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.

Candidness

Mood: happy and content...

I really like to take pictures and I've realized that I like more candid photos like the one below after we retreaters visited a farm in Negril. If I were to give the picture a title, it would be waiting... Plus, I like that everyone is looking in a different direction...

The Yoga Retreat Crew

I'll see a "Kodak" moment then hesitate because I don't have that person's permission. On the other hand, it seems silly to get permission from people because, with social media, all bets are off. Someone emailed me while in Negril to say that they'd seen me on Facebook and they hoped that I was having a good time. I'm not on Facebook and, yet, people have posed photos of me on Facebook -- It's not the first time and it won't be the last...

I've been wanting to snap a photo of Alisha in class. Since she came back from a Zumba convention, her classes have been even more electric. Imagine my surprise when I walked into the gym this morning and Alisha was going over a routine. I didn't know if she'd still be dancing when I emerged from the locker room but she was and I couldn't help but record the moment. I did let her know about the recording and showed her the video. Alisha didn't really comment but I think it's sweet in its candidness.

10 Things That Make Me Happy: Yoga Edition... à la... Just Here Just Now

Read a post over at Just here. Just now. about 10 things that make Lisa Jones happy. Jones was inspired to create the list after hearing rich people (on a Bravo show) talk about material things that made them happy. I was inspired to make my own 10 things yoga edition after reading her yoga list.

10). I love saying Namaste at the end of class. More often than not, saying Namaste makes me smile…

9). When I fall out of a pose at the same time as someone else and we both smile.

8). I love the restful night of sleep that happens after I’ve practiced yoga.

7). Post-Namaste nod or smile to someone that I know visually but don’t really know.

6). When someone makes room for me in class.

5). Hearing Om.

4). Using bolsters, blocks, blanket and eye bag for savasana.

3). The energy cultivated by practicing yoga with others.

2). Finding myself doing tree pose while talking to people or waiting in line.

1). Earth salutations.

What's something that makes you happy -- yoga-related or otherwise?

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.

My Neighbor

I noticed the unusual formation of cars but went about business as usual. When I returned home, I found that my neighbor had put a gun to her head and pulled the trigger.

My neighbor, who is in the ICU, has brain cancer and had recently gotten news that the tumor had returned and was inoperable but I cannot believe that she pulled the trigger and I cannot believe that she pulled the trigger with her kids in the house.

Suddenly, everything that I had been fretting about seemed insignificant.

I envied my neighbors their Jaguar and other expensive cars, their extreme home makeover, maid and yard swat team. Right before I found out what happened, I went to retrieve the trashcan, glanced at their immaculate lawn and looked at the new strain of weeds and was making a game plan to see if I should try to tackle them or if it was time to call for back-up.

I also remembered the time, a couple of months ago, that I was pulling weeds and the neighbor's son came to warn me that he had seen a snake. I asked him where and he kind of shrugged and said it was a small one, a garter snake. He walked away then came back to let me know that, if I saw one, I could come and get him.

Another time, the son came over unexpectedly and asked me to Beta sit. He told me how much to feed the Beta and not to tinker with the water. I was so happy that I was able to keep his Beta alive until he returned...

And I just can't shake it. The incident made me think about the previous neighbor who had lived in that house. It was about five years ago and I had returned from Jamaica and thought that the neighbors were having a party. Only the husband, newly retired, had died of a heart attack while bicycling and there was no history of heart attack in the family. What a bum deal, I thought. I also remember my widow neighbor rolling the trashcan out. It was so weird to see her doing that since her husband was always the one to take out the trash.

Now, I can't get my newest neighbor off my mind. I'm tense. There are tears which I suspect is from my own grief just under the surface but rising like homemade dough plus the knowledge that the neighbor had to be in a tremendous amount of psychic and physical pain to bring her to that point.

I keep thinking about the kids, the husband, the sisters, the mother and the father of my neighbor. I keep thinking about the poet Nikki Giovanni who once said that she does not understand people who commit suicide. She said that you are going to eventually die and your expiration will take care of itself.

But, mostly, I keep thinking about the gentle six footer who offered to be my snake wrangler. He was already being home schooled because teasing at school had gotten out of hand. He will have to live the rest of his life as a young man who was in the house when his mother pulled the trigger.


Here's part of the note he left while I was Beta sitting:

Hey I'm sorry i forgot about my fish at your house i got back yesterday. I had just noticed he wasn't here...when you get home give me a call and i'll run over and pick him up...

Beauty and the Behemoth

Las Vegas is a city where the architecture is one of the main events. It's also an ode to capitalism, consumerism, consumption or any other 'c' you can think of...

Despite the C's, I was fascinated by the architecture:










While in Vegas, I noticed that little things made people happy: kids played in the pool for hours on end. Plastic cups and a hand for splashing were more popular than noodles. The older kids tossed the little ones into the water and they loved it.


Adults were fascinated by music, fire, flowers and water. Water makes a nice segue for a hotel that I loved, The Bellagio. Here are some pictures and video footage from the behemoth and beauty that is the Bellagio Resort and Casino.




(Dale Chihuly)






Bellagio Fountain, Day



Bellagio Fountain, Night

What is one of the most memorable landmarks that you've seen -- in your hometown or while on vacation? Is there something that you like to collect or see in each destination?

For me, Ellis Island left a lasting impression. Also, I used to collect magnets but I've stopped for now...

The Little Bursts

I just finished Elizabeth Strout's Olive Kitteridge, thirteen stories that all involve Kitteridge, the main character. I really enjoyed the book and when I finished the last word, missed it and wanted more even though the ending, which I've read over and over, is just about as perfect as an ending can be.

The quote that follows resonated:

Olive's private view is that life depends on what she thinks of as "big bursts" and "little bursts." Big bursts are things like marriage or children, intimacies that keep you afloat, but these big bursts hold dangerous, unseen currents. Which is why you need the little bursts as well: a friendly clerk at Bradlee's, let's say, or the waitress at Dunkin' Donuts who knows how you like your coffee. Tricky business, really. (68-69)

A few of 'Drea's little bursts:

Having time to read and drink coffee before going to work.

Sitting by (or in) a body of water and reading.

Asking for what I want. (learned)

Being in the water and doing my version of swimming.

Making someone laugh.

What are your little bursts?