Turn On The Flashlight

Red-Winged Black Bird, Addition to Mural

Saturday, how do I love thee?

Stayed in bed until 8:30 then made preparations to depart for the Riverfront Trail. Not too many people on the trail -- probably because it was so dang muggy and cloudy.

Alison and I had a "short" outing of 16 miles, parted then met back up for Yoga Rocks The Park. And the park was rocking with live music and Katie Brauer, director of yoga programming at Yoga Six.

What did Brauer have us do for six minutes? Get to know a stranger. She likes to play games especially on, say, a delayed plane. You tell someone in three minutes what's important to you, how many siblings you have etc.

Um, yeah, I don't play games like that and neither does Rosie. April, who came with Rosie, said that we were cheating but Donna, my Monday night yoga teacher, assured us that it was okay for us to sit together and that's one of the things that I like about Donna; she very reassuring.

Alison, Pre-Practice Knitting (Donna in Corner)

April and Rosie

Next, we jumped as if we were the rap duo Kriss Kross. I got all kinds of tired even though I'm supposed to be in shape. After we jumped, we put our hands over our hearts and stomachs and it was so cool to take the time to stop and feel my heart beating so energetically.

Brauer encouraged us to Turn on the flashlight in our lives to see what isn't glowing. 

Very early in the practice Brauer also told us that she believes in fun and it showed because we had a very fun practice as we put our mats to the side and used the grass. Actually, I was able to get way more traction with the grass than I've been able to do with some yoga mats including my outdoor one.

It was a magical day from the beginning when I spotted the fast yellow birds again on the Riverfront Trail and when I spotted a subtle rainbow in the park at the end of savasana. Seeing the rainbow made me think even more about what Katie said about owning your life and showing up for it and how we have support -- they way we held hands and supported each other while doing balance poses.

Subtle Rainbow

New Wildflowers on Riverfront Trail

He Loves Music. Had Some Kind of Boombox.

On the verge of a collective bow to celebrate showing up on the stage.

Once You Go Yoga...or Stuff Yoga Teachers Say

No yoga class today because of the weather but I definitely plan to do yoga at home. I often have the pleasure of teachers guiding me in person but their words remain with me long after class.

Kind of nice to be on weather lockdown and not running around like the proverbial chicken with its head cut off...

Breathe with your whole body.  

Gloria

It's your hour. 

Donna

It all comes together and begins to make sense in savasana. 

Gloria

Cut your right hip bone in and under...

Gloria

Imagine that you have a jacket that you wear. You're going to take that jacket off... 

Alison at the start of savasana

Let the breath flush out the pose. 

Gloria

No forcing, no straining, no struggling in yoga.

Gloria

The feet and shins provide the thrust for camel. 

Alison

Your eyes complete the twist. 

Rebecca (during seated spinal twist)

Scan your body. See if anything speaks to you; it wants to have a dialogue... 

Rebecca

Feel the vibration of your whole body. 

Alison at the start of practice...

Once you go yoga, you never go back... 

Alison

Once you go yoga, you can also leave your shoes...

Place your thumbs at your sternum. Feel the vibration of your heart with your thumbs. Feel the vibration of what's going on in the air with your fingers...

Alison (at the close of practice)

Due to the inclement weather the @GatewayArchSTL, Old Courthouse, @mobotnews, @STLArtMuseum, and the @stlzoo are closed today
— Explore St. Louis (@explorestlouis) March 2, 2014

Yoga After Thanksgiving

A four day weekend -- that's how it should be all the time. Of course, it's all fun and games until you get back to work and the phone starts ringing from the time you arrive until you leave.

Got home and headed straight for the kitchen. Wish that I had figured out what to cook on Sunday.

Worked out while the quiche was in the oven. Ate. Washed the dishes.  Got science experiments out of the refrigerator. Headed to yoga.

As I pulled up to the fitness club, could see that the cardio class had already let out and many mats were already in place.

