Deep Breaths

There was a trauma-informed workshop at my job last week and I'm still thinking about several things, including the exercise that highlighted possible elements that might affect people who are living in poverty.

One of the presenters asked for two volunteers then she asked the audience about things that might affect someone living in poverty. As we gave answers she threw soft, stress balls at the volunteers that they were supposed to catch and hold; if they dropped a ball, they were supposed to pick it up. It was a very effective exercise -- especially since one of the volunteers was very good at catching and holding and the other volunteer's balls kept getting away from her and even rolling in wild directions.

I'm also thinking about several of the handouts. My favorite was the 99 Coping Skills. I also like the Ways of Grounding handout...and how one of the presenters said that if you're in a challenging situation, take three deep breaths...

On the way to Zumba last week, I saw that the water tower was going to be open for the full moon and I decided to go because I've lived in St. Louis for a long time and I've never gone to check out the water tower.

One of the views from the tower.

Asked my cousin if she wanted to go and tour the Magic Chef Mansion (MCM) -- also another landmark that I'd never been to. As I waited for my cousin, I saw these two women looking at woodpeckers and they stayed long enough for me to get a picture.

It's amazing to me that several families had so much money that they could build houses and go to Europe for, say, a year while the houses were being built. The woman who bought MCM stumbled upon a great venture. She bought the house, renovated it and now it's open for tours and rentals. She also has merchandise for sell and you are able to buy wine or beer while touring the house. It's cool that her home is her business.

Your Lucky Day

News:

I made it back to my yoga mat after a 15-day hiatus and it felt really good. I had read an article in Prevention magazine that was a reminder of why practicing yoga is so good for your mind and spirit.

In Other News:

Chiquita texted me sometime last week to say that one of our cousin's had died. No one, except for his mom, was surprised. Our cousin lived a hard life and alcohol got the best of him. I feel really bad for his mom who is not doing well herself. 

People have a lot to say about the town that I was born in. It got the first chapter in Jonathan Kozol's Savage Inequalities. A lot of us did well but a lot of the black men did not...

Today was my cousin's funeral. 

I met up with my mother over at my aunt Girt's house and I wanted to drive because my mother often chauffeurs people around but I think that my mother is leery of my driving skills or, rather, she thinks that I drive too fast. At any rate...

Got to the funeral home and saw my aunt Debbie coming out. She had some gently used workout clothes that one of her friends no longer wanted...

One my of high school classmates officiated the service and one of the first things that he asked us to do was put up two fingers then feel our pulse. He went on to talk about the importance of breath, living etc.

When it was time to go to the graveyard, I rode with Chiquita. The service was a short one so when we arrived at the gravesite, there was still some final issues that needed to be addressed. I couldn't remember where my father's grave was at and, of course, Chiquita remembered the general vicinity and I was able to find it. Blew my mind that it's been almost 12 years since my father died. Really, where does the time go?

Chiquita In The Driver's Seat

I went to school with my deceased cousin's sister and it was not lost on me that she can hardly stand on her own since she has a bad case of arthritis...

Next, Chiquita and I went to pick up my aunt Alice and when she saw me, she said When did you two crooks meet up? I started cracking up.

We went over to another cousin's for the repast and I had fun watching Chiquita have fun while listening to my aunt Girt who said many funny things. It is also interesting to watch what happens between my mother and my aunt Girt. You would think that my aunt Girt is the oldest the way she likes to ask my mother to bring her things etc...

After the repast, I headed to get my glasses. I usually get them in Illinois at an "outlet" for $40 dollars. As I walked in, a pair of glasses called my name. Why didn't they call out to me two weeks ago? I wasn't crazy about the glasses that I picked out but I was overwhelmed by the choices and just went with something so that I could get out of the store. At any rate, the glasses are growing on me but I still might order a second pair.

After picking up my glasses, I treated myself to some scented, whipped shea butter lotion plus a few bath bombs. I also got Chiquita one because she needs to unwind...

Left home at 11:30 and returned at 5:30. Ate then I headed back out as I wanted to get this Trader Joe's popcorn that my mother likes but when I got to the shelf that holds the popcorn, it wasn't there. I went up to customer service and a young lady told me that the truck should have just made a delivery. 

It's your lucky day she tells me as she cuts open the box and I relieve it of four bags.

