boulder love

hello again -

Well, Boulder was just as amazing as I imagined.  Gosh, I loved it!  That city has pretty much everything I could dream of, right at your finger tips!

The first day we arrived, a good college friend of mine came to pick me up and hang out.  It was so good to see him, after so much missed time.  We went to some rooftop bar that overlooked downtown boulder.  We caught up over a few beers, surrounded by mountains - it was pretty fantastic.  Since he lives in Denver (30 minutes away), we got to hang out a couple times while I was in town.  I got to see Denver while I was in town, too.  Totally different vibe than Boulder, but also pretty great.  Seeing old friends can be so fun.  So much has happened, yet we haven't skipped a beat.  It was definitely just like old times.

My first morning in Boulder, I was out and about at 6:30 am.  First to a yoga class at Om Time with Jeannie Manchester, then coffee and reading at the Unseen Bean.  It was really cool to watch this little city wake up and start stirring around.  Lots of active people and dogs.  Just my style :)  After breakfast, I was on a mission to set up at least a half day climbing while I was there.  With a little advice from my brother and talking with the guys at the local climbing gym, I made plans to climb at Eldorado Canyon on Thursday morning.  It was kind of hard to figure out without my brother.  I usually climb with him...and let him do all the work (thanks, Tim).  The rest of the day, I just wondered around town.  I ate lunch by the boulder creek path, I shopped a little, I people watched.  Then, at 5:30, I went to my second yoga class of the day at Om Time.  This time Amy Ippoliti was the teacher.  I was so excited to meet her, she is an amazing Anusara teacher that travels the world teaching Anusara yoga.  Boulder is so lucky to have her in thier community.  Going to her class was the cherry on top for my perfect day in Boulder.

Yoga in Boulder is just incredible.  The Anusara community there is huge.  It was so cool to walk into such a warm and welcoming group at Om Time.  Both the teachers and the students have such a love for yoga and really live and breathe the Anusara principles.  It was really unique in culture.  I was deeply challenged in both classes I attended and spent a lot of quiet time after class, trying to digest everything I learned.  Jeannie and Amy are two teachers I hope to work with a lot more, in the near future.  They are both so full of life and knowledge.  

Thursday, I was at the foot of Wind Tower in Eldorado Canyon by 8:15 am.  We had our gear on and were set to go, just minutes after leaving the city.  Can you imagine, having the mountains as your playground on a daily basis?!  Pretty cool.  So, we climbed some multi-pitch routes (new for me) and a few single pitch routes.  It was so much fun to play outside.  I felt like I could have climbed forever, but we had only planned for a half day.  Good thing, too, because minutes after we left rain and hail came beating down.  Wouldn't have wanted to get caught in that!  On my way back to the hotel, I was ready to burst with excitement.  I am not sure why, I was just really happy to be there.  Those first two days in boulder were so jam-packed with fun and excitement, I could barely handle it.  It was a great feeling.

Over the next day or so, I hung out on Pearl Street a lot, spent time relaxing and just exploring the area.  Our event was 3 days, since it was Memorial Day Weekend.  The event was a lot of fun, too.  The people in Boulder are interesting, in a good way.  Everyone was very eager to come practice yoga and learn something new.  Young and old, every mat was full.  When I went on break, I came back to a class full of eager yogis ready for their yoga.  The Boulder Creek Festival was a great event to be a part of in Boulder.  Perfect fit for Kashi, too.  Everyone loves Kashi, there.  Of course, right... there are a bunch of granola-eating hippies that live there :)  Just one more reason I love Boulder!

 

Well, after a lot of yoga, a little rock climbing, time with an old friend, lots of god food and smiling faces everywhere....it was time to move on.  I have to say, I was a little sad to leave this place.  Guess I will just have to go back soon :)

 

just ask for it

Hello, my dear friends!

Last week, I hung out in the OC area.  Yep, it was as great as it sounds.  I was so happy to get back to a beach town, after Vegas.  We arrived on a Monday and stayed for a week.  Our event was Saturday and Sunday, as usual.  The first few days we were there, I spent most of my time hanging out at the beaches. When I went to Huntington Beach, I stumbled upon a surf competition near the pier.  Very cool to watch.  Another day, I went to an early morning yoga class with Lyndee Davis (Certified Anusara Instructor), then hit Newport Beach.  I was in heaven.  After a very active and challenging yoga class, there I was walking down the beach with salt water taffy in hand and toes in the sand.  Pretty fantastic.  I was definitely thinking how lucky I was to be where I was at the time.   It was a gift, that's for sure.

