Summer Storytime
August Storytime
Lessons in discomfort and gratitude
From a rainy vacation
My family moved up to the grandparents’ cottage for the majority of August this year, and while the sunsets over the lake and the glorious swims are priceless and breathtaking, life at the cottage also embodies a lot of discomfort relative to what we’re used to.
Here’s the thing: this is my favorite place on earth. I was married here. I’ve raised my kids here throughout each summer. But it can also be a very uncomfortable place for me.
Kind of, or maybe exactly like, my meditation practice.
Let me paint a picture for you first.
This cottage was an old 1950s lodge, where dances were hosted and people flocked from all over to stay in the simple cabins. Those simple cabins (seven of them, to accommodate a giant flock of kids and grandkids and pals) have been restored and redecorated, but remained pretty much the same over the last fifty years.
No insulation. No modern amenities. Intermittent internet. One shower for all the guests (in a shed in the woods). No heat. Cold water only in the bathroom sinks. And we have to boil the water to drink.
And it rained all last week. And will continue to rain for the entirety of our vacation here.
Womp. Womp.
When it rains here, everything is damp, all the time. The bedding, the clothing on our backs, the towels. There’s a constant chill running through us. We don’t have fireplaces in our cabins, or heat, so there is a lot of snuggling, and we all look like yetis by the end of rainy weeks, layered up in our quintessential grey Roots jogging pants and big white shackets.
Sometimes we run through the rainstorms to the boathouse for a communal cozy fire on the lake, and until we have to run back to our little cabins, everything feels too good to be true.
We don’t have a dishwasher either. (But we cook every meal, and often for everyone…sometimes 15+ people who are bopping around that day.) And so we wash our dishes. And every time I see another sink loaded up, I remember this writing by Thich Nhat Hanh that first ignited by interest in yoga and meditation.
In yin, I teach my students that the mat is a training ground for reality. It’s where we learn how to be uncomfortable despite having the option to opt out and be comfortable.
We sit still in poses that ache and distress us and throw our minds into a tizzy, but we stay. We breathe. We work through it instead of running away. I feel that here every time it quite literally “rains on my parade” and my aesthetically perfect glamping experience is actually more stressful than it is peaceful.
My yin teacher Sarah Powers often wrote and spoke about the stillness in yin, the boredom in yin, and the discomfort in yin as teachers rather than deterrents to our students’ growth.
So here I am, and will continue to stay, sitting in what my idealized version of myself believes is my perfect, dream-come-true cabin. But also where that pesky human in me is tired of swatting away mosquitoes in August, doing half a yoga class because the internet cuts out, and being chilled to the bone in my damp clothes.
I could go home.
I could literally pack up the family and go home.
But instead, I’m here. Sitting in the discomfort. Letting it be uncomfortable without needing to fix it, change it or run away from it.
And honestly, I think that might be one of the greatest gifts yoga has given me.
The ability to be uncomfortable and not immediately assume that something has gone wrong and finding the silver lining in it all. Grateful, and happy to be here.
Thanks to the one and only…Yoga.
A Couple of Things Coming Up
If all this talk of discomfort, stillness and yin has you thinking, okay, but I actually want to learn more about this…or how to manage it myself I have a few things coming up that you might love.
Yin Yoga Teacher Training — Fall 2026
I’m teaching a Yin Yoga Teacher Training this fall with Amanda Stokes, over two weekends at Pinewood Pilates. This training is for yoga teachers (and serious yoga students) who want to go deeper into the practice of yin. Not just the poses, but the philosophy, energetics, anatomy and art of teaching a truly meaningful yin class.
We’ll explore what it means to use stillness, sensation and discomfort as a doorway into something deeper, rather than something we need to fix or get away from.
And yes, there will be lots of yin. Because apparently I like being uncomfortable.
Course Dates & Times: Two Weekends in November 2026
Weekend 1:
Friday November 13th: 3:30pm-7:30pm
Saturday November 14th: 2:30pm-7:30pm
Sunday November 15th: 2:30-7:30pm
Weekend 2:
Friday November 20th : 3:30pm-7:30pm
Saturday November 21st : 2:30pm-7:30pm
Sunday November 22nd: 2:30pm-7:30pm
28 hours of in-class time and 2 additional hours of 1:1 mentorship and practice teaching with either Ashley or Amanda.
Early Bird Pricing (Until October 1st): $850.00 + HST Regular Pricing: $950.00 + HST
We only accept 8 students on this training so register now to save your spot.
And if your idea of discomfort is slightly more appealing when it involves warm ocean water, sunshine and a cocktail after yoga…
Come to Panama with me.
The Giving Retreat is happening January 28th–February 4th, 2027, at an oceanfront paradise in Panama. It’s a week of yoga, pilates, breathwork, meditation, cold plunges, sound baths, cacao, snorkelling and plenty of time to do absolutely nothing.
It’s also a retreat with a purpose: every guest contributes to both a local Panamanian charity and a Canadian charity.
We have 8 spaces left, and I’d love to have you there.
Speaking of Discomfort... I'm partnering with Sweaty Girl Society
Join the community for free and access yoga that is actually supportive and comfortable for those with hyperhidrosis.
Well friends, that's all for now. I will be back to my regular schedule in September at Pinewood Pilates & YogaSpace, hope to see you on the mat! Hope you find the sunshine and rainbows inspiring in these final weeks of sweet summer. As always, thanks for reading. xoxo - Ash
Mondays
12-1pm Vinyasa Flow at Pinewood Pilates
6-7pm Vinyasa Flow at YogaSpace
7:15-8:15pm Aromatherapy Yin at YogaSpace
Wednesdays
10-11am Yoga & Pilates at Pinewood Pilates
12:30-1:15pm Pilates at YogaSpace
2-3pm Mom & Baby at Pinewood Pilates
(register here, be sure to click SERIES to find the classes)
Comments