Well, that was unexpected and delightful!
Good news:

1. My cel phone video tests were very enlightening! I am not sure why i didn't consider doing this before... i guess i was just overwhelmed with info and "considering obvious options" was not available for my brain. My tests revealed that if i reduce the recording quality of the "front camera" (vs. selfie) to the middle option (not the best but not the poorest), i can double my recording time without losing too much visual clarity. Hooray! This will buy me some time. Now i can continue to record pretty good quality videos while i carefully research a Camcorder and an Editing Program. Phew!
2. I had a couple hours of "empty house" dropped into my lap today so i too advantage of it. I deleted the Restorative practice that requires an editing program to complete and started over. I re-recorded, watched/cued and edited all in one day! Hooray! So head over to the "expand" page to take a look, and maybe give it a try too!
   

Happy Wednesday!
:)

Today:

• Filming test session in progress: As i mentioned yesterday, i would like to really understand the video capabilities on my phone. So today i have been playing with the possibilities of recording on my phone. My goal is to find a longer record time without losing too much quality in video. On my list are the 3 different size (qualities) of videos. And i am curious if the quality is different if recorded straight onto my phone vs. onto the memory card. I am on round 2 of testing. i will let you know what the verdict is. 
• Video planning in progress: I will be going in to the Lewis Centre again this week to record another Gentle Yoga session. So i watched the first one i recorded (and made notes) because that was over 2 months ago and i have forgotten what was on it. And now, i am planning the second session. 
• Did a little more research into camcorders and cameras today. I learned that although 4K is all the rage, i will avoid it. It sounds like editing it is challenging as it takes up a lot of space on the computer - and i do not think our computer is new enough to handle it. So that is a relief in some ways, as i can cross a lot of cameras off my list. 

Happy Tuesday everyone!
​:)

Happy June everyone!
I am still in research mode. Today was learning all about DSLR vs Camcorders. 4K vs. HD. And a couple other heady subjects.
I thought i found a suitable camera but then when i went to buy it, no one, not even the manufacturer has them in stock. So i went back to square one. I have found a few more to investigate but my brain's capacity to research seems to be 3 hours. So i will return to it tomorrow. 

Also, the Play with Balance video i recorded at Courtenay Rec 10 days ago is supposedly out, but i have not had a chance to look for it and therefore watch it. So if you are search savy, go find it!

And... I will (hopefully) go in to Courtenay Rec again later this week to record another video!

I have not yet had a chance to research an editing program for glueing those 2 Restorative practice bits together. It is on my list! Maybe I need to hire an assistant! Ha ha! 

And i have a filming test session planned: i would like to really understand the video capabilities on my phone. Specifically, how long can i record before it cuts off? And is this consistent? This should be a fairly easy experiment as all i need to do is set the format, (& make note of the format), press record on my phone and walk away. Then go back every once in a while and check on progress.
I have been inspired bu all the camcorder review videos i have been watching. 

AVCHD vs. XAVC, codecs and wrappers (not candy wrappers!), intra frame, log GOP....
I started researching video cameras a.k.a. camcorders about 3.5 hours ago. There is A LOT to learn!! 
I have learned so very much. And i realize now that i have way more to learn before i can even consider buying a camera! Every camera has its pros and cons depending on what you are using it for and that you want at the end.
 
Some of the features that are important to me:

• a camera that has the capabilities of shooting one long continuous video (so i don't have to spend hours editing 3 to 5 small videos into one)
• has an AC adapter (runs on electricity instead of battery)
• manual exposure control (so i can up the "light" in darker conditions without having to also buy an external light source)
• capability to record high quality in indoor light conditions (so, not grainy and grey)
• has a rotating screen so i can see myself as i record
• potential to use an external mic (if required) or built in mic that can receive voice (clearly) from up to 10 feet away
• manual audio control
• i do not want HD

So now, i just need to find ONE camcorder that does all that. So far i have fully researched a few Sony and a couple Canons and they DO NOT fit the bill, for one reason or another. Tomorrow, i will continue my learning and search. 
Now, i must go rest my brain!
happy Thursday!
hugs
​

Ok, so as it was so aptly put to me a few minutes ago, it is time to let go of "pseudo technology"!!!
I spent 2 hours recording a Restorative yoga video today with some of my "usual" technology issues.

