-ing, course correcting.
I keep coming back. I notice, pause.
Practice love. Practice curiosity. Learn. Grow.
Choose again. And repeat. 📷 When the Universe opted for a course correct & cancelled Emerge...
White space + cocooning was first on the menu. Nature + beach + sun + connection were right there too.
Although mama nature wasn't necessarily on board, when I remembered @annasharing #Canada150 @chasingsunrise with me, I KNEW *this* is where I was meant to be.
2:30am Rise & Shine
3:45am Sunrise Tribe gathered
4:15am Dreamy Hike thru King's Mountain
5:18am SUNRISE {well, we imagined one hella epic sunrise!} The sun & rise were there alright, rising on the other side of fog & clouds.
And WE were there together.
5:30am Sung OH CANADA & hiked back

#chasingsunrise reminds us that "with every sunrise we have a choice...what we make out of that day [& every day]! And we have more in common about what we want in our lives, than not.
The willingness to make it count,
makes all the difference.
This is about
MAKING A CHOICE
EVERY DAY
to do the things that make our lives, & everyone's lives around us,
better."
•
... #onebreath, #onemoment, #oneintentionalchoiceatatime.
One SUNRISE at a time. xo

$. YOU MOVE MOUNTAINS E V E R Y SINGLE DAY This. Words you never thought could have so much meaning. Until. Until they were exactly what you needed to hear, when you needed to hear it. Even after all these years. Even after all this healing, growth, acceptance, adjustment, and transformation. This. "YOU. You move mountains, e v e r y s i n g l e d a y." Words said to me by my best friend, family for eternity, someone who has been through this muddy journey with me from the beginning. Ups & downs. Highs & lows. Setbacks & speed bumps. Triumphs, lessons, learnings, blessings, hugs & so much love. Thank YOU. YOU! Then! Today while I was 'compassion/love flooding' I stumbled across this quote:: YOU HAVE BEEN ASSIGNED THIS MOUNTAIN TO SHOW OTHERS IT CAN BE MOVED. Holy F. All my favourite mantras, Yogic, Buddhist, Hindu and spiritual philosophies ... many of which I have been practicing & sharing on the cushion & on the mat in recent weeks, all of which are being felt right here, through this. May this be a collective prayer, intention, declaration for this {often invisible} family of ours...the TBI community, our extended family...and ultimately, the human community. Living life, a life lived, on purpose, with purpose...we have all been assigned mountains to move, for a purpose. May we lean on this & feel this, t o g e t h e r, when the mountain feels too heavy to move, to heavy to even sit with. One breath. One moment. One intentional choice at a time. xo _/\_$

$. THE SCARS THAT LET THE LIGHT IN I stood there trembling, shaking, Being told my lips were turning blue, That I needed to get out of the water. Sun shining, 40 degree weather, hot & humid, Yet I was frozen, like a deer caught in headlights, Everything moving in slow motion, Time standing still, Crystal clear. Clarity. White space. Complete emptiness. And the entirety of my journey passing through my awareness, all at the same time. Like observing the divine filing of each word, each page of my life written so far into the Universe's filing cabinet within me. Or, maybe being witness to the cosmic dumping of my own trillion-pieced puzzle. Falling apart, falling together. Coming together. Illumination & dissolution. Whatever it was, it was one of the most surreal experiences of my life. A series of moments that felt like they lasted an eternity. I wandered out of the WATER TEMPLE journey, a multi-phase process i / we {me & my fellow seekers that day} were guided through by a special soul, spiritual guide & healer, andri. I wandered, shaking yet clearly guided, Filled with this sense of deep enduring love, clarity, peace & calm, Into the sun, in the middle of a large courtyard, I saw a little temple made of stone, w/ a beautiful statue of a Hindu god. This spot spoke to me. So I sat down. Opened my cracks & scars to the sun, And let it pour in, and let it flow out. I sat. And I breathed. And I let it all be. Making purpose out of the pain. Knowing our suffering, OUR LIFE, can be of service. Believing that we can be the change. That the guru is within you...just soften the edges, open wide, ask & listen. Practice. Keep coming back. That LOVE is always the answer. That moment will be with me forever, continuing its alchemy within me... Thank you Katie, Robert & Andri. Thank you Bali. Thank you Water Temple & every spirit/soul who has/is/and will contribute to its offering. Thank you Universe. Thank you Life. Thank you TBI. xo _/\_$

