Straightening Up

Walked out the house about 8:15-ish with plans to go to yoga but when I felt the humidity, I changed my plans because my Sunday agenda included cutting the grass and I knew that I had to seize the moment before it got hotter...

Also did yard work a.k.a. pull weeds and had to make myself go in the house before I passed out. You know how it is, though, when you just want to finish that task at hand...

I did get a chance to practice yoga at Ballpark Village on Wednesday and it was amazing. I've been struggling to find a class, pace and asana-wise but there was no struggle on Wednesday so I was surprised when Patti said that the pace seemed fast to her -- proof that people like different things.

I liked Wednesday's instrumental soundtrack even though the Chariots of Fire theme made me want to mock run. Wasn't sure what to do with the Amazing Race theme song.

Reclining Pigeon Cam

I've been uncluttering -- again. My aunt Girt also mentioned that she was trying to straighten up too. I told her about Marie's Kondo's Does it bring you joy? question and she said That's not going to work for me.

The Dream About Roses

On Thursday night, I dreamt about roses -- red roses. Even though it's almost winter, the backyard was full of opened up ones...

Was talking to Joy about Jamaica and she's trying to get back before the end of the year which, of course, made me start dreaming and looking at flights. I could leave tomorrow for approximately $242 (one way) but the return trip is the problem. I haven't gone through the proper channels to get time off and I wouldn't want to burn all of my vacation time in two months...

Went swimming last night and the house was packed. I ended up sharing a lane with David -- David of the mile goal every time he hits the pool. I had a swimmer to the left and right so that made me hunker down.

Patti, my rock climbing buddy, doesn't really like to swim and hasn't been in the pool in over a decade but decided that she would join the Y because she says that she needs to do some other activity. At first she told me that she was going for a lunchtime swim but that didn't happen so she was hoping to go later on in afternoon so I posted a 'gram with the picture below asking her if she'd gone swimming too. There has been no response yet.

The Inquiring 'Gram 

And since I still have a Jamaica hangover, here are more pictures from my trip. We spotted the first guy carrying a bazillion eggs and bicycling. Needless to say, there would have been egg all over the road had I attempted to transport in this manner. The second picture is of one of the boat crew members who kicked up into a headstand "just like that."

Green Fence and Eggs

Somber Morning

The sound you heard in your neighborhood this morning was the sound of me sobbing in Negril.

Headed to get water from a cooler and didn't want to make eye contact with a Jamaican worker who was watching election results but when he managed to catch my eyes, he hissed Motherfuckers. I was embarrassed to be American at that moment.

Pulled myself together and headed to the lobby where Crissy handed me a note. She had given me a sweet note yesterday and explained that she was a second grade teacher and one of her parents was in the habit of sending her notes.

My Note

Joy hadn't watched the news and someone told her the results and I started sobbing again. Karen rubbed my back and told me to come and talk to her when I was ready. Debbie held my hand and Courtney, the other Black woman on the trip, gave me. a loving but firm pep talk.

Joy said something, including life goes on and we headed down the street to do yoga.

Joy immediately addressed the election and acknowledged that many of us were sad but also acknowledged that someone might also be happy with the results. She also talked about compassion for all including DT and how something good might come out of this situation in the end.

I cried in class as did Debbie who later told me that she thought about all the women in her family from her grandmother to her granddaughter but she also acknowledged that many in her family,  because of Catholicism, had voted for DT.

The class was exactly what many of us needed -- the right music, essentially oil, tone etc. Joy ended class by saying Don't fall for the habitual sidestep of your feelings. Feel. Absorb. Heal. Move on. Hold space for yourself...

Got an email from Alison telling me to enjoy the rest of my vacation and got another email saying "we're doomed" and yet another saying that it was really scary that DT had gotten elected. I also had someone ask me about the Negril situation and maybe we could do an EatPrayLove thing for a couple of years on a limited budget.

Later on, another yogi told me "All good things come to an end and all bad things come to and end." We also talked about how HC possibly could have done more by, say, going to Wisconsin or how we could have done more by campaigning or donating more money.

Someone also said that maybe DT's presidency might be like a Ferguson, MO moment. We also talked about how many pro-life people voted for DT but we also talked about how being pro-life covers a wide swath of lives.

I keep thinking about June Jordan and Sonia  Sanchez's poems about sadness. To quote Jordan, My sadness sits around me.

