The death of Hugo Chavez

Today some people asked me if I was sad for Chavez's death and of course I can't be happy for the death of a human being. However:
Yesterday died the man who divided my country and created an incredible state of hate between Venezuelans. The same man that ordered the firing and killing of many marching venezuelans, they were voicing out their ideas (just for the record, I, Monica Ordaz, was there!). The man that gave so many hate speeches about capitalism and Imperialism, referring to USA (where his family, friends and people from the government love to go to and own properties ). The man who attempted a coup d'etat against another venezuelan president and when he died said: "There will be no national mourning because today died a dictator, a corrupt person" yet for Chavez the country has to stop for seven days and people can not work even if they want to until his mourning is over (Chavez was even more corrupt and his ideals were communists). The same man who built hospitals in other nations, while in Venezuela peope DIE everyday because there is not enough supplies in the hospitals, the man that gave away our oil to his counterparties/take-advantage-puppets in exchange of agreeing with his leftwings ideas, I wonder what Evo Morales, Cristina Kirchner, the Castro brothers and many others oil suckers are gonna do now?! Yesterday died the man that led us to have the highest inflation and shortages we have ever had in the history of Venezuela. Yesterday died the greatest TYRANT in the history of Venezuela. The one who brought the greatest corruption, institutional and social decomposition ever seen throughout our history. Thanks to Chavez and his political practices my family live in a country where people rejoice when they find basic products as milk, flour, chicken, butter, sugar o toilette paper in the supermarket; a country where we have blackouts every day; even when we have The Guri Dam (America's 2nd biggest hydroelectric power station), not to speak about the water rationing. A country where many people have to make lines at the banks just to receive permission from the government to spend our money abroad (and just the amount they think we need); thanks to that man venezuelans live in a country where they are afraid of the army and the police; a country where there is no freedom of expression; venezuelans live in a country where justice doesn't exist, where we have political prisoners, where your life doesn't mean a thing! A country that is not at war with another country but with itself (murder rate of almost 22.000 for 2012 only!)
I'm not happy about his death yet I am not sad. As they say: “every death is respected but not every dead is mourned”
Hopefully, peace will reach my country and my people and may the universe provide strength for what's about to come. Hard times are approaching but I believe the worst is over!

...Back to Life

Hiiiiiiii

I've been away for quite a long time right? Well, I have been busy! That's all... no, really,
I have been hiding.. from I don't know what. Since I started to feel better and since my health situation improved dramatically in the last months I have been away from the blog. Reading my posts brings me back to some memories I would love to forget yet I know how important it is to stay connected to my past yet not attached to it.
In fact, re-reading my posts reminded me how brave I have been all this time and how much I've done to overcome the worst and feel the most stable (physically and mentally).

I've been really careful, I've been eating properly, following my treatment, exercising regularly and keeping my mind and body active and have finally achieved what my doctor called "remission" so I'm extremely happy!
Do I still have pain? Yes, sometimes, no biggie! Do I still get sick, yes sometimes, everybody does! Do I still get frustrated and antsy with it, not at all, now that something big!

I am back to training and not only gentle yoga, now Martial arts are back into my life and I couldn't be happier! I am running as well and man that I am slow! I know I'll get back in shape quite fast though, I am such a sucker for health and exercise, in no time I'll be right on top! watch me!

I am also having so much fun in my life right now, somehow I have learnt to take more time for myself and pause for deep breaths and enjoyment. I have learnt that there is no point in rushing, My life is not a race and most important of all I am not alone in this world! I am surrounded by amazing people that have been strong supporters, people that believe in me and do not doubt my greatness. I have rediscovered old friends, met new friends and have been encouraged by the most unexpected people. And yes, I have an amazing hubby and my so loved family, really, I can not complain, I am surrounded by some of the most amazing inspiring human beings and you all know who you are!

This post is a THANK YOU to the Universe, to the world, to my life, to everyone around me, to my doggies, to my hubby... to everyone and everything really, because when I thought that the world was conspiring against me to make my life miserable I discovered that it was in fact working in my favor to help me realize that everything is just perfect the way it is!

And today I am taking a bold move, inspired by a quote from the lululemon manifesto "do one thing a day that scares you" and inspired by some lovely ladies I spent one afternoon with teaching yoga to cyclists during the ride to conquer cancer. 

