STEPH CORKER!

Through the darkness, we will find our light. 

…the days are dark…stephaniecorkerirwin.com will come back in a new light, in time… 

Until then,
ShineOn. xx

Something tells me that this weekend might be slightly indicative of future weekends to follow this winter…

SufferFests on the trainer in our make-shift version of “Hawaii” – bright lights + fans o’wind. These cats are way more talented than I am – they hammer while i sing; they know their cadence + i just count to 100; they sweat + i sweat…so it’s all totally cool:) And DJ Ramsey knows how to play angry music during our team time trials and hill climbs!

And then Sundays are Rundays! We went for half of our long run before the start line and then finished the run in a 10km race, just for fun. Susie knows how to run, fast. She exploded off the start…and finished in a beautiful 42min. I on the other hand suffered 4min back. Not a pb; not an easy run; not really great. But it was another start line. And sometimes, just showing up to start is what is necessary…

This picture is courtesy of Stef serving karma up to me after a season of fun bike rides, he so beautifully kicked my patoot today!

It’s winter here. It’s frickin’ chilly. It’s not difficult to dream of white sand….thankfully girlfriends know no season…

(Amir took some really freakin’ cool pics in Mexico….he takes cool pics all over the world!)

You have been telling people that this is the Eleventh Hour, now you
must go back and tell the people that this is the Hour. And there are
things to be considered. . . .

Where are you living?
What are you doing?
What are your relationships?
Are you in right relation?
Where is your water?

Know your garden.
It is time to speak your truth.
Create your community.
Be good to each other.
And do not look outside yourself for your leader.

Then he clasped his hands together, smiled, and said, “This could be a
good time! There is a river flowing now very fast. It is so great and
swift that there are those who will be afraid. They will try to hold on
to the shore. They will feel they are being torn apart and will suffer
greatly. Know the river has its destination. The elders say we must let
go of the shore, push off into the middle of the river, keep our eyes
open, and our heads above the water.

And I say, see who is in there with you and celebrate. At this time in
history, we are to take nothing personally, least of all ourselves. For
the moment that we do, our spiritual growth and journey come to a halt.

The time of the lone wolf is over. Gather yourselves!
Banish the word ‘struggle’ from your attitude and your vocabulary. All
that we do now must be done in a sacred manner and in celebration.

We are the ones we’ve been waiting for.

Lehm’s is officially the taste-tester of smoothies-gone-crazay as we build our repertoire of smoothies for the Yoga Retreat Center:)

We’ve been inspired by Cafe Gratitude and called this one “I am Not Depressed (being back to work)”… so if you ever need a lil island lovin’, then we suggest throwing the following into your vitamix:

bananas/spinach/ avocado/ spoonful of organic pb/ wee spoonful of cacao/ 2 spoons of coconut butter/ splash of almond milk/ plain yog (if you fancy)/ a few ice cubes if you care to make it frothy + chilly//blend!

Taste test approved: Lehm’s gives it the thumbs up… (and doesn’t that colour green look so delicious!)

• Do yoga. Repeat daily.
• Eat vibrating food.
• Send random reminders to random friends in the form of photos/videos/one-liners. Bonus points if laughter erupts!
• Book another yoga retreat!
• Fly to Hawaii to build your own + then invite all of your friends to come!
• Turn on some Bob, really loud.
• Tune into QMFMfrom 5AM to 10AM daily. No excuses. Tara will crack you up!
  

  Trying not to crash or cry while listening to Tara!

• Plug the kettle into a room with a door that shuts to pretend you are living in the amazon. Kinda like this guy!
• Keep your panties at home. Just for fun:)
• Seriously, go book 2012…http://www.yyoga.ca/! They’ve already booked it and something tells me it will sell out FAST next year.

 (pssst…we have a really rad surprise coming for you if you need any additional convincing:))

It feels only appropriate to give last week a wrap…and marinade in all that was fabulous on a Monday back at the office. Christa + I crafted this list, in fits of laughter, on the plane ride home. The people sitting beside us thought we were wacked – if they only knew what we looked like rolling around half naked in the sand:)

What made MayaTulum something so special…(in no particular order, cause that’s just how we roll!)