Flower Cupboard Almost Bare

You Tell The Body

From the pages of Yoga Journal

My morning reading included Yoga and Spa Magazine plus the March Yoga Journal. Wanted to make sure that I'd read all of the latter before I passed it on to someone else.  It was totally worth the re-read just for this line:

"When you take a deep breath, you tell the body to relax," explains Erin Byron, co-author of Yoga Therapy for Stress & Anxiety...

I was in a superb mood this morning, had Adele's Hello in my head. In fact, I had a soundtrack in my head for a half the day -- Diana Ross, Little Richard, Prince etc.

After six months of not doing so, thought it was time to step on the scale. It makes sense that I've been having a hard time hauling myself up while climbing. The number on the scale wasn't as bad as I thought it would be but it's definitely not good either. If I can knock off 10 to 15 pounds, that would be great.

Went to yoga tonight -- my third day in a row of practicing. Got home and had a message that my aunt Girt was on her way. She was trying to help someone else and couldn't figure out how to access then print documents. I was expecting to chill out after yoga but...

Another page...

Yesterday my aunt G had me chuckling because she wanted to know why I hadn't come up with an Airbnb-like idea so that she can live out her old age in comfort. I think about that all the time -- that I haven't found a true niche.

X Amount

Joy repeated again how in ancient yoga there is a believe that you're born with "x" amount of breaths and that the slower you breathe, the longer your life will be. I like this concept and it encourages me to take deep breaths.

Walked to work this morning and I'm grateful that I can do such a thing again. Spotted a couch outside and not sure why I'm fascinated by couches on the street.

Riveted by Listening to the World, an On Being segment with Mary Oliver who talked about her insufficient childhood and how walking saved her life. Enjoyed Krista Tippett's daughter, 12 at the time, reading Oliver's The Summer Day.

Tell me, what is it you plan to do
with your one wild and precious life?

On another note, I've been watching Little Bit Shots with my aunt Girt on Sunday. Got such a kick out of them playing Run The World why this eight-year-old punched as many times as possible in 30 seconds.

A Little Yellow Tag

As I got dressed for work on Friday, my shoulder blade had a different idea. Didn't think that I would be able to get my shirt over my head but I sat there and tried to take deep breaths. Only, I couldn't take a deep breath and when I attempted to, it made me feel the discomfort in the shoulder blade. Eventually, the sensation lessened enough for me to get out the door. Who's stressed out?

Last night the 'Fugee went to a concert so I went to Macy's looking for cross trainers because I have a Macy's gift certificate but I haven't been able to find any clothes or shoes there that I like. Headed to Marshalls and was shocked to see Asmira because I thought she had gone to the same concert that the 'Fugee went to.

Asmira was doing what a lot of the diaspora does -- buy clothes for folks in Bosnia. After I said goodbye to Asmira, ran into another Bosnian who happens to be a fitness machine and talking to her got me motivated to up my bicycling game.

Went to Zumba this morning and it was a big and super fun class. Alisha's energy is off the chart. This woman from Nepal is a gym newbie who hadn't been in three weeks but her husband noticed and said something about paying without attendance so she is recommitting herself but it's not her recommitting that I found touching; it was the story that she told me about changing jobs. She took a lower paying job to work with her sister who is a new arrival and who had to spend long hours away from home because she had to rely on public transportation...

At Marshall's yesterday, I had to resist the urge to buy a reusable bag that I didn't need and, today, I bought Capri that Asmira would not have approved of because they didn't have a yellow tag.

Also, not sure why Marshalls has such bright lights in their dressing rooms. Seriously? I don't need everything illuminated.

Reusable Bag

Under Armour Capri

Hodgepodge

Rough start to an at home* workout on Monday but I eventually found my groove then went to yoga afterward where I heard someone call my name. As I turned around, I was pleasantly surprised to see Alison's familiar face in the crowded class. As I thought about how I could position my mat near Ali's, this yoga dude made room for me. His gesture is high up on the cool chart.

Donna, the teach, stopped in mid-stride when she noticed that I was on the opposite side of the room. Not that you're territorial or anything, Alison quipped.

Yoga dude turned out to be a beautiful breather -- so much so that his breaths relaxed me and made me strive to be a better breather.

The pool called my name last night. I was bummed out thinking that a dip in the pool might aggravate my allergy to the point of who knows what...

