"The antidote to stress is relaxation. To relax is to rest deeply. This rest is different from sleep. Deep states of sleep include periods of dreaming which increase muscular tension, as well as other physiological signs of tension. Relaxation is a state in which there is no movement, no effort, and the brain is quiet.

The summer flew by.

The speed at which it moved makes me think that I didn't find the time I needed this summer to be still, to reflect, and to pause. Although busy, it was filled with good times, socializing with good friends, playing with my kids, a long road trip and time spent at the ocean. It was good, but it flew by.

Recently I had the opportunity to spend a few days by myself at a comfy cottage in the woods nestled beside a rustic lake.

This week I am thinking of my fellow teachers, and students who are all practicing their yoga, enjoying some hiking and feeling a warm breeze on an amazing yoga retreat in Mexico led by Helen Duquette. I, on the other hand, am in Southern Ontario, feeling the temperature drop, raking mounds of leaves, avoiding the flu but thankfully, at the moment I am feeling the warm sun shining through the window as I write.

This was a week where we celebrated the heart by collecting donations for the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario (thank you to everyone who donated!!!) and voiced why we LOVE yoga. The results filled the wall of our studio and allowed us to look into the many, many reasons why we practice yoga. The words were inspiring, funny, and comforting. Have a look.

I think it is a search for balance in my own life that is on my mind.

New beginnings can come at any time and in many forms. I thankfully feel the sense of new beginnings many times during the year.

Christmas is about gifts. It's odd hearing that sentence. We work so hard teaching our children that Christmas is not about gifts...it is about so much more.