cherry blossoms

In 1959 the Japanese government gifted the city with 2,000 cherry blossom trees. The reasons are unknown, the results are awesome.





The park was packed and the sidewalks lined with people making the annual migration to the trees. There were picnickers, drummers, guitar players, hackeysack players, slackliners, frisbee games, and when we left a DJ was setting up his equipment.




And there were, of course, photographers. Rabid, nature-starved city-dwellers with cameras beautiful enough to make a grown girl (me) cry taking pictures of everything in view. Some people, tired of the trees (or the crowds) turned to the pond. These ones made me laugh - hey look! a swan! take a picture! I love the way the swan is looking at them as if to say "Dude! WTF?".




And the ducks? Thoroughly unimpressed, chilling on a log waiting for the annoying humans to get the hell out of their home. Humans are funny.


Whenever I see this many people gathering outside for something - a sunset, the first snow, cherry blossoms - I always think that us humans, we haven't totally lost ourselves in modernity yet. We're going to be just fine.

Impossibly busy and so much happening at once. Loving every little thing I'm doing. Wishing it weren't going to end for the summer. At the same time, can't wait for the break. Four more days of work until four months of play.

fishing

I'm not entirely sure why spring brings out the fisher hidden within Torontonians but I've seen tons of people fishing over the last few weeks. In Toronto. In our lakes/ponds. Ew.



Mean treatment of fish aside, I love this picture. The moment was as calm and peaceful as it looks. It was good.

1.5 years

It took me a year and a half to enjoy teaching led classes. Mysore I loved right from the start and it's not that I ever disliked teaching led classes, I just didn't enjoy them. Too anxious. I realized that today, as I begin to think about winding things down for the summer, that it's been ages since I was too anxious to enjoy teaching. Instead it's been playful and fun and incredibly wonderful. Many of my students have been with me for over two years, I taught them their first class, and others come week after week which is an honour. I'm finding that I don't want to wind things down. I'm going to miss them.

Pictures are from the other other studio, my Saturday morning one. I arrive super crazy early, take playtime practice (with music and props no less, ashtanga blasphemy), teach a few classes and head out into the sun to enjoy my day.

finally

someone in the family that likes to cook...



...and garden...


...he must get it from his father.

the golden hour

this river

I was looking through my pictures this afternoon, there are a lot of pictures of bridges. Hadn't given it much thought before but, yeah, I like bridges. This is one of my favourites. It's on the other side of the city, I go there often. I love the colours and the quote lining the top of the bridge as you head east.

guerilla photography

Opening, assisting, practicing, brunching, going places we're not supposed to go for picture taking, cafe sitting, cleaning, zenned out candlelight chilling. This is what Sundays are for.

the sweetest day

Open windows, sun basking, spring loving post-yoga coffee.



A few hours of assisting next, then patio lunch with my yoga girls, followed by sunset walk along the beaches boardwalk. And I finally get to wear my new, sequined-sparkling flip flops I've been dying to wear all winter. Such a good day.

Off to assisting...

sunshine happiness

Spring is here and it's gorgeous. The sun has melted the final signs of winter away and it's impossible to stay inside.

pouting because i was working

...but not really. I was supposed to be somewhere else tonight but cancelled (my kazillionth cancellation of the weekend) to stay home where it is cozy and warm. I have a ton of work to do for the course I'm teaching but I'm too busy pretending to pout to be productive. Hard to believe that I'll go from insanely busy to the total and complete opposite in just over a month. Yay me.

last sunday

spring has sprung

A few weeks ago:


This week:


Shorts, flip flops, rollerblades, bikes, patio sitting, sun basking, lake walking - all re-emerged this weekend and everyone is so happy.

6am through my windshield

Woke up to snow and going to bed to snow. In between, even more snow and the world became beautiful.


Today was one of those days when all kinds of things fell into place at once. Life is positioning me for something, subtle but eventful. So curious.

Love this from J. Scott: "Your body is your instrument. Dance to the song of your breath". Can't wait to dance tomorrow.

plans bad, last minute good

So many plans this weekend, I should have known better. Plans make me itchy, I cancelled them one-by-one.

It was a gorgeous weekend capped by the most beautiful Sunday with the kind of weather that makes it impossible to stay inside. Brunch was canceled to join the rest of the city basking in the sun along the lakeshore. So glad I did because look what I found when I stepped outside tonight:

obviously

grenadier pond

The pond in High Park has frozen over. The pond was packed with people walking, skating, playing hockey, figure skating, sledding and playing fetch with dogs on the vast white field of ice. Everyone was happy. Taken by the bright sun, the novelty of walking where water should be, the joy of weather cold enough to remind you you're alive but warm enough to let you enjoy being outside. Splashes of the reds, blues and yellows of winter coats stood out against the white and the mood was the kind of happy that comes from the real things in life, a gorgeous winter day. It was good, wholesome fun, I stayed out for hours. Seriously, my city is a great city.

ice is pretty

Today was the first day in weeks I didn't have to rush to make plans after practice. It was gorgeous, I made the most of it. Awake early, quiet moments with tea, opening, teaching, then the longest practice in the world followed by an even longer savasana, pranayama and meditation. I floated out of the shala.

Coffee at my Sunday favourite, conversation with a bunch of strange strangers until company came and we set off to enjoy the freezing but amazingly sunny day. Say what you want about my city but the fact that I can spend two hours hiking along the waterfront just minutes from downtown is the best thing ever. My lake has been busy, the rocks, trees and debris along the shoreline have been coated in thick layers of ice. It was pure beauty.

minus twenty

-20 gorgeous degrees today, so cold it takes the breath away. Am thankful for warmth and shelter.

curiosity

...and a gorgeously quiet night