Wheat free cookie recipe and

 Bladderwrack infused arthritis treatment!

Recipes and instructions on my website: http://bit.ly/NoSHyg

Next up is homemade shampoo!

A Canadian team of researchers has been given a $157 000 grant to study the use of Dandelion Root to treat cancer. To read more about it:

http://www.cbc.ca/news/health/story/2012/04/20/wdr-dandelion-tea-research-grant.html

Yoga and Hiking Retreat August 2012

Sol Mountain is a backcountry lodge in BC's Monashee Mountains. 

Sol Mountain offers yoga retreats paired with hiking in pristine meadows and alpine peaks. 

Lindsay will be co-hosting another yoga retreat this summer. Details will be following soon!

Get more info about this year's Yoga Retreat at Sol Mountain:

Sol Mountain Yoga Retreats

Check out more photos from last year's retreat:

2011 Sol Mountain Retreat

Photos from today's walk in the woods (near Victoria BC)

Shooting Star (Dodecatheon spp.) and Fawn Lily (Erythronium spp.)

Arbutus / Pacific Madrone (Arbutus Menziesii)

Oregon Grape (Mahonia nervosa)

Trillium spp.

Fawn Lily (Erythronium spp.)

Yoga sessions

NEW Yoga Class: YOGA BASICS 
Wednesdays 630-730pm starts January 18th 2012
A relaxing class including basic breath and postures to increase strength, flexibility and wellbeing.

Ongoing Yoga Class: FLOW YOGA
Thursdays 7-815pm resumed last week and still open for others to join
A more challenging class for strength and flexibility. Instructions are given for variations of poses for intermediate and advanced students as well as fit beginners.

Drop in $12 or buy a punch card or register for a series of classes.

For more information contact the Burnside Gorge Community Association.
471 Cecelia Rd, Victoria BC
250-388-5251

New Yoga session starts next Thursday

This Thursday October 27th is the end of the current Flow Yoga session at Burnside Gorge Community Centre. The new session starts right away on November 3rd and will end on December 15th.

The class has grown this fall and I have been offering pose options for new and experienced students. It is up to each person to set their pace, and mixed level classes can be a great way to learn about your ego, accept your current state of being and look forward to progressing!

Classes are open to drop in, registration or punch card holders. 

For more info visit: http://www.burnsidegorge.ca/ 

Hope to see you on the mat next session!

Giving Thanks

In BC the seasonal change and annual harvest is here. This is a great time to feast and feel grateful for so many things that enrich our lives.

For me the attention on gratitude extends to other days through the year. Each day after meditation or asana I take a moment of appreciation for something in my life. Some days I sit and wait before I shift my perspective and find appreciation, while other days I am flooded with boundless joy and gratitude for everything around me.

While I have enjoyed this daily, others make a birthday list with as many inspirations for gratitude as their age. Some keep journals to look back upon when they feel blue.

   I have enjoyed a few years of this daily practice and wanted to share some of the things that bring me joy..........
warm meadows
the earth and its nourishment
my family (all of them for their open hearts and each of them for the individual teachings they offer)
good, clean food
water (clear, oceans, tears, rivers)
the chance to walk in the forest (the smell of trees & dirt)
the sounds of wind in the trees
mom
teachers I have known, past and present
dear friends
the sun
dad
the chance to see my nephew as a young boy
music (the rhythm, the harmony)
yoga
the chance to love and be loved
Cam, my partner
the plants
the fungi
the animals
chocolate
Tilia
Cedar
Loved ones who have passed on
walking the path with plants
the students who share their journeys
time spent in the wilderness
lessons from bear, cougar, moose and deer
songs from loons

What are you grateful for?

Sol Mountain Yoga & Hiking Retreat

August 2011

Sol Mountain Lodge is located in a beautiful backcountry niche of the Monashee Mountains in British Columbia. The year was our first Yoga retreat at the lodge and we are scheduled to offer more next summer! Here are some photos to share the experience and entice you to join us next year!

