Resolution…How do you say that in Sanskrit?

January 2, 2012
Health & Wellness, Lifestyle
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Whistler yoga instructor visits Africa Yoga Project

Photo: Robin O'Neill

kRtasaMkalpa. It’s Sanskrit for “one who has formed a resolution.” (Yup, that is the kind of sh*t yogis say.)

I’ve always been a little hesitant of resolutions. The guilt one feels for not quitting smoking or not exercising every day for a year – it hurts the soul, man.

Alas, I have found an attainable goal. This year my resolution is twofold: give back more and do more yoga to find balance in my own life. So, what better way to do it than to combine the two?

I rang out the New Year on December 30 at the Yoga Jam, run by local yoga instructor, Erin Anderson. The regular events are held to raise money for the Africa Yoga Project, which helps empower at-risk African youth by introducing them to the healthy lifestyle and physical and mental benefits of yoga. The program trains Africans to become yoga instructors, and then, in turn, they become employed to teach in their communities to help bring a ray of light to those facing darkness.

“My favourite thing about the Yoga Jam Events in Whistler is the amazing vibe of community coming together in the spirit of giving and in play,” says Erin. “It’s an unusual yoga class because when we practice yoga for others there seems to be a dropping of seriousness and the mood becomes more playful and light. It’s fun.”

Yoga Jam in Whistler

Photo: Darby Magill

The Yoga Jams take place every month or so at the Squamish Lil’Wat Cultural Centre and are frequented by around 70 people. The atmosphere is upbeat with live DJs setting the scene for kids, tourists and locals sweating it out on their mats to a mash-up practice where multiple instructors take turns leading the class. There are even door prizes at the end.

Anderson, who owns White Gold Yoga, has a loyal following of yoga devotees with her light-hearted teaching style and specialized classes like Stiff Guys Yoga and Teen Yoga.

She recently visited Africa to teach classes and see the Africa Yoga Project in action first-hand. Anderson was joined by renowned action sport photographer, Whistlerite Robin O’Neill. You can check out more of Robin’s Africa photos here.

visiting Africa for the Africa Yoga Project

Photo: Robin O'Neill

“My biggest takeaway from Africa is that I saw and experienced is that yoga can empower others to give back. I saw a lit up group of youth who had once been living on a dangerous edge now leading others into self-awareness and health,” Erin explains. “They now reach out to the far corners of Africa and it’s changing lives. From what I saw, I take with me the possibility of empowering others to live big, to reach high and to change the world. Why not?”

Africa Yoga Project

Photo: Robin O'Neill

With passionate yoga leaders in the Whistler community, it’s hard not to feel inspired to take in all that yoga has to offer. In the spirit if giving and receiving, here is what yoga has given Erin:

“Yoga grounded me, gave me a place to come into true presence. Yoga brought me the ability to step into a big life from a very simple place. Yoga allowed me to give to myself so I can give to others.”

Well, if that’s not a good reason to check out the next Yoga Jam, I don’t know what is.

Stay connected

Yoga Jam Events Facebook Page

Africa Yoga Project on Facebook and Twitter (@AfricaYoga)

And more proof that one should never take themselves too seriously:

125km per hour in a Bobsleigh

December 24, 2011
Arts & Culture, Health & Wellness, Lifestyle, Travel & Adventure
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bobsleigh at whistler sliding centre

This week, the Whistler Sliding Centre opened its public bobsleigh experience. This activity on the fastest track in the world now joins skeleton as a once in a lifetime bucket list item that brings you closer to being an Olympic athlete than you ever thought possible.

Many Canadian lads and lasses have grown up watching the Winter Olympics on TV with their parents. Aside from figure skating and ice hockey, what else is more iconic and exhilarating than bobsleigh? Hulk-like men and women running, then jumping into a tiny bathtub sized sled and pummeling down the track at lightening speed. We’ve all secretly wanted to be one of those bronzed gods and goddesses in tights and spiked Adidas shoes.

Much to the chagrin of my boyfriend – who has wanted to be a bobsledder since he was a little boy – I had the opportunity to try the experience with some of my colleagues.

bobsleigh and whistler sliding centre

After a brief introduction to the sport and some important safety information, we are shuttled up to the start, which is more than two-thirds up the track above the public skeleton start.

There, we meet our professional bobsleigh driver Pat Brown, who just so happens to have been the coach of the original Jamaican Bobsleigh Team and the inspiration for John Candy’s character in the film “Cool Runnings.”

Pat tells us that the minimum age to begin bobsleigh is 16 and there is only one junior bobsleigh team in Canada.

As my 2 female colleagues and I hop into the sled, my heart skips a beat. “Has anyone ever thrown up in one of these things?”

Our fearless leader Pat bonks us all on the helmet as a show of solidarity and good luck before he hops in.

The track crewman gets us off to a running start – we aren’t allowed to run ourselves for obvious reasons. And, we’re off. I can hear one of them on the radio: “Be prepared. It’s a light sled.” What does that mean?

bobsleigh at the whistler sliding centre

At first the sled moves at a slow, rattling pace and I think: “This isn’t so bad. It’s like bumper cars.”

Then all of a sudden, the sled picks up speed. I assume the position we learned: shoulders shrugged, arms wide and strong, holding on for dear life with a white knuckle grip.

As we swerve from left to right through the turns, our sled is now a Mack Truck and then a 747 Jet. “Sweet Jebus, hold on!” I’m screaming the whole way down and so are my 2 sled companions. Pat is as calm as a cucumber – I assume.

As we enter the final Thunderbird turn, the sled hits its fastest speeds and my brain feels a little fuzzy.

As we come to a complete stop, my head is still buzzing from the G-force and adrenaline. Pat high-5s us as we step onto the finish platform, just like his Jamaican brethren many years ago.

