J'adore Montréal!

Je le dit à chaque fois que j'y vais mais c'est une ville avec un pouls incroyable.

I had an adventurous trip - more drama than I am accustomed to - but it was overall, a fantastic weekend. I went directly from Ottawa after a week of training and arrived to the most amazing spring summer-like weather and gorgeous sunshine. I did a number of yoga classes a day, and at least one of them in French, and honestly cannot wait to teach in French. La prochaine fois, prochaine visite, je le ferai, guarantie.

The first evening there was enough to make my heart want to burst - saw Lisa at the hotel, went to Moksha Yoga Montreal for the first time and took a class with the amazing Annie, and then had an AWESOME vegan dinner with Lisa, as well Meghan and Thea, two other amazing women I did training with, at Aux Vivres (highly recommend the Dragon Bowl and the "B"LT - both winners and recommended to me by Nadyne K.). All pretty amazing things, all in a row.

On Friday, I got to teach at MYM and it was really cool to get a new vibe, new space, new community, and new energy and sweat to integrate with. Two awesome studios, lots of room, resident doggy action, some generous warm teachers and trades, and of course, an amazing Dina T. Following this was a haircut at my favourite spot (in Montreal, and elsewhere), Chez Snips (http://www.chezsnips.com/). If you're ever in Montreal, give Nadyne a call and go to her amazing space!

Saturday involved sandwiches at Santropol, as well as a shopping spree at Simons, where, seconds after making my purchase, my wallet was taken right out of my backpack. I noticed this (thanks to some civilians who noticed my bag was open) quickly and after retracing my steps and confirming it had definitely been pick-pocketed (zipper undone and wallet taken without me even noticing), I was back at the hotel cancelling cards and trying to calm myself down. I spent that evening in St-Eustache with my family (cousins, second cousins, aunts, uncles) and it was exactly what I needed to realize how much gratitude I had for them and what I have, and how easy it is to replace plastic in a wallet. We had a Thanksgiving dinner together, my first real Thanksgiving with family ever, and it was really special.

While most of Sunday was spent trying to figure out how to fly out on Monday without I.D. or money, it also included a hike of Mt. Royal, class with the one and only Ted Grand, and a Criminal Minds marathon with hotel picnic with Lisa. Cozy. It really reminded me that seeking out nature, the mat, and friends are what's important when things seem a little chaotic.

 

Teaching again at MYM on Monday was a great way to bookend the trip. I had a small but connected class and felt, for the first time, genuinely inspired to in turn be inspiring. After class, I checked my voicemail to find out that my wallet had been found across town and to come pick it up. Although it was half empty, it was also half full, and I hoped/imagined that karma had something to do with that.

Although I often leave that city wondering why I don't just move there since I seem to so deeply connect with it, there was something incredible about coming Toronto - and going to the Danforth for class. I got on my mat and my lips curled up in a smile and it really felt like home.