$. IT WAS ALL A LIFE "I wish to live a life that causes my soul to dance inside my body." - Dele Olanubi This quote, to live a life like this, can sometimes feel much like this picture. It has a kind of dreamlike quality. Some days it can feel as foggy dream we struggle to remember in the morning light; or the kind of wish we place on a penny in a fountain, or blowout on a birthday candle. The thing is, it's not! Or at least, it doesn't have to be. Does it? YOGA helps me cultivate these moments, this practice that reminds me that this life happens one breath at a time, one moment at a time, one intentional choice at a time. On purpose, with purpose. And thankfully that practice lasts much longer than any dream ever could. xo _/\_$

"May my suffering be of service" is a prayer, an offering I come back to, time & time again.
Our yoga mat, the altar.
Our shared studio space, our church.
YOGA, our practice.
Today we meet here + a limited schedule this week.
Sunday
2:00pm FLOW, @pureyogaottawa Centretown
Monday
9:30am FLOW, Pure Yoga, Westboro
Tuesday
12:00pm WARM YIN, @pranashantiyoga •
THEN...
@emergeyogafest
Friday
10am Soul Limbering MEDITATION {Desire Map Inspired}
2pm Enter the Love Cocoon: YIN, we're going IN
Saturday
12pm SLOW MINDFUL FLOW {LoveYourBrain inspired}
4pm Mindfulness MEDITATION {LYB inspired}
Sunday
8am Rise & Radiate FLOW {DM inspired}
12pm WORKSHOP:: INTRO to Desire Map, Design a Life You Love, from the Inside Out
•
Honoured to have @djtazrashid sharing his epic beats n vibrations for many of my classes.
Check out emergefestival.com/classes
SINGLE & MULTI-DAY PASSES available.
This festival is nestled in the heart of nature paradise, just 90-mins outside of Ottawa.
Use DISCOUNT code:
EMERGEWITHKATE for 10% off passes 📷 "May my suffering be of service" - @daniellelaporte
This is a prayer, an offering I come back to, time & time again.
Our yoga mat, the altar.
Our shared studio space, our church.
YOGA, our practice... * Somehow this prayer combined w this practice brings meaning & purpose to many of the things I cannot change about my path, while at the same time gives me the strength & the power to transform and shift...out of suffering...into pain alone, or into peace, even joy, or into simply a state of neutral being; accepting the moment as it is. Without resistance. Even if just for a moment. This is a practice rooted in Mindfulness, Buddhism. A gift bestowed to me by a Therapist in the Rehab Hospital, outside of the traditional therapy we were paired up to work on (speech therapy to be exact). She planted seeds that set me on a path. Which resulted in years spent in practice, classes, meditation, reading, study, practicing, learning through being, and so it continues.
A Buddhist monk once shared this with her, and she shared it with me, and I share it forward to thee:
Pain x Resistance = Suffering
AND may our suffering be of service xo

$. EMERGE YOGA FESTIVAL June 29 - July 2 | 90 mins from Ottawa This time next weekend we will be deep into yoga bliss ... exploring movement, breath, meditation, expansion of mind-spirit-soul, collaboration, connection, union, vibration, nourishment & a whole lotta love at @emergeyogafest! All of this AND we'll be tucked into a cocoon of nature paradise?! For real! The Emerge team has been using creating an absolutely magical back-drop, pulling together an epic schedule/line-up of world-class teachers, DJs/Musicians, food, and vendors. Too many to list, ahem @blissology & @seanecorn andddd and and, so many beautiful Ottawa & abroad souls - truly, this line-up is out of this world! 💓 & 💀 = blown I can't wait to set my eyes n heart on everything AND YOU all in a few short days. 📷 I made this pretty picture to give you a sense for the offerings I'll be guiding, many of which with @djtazrashid over the 3-day festival + my DISCOUNT code. Remember you can purchase single-day or multi-day passes. Full Festival passes include camping access, and camping passes are uber affordable. Hotel options are avail too {cuz sleep needs be personal, varied & important y'all}. Hope to see you there! Message me with any questions, or hop on over to emergeyogafestival.com to snag your tickets, pre-reg for your classes, and soak in all that Chessa, Kim & the team have in store for us. _/\_ xo$