I've been reading up on pool-related congestion and I'm thinking about buying a humidifier but since I haven't had time to get one, I took someone's suggestion and bought Benadryl but didn't take it last night because I wanted to see if something else would work.

I bundled up and rode home with most of the windows down and kept Benadryl and essential oil beside me just in case but "being outside" after swimming helped a lot. I still experienced congestion but it was very mild.

Tonight's kettlebell practice was a serious hodgepodge:

Two-hand Swings
"Around the World" Prisoner Squats
Push-ups
Around The Body with a Catch and Lunge
Russian Twist
Skater Hops

We all got to pick a station. I went with a slam ball. Paige chose the ab wheel. Julia chose the snatch and Princess Tiffany went with a modified pistol squat. I don't remember what else that we did but it's been that kind of day. I barely got out of the house this morning and was late for kettlebell practice. When the Princess commented on my glasses, I wondered why then realized that I normally have on contacts while working out.

The Princess is taking prenatal yoga. She said it's one of the proven activities that shortens labor. About kettlebell, I joked with The Princess that her baby is probably like What in the world is going on out there?

*Mad props to people who exercise at home most of the time.

Notify Your Face

Try not to show discomfort on your face. That's totally something that yoga teachers say and something that Jen said yesterday during I'm not sure which pose.

Bridget from my hot yoga days loved to say that the face is soft.

If your face is not soft, you're holding your breath and, if you're holding your breath, you're not doing yoga. Got it...

I've been uncluttering which shares a weight loss core value: it didn't happen overnight.

I've been letting go of books that I thought I would never get rid of and, as I've been deciding what to donate, I've been skimming books including books of quotes that were given to me as gifts.

After yoga, I felt particularly drawn to this quote:

When you feel terrific, notify your face. *

Yoga, in general, and Jen, specifically, made me think of this next quote since she put an eye pillow in place for me after I ended up at the opposite end of the pillow and didn't realize that it was time for savasana since time had gotten away from me...

Take the gentle path. -George Herbert **

For now, I am not putting Life's Little Instruction Book or Simple Wisdom in the donation pile. Uncluttering, after all, doesn't happen overnight.


*Life's Little Instruction Book
**Simple Wisdom

Gazing at the Third Eye or The Gospel According to Donna, My Other Yoga Teacher

Savasana is a gift that you should give yourself every day.

If you're not breathing, you're not doing the practice.

Wherever you go, you must breathe.

(While we tried to get our fingers to our toes)

Heart center open...

Let your head hang low -- like a piece of ripe fruit.

I don't like to hear the word "ouch."

While we were doing pigeon and curious pigeon.

Strong and majestic -- like a mountain...

Even though your eyes are closed, you're gazing at your third eye which is right above the bridge of your nose.

Your tush should not torque.

During chair pose

Wherever you go, it should feel good. This pose is a restorative position.

Donna on child's pose. She told us that we could put our big toes together or whatever felt good to us...

Yoga Girl didn't amuse me as much as Whole Foods Parking Lot but it did amuse...

The Yoga Bug

Hasn't happened in a while but I experienced distorted vision earlier in the day. I temporarily viewed the world through a honeycomb-like bubble. I immediately went for the acupressure point between my thumb and index finger. I also held the third eye, rubbed my temples and took deep breaths and experienced a first, the sound of my chest popping. Okay, now that I think about it, there's been popping during a chest fly.

As I cleaned out my inbox, I came across an old Dr. Oz article on Oprah.com and I never tire of reminders to breathe:

Most of us never take a deep breath all day long. The most fundamental practice in yoga is the deep, belly breath through the nose. The diaphragm is a large muscle located just below the lungs that ideally should pull down the lungs during inspiration.

I was glad that yoga was on today's agenda. Didn't feel particularly stressed but there was the whole distorted vision thing...

There were only six of us so the instructor had us pull out chairs which we started off sitting in. For the first time since I've known him, he went into full teacher mode -- reminding us of the three bodies and how if the body is strong and the mind is weak, something needs to be worked on. He talked about the solar plexus, the third chakra and not letting mental turmoil in...

After doing all kinds of twists and after I had wobbled considerably, we were told to cross our arms and to hang loose which felt good but it was even better to have a clear view.

Saw this comic as I went through old papers and I think it's official: I've been bitten by the yoga bug.

