I was so excited to open my inbox to recieve this beautiful piece from Ali Paul. You may remember Ali from our Yoga by the water sessions this past August. She is the incredible young woman who spearheaded our yoga by the water initiative, as an ambassador for Ocean Bridge.
Those mornings were so special for me, such a powerful reminder of our connections with nature, our intimate relationship to water, our wise old friend the heron, and the need for us to look within and do our part.
I am SO excited to share Ali’s contribution with you here, a beautiful reflection from her Ocean Bridge learning adventure.
Thank you so much Ali, you are a huge inspiration to me!
Ocean Bridge Learning Journey to the Saugeen (Bruce Peninsula)
Ocean Bridge focuses on connecting and empowering Canadian youth to make a difference towards ocean and waterway conservation. The program supports youth in delivering service projects within their communities. I am so thankful that one of my service projects has been “Yoga By The Water” with Amber Young. The purpose of this project was to connect our community, a space for us to connect to our local waterway and to each other.
Each Ocean Bridge ambassador attends a learning journey somewhere in Canada. My learning journey took place in the beautiful Saugeen (Bruce) Peninsula. Each day started with a yoga practice, oftentimes looking out over Lake Huron or Georgian Bay. We participated in various experiences, from standup paddle boarding while taking water samples, to hiking with an Ojibway First Nation biologist learning about traditional uses of the land and water.
Although there were so many takeaway moments from the trip, the main message that I want to share is that the more we think of ourselves as part of nature, rather than as co-existing with nature, the better.
Thank you to Amber. Amber’s energy, presence, and perspective on this project has been amazing throughout.
Thank you to everyone who joined us for Yoga By The Water and thank you for reading this!
If you would like to learn more about Ocean Bridge, feel free to have a look on their website: https://bridge.ocean.org/
Best, Ali Paul