06 9 / 2011
to the beat of my heart
My life is noisy. I’ve got people talking, phones ringing, dogs barking and neighbours who think that karaoke at midnight on a weekday with the windows open is a good idea. There’s very little quiet in my life. So, when I run, I choose to do sosans music. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love a good tune and when I started running, music was my motivator. But as running became easier and part of my regular routine, I discovered that I preferred quiet over music every time. I say quiet rather than silent because running is not a silent activity. I love hearing the subtle sounds of my feet hitting the pavement; my heart beating in my chest; my breath steadily inhaling and exhaling. These are the sounds that motivate me now.
run without music to:
- appreciate the sound of your body working hard to keep you going – breathing never sounded so good.
- be alone with your thoughts – you two could use some alone time.
to the beat of music
When I first started running, I swore two things: I would never run with other people and I would never run without music. These rules served me well for the first seven years of my running career. However, when I joined a running group in 2010 while training for the Paris Marathon, I broke rule number one and, with it, cast aside rule two since it felt anti-social to run with my headphones. In 2011, I was the only one on my team training for a full (marathon) and I found myself spending a lot of lonely kilometres out on the seawall. It was time to dust off the old mp3 tracks and turn back to my beloved playlists. Running with music not only keeps me company but helps me to escape my head. For the same reason I love listening to music during savasana, I love to have tunes act as “white noise” while I melt into my run.
run with music to:
- keep your pace and motivation steady.
- fall in love with albums all over again – Beck’s “Guero”, anyone?
but of course, safety first
Only use your headphones during daylight hours and when running in traffic-calmed areas. Make sure to keep the decibel level reasonable so you’re still in tune with your surroundings. If you do a lot of trail running, put the headphones away so you can hear Mr. Grizzly Bear coming before you end up nose to nose.
Written by Laura M. and Tess R.
Published on lululemon.com.
26 8 / 2010
love your body.
The human body is beautiful. It curves; it moves; it’s soft; it’s strong. It should be celebrated in all its forms.
I don’t know the what, when, where, why and how, but, somewhere along the line, we were told that our bodies weren’t good enough. We were told that we should cover-up, hide from the world, if we weren’t a certain body type. Well, forget that! Far too much emphasis is put on what other people think. The emphasis should be placed on how you feel. We work out to build confidence and feel good about our bodies. Why don’t we celebrate what we work so hard for? I am not a size two. My stomach does not lie flat, my thighs are bigger than they used to be, and my shoulders are broad. But that stomach supports me in plank pose when my yoga instructor decides we should hold it there for three minutes. My thighs power my legs as I dodge tree roots and rocks when sprinting through mountain trails. Those broad shoulders of mine propel me along length after length in the swimming pool. I work hard. And, if I want to wear a sports bra while I’m out for my morning run, I’m going to, and I don’t see why anyone should have a problem with that. There’s no size restriction on beauty and confidence. Dare to bare a little skin. Show off your muscles, your curves. Wear that sports bra, those short shorts, those wonderfully tight Wunder Unders. Don’t look to others for approval. Be the confidence you’re searching for. Love your body. Published on lululemon.com
06 7 / 2010
give a little, get a lot.
Been having a lot of bad days lately? Feeling a little down in the dumps? Sounds like me a little while ago. For the longest time, I couldn’t figure out why my days were getting progressively worse. I was sleeping well. Health was good. Work was great. Family, friends and relationships were wonderful. There was no obvious reason why I should feel so lousy. One day, I sat down for coffee with a friend. She asked me how yoga was going. I paused. Yoga? What yoga? I suddenly realized I hadn’t practiced in more than two weeks. In the winter, while I was doing my yoga teacher training (yogis go through slumps, too!), I was practicing almost daily, sometimes several hours a day. I cannot recall one bad day during that time. It dawned on me that this was the reason my days had started to go downhill – I had been neglecting my sadhana. Sadhana is a sanskrit word referring to a regular yoga and meditation practice. It is recommended that we practice two and a half hours daily – before sunrise when the world is quiet – in order to keep our minds, bodies and spirits healthy. The duration of two and a half hours is determined by the law of karma: everything that you give, you get back tenfold. If you devote two and a half hours of energy to your practice, you get twenty-five hours worth of energy in return – that takes care of your whole day, plus a little extra to put in your back pocket for later. Two and a half hours a day sounds like a lot, especially with our busy, modern schedules, and doing it before the sun comes up is just not going to happen. Going by the law of karma, if you devote just an hour at any time of day to your practice, you get ten hours of energy back. This covers the average work day, including commuting time. After realizing how much of an impact a daily practice can have, I now find at least one hour every day to devote to my sadhana. For others experiencing bad days, remember: “practice” doesn’t have to mean your typical yoga class. It can be taking a walk; listening to music; relaxing with your coffee and the morning paper – whatever benefits your body, mind or spirit. Yoga and meditation mean different things to different people so find the version that works best for you and reap the karmic reward. Happy sadhana! Published on lululemon.com
