It All Started Off So Nice or Month-End Review, July

I've been doing the Don't Break the Chain situation for a while now. When I exercise, I put an X on the calendar which is sometimes way more motivating than I'd like it to be.

I usually rest on Friday but since I've been going to the pool that hasn't happened and when I see an unbroken chain of X's, well, I don't want to break it. I know that I overdid it this month. I have a lot of heat on the outside of my upper thigh which I feel when taking the stairs. It's not intense but I can tell it's there...

Sharon asked if anyone had any requests tonight at yoga and I asked her if she had any tricks up her sleeve for the IT Band and we did lizard pose at some point in the program. We also did this sequence of downward facing dog to plank to downward fd to hovering the knee to downward fd... As one of my classmates said, It all started off so nice...

Kettlebell Practice, 4 x's

Rock Climbing, 7 x's

Personal Training with Jackie: Power Training Circuit

15-Minute Total Body Circuit, 1 x

Swimming, 17 x's

Walking, 5 x's

willPower & grace, 1 x

Dig this barefoot workout. It's squat-heavy & has elements of yoga.

Yoga, 15 x's

How did your July turn out? Did the triple digit weather inspire pool workouts?

A Little Moody...Monday Comedy Break

Saw Moody McCarthy one night while channel flipping.

I love his bit on organic peanut butter at 2:45...

The Gospel According to Pure Yoga

Gloria a.k.a. Pure Yoga has a peaceful aura about her but, at the end of class, her face is even more serene as she gives a four-Namaste salute -- nodding to every area of the classroom...Yoga practice was a struggle as my hamstrings and just about everything else screamed at me but I don't regret rolling out my mat and can't wait to do it again...

May all beings be happy and free...Shanti. (Pure Yoga's usual invocation at the start of class.)

Make the pose comfortable. (Timely advice as I struggled with Downward Facing Dog)

Don't compromise the neck...

If you have big lats, this (eagle arms) may be a problem.

The aerial leg should be...

Your mind lives in your body so if you feel...

You clear the mind when you rest your eyes. (Gloria had us warm up our hands by rubbing them together then placing them over the eyes.)

Spread the chest, sink into the heels... (During Downward Facing Dog)

Most people only breathe from their chests. In yoga, you have an opportunity to explore the full capacity of your lungs...

Move the breath throughout the body especially during difficult poses. Most people have a tendency to hold their breath when the pose is difficult...

Favorite song on yoga playlist right now...

Uncanny

Got home yesterday and had lag time before kettlebell class. I felt a bit sleepy but decided to read but after a couple of pages, closed my eyes and fell asleep.

I should have skipped kettlebell class but I hadn't been in over a week and didn't want to miss out on strength training. I was off my game, sullen and could barely keep the stability ball underneath me while trying to do push-ups. Curling my biceps on a TRX-like situation? I couldn't get the movements down. My modified burpees sucked and there was no sting to my scorpion kick.

When I did Russian Step Ups, I was inches away from the mirror and got incredibly disappointed by my reflection...

As I sat in my office today, this woman that I have not seen in a long time, stopped by and she told me that I get smaller and smaller every time she sees me. I was dumbfounded and I told her Funny that you should say that... And cool as a breeze, she said Everything is good; you look good.

What she said to me was so uncanny and it wasn't just what she said -- she kind of had this genuine, easy smile the whole time and she was so calm and warm that it put me at ease.

And Breathe...

Hit the pool which was very refreshing then hit the yoga studio which was also refreshing. When I got to the latter, the class was pretty full and Sharon pointed me toward a space near the front. It’s just like church and school; no one wants to be near the front. I don’t know why. It’s not like I’m going to call on anyone.

I head to the front and get pretty close to the yoga wall. This guy – let’s call him bind guy – scooted over. Are you sure that you have enough room?, he asked. I love yogis. I also love rock climbers, swimmers and kettlebellers…

Sharon likes to frequently tell her class. And breathe. Don’t hold your breath…And breathe…

As we prepared for savasana, Sharon guided us through three-part breathing which I got annoyed with at first. Fill the belly then the ribs then the chest. My annoyance melted away and my breathing got deeper.

Sharon gave us imagery of floating away on water. She encouraged us to leave our stresses on shore and said that they might be there when we got back but maybe – just maybe – the stresses wouldn’t have the same intensity or they would be gone.

I’ll watch over you. This statement moves me every time Sharon says it and it allows me to melt deeper into the mat during savasana.

Also moving -- earth salutations; I can see myself doing that sequence all the time...

The School of Rock Climbing

Time lapse photography. That's what I was reminded of yesterday as the cardio class let out and the yogis flooded in. Within one minute, all real estate had pretty much been claimed. I thought if you plan to attend this class, you better be on time. Ha-ha. About ten minutes into class, this woman parallel parked her mat between mine and the woman in front of me. The latecomer was so close that she had to readjust her mat when we did a balancing pose of extending our right leg and left arm because she was about to have a foot in her face...

As I take more yoga classes, I become less and less annoyed by latecomers. There is also the fact that it is yoga class where we’re working on our minds and bodies. When I mentioned latecomers to Kristen as she prepared to ascend a route, she said that she would rather have someone come late rather than not come at all. In fact, she likes it when people come late because she thinks it’s a good lesson in detachment for other yogis. Ditto for Cindy – she prefers that people practice yoga than sit out because they can’t make it on time...

Cindy on the "Green Holds" Route

Kristen

Cindy Practices Slackline Yoga

As we climbed, some men set up the slackline at the climbing gym. Kristen said that climbing and traversing a slackline was her idea of safe, healthy fun. Cindy and Kristen tried out the slackline and Kristen, unfortunately, sprained her ankle and it was very painful but, as Cindy said later on, you can get hurt having healthy fun but what’s important is that you get back up again.

The Power of Om

Went to restorative yoga the other day and almost turned around because there were so many women on the floor. I don't ever remember this particular restorative class being so full.

The woman next to me asked Sharon, who was helping but not the official teacher, if the class is always full and she said no -- the capacity is 15; there were 19 people but it seemed like more. Guess lots of people were in need of restoration.

It took me a while to settle down but before I knew it, 75 minutes had gone by. Got up on Thursday and felt really rested. Prior to that, my eyelids have felt like a ton of bricks in the a.m.

The takeaway from restorative class via Madonna who was at the helm:

Resting is not idleness.

Speaking of Madonna, love to hear her chant Om. She takes a deep breath and just takes it away...