• Coconut slamming (juice, coffee + wine slamming too!)
• 5:55AM red-ball-of-fire-sunrises. Daily. No exceptions.
• Panties are for Canada. Just don’t bring them.
• Holy-Moly-Guacamole – at least an avocado a day!
• Entering the yoga palapa with 35 yogi’s you don’t know and leaving a week later with 35 new friends.
• Life altering, body elevating, on-the-edge-of-orgasmic clay massages.
• Octavio. (The Provider of #6)
• Full moon parties.
• Euro influx – ie. The best Italian restaurants just a few paces away down the beach (read: go visit for a bottle of wine + lobster feast!)
• 2.5hr power classes featuring daily inversions that become 3hr classes of laughter + pools of sweat
• 7AM morning meditation on the beach. Rolling in the sand, giggling on repeat – optional yet highly encouraged.
• Cabanas on the beach – 10 steps from the ocean, with fresh flower garnish in your foot bath.
• Fish. Tacos. #yes!
• Morning abundance of papaya. (The pineapple, cantaloupe, watermelon, granola + yog were pretty okay too!)
• Amir – the token photog guru who shot the raddest pics ever. (Seriously r-a-d.)
• The best + brightest yoga teachers of Vancouver who laugh at our jokes:) <teehee>
• Belize being just a few hours away creates ideas of possibility in never leaving….
• When was the last time you hung out with a radio talk show host, helicopter pilot, lawyer and the list goes on….#coolestchicsontheblock
• Travel mats + wunder unders – thanks @lululemon!
• Dessert.
• The bluest-greenest-crystal-clearest ocean you can possibility imagine…awaiting you to jump in!
• The whitest-purest-softest sand you’ve ever sunk your toes into (or kicked a handstand on!)
• Moon gazing cuddle fest – story telling with roars of laughter are simply the by-product + highly encouraged. (Varanasi circa 1999 anyone?)
•  Bike riding to town – doubling is twice as much fun!
• Cenotes  diving + snorkeling. Under water cameras are pretty much an afternoon of gaggles.
• Bucket Lists over Breakfast + Yoga retreat business plans over moonlight. #dreamingrules!
• SaltySandyKnarlyOceanHair – combing + washing is not required!
• Party tricks + video clips at dinner.
• Laughing. Laughing. Laughing even louder!
• Vibrating food …radiating broccoli
• Reading books on the beach – out loud is mo’better.
• Bob Marley at just the right time. Get up, stand up!
• A sea of Ommm’s …or several.

So apparently shoes, scarves + panties are now required…until we meet again under the blazing sun. Tomorrow we will publish how to survive post-vacay-depression:)

We had to leave Tulum yesterday. The final Funday Friday was as you’d guess….F-U-N!

I woke up for a magical swim with Paddi + Bobby (short for Robert!) out to the reef. Lehm’s decided to sleep off the bottle(s) of wine from the night before so I borrowed her fins and mask. We made it out to the reef, minus the bottoms of my bikini because they fall off (it’s the cost of no muffin top!). The reef was rad, the water was warm and it looked like purple kale was dancing on the bottom of the ocean. Sadly, upon arriving back to shore in all of my glee, I jumped out of the water onto the beach forgetting that my bottoms were wrapped around my knee. I quickly proceeded to penguin-waddle myself back into the ocean to ensure Bobby didn’t catch a glimpse…and POW! A wave comes and leaves me sans a mask and barely my bottoms. I walked back with my head in shame to a hardly-hung-over buddy who informed me that the fins from Malaysia might have been a showstopper but a mask can be replaced. #PHEW!!!

We then slammed coconuts + coffee and salivated over Mexican Bananas before our as per usual, two remarkable yoga classes.  Lehm’s rocked out the most beautiful kapotasana and felt her heart explode – she thought there was a scream of glee, but it didn’t actually come out:) We also jumped all over each other in downward dog + childs pose. And then watched Nico body slam Mike. It was the perfect finale. (These pics will come, i promise…perhaps on the rainiest Vancouver day!)

Lehm’s then proceeded to get the mud-rub…she levitated off the bed and into the ocean….(these pictures to follow might be as close to soft porn as this blog will ever experience!)

We walked along the beach under the moon light and decided that really…really…if we just kept walking we could be crossing the border to Belize by sunrise….

“Every new beginning comes from some other beginnings end.”