I have been doing a lot of CrossFit. Three months in, I am surprised by how much I still love it. I love how the workouts change every day, I love being pushed to my physical max every time, and I especially love my gym, Rocket CrossFit in Hillman City. (I also love that a brewery is opening up next door.) I get to unleash my competitive side, sweat buckets and get stronger. It’s competitive and fun.

What about yoga, you might ask? I teach several times a week. And I practice. My body, tired, tight and sore from CrossFit, relishes yoga more than ever from a physical side. I’m still chasing a press-up handstand, although perhaps with less dedication than before CrossFit.

I also have days where I choose CrossFit over yoga. I’ve felt a wee bit of guilt at times, and have questioned my own loyalty. What kind of yoga teacher abandons yoga for CrossFit? Then I read this blog post by Danielle LaPorte. Danielle shares an experience with the Dalai Lama, who was faced with monks who had murdered other monks. The Dalai Lama said this is why we practice, when we need compassion. We practice in the good times so we have the practice when we don’t want to have to compassion or love or forgiveness. The challenging times. The worst times. This is why we practice. Her post is eloquent, and I recommend you give it a read.

I may not be on my mat as much as before. Eight years of yoga, and the practice is in my very cells. I need it as much as ever. I need the practice on the good days, and especially on the bad. And because there will always be good days and there will always be bad ones, I will always need yoga. This is why I practice.

Every couple of months or so, I swear to cut sugar out of my diet. I usually last for two or three weeks. Sugar always sneaks its way back in. This article is a great reminder of straightforward strategies to keep sugar at bay.

Eating Paleo hasn’t been easy. The first couple of weeks of cutting out wheat, legumes, sugar, soy, and unhealthy fats like canola oil were the hardest. I’m in a groove now, for the most part, aided by dark chocolate most days. I’ll post my full report about Paleo when it comes out in my column in The Seattle Times, but in the meantime, I want to leave you with my current obsession: Pumpkin Pancakes. The recipe is from the book “Practical Paleo.” I don’t even like pancakes that much, but this recipe satisfies my craving for sweet, bread-like substances. It’s also super quick to whip up.

Pumpkin Pancakes

from “Practical Paleo,” by Diane Sanfilippo

Makes 8 small pancakes or 4 large

1/2 c. canned pumpkin

4 eggs

2 tbl. maple syrup

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. pumpkin spice

1/4 tsp. baking soda

1 tbl. vanilla extract

2 tbl. coconut oil or butter plus additional for cooking

Combine pumpkin, eggs, vanilla, and maple syrup in a bowl, blending well with a whisk. Add in the spices. Melt 2 tbl of coconut oil or butter in a pan, pour into batter and combine. Add additional butter or coconut oil to pan for cooking, then pour in batter for pancakes. Cook until batter bubbles, flip and cook until golden on both sides. Serve hot with butter and cinnamon or sliced bananas. (Or, if you’re like me, another tablespoon or two of maple syrup.)

The best part about having grown up ice skating is getting to go back as an adult. I was smiling the whole time I was on the ice. As soon as I finished the skate for this column, I called my sister, who inspired my short ice skating career. We reminisced about our days as figure skaters. I spend a lot of my time trying out new fitness fads and tripping over my feet. It was nice to return to familiar territory for an afternoon.

http://seattletimes.com/html/pacificnw/2020139206_pacificpfit20.html

The first week’s theme is presence. I have been MIA the last month or so in many ways — gone from some of my regular classes, unable to help out other teachers by subbing, absent-minded and unavailable to friends. A little over a week ago I was in Park City, overseeing the Baptiste Affiliation Empowerment Summit, which brought together 40 yoga studios from around the world. The Summit might have been the hardest work project I have ever pulled off. The experience was exhilarating and amazing, and the community we created over the course of two days was deeply inspiring. I’m still a little astonished that what my coworkers and I accomplished.

But a huge part of the challenge during the weeks leading up to the Summit was staying present and in my body. I was so preoccupied with work my practice diminished to about twice a week and my meditation practice disappeared. I still did fitness classes to keep up with Fit For Life, but it was nothing like the norm. Usually, when I consider presence, I think about it in the context of staying present in each moment instead of being in my head about my life. Since I’ve been home, I now see that I haven’t really been present for others. Even up until the first meeting for 40 Days on Saturday, I was resistant to the idea of adding more “obligations” to my life, including daily meditation, ramping up my yoga practice again and cutting out sugar. But I now see a need to shift my priorities — to be with others and for others, to share myself with others, and make space for the people I care about, even on the days I want to go home and curl up in a ball and block out the world. Meditation, practice, mindful eating — they are not obligations. They are a path to leading a more empowered life. It’s the right time to take it on, and I’m looking forward to it.

I’ve tried different styles of yoga over the years, and I have seen most of the spectrum, ranging from intense spirituality to insane physicality. But until Wanderlust Whistler, I had never seen it all in one place, all at the same gloriously crazy time.

I went to Whistler, B.C., to assist Baron Baptiste for four inspiring classes. I also had time to check out teachers new to me, including surfer blissologist Eoin Finn, Anusara-trained Sianna Sherman and yogi priestess Seane Corn. I was inspired by lululemon’s Susanne Conrad, who spoke to personal transformation, a topic close to my heart. True to Wanderlust form, I also danced wildly to Michael Franti & Spearhead and Thievery Corporation.

Wanderlust originally started at Lake Tahoe with just yoga, music and lectures, but what defines yoga these days is broader than getting on a mat. The festival is now in four locations and in addition to classes with master teachers, the event includes hula hooping and slacklining. The sheer choice of what to do at any given moment combined with the task of pacing yourself with all the yoga can be overwhelming.

But for me, it’s ultimately about the yoga and teachers. I didn’t get to practice with everyone I wanted to, including Amy Ippoliti, Ryan Leier and Jeff Mah from Calgary. But after the weekend, my new favorite teacher is Eoin Finn.

Courtesy of lululemon

I went to a hips class taught by the Vancouver, B.C.-based teacher, hoping to move and stretch out; I came out sunshine and happiness. He calls his style Blissology, a name that veers dangerously close to woo-woo, but Eoin’s charm, sense of humor and surfer sensibility make it work. His teaching is grounded in solid alignment and he also dug in with ample core work. Once we started in on four-minute half pigeons, I sank into his world of bliss. I didn’t want to get up when he had us gather at the front of the room to meditate at the end of class. He spoke to the importance of connecting physically with other humans, then had us to lie down right where we were were in a big “puppy pile” savasana, heads on laps and shoulders on legs. Instead of being a ridiculous puddle of 300 people, it was personal and sweet.

Yoga world can be intense; I’m sure the mountain bikers and tourists were a bit mystified by the yogis and aerialists running around Whistler Village. But there also were a lot of amazingly cool people and teachers gathered in one place. I can’t wait for next year.

Also, teacher Alan Letran put on a good show. He is hardly afraid of me.

If you’ve never done paddleboard yoga, you should. Check out my article this week in The Seattle Times on the glories of SUP yoga. Then go, and fall in!