We literally live 10 feet away from our neighbours … our Airstream is parked in their Oshawa Ontario driveway (courtesy shared parking). But with all of us having busy lifestyles, Dawn spoke about never seeing us, regardless of the fact that we are pretty much ‘roommates’ per se. So in order to play ‘catchup’, we had dinner together. What a truly lovely way to spend a gorgeous summer’s evening. Dinner with friends as the warm sultry air wafts in through open patio doors.

It’s been a really interesting few weeks of working on our newly designed yogaFLIGHT website and blog. Coming up with entirely new content (a rough business plan of sorts I guess you could say) has been a challenging experience. Top that with trying to accelerate our social networking presence with yogaFLIGHT and rV There Yet (both on Facebook and Twitter, with appearances on LinkedIn and Google + in the works), and I am pooped!

I find myself stumbling through the days with a bit of chaotic splash and splendour, no concrete plan written on paper, going from instinct and ideas, excited at the cre8tive process as it evolves. As Annie Lennox would say, “at a certain point you can’t really tell whether you have created the momentum or it’s creating you.” Not the best strategy going in to this with no siteplan (aka a graphic representation) or mind map, I admit, but at least its momentum. I’ve been dragging my feet on this project for way too long. I’d say that I am 75% close to our relaunch … just have to put together a gallery and clean up the coding and stuff. I am so very happy that hubby sat down with me and spent a few hours going over the content with a fine-tooth comb! I really look forward to everybody’s input when it’s finally online .

Enthusiasm is the energy and force that builds literal momentum of the human soul and mind.
~Bryant H. McGil

One way to keep momentum going is to have constantly greater goals.
~ Michael Korda

So how do you make a mind map?

This article from Anthony Landale from the Illumine Training website lays it out really well. Why paraphrase him when he has it down pat? Go check him out … Thanks Anthony!

1. Take a blank piece of A4 paper and turn it on its side.
2. Start in the centre and draw an image that represents the topic you are working on.
3. The main themes around the central image are like chapter headings.
4. Draw thick lines which connect the themes to the main image and print one word associated with each of your themes in CAPITALS next to the line.
5. Start to add another level of thought, using thinner lines, linked to each theme.
6. These are your associated thoughts. Attach words or images.

Add your personal touch. Make your map artistic, colourful and imaginative. Add humour, exaggeration or absurdity wherever you can. Your brain will delight in getting enjoyment from this process.

Mind mapping is a technique that is proven to help learning, aid memory and is efficient in recording and storing information. Again let us consider note taking as an example. Typically note taking is a laborious process with an output which, let’s face it, is typically forgotten quickly if it is read at all. Why is this so? Because a page of text has almost no variety, no distinguishing features; nothing stands out and the brain goes to sleep.

slaDE has happily found a dropzone to work at for the summer. His goal, first and foremost, teach people how to fly, and secondly, earn some money throwing drogues. Layman speak: taking people for a tandem skydive. With the Sigma Tandem System that Skydive Toronto uses, slaDE must maintain a certain currency since his previous jump, all within a set time period set by Strong Parachute System.

A. If any currently rated Tandem Instructor has not made a Tandem jump in the preceding 90 days, he must make one Tandem jump with an experienced jumper acting as a student before taking a student student. The experienced jumper/ student must first be briefed on how to respond to Tandem emergencies.

That’s where I fit in! For slaDE to become recurrent, it was time for me to make another tandem jump with him. I’ve been a passenger on about 20 different occasions, as an experienced jumper, filling the ‘student’ role for either a learning tandem master or for means of recurrency. Let me tell you, it never becomes fully easy and comfortable, that relinquishing of control. You see, I have over 1400 skydives, and on all solo jumps, I have pulled my parachute each and every time, saving my own life. However, with tandems, that’s another story. More often than not, there have been ‘chicken handles’ for me to access in case I needed to perform any of the deployment or emergency functions. However, in the previous 2 times that I have jumped with slaDE, there were no such handles, apart from the main tandem canopy deployment ‘golf ball’. Gulp! Although nervous and out of my comfort zone, I’m good with that option and choice. I have complete trust in slaDE and his abilities to land us safely on the ground.

Today was no different … the skies were a startling clear blue colour and the temperatures were invitingly warm. With the opportunity to skydive from the Cessna 182, I felt right at home, enjoying the ride to altitude as we circled a 4 square mile area around the urban airport. Our dive out of the airplane was poised and perfect. The canopy ride, stealthy (I love the Icarus canopy!) and the landing, perfection. Another jump lived, loved and shared with my husband. What a beautiful day!

Thanks to Facebook, last Saturday I haphazardly stumbled across a listing for a fantastic workshop to be taught at the Yoga Loft in Lindsay by World Renown Ashtanga Yoga Master, Shamanic Practitioner, Prana Facilitator, Philosopher and Musician, Danny Paradise. The thought of attending a class inspired by him had me beyond excited at the thought of slaDE also experiencing the style and teachings of this truly talented Yogi. You see, although Danny is a fellow Canadian, his workshops usually have him travelling on a whirlwind schedule (8-9 months of the year — he’s been globe-trotting since 1979), leading workshops and holidays in exotic locations. He pretty much leads the dream life I aspire to, of travelling the world, spreading the love of Yoga, healthy living, and Prana, returning to his roots in Hawaii and Canada on his ‘down time’.  To give you an example of his amazing lifestyle and itinerary, he’s in: USA – August; Spain – September; Germany, Spain & Greece - October; UK – October-November; Thailand – January & February; Israel – February; Bali (the Spirit Festival!) – March; Thailand – April.; Brazil – July, and full circle back to the USA in August 2012. This dear readers comes solely from the scheduled events posted on his website. Whoa!!! Sensational .