I am posting this blog to the world, for everyone to see! I never did for fear of being judged, criticized and ridiculed, well guess what?! I do not care about that, people have the choice to read it or not and I hope it will inspire or help someone out there not feeling great about themselves, health related or not!
And a big thank you to all of those who decided to make an impact in my life without asking for permission, I really appreciate it!

Feel free to send me messages, to correct my spelling and grammar, to ask me questions, anything!

And now before I chicken out LOL, let me go post this somewhere really public, facebook and twitter!!!!

Yoga Homework assignment

So, as part of my Ashtanga Yoga certification I was asked to write about numerous things and one of the questions was What is Yoga? I didn't feel like intellectualizing my answer and instead I decided to let my mind and fingers run loose and this is what came out. I find it funny, hope you find it too.

And, yes, I know I haven't shared much in a while, I will share, when I am ready to :)

WHAT IS YOGA?

In my opinion, Yoga is seen here in the west as a physical practice that can be gentle or more active depending on the style and that a lot of people have come to appreciate for its stress-releasing benefits, especially when united to meditation and other relaxing methods.
People understand that Yoga comes from India and that it is more than Asana (Physical) practice, yet, people choose to take mostly the asana practice and get “fit” through it. Sometimes, people often discover the other side of yoga once they start practicing it but it is not always the case.
Everybody does yoga in one way or another here in the west. Expecting mothers do pre-natal Yoga, the more physically fit do Power Yoga, the stressed out worker does Yin Yoga, there is Yoga Fit, Hot Yoga, Naked Yoga, Yoga Chocolat, Oh my! There is yoga everywhere and for everyone. Is this a good thing, maybe! Is this a bad thing? It all depends. If the practice of any type of Yoga leads to the path of understanding and enlightening in any shape or form, then it should be a good thing. If the practice of Yoga leads to injury, reckless physical practice and non-reversible damage being mental, physical or collective within a community, then we are talking more serious business. And yes, Yoga has become the business of the west. Countless Yoga studios opening in every city, even small ones, Yoga teachers are being certified every year, actually every month if not, everyday! And someone is making money out of it! Is that Yoga? Looks like it is. And don’t take me wrong, I don’t see anything wrong with it, I am not here to judge, I will leave the judging to those who don’t practice yoga.
I have this idea that after many westerners travelled to India to immerse in the art of Yoga and became enlightened and in love with this arts and their teachers, they thought that the message could be carried along and that they could help others achieve what they have achieved with their practice. I am almost sure that none of them thought what it could become, one of the biggest industries in the (fitness) world of today. And of course, we all know that, not all teachers are the same (Thank goodness for that!)
Yoga is seen by some as unattainable postures that only the flexible ones can do, others see yoga as the perfect way to get flexible and get fit. To others Yoga is the perfect time to meet and mingle with friends and get some “me” time. Yoga has become even a look, a style, a fashion statement. For the more “serious” adepts, Yoga is “the practice”, their ritual, and with no doubt I can say that we have all tried Yoga, whether we have stayed in the practice or not, we have all tried one form or another of “Yoga”. I personally love Yoga Nidra, fun stuff, lie down, listen to the words and fall sleep... oh wait! That’s not what Yoga Nidra was supposed to be about, right?...
Yoga has been vandalized, turned into a serious business. Series of postures and sequences have been registered and/or trademarked. Styles have been named and renamed, all with distinctive benefits, Gurus and an immense mass of followers, even a sex scandal!!!.  To the Anusara practitioners, Ashtanga Yogis are rude. To the Bikram practitioners, Hot-Yoga stole their Yoga. To Kundalini Yogis, those who wear black are mental. And do not dare to step foot in a level 2-3 Moksha class filled with dancers, your half-assed attempt to split will be frowned upon, yes I am kidding, and no, I am not.

I think that Yoga could be a vessel to world peace, if only we can accept that as human beings we have the choice. The choice to “choose” our Yoga whatever that means. Even if my Yoga means being respectful, kind and loving towards another human being. Even if my Yoga is just a couple of postures a day and even if someone else’s yoga is being on headstand for hours! Compassion and acceptance, that’s Yoga for me!

Yoga in my world is more than a physical practice, is the way I carry myself, is the way I live my life and the way I do what I do. Through Yoga I have learn that there are no obstacles that you can’t overcome. Patience and perseverance is the key that will open all doors.