• video stopped recording in the middle of a pose, near the end of my session (but i didn't know because i wasn't looking at screen)
• so i decided "o.k. i guess it is time to learn a more elaborate editing program so i can join segments of video together" and instead of re recording the whole thing, i restarted at the pose where it cut off.
• video randomly stopped recording again, 3 minutes in!
• Sheron comes out of room making Chewbacca sound followed by "TECHNOLOGY!!!" while shaking fists in air.
• Sheron regains composure and starts again.
• This time, phone did not stop recording (phew) until i pressed stop.

So i have a Restorative practice for you..... However; i need to learn a new computer program in order to edit it/splice it together.

i think, the universe is telling me to keep moving forward, keep upping my game, keep learning the next level. So i am also going to start researching other ways of recording videos i.e. camera versus laptop versus phone etc. And unlike this bear, i will not hide in a hole in a tree! I will move forward! I will learn! YES!!
:)
Wish me luck, send me good vibes!

Today i did a lot of editing to an audio version of Savasana i recorded a while back. My goals were:

• get comfortable with editing on my phone
• cut segments out to reduce it to 10 minutes (from 14)

It took 1.50 hours, but i did it. Editing is slow. I have a lot of empathy for those in the music and movie biz now. I get how much work it really is! An hour and a half to trim 4 minutes out of an audio clip! here are some of the why's:

• part of this was also a learning experience. I took my time and i did some trial and error as well.
  
• the editing program that comes with my voice recorder is very basic and the touch screen is way more finicky than a mouse on a computer would be.
  
• if you have been following my blog, you also know that (my) technology is unpredictable so i too my time and saved a copy after each "cut".
  
• and i have to listen tot he recording, make notes as to where i want to make the cut (how many seconds) and then go back and make the edit.
  

All in all it was a great learning experience. I believe that the next step is to learn an audio editing program on my computer. So i will add that to my research list.

:)
Happy Monday!

Today is a day of research and learning.
But first, an update (the reasons "why" i am in research mode today):

• Nourish Wellness, one of the locations i use to teach my in-person classes has, in light of new covid  regulations, changed their operations. These changes do not fit how i teach and who i teach. So for the summer, it doesn't look like i will be teaching classes there.
  
• Courtenay Recreation has not yet made any announcements in regards to yoga classes for the summer session. The chatter right now, is "they might not happen".
• My "covid benefits" are going to run out soon which means, i need to start earning a proper income again fast!

So in light of the 3 realizations above, my brain has been switched to over-drive again. Over the last couple days i have had a couple brain storming sessions with a couple friends/colleagues around "yoga teaching in this new word" and "what gifts has this time of isolation given and how do I carry those forward?". I love love love brain storming sessions, especially when there is space given for ideas to flow freely (mindful listening). When I know that I can just process and blurt stuff out without fear of judgement of ideas being shot down, the juices flow! So i have some ideas that need to percolate now. And as usually happens, more questions have come up, and will probably continue to do so.

My research today is on the capacity of my web site and what upgrading will offer. Some of the ideas i have will require a step up in "bells and whistles". My basic plan will not cut it.

So stay tuned! If any of my ideas are doable, i will let you know. And yes, i will let you know if they are not doable also.
hugs!

I went to the Lewis Centre today to re-record the video that didn't quite work out last week. I planned and even made myself cue cards so i'd remember all the important bits. I had a couple false starts (i am getting used to those now). It felt like it was going smoothly. Well, when i finished and went to press stop, the screen was black, which means, at some point, the camera stopped recording. GAH! So with help from D, we figured out roughly where it stopped and i re-started from that point. I am not 100% sure i got it right. I hope so. Hopefully when the video gets to L, the editor, she can figure out my mishap and "sew" the 2 videos together. HA HA HA!

I am not upset, nor was i at the time of discovery. I am getting used to the random glitches that occur with equipment. Dare i say, i am coming to peace with technology. Well, for today anyways.  ;)

I was in admin brain again today. So i went with it.
There are so many little jobs to be done that can take up a whole day, if I let them. And i did. It feels good to have many of them complete. Filing, sorting, shredding, correlating, organizing, compiling...

I also cleaned up my email;
deleting, sorting, compiling, cross referencing....

Phew! I feel light now.

Happy Thursday!