About 6 years ago, I had the privilege of participating in a day long workshop led by Danny at a yoga retreat in Goa, India (I spent 4 months there, discovering yoga in exchange for my web design services) as well as doing a photoshoot on the beach with Danny and friends. This was my first introduction to yoga in the ‘wild’. WOW! The strength, the beauty, the form. In addition. I thought Danny was a fabulous teacher. At the time, I had little to compare his level or style of instruction to. I was a fledgling yoga student and had no idea what the practice of yoga would truly mean to me and my life. Of course, one can’t predict the future, but yoga in itself has been as instrumental in an extreme change through my life progression as was my introduction to skydiving, 20 years ago. Fast forward 6 years to Lindsey Ontario … after experiencing many years of a wide variety of yoga and teaching styles, I was extremely excited at the thought of sharing in this workshop with slaDE~. And that we did. What started as an initial 3 hour afternoon sojourn at the Yoga Loft turned in to a 4 hour class with a lovely evening meal attended by Danny and friends from the studio. Danny did not disappoint. To this day, I find him an incredible teacher, displaying a chill laid-back humble style that is intuitive, knowledgeable, educational, entertaining and extremely valuable.

What I truly loved about Danny’s compassionate and playful afternoon Ashtanga workshop was his provision of a reading list along with notes on and time for a full Pranayama practice.  He spent a good 45 minutes discussing what yoga, shamanism, prayer, meditation and healthy living has meant to him throughout his yoga lifetime (he started in 1976 with David Williams & Nancy Gilgoff). Throughout the rest of his Ashtanga (Primary Series) class, Danny skillfully guided and encouraged us, his students, to empower our minds and make a daily practice of yoga that is “sacred, safe, meditative, healing, joyful, expanding, energetic and pain-free — modified where necessary” (whether it be pranayama, meditation or asana). Many a wonderful quote and inspirational message came from Danny. His personal thoughts and interpretations on yoga expressed the practice as being about (as transcribed from my hectic scribblings during the class):

• consciousness and self-understanding
• evolution
• healing
• soul work accessing deep levels of the brain
• reconnecting
• body and spiritual purification
• aging with vitality, grace, health and clarity
• an ancient tradition as old as the human race that delves in to the understanding of human consciousness
• one way of eliminating fear, anxiety, disease and stress
• grounding in the present (the only place where true healing can take place)
• communication with spirit
• a way of understanding aging and death
• a gateway for emotional release

“Though Yoga is an ancient teaching it is open to interpretation in all eras and by everyone who enters into the exploration of finding who they really are and what is their ever-evolving place in this endless creation.”

 From Danny’s website, here are a few more personal impressions :

• Everyone is born to follow their dream.
• Borders were created by narrow-minded men {not women!} to divide and control people, but God created a world and a universe without borders, without limitations…
• Only a person with a tiny mind wants to lock people out or in.
• Death is just another stage of evolution.
• Love is an endless well available at all times from the Great Spirit…no charge!
• Go organic! Stay Flexible…
• Find out what’s really going on….Travel!

My thoughts exactly! What do you think? What does yoga mean to you in your life?

What a joy it was to sleep in this morning. The temperatures of the past week had waned, and a cool morning breeze filled the room and warmed my soul. I couldn’t help but wake with a smile, thinking of the past month here in Montreal. So many amazing and diverse memories, all involving flight and wonderful connections. The joy in life really seems to be all about connecting. Without that strand of humanity to link one experience with another, life would feel incredibly empty. Here’s a similar analogy that resonated huge with me this week. Kate “B-girl Lynx” Alsterlun extended this analogy as learned from Eugene Poku: In yoga, the breath is like the string of a pearl necklace. The pearls are the asanas and the breath brings the asanas full circle and keeps the practice together, continuous and circular.

The morning was spent with Paul teaching us some tricks to strength in Chaturanga, Downward Dog and jump forwards, linking the Sun Salutation together as a fluid strong movement. I felt very blessed to witness his teaching style and to learn some pointers for my own practice and teaching. Before we knew it, we were on our way back to Verona for a visit with slaDE~s Mom. It would be so good to arrive back at our Airstream, to sleep succulently sound in our own bed.

Today began with learning a complex and long performance flow created by by Eugene and Jessie. Layer upon layer upon layer of seamless dynamic moves and intricate weaving of acro yoga techniques with a dance and yogic flair. Sutble, fierce, challenging but oh so beautiful. I partnered up with the beautiful and talented Laurence … so competent in fact that she was equally skilled as both flyer and base. Working with me (an inexperienced acro flyer) is an incredible challenge as it is … but Laurence was patient, kind and solid as a base. Although I have dabbled as a base the past four days, I am nowhere close to providing the necessary caliber of stability needed to safely hoist people through such maneuvers as ‘Star’, ‘Around the World’, ‘Ninja Star’, etc. The trick to getting to this level is practice, practice, practice. Wish I had someone more my weight and height to play and experiment with on a regular basis. The afternoon revealed a mini-workshop with Jason Nemer of acroyoga.org on the basics of successful handstands. Again, lack of mobility and strength in my shoulders left me wanting for more …. I’m learning that both daily core and shoulder strengthening and building is becoming necessary in this lifestyle of more advanced acro yoga (or what we call yogaFLIGHT). Time to redirect my focus.

The ending of our weekend climaxed with a boy vs girl Creative Process. With a quick 30 minutes to prepare our staged act, we stepped in to ‘the Cypher’ and rocked our performances with giggles and fire … the penultimate throwdown before an informal acro-jam. Personally, I was hoping for more flow practice after the throwdown with Eugene and Jessie. But as with all endings and beginnings, the flow of their structure is what I make of the time and interaction within the context. So perhaps I was expecting more of myself. However, feeling somewhat reticent with my new-found knowledge and skills, I sat back shyly whilst the more experienced acro-yogis soared through delicious flows and experimental flights in their acro-jam. Sometimes just watching can be enough. I am however yearning a deeper connection with an acro community. Time to investigate the Toronto scene whilst we’re in the area for a few months!

