Live Your Heart Out

A lotus bud Still unaware of its full potential. Almost ready to burst open. Hesitating as if nervous to make the transformation Once bloomed, it will never return to its previously closed state... Does it stay small so that it doesn’t intimidate the others with its true beauty? Or does it manifest its vibrant colours to boldly encourage the other flowers to bloom as well ? #lotusflowers #buddhismphilosophy #vietnamtravels #wanderlusting #mindfulness #mindbodysoul #yogaphilosophy #yogavietnam #torontowanderers #wanderlusttoronto #wanderlustniagara #escapetoronto #yogaretreat #yogatoronto #torontoyogalove #torontoyogis #yogisoftoronto #torontoyogateachers #torontoyogi #torontoyogini #torontoyogis #grimsbyontario

Eat your heart out !

Where is your place of worship? What do you worship ? This is a picture inside a Buddhist temple in Bac Lieu,Vietnam . Buddha’s teachings are known as dharma. He taught that compassion , kindness, generosity ,wisdom and patience are all important human virtues .... Our place of worship is wherever we can connect to our hearts with a universal and divine source . Whenever we go to any place of worship, we pay our respects by praying to god and expressing gratitude for our lives. We are not religious beings but we are spiritual and are open to all teachings that promote peace and love for each other and our sacred planet . #buddhisttemple #buddhistteachings #buddhismisalifestyle #torontoyogateacher #torontoyogacommunity #wanderlusttoronto #torontoyogis #escapetoronto #escapetoronto #torontotravelblogger #torontotraveller #torontoyogis #torontoyogi #yogisoftoronto #torontomindfulness #mindfulnesstoronto #torontowellness #travelvietnam #torontoyogalove #torontoyoga #spiritualcoach

How you LIVE says a lot more about you than how you die. When we travel, we like to go to cemeteries. Here is a typical cemetery in Vietnam , where the tombstones are elaborate and made of granite and marble. It’s funny how the people here often live simple lives , yet spend so much of their money on appearances - tombstone spending is case in point.... When we die, we don’t want to take any money or riches to the grave . We want to spend every single dollar, every single breath, and every single moment of our lives giving it everything we’ve got . To us, that’s a good life. #liveyourbestlife #liveyourheartout #livefully #bringthejoy #weonlyhaveonelife #transformation #personalgrowth #wanderlusts #vietnamtravelers #torontowanderers #wandertoronto #wanderlusttoronto #torontoyogalove #torontoyogacommunity #torontoyogateacher #torontoyogateachers #torontoyogis #yogisoftoronto #escapetoronto #torontoescape #niagarayoga #yoganiagara

How you LIVE says more about you than how you die... We visited a cemetery here to pay our respects. In Vietnam , there are elaborate granite and marble tombsto...nes. Why do we spend so much time and money to showcase someone’s death ? This trip has been so fascinating for many reasons . We are traveling in a group of 17, including both of our parents . I haven’t spent too much time with my in-laws prior to this trip, so I’m learning a lot about them. In 40 years, this is the first time they are returning to their country of birth. People in Vietnam revere ex-pats, thinking they are rich and worldly. If only they knew , that they are neither rich nor worldly. In 40 years, sadly (at least I find it sad), they have accumulated very few riches - in terms of life experience . They were refugees 40 years ago and made their way to Canada , where the people took them in with open arms . They were very scared people - lived in a box, and had ZERO aspirations to get ahead in life. Their goal was to only survive. For 35 years, they worked in the same factory until they retired. Never left the country and lived in complete and utter fear . They barely speak a word of English . They have no friends and now they they’re retired, don’t talk to a single soul on most days. So they sit at home and watch the news and tell us of their fears. Fear of what? Everything . They start almost every sentence with ‘I’m afraid of’. Examples: - scared to tell the waitress that they didn’t like the food , so they didn’t eat - scared to cross the street so they didn’t want to go out - scared to waste money so they didn’t take a taxi - scared about pain, so didn’t want to get her eyebrows done - scared to be scammed , so didn’t want to go to dentist With every new adventure , experience or opportunity we presented them, it was met with fear and resistance . I’m not judging here , just observing . They are good, hard-working people with good hearts . However, They haven’t LIVED at all. They’ve been going through the motions of life and are just waiting to die . I’m so grateful that we encouraged them to go on this one trip, likely the one and only trip of their life . I’m grateful because it’s a good reminder of why we should push through our fears. After 40 years, they are returning home no wiser , no more conscious , no more healthier , no more abundant than when they left. In 40 freaking years !! How tragic is that ? They were so afraid of pain and loss that they forgot to actually live a life. They could have had an incredible life, and it’s so apparent how fortunate they are when we see what the alternative would have been for them in Vietnam . In Canada, they worked hard at a factory . They were able to buy a house and now live off a decent pension that pays the bills. With free health care , what more do they want ? Yet, they still live in perpetual fear and scarcity . Yes, we may get scammed , lose money, get hurt , fall down - those adventures are a part of life !! When those things happen, you learn and you grow !! (Like when I made the mistake of keeping a window open) I know that in my 35 years I have pushed the envelope and I’ve lived fully, openly and with all my heart . Brian’s parents are a common example of what it’s like to NOT live your heart out . And we are so grateful that we can see it firsthand as a constant reminder that we have a purpose in this life. We were given one life. And that’s to live our hearts out! So let’s go LIVE it, shall we ?!

