Will said two things that I want to remember:
"Today during PE, we did the half mile run, and I tripped over a cone and did an eggplant." (He meant faceplant.)
After collecting his t-