Stone I picked this a.m. -- supposed to help with bouncing back from sorrow etc...

Stunner

Went to Trader Joe's last night so I wouldn't have to go today. As I checked out, looked out the window and saw a stunner of a sunset.

Went to Zumba this morning and tried to decide what could get done before 5:00 p.m. yoga and decided to do yard work. My neighbor is very nice. He's a self-described farm boy -- showed me what poison ivy looks like and also offered to help me get weeds off the fence. I told him thanks but I was okay since it was like working in a big old Zen Garden.

Cleaned up and headed to New Moon Flow in Gemini, a special yoga class. Felt like I was going to be in trouble during just the first few minutes in class because I was finding everything hard.

As we arrived for class, Joy gave out bandanas. Alison left her bandana by the door and she joked that she thought it was a party favor but at some point in class, we put the bandanas on and did yoga. Interesting experience. It reminded me of when I stopped wearing contacts while swimming and it made me focus more on what I was doing. Wearing the bandana also made me feel a little isolated because, obviously, I couldn't see anyone else but I definitely was more focused.

While blindfolded I was able to do half moon pose on my right leg but couldn't even get myself to attempt it on the left side -- same for Alison. We also did a meditation before the bandanas came off. Joy said that she couldn't remember the Thich Nhat Hanh meditation completely but I thought her rendition of it was great.

I am a flower; I feel fresh
I am a mountain; I feel solid...

I tried to find the meditation and came upon this exercise. Oh my God, I love singing bowls.

View from Inside of Trader Joe's

Off The Mat

Had a dream on Sunday night that I was talking with a professional organizer about, well, organizing. There's no need to look on Dream Moods for that one...

As I reviewed my weekend, thought about how amazing it was.

Yoga... Friday

Lunch with Rosie... Saturday

Voices of Congo Square ...Saturday

Yoga... Sunday

Yoga and Yoga... Monday

Another weekend fantasy camp.

I did almost kill the lawnmower on Monday. Forgot that the oil was low until I heard this tictictic noise then silence. Added more oil and let it set for 15 minutes and it turned over.

After the two yoga classes yesterday, made my way to the gym so that I could watch part of Game 7 of the Warriors/Thunder game. Since I got in my 10,000 steps early in the day, I set the treadmill at a very low speed while I watched.

The gym officially closed at 4:00 p.m. but since it's a 24 hour club, it's accessible with a key card. It was kind of creepy. The windows have tinting on them so you can't really see out unless someone comes very close to the glass.

Two guys tried to get in but couldn't and one eventually approached the glass by my treadmill asking to be let in. One waved a gym card but I lifted my hands and said sorry. I would like to believe that they were upstanding citizens but it's not hard for the magnetic card to register; you swipe it and you're in. I did not want to end up on a page in the STL Post- Dispatch so I did not get off the treadmill...

Went swimming tonight and talked with the female youth coach. She said that she's been coaching for 20 years and the drowning rate hasn't changed since then.

There was a young girl, about seven or eight, in the lane next to me taking a lesson. She as not seeing eye-to-eye with her instructor. I kept thinking that the instructor needed to change her approach instead of telling her not to pout and commanding her to execute moves...

During yoga classes, Joy likes to say Take the time that it takes and I'm trying to take that approach off the mat. I cleaned out the fish tank after work and also managed to wash one load of clothes. I also got some expired stuff out of the refrigerator after coming home from the swimming pool.  Malo po malo which is Bosnian for little by little...

The Gentle Dance

I immediately said No thank you to the all staff email that went out about an event. My plan was already in place: get stuff done and relax -- so it was amusing when one of the coworkers who won tickets asked me if I wanted to go.

I am not trying to mimic Shonda Rhimes' Year of Yes but I am looking to shake things up (gently) and I like dance productions so I said Yes. Not going to lie. I really wanted to watch game six of the Oklahoma vs. Golden State NBA game.

Rolled out of bed on Saturday and met Alison for Zumba then met Rosie at Frida's Deli where I had the avocado toast. If social media is to be trusted, avocado toast is all the rage. I know, you can make avocado toast at home but this toast had grilled tomato, an Illinois farm egg and tarragon-orange avocado. I took a sip of Rosie's ginger drink and immediately ordered one. That ginger drink was intense but good.

