Punk Rock Yoga

Welcome to our Punk Rock Yoga blog. We are just getting this off the ground. Stay tuned for writings and musings from our instructors and students. Stick around and drop us a line.

There’s been lots of press about the Virginia Tech tragedy, but most of it very superficial, and not very insightful. I found this piece today, which really hit home for me. The author addresses the isolation that the shooter endured and how, maybe, just maybe, some of this could have been avoided. The more details that come to light about how he was treated in middle school and high school, the more I realize we all have a better job to do about inclusiveness and teaching kids to break down rather than build up stereotypes and barriers.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/opinion/312145_vatech19.html

I just had an amazing experience teaching yoga on the street, as part of a crazy magazine promotion event. We conducted mini yoga lessons and had everyone, from all walks of life come through our tent.

It was very surreal, but one thing jumped out at me was the reaction of some people, “I can’t do yoga.”

Well, of course you can’t if you never try. We would ask them in return, “Well, can you breathe?” “Yes, well, then you can do yoga because the thing we begin with is breathing.”

We still have such a huge way to go in fighting the stereotype that you have to be: flexible, thin, white, rich, a Hindu (or Buddhist), a woman, young, etc. to do yoga. Everyone can do yoga, and everyone can benefit from the practices of yoga, even if they don’t ever go to a class (though we love it when they do!).

It was a great experience, and a great way for me to get back to the basics. I have lots of students who have been with me for years now and can do some pretty advanced poses. This brought me back to the basics that deep breathing or simple chest openers are a huge step for so many people. Now we just need to get more people to take those first steps.

So I have taken a break from Toronto for 2 months. I am in Luxembourg right now (it is surrounded by France, Germany and Belgium).

I came here a month ago for a brief vacation and loved it. I decided I needed to come back while I had a chance. My mother and stepfather have been here for almost a year and they are right now on their way to Rome. They needed a dog-sitter and I needed to get back here!

I will be with the dogs on my own here for over 2 weeks. I am really looking forward to some time to reconnect to myself and all the free time to do yoga. When they get back I will be travelling as much as my budget will allow.

I plan on posting my adventures, thoughts and pics on here.

We have 1 partner yoga handout packet left - more than 20 poses with pictures and instructions. The packet is $5 plus shipping. If you are interested, please contact Kimberlee at yoga@punkrockyoga.com.

These are what I have taken so far. I am planning to go out again soon with the camera: there are areas that have a lot of ruins from old castles and just down the hill from where I am staying is a great little artist’s area.

  Here is me upon arrival in Luxembourg after almost 24 hours of travel.  Stinky and beyond exhausted.

 This is the Painted Lady statue downtown.

 This is the view from my room.

  Downtown-ish.

 It’s that time of year.

This is the view from the balcony where I have been practicing yoga when the weather has been good.

I went on a walk yesterday on a bike trail and took some pictures.  It was really beautiful.  I didn’t make it far enough to get pictures of the castle ruins and old buildings (this was already an hour and a half).  Maybe I will figure out a way to take my camera with me when I run.

  This is the artist area just down a hill from where I am staying.

  More artwork.

  I have no idea what this is but it looks kind of like a dragon’s foot.  It reminds me of The Chronicles of Narnia and that makes me happy.  There is also a statue of something that looks like Mr. Tumnus but it is in an awkward spot and I couldn’t get a good shot.

  This is one of the many waterfalls on the bike trail.

 Crane (?)

 Yep, there are palm trees in Luxembourg.

  Poppies in the backyard.

It rains a lot here!  It’s nice when it’s warm (especially for running) but today it’s cold, windy and rainy.  I am going to stay in and work on some creative projects that I’ve begun.

I went downtown yesterday.  There is a big fair-type-thing going on but the meat smells drove me out of there.  I decided not to go to the yoga store (I was thinking of working there) because I really don’t want to work while I am here.  I want to take this time for me and once I am done dog-sitting I want to travel.

I took some kind of ridiculous pictures of myself yesterday and I will post them because I have no shame. 

  This is the yoga room where I practice when it’s too cold to be on the balcony (or too rainy).

 Why is my arm up? Because I have no idea what to do with myself in pictures. 

  This is an area called the Grund (I think). 

 The Grund.

I’ve been running a lot here!  It’s been really great to see so much of the area that way.  I am training for a half marathon.  I have wanted to do one for the last few years and something always comes up.  I have been going at it pretty hard.  Today I did 70 minutes.  I was maybe a little too ambitious, my shoe was rubbing against my heel and by the end of my run it was a bloody mess

I don’t know which marathon I plan to run, unfortunately I will not be ready for this weekend’s night run.

I have already decided that it is not going to rain on Wednesday because I bought a train ticket to Trier, Germany.  I met some people and they told me to go check it out.  It’s close enough that I can leave the dogs. 

The weather here really is crazy.  Yesterday one minute it was sunny and the next there was thunder and lightening and ten minutes later it was sunny again.

I will post pics of Trier, I really have no idea what to expect. 

That’s all for now folks.

My feet have never been so happy to be dry and warm.  Mother Nature decided that she was having none of my no rain today idea.  I almost backed out of going but I figured I had the ticket and I really wanted to go.  Don’t let the camera fool you, it was POURING. 

So now that you know that you will understand why some of the pictures are the way they are.  I was holding my umbrella and trying to take pictures. 

Now you will also see my ignorance because I took pictures of things and I have no idea what they are.  If it had not been raining so hard I would have liked to know myself but it was not meant to be today.  I know that there is a lot of Roman history in Trier, I am just not sure what.  Trier also claims to be Germany’s oldest town.

It was a really neat place and there were tons of people walking around in the rain so I could only imagine if it was sunny.

Oh and I haven’t mentioned it yet but for anyone who has not been to Europe, you have to pay to use the WC (aka washroom) here! 

  I saw several of these big feet.  I did read the plaque on it and it said something about Constantine (don’t ask me what).

  There were lots of really interesting fountains.  I really like this huge grasshopper on top of the little men.

 This was the coolest fountain I have ever seen.  The entire thing was couples (men and women) and there was water dripping down through each little part of it.  Okay that is officially the worst description ever given but I really can’t come up with anything better.

  This is one of the more disturbing things I have seen.  Shake your steak? Nasty.

  I love how the German language puts fahrt in many things.  There is Ausfahrt, Einfahrt and Abfahrt that I know of.  Don’t ask me what they mean.  I think einfahrt is enter and ausfahrt is exit or vice-versa.