Sarah Does Yoga Halifax

I hope your summer is going exactly the way you want it to.

That you're running full tilt under the sun.

That you're floating in the water and taking in the sky.

That you're letting yourself be inspired and stopping to notice the little things.

That you're resting, even when there are too many plans on the schedule.

We're a month away from getting back to classes already.

See you soon, beauty 😘

First online Yin class for 2023 done and in the books 😘

You decided you wanted to start a yoga practice in the new year, but realized the gear, the props, the bells and whistles you see your instructor toting around can cost $$$. 👀

Well, our community loves an accessible practice, and that doesn't stop at different pose variations, but expands from all abilities and body types to being financially inclusive as well.

Here's some hacks for common yoga props to save you some dollars and get you on your mat >> Swipe>>

Don't have a $60 to $130 yoga bolster?
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Try stacking/folding good, ol' fashioned sleeping pillows.

I've even laid shoe boxes down and put a long pillow over top.

Of course, it won't be as firm or supportive as a yoga bolster, but when it comes to cushioning your body in a long-hold Child's Pose or supporting between your shoulder blades in Fish Pose, it'll get the job done.

Don't have a $20 to $50 yoga strap?
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Try a tea towel. Give it a few twists and hold opposite corners lengthwise --- boom, extended reach.

Don't have a $20 to $50 yoga block?
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Think throw pillows under your knees in Butterfly Pose, or a tissue box/book/similar-sized box under your hand in Half Moon Pose.

Obviously, if you drop all of your weight into a tissue box it's going to crumple, but in many standing poses blocks work as posture or balance guides (so you should be using your muscles to hold you up, not leaning full force into the block).

If you're just starting out, aim for something a little more sturdy, like a big hard cover book, or a box, say with a new small appliance you got for the holidays still in it --- peep the new coffee press my mom got me 😉
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New Year resolutions can be a lot of pressure, but remember, every new day can be a new start.

Take your time. Trust your body. Be easy. Breathe. And have fun.

Good luck 😘

Got the cookbook for Christmas, had to make some avocado brownies 😋
Happy Holidays everyone

It's almost time to get back to Sunday slow flows 🥰

Sunday nights, 7:30 p.m. (NS)/ 8:30 p.m. (ON), virtual yin, starting Sept. 18. $5 drop ins.

Beginners welcome.

First night we're starting early to sip some wine and have a summer catch-up. Common down...

🍁🍂Happy September! 🍂🌾

Got out for some waterfront, boardwalk yoga this week 🧘‍♀️

Hold on, hold on, hold on...

More places for legumes.

I only had one can of tomatoes so I needed a way to make my spaghetti sauce go further.

We'd had a meat heavy week so I didn't want to add beef for protein.

Instead, I threw in a can of red kidney beans, and popped the sauce in the blender.

You can also throw lentils in post blend to imitate ground beef.

Nobody has to know.

Spaghetti Sauce 🍝

-One can red tomatoes
-One can red kidney beans
-Few cloves of garlic
-An onion roughly quartered
-A tbls oregono
-A tbls basil
-A tsp red chilli flakes (or more)
-Salt and pepper
-A few go-rounds the pot with olive oil

Extras you might have in your fridge to add (I like to clean out my drawer and make sauces/soups on Sundays)

-A couple of carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
-Few stems of celery plus the leaves, they're the best part

Bring to a boil, cover, simmer on low for 1 - 2 hours

Let cool. Blend. Reheat or freeze for pasta time.

Soups and sauces are just smoothies you eat. 😋

To every caretaker who loves unconditionally 💜 🦄

A reminder there's no class tonight as everyone spends time with their loved ones.

Enjoy 🌷🌼🌻

Soup season is almost over; you're going to want to get this one in before then 🤤
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I recently discovered soups are the easiest thing in the world to make and packed with healthy vegetables.
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Then I saw a post of someone putting beans in their soup for an added protein and fibre kick?
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Here's how to whip up this spicy tomatoe soup:

Peel and cube four carrots
Peel and cube two onions
Open a can of beans, I used white kidney beans

Combine in a bowl with a half jar of sun dried tomatoes, including half the oil from the jar or less

Add two cloves or tsps of garlic
A tbls of red pepper flakes
And any spices you want, I did basil and oregono but I've seen cumin too

Stir and spread onto a parchment lined cookie sheet, bake at 400 for 30 minutes

In a sauce pan, mix a can of tomatoes and a can of fire roasted tomatoes
Plop those veggies in and add veggie broth until covered

I added a cup of oat cream too

Low boil for 45 minutes

Puree
.. Eat :)
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If you find it too thick you can add more broth and puree.