The event was fun.  It was a Jazz Festival.  I have to admit, I don't know much about Jazz.  But, I do know it's fun to see people have a good time.  Those jazz fans are serious about having fun!  People were paying good money to sit out in the hot sun (for two days straight) to watch some of their favorites perform.  It was a lot of fun to experience.  I posted a few pictures below - mostly of our crew hanging out when no one was at our exhibit.  The crowds came in between musicians.  People were there for the music, that's for sure!

Visiting all these fantastic Anusara Yoga studios and studying with so many amazing teachers on a regular basis really makes me stop and think... I just can't believe I am where I am right now, right here, in this life.  It's crazy, really.  I have been in love with Anusara Yoga since the ripe age of 16.  After completing my Yoga Alliance Certification, I knew I wanted to head down the Anusara path.  (It's like I completed my undergrad in yoga, but wanted to get my masters in Anusara.) But how could I make this work?  To be an Anusara Certified Instructor is a huge deal...in my opinion, they are the most highly trained, knowledgeable, fun-loving, incredible, teachers I have ever experienced.  To obtain the certification, it's a lengthy process...you have to study under an Anusara certified teacher on a regular basis, log several hours studying with the master teachers at Immersions, study the Tantric philosophy, take a written test, show a video of your classes, and much more - you get the idea.  Lots of time in person with credited sources, as it should be.  If you haven't noticed, most of what is listed above is impossible in St. Louis, MO.  I've always known I will figure it out, I just had no idea how.  

I was pondering this same situation (yet again) the night before going to Lyndee's class.  I know I will be a great Anusara teacher some day,  I just have to be patient.  Very hard, when you want something now and you know exactly what it is that you want.  Anyway, I went to Lyndee's class, had a blast, and learned a lot.  Lyndee and I started talking after class and she was asking where I was in the certification process.  I told her my biggest challenge with traveling is completing the immersion hours - I am about 30% there.  To my surprise, she and Josh Borella were teaching an immersion that very weekend!  She welcomed me to join them, so I did just that.  See, there you go - you just have to throw your questions out there and the universe takes care of the rest.  That Friday night, I knocked out a few more immersion hours, learned a ton from Lyndee and Josh, and walked away feeling accomplished.  One step closer...  

That's one thing I have figured out over the past year.  I don't have to get everything figured out right now, I just have to keep actively taking steps toward my dreams and goals.  It's cool how things keep unfolding.  Makes me excited about life.  I say this all the time, but I will say it again... I can't wait to see what is next.  In the mean time, I sure am enjoying the hell out of what's currently happening on a daily basis!

Now, we are in Boulder... don't even get me started on how wonderful it is in Boulder.  Even better than I imagined.  That's a whole separate blog, though :)  I still have so much to experience.  Soon to come...

Much love and hugs back home!  Tim and Ellen - don't forget to come home from Hawaii! I can't wait to hear all about it.

Until next time, 

B

learning to fly

There has been a reoccurring theme in my life over the past few weeks...flying.

In San Diego, I met an Acro Yogi.  We played around after one of my classes, during the event. If you are not familiar with this type of yoga, you practice with at least one other person.  Google it for more info and pictures - it's pretty cool.  Anyway, I had never done Acro Yoga, but have been curious for quite some time.  My new friend offered to teach me a bit - and I got to "fly."  It was a blast!  At first I felt a little uneasy - being that people were everywhere and I was the Kashi Yoga Instructor, trying something new in front of everyone.  But, only a few poses deep, i was having a lot of fun.  It was very cool.  I look forward to learning more about Acro Yoga.  I posted a few pics below...

Then, onto flying in Santa Monica... our event was on the Pier.  The first day of our event, I made friends with some folks that just opened a trapeze school at the other end of the pier.   They offered to let me take a few complimentary "swings."  Since they had just opened that weekend,  I think they just wanted people on the trapeze to help create excitement.  Fine by me, because I LOVED it.  I crawled up on the ladder, 23 feet in the air.  They clip you into a harness, similar to what you wear rock climbing.  I figured between yoga and climbing, the flying trapeze would come naturally.  Plus, it looked pretty thrilling. 

When I got to the platform, I was told to stand with my toes hanging off the edge, reach with one hand for the bar on the swing and the other hand holding me onto the platform.  They held my harness from the back to keep me from falling forward right away.  They told me they would count to 3 and then say "hep."  When I heard "hep", they would let go and I was to take a small hop and FLY!  We did that a few times, then was ready for more... so i did a knee hang - pulling my knees up over the bar and letting go with my hands, leaving me swinging upside down.  After mastering the knee hang, I was ready to do a catch.  Yep, just like that episode of Sex and the City :)  It was awesome.  I figured as long as I stayed calm, paid attention and listened to their calls, it would be fine.  When it was time to reach my hands out for the other person across from me (the owner of the school), I decided to just go for it.  I figured if I didn't go for it the first time, i would freak myself out.  