Had a little downtime then headed out with my coworker to Voices of the Congo Square. The show clocked in at over three hours. The narration between the dance numbers was too long but, overall, I enjoyed the show and I'm interested in learning more about the Mardi Gras Indians and Jazz Funerals which I like the idea of since it sounds like a good ritual for mourning and celebrating...

Met Alison and Rosie for yoga this morning. After class Jennifer (new yoga buddy) and I started spontaneously and gently dancing. We'll chalk that up to the yoga high although, during class, I thought the slow in Slow Flow was equivalent to being killed softly. Joy was in a bit of a somber mood and I've heard that people teach what they need to learn sooooooooo.

On a completely different note, Alison emailed me on Saturday night to tell me that this woman who we've talked to in Zumba class posted on Facebook that she'd lost her five-month-old son. He died in his sleep. Alison also told me that her sister had set up a Go Fund Me account for funeral expenses.

Since it was late in the night, I decided to try to find the GFM page using keywords and was surprised by how many St. Louis Go Fund Me pages there are -- some frivolous but there was a lot of crowd funding pages for people who've fallen on hard times.

I told Alison how it still baffles me that some people get five months and others get 100 years.

*Mardi Gras Indians from "Voices of the Congo Square"

One Day

Went to visit my aunt Girt on Sunday and she asked me what I had been doing so I gave her the laundry list: yoga, grocery store, cooking, walking, mopping, laundering and I could feel her body language shift then she said You can't do everything in one day...

I was also in a bit of a blue funk on Sunday which Alison noticed after yoga. My funks tend to make Alison nervous but I usually tell her that there's a season for everything.

Went to yoga last night and it was a sweet class even though I felt banged up physically. It was also a good class because I was surrounded by familiars -- two to the right and two to the left. I like what Joy said about going to your edge and being with the pose...

Earlier in the day, Alison sent me a link to a blog post, The Yoga of Being Sad, that Elle of Yoga Buzz wrote. I swear, there's lots of synchronicity in the air...

Went swimming tonight and I usually greet the coaches of the youth swim team and, this time, the husband said that it had been two years since they'd met me and he asked me again about being a coach which just blows me away. Haven't they seen me swim?

I totally feel water competent but I don't feel like I'm a skilled enough swimmer to coach children. I also don't feel like I have the time. He was cracking me up, though, saying that he wanted someone mature because the young adults that he works with won't show up if, say, they've had an argument with their significant other.

The Sensible Route

New Wheels

Watched Family Feud after dinner yesterday and one of the questions in the final round was -- What's more broken down than your body? Car was the number one answer.

Speaking of broken down. Joy broke us down last night in a basics yoga class where the only thing that's supposed to be broken down is the first element or two of a posture but, in hindsight, that beat down was foreshadowed. I complimented Joy on some heart-shaped earrings that she was wearing and she said something about channeling compassion because sometimes you need to. Well, I think Joy was working something out and took us along for the ride but I digressed...

Bought a Consumer Reports Cars back in 2012 -- that's how long replacing my 2001 car has been on my mind. Well, I finally made a move which required a lot of trust on my part. First and foremost, I had to trust that my financial universe would not collapse upon getting a new car.

Still, I had to make a list of the reasons that it was time to let the car go. A Subaru was not even on my list when I started the car search but that's the direction that I ended up going in and, up until the day that I bought the car last week, I wasn't sure if I was going to get a four or five-door but I went with the five-door hatchback because I know that I plan to have this car for at least a decade and, in the end, I liked the color and spaciousness of the five-door better. For me, this was also a lesson in not settling. I often choose the sensible route or color or whatever and when I thought about how  much I enjoy driving and how many more cars I'll possibly have in the future, the decision was an easy one.

Here are things that I've learned:

1). Take someone with you when test-driving a car -- the more the merrier -- because all of those shiny cars are distracting and you'll forget to ask questions or to even take the dang car on the highway.

2). Pay Attention. Two salesman told me that they only had 0% percent financing for one car model although it was listed under every single car on the website.

3). Test-driving, although annoying, is a must. Also become familiar with the various editions. The Impreza comes in five models: 2.0i, 2.0i Premium, 2.0i Limited and 2.0i Sport Premium and the 2.0i Sport Limited. For real? I went with the second in line -- the 2.0i Premium.

4). Even clouds look better in a Subaru's side view mirrors.

5). I was made to drive an Impreza wagon, yup.

I was going to take my car to the junkyard until my aunt Al spoke up and said that my cousin might want it so I sold it to him for $1 dollar. It was perfect time because my cousin has some important appointments that he needs to keep.