The evening was spent cooking and dining with our hosts at ‘Chateau Yogi’. Paul and Bryce had the perfect kitchen and patio space to enjoy a twilight potluck of personalities and stories. Of course, I enjoyed finding the beauty in photographing shadows, light, people and textures.

Morning review, B-girl afternoon. I thoroughly enjoyed the morning review. The past two days have literally flown by, with so much to remember through each flow sequence, let alone a whole day of advanced learning and techniques that can only be felt through experience and not specifically a workbook of moves. It’s been quite the blessing to have such high caliber of instructors, teachers, trainers, acro yogis (both base and flyers). To learn from the best has been phenomenal but also a frustrating and sometimes emotional experience for me. I am the least experienced flyer here and the advanced level of the manoeuvres we have been doing has challenged me beyond any expectations of what I came into this throwdown with. My ego took quite the brutal turn today and that’s where the emotional aspect came into play. I felt quite unworthy and inadequate with what I’ve brought to the table. The beauty and grace and skill of the people we’ve met is phenomenal. I feel somewhat out of my element, but have always been encouraged through this process by Jessie and Jill, two sensational instructors. Collin and slaDE have also been encouraging , and it’s been great to fly with other people as my base. I’ve even grown more comfortable in my skills as a base. Something I wasn’t certain I’d ever see … I suppose you can say that my tool-belt per se has expanded considerably! And the friendship base of our craft has grown exponentially. Today I really learned the importance of providing a safe effective spot vs a reluctant uncertain spot. The role of the spotter is imperative to the safety of the base / flyer partnership, especially with such advanced asanas as we’ve been trying. And regardless of the skill level of the duo, a spotter has been used 98% of the time here. I certainly find safety and comfort in that backup.

The afternoon brought its own set of challenges. I discovered that B-girling wasn’t really my thing (break-dancing). I was quite klutzy and clumsy in my dance efforts, and felt the need to step back from the less than joyful break dancing strength routines. My shoulders have certainly proven to be a painful challenge from the beginning of this intensive 4-day workshop. slaDE fell naturally into the rhythm and moves of this genre, and I enjoyed photographing the others in the throes of their bliss. It was truly lovely to watch, but finding the desire and need for my own space, I managed to steal away for a walk amidst the Place des Arts, photographing the people immersed in the ‘Just For Laughs’ festival. A fitness contest called ‘The Ego Games’ was especially amusing to film. Some great photos from a Sunday afternoon follow.

10% in your life is what happened to you and 90% is how you react to it.
 ~ Lou Holtz

From there, our group shifted to the home of Jessie and Eugene for an evening potluck extravaganza. A delectable yummy assortment of food and people. But as I find happens when good times are had, the time flies by, and with a 45 minute + commute back to our host’s place, I was wanting to find time for a cold shower to reduce my core temperature, and make my way off to bed before midnight. 6am comes awfully early and quick with less than my desired 7 hours of restful sleep.

Day 1 at the Acro Yoga Fusion Throwdown should instead be called Acro Yoga Bootcamp extraordinaire. WOW. I am so out of shape, but I simply adored and loved every moment of flying and the body aches. Today I learned the valuable lesson of having a spotter …. it makes all the difference in safety and confidence, for me, in performing these highly advanced acrobatic moves.

What an incredible day! A vibrant, body wrenching, core engaging, spirit flying, confidence building, soul-inspiring kind of day. I surprised myself today by pushing my perceived limitations and thoroughly immersed myself in the acro yoga challenges gifted to us. I flew slaDE really well, surprising myself at the diversity of postures we attempted successfully and achieved wholeheartedly and with beauty. It was an incredible experience to delve in to the realms of such advance postures … shoulder stands, etc. I made the error of not snacking enough during the morning, so by lunchtime, my body crashed and I was oh so tired during our lunch break. Nourished, we returned to the studio and I spent a good long savasana revitalizing my spirit before the afternoon ramped up our energy levels. I’m finding that my body feels weak and weathered through much of the strength moves, but I am pushing my envelope and taste-testing the challenges thrown our way. The afternoon ended with a surprising burst of aerobic strength moves rattled off that pushed my limits of strength and agility. I was so weary. But despite my fatigue, I still found incredible joy and energy in photographing the unfolding events in the ‘Place Des Arts’ square where the ‘Just for Laughs’ festival was in full swing. I love the colour and character of this city … Montreal, the home of never-ending summer festivals!

Although I craved to attend the acro jam in the park this evening, my body declined the invitation and instead decided to shut down regardless of wants or desire. We returned to our hosted haven with a throbbing heat hanging heavily in the air. Despite the intense temperature, we both literally collapsed in to a deep comatose sleep for several hours. It felt amazing to listen to my body’s needs. My shoulder is suffering greatly (thank goodness for ice packs and arnica), and the pain of my broke finger is outrageous. It felt like a crazy maneuver to indulge a steaming hot epsom salt bath in 33 degree Celsius weather, but the healing powers of the salts were dearly needed. An ice pack on the head helped to keep me cool thankfully.

Trying to be present and in the moment, so I am taking each day as it comes, listening to my body, and letting the moment of flow guide me from one moment to the next. We’ll see what tomorrow brings! Time to crash and rejuvenate for tomorrow’s exciting challenges!