I took this picture in Vietnam, near the Mekong River. The lotus root is something I grew up eating as my mom used it in a few different recipes. It wasn’t until I was an adult and studied yoga that I understood the symbolism of this beautiful flower . A lotus flower is symbolic of YOUR life. As you make your way through your struggles , the darkness, the muddy waters of life , you will grow. As you find your light , you will blossom into a beautiful flower. It doesn’t matter... if your struggle is different than the flower next to you. Let’s not compare our struggles or our beauty to those of others . There’s enough light for everybody to turn into their own beautiful flower . #lotusflower #lifeisbeautiful #lifeisalotusflower #torontomindfulness #torontoyoga #torontoyogalove #torontoyogateacher #torontoyogis #yogisoftoronto #torontoyogacommunity #torontowellness #torontowellness #escapetoronto #torontotravelblogger #torontohealthcoach #lifecoach #travelniagara #niagarawinecountry #grimsbyontario #yogaretreat #yogaretreattoronto #torontoyogastudio #torontoyogamamas #niagara #twentyvalleytourism #twentyvalleywinecountry #ontariotravel #travelontario #yogaretreatontario #yogaretreattoronto

This is Bac Lieu, the town where my mother came from. This is their old house , where their family or 12 lived. In this town, like most of Vietnam , if you owne...d a house, you most likely used the main floor as your store front . Because why not make money where you live ? After the communists came in and stripped them of their net worth, they took a leap of faith and hopped on a boat to Malaysia , taking all of their worldly possessions. On the boat ride, they were attached by pirates . My grandfather said if they were to die , they would all die together as he didn’t want them to get separated . Fortunately , due to amazing tactics like hiding the family jewels in baby bottles, sewing in cash into the men’s pants waist line, and smudging the women’s faces with black coal to avoid being raped, they made it safely to Malaysia . There, they built their own straw huts and survived by hustling on the shorelines , selling bean sprouts from donated seeds from the UN. After 10 months of waiting , they were sponsored by a few kind souls from Canada who saw what was happening in Vietnam . They made it to Canadian soil 40 years ago in 1979. This was part of my mom’s story. I’m so blessed to go back to where my roots are . What a beautiful story of taking a leap and stepping out on faith.

A pond of lotuses. When you see something beautiful , you don’t know what happens below the surface . Struggle, heartache and pain are the precursors to succes...s and happiness. Thich Nhat Hanh says that without struggle, there is no happiness. Yes, I do post a lot of beautiful pictures of my life and my family. But I have taken risks, failed, fell and have always gotten back up again. I don’t always write about my struggles, partly because I don’t think anyone cares about my own fears but me, but partly because this is not the place to share them. But understand that when you see a beautiful story, there is always always always a story of pain and struggle that accompanies it . My life is like the lotus flower. No mud, no lotus .

Did you know that Vietnam has the most entrepreneurs/business owners per capita in the world?? You likely won’t be able to verify this stat that my dad claimed he heard because most of the businesses here are unregistered . Every alley, every street, and every book and cranny of the city is filled with hustlers who are vying for your attention .... That may be a surprise since it is still considered a communist country. But if you think about it, It makes sense since after the war, in order to survive, people hustled on the street to make a living . Traveling is a huge part of living our hearts out, but going back to our roots gives us so much more perspective . It makes sense now why we have entrepreneurship in our blood. As refugees , it was all about survival of the fittest , taking risks, working hard, and fighting for your family. This is the formula for successful entrepreneurship . Traveling with my family is wonderful because they recount tales of their business woes and wins from pre-war times of setting up their sugar cane kiosk making pennies. They went from there to making millions of dollars today with their retail businesses and real estate investment. #EntrepreneurshipIsInMyBlood #startedfromthebottomnowwerehere

We are getting ready for our 45 day trip to Asia. Travelling is one of our favourite ways to live our hearts out!!