I held open the door for another yogini and she said Either they're early or we're late. There were still two prime pieces of real estate but people kept coming through the door. I have never seen Donna's class so full.

I told the woman next to me that maybe people needed yoga after Thanksgiving. I think they're going to need to do more than yoga. I told her that maybe people needed to calm their minds after Thanksgiving.

It was hard not to become a spectator with so many people in class. During savasana, though, I zoned out and was disappointed when Donna rang the harmony bell. Kind of funny, hunh?

Earlier in the day, this Syrian woman told me that her sister had made it to the States. I asked her how she liked St. Louis. Anywhere is better than Syria, she said then told me how happy her sister was on a recent trip to the grocery store.

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.

Take This Time

Take this time to let go -- that's what Donna said at the start of savasana. It was the reason that I went to class tonight. I needed to let go of this day.

I've also wanted to return to Donna's class for a while now. I went a few weeks ago and saw, from the parking lot, a full class and turned around. For some reason, I don't like to insert myself into a packed class.

Went last week and Donna was sick and the sub said I'm doing Pilates not yoga...I got bright lights and Shakira instead of subdued lighting and New Age music.

This wild Monday made me think of a Sonia Sanchez haiku:

if i had known, if
i had known you, i would have
left my love at home.

Had I known how wild it was going to be at work, I might have stayed at home. Don't think my coworker would have appreciated my absence though...

I recently read Maria Rodale's Yoga to Transform a Bad Day. At first, Rodale didn't think that she would have anything to write:

It has been so long since I was unable to be seated in gratitude...

While I don't wear gratitude on my sleeve, I am very grateful for how grounded I feel most days.

Get There or Stuff Yoga Teachers Say; Month-End Review, September

I usually do a month-end review and note the activities that I’ve engaged in but since I’m in throes of a yoga love affair and September is National Yoga Month, I’ll do something different.  I did, for the record, practice yoga for 16.5 hours. So, for National Yoga Month, here are things that came out of my yoga teachers’ mouths and resonated with me for one reason or another.

A Lot of Yoga Teachers


Maybe your neighbor can hear you breathing or even I can hear you breathing up here.


Donna


Imagine that I'm going to put a container on your mat. Put all of your worries, fears and stresses in there. I'm going to come by and put a heavy lid on your container then I'm going to take the container out to the parking lot…


Your breath is your energy and your power.


Gloria


Stretch your arms and legs out. Make an X with your body and lift up. It’s like a magic carpet ride.


Try to get your hips to settle down (in swan pose).


You’re not struggling. It’s like Goldilocks. Not trying to hard or too little but just right…

Notice the texture of your breathing.

And if your head comes down, let it (during resting swan pose).

You should feel all the joints in your hands – especially the pinky and thumb (during downward facing dog).

Hug 'em (knees) in…

Don’t live in the future. Keep your head over your hips…

Use the strength of your arm…

Look through the hands; get there (top of the mat)...

Love your body. Love yourself. You are lovable…

Birthday Gift

Rebecca

This is a group class so let’s create energy…

Check in with your face...

Traditionally, the palms are open during savasana to get flashes of intuition.

We put our two thumbs on the third eye and say Namaste.


Madonna

Balance -- use it or lose it.

The Golden Opportunity or The Gospel According to My Gentle Yoga Teachers

My Expression of Gate Pose, Modified

Jaime

It's very good to do shoulder shrugs and neck rotations. In China, people do this every day. This area (neck) is the connection between the mind and body and has a lot of nerves it. If this area is tight and tense, a lot of problems can occur.

You have a golden opportunity to improve yourself during yoga...

Forehead to the Floor................ During Child's Pose

Be gentle with the neck...


Donna

This hour is about you and only you.

The only person that you should be worried about is you on your mat.

It's your practice. Do whatever you wish or wish not to do...

In any class that you're in, if you're tired or don't feel like doing a pose, you can go into Child's Pose -- no questions asked; it's a restorative pose.