We are so incredibly blessed. After leaving slaDE~s Mom’s late in the evening, we made our way to Montreal to our home for the next 5-6 days. A beautiful authentic man whom we meet on our last visit to Montreal (at both the Acro Yoga Sunday jam and the Yogaslackers slackline workshop) has gifted us with a place to stay whilst here for the Acro Yoga Fusion Throwdown. He lives  a stones throw away from the La Salle Metro, just south of downtown. The space is fantastic, with a humungous kitchen and a beauteous yoga studio in house. The icing on the cake … we have a bed and room to call our own with a mighty important fan to keep us comfortable during this raging heat wave. The journey thus far is bringing us the most incredible souls and opportunities along our path. The adventure continues ….

With Ontario summer comes hot humid weather (or so it is at the moment!). Humidity and trailers don’t go together so well. Alas, comes the issue of humid closets and clothing. With moisture in freshly washed clothes comes a not-so-fresh smell several days later. So in order to tackle this, we needed some sort of dehumidifier.

Alternative #1

Without wanting to generate even more heat through an electric dehumidifier, I found an incredible product on the market that has served us from the beginning of our RV adventures. When I first initially did some research, I stumbled across an economical alternative at our local Co-op store in Teeswater. It’s called ‘High & Dry’ from Prairie West Industrial Ltd. and is made in Winnipeg, Manitoba (Canada). In our travels, I’ve looked for this product everywhere, but so far have only seen it at the one Co-op store close to my Father’s Canadian farm.

The 3.1 kg bag is dubbed as a moisture remover for basements, cabins, flooded areas, sheds, garages, tents, boats, or anywhere that high moisture is a problem. It’s basically Calcium Chloride in a burlap bag. Since my discovery of this product almost 2 years ago, we have gone through 4 to 5 bags. At around $15 per bag, it’s a very affordable and convenient option. Dependant on the season and destination, the bag lasts us on average for about 3 months and works impeccably well. The diagram on the front of the packaging shows the 7 lb bag secured by a hook over a pail. At first, I thought perhaps I could hang the bag from the affixed shower head but realized that such a heavy item would ultimately pull the faucet from the wall at some point. This called for an alternative resolution. With such a smart creative husband, he came up with the perfect solution. slaDE macgyvered a makeshift collection bin by securing porch screen material loosely over a 5 gallon pail with his work tie-wire. We set the bucket in the shower and it wicks away moisture from throughout the Airstream fabulously!

Alternative #2

Another dehumidier option that we’ve invested in is the product called ‘Damp Rid‘. I bought 2 small containers, one to keep in the closet and the other in my electronics drawer. These containers are topped up at the end of my ‘High & Dry’ contents life end (small remnants of calcium chloride replenish these containers every 3 months … therefore renewable and more eco-friendly than just pitching after 1 use).

Alternative #3

It was only a few months ago that we stumbled across the product ‘Eva-Dry‘:

Safe, non-toxic, natural defense against moisture and mildew. Renewable Eva-Dry dehumidifiers are filled with silica gel, a very thirsty substance. Odorless silica beads absorb many times their weight in moisture and lock it in so water can’t leak or spill out.

When the Eva-Dry is “full” you renew the silica inside by plugging the unit into any power outlet. Heat gently releases water vapor in a few hours. When the indicator is blue again, Eva-Dry is renewed and ready to go back to work. You can repeat the process for up to 10 years!

I actually saw this product advertised a few months before purchasing and was somewhat leery about it’s proclaimed capabilities. However, I was happily surprised!

Here’s a testimonial: we’ve used the Eva-Dry 500 now for the past 3 months, and I must admit, it has worked extremely well in our closet. In fact, I hope to buy another one to use for the rest of the RV (to replace the Calcium Chloride — if it works as well as the ‘High & Dry’ now, Eva-Dry will pay for itself after 9 months – 1 year comparatively). We’ve plugged it in twice over the past 90 days and I LOVE the fact that this is ‘rechargeable’. There is no need for batteries, chemicals or a purchase every few months. When plugged in, we need an outside power source to ‘recharge’ the silica pellets. So far so good! I like the colourant in the pellets which tell me when the unit needs to be replenished (when they turn bright pink, it’s time to plug the somewhat heavy device in for approximately 12-14 hours – we use a power bar to have it sitting upright during the discharge. The website recommends that “the best place to renew the Eva-Dry is in any well ventilated area or in a bathroom with the exhaust fan on”).

So far, all the alternatives have been great effective options. Economically, Eva-Dry seems to outweigh them all. The ‘High & Dry’ has been the most visibly effective humidity deterrent (to give Eva-Dry a fair chance, we need to buy one for the whole trailer). I’m happy with them all and use all three at the moment for removing moisture in the trailer. I recommend them all!

PS I’ve just discovered online that you can go to a pool store and purchase Calcium Chloride. Not sure if it would be cheaper than the ‘High & Dry’, or packaged as conveniently, but it’s an option for y’all!

Settling in to our new home for the summer, today was the beginning of something truly beautiful. An opportunity to practice yoga in a studio space within feet of our doorstep seems almost like a dream. So to make the most of our time here in Oshawa, I’ve made an agreement with myself … upon rising, each and every day, I will practice yoga, in whatever form that may take. Evolution of a daily practice has no time limitations or defined routine. It is whatever may show up for me in that moment. And today, it meant leading my own practise alone and finishing a beautiful one hour session with slaDE by my side. My husband joined me quietly, breathing and stretching in his own cadence and style. It was magic.

Dawn played tour guide around town, showing us the Friday morning farmer’s market along with the major areas of interest that would make life a bit easier and fluid whilst here in the city. A morning stretch in the park by Lake Ontario sealed the perfection of the day!