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.

What I Do Not Want

As I listened to one of my colleagues complain, thought about bath bombs and how they fizz and dissolve and spread their essential and other oils and color all over the place and I realized that my colleague is a stress bomb and I know that everyone vents but I'm talking about the ultramarathon of complaining.

Supposedly, you learn the most from people who frequently get under your skin and I kept wondering if I was so unaware that I needed to learn the same thing repeatedly.

I did have an epiphany as I thought about the bath bomb. I do not want to devote much energy to wailing and I do not want to be the kind of person who dispenses stress, dissatisfaction and unhappiness to other people on a regular basis.

So two lessons seem to be:

1). Fill the well a.k.a work on happiness.

2). Often dedicate time to self-care.

3). Be respectful of other people -- don't dump on them.

4). Silence is golden.

The fourth one reminds me of something Joy said about that sacred moment or space where you pause and say or react differently than you normally do or, possibly, not say anything at all for a change.


*More lessons appeared as I started writing.

Halfway

Me On Friday

On Thursday went to Zumba and wore a foot brace but, for Saturday's class, I took the brace off and I haven't put it back on since then. The brace is off but I'm still treating my ankle with kid gloves.

It's hard to get back into the swing of things but I did thirty minutes of exercise after work -- light walking and line dancing then I went to yoga. I've been doing pigeon on my back but decided to give it a try the "regular" way. When I went to scooch my left foot over, my ankle protested a bit -- just enough to let me know that it is not totally healed and, on the other side, my knee was not happy so I switched positions and did reclining pigeon. I am at the point where I'm much wiser about listening to my body.

I'm still thinking about what Joy said during Sunday's class about Imbolc -- about being halfway between winter and spring and how now is the time to plant seeds or to get back in alignment with whatever New Year's resolutions that may have fallen by the wayside. It's the seed planting that I'm mulling over. Indeed, what kind of seeds do I want to plant? What do I want to see come into fruition?

Went to watch the third and fourth quarters of the Super Bowl with my aunt Alice and she was surprised that I had my hair in braids since I had sent Chiquita a picture of my afro on Friday. I explained to my aunt that I tend to wear braids up until Tuesday and then I give my head a break.

Told my aunt, who was surprised that I swim in the winter, that it's much easier to swim with braids. I also told her that the building is usually nice and toasty. But what about when you get out of the water...? Um, you walk as fast as possible and hope that the shower water is warm.

The Beautiful Dream

It took me forever to get of bed but can you blame me?

I just wanted to hunker down for the long haul and to put the "ice" on top of the cake, there was a wind chill advisory until 10:30-ish.

Even though it took a while for my feet to hit the floor, I got a lot of stuff done: cleaning the fish tank, washing clothes, washing my hair, cooking and, at some point, getting deeper into Elizabeth Gilbert's novel.

My reward? A yoga double header. Two hours of yoga was like a workshop but not. The main thing that I heard during two hours of practice was Joy's repeated suggestions to soften and her initial one that we pay attention to the 98% of things that are going right with our bodies...

Love this girl's answer of He had a beautiful dream. It's so sweet.

Shoe Box Anyone?

Since I've returned from Negril, I've spent most of my time in braids confusing people and making them retrace their steps since I look significantly different.

I really didn't consider braids before because my hair took a while to grow after keeping it closely cropped for almost 10 years.

The braids have been a good strategy for swimming because I don't have to deal with tangled hair. I had planned to braid my hair on Saturday but when I saw the forecast, I decided to keep the 'fro intact so it was kind of funny when I checked into class and Joy asked Want to come to Jamaica with me and get your hair braided?

Naughty, naughty Joy...

Speaking of the naughty one, Joy likes to say how the feet are the energetic gateway to the body and I've heard others mention it as well. When the ball of my left foot was misbehaving, I was a total believer in the whole gateway thing...

I bought a pair of Ahnu sandals for the yoga retreat and, of course, I'm on their mailing list now. Behold, it's the In Studi-Om.

No thanks but I don't want to block my energetic gateway. Plus, freeing the feet is one of the joys of yoga.

Nike also has a studio "shoe" and, dang, it's cute but I can totally remember Gloria talking about how there were no mats or blocks when she first started practicing yoga and so specific shoes for yoga are definitely not needed.