In just 45 seconds we’ve descended the world’s fastest track, reaching speeds at 125 kilometres per hour. No big deal.

Would I do it again? Heck yes! And you should too.

More Info

The public bobsleigh experience is $149 CAD + tax

Sessions are 2 hours

1 bobsleigh ride per participant

http://www.whistlerslidingcentre.com

World Snowboard Day December 18

December 16, 2011
Arts & Culture, Health & Wellness, Lifestyle
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World Snowboard Day takes place this Sunday, December 18. The global event is a celebration for the 1 plankers; an ode to the 2-edgers of the world.

To prepare for the upcoming day I thought I would shreducate myself by asking some new and old snowboarding legends the question: “What does snowboarding mean to you?” Here’s what they had to say:

Finn Finestone, Whistler grom

Photo: Brian Finestone

“Snowboarding makes me feel calm, all week I look forward to riding so I can try new tricks and get better at my old ones. Riding in powder is fun, I like the way you float and it gets all quiet.”

Brian Finestone, Whistler Blackcomb Terrain Parks Manager (Finn’s Dad)

“Snowboarding has been a part of my life for 26 years. It used to be the personal progression that kept me going but now it’s the enjoyment of sharing it with my son. There are very few things in life that get me stoked like riding deep powder!”

Braden Dean, Voleurz athlete

Braden Dean

“Snowboarding means a reason to wake up early in the morning, to continuously work on being in good physical condition, and to eat healthy so I can ride harder for longer.

Snowboarding gives meaning to the seasons and the weather. Changes in temperature, visibility or precipitation have an affect on where I go and what I do on any given day, week or month.

Snowboarding has introduced me to my best friends and given a purpose to my travels around the world.

Snowboarding has given me a reason to stay healthy, strong and in tune with my environment, and passion to share with my friends.”

Ken Achenbach, Camp of Champions Founder/snowboard legend

“Snowboarding means I get to be 15 for the rest of my life. It means being able to close your eyes and see the exact second your life changed. It means making friends that last a lifetime. It means traveling the world. It means being a local everywhere but at home.

It means having a secret handshake that opens doors to places you never imagined. It means days you never forget. It means days where you wish you could turn back time. It means days where time stops. It means changing your life without even realizing you are doing so.

It means surfing. It means living in the future you imagined and created. It means living in a bubble. It means experiencing your friends at their happiest moments. It means learning things about yourself that you never knew you needed to learn.

It means you know what luck is. It means sharing the worst of times. It means being alone in amazing places. It means traveling inside your head. It means seeing things that don’t get seen by normal people.

It means having the last laugh. It means waking up and always being happy. It means toothpaste from Tokyo, life and haircuts from Chamonix, socks from Verbier, appreciation from Ballarat, pit stick from London, pies from Auckland, music from Melbourne and friends and pictures from everywhere.

It means trees and the spaces in between. It means never growing up. It means the smell of pine. It means living somewhere where everyone gasps with envy when you tell them where you live.

It means you always buy “Powder Fresh Scent” even though you know that’s not the powder they are talking about. It means seeing mountains up close. It means you know the thousand of shades of blue.

It means you can smell winter. It means you know light. It means never being an adult. It means Fuji 50, 500, 5.6. It means you love helicopters, snowcats, powder, your friends and not in that order.

It means nothing and everything. It means fun.”

Dano Pendygrasse, legendary snowboard photographer

Photo: Dano Pendygrasse, James Kurylo 1996

“The easy answer is that Snowboarding is one of the parents of my career, that it is responsible for the direction I’ve taken in life and that I owe it a huge debt. The more complex answer is that my feelings about the idea of snowboarding have changed dramatically, that the parts of the sport that I like are harder to find, and that my desire to be a part of the current incarnation of the sport has waned. Considerably.

Still, strip away the industry, fashion, trends and resorts, put me on top of an untracked run with Morry, Warburton, Garry, Shin and Kearns, and there is literally no place in the world that I’d rather be. I’ve had my share of 100-day seasons and now it’s all about qualityover quantity. Even if that means going without if I can’t ride the way I want.”

Vera Janssen, pro rider

“Snowboarding makes me feel free and it let’s me be the person I want to be. It has given me an identity, yet it does not press me into a form.

Snowboarding is my way of self-expression; drawing lines into the mountains is my form of art – I am closest to myself when I am in the mountains, in nature, with the elements and my board – it purifies my soul.”

Graham Turner, Showcase Snowboard Shop boss man

“Snowboarding to me means sliding on snow and sliding on snow has been a part of my life for the past 40 or more years. The sliding on snow business has been my career since I was 14 years old. Snow can take a huge rugged mountain and turn it into a white magic carpet that you surf over incredible terrain that would normally be impassable. Snowboarding with my friends & family makes me smile a lot:) I am super stoked to pass this down to my little boy!”

Me, a BC girl who just loves to slide

“Snowboarding is freedom. It’s relaxation and exhilaration all in one moment. Snowboarding is the first time I learned how to link turns. It’s also my first cliff drop and those really stormy days when the alpine isn’t open and you can still get un-tracked lines every run. It’s hitting the pipe and high-5ing my boyfriend after an epic session. It’s listening to that little rattle on the chairlift as you upload and inhaling the scent of hot wax. Snowboarding is smelling like fresh alpine air and soaking up the muffled silence a big snow storm brings. Snowboarding completes me.”

It’s clear that the passion we all have for this sport can’t be boiled down into on simple answer. This Sunday, pay tribute to the sport that has brought you joy and go sliding. You’ll be glad you did.

What does snowboarding mean to you? We welcome you to answer in the comments below:

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