Oshawa and yoga. Not something I particularly had in mind for the summer. But after spending the morning with my sister (who attempted yogaFLIGHT for the first time!), we made our way from Alliston to Oshawa, a small city just east of Toronto. Why Oshawa you might ask? Well, slaDE and I have been brainstorming about places to establish roots for the summer, and his friend Dawn (whom we met at the Yoga Conference several years ago) has a small brilliant home yoga studio — Breath of Light Yoga — with a long driveway that her and her partner might consider renting to us for the summer. It seems almost too good to be true, but we’ve set a dinner date for this evening, in the hopes of establishing a summer residence whilst helping out Dawn with her new business.

Having arrived early in to Oshawa, we set up our slackline and worked on our balance poses. Such a challenge for me, klutz that I am . But yet, I will continue to play in the hopes of bettering my skills at core & body stability, steadiness and sure-footedness.

Dinner with Dawn was fabulous. Her partner Craig had been called in to work, leaving the three of us speaking well into the night, discussing spirituality, yoga, web presence of our work and business marketing. It seems like we will be a spectacular fit … such an amazing opportunity for us all. I’m pretty excited about the summer, and what potential it will bring.

My sister is an Arborist … a really interesting career choice. I am a lover of trees and therefore admire greatly her vocation. By definition, an Arborist generally focuses on the health and safety of individual plants and trees. A child of the earth in the truest sense! Aaron’s days are very early … this morning she was well into her day by the time I had awoken . Oh the life of a nomadic wanderer, having the luxury of waking at will, very much dependant on my choice of bedtime. For me, to not have to wake by alarm clock is such a huge blessing. And I hold on to that current truth as if my life depends on it. In fact, my sanity does depend on my quality of sleep … I am very grateful that sleep comes easily to me each night, where 8 hours is my optimal and typical timestamp.

Today was a gorgeous day in Alliston Ontario. Aaron suggested that we visit the local organic farmer who lived just down the road from her. Excited at the prospect of fresh organic produce, we happily hopped on to our bicycles and rode the mile uphill to an amazing selection of fresh seasonal vegetables, lovingly raised without chemicals or pesticides. Beets, cucumbers, carrots, garlic, herbs of many varieties, giant kale leaves, lettuce, zucchini and spanish onions adorned the old barn tables with a sign seated on the ground stating “Will be back shortly. Help yourself if you can. (Prices on board outside)” An honour system was in place for any produce tat was purchased. Nowadays, how often do you see this? I can count 2 other times in the past 3 years … once in buying flowers at a Mennonite’s driveway hut and once in California along Hwy 1 at a strawberry farm selling scones and jam. Such a system is incredibly heartwarming to see in our society where surveillance video cameras and signs threatening prosecution for shoplifters rule our retail purchasing paradigm.

Sometimes the best laid plans can’t even come close to touching the perfection of spontaneous get-togethers. It so happened that my Father and Sister were vacationing for a few days with my nephew in the Muskoka area. After dropping off Forrester with friends, they were making their way through Alliston for a visit with Aaron. What a coincidence that we happened to be there!  Trying to plan a gathering with my sisters is tough to do even with advance planning. Add my Dad in to the mix … it’s usually a once-a-year opportunity (think Christmas or Thanksgiving). So much to my surprise, here we were, blessed with an evening to catch up with my family (Mom & Pat are missed of course). Impromptu perfection at its finest. I’m a happy girl today!

We had arranged to stay in Sudbury until Thursday morning. However, the best laid plans and intentions can be turned upside-down. So we bid farewell to our host and happily drove off in to the sunset, enjoying a spontaneous visit with my sister for a few days. What a bonus to have unexpected quality time with family! And even luckier for us, Aaron rents an apartment with a huge driveway, an accommodating landlady, and plenty of quiet space to call our own for a few days. Nomadic wanderers that we are, home goes wherever our heart takes us. And I’m truly content with our ability to pick up the pieces when timelines go awry.

Weddings can be extremely chaotic, busy and stressful for those involved. Having the opportunity to park our trailer next door to the bride and groom’s house was indeed a special treat, in that we were able to enjoy the company of Carrie and Jovan’s family after the business of the wedding had subsided. They leave for their fantastic Ireland honeymoon on Wednesday. Perfect timing apres wedding, giving them plenty of opportunity to decompress before enjoying their alone time as newlyweds, the sealing of the deal and partnership so necessary after months of preparation and devotion to the big day.

slaDE, always a source of wonderful entertainment, hooked up the slackline to some trees in the front yard. It was an instant success in keeping the children occupied and joyful!

I love weddings. Not just because it is the union of two souls into one partnership. A lovefest per se …. a day of happiness, joy, family and friends, tremendous smiles and love with future ideals and goals set out on the table for all to see. In addition to these beautiful sentiments, weddings remind me of our gorgeous stunning day almost 3 years ago where slaDE and I pledged our love and devotion to one another. A memory that I treasure wholeheartedly. And watching friends experience the same bliss-filled moment in time is precious and breathtaking, all at once.

Our gift to the newly wedded couple was to provide backup photography and video footage of their spectacular day. I loved being able to mirror the hired photographer and utilize the essence of my skills in capturing their day to remember.

My Favourite shots of their Wedding Day 

Long drive from Montreal to Sudbury. It was actually quite tough leaving Montreal, all our new friends, a couple of spectacular turbine Otter drop zones, some killer RW jumps and an optimal home base behind. But alas, our dear old friend Jovan was getting married in Sudbury. There were no ifs, ands or buts about not attending. You see, Jovan was responsible for introducing me to my husband, and in turn, he was at our wedding. Now was the time to be there for our friend on his shining day. 12 hours makes for a long day. Luckily we found some lovely green patches to stretch and do yoga on!