I was in "admin" brain today so i went with it. I had not been able to complete everything last week so i figured I'd keep going while the momentum was there. I am up to date to the end of March with my financials and 90% of my admin work is done! YAY!

I am looking forward to getting back to recording and am excited for the upcoming projects.

Happy Tuesday!
I hope you are all well and riding the waves of change with ease, grace and gratitude.
hugs!

Happy Friday everyone!
So my recording at Lewis Centre yesterday was challenging. I was not focused and i kept losing the flow. I decided to let it go. So i will go in again next week to re-record. One of the reasons i felt unfocused is that i didn't listen to my intuition when it urged me to make a light plan for the recording - that was also what i stated in my post yesterday! It happens. It sucks when my gut is right and i don't listen. BUT it is another opportunity to learn. So i enter this work day and long weekend with the question: How can i slow down, pause and listen intelligently to the inner cues? How can i be open to receive? 

On the table for today:

• admin stuff - sorting and data entry and tidying all my accounting and admin stuff that i have not looked at for, hmmm, a month
• write the May newsletter for my email list (and hopefully send it out too)

​And before i sign off for the long weekend, a bit about today's photo. I saw a long time friend and student yesterday and her lilac bush was in full glory. The aroma was intoxicating! She clipped a bouquet for me to take home. It is off and on keeping me company while i work. I say off and on because the aroma is incredibly strong and while it is glorious, it feels a little overwhelming at times. The good side of that is that i keep getting up and down from my desk to move it outside, or back inside. I am certain my body will appreciate that by the end of the day.
​Also, this image ended up with a soft focus - accidentally. The lens of my camera was dirty and i didn't know. When i saw the pic i thought "ahhhhh....". I believe this will be a nice combo with the questions above and will form the theme of my long weekend.
"Soft focus and sighs" to all of you! 
​Hugs!

Hi All, Happy Thursday!

A quick note to say that i am heading in to the
Lewis Centre to record another video.

So my "work" today is planning and getting
ready and... recording!

​Woo hoo!

Hugs

I am getting comfortable and skilled at editing videos now on YouTube. I am also getting skilled at pausing while recording when i've made a mistake and starting over. Yay! and Phew!

​The good thing about getting better, is that i am braving some trickier edits - like the video (How To Improvise A Bolster) i just posted (see "expand" page).

I realized that i talked extensively (in the video) about Halfmoon Yoga Products and i put myself into new territory. This product chat could be seen as product endorsement which would put my video into different category AND add extra bits to my video. YouTube's explanation on what qualifies as "product endorsement" is ambiguous. Since i am not likely to get a response to my inquiry into clarification in a timely fashion, i decided to edit out that bit of my video - thereby removing any possibility of confusion. I don't need to get myself in trouble, nor do i want my video to get removed. Plus, from what i was reading, there are legal guidelines outside of just YouTube that need to be followed re product endorsement and i am not yet ready to read that extensively on the subject - especially since i am not actually profiting from the "endorsement"! 
​:)

Well I have to trust there is a reason only one of the four videos I recorded yesterday worked out. Restorative practice? nope. Belly Breath practice? goner. How to make your own yoga blocks? sorry, it didn’t make it either. Sigh. I watched them all to see if anything was salvageable but no.

HOWEVER; “How to improvise a bolster” survived and turned out well. So to the editing table I go. It should be up on my web site and my YouTube Channel tomorrow, that is, unless it somehow meets the same fate as the other fallen videos. HA HA HA!
I can only laugh, sigh, surrender to “what is” and start over.
Boy, am I gonna be resilient after all this!
:)

I had a few hours this morning with an empty house so I decided to record a video. Long story short, the universe was testing me today… “How many things can we mess with until she losses her cool? Until she says I give up?” Well the answer is I don’t know.
Many, many things went wrong

• I decided to shoot a vid with the better camera on my phone (rather than selfie) but this meant that I’d be blind - I would not know if I was off screen at any point. So I tested and tested again. Then I recorded a 30 minute video…. and when I looked at it… my head was somehow cut off at the eyebrows!!
• A parcel was delivered… the dog went mental.
• Part way through recording a shorter video, it just stopped recording (but I didn’t know until after).

There were other things, big and small, but I think you catch my drift. After each mishap, I had a moment of frustration, I might have even swore a couple times, but I dusted myself off and started over. This appears to be the new theme in my life. So I didn’t reach my limit! Woo hoo! The thing that finally forced me to stop was a roaring sound of a chain saw or some other loud power tool outside my house. That I could not work with.