Refreshers

I went to my first official yoga class, Gentle Yoga. I got there late because I had to go through a maze to find the room. I hate arriving late. The teacher asked me, of course, if it was my first time there then went on with his lecture about how yoga is not a competition as I took my place near the back.

Deeper into the class, I'm in a pretty impressive split, trying to keep my arms straight and thinking about the misleading title of the class as I'm feeling that some of the poses are not too gentle at all.

I did love arching my back, lifting my arms and taking a big ol' deep breath. So refreshing.

About thirty minutes into the class, my friend Lori asked if the class ended at 6 or 6:30. I mouthed 6:30 and wanted to add welcome to my world -- the one where you start clock-watching about 15 minutes into an hour long class.

After yoga, Lori, Opal and I went to grab coffee at the St. Louis Bread Company. I was tempted to get a salad but was glad that I had left my money elsewhere. By the way, thanks Opal for treating us to coffee.

As we were sitting down, Lori told me that I looked good, my skin was clear etc. I was going to say something about how my stomach is huge and how I've chunked up of late but I closed my mouth before I opened it because some things are more important than a number on a scale.

I drove home, changed clothes, made a sandwich then headed out to swim. I've been looking forward to swimming since going to the pool on Sunday only to find it closed for Mother's Day.

I got in 13 laps, floated, hit the shower and headed home. I popped in my D'Angelo CD and pressed the moonroof's retract button. As I listened to Dreaming Eyes, it made me think about Aretha Franklin's Day Dreaming. There was a segment on Franklin on CBS Sunday Morning. I didn't realize that Franklin wrote that song about a member of the Temptations. She was really in love with him, as you can tell by the lyrics, but he was intimidated by her. Too bad.

I drove home tonight but I was really leaping in my mind.

Nightnight y'all...

Keep Breathing

I have a barely there cold: sniffles, clear mucous, a non-sore but irritated throat that makes my voice deeper. After two days, the cold is already fading which I chalk up to my otherwise good immune system. There were just too many sick people within spraying distance.

There are days when I wonder if I have the stamina to do anything and today was one of those days. It's not just a question of stamina. It's more like -- do I have it in me and how long will I have it in me?

I had been looking forward (can't believe I just wrote that) to my regular Tuesday class, Cardio and Muscle, with Ms. Kate especially since I didn't go last week because of my work schedule.

After feeling like taking a nap around lunch time, I got a second burst of energy.

During Kate's class, I tried to keep my moaning to myself. Oh my God just came out automatically at times. Kate's arsenal of fast feet, jumping jacks, squats et al. will elicit such a response.

I kept thinking to myself this is going to hurt in the morning but I also tried to listen to Kate who continuously said keep breathing along with her other command of suck in those abs.

Breathing

Not since I was in boot camp i.e. swimming class with my most excellent teacher, Jim, have I been able to swim the front crawl for 25 meters without stopping; It took me about seven months but I was finally able to do it again.

I consciously relaxed, slowed down and concentrated on rotating cleanly.



I struggled as I got near the shallow end and I was practically gurgling but I did not stop. I made it. Twice.

On another note, my g'ma is breathing better. Not as rapidly. Oxygen saturation is good.

It's amazing the things that you take for granted.

There used to be an art therapist at my job and she had a Breathe sign in her office and I was drawn to its uncomplicated directive.

Lately, all I do is think about breathing for one reason or another.

Chatty Kathleen

Rock climbing worked me over on Thursday. I still feel its presence in the vicinity of my armpits, sides, forearms and in my ability to grasp objects. Soreness made for an interesting swim today especially when I did the back crawl.

I did 21 laps and spent almost two hours in the pool. Now, it didn't take me two hours to complete those laps. I paused in between while my lane neighbor, Chatty Kathleen, talked to me. Kathleen is recovering from a stroke. In between swimming, she said soothing things to me like you're in a safe place, we start out in water, become one with the water etc. etc.

Kathleen even took the time to show and tell me, as if it were as easy as spreading room temperature butter on bread, how to breathe during the front crawl. Now, that's when I felt really sorry for Kathleen. Her recovery is going well and she definitely out-swam me but the woman just doesn't know about my struggle with the front crawl. She doesn't know how I walk around taking deep breaths or looking at this video



or looking at this one again



or how I try to glean info from blogs.

Breathing While Swimming By Coach Dee

She didn't know about today's pre-swimming meditation.