So there i was, 20 feet up, gripping the wrists of a perfect stranger, swinging over the Santa Monica Pier in mid air.  It was awesome!  I wish I had pics to post, but I was by myself on my lunch break.  There were reporters there video tapping - so when i get the link to the story, i will post it on here for sure. Check out their web site, www.losangeles.trapezeschool.com.  They have schools all over the country.  Watch out, after the Kashi tour, I just might be joining the circus ;)

Next, onto Vegas baby, Vegas!  We arrived Monday evening.  Dia and I went for a walk down the famous Vegas Strip, exploring this crazy place best known as "Sin City."  That place is insane!  The lights are as bright as can be, the casinos are painted in advertisements and people can be found crawling in and out of the casinos everywhere.  Lots of interesting people watching, that's for sure.  

The next day, I went to an advanced Anusara class with Karen Lane.  She came highly recommended from my teacher, Jamie Allison, so I had to check her out.  Hardest class of my life!  It was also one of the most fun classes of my life, though.  I learned some really cool tricks, that's for sure.  There was one point during class that I thought I was going to die... but after I moved past that feeling, I had a blast.  The theme was Carpe Diem, which was an amazing fit for me at the time.  It is good to challenge yourself,  I just had to keep reminding myself of that :)  

Also while in Vegas, I went to the Cirque Du Soleil show, called KA (www.mgmgrand.com/ka).  Back to that flying theme I was talking about.  Wow, is all I can say.  There were people flying all over the place during the show.  This particular show, "KA" was especially interesting because the entire show was performed on a rotating stage.  When I say rotating, I mean up and down, side to side and VERTICAL!  there were points during the performance where they were running up a vertical stage.  Craziness.  They are amazing performers, that's for sure.  Definitely glad I saw my first Cirque Du Soleil show in Vegas.   It was my favorite part of that trip.

After a few days of Sin City, I was ready to go.  I am back in California for the week - Newport Beach.  This weekend's event is at a Jazz Festival.  I am very happy to be back by the beach, where I can see the sun rise and set and have an unlimited source of fresh air :)  Much more my style...

So what does all this flying mean, after all?  Well, in my interpretation, flying means letting go.  Being free.  Trusting the source...and yourself.  "Flying" over the past few weeks has taught me a lot.  And, I am sure there is a lot more to learn!  I know one thing, I am definitely looking forward to the next opportunity to fly :)

Much love and hugs to all!

B 

star struck

I personally declare myself star struck! 

Yesterday, Dia and I were walking down Hollywood ave. and stumbled right into the Iron Man movie premier. It was a huge deal, red carpet and everything. Most of you know, I am not too good at staying up to date with pop culture, I had never even heard of that movie!  So, I didn't really expect to care if I saw movie stars...WRONG! I was just as excited as everyone else, if not more excited.

We were standing across the street from Robert Downey Jr., Gweneth Paltrow, Terrence Howard, Vince Vaughn, Jon Favreau (Swingers), Ben Stiller, P. Diddy, Jack Black, Chris Turk (Scrubs)... I am sure there were more I didn't even see. It was crazy.

It got me thinking... what is the big deal about famous people? What is it that makes people (myself included) star struck?! I guess it's just the reality of a character being a normal human being. It's the idea that these people, who make a living off acting like someone else, can actually be their own unique person. And, similar to how we watch them on the big screen, we want to know who they really are, hear them speak, watch them live. It's a crazy phenomenon... I am not sure I totally get it. But, I know i surrendered to it when I was walking down Hollywood ave., I was stunned. Those movie stars.... they sure are fun to look at :)

After all that Hollywood stuff, I had to bring myself back down to earth... Today, I got up and went to a 6am yoga class on West Hollywood at City Yoga (www.cityyoga.com).  Now, that kind of Hollywood I can do!  Class was great, the studio was great and the instructor (Noah Maze) was incredible!  I have wanted to take his class since I saw him at the Anusara Immersion in Atlanta two years ago.  He was assisting John Friend with some instruction and demos and his practice was so strong and open!  The class, the experiences I've had in this city...its all pretty amazing.  The aliveness of LA, mixed with a grounded/expansive yoga class definitely hit the spot!  I am one happy camper!

Don't worry, it's not all fun and games around here.  Tomorrow, we have our event set up at 4am, then the event is all day Friday and Saturday from 10-6, then tear down after the event on Saturday.  It's going to be a long two days - but I can't complain - we are on the Santa Monica Pier the whole time.  

More photos and adventures soon to come.  I am sure I will have some good stories after Venice Beach on Sunday :)

XOXO,

Brige

Photos below:
Chinese Theatre, Jack Black, Chris Turk, Vince Vaughn, P. Diddy, Gweneth Paltrow

san diego sunshine

After patiently waiting for one of our tour vehicles to get fixed, we finally made it to san diego!  This beach town has so much beauty and character to it.  It was hot, hot, hot, while we were here - but nice to feel the sun on my face for a change...don't worry mom, i wore sunblock!