I put my Garmin fitness tracker on for the first time in six weeks and four days. I wanted to see how many steps I'm taking without exercising so that I can gradually increase my mileage. My gait feels normal so I feel ready to be more active.

Five Weeks and Four Days

Saw that Tom Brady suffered a high ankle sprain and that he intends to be back for the playoffs by Jan. 16th. Also read that he "played through" a sprained ankle before while playing agains the St. Louis Rams, eons ago, in a Superbowl match-up.

All I could think was Bravo and I also thought about the athletic trainers and doctors that are providing Brady with topnotch care.

I decided that since it had been five weeks and four days that I'd stop wearing my brace since my ankle, knee and gait are better but my ankle was swollen after work so the brace goes back on. It's silly to have a tool and not use it.

A massage therapist also told me that all of those ligaments are tiny and they get one tenth of the blood supply so it takes them ten times as long to heal. 

I did go to yoga tonight and my props included my brace. At one point Joy say It's your body, your breath and your practice which is a good sentiment for me to hold onto for the days to come and beyond.

Your Best Self Now

Baltimore

As I reminiscence about the yoga retreat, repeatedly playing Diana Ross's Love Hangover and Nico and Vinz's Am I Wrong and Another Day, I also think back to a yoga session in Negril when Joy said It's easy to be your best self now...

I especially think about this sentiment since returning to work. Took two weeks off which is a good thing in general but especially since I had an allergic reaction to something and had to take Benadryl for a week and, later in the game, stronger medicine.

Let's just say that I was itching so much that my dermatologist asked if I needed something to help me sleep.

At any rate, my musings remind me of messages making the social media rounds like Be in love with your life. Every minute of it -- Jack Kerouac or My goal is to build a live that I don't need a vacation from... 

Even as I try to fall in love with my life for the umpteenth time, I know that the "rat race" is going to test my resolve. As Joy said, It's easy to be your best self when on vacation but, knowing that, I'm going to work on filling my well and try to be my best self outside the parameters of vacation. Of course, yoga (energy work etc.) helps with that a lot whether or not I'm on a retreat or in a studio.

Beach-Side Fruit Market

Sunset At The Resort

You're An Adult...or Negril Moments

1). Stop tagging me in your photos. I don't want to be a part of your vacation.......... A member of the wedding party on the flight from Baltimore to Montego Bay

2). OM is a uniter........... Joy during yoga practice.

One of My Fave Pics of Yoga in Negril

3). Yoga clears yo head.......... Bruce (hanging out in the water in Negril)

4).Thanks for the moment..........

Kyng Sharlo to Carol and me after he told us about his CD and his Rastafarian cooking class.

5). Stop hiding yourself....The moon needs the darkness to shine.......... Joy

6). The universe has your back.......... Joy

7). We got exhausted saving our own lives.

Laura about the choppy water that we played in for an hour or so.

8). You're on vacation and you're an adult.......... Whitney

9). Quiet..........

Joy to the young men at the Blue Hole who joined us for yoga practice. They giggled like crazy at the beginning but, at the end of practice, there was a respectful silence.

A Blue Hole Jumper

More Blue Hole Shenanigans

10). Today is going to be a peaceful day...Don't talk on me........... Jaycee, gift shop clerk

11). Oh, we're going to talk on her..........

Laura after finding out that Jaycee had bamboozled us.

12). You have to work like a parrot.......... Shane about how tough it is to eat coconut.

13). I know what I like.......... Whitney

14). Respect..........Typical Jamaican greeting

Me and Joy

This moment didn't happen in Negril but made me laugh out loud.

@andreamw chattn' w Sarah & she said you were in in Jamaica. And I said, "at a yoga retreat?" #neversayidontknowyou

— Melinda Frances (@TheMelinDUH) November 7, 2015

Yoga Groove

Tara

National Yoga Month has almost gone by without a mention from me and maybe it's because I've kind of lost my yoga groove. I'm down to about one class a week but...

When I read Stacy Hunsicker's letter in the spring 2015 issue of Yoga & Spa magazine, I totally related:

Once yoga calmed my mental drama, more of life opened to me...

Had the same sense of recognition when I read a letter by the publisher of Spirituality & Health magazine:

Each enlightening moment is another brick laid toward out ultimate goal: to become the best versions of ourselves -- spiritually, physically, and mentally.

Went to a two hour workshop last night presented by Dr. Manoj Chalam.