Yogis heading back to the lodge after morning Yoga bliss in the meadow:

Downward dog with a view! Just a short walk from the lodge:

Some participants hiked up into amazing terrain:

Sol Lake:

Yoga on the ridgeline with phenomenal views bringing us in touch with the heavens:

A chance for a quiet moment to take in the surroundings:

  The meadows are amazing! Arnica:

So many flowers you just might want to stay there!

We hope you will join us next year! Your Yoga retreat hosts: Lindsay (above) and Sabine (below, right); also look for an article coming in a regional magazine next year by Suzanne (below, left) an accomplished writer who came along with us this year! 

To learn more about Sol Mountain:

http://www.solmountain.com/

or like it on Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Sol-Mountain-Lodge/303022318577

Flow Yoga starts Thursday September 8th 

7-815pm @ the Burnside Gorge Community Centre

This is a fun class that offers basic poses and breathing techniques joined with fluid movements. Options to progress to intermediate poses are offered. Sequences include sun saluations, standing and seated poses, hip openers, inversions (optional), and relaxation.

The facility is non-profit and housed in a eco-friendly building! Class prices are very affordable @ $72 for 8 sessions! Students will progress more with regular attendance, but drop-in sessions are also welcome.

To register or find more info:
http://burnsidegorge.ca/events/flow-yoga

Photos from summer in the interior of British Columbia

After a couple months in the mountain wilderness I am back in the city! I enjoyed time swimming in the cleansing waters of glacial lakes, gazing upon sub alpine meadows, stepping delicately around alpine flowers, contemplating stars and meeting nature seekers from all around the world! It seems that folks in all walks of life crave the stillness and simplicity of "unplugged" life! Some asked about plants that can be used for medicine and food and others asked to share Yoga with me on the beaches of lakes, on alpine ridges and under towering forests.

Here are some photos from this summer.........

Canoeist on Clearwater Lake, Wells Gray Provincial Park

Arnica Cordifolia (Heart leaves arnica) near Monashee Provinical Park.

Wildflowers near Monashee Provincial Park. 

Photo includes Pulsatilla spp. (Pasque flower, seeding), 

Indian Paintbrush, Arnica spp., and Woolly Pussytoes.

Summer break

This summer I am off to the forest and lakes to work and play and reconnect with nature in its pure form. I will in the North Thompson / Caribou region -canoeing, hiking, gardening, and sitting with mother earth. I will be inviting travelers on canoe trips to practice with me under the trees and will be wild crafting herbs from the amazing forests in the area.

I am so grateful to all the community in Victoria who have shared in Yoga classes and in herbal clinics and I look forward to returning in September. I hope you will find time to practice Yoga with another teacher or on your own - maybe some lovely outdoor sessions!

shanti
peace

FREE YOGA!! Sunday 9am

Feel Good Yoga in Langford offers some free classes and this time it's my Power Flow class! This Sunday 9-1015am. Come out for fun, sweaty bliss! Class includes sun salutes, a flow through standing poses with options for working towards more challenge, hip openers, powerful breath and deep relaxation.

For more info visit:www.feelgoodyogavictoria.com/

Wildharvesting: Nettles (Urtica dioica)

It's time to harvest Nettles (Urtica dioica) on the west coast. 

Harvest Nettles before they flower, before the leaves are very large. Wear gloves, cut stems near the ground and prepare to dry or use fresh. Cooked Nettles make a great soup, otherwise they can be made into a tea or dried for later use. Spread out to dry as they will bruise easily. Do not wash prior to drying. Do not harvest leaves after the plant goes to seed as the mineral content changes and becomes irritating to the kidneys. Caution: do not touch the plant as it can cause dermatitis (Plantain leaf is a great antidote for this). Nettles sometime grow in contaminated soil so take care to select clean habitats for harvesting.

