March 5th! March has begun! Yesterday was the official final day at Jiivala. Bittersweet, most definitely. However, I am leaving the Jiivala Holistic Culinary Academy feeling empowered, excited & powerful. Although there are strains of self-doubt and fear- I think for the first time, truly, my fear and self-doubt is being trumped by my strength and my choice to go for it! On one of the final days- we brainstormed on current feelings and up-coming feelings, and what to do to deal with them. For me this exercise proved to be quite joyful, because I kept experiencing this feeling of power. I feel like I am doing what I am supposed to be doing. & although I definitely don’t always know the answer, and feel quite unsure about how certain things are going to go & where I’ll be– I feel strong in my ability to trust myself & my intuition. It’s gotten me this far!

On the note of power– I started today off with another beautiful hike in the woods with my brother, Sam. This has become one of my favorite things to do, ever. For such a long time, I would feel guilt for not going to yoga or the gym several times per week. It’s a state-of-mind and thought pattern that I developed during my years in high school and university, when I would work out every single day without fail. This was emphasized when I moved to Vancouver and began working at the Golds Gym on UBC campus. I would literally obsess about the gym so much- that going to the gym was way more important to me than going to class. I can very confidently say that I attended the gym way more than I did class. A bit silly, right? Probably a lot of people can associate with this. We have become so obsessed with working out and going to the gym & yoga. Don’t get me wrong- I absolutely agree that being active is important when it comes to health. The difference to me- which I took a long time to learn, is that being active doesn’t necessarily always have to equal being in a gym environment. Physical activity can be as simple as walking, hiking or doing exercise at home. Physical labor. Of course if you are an athlete, or you are training for something in specific- then things can get more complicated. However, in general- I know that a lot of us, are really stressing ourselves out with this whole idea of working out & the gym. The worst is the mental trap that you create when you don’t go to the gym and then feel like a failure. I could write about this forever!

What I’ve noticed recently- by interviewing and listening to people speak about life & health- is that having a routine and a practice that gets you out of your head, present and in a state of awareness or meditation- is what is important. To some, this is most definitely yoga. Morning yoga practice- where you are practicing breathing and creating a state of peace within your mind, body & soul- is very important. For me, this is equivalent to going into the woods and hiking with my dog. Nothing beats it. It is quite honestly, one of my favorite things to do, in the world. & and it has really allowed me to FINALLY truly appreciate Vancouver- in it’s every form. I no longer mind the rain. In fact I kind of love the rain, the dark and the mild/cold temperatures.

During Jiivala we had the privilege of meeting Gloria Latham– who is the creator and owner of Semperviva, a Yoga business in Vancouver. She is such a magical person and SO inspiring. We were able to do a complimentary class with her, early in the morning (just us Jiivala Angels- a private class) of Wednesday, February 14th (that’s right baby, Valentines Day!) Gloria not only shared her favorite form of yoga (Kundalini) with us, but she also set aside a good half hour after to tell us her story, share with us her passion, as well as offer us time to ask questions and just converse on the topic of entrepreneurship. Pretty special eh? I was so stoked that that was my Valentines Day treat. Of course, my day was highlighted even more by the fact that I had a sleep over with my good friend Rachel Greenwood, and was graced with her beautiful face upon awakening that morning. This got even better when we realized that we basically had the exact same yoga outfit on, ready for Valentines & Gloria!

Anyways, when I think of power- I think of someone like Gloria. She is small in size (minus that amazing, beautiful mane of hair)- however, she is so passionate, true and strong in her direction & her path. That is power.

When it comes to power and exercise- it is really important that we increase the knowledge about eating and exercise. SO many people exercise daily and strenuously, and their exercise is not followed by complimentary eating habits that support the body in growth, repair and regeneration of muscle and tissue. This is a whole other arena of conversation! Most importantly though, if you are working out (especially if you are working out for 60+ mins) it’s important that you eat something high in a good source of carbohydrate (this salad is actually quite ideal, minus the beans perhaps)- so allow your body the source of glucose to repair and regenerate! That 30 minute window is really important though! Keep it in mind:)