A lotus bud Still unaware of its full potential. Almost ready to burst open. Hesitating as if nervous to make the transformation Once bloomed, it will never return to its previously closed state... Does it stay small so that it doesn’t intimidate the others with its true beauty? Or does it manifest its vibrant colours to boldly encourage the other flowers to bloom as well ? #lotusflowers #buddhismphilosophy #vietnamtravels #wanderlusting #mindfulness #mindbodysoul #yogaphilosophy #yogavietnam #torontowanderers #wanderlusttoronto #wanderlustniagara #escapetoronto #yogaretreat #yogatoronto #torontoyogalove #torontoyogis #yogisoftoronto #torontoyogateachers #torontoyogi #torontoyogini #torontoyogis #grimsbyontario

Eat your heart out !

How you LIVE says more about you than how you die... We visited a cemetery here to pay our respects. In Vietnam , there are elaborate granite and marble tombsto...nes. Why do we spend so much time and money to showcase someone’s death ? This trip has been so fascinating for many reasons . We are traveling in a group of 17, including both of our parents . I haven’t spent too much time with my in-laws prior to this trip, so I’m learning a lot about them. In 40 years, this is the first time they are returning to their country of birth. People in Vietnam revere ex-pats, thinking they are rich and worldly. If only they knew , that they are neither rich nor worldly. In 40 years, sadly (at least I find it sad), they have accumulated very few riches - in terms of life experience . They were refugees 40 years ago and made their way to Canada , where the people took them in with open arms . They were very scared people - lived in a box, and had ZERO aspirations to get ahead in life. Their goal was to only survive. For 35 years, they worked in the same factory until they retired. Never left the country and lived in complete and utter fear . They barely speak a word of English . They have no friends and now they they’re retired, don’t talk to a single soul on most days. So they sit at home and watch the news and tell us of their fears. Fear of what? Everything . They start almost every sentence with ‘I’m afraid of’. Examples: - scared to tell the waitress that they didn’t like the food , so they didn’t eat - scared to cross the street so they didn’t want to go out - scared to waste money so they didn’t take a taxi - scared about pain, so didn’t want to get her eyebrows done - scared to be scammed , so didn’t want to go to dentist With every new adventure , experience or opportunity we presented them, it was met with fear and resistance . I’m not judging here , just observing . They are good, hard-working people with good hearts . However, They haven’t LIVED at all. They’ve been going through the motions of life and are just waiting to die . I’m so grateful that we encouraged them to go on this one trip, likely the one and only trip of their life . I’m grateful because it’s a good reminder of why we should push through our fears. After 40 years, they are returning home no wiser , no more conscious , no more healthier , no more abundant than when they left. In 40 freaking years !! How tragic is that ? They were so afraid of pain and loss that they forgot to actually live a life. They could have had an incredible life, and it’s so apparent how fortunate they are when we see what the alternative would have been for them in Vietnam . In Canada, they worked hard at a factory . They were able to buy a house and now live off a decent pension that pays the bills. With free health care , what more do they want ? Yet, they still live in perpetual fear and scarcity . Yes, we may get scammed , lose money, get hurt , fall down - those adventures are a part of life !! When those things happen, you learn and you grow !! (Like when I made the mistake of keeping a window open) I know that in my 35 years I have pushed the envelope and I’ve lived fully, openly and with all my heart . Brian’s parents are a common example of what it’s like to NOT live your heart out . And we are so grateful that we can see it firsthand as a constant reminder that we have a purpose in this life. We were given one life. And that’s to live our hearts out! So let’s go LIVE it, shall we ?!

Where is your place of worship? What do you worship ? This is a picture inside a Buddhist temple in Bac Lieu,Vietnam . Buddha’s teachings are known as dharma. He taught that compassion , kindness, generosity ,wisdom and patience are all important human virtues .... Our place of worship is wherever we can connect to our hearts with a universal and divine source . Whenever we go to any place of worship, we pay our respects by praying to god and expressing gratitude for our lives. We are not religious beings but we are spiritual and are open to all teachings that promote peace and love for each other and our sacred planet . #buddhisttemple #buddhistteachings #buddhismisalifestyle #torontoyogateacher #torontoyogacommunity #wanderlusttoronto #torontoyogis #escapetoronto #escapetoronto #torontotravelblogger #torontotraveller #torontoyogis #torontoyogi #yogisoftoronto #torontomindfulness #mindfulnesstoronto #torontowellness #travelvietnam #torontoyogalove #torontoyoga #spiritualcoach

