Crunch

When you come across a pile of leaves,
in the middle of the road,
right before sunset,
on a cool September evening,
on your ride home from a meeting...

there's only one proper response.

ride harder,
gain speed,
take your feet off the pedals,
coast and yell wheeeeeeeeeee

Yoga class hours: 32.5
Remaining: 167.5

Dragon Cups

Yoga class hours: 28
Remaining: 172

Today I discovered just how much I stink at half-moon pose, even with the assist of a block and a wall! Fun though.

Shrines

I cleared out my back room to make it a yoga room. I pretty much just go in and do a periodic sun salutation or two while waiting for the water for tea to boil or in the morning. But it is nice.

Since all my yoga studios have some sort of "shrine" I decided to put the Japanese samurai doll in a corner, along with the green glass dish with beads. And I have my "tea shrine."


My 30 day cheap classes at Alternative Health Group is almost over, I have really enjoyed the classes and instructors there. It seems a good fit for where I am. Classes are small (never had more than 6 people) and I've like the classes with Lyndsae, Danielle, Nina, and Olinka so far. There are either beginner/intermediate classes every night or hatha or sivananda.

So now I need to decide if I should do a 20-class package or dive in for a yearly package. I do still plan to get a 20-class package for Nature Yoga, to go to Lyndsae's Friday class.


Yoga class hours: 25
Remaining: 175

Flavor Flav

Riot Fest weekend,
sadly and officially broke things off with the person I love most in the world,
not getting a thing done on any projects!

Yoga Hours: 18.5
Remaining: 181.5

Best thing to happen in recent memory ... definitely Public Enemy concert.

I love walking through the Farmer's Market on my way home from the 11:30 - 1 yoga class on Sunday afternoons. Okay, I have only done this twice, but I've liked it both times.

Today I bought a bunch of little apples .. apples are not supposed to be as big as your face. And I got a whole bunch of varieties I've never heard of before. I plan on putting a tiny apple, a tiny pear, and a handful of nuts in my bag when I make the 10 mile bike ride to Side Project theater a little later on. There is a kick-off meeting for The Kindness of Strangers. I'm going to be telling a story on October 21!

Yoga Hours: 17
Remaining: 183

Breakfast of Champions and Beautiful Men

Third pass leftover Thai grilled vegetable salad -- even with added cashews and almonds -- is a sad breakfast. It's mostly just all the picked out onions from the other times I've enjoyed it.

But that was the power breakfast I had before heading off to my yoga classes. I took two today: a regular Hatha class and then a restorative. I loved the restorative, when ever we do legs up the wall or other things as part of my classes, I always with we could do a whole class of just that. Today I did.

Was tired and hungry when I stumbled out of the studio 31/2 hours after I entered it so, when I saw nine, fabulously attractive, stylishly (though not fancily) attired, every single one of them bald, black gentleman in their mid-30s leave a North Avenue brunch spot, I though I might be hallucinating a very pleasant hallucination.

Yoga Hours: 15.5
Remaining: 184.5

Starting the Day with Sun Salutations

No running this morning, but feel good after two sun salutations with Esther Ekhart. I love Esther Ekhart.

So far, I am not counting any home yoga toward my yoga hours. I never to long sessions, just 10 minutes here or there. Right now, I feel like I need to push of a teacher to get me going and working hard.

Adversity got a little bit bigger, realer, and meaner....

since my last post: boy trouble, sad sadness, feeling like I suck at my job, someone asking me if I was pregnant. Stuff like that weighs you down.

I am way off track on my running program, but I guess I feel okay with that. I am going to go back, repeat week three and carry on ... maybe tomorrow? No guarantees, my sleep has shifted with the weather and I have been up at 4 and dead to the world at 6:30.

I have had some amazing yoga classes the past week though (I will just pretend the week before that did not happen). Too broke to take a real vacation over labor day (and a bit sad about the trip that was suggested in July but then taken without me) I decided to pretend I was at Canyon Ranch, I think that is the one they talk about in Oprah Magazine.

There was no celebrity chef, there was no rain shower or massage appointment, there was no horseback riding or someone to pick up the big soft fluffy robe with the CR logo on the lapel .. but imagination; a green glass pitcher filled with water, cucumber slices and mint; and a bunch of yoga classes helped me live in fantasy land for three days.

One of my favorite teachers at yoga studio 1 also teaches at yoga studio 2, so I got the new student deal: 30 days for $30. I went to her class and then another teacher who I liked a lot too. Today I tried a third class at that studio and loved it. So right no, I feel like I have 3 teachers I love taking classes with, two teachers I really like taking classes with. Can't complain about that.

I have to say though, that I have had crazy thoughts -- likely brought on by the mint, headstand, and boy trouble -- about taking a tai chi class too.

Total yoga hours: 11
Remaining: 189