In the next month I started doing more Yoga, Ashtanga Yoga to be more exact. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ashtanga_Vinyasa_Yoga to complement what has been my primary practice for the last three years, Budokon, a Living Art that combines Yoga, Martial Arts and Zen Meditation.
In the words of my Teacher and creator of Budokon, Kancho Cameron Shayne :
"Budokon is a living art. By that I mean it is the art of living. It is your waking and your sleeping, your walking and your sitting, your living and your dying. I cannot say that it is more special than any other art. In fact, it is not special at all. It is the practitioner who brings all that the art is, all that the art will ever be. Budokon is not about gaining ideas. There is nothing to gain from it. It is simply a way. Our way is the Zen way. We are not a religion or a devotional practice. We do not practice to become enlightened. We practice because we are enlightened. If you are seeking something in order to gain something, this is the wrong practice. Budokon is empty of gaining ideas. If you believe there is something to gain from it, you will always be disappointed by it. This is the first lesson in our art. We must come to it, like all things, with a pure mind, free from attachment and gaining ideas. This is why we suffer. Budokon is freedom from suffering, nothing more."
http://www.budokon.com/
I am also focusing on my Budokon physical practice and some more advanced techniques that have been challenging for me. So, the month of April has been filled with Yoga, Budokon, reading beautiful and pertinent books, and some Martial Practice as well.
I was invited to a party to celebrate and meet the Ambassadors of Lululemon in Montreal. What a beautiful night, a very special event where I met wonderful people. The night started with a Yoga Class led by the beautiful, sweet and talented Yasmin from Yasmin Yoga http://www.yasminyoga.com/, inspiring and fun, really fun! And the night kept rolling with great music, yummy food and of course the Lululemon Ambassadors who are awesome people, how do I know they are awesome? because I am one of them! *shy face and laughs* Yogis, Runners, Athletes, Dancers, Kung-Fu, Cross Fit, Capoeira, Budokon, many arts, styles and sports represented, it was a great networking event. And there I got great advise and upcoming meetings to acquire more knowledge on my next stunt, Running 10K in the Montreal Marathon!
http://www.eventsonline.ca/events/marathon_de_montreal/ , this may sound like a regular thing to you, however, I am not a runner and have done very little running in my life. So, with the help of the best in town and all the love and support I get from Lululemon Athletica St-Denis, here I go, hunting for shoes and preparing for my 10K in September!
I decide to run the 10K to celebrate my body and the willpower I have to get things done. I will get better and come out of this monthly sickness very soon, and I will do whatever it takes to get there, the same way I am going to complete and cross the finish line at this 10K.
Also at this party I was given the Gift of Yoga by my friends at Lululemon St-Denis and with that gift I decide to deepen my knowledge in Ashtanga Yoga and study under the best in Montreal: Mark Darby at Sattva Yoga Shala. http://www.sattvayogashala.com/about%20us.html
So, this month brought lots of love, peace, health and challenges and so far I'm keeping up with it!
If you are wondering why Running, why Ashtanga Yoga and not more Martial Arts? Well, I love Martial Arts and is my passion, so I tend to run to it most of the time, it is definitely my comfort zone, I am no master in any way but it is what I love the most so I don't find it challenging/difficult to get things done in that field. Right now I get my fair share of Karate, Taekwondo, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Boxing and Kickboxing.
Now, Yoga is a different thing, I started practicing Yoga regularly 3 years ago when Budokon came to my life and even though it is a vital part of the practice I haven't work to achieve my maximum potential in it, again I tend to do the martial practice more often. So studying Ashtanga Yoga will be a powerful complement to my practice and the first weekend proved to be a great challenge!
And the Run, well, something new, motivating, special, this is all about new challenges and achievement! And a super cool pair of running shoes (yay!!! more shoes... I love shoes).
Insomma, the month has been filled with movement, lots if it!
And to complete this post, what I do:
I am a Fitness Professional, have been in the field since 1998 and I specialize in Group Fitness, even though I am a Personal Trainer too. I've taught Step, Hi-Low, Zumba, Spinning, Toning, Latin Dance, you name it, I have done it! In the last 5-6 years I have come to focus more on Fitness Kickboxing which is more my strength and what I love the most. So to be more clear, I teach Fitness/Cardio Kickboxing (not Tae-Bo/Billy Blanks Style at all! if you are wondering), it is more a fusion of Cardio Drills, Kickboxing Techniques and Fighting Combinations, really fun, I love it and the participants love it too! For many of the classes we use Boxing Gloves, Focus Pad, Jumping Ropes and all that comes with that type of training. Sometimes I also teach only the Cardio drills for the people that want to sweat it all out and punch the air, well, there is nothing wrong with it.
I also conduct certifications for Fitness Kickboxing Canada in the Montreal Area. http://www.fitnesskickboxingcanada.ca/
I teach corporate classes as well, a different approach, people that want to keep in shape and disconnect from work even for an hour, increasing their productivity at work and breaking the routine of the week. For this classes I like to use what I call the Mind/Body/Fitness Model, every week is different and it can go from Pilates to Budokon to Functional Training to stretching to Dancing, many options, all fun and beneficial.
And finally, my beloved Budokon. I am a Certified Budokon Teacher, currently a Blue Belt and the Regional Director, so I teach the art and represent Budokon International here in Montreal. I take care of organizing events, certification, workshops and teacher trainings with the Master, he comes to Montreal 3 times during the year and I make sure that things run smooth and without glitches :-)
You can experience my Budokon classes at Lululemon athletica St-Denis anytime, get their schedule and find me there!
I also teach at The Ohan Brothers Martial Arts School in St-Leonard, at Ashley TaeKwondo School, at Studio Locomotion (off for the summer) and at the Jarry Park during the summer.
There are many other teachers in Montreal as well, so find them in the budokon web page and enjoy the fun!
Next post, some insight on my running training, some pictures and as April away and May comes the monster returns unexpected...
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