Once we arrived, our Airstream (and slaDE~s innate ability to back in the trailer anywhere caused quite the excitement and stir!) found a neat and tidy home tucked away in the corner of their neighbour’s driveway. It was awesome. Great to finally meet Carrie in person and spend some time with their family and wedding party before the big day!

Before the mad rush of an intense day of travel towards Sudbury, slaDE and I decided to spend the day unwinding and enjoying the delights of Nouvel Air (a dropzone 1 hour south of Montreal). Our friend and host Michel Lemay treated us to a late evening last night of conversation. But we were knackered and enjoyed a late morning lie-in before heading to the NovelAir dropzone. What a splendid facility — equally impressive but very different from their new flagship dz (Parachute Montreal). slaDE did video for Michel Lemay’s 4 way pickup team for a few jumps. And then we knocked out 3 spectacular 4 way jumps that had my mind reeling. They were some of the BEST skydiving jumps I’ve done in all my years. Fluid, peaceful, quiet and highly successful. We averaged 18 points on each jump. WOW! Pretty cool to get personal coaching and jumping with a National Champion. What a difference can made to my skill level!

We enjoyed an evening of raw food, great companionship and yogaFLIGHT amongst friends before reluctantly leaving, preparing ourselves mentally for the big trek ahead of us tomorrow driving cross-Province.

VitaMix Fruit Ice Cream Recipe (use organic ingredients if possible)
Fruit ice-cream / sorbet can be made quite easily with frozen fruit plus the addition of plain unflavoured yogurt if a creamier texture is preferred.

• The basic “rule of thumb” for making ice cream (or sorbets) in a Vita-Mix is 3 cups of frozen ingredients to 1 cup of non-frozen.
• You need to keep the ratio of unfrozen ingredients to frozen at approximately 1 to 3 or 4 for it to make a soft scoop type consistency. For a stiffer consistency, use only frozen fruit.
• If you can’t buy frozen fruit or berries, just freeze your fresh ones. By using ice, you water down the lovely flavours possible with just two ingredients (fruit alone or fruit and yoghurt). I get the best results from making smaller quantities. About 4 cups is a good size batch.
• Started by mixing on Variable speed 1 and increase to 10 quickly, using the tamper to push the fruit down. Once you see four ‘mounds’, you are finished!
• Use a spatula to scoop out your ice cream. Serve immediately.

After a quick visit to check out the Skyventure windtunnel in Montreal (which is pretty impressive in its design compared to the other tunnels), we made our way to ‘Parc du Mont Royal’ to pursue a new-to-us type of play. Slacklining is very similar to walking on a tight rope. A 1 inch flat tubular length of webbing (similar to what rock climbers use) is anchored between two stable and solid points (often trees are used). Add the concepts of yoga with intense focus and breath, and you enter the company of the Yogaslackers. US based Chelsey Gribbon and Jason Magness define their version of slacklining (aka ‘slackasana’) as “distilling the art of yogic concentration. A very unique practice that totally redefined my idea of what balance and breath was all about. Intensity in mental focus and sustained full breathes are mandatory, similar to meditation in motion. In fact, the success to remaining on the slackline is fourfold:

1. Commitment
2. Core
3. Breath
4. Focus (‘Drishti’ is the sanskrit word for gaze, which in yoga, helps with balance.)

I went in to the workshop literally stating: “my balance really sucks and I’m not certain if this will be accessible to me.” Talk about putting my limitations out there for all to see! However, within the 2 hour workshop, I was amazed at my tremendous steps of bravery and progress. I’ll be honest … walking on a 1 inch piece of tensioned webbing is a tricky intimidating process, especially with my tendency towards klutz-dom. But with gentle persistence, encouragement and a big helping of patience, I was able to balance in ways that were unexpected and incredibly rewarding. So enamoured was I in the process, slaDE and I invested in our own slackline kit (a special line and simple tensioning system)! Expect to see us slacklining at a dropzone near you.

Here’s what the Yogaslackers website has to say about yoga on the slackline:

Despite the seemingly impossible nature of the act, it is achievable by almost anyone with a little bit of perseverance and patience.  The practice has many layers, simultaneously developing focus, dynamic balance, power, breath, core integration, flexibility, and confidence.  Utilizing standing postures, sitting postures, arm balances, kneeling postures, inversions and unique vinyasa, a skilled slackline yogi is able to create a flowing yoga practice without ever falling from the line.  Once certain skills have been mastered the line can be set up longer – making it much harder to balance on.  For a comprehensive listing of asana (poses) that have been done on the line please visit team member Adi Carter’s page.

Without having built a record as hoped for yesterday, we were on the field at 6:30am with full gear, anticipating at least 3 jumps this morning. Unfortunately, the Sherpa pilot needed to be back in Illinois by mid-afternoon, meaning we had a small window to skydive, with 12 noon being our deadline. The first jump of the morning was extremely close to successfully building a 100 (or so) way. It felt that if we had only had another 1,000 feet, we would have been successful! Geez, not a great time to be scrimping from our promised 20k (we had 18k on that first jump). The next jump was kind of a zoo (I didn’t even get a chance to dock with so much zoomy traffic in my quadrant), so with the final jump being lined up, we all gathered together, breathing deeply in sync, praying for peace and success in our final skydive. Had a fellow jumper not had a premature deployment at 19,000 feet, I truly believe that we would have built our Canadian Record. The formation flew so quiet and beautifully solid. Only one sector of the opposing helix was incomplete (due to the preemie jumper still under canopy at altitude). Dang, it felt good to fly together as a collective flock, smooth, slow and safe in our maneuvers. But alas, 6,500 came too quickly, and we realized our Mission 100 record attempts were over for 2011. Collective as a group, we had some pretty spectacular skydiving this week. Much improvement in skill and flying was seen. Although a Canadian Record was not set at this event, we can all hold our heads high, having achieved much success and many wonderful memories in the little jumping that we did do. Well done friends! Here’s to trying again next year .

