More On Breathing

Did not feel like showering or putting on lotion tonight but I don't do a.m. showers. I'd rather sleep longer or read longer or slowly drink a cup of coffee.

Maybe Lizzie's responsible for my mood. I went to gentle yoga after work and gentle is the only type of class that Lizzie teaches so I guess you can rightfully call her a relaxation specialist.

While we were in a supported, reclining twist, Lizzie said There is no work to do -- just attending to the in and out of the breath. Just hearing her say that made me concentrate more on breathing.  There was a quiet and peaceful energy that took over the room with Lizzie's guiding.

Trying to decide if I should go to Zumba on Saturday or continue with my fantasy sports camp and go to yoga instead.

Oatmeal, Coffee, Yoga

My aunt Debbie texted me before 8:00 a.m. to find out my brother and nephew's itinerary plus wanted to know what we were doing.

Before eight and rain = not a creature stirring. Debbie then wanted to know about my plans.

Plans = oatmeal, coffee and yoga.

The rain made me want to stay inside but I also knew that I didn't want to stay in the house all day so I headed out to practice yoga.

One of the first things that Lizzie said was Feel the energy in your head soften and the energy did soften.

Lizzie is serious about what she does and has intense but soft energy. I had tears in my eyes at the end of practice and it was so quiet after Namaste that you could hear a pin drop. And, really, there was nothing that needed to be said although I did think that I'd made the best decision ever by going to midday yoga.

Word Of The Day

Stopped by Rooster after work yesterday and got a veggie burger. After exiting saw a familiar face who could have been one of two people. Cocked my head and not sure if I stared but Lizzie stopped. Where do I know you from? she asked.

I know Lizzie from outdoor yoga and I immediately started thinking about restoration and Qigong.

Lizzie's aura is full of yummy energy and when I stepped into her energy field, I got an immediate buzz.

Love yummy energy. Is there a bumper sticker with that on it?

I've been doing retreat research and even thought about grabbing one of those Chicago Biggest Loser Resort Groupons. Expensive... If I were to go on a retreat, Omega and Kripalu would be high on my list though.

At any rate, found some interesting things in my research. Saw this article about 25 Minutes of Silence and would love* to try it out with a group of people. Would also love to participate in a day long retreat. Love the concept. Maybe I'll develop my own version.

Some other things that I loved today:

*Getting an email with this signature: Have a ridiculously amazing day.

*Reading Anne Lamott's "Everyone Is Screwed Up, Broken, Clingy and Scared"

2. Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including you.

9. Food: Try to do a little better.

The 'Fugee borrowed stamps from me and returned them today. I really like the stamps. I knew that you would  said the 'Fugee.

*Guess love is my word for the day.

Long Enough

Because of yummy weather yesterday, I felt compelled to go to an outdoor yoga class.

There ended up being a sub who's into Qigong and we did this exercise that I've done before but wouldn't think to do on my own. We started by extending our right arms. With an open palm, we patted the inside of our arms then the outside and we moved on from there and ended up with the sacrum.

Before we got to the Qigong part, we stayed on our backs long enough for me to get enchanted by the blue of the sky, the arteries of the trees and the birds flying by.

After yoga I scampered off to Zumba -- kind of a backwards way to do things but that's the way the classes fell.

Slept beautifully and feel like it was the yoga with a side of Qigong that was instrumental or maybe it was everything.

Need to find a shorter version of this exercise...