Extend your leg back and curl your toes under for a yummy calf stretch.

I don't know of any exercise where you hold your breath except for a breath-holding contest.

And now we come to the most important part...savasana.

Olympic Size Me

Hit the pool yesterday and the water was divine.

The lanes? Olympic-sized. That's not the actual pool that I went to but I wanted to give you an idea of how dang long the lanes are.

If you haven't heard, I've struggled mightily with front crawl breathing but I finally got the hang of it,  for the most part, and, as a result, the black line in the middle of the pool has lost its sway over me and I swim back and forth at will for 25 yards anyway.

I was interested to see how I would fare for 50 yards. My first time down the lane, I sputtered before I reached the end but on my second attempt, I settled down, relaxed and breathed calmly. It was a nice hurdle to get over... As I rested at the end of the lane, this man said that he was practicing for a sprint triathlon. I usually finish last but I don't know too many 70-year-olds doing triathlons. I congratulated him in advance.

After swimming I went to practice yoga and, because I putzed around, I got to class a minute before start time. Hello front of the classroom. The class hadn't been packed since January...Donna usually tells us to take out our eraser and get rid of the day's worries but she was on a mission last night and had a laundry list of things for us to get rid of.

Another classmate arrived about seven minutes into class. Before, I would have been annoyed but last night I actually thought there's room up here by me. I felt good after swimming but I felt entirely centered after practicing yoga. As I tweeted, yoga class was on point...

Gotten over any hurdles lately? Gone to any amazing yoga classes?

Plan B

Even though I signed up for boxing class online, got there and was told that the class schedule had been changed. Getting to class and not being able to exercise is like dropping the last piece of a Clif bar or going to Local Harvest for a veggie burger and discovering that they are closed because of a special meeting. Notice the food references?

I had been at home for 90 minutes waiting for boxing class to start. What to do before my momentum took a complete nosedive? It was too muggy for a walk but not quite warm enough for a swim. I finally decided on 30 minutes of cardio then left to catch my p.m. yoga class.

Donna: Let it all go -- at least for an hour...The only one that you should be concerned with is you on your mat...Every body is different. Some people are tall. Some people are short...Some people have been practicing for 15 minutes and some people have been practicing for years...My mother was one of the first yoga teachers in St. Louis so I've been practicing for a long time...Yoga also made my mother a very mellow mom...

That must have been cool -- having a mellow mom...Donna always tells us not to do anything that hurts and that she can modify any pose. As we started to do tree pose, Donna said that we could hold on to the wall or something if we needed to and I saw the sole man in class jokingly hold on to his wife then they both smiled at each other.

Back to Boxing

I’m still thinking about the Hot Yoga beat down that Bridget administered on Saturday mainly because my hamstrings and triceps are speaking to me but also because it was such a consummate thrashing...

I was excited to get back to boxing after a two week hiatus. We were odd-numbered so I was in a group of three. Lee told us to take turns but a few seconds later, I saw him heading in my direction with training mitts and it was the first genuine moment of lightheartedness happiness that I experienced all day. I could feel my face turn upward and my eyes light up.

Jab. Jab. Cross. Left Hook. Slip to the right. Cross. Left Hook. I made the mitts pop….

I’ve also made peace with shadowboxing. You know, whatever it takes to warm up and get the boxing gloves on.

After boxing, I headed to yoga where I experienced my second moment of happiness. Donna had us lift our arms and do surrender breaths and whenever we do surrender breaths, we usually say “ha” at the end. Makes me smile every time.

We also did wide-angle downward facing dog. Donna said, The energy is in the back of the legs. Sure was. Prompted by Donna, I moved my hips to the right then to the left. How did Donna know that I needed wide-angle downward facing dog? Of course, we walked the dog and that felt good too.

A line of yogis left and, somehow, this guy got to the door right before the second wave. He patiently held the door open for what looked like an endless parade of yogis with varied colored mats. That gesture was such a nice end to the night.