I like Ashtanga Yoga. In a quest for finding the roots of the Yoga style that inspired my Budokon practice I found Ashtanga. Little I knew what I was getting into! I find the practice kind and receptive despite the killer postures in the primary series. I have come to love Pranayama and Meditation and they have become part of my daily life, even more than Asana. My life has been changed through the practice. I have become more malleable and open in my heart and mind and through the practice I have overcome some serious obstacles and my health has improved tremendously.
I am grateful for Yoga, whatever Yoga is. And let me share the thought of someone I love dearly, she signs her correspondence with the phrase: “If everyone did Yoga, there would be world peace”. And I couldn’t agree more!

Namaste

A brand new day!

I went training, and I mean real training, yesterday!

Weight lifting with a dear friend who I call P :) I was a bit afraid since it has been a while since I have actually worked out hard and when I did in the past I always got sick the day after, down with the dreaded cold and or sneezing attack, a response from my immune system to the stress of hard training.
I do Yoga, Qigong, etc but haven't done any Martial Arts, Boxing, Running or high impact/strenuous activities in a while, way too long for my liking!!! And since the doctors told me to start building up my movement and to use my good judgement and expertise to re-train myself, I have been doing exactly do silently, methodically and fiercely, like ninjas do! *laughs*

So, yesterday, P and I went to the gym and we did 3 sets of 20 Squats (first two sets was body weight and last set with 10 lb) then we moved into Walking Lunges, 3 sets (I did only one set), Hamstring Curls (Standing and Pronated) 3 sets with enough weight to feel my hams burning!!! Chest Press with 10 lb dumbbells, Bicep Curls with a 15 lb bar (I felt a bit like a wimp, I used to lift double that!) Shoulder Press with 15 lb and finally Crunches and a good stretch session at the end.

It felt good to be back in the gym, and the idea that I will be getting stronger gives me hope that soon, very soon, I'll be back in the ring, boxing my way up and even sooner I will bring my kicks to TKD, my Gi to the tatamis and soon, very soon I'll be choking people out and kicking some real @$$ (I'm watching my language, someone I respect asked me to)... And of course let's not leave Qigong behind which is the power of building and strengthening my Qi, the source of all power!
OK, maybe I won't choke anyone out but it is fun to say it, and we actually practice all sort of chokes in BJJ, so watch it!!!! HA!

So, moving on to what matters, how do I feel today? I am feeling just a bit sore, not enough though, I don't feel like I had a big workout (I know I did) maybe because despite my "thing" I am in great shape, I mean, I still look good if that counts in any way... maybe the cardio will be another story and I will build that up too, so no worries! Now, seriously.
I woke up sneezing this morning and for half a second I was scared. I did my best to relax and do my morning meditation, some sort of ritual I do every morning to control my sneezing, it works, don't ask me to explain, I don't know exactly how it works, but it actually does.
I lay still on my back, something like Savasana, I breathe the best I can, into the Dantien (belly) first (Qigong style) even when my nose is blocked I find my way through it and I breathe in and out through the nose and building up my Qi. Then I direct the breath into my organs, first to the right side (liver) and then to the left (spleen) and I keep alternating the breath between sides feeling the air going to this organs and doing the work (I think of it of a massage to my organs), then I bring the breath to my back (kidneys), feeling the air going right into my back and finally I breathe into the thoracic cage, filling out my lungs, not the belly anymore, I do the breathing for about 5-10 minutes depending on the severity of my morning sneezes. Through this breathing exercises I fill out my body with Qi, with energy, with air, with prana, with strength, with love! call it anything you want! And just so you know, nobody told me to do this, I have learned techniques through my Yoga and Qigong practice that I kind of mixed and this is the result, what matters is that it works for me! I also make sure that I am not cold, ever! I drees well to go to bed, I cover myself very well too, I wear a merino wool undershirt at all times to keep my core warm, wool/warm socks as well, just because as soon as I feel cold, my sneezes go wild!
And Ethan (remember the Chinese doctor?... who is not Chinese) told me to protect myself from the cold since I have a Qi deficiency and I might suffering from a cold liver and/or spleen, so man, I better watch it!

And to complete my day today, I went to Yoga. After my morning sneezing started I did the meditation and even though it worked well I was still sneezing just a bit, so my mind starting racing and I was getting worried, so I gathered all my things and went to Yoga, hot Yoga and had an amazing class, it was a Power Vinyasa Class and that was hard, I was looking for something gentle to help me restore and I found a killer Yoga Class that left me energized and fully awake and... sneezing who???? not me :)
I also had a laser treatment appointment right after Yoga to get rid of unmentionable hair *sush* and right after I taught a class, one of my corporate contracts.
So yes, I had a full day, yet I feel great right now. I can say I had a wonderful day.
I am making big progress and I am proud of myself!