The first day we were here, Dia (tour mate) and I hung out in La Jolla all day.  We visited the seals on the beach, walked through town to explore the shops and food, and ended up on a grassy area in between town and the ocean to relax.  It felt great to explore around, without having definite plans for once.  

Over the next few days, I was able to hand out with my good buddy, Leslie, who lives one block from Pacific Beach in San Diego.  It was so great to see her and spend time bumming around her new (temporary) home town.  Leslie is a travel nurse, so luck would have it that we were in the same place, at the same time.  I am glad it worked out like that.  I miss the hell out of that girl, so i got my leslie-fix :)

We went all over the place...Del Mar, Solana Beach, Mission Bay, Mission Beach, Pacific Beach, La Jolla.  It was great.  There are so many parts to this area.  All beautiful, but all very different from the last.  

Our event was downtown in Little Italy, Saturday and Sunday.  It was nice to be in Little Italy, reminded me of being back home on The Hill.  The smells, the community, the food... it was a fun place to have an event.  The event itself was the artwalk.  There were all kinds of artists, food vendors, people everywhere.  Much different feel from our last hippie event :)  Kashi's headquarters is in La Jolla, so several folks from Kashi were there.  It was great to watch them experience the event in action.  Such great people to work with.  I am not going to lie, 7 hours of straight yoga does get a little exhausting.  Good thing I love yoga so much!  It's so amazing to watch people experience yoga for the first time,  I don't even have time to notice the exhaustion with all the excitement going on.  Those San Diegans love their yoga!  It's nice to be in a community with such a great appreciation for yoga.   I could get used to this CA stuff :)

Well, have to go pack up and head out.  Next stop, Santa Monica!

much love and hugs back home!!!!   Feel free to come visit anytime.  It would be nice to see some familiar faces on the road :)

xoxo,

Brigette

hippie fest (a.k.a. "Earth Day Festival")

Well, San Francisco was a blast!  I loved the scenery, the wonderful yoga community and most of all, the native hippies!  

So, the rest of my week consisted of sight seeing, eating great food, making lots of new friends and hosting our first Kashi event at the Earth Day festival on Sunday.  The first few days i was in San Francisco, I got my feet wet.  The last few days, I really got to know the city.  

Our first event went really well.  People there loved the Kashi "Day of Change" exhibit and my yoga tent was full all day.  At times, the tent was overflowing with people.  It was great.  So many eager yogis in san fran :)  I even had a few visitors from newly acquired san francisco friends.  

The event was on 4/20, it was in celebration of Earth Day AND there were 3 great bands playing (Brett Dennen, Yonder Mountain String Band & Citizen Cope).  People everywhere were high on life...not to mention high on everything else!  The place was packed with hippies, young and old.   I loved every second of it.  It felt like I was in that scene from Forrest Gump when Jenny is in San Francisco.  It really did look like that!  Click on each photo to enlarge each one, you will see what I mean.  Anyway, that city is alive, happy and very green (in more ways than one).  

I can't wait to go back - good thing San Francisco is on our tour list two more times!

slowing down

Hello from sunny san francisco!

Everything is beautiful, here.  Our hotel overlooks the bay area and we are just a few miles from downtown.  Yesterday was our first "day off" since we arrived.  To be honest, I didn't really know what to do with myself... since last fall, my schedule has been so jam-packed trying to simultaneously feed my love for yoga and teaching, while maintaining a career in

 advertising.  Now that I am focused on one thing, yoga, my brain is overwhelmed (in a good way).  The fact that i now have only one major priority, is pretty amazing!   I am starting to understand what it feels like to be "focused." 

So, yesterday I took it slow for once.  I spent time outside, caught up on a few emails, and went downtown to visit the local Anusara Yoga studio, Yoga Kula.  Two people from the Kashi tour crew came with me, which was a lot of fun.  The teacher was great.  He had a really interesting approach to sequencing the class.  We focused mainly on hip-openers, but his interpretation of hip openers was different than what i am used to.  He basically took all different categories of poses (standing, arm balances, back bends, etc.) and worked in a variation that opened the hips. Parts of class were pretty challenging, but so much fun.  This practice feels like a game to me, always learning more and trying new things.  Doing yoga is like playtime! We walked away basking in the bliss from our practice.  It's that feeling that keeps me coming back.

Today I am going downtown to hang out in the sunshine and eat some yummy seafood on

 the street.  Probably going to another class tonight at yoga kula... our event isn't until this weekend, so we have a few more days to explore.   

Thank you for all the sweet messages, keep them coming!  It makes this adventure somehow feel close to home.

much love to everyone!

Brigette