I added a few handfuls of spinach after pureeing, to add some texture and greens. Just boiled it for another few minutes.

I'm thinking this will work great as a sauce too, so I left it nice and thick.
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Let me know what you think 🥰

Happy Valentine's Day, beauties.

Wherever you are in your journey, remember:

❤You are loved.
🧡You are worthy.
💛You deserve the best.

NEW CLASS STARTING
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Join me and a great group of ladies for a super chill, casual sip and stretch.
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Tea & Yoga also an option for my sober friends 😉
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Lots of Yin poses, slow holds and smiles.
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Starts Jan 23 and runs for four weeks before a week break and another four. Join for one or two or all 💜
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Massage out that winter tension. All Levels welcome: we've got young women and moms to 50+.
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Msg for details.
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🥰😚

Blue Monday came and went this week 💙
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Considered one of the most depressing days of the year, Blue Monday is when the regular routine of back to work after the holidays sets in. Not only is it no longer the holidays, but it's also the dead middle of winter - with no end in sight 🙃
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This year it's obviously compounded by COVID-19 -- still going strong ✌
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But I also read that it's typically when we realize we're not making headway on our New Year resolutions.
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You've had a cookie even though you swore them off, the scale isn't making its way where you want it, you aren't walking every day even though you said you would...
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I just thought I'd come out here and give you a solid, "LOL stop."
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In case you needed to hear it:
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1) Every day is an opportunity to have a better day. Any resolution you made, you can try again tomorrow. It can take at least a month to set a new habit.
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2) Resist getting swept up in the toxicity of diet culture and the YOU NEED TO BE BETTER machine. It kicks it up to high gear in the months that immediately follow the New Year. You're doing fine, you're existing and forcing yourself to change, because someone convinces you to, is not going to lead to sustainable change.
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3) Let your goals be attainable. Be you, beauty. Focus on what you can add to your life instead of how you can restrict yourself. Make it a long-term journey, not a results-focused sprint.
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Maybe you forego the process altogether.
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A friend of mine showed me a GIF that said, "No resolutions, only revolutions."
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My goal this year is to "Be More Where I Want To Be"
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That's where I am in these photos. That extended supported bridge pose - MAGIC.
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Should I work out more this year? Probably. But I'm editing that mindset because I want to grow, and live in a way I love.
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Just be easy, beauty.
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You truly are doing great.
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My 2022 resolution 🍾
My you and your loved ones have a happy, healthy and safe year ahead.
Happy New Year, Beauties ❤🥰

Merry Christmas Beauties 🎅
Wishing you and your loved ones a healthy and safe year ahead.

But we pretend like it's somewhere way more exciting...
😅😅😅
Real talk tho.

I love this photo.
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It reminds me: Storms come and go.
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What do you want?
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Can you see it on the horizon?
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Do you believe it?
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Ride the churning waves and grey clouds to the pink sunsets beyond.
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You can. You will.

This is the flag is the flag of the Mi'kmaq People.
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Halifax and area is known as K'jipuktuk by the Mi'kmaq. It means "great harbour."
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We are in Mi'kma'ki, their ancestral and unceded territory.
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On Oct. 2, 1749, Edward Cornwallis, the original British governor of Nova Scotia, issued a proclamation promising "a reward of ten guineas for every Indian Micmac taken or killed, to be paid upon producing such Savage taken or his scalp."
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The Mi'kmaw Native Friendship Centre formally asked City Hall to rename Cornwallis Street five years ago. The renaming entered phase one this week.
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His name is slowly being erraticated from modern day Halifax, but there is so much more to do and so much more to learn.
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Be brave enough to admit your ignorance. Open your heart to truth and help us move towards reconciliation.
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A flag will be raised at 5:30 p.m. in Grand Parade later today. Alan Knockwood, a Shubenacadie Residential School (forced assimilation school), and Landyn Toney, a Mi'kmaw youth that walked from his home in Valley, Colchester County to his home reserve of Annanoplis Valley First Nation to raise awareness for the residential school students who never made it home, will be there to speak.
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The Friendship Centre is also hosting events over the weekend. More information is available on the city's website.

