About Katherine Douglas

...a selfish yogi, on a constant quest to find zen daily. i've been practicing yoga on and off since i first discovered bryan kest's power yoga series on VHS in college (it was a while ago). since then, i've been practicing in a studio for the last 4 years, however, it wasn't until this previous year that i began practicing consistently. i am admittedly a much, much friendlier person when i get in my mat time. it's so integral to my being that life gets scheduled around yoga--yoga does not get scheduled around life. styles of choice include power or vinyasa, with the occasional hot class on the side for purely meditative benefits. i'm also single and looking, just in case you're a cute, flannel wearing slightly scruffy single man in your late twenties/early thirties and single yogis with blunt bangs and bobs are your thing. (flirtatious *wink*)

Posts by Katherine Douglas:

yoga and community.

katiedouglas / Reflections / , , / 0 Comment

i’m starting to feel a bit weird posting on a blog about yoga in vancouver, when, in fact, i haven’t done yoga in vancouver in almost two weeks.

i miss my vancouver yoga–i miss my power classes, i miss danielle (mika nagel–she teaches the power classes i miss attending at y yoga), and my only interaction with her has been the occasional ‘girl, where are you/don’t worry, i’m not cheating on you, just traveling’ emails.

while i travel (which is often) i rely on podcasts (per my post last month, posted while traveling) or dvd’s (i ‘borrowed’ a baron baptiste dvd from the library at work i’m going to try today).  but so far, nothing replaces the feeling i get when practicing with other students in a classroom.

one of the things i love so much about yoga is the sense of community.  i’ve been to some pretty bad classes (i shouldn’t say bad, i should say: classes that weren’t for me) but as loooong as that hour has felt, i still felt better leaving the studio.

i’ve been living a fairly nomadic lifestyle for the past 5 years, and yoga has always been a grounding force in my life:  i started a consistent practice in ohio, and since then the first thing (aside from a grocery store) i’ve sought out in every new city i’ve visited or lived in, is a yoga studio.  and what’s amazing, is that no matter what the city/country/language (yoga in hong kong is phenominal) that sense of community, and being of one is always the same.

there really is no point in my post this week other than:  i love you guys.

namaste.

fly yoga = cirque du soleil yoga-style

katiedouglas / Studios, Styles / , , / 0 Comment

i’m traveling (again) and this time i’m in chicago, getting ready to cheer on some 40 thousand runners in tomorrow’s marathon.  so today’s post is brought to you by the letter ‘F’…as in Fly!

part of the perks of my job (and one of the many reasons i *heart* it so much) is that i get paid to do yoga wherever i go. yesterday morning i was treated to a fly yoga class with my chicago lululemon peeps….and all i can say is fly yoga: PLEASE COME TO VANCOUVER!

for those of you who’ve never heard of fly yoga (otherwise known as antigravity yoga), fly yoga involves a silk hammock suspended from the ceiling (think: circus) that are utilized to provide support for inversions, standing postures, and more.

don’t get me wrong:  vancouver has an amazing yoga community, however, i miss the variety that i used to find in larger cities and often find myself craving something a bit more intense than the usual anusara-inspired practice.

i wish i would have taken pics (but then i wouldn’t have been able to live out my circus fantasies to their fullest) so i’ve stolen some from facebook:

Q: what’s more fun than yoga in a hammock?

A: yoga in a hammock…upside down!

for more information check out:

http://www.antigravityyoga.com/index.aspx

http://id-gym.com/fly_yoga.html

it’s the vancouver yoga conference this weekend!!

katiedouglas / Events, Styles, Teachers / , / 0 Comment

i don’t know about the rest of you, but this is pretty much as exciting as christmas for me and i’m actually (almost but not really) bummed that i signed up for a continuing education course today @ UBC (decor and dress in the victorian period) and can’t go all weekend.

i was here last year when the yoga conference was in town, but i had literally just landed off the plane after a 12 hour journey from new york (via houston) with one small slightly (very) opinionated cat that does not (read: hates) to travel (esp. by airplane).  needless to say, namaste-ing with some of the industry’s best was not high on the list of priorities when there were things like litter boxes to be bought.

this weekend however–it’s ON.  there are SO many great instructors coming, and SO many different types of practices to sample!

want to finally stick your headstand?  take michael stone‘s ‘headstands from the inside out’ today from 5:30-7:30.  want to get your boyfriend (or girlfriend) into some crazy poses (of the PG-variety)?  sign up for ‘contact partner yoga’ with marita wieser and christ brandt today from 10:30-12:30.  i’m pulling a double header tomorrow:  seane corn‘s ‘chakra flow’ from 9am-11am (it’s going to be awesome–i don’t normally see the light of day that early on a sunday, so trust me) and natasha rizopoulos‘ ‘take flight–arm balances’ from 11:30-1:30 (arm balances are my FAVE.  i’ll be like a kid in a candy store).