So the lesson in all this?
I AM COMMITTED to making these videos!
I AM COMMITTED to sharing!

I am still feeling a little raw so I won’t look at the videos today. I need some space. But if something was salvageable from my 3.50 hours of work, I will post it!

Hugs!

Today i discovered a new use for my tripod!
As i mentioned in a previous post, i have been doing some yoga training. Watching videos on our big computer is o.k. but there is usually a lot happening in our house and even if it is 'quiet', there is dog hair all over (and often a dog to go with it). So i like to practice in a dog-free zone, where i can close the door. I decided to move my training sessions to my phone. Now i am portable!

But, where to place the phone so i can see it? And how to hold the phone while i practice?!
I know the answer to that!!   ;)

Yes, the image you see on my phone is of one of my videos -
i figured that was a copyright safe image!
And, no, my room is not iridescent blue. Just me playing with photo edit to jazz up an otherwise drab photo. 

So thanks again to all those that have contributed! I am getting a lot of use out of my new equipment!
​:)

I had this list of things i wanted to report to you... and now that i am at the computer, i can't remember all of them! Oh well.
 
My arm/hand is still not interested in computer work. It is giving me the opportunity to sit with "surrender to what is" and "be open to new". 

• I edited one audio and i have started the process of editing another  
• i had a great brain-storming session with a friend re rearranging my "studio" to make the recording a little more efficient. I will give that a go next week
• i have signed up for some on-line training (yoga)

and my wrist says "no more!" so i guess it is good i forgot those other things i wanted to say.
Happy Thursday!
​Hugs

OH! OH! I JUST REMEMBERED!!! My second Courtenay Rec yoga video has been edited and uploaded! I will head over to my "expand" page right now, it get it on there!
​:)

Thank you everyone for sending me those kind words and good healing vibes! Whatever is going on with my right arm (tendinitis?) is getting better. I am still only mousing with my left hand and keeping typing to a minimum as my arm starts to ache after a couple minutes. So it'll be another short update today. 

The house is mine for a couple hours so i am heading to my "studio" to set up and attempt to record the video that flopped last week. 
If you are reading this on May 5th around mid day, send me some good recording vibes please. 
​
If my arm is feeling up to it, i will update later. Otherwise, see you tomorrow!

hugs!

***UPDATE***
well, it took 1.50 to record plus 1.25 hours to edit and upload a 13 minute video. HA HA HA! And that is not counting the first go at this that flopped (see Day 25). 
Savasana is now ready for your viewing (and practicing pleasure). 
May your body and mind be relieved of stress. Enjoy the practice. 

Tendinitis still alive and well in my right arm so this will be short...
May 2
Script in hand, i decided to record an audio practice (way less set up). So how to hold the script up at eye level (so i can read without having to tip my head down to read at a table - not good for my neck). Introducing..... The Script Holder 2000! Ha ha. I blue goo-ed a long ruler to my tripod and then blue goo-ed my script to the ruler. Success!!

NOTE: no, my walls and carpet are not hot pink, i just needed to add some fun colour to a drab image.

So this means, i have an audio practice to edit now. My intention is to upload it to Insight Timer. And this statement should help give me a nudge to complete my account set up and take this next plunge. 

:)

Hi All! I am not quite back to 100% re tendinitis. So i will keep my posts short.
April 30th
I had the house to myself, so i set to work with recording my new video. Long, long, story short it was a flop. Nothing was going right for me that day. So i spent 2 hours with nothing to (literally) show at the end. I was off my game and the universe was testing my patience. The universe won that round as i was cranky for a couple hours after. Now, i look back and think, "meh, whatever. It is what it is. I was doing the best i could with the tools and skills and time i had available at that time. I will just do it again." I am grateful that the pain of that day didn't turn me off this endeavour forever!