I really hope you had a great day too.

Peace xx

As of today

I am feeling better, almost no pain, still sneezing but if I had to put a number on how I feel today it would be about 6-7 compared to 2-3 some months ago, that in a scale of 1 to10.

I am still taking medications, three pills a day, the doctor said that it is a very small dose and that I should not worry about it. I was also given the green light to excercise again and I am extremely happy about that, imagine my life without movement, oh no! I don't want to go there right now!
I was aked to refrain (actually, I physically couldn't do it anyways) from high impact activities, martial arts (explosive movement) weight liftgting and anything physically demanding that would affect my immune system, anything that would make my body react to the stress from exercising. It has been excruciating, I really love movement, exercise for me is an outlet, is sometimes all I have in a place where no family or dear friends are available, and yes I have some friends here but people are busy and don't take much time to share, so for me excercise is a way to connect with my inner self and with people around me, excercise is what I do, it is a HUGE part of my life, without it I am a  bit lost... but wait, I'm finding myself in the process and there is more to my life than just that, so no worries here, we are cool!

So, last october I was told that I could do some Yoga (not Ashtanga), to keep doing QiGong and to use my good judgement on what I can do on a given day. I can now recognize how I am feeling on certain days and so I choose either to rest or to move, and so far, I am doing between 2 and 4 yoga classes a week, I lift weights once a week (very light and very little) and that's about it.. is a good beginning I think. I am also teaching 6 classes a week and two of them are a bit demanding but I don't do much, is my specialty class, a boxing/kickboxing inspire cardio class and I really don't do much, I mostly explain, cue and motivate, people know exactly what to do and I don't have to do the whole class, I love this class, my favorite, about 40-60 people in class, screaming, jumping, having fun, it gives me lots of good vibes, I am grateful for it.

This coming week (from dec 12th to 18th) I am planning to take 4 yoga classes and lift weights at least once...

Soon I'll be back with updates on my allergy treatment.

Love xx

lululemon Ambassador Summit. Summer 2011

 I was asked to be an ambassador for one of their stores and it has been an amazing thing! I get to spend time with lots people, I teach classes in store, I meet other amazing ambassadors and get to learn about what they do, we go to each other's classes, we organize and participate in awesome events in our city and we meet amazing people that become part of our lives, really, I have made great friends throughout this process and for that I am grateful.

And, to make a long story short, I was invited to the Ambassador Summit 2011 in Vancouver, three days of lululemon culture, development, and fun. It is the way lululemon celebrates how amazing the ambassadors are and how passionate we are about creating strong relationships within our communities and for being role models and a source of inspiration to those in our community. Three days of elevation, inspiration, and relationship building. The most fun three days of my life, a truly elevating experience!
Three days with another 100+ amazing people, we did Yoga with the local stars, we met the master minds behind lululemon, we had access to personal development workshops, we played games, we visited the city, yummy food, a comfy bed to sleep and best of all, we wore Luon all three days!!!
yeah, Luon, one of my favorites fabrics! actually my favorite is Luxtreme.
OK, don't know what that is? check www.lululemon.com this is the gear I wear, the brand I so love and the community I represent. It is more than just clothing, it really is!

Here I am with Chip Wilson, founder of lululemon athletica,fellow ambassador Baskhar and lovely Amanda, store manager from Montreal.

                                  

It has been a while...

Yes! It has been a while since I last wrote a word on this blog. I went through a lot of things, some good, some better, and some even better.

I have to admit that I was feeling a bit defeated and on the low side, so writing was left out, I am usually a positive bright girl, so bringing a dark note into the blog did not appeal to me at all, so I chose to leave it out. At the same time, some dear friends were asking, What happened? How are you doing? You are not writing... And even though not a lot of people know about this blog, some good friends do and they are far away, I can't easily communicate with them and this was a way for them to know about me and how I was dealing with my "thing". I don't know how to explain it but in a certain way, I just didn't feel like sharing any more, basically, I went back into hiding and not telling, like I was doing in the beginning. So, why am I writing again? Because is fun, I like it and you like it too! Also...
This morning I was feeling lost, yes lost! I live such a good blessed life yet I felt that there was something missing, I am missing a vision, a goal. I don't know what to do, where to go, where to start, really, I don't even know what I am talking about but deep inside I know! so, here I am looking for inspiration, a vision, something new and exciting, it might be old and exciting but something to inspire me. A revolution to my world! And maybe if I write about my feelings and my experiences then I might be able to see better the whole picture, to me it is easier to see in paper than to figure it all out in my head.

My last post was July, and I left off on my Budokon training and obtaining my next belt on the art. soon after that I went to Miami to assist my Teacher in a Teacher Training that was held in the headquarters in Miami. It was a good experience, I have been there many times and it was good to see my peers, meet the next generation of teachers and learn from the experience. Budokon Teacher Trainings are intense, rewarding but intense, and even though I did not physically train that much, I was still drained and tired by the end of the weekend and came back to Montreal to being sick like a dog! Really, not fun! And I have been sick, again and again! Sneezes and the whole same old story that you don't want to hear, better yet, that I don't want to hear! But since my last visit to the doctor I have been feeling much much better!!!

I finally got my appointment with the specialist and in a 3 hour appointment I met with three doctors that asked so many questions, that touched every single joint on my body and that seemed interested with my case. I got some more blood work done, they took a good look at my blood tests and I finally got a treatment!!! Yes, I got a treatment and some light into this dark patch that I've been through all this years. Nothing is confirmed, I have yet another appointment in two weeks.
I have been attacked a by an Immune Condition, we all know that, most likely Lupus (not my words, the doctor's), which kind? will know that in the next appointment I hope. The prescription I got is a pill to control Lupus and to be honest, it has helped a lot! I have been basically pain-free lately, the pills take about three months to take full effect but after one month I already feel the difference. My joints are not hurting but I still get the sneezes, and some very bad cases too! In general I feel stronger but my immune system needed this treatment badly and even though I wasn't too happy about medication, I had little options, Alternative Medicine will be good once I am stable, right now I am not, so I have to boost my system and from there we will take it. One day at the time! I like that :-)
I also have hubby up my eyes telling me that I have to eat better, at regular hours, that I need a schedule, that I have to be more careful, that I need more structure in my life, etc, etc, etc... And he is right, it just a pain in the eyes, really! I love him so much and he makes so much sense all the time. I am so lucky to have the best hubby in the world!

I also had some fun this summer too. I was invited to the Lululemon Ambassador Summit 2011, in Vancouver, and that was the coolest experience I've ever had in my life!!!
Vancouver is such a beautiful city and I got to meet the Lululemon Team, the Founder, the CEO, the CFO, best of all, all the other amazing Ambassadors that represent Lululemon in the world and that was really awesome. So cool, that it deserves a post for itself, so look for it! It is coming, with all the details, about Lululemon, Vancouver, the activities, the food, the fun , the shopping, the outcome, pictures, everything. Next post, I promise!!!

And now that my summer is almost over, I am back to work, not that much, just a few extra classes here and there, again, nothing strenuous. I want to have more time for myself, to recover and be back on track as fast as I can. September is a month of reflection for me and then October decisions will arise from the work I am doing now.
This October my mom is coming to visit too... YOOOOPPPPIIIIII!!!!! And she is staying for a month to celebrate my birthday, and to check on me, yes, she is a bit worried with my health situation. Also because I was taken to the hospital by an ambulance last week, and that was not fun, however all that came out of it was positive. I will write a post just for that story too, it was funny... not really, today I laugh but that day I cried my eyes out... and I missed the hunky firemen, wait until you hear about it!

September 25th is the Montreal Marathon, and I was supposed to race, however my health "thingy" didn't allow me to train and prepare for it. At first I was feeling sad because it was a goal and I didn't accomplish it but thinking about it better, I just had to move the dates around and will accomplish that goal at another time. Goals and Visions are not rigid, they move and get molded accordingly and it is obvious that in this case it was just stupid to force the training on me to achieve a goal that could easily be achieved at another time, specially when I am making space for healing and progress in my life. priorities, that's all! So, another race will come soon and so I'll be there with my pink shoes and my best smile!

And finally, I know I can't resume a whole two months in a few words, but at least here we have a new beginning, I am back to writing, I am back to smiling and being open about life!

Posts to come:
1.- Lululemon Ambassador Summit in Vancouver. the experience!
2.- My trip to the ER in an ambulance and missing the Firemen!
3.- My goals for what's left of this year and the next year!

Love xx