Success is not the key to happiness.
Happiness is the key to success.
If you love what you are doing you will be successful.
~ Herman Cain

We made 4 jumps today … I was on a 44 way, 65 way and after more weather delays, two 100 record attempts in the late afternoon. We had no luck at building the 100 ways, but it certainly was fun using all 4 airplanes. The visuals were spectacular!I was incredibly pleased with my flying skill and patience. However, after the last jump of the day, I’m feeling a bit nervous about jumping …. unfortunately, I sprained the fingers on my right hand when trying to exit the Otter. When it came for me to exit, the bench seat dropped down, not locked in to place. And as a late diver, I was crammed near the back with the only real room for movement being in the aisle. The bench fell down to my side, pushing me and slamming my fingers before I managed to upright myself and catapult like a rocket out the door. There must have been at least a 5 second delay between the last jumper and my exit. Made for an incredibly steep dive to the base. I found it extremely challenging when everything looked like specks from afar and with no visual colour reference, it made for difficulty in finding my quadrant and radial (in situations like these, I need my glasses, or contact lenses).

New for me on these big way jumps was our high altitude breakoff at 6,500 feet (I was on the outer ring), turning in sync with our tracking leader and group – - from 4-8 other skydivers, keeping close together for 2,500 feet (that’s a good 10 seconds in a tracking group — kind of like our own personal tracking dive!) and then individually fanning out to a minimum deployment altitude of 3,000 feet. I often saw people down and dirty when opening, but I was fairly consistent about being in the saddle comfortably collapsing my slider and unstowing my brakes at 2,000 feet. I prefer being on the outer edges of the formation because I know that I can track well and be clear of most other traffic. It’s only when I have the off-heading openings that I find myself concerned, facing a sea of traffic.

What I loved most about our jumps was the fact that the organizers were extremely positive during the debrief of our big way attempt, emphasizing our accomplishments first and foremost, and then offering detailed critique where needed and kudos when deserved.

It being Canada Day, a group of skydivers jumped in with smoke and a Canadian Flag, kicking of an evening of wonderful food and entertainment. Awesome fireworks and an amazing drumming band called Zuruba ended the evening on a high note, sending me to bed with a huge smile on my face. Life is indeed good to me!

The plan yesterday was to complete three 50 way dives (3 helixes off the base) before starting with 100 way attempts. However, the weather hasn’t been on our side and we are somewhat behind the power curve in getting through our practise jumps prior to attempting a record building formation. At 7:15am, 90+ skydivers were on the field in full gear with our oxygen hoses, ready to dirt dive our planned jump and then depart with the hopes of building at least a 50 way before our 100 way dives. Dirt dive we did, jump we did not. A solid layer of clouds were visible from horizon to horizon with a few breaks of sunshine left to test us with hopeful glimmers. The reality of our situation is that the Sherpa needs a longer runway to depart from than what is currently available at Parachute Montreal. This means that 2 plane loads of jumpers need to be ferried to an alternative airport 5 minutes away by plane before the actual formation load can take off and climb to altitude. With narrow windows of visible skies, this makes planning for a jump in sketchy marginal weather rather risky and tricky. If the planes do get to altitude in formation and there isn’t a safe opportunity to drop us in our groups (2 passes on this next jump but one big group of 100 for the remaining jumps), we have to abort the skydive and land with the plane. Imagine the cost of doing this with 100 skydivers and 3 very expensive-to-fly airplanes? The cost of a jump to 13,500 feet is $35 and to 18,000 feet with supplemental oxygen is $45. Thats a whole lotta money to be literally thrown out the window on an aborted skydive. Hence, here we sit on the ground, anxious to jump but remaining patient with the hope of better weather as the day progresses. Now is as good a time as any to catch up on the blog + my multitude of photo editing; stretch and breath; play yoga instructor; catch up on a fews ZZZZZZZZssssssssss. I’m still hopeful for success. With one final break in the clouds, we loaded up the 4 planes to attempt 2 44 ways. We made it all the way to altitude, with several passes around the dz from 16,000 feet, but we ended up landing with the plane as the clouds were too thick for the safety of our group, at break-off and under canopy. Not to mention, the spot could be way off. Been there, done that .

Rain day. Blah …. we were in constant limbo throughout the day as the organizers held us on standby whilst the crappy weather blew through, hopes held high that an opportune moment would have us jumping with our 40 way groups once again. Hour by hour we would meet up for an update of the situation. At one point, we were briefed for relocating our two forty ways to an alternate skydiving airfield (NovelAir) about 30 minutes away which is co-owned by this drop zone. It’s very handy indeed when the event organizers have two dropzones. Albeit kind of complicated as it involves 3 airports …. First, an air taxi from our current cloudy Parachute Montreal to the local municipal airport where the Sherpa aircraft is stationed. Then after transferring planes, we would take off and skydive in to the potentially sunny NouvelAir dropzone. The thought was extremely exciting and enticing. Having an alternative jumping plan is kind of cool and highly agreeable. Sure beats sitting around and waiting. But unfortunately, it was socked with inclement non-jumpable weather in at this airport as well. No luck for us today. The weather goDS would tease us with moments of beautiful blue clear skies and then the rapidly moving upper clouds would blanket the area with darkness and bouts of drizzle. Low altitude clouds are NOT a large formation skydivers’ friend. Not having the ability to 100% visualize the other skydivers surrounding us, especially when we’re tracking and under canopy, is asking for an accident of mammoth proportions to happen. For me, it’s totally not worth the money to have 110% controlled safety. As with any and all skydiving activities, safety is a paramount feature in big way camps and record attempts. I’m thankful for experienced captains who are being smart and cautious in their organizational efforts.