For more info on spring harvesting check out: http://herbalmedicinehub.blogspot.com/2011/05/wildharvesting-this-spring-hawthorn.html

Class schedule changes

Friday 530pm Vibrant Flow is cancelled for the summer season.

NEW Sunday 9am Power Flow @ Feel Good Yoga

Hope to see you on the mat soon!

Easter weekend! No classes!

Enjoy feast and festivities this weekend!
No Yoga classes with Lin until next week.
Do a little practice on your own - just stick to poses you feel comfortable with and set simple expectations - even 15 minutes helps to clear your energy and keep your body and mind happy!

See you next week!!

Photos from a recent forest walk.........

Erythronium spp. (Fawn Lily)

Acer spp. (Maple) flowering

Daphne laureola -invasive!!

Lysichiton americanus (Skunk cabbage) 

Cultivating Medicinal Plants Workshop this Monday!

Plant sale April 5th in Saanich

WHEN: Tuesday 05 April 2011 7:30 pm to 9:00 pm
WHERE: GARTH HOMER CENTRE 813 Darwin Ave. (South of Saanich Municipal Hall)
FREE ADMISSION!
Choose from an intriguing variety of hardy shrubs & perennials, exotic alpine plants, rare native ferns, fresh vegetable & herb plants, seeds, used garden tools & pots...and so much more! All from local specialty nurseries & home growers.

Cultivation Medicinal Plants Workshop! Featured plant: Yarrow

My communal project (Herbal Medicine Education Association) is partnering with Lifecycles (http://lifecyclesproject.ca/ ) to offer a Workshop on Cultivating Medicinal Plants! Please attend on Mon Apr 4th 7-9pm at Pacific Rim College for info on more plants and how to plan your medicine garden!

Yarrow                        Achillea millefolium

A perennial herb that can be easily grown in our climate. Sow seeds shallowly indoors in late winter or outside in late spring. Divide established plants in spring or autumn. Will grow in almost any soil, but prefers slightly acidic (6-6.7pH), moderately rich, well-drained soil (to avoid mildew) and full sun. Collect aerial parts after the flowers bloom from June to September; a second harvest may be possible! After harvesting hang in bunches to dry. Grows to 2-3 feet tall and offers tiny, white flowers and lots of green leaflets. A great addition to the garden as it can be used as a compost starter and attracts beneficial insects.

It is easily harvested and used as an infusion or wash. Its medicinal actions include bitter, vulnerary, anti-inflammatory, diaphoretic, diuretic, stimulant, astringent, and anti-septic. This wide range of actions makes it useful for many conditions including menstrual cramps, colds, fevers, flu, menopause, nose bleeds, swelling and wound care. Avoid in pregnancy or if you have an allergy to the Asteraceae (Composite/Sunflower) family.

To attend the workshop: Please RSVP to: uahub@lifecyclesproject.ca and (250) 383-5800.  

Raspberry medicine!

Raspberry or Rubus species are native to North America,  Europe  and Asia. Rubus idaeus is one of the most common indigenous plants in North America. Raspberry leaf is used in modern herbal medicine and by the indigenous people of Canada. 

The leaf is used to treat painful or delayed menstruation. Raspberry leaf tones the smooth muscle of the uterus and can also be used to prepare for childbirth. This astringent characteristic also acts on the digestive system, making Raspberry leaf a good medicine for mouth sores, nausea or diarrhea. 

For diarrhea or menstrual cramps make a cup of tea with 1 tsp of dried Raspberry leaf. During the last trimester of pregnancy drinking 1 cup of tea per day can help the muscles supporting the uterus to deliver the baby!

Other herbs that are used to prepare for childbirth include Partridge berry (Mitchella repens), also native to Canada, and Highbush cranberry (Viburnum opulus and local species), which helps dilate the cervix during labour. 

If you are unsure what to take you can contact a Medical Herbalist, or a Midwife or Naturopathic Doctor with a herbal specialty. For more info on herbal medicines, herbal history or how to visit a herbalist