Seane Corn

sessions aren’t cheap, but they’re totally worth it.  when was the last time a new pair of shoes helped you align your pelvic floor?  the conference itself, however, is totally free–and free 1/2 hour yoga sessions will be taking place throughout the day on the main floor, not to mention there will be tons of yoga-related booths to check out, and probably lots of free loot and samples to score (because we all know that’s what yoga’s really about: scoring free stuff).

hope to see you there.

www.theyogaconference.com

sept. 30-oct 3 @ the vancouver convention centre

deadlines.

katiedouglas / Yogis / , , , / 1 Comment

work has been killing me this week and as i’m feverishly working to hit a super important 9 am deadline monday morning (which feels quite like staring into the barrel of a gun) my blogging duties have fallen by the wayside and i’m left empty-handed for my saturday post.

HOWEVER, have no fear:  i will give you something ELSE to read!  (insert best ‘underdog impression HERE.)

one of my all-time favorite blogs is written by david romanelli, a yogi based out of arizona.  i came across his ‘yoga for foodies’ site one night in new york while i was stressed out with work and desperately googling ‘yoga retreats’.  i like food+i like yoga, so i figured he might have something worth checking out.  while i never made it to the retreat as i left new york to come to vancouver (come to vancouver Dave!!!) i still subscribe to his weekly newsletter because he’s  hilarious.

http://www.yeahdave.com/blog/

also, i’ve just started reading Eckhart Tolle’s ‘the Power of Now’ (the irony that i’m scrambling to post this blog while the clock is ticking down to my usual saturday morning yoga sesh while also multi-tasking work emails and sketches is so not lost on me here).  i recommend you read this one too.  rather than check it out of the library, i bought the book last month during a lay over at the chicago airport.  i actually wanted ‘a New Earth’ but they were all sold out so i started here instead.  best decision ever.  buy it, email me, let’s start a yoga/power of now’ book club.  i’m only on page 34–you don’t have far to catch up.

happy reading!!!!

(ps: i hear it’s suppose to be sunny out today.  save this reading entry for tomorrow, when it’s raining and go get some vitamin D!)

global mala at vancouver’s largest donation based yoga studio.

katiedouglas / Events, Studio Reviews, Studios / , , , / 0 Comment

if you haven’t been to yoga for the people on hastings st. in gastown, you must go.

their schedule features some of the top yogis in vancouver, the space is amazing, and best of all the studio is 100% donation based.

i couldn’t imagine a better place to partake in global mala on a rainy saturday morning than in the warmth and serenity of cofounder and yogi-extraordinaire suzanne slocum-gori (below, left) and the melodic voice of sparrow tiffany brulotte.

suzanne (left) and sparrow (right) after 85 minutes of global mala dedication

global mala occurs every year in conjunction with yoga month on the fall equinox (usually the 19th or 20th of september) and consists of 108 rounds of practice–the most common being sun salutations.

suzanne guided us through 100 A’s, and 8 B’s, an 85-minute ‘moving meditation’ in which we were asked to dedicate 25 salutations to four different areas:  ourselves, our friends and family, the world, and everything in-between.

108 is a daunting number, but the practice proved far more mental than physical (although i did sweat like a yogic beast and my legs are tired).

i started off strong, setting my intentions and moving with my breath until somewhere around number 65, where sparrow’s melodic voice and suzanne’s gental guidance pulled me through and i finished my 8 B’s like a champ.

savasana had never felt sweeter.

go check out yoga for the people and mark your calendars for global mala 2011.

www.yogaforthepeople.ca

201-150 hastings st, vancouver BC

bikram yoga vancouver: a review

katiedouglas / Studio Reviews, Studios / , , , / 1 Comment

i find bikram to be the radiohead of yoga:  people either love it or hate it.  there’s very little middle ground.

since i happen to fall into the former rather than the latter, i couldn’t have been happier sweating buckets on an otherwise damp and dreary monday morning.

i’d been meaning to check out a bikram studio in vancouver for quite a while now, and decided what better opportunity to venture outside my normal yoga routine than a free day off of work for the stat holiday.

tucked away in an unassuming building in the west end,  i was pleasantly surprised when i entered the small and welcoming space that is bikram yoga vancouver.

raymond mah, general manager and yogi, had just finished the class prior and was kind enough to give me a pep talk before i went into my 10 am practice.

the practice itself was not unlike any other bikram class i’d experienced:  the 26 postures are always the same, the heat borderline unbearable, the instructor borderline drill sergeant.

however, hillary was the perfect balance of strict and encouraging, inspiring me to go deeper in poses and to really make sure i got the full benefits of her 90 minutes of instruction.

the studio was also slightly different than the bikram studios i’d experienced in the past:  the space was clean, free of the odd foot smell i’d come to associate with hot yoga, and used a unique flooring made from 100% PVC, the same material used in many yoga mats, instead of the usual carpeting used by most studios.