During one of our group meetings today, we were briefed on the characteristics and inherent possibilities of hypoxia, when jumping from altitudes of 18,000 feet or higher. Hypoxia is a physiological condition experienced whereby there is a deficiency in the amount of oxygen reaching the tissues and brain. So far on our skydives since Monday, we haven’t had to use supplemental oxygen, but come Thursday when we hopefully jump form 18,000 feet or higher, it’s important that we are familiar with the equipment and use of oxygen.

Oddly enough, I have about 100+ jumps from 18,000 feet when I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to make regular skydives from high altitude at Skydive Monterey, California. Those were the days when I paid $18 to 18,000 feet (this included a bonus scenic flight over the Pacific Ocean and Hwy 1 each climb to altitude ). At the time we never used oxygen, but today under these circumstances, when the potential for long jump runs as the 4 planes maneuver in to position (possibly evading weather or imperfect spots), it’s better to have oxygen available to us than to find ourselves with skydivers who might pass out or skydive unsafely because of the reduced oxygen in our systems.

At 6:30pm in full gear dirt diving our planned skydive, the organizers called the day, releasing us until tomorrow morning. Early rise, early start. Fingers crossed that we’ll make lots of skydives!

Excitement courses through my veins as anticipation of this event is about to begin. The last (and only time) that I’ve participated in a 100 way attempt was in Orange Massachusetts in 2004. The largest completed formation I’ve been on was a Woman’s 37 way record at Skydive Burnaby in July 2002. It was a tremendous success and an honour to be a part of. The buzz that exists on completion of something of this magnitude is hard to explain. it still sends shivers down my spine!

At 9am sharp, 60+ skydivers gathered on the patio of Parachute Montreal’s incredible facilities. What a beautiful drop zone! A main briefing of the day and the upcoming event unfolded during a meet & greet of sorts. It was nice to meet the event organizers …. basically the drop zone owners + the Lemay family (aka Team Evolution, which happens to be a Father and his talented 3 young sons).

The first day was spent working on 20 ways from one plane. We managed a glorious 4 jumps in … 2 from the Twin Otter and 2 from the Sherpa (this meant being ferried to another airport where the Sherpa had an acceptable runway length to depart from (too short at Parachute Montreal). Unfortunately, on my first jump from the Sherpa, I somehow managed to trip and fall heavily on my right knee before exiting the plane. Not only was I concerned about my body jolt but also, the thought of the jumper behind me belting my rig hard with his foot had me a tad worried. Not the time to have a premature opening on my reserve, when at altitude. But all ended well, and I managed to make it in to my slot on every skydive toad. Fabulous . I learned that if one is diving out of the Sherpa (and we’re talking late late diver), one needs good grippy shoes for the slippery floor and for dodging the bundle of scattered seat-belts that are a ready target to be tripped on.

It’s amazing what ice and arnica will do when put on injuries asap. I spent the rest of the evening babying my shoulder and banged up knee, praying that an injury wouldn’t stop me from enjoying a complete week of record big way jump attempts.

It was crappy weather here again in the morning … no chance of a hop and pop, so we headed in to Montreal for the Sunday afternoon Acro Yoga jam. Normally Eugene Poku and Jessie Golberg run the 2 hour jam, but today, we briefly met them on leaving the studio (they had a wedding to attend). Instead we were launched in to a beautifully cre8tive and playful session with Costa Koutrokois and Jill Campbell, the leaders for today. What an incredibly fun and joyful time of sharing! slaDE was flown by Costa like a pro … as if slaDE were a light-weight that could be twirled and spun with ease on the magic feet of Costa. It was inspiring to watch his dynamic strength, skill and ease with flight (yogaFLIGHT as we may call it, and acro yoga as is more widely known). I really enjoyed the pyramid building session that we had between 8 of the other participants. After luxuriating in a few hours of learning, we wandered amidst downtown Montreal, enjoying the Jazz Festival in brief. I had hoped to get back to Parachute Montreal for a jump or two, but that was not to happen after fitting in a weekly food shop. C’est la vie .

Parachute Montreal is host to the 100 way Record Attempts that slaDE and I have been accepted as participants (aka Mission 100). Parachute Montreal is located in St-Esprit Quebec, 25 minutes east from the centre of Laval (home of the Skyventure Windtunnel!) and 40 minutes from downtown Montreal. The 100 way event will run between Monday June 27 at 9:00am and will continue through to Saturday July 2. The goal of the record is to build the largest freefall formation by Canadians (bonus that this happens over Canadian soil — this winter an organized group attempted a Canadian record in Perris California, but weather + number of participants was their foe). So far, the record to date was in 2007 where 59 Canadians established the current formation record at Skydive Burnaby.

Our schedule:
Monday

• 9:00am : Close of final registration
• 9:30am : Group meeting
• 40-way skydives – 20-ways from Otters, 20-ways from Sherpa + Otter

Tuesday & Wednesday

• Meet @ 8:00am
• 60-80 way skydives with 30 way base training from the Sherpa!
• Helix arms training (40-way)

Thursday, Friday & Saturday (backup day, if necessary)

• 100-way record-breaking attempts with the full fleet of aircraft (3 Twin Otters and 1 Sherpa — think a stretch Skyvan that kind of looks like an Otter / Caravan inside)

Saturday evening

• Final get together over dinner and celebrations

The plan thus far: there will be 25 skydives total with 10 jumps from 13500ft and the remaining 15 skydives from high altitude (16000ft – 18000ft) using supplemental oxygen. Sweet! Hypoxia, not so much Should be a blast!  slaDE and I are both really excited about the possibility of being Canadian record holders (this will make #2 for me if successful)! Wish us luck and safety please ….