When I think about the PH.D part, I think about how he said that he was a PH.D. who is now schlepping around statues of deities. I also remember this childhood song that we used to sing while jumping rope that involved some young lady who had gone to school "...and when she came back she was an educated fool." My mind does like to go in all kinds of directions. Whose mind doesn't?

Chalam started off the workshop with a meditation and went on to say It's good to center yourself and hit the reset switch and you do that by focusing on the breath. And the meditation portion of the program reminds me of why I like yoga so much.

When your mind is calm, you're in the zone...you go within. Un huh, yeah yeah.

I also like what Chalam said about knowledge: The more you know, the more the unknown increases.

Ganesh or Ganesha is one of the most known Hindu deities. Ganesh is the remover of obstacles and, as Chalam said, Everyone should have a Ganesh.

I am also fascinated with Tara whose main characteristic is compassion...Fast forward to tonight.

I was in a mood before I hit yoga and it didn't get any better when this woman put her mat precisely in front of mine. I would have understood if the class had been full... Joy was in the mood to take "it" up a notch. During the plank portion of the program, she said "For those of you cursing me in your head right now."

Little did Joy know but "right now" had started much earlier for me. However, at the end of class, I was less moody and the intensity that I had in my neck and shoulder (left side) had diminished significantly. I also heard what Joy said about Shiva (dancing) and fire and how sometimes things have to get burned to the ground to be rebuilt.

Plenty of Real Estate

My Cue

Got to yoga class ten minutes before start time and most people had already set up their yoga nests so I was left with a front and center spot -- it was either front and center or take the back of the bus position so I sat up front.

Noticed the father who brings his daughter, who is about 10, to class. She is the only child in a room full of adults and I think about how fierce she's going to be. Fierce in that sense that Emma Slater talks about in the August issue of Yoga Journal.

I also noticed a change in my mental resilience: I became so much more positive, and little daily setbacks didn't faze me anymore...

And the young one will also be fierce because her father spends quality time with her...

My father once called one of his sisters the world's oldest teenager and he could say that because he had teenage tendencies but I know that I have been on such solid ground for so long because of the time that my father spent with me...

Joy loves to tell us to stop whatever story line we have going and tonight she went on to talk about how we tell ourselves the same harsh stories 80 something percent of the time and how we talk to ourselves in ways that we wouldn't talk to other people.

I have to say that I became much better at self-compassion after reading Gretchen Rubin's The Happiness Project so I'm less prone to speak harshly to myself but I still appreciate reminders. Thank you Gretchen...

Joy's line of the night at the front end of savasana:

And now you're the softest human being on the planet.

That was my cue to stop engaging my muscles and to, in general, let go.

Adjust

Weight of the Rain, Crepe Myrtle

I remember two of The Four Agreements:

Don't make assumptions.

Be impeccable with your word.

Saw something on Joy of Yoga's Facebook page that moved me as well:

The Buddha gives us a skillful checklist:
Is it true?
Is it necessary?
Is it kind?
Is it the right time?

Practiced yoga tonight with Joy at the helm. She likes to have us use a strap to place around the ball of a foot and the back of our head. She calls it a hammock. Oddly enough, it's relaxing. Joy told us to take the time to find some good i.e. if the hammock didn't feel good, adjust.

Of course, I'm a hedonist-in-training so I love to hear stuff about finding something that feels good.

After our final pose, Joy talked about finding wisdom in The Velveteen Rabbit while reading it to her son -- something about not finding your authentic self until your hair has grown thin. LOL, I'll have to check it out of the library.

I'll have to check out Maya Angelou's Life Doesn't Frighten Me At All too. I've always found it moving...

Guess the hammock worked because after Namaste, no one rushed to move. Think we could have all rolled over and gone to sleep.

Things

Did not even entertain the thought of bicycling or walking to work. The sun has gone down and it's still 90 degrees but, as others have pointed out, it's summer...

Haven't gotten around to reading a J.K. Rowling book but I'm becoming a huge fan.

.@diegtristan8 "she is built like a man". Yeah, my husband looks just like this in a dress. You're an idiot. pic.twitter.com/BCvT10MYkI

— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) July 11, 2015

Also liked what Mary Elizabeth Williams had to say about the New York Times' article.

Went to yoga tonight and Joy talked about how we all want the same things -- how we might not agree with people and how they might get on our nerves but... That concept is kind of hard to hold onto right now because there just seems to be so much nastiness in the air.