The Wide-Angle or Month-End Review, April

I have been in a foul mood today and it’s been brewing for a while – a curious state for someone who spent a considerable amount of time chillaxing in San Diego.

I wanted to go to boxing class but it was full and I had my eye on a substitute boxing class but that didn’t pan out but not boxing was probably a good thing because I’m quite sore from yesterday’s kettlebell beat down.

I went swimming and felt all of the tightness in my hamstrings. Afterwards, I really didn’t feel like moving from my computer chair but I decided to go to yoga which turned out to be such a good decision. Donna likes to tell us to imagine that we have an eraser and to just erase away everything that happened earlier in the day.

At one point, we did a wide-angle downward facing dog and I don’t think that we’ve ever done that before. While in DFD, we shifted our hips to the right then to the left. It was an amazing stretch for the back of the legs and my hamstrings are no longer tight. In fact, my brain is no longer tight. So glad that I went…


Backs and Biceps Class, 1 x
Bicycling, 1 x
Boxing, 3 x's
Kettlebell Class, 2 x's
Lawn Mowing, 2 x's
Pure Barre Class, 1 x
Rock Climbing, 2 x's
Swimming, 5 x's
Walking, 10 x's
Yoga, 8 x's

How was your April?

Where The Cinnamon and Cobblestone Rolls Are

Got home from the gym last night all om-ed out from yoga class where Donna kept mentioning the drishti which she had, previously, never mentioned. Don't know why I was surprised but the population of class doubled -- almost overnight.

Had I known that the electricity had gone out, I would have stayed at the gym. The power company's automated service said that they were aware of the outage and estimated that service would return around 10 p.m. I kept hoping that I would hear devices click on sometime during the night but it never happened...

I was happy to see Donna. Last week my mat-neighbor, who had on a knit ear flap hat, told me that the sub was in the house again.

Me: I think I'm gonna leave.

Ear Flap Hat Wearer: I'm sorry.

Me: It's okay...

Months ago, I decided to get an ipod Touch. So glad. I watched the pilot episode of Pan Am and read Original Sin, a sampler that I had downloaded. Went to bed earlier than I normally do because things are far less interesting when there's no electricity. Woke up around 3:45 a.m. and wondered what I would do for breakfast.

Hours later, had a banana then a piece of wheat bread with almond butter then went by the St. Louis Bread Co. for coffee where the evil, mile-high cinnamon and cobblestone rolls stared at me.

Nothing to make me take a trip down memory lane like staring at rolls and danishes and paying $2 dollars plus for regular coffee. I used to be such a cafe mocha girl and, as Dr. Phil said, I don't care what you call them cappuccino, frappuccino, caramel latte -- they're all just hot milkshakes.

P.S. Thanks to my brother, who got me a well-made blanket in Korea years ago, I stayed pretty warm last night.

On The Fourth Day of Yoga

My Monday night yoga teacher said that she would be subbing at another branch of my gym. I thought it would be nice to get all centered for, not only Christmas Eve, but for transitioning to 2012.

As I got out of my car, I saw other people emerge out of their cars with telltale mats in a variety of colors.

The instructor for Drills to Make You Sweat took her class up until the absolute last second. A little rude if you ask me.

Our yoga class was full but not uncomfortably so. There was a wife and husband with their son attending and I thought that was pretty cool...

So, I started yoga with Donna on Monday. Did Candlelight Restorative Yoga on Wednesday, Hot Yoga on Thursday and, as I ended my week with yoga, Donna was her usual supportive self telling us to honor our bodies and reminding us that:

Your breath is your power.

During my first class with the Yoga Nazi Jeremy, he told us that yogis have lived without food and without water but not without prana.

Okay, living without prana is not a groundbreaking revelation but what Jeremy did do for me was to help me with breathing. As he reminded us to breathe, he did a five count for the inhalation and a five count for the exhalation. I've been practicing a five count and it's been, surprisingly, helpful as far as me being a better breather.