You don't chase. You attract. What belongs to you, will find you.
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Go slay your day, beauty.
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Shout out to the person who first put this affirmation on the clock app that's been popping up all over my feeds.
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I've been listening to the "I'm Thrivin'" playlist on Spotify.
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Also, can we start Big B***y Wednesdays? 🍑

Feels like the world has been a bit crazy for a long while now.
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I was at a class last night where the mantra was, "I allow life to flow through me."
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Seemed fitting for election day which also happened to be a full moon 🤦‍♀️
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Strange coincidence that.
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Anyways, your vote mattered. But so did the votes of the other millions of people who voted.
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Ultimately, we have to move with the push and pull, the ups and downs, the summer 2019s and the summer 2020s.
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Do what you can, breathe through the rest.
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❤

Happy Friyay ❤

Love yourself.
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Love yourself like there is no tomorrow.
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Love yourself like the sky is falling.
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Love yourself like it doesn't matter.
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Laugh at your flaws.
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Be a light in the darkness.
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Choose life and live it.
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Let it be that simple.

😚UPDATE😚 Hello beauties!
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We are all moved in, no hiccups; though as you can see we're still a number of boxes away from being "settled in."
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Things are beautiful here on the .
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I've been away a little longer than I expected, but taking the blessings as they come and letting the soul simmer in finally, FINALLY getting here.
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We bought a bottle of tequila on our first trip together in Mexico - one we said we wouldn't open until we had our own place, thinking it wasn't too long off.
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A PANDEMIC later 🙃 we cracked that bottle and "grateful" doesn't cover it.
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Anyways (🥰) September seems to be slipping through my finger tips.
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You have lots going on too with kids back to school, getting back in the groove, setting new goals for the year to come.
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Fall always feels to me like a new beginning.
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Something about the trees shedding their leaves, the changing colours, the crisp air - it's a bracing energy, an invitation.
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I hope you're filled with breath and beauty this season - though I'm not wishing summer away just yet.
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Let's just enjoy it and come the first weekend in October we'll get back to classes.
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Virtual Yang/Yin Sunday nights starting Oct. 3
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(Playing with staring a Tuesday morning/Thursday night flow)
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Let me know if you'd like to join us.
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Sending you love ❤

Only two Sundays left in our virtual Strength and Stillness session.
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I'm flying home to visit family and take some much needed time off now that I'm doubled dosed. 💉♥️
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I'd love to see you for my last two classes until September.
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Not sure what the September announcement will be - hoping to get back teaching in studio - but maybe we can keep Sundays going then too?
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Let me know what you'd be interested in?
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Anyways, Sunday nights at 7 p.m. ON time/8 p.m. NS time. $5 drop-in. This Sunday and next before I wish all you babes a wonderful August.
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Let's talk about how I don't look like a "yoga model." Cause maybe you don't either.
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Here's some photos I hate.
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We're unrealistic about our bodies. You know it, I know it. We don't see ourselves as others do. We see flaws first; attributes second.
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But the next time you're looking in the mirror, and being incredibly critical, I want you to focus in on what you would change and what it would take to do so.
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You want to look like your personal trainer?
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That's great; do you have the full time hours they do to commit to that level of fitness?
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Seriously now, and what would you be giving up to do so?
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Maybe it's curling up with your favorite book for an hour at the end of every night?
Taking your kids to soccer and cheering them on, getting ice cream afterwords.
Watching that new series you and your partner love, the excited conversations that come after.
Having dinner with a dear friend at a restaurant you've never tried, the heart-to-hearts that only come after a bottle of wine.
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These things have value. Would you love your life without them, finding that time?
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You can't do it all, beauty.
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So, the next time you find yourself frowning at the mirror, please consider that every curve, bump, pillow, dent and/or visible rib/bone is a reflection of your joys and hardships.
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You're living your life - not failing some unobtainable standard.
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We think we're being "realistic" when picturing our "ideal" selves. How does that make sense?
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I don't look like a "yoga model" because I am living and loving my life in a way I value and want to.
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For the record, I AM a "yoga model" because I post photos in yoga poses to Instagram.
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You're a yogi because you show up to your mat.
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In the words of Lizzo, "Thick thighs save lives."
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And FYI, so do skinny thighs.
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I love you. You're gorgeous. Be nice.

Chances are everyone else is 😘