I took this picture in Vietnam, near the Mekong River. The lotus root is something I grew up eating as my mom used it in a few different recipes. It wasn’t until I was an adult and studied yoga that I understood the symbolism of this beautiful flower . A lotus flower is symbolic of YOUR life. As you make your way through your struggles , the darkness, the muddy waters of life , you will grow. As you find your light , you will blossom into a beautiful flower. It doesn’t matter... if your struggle is different than the flower next to you. Let’s not compare our struggles or our beauty to those of others . There’s enough light for everybody to turn into their own beautiful flower . #lotusflower #lifeisbeautiful #lifeisalotusflower #torontomindfulness #torontoyoga #torontoyogalove #torontoyogateacher #torontoyogis #yogisoftoronto #torontoyogacommunity #torontowellness #torontowellness #escapetoronto #torontotravelblogger #torontohealthcoach #lifecoach #travelniagara #niagarawinecountry #grimsbyontario #yogaretreat #yogaretreattoronto #torontoyogastudio #torontoyogamamas #niagara #twentyvalleytourism #twentyvalleywinecountry #ontariotravel #travelontario #yogaretreatontario #yogaretreattoronto

How you LIVE says a lot more about you than how you die. When we travel, we like to go to cemeteries. Here is a typical cemetery in Vietnam , where the tombstones are elaborate and made of granite and marble. It’s funny how the people here often live simple lives , yet spend so much of their money on appearances - tombstone spending is case in point.... When we die, we don’t want to take any money or riches to the grave . We want to spend every single dollar, every single breath, and every single moment of our lives giving it everything we’ve got . To us, that’s a good life. #liveyourbestlife #liveyourheartout #livefully #bringthejoy #weonlyhaveonelife #transformation #personalgrowth #wanderlusts #vietnamtravelers #torontowanderers #wandertoronto #wanderlusttoronto #torontoyogalove #torontoyogacommunity #torontoyogateacher #torontoyogateachers #torontoyogis #yogisoftoronto #escapetoronto #torontoescape #niagarayoga #yoganiagara

This is Bac Lieu, the town where my mother came from. This is their old house , where their family or 12 lived. In this town, like most of Vietnam , if you owne...d a house, you most likely used the main floor as your store front . Because why not make money where you live ? After the communists came in and stripped them of their net worth, they took a leap of faith and hopped on a boat to Malaysia , taking all of their worldly possessions. On the boat ride, they were attached by pirates . My grandfather said if they were to die , they would all die together as he didn’t want them to get separated . Fortunately , due to amazing tactics like hiding the family jewels in baby bottles, sewing in cash into the men’s pants waist line, and smudging the women’s faces with black coal to avoid being raped, they made it safely to Malaysia . There, they built their own straw huts and survived by hustling on the shorelines , selling bean sprouts from donated seeds from the UN. After 10 months of waiting , they were sponsored by a few kind souls from Canada who saw what was happening in Vietnam . They made it to Canadian soil 40 years ago in 1979. This was part of my mom’s story. I’m so blessed to go back to where my roots are . What a beautiful story of taking a leap and stepping out on faith.

A pond of lotuses. When you see something beautiful , you don’t know what happens below the surface . Struggle, heartache and pain are the precursors to succes...s and happiness. Thich Nhat Hanh says that without struggle, there is no happiness. Yes, I do post a lot of beautiful pictures of my life and my family. But I have taken risks, failed, fell and have always gotten back up again. I don’t always write about my struggles, partly because I don’t think anyone cares about my own fears but me, but partly because this is not the place to share them. But understand that when you see a beautiful story, there is always always always a story of pain and struggle that accompanies it . My life is like the lotus flower. No mud, no lotus .

Did you know that Vietnam has the most entrepreneurs/business owners per capita in the world?? You likely won’t be able to verify this stat that my dad claimed he heard because most of the businesses here are unregistered . Every alley, every street, and every book and cranny of the city is filled with hustlers who are vying for your attention .... That may be a surprise since it is still considered a communist country. But if you think about it, It makes sense since after the war, in order to survive, people hustled on the street to make a living . Traveling is a huge part of living our hearts out, but going back to our roots gives us so much more perspective . It makes sense now why we have entrepreneurship in our blood. As refugees , it was all about survival of the fittest , taking risks, working hard, and fighting for your family. This is the formula for successful entrepreneurship . Traveling with my family is wonderful because they recount tales of their business woes and wins from pre-war times of setting up their sugar cane kiosk making pennies. They went from there to making millions of dollars today with their retail businesses and real estate investment. #EntrepreneurshipIsInMyBlood #startedfromthebottomnowwerehere

We are getting ready for our 45 day trip to Asia. Travelling is one of our favourite ways to live our hearts out!!