my only criticism of the studio would be it’s size.  while the actual practice space was plenty large enough, the lobby and locker rooms were small and congested.  with only 2 showers and few amenities i couldn’t realistically see myself showering and getting ready for work should i ever hit up an early morning class mid-week.

ray informed me a larger studio is planned to open on cambie and W. 12th in the upcoming months.  good news for me as this is closer to work and right off the skytrain:  i might just have to become a regular.

bikram yoga vancouver

101-1650 Alberni Street
604 662 7722

www.bikramyogavancouver.com

mobile yogi.

katiedouglas / Studios, Styles, Teachers / , , / 6 Comments

i travel.  a lot.

so much that i could probably post ‘@ YVR airport’ to my facebook status permanently.

luckily for me i’m a bit of a nomad so i LOVE to travel…but what i don’t love about traveling is having to leave behind my studio and my practice.

it’s not the major cities that are the issue.  new york, LA, hong kong…all have fabulous studios and best-in-class instructors just waiting for the chance to bend me into a pretzel.

it’s the smaller off-the-radar places i frequent, like china for work, or michigan to visit my family, that prove a bit more problematic.

usually when i know i’ll be traveling someplace where i won’t have a studio available, i’ll throw a couple baptiste or bryan kest DVD’s in my luggage.  not ideal, but like double-sided tape, they’re good in a pinch.

for some reason, however, last thursday when i packed for my week-long stint in michigan i remembered to pack the 4″ wooden platform sandals but forgot the yoga DVD’s.

faced with the prospect of not practicing this week, i quickly hopped online and began googling ‘free power yoga podcasts’.

below is a list of the best 3 ‘OMG how can a podcast make me feel so sore’ yoga podcasts i found that are guaranteed to make you sweat and save your asana should you ever find yourself in the middle-of-nowhere fill in the blank with no studio and no DVD’s to feed your type-A ‘i cannot possibly survive a week without practicing’ self.

these are all power yoga classes, since that’s my preferred style of practice, however, they are great for all levels.  (please feel free to add any other recommendations/styles below in the comments section.)

1. http://www.davefarmar.com/

my number one pick, hand’s down.  dave is a yogi based out of denver, colorado.  he’s got a massive selection to choose from, he’s super easy to follow along to, and best of all: he’s funny.   i’ve never done so many chatarungas in my life.  usually when i work that hard i expect a proper introduction and a couple of drinks first.

2. http://www.yogatothepeople.com/tryOnlineClass.shtml

i love love LOVE yoga to the people.  i used to frequent their studio when i lived in new york, and i love their philosophy toward making yoga accessible to everybody.  since moving to vancouver, i am no longer a regular, however, i still occasionally hit up the YTTP website where they have 9 recordings of actual classes available free for downloading.  i think it was class number 7 where i actually thought my thigh might give out.

3. http://www.baronbaptiste.com/podcasts/index.htm

the good baron has 1 full length 75 minute power yoga workout as well as a 20 minute meditation podcast for free on his website.  if you’re good with sanskrit, you shouldn’t find the practice too hard to follow along with.  i’m not that fluent yet, so i struggled…and i was just listening along while surfing the internet for other podcasts.

a confession.

katiedouglas / Writers / / 3 Comments

my name is katie and i am by no means an ‘enlightened’ yogi.

i am exactly what your yoga teacher tells you not to be:  a type-A, power-vinyasa-flow-loving, cursing-because-i-can’t-kick-up-into-handstand, multi-tasking, most-people-annoy-me-because-i’m-grumpy-if-i-don’t-get-to-practice, yogi.

case in point:  i’m typing this at the airport while waiting for my flight, eating breakfast, texting my brother, and struggling to not get annoyed at the 12 year old across from me popping his gum.

live in the moment?  i live in about 15.

by day, i’m a hard working, 20-something (i have two more years to get that in there) female struggling to find balance between the fast-paced industry i love, and the practice that has proved so beneficial to me in my life.  by night, i get the chance to be the side-crow rocking, vinyasa-killing rockstar yogi of my dreams.

(that last part might be a bit exaggerated, but this is my mental fantasy, so we’re just going to go with it.  this yogi-super hero image i have in my head also has the stellar rockstar yogi body of sadie nardini, but again, let’s just go with it.)

i’m excited to have this opportunity to join one of the several other newest bloggers on the vancouver yoga review as their saturday sweet-spot.  i can’t promise words of infinite wisdom (i can actually guarantee there will be few), tips on meditation (at which i’ve failed at, successfully), or new recipes for vegan cupcakes (i like meat, although i am intolerant of wheat…but perhaps i could give you a take on some wheat free cake after i learn to bake?) but i can promise some laughs (hopefully) and an honest take through my yogic journey.

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...