:)

A quick note to say, i am taking a couple or maybe a few days off. I have developed hmmm, maybe tendinitis? I guess, this sudden change in the type of work (typing, typing, mousing, mousing) i've been doing since mid March has taken it's toll. The self-care and counter-computer exercises i have been doing just wasn't enough. So my body has spoken, and i am going to listen. 
The good side of it is, i have a script written so i can record a new practice when i have a quiet house! And maybe i can record another yoga video too!
See you soon!
:)

Today is a writing day. I have some notes on a few meditations and guided practices i'd like to record so i now i need to sit down and write the scripts. 
What does that process look like? Well, it happens a couple ways:

Way #1: 

• I (usually) hand write notes to get a general idea of content and flow.
• Then i try it out and see what works and what doesn't.
• Then back to writing and flushing out. Sometimes, the try and edit goes back and forth a few more times, and sometimes it is quick.
• Then i record.

Way #2:

• I will suddenly get inspired and writing will be too slow so i will press record on my phone and just start talking. When i do this, it is part dictation and part process.
• For some moments i am in the flow or what i call "verbally meditating" - i am not thinking, i am reciting.
• And then there are moments when i will realize i missed something earlier on or i have another hit of inspiration to change it around, so i record that too. 
• Then comes transcribing - listening to my words and typing them out to make a script. This can be slow as i never really learned how to type plus i experience dyslexia when typing. So listen and type and listen and type and listen and type..... etc and then edit, try it out, edit, etc
• and then record

Today is "Way #2". A few days ago I recorded a Savasana idea i had after a Yoga in Bed practice. Today i will transcribe. And we will see where i get to. Wish me luck!
and Happy Tuesday!
​:)

Well, i got a lot of "content" for my Donations page put on paper yesterday, but it took today to organize it all. So if you look to your right you will see an image that says "I'd like to contribute". If you click on that image, you will be lead to a new page on my website that offers ideas and suggestions on different ways to contribute and how to donate in a monetary way. And here is a link to that page, just because i can. 

And, one of the things i have added into my weekly "Life Activities", to bring balance to all this
(lovely) work, is...
Crocheting!
​I learned this skill in my early years (maybe grade 2 or 3). I never had the desire to do much with it.
I never wanted to make a sweater or a hat or socks. i just wanted the skill. I wanted to know i could do it if i had to. And i kept that skill, through all these years, via muscle memory. I can probably count the total number of times i have "made something" on one hand. I made a "Doctor Who" scarf once. Tom Baker wore this ridiculously long scarf (image 1 below) as part of his recognizable attribute as The Doctor on the famous British sci-fi serial. This was the late 70's/early 80's and Tom Baker's version of the Doctor (the 4th Doctor), in my eyes, was super cool - i idolized him. Mine was (possibly) red & white as i didn't like his colour scheme or maybe that was all i had. I also went through a stage where i made "book worm" book marks (image 2 below - not mine). I imagine every member of my family received one as a Christmas gift - ha ha!
Anyhow, a few years ago i decided to make my own dish cloths as i found the standard ones being made were too big for my liking. Those now have out lived their use - they have unraveled or "holed" themselves. So i got some fun new yarn and.... ta da! (image 3 - below). And i send out a "thank you" to The Village Yarn Shoppe in Comox for so clearly answering my novice yarn questions.  :)

Happy Saturday everyone!
​:)

Happy Friday!
I went to the Lewis Centre today and recorded another class - Gentle Hatha. Thanks to everyone that sent requests! I was not as "centred" as i have been in previous videos - i had a couple false starts and foibles. I was in a different space than i am used to so i was adjusting to my surroundings as i was recording plus the air conditioning turned on a couple times and threw me off. I had to suppress a few laughs when the foibles occurred. But all in all, i think it'll be o.k.

And thank you for asking questions about making donations, and where to find the info for that. I have not been sure about what to do to set that up on my site, so i haven't done much. BUT, that is my afternoon project today! I will update this post when i am done or when i give up. 
:)
​

I had a couple days of surrender… See “back from the abbyss” on the expand page.
 
Another video posted (Chair Yoga -posted April 20th) ! Woo Hoo! I am definitely getting faster at editing and uploading now. That feels good.
 
“Life planning” (April 17th) complete. It was surprisingly easy. Once I decided what needed to be done and what I wanted to do, I did it. It feels good to have balance in my life’s activities again!
 
I am heading into the Lewis Centre tomorrow to film another yoga session. This class will be geared towards those that have been attending my “55+ Yoga - Ongoing” classes.
So for those of you that are hoping for something specific, send me your requests!
I have done a little planning already and will complete that tomorrow morning.
 
That’s all for now. See you tomorrow!
 
Hugs!