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Coraley-Ley, Yogini

Musings from a yogi in the Canadian Rockies

coraleyletcher.com

Huckleberries, Coal Dust and Community

8/4/2014

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The black dust from the road floats up in plumes behind the car as Em coos "goin' to get huckles, Mom" from the backseat.  It's a hot July day and even though I've driven Coal Creek road a thousand times before I'm struck again by the relentless heat of the sun shining on the road, when only a few feet to either side the lush and thick forest rests.  The forest here is always at least a few degrees cooler than the temperature on the road, which carves through the forest floor like a long winding black scar amidst the vibrant shades of green.  Magic is the word I use most often to describe Coal Creek.  Call it a throw over from a childhood spent marveling at the knowledge that a town used to thrive here, where now only a few scraps of cabins and remnants of old mine shafts sprinkle the forest, invisible, save only  to those actively on the lookout for them, but I doubt you could spend a few hours fishing the creek, with its moss covered slabs of rock and trickling waterfalls, or hiking the impossibly green, thickly treed mountains that rise to either side of the coal dust road, like sentries sat guarding a treasure, and not agree with me.  From the giant ammonite hidden nestled in a drainage, to the rusty coffee tins and shards of plates that the creek drudges up to the surface each year after spring run-off, perhaps part of what makes this area so special is its secrets.  They whisper of a past here that we can only imagine now. 
We pull over to park and I get us set up, gathering the bucket and backpack together and fishing Em's hat out of the back seat.  He's picking raspberries from a bush next to the car, in awe at their presence, bright like shining red rubies amongst the leaves, and his luck at getting to eat them.  "Come on, lets get over to the huckleberries now" I prod, and he reluctantly joins me in crossing the road and climbing the bank. The last mine in Coal Creek closed down in 1958, but remnants of the community that existed here remain.  Every year the graduates from Fernie Secondary hold a grad party in the old football field.  The foundations from old bridges still lay to either side of the creek. Locals hike up to the old sealed mine entrances on a trail marked with collapsed mining shacks.
When I was young I would sit in rapture, eating baked goodies off of a fancy plate and sipping sweat tea while my Grandma Grace told stories about growing up in Coal Creek:  attending community football games, hanging out at the swimming hole, going in to "town" (Fernie) for a movie.  As a child the stories fascinated me because it was hard for me to imagine that the wilderness I had caught my first fish in once held an entire town, but as I've gotten older I've realized that all of her stories about Coal Creek held a common theme.  They all were woven together with an  undercurrent of community ties running through them, and when she told them, it was as though, even with the decades that had passed between, that community was still alive and strong. She passed a few years ago, but her stories and that sense of community they build are still alive and strong, I gleefully discovered, as I listened to a few of them through headphones, a picture of a young Grandma Grace from long before I was born next to the headphone wire, at the Fernie Museum in June.
It was the week after the Feel Good Fernie and community was definitely on my mind.  I was sad to see the festival end because throughout it I was wonderfully overwhelmed by the sense of community that had formed between the yogis from both far and near.  And so I found myself, as I squatted on the mossy forest floor filling my bucket, my toddler next to me gleefully munching on huckleberries and naming members of his family that he wished were there with us enjoying this moment too, thinking about Grandma Grace and her stories, thinking about huckleberry picking with my Dad and other family members when I was a little girl, and thinking of ways to capture and keep that essence of community the festival created.  A story seemed like a good place to start.



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Blogosphere Break...

7/4/2014

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Teaching a yin and yang flow class this morning I was struck by how much I enjoy teaching that particular style of class.  Yin and yang has such balance that it can be hard to beat for an all around, feel good, yoga class and I more often than not find myself giving words on the importance of striving for balance and encouraging students to try and find it in their day-to-day lives as class ends. But as I left the studio today my thoughts on the beauty of balance slipped away.  I had, and have had, so much on my plate with the Feel Good Fernie festival coming up, that I've not been practicing balance in my own life.  From making time for family, to taking care of my out of class yoga responsibilities (this blog included) to making some me time, I've let it all slide. 
On my to-do list for the day was securing meeting venues for the upcoming volunteer meetings this week.  I was leaving the director of the Fernie library's office when she said to me "I really enjoy your blog.  Well, I was . You haven't posted much lately." As the excuses came forth, matched in measure by my own disappointment in my lack of finding the time to blog, I felt a memory stirring in the back of my mind from yoga teacher training.  We all have excuses and stories we serve up to ourselves and to others, but at the end of the day, what we do, or don't do has everything to do with us.  Couldn't I be taking the time for the other aspects of my life too? Has the universe withheld chances for me to look after myself, my yoga business, or spending time with my family? No.  Plain and simple.  I've chosen to put the festival first.  To take on more responsibility for it.  To handle spreadsheets, emails and requests for sponsorship  before giving myself a chance to blog, update the website, write an article or post to my followers on Facebook. 
So this afternoon, as my little one naps, I find myself here.  And you know what? The way my spirit feels, having made the choice to write instead of putting something else first, resembles the way I feel after teaching or taking a beautifully balanced yin and yang class.  Balance.  It's a beautiful space to reside in. 
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The Busy Yogi

2/1/2014

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Imported from my shawwebmail account.  Original post published there on January 24, 2014

Yesterday I had a day filled with yoga... er, sort of.  My afternoon was devoted to the business end of yoga.  Many people go to yoga classes to release the stress from their work life, but yesterday I found myself enraptured in joy and relaxation while taking care of business.  It was a wonderful and welcome change and a feeling I have not had occasion to enjoy with my past work.

The first item of the day was a meeting at Freshies for Fernie's upcoming yoga and wellness festival Feel Good Fernie.  It is always an amazing and full-filling feeling to be working with a group of like-minded people towards a goal or event and this was no exception.  It's going to be a wonderful festival with yoga, health and wellness practitioners, markets, a world record attempt for the longest yoga chain and so much more! Save the weekend of July 12th and 13th and come feel good in Fernie.

I had back to back meetings and while I was looking forward to the second one, I was also a bit apprehensive.  I was meeting with a photographer to do some yoga photos.  I had suggested that we do them outside.  I know EVERYONE does their yoga photos outdoors, but I thought that this would give me a bit of an edge, seeing as its the middle of winter in the Canadian Rockies (brrrr!)  Weather challenges aside, I experienced even more trepidation when Emily, the beautiful, boisterous and brilliant, photographer, immediately suggested that I plop my mat down in the middle of (a very busy) main street to take a photo with the historical town center (see the view she was going for here) as the back-drop. I meekly suggested we try the sidewalk instead.  Emily humoured me for a shot or two and then announced she was going to "bully" me into it. By  bully she meant picking up my mat and plopping it down where she wanted it.  I shuffled out to save my mat from being run over by traffic and began to strike Emily's requested pose of dancer.  Traffic was stopped, pedestrians were staring and commenting and an unexpected and wonderful thing happened - I found some stillness and one pointed concentration in my pose.  By the time Emily had the shot, my trepidation had given away to exhilaration.  Not only had I braved traffic to get a great photo, but I'd found quietness of mind in less than ideal conditions! My yogic journey continued throughout the shoot.  I noticed that, despite my worries about doing poses in non-outdoors wear and bare feet in winter, my body readily opened where I asked it to.  I relished the challenges and adjustments that needed to happen with practising in unusual spaces - from balancing on boulders, to sinking into snow, to the unsteady feeling I experienced looking up in triangle without the corners and edges of walls and ceilings to ground my perception. And if a pose wasn't technically perfect for all of my best efforts, I let striving for technique go.  By the end of our shoot, as I was rocking king pigeon in a creek bed wearing nothing but a tank top and leggings, I wasn't even noticing the cold.  Instead I was overcome with the feeling that the "photoshoot" was one of the best practices I'd had.  Ever. Face-plant into the snow and subsequent laughter during crow absolutely included <3

See the pictures from my shoot with Emily on my website www.coraleyletcher.com


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    I'm just a yogi in the mountains of British Columbia.  If you've found your way to this site, it's very likely that you are too.  Here you'll find information about my upcoming classes, workshops and retreats via the link to my website, as well my thoughts on yoga philosophy, what music I'm pumping in class, pictures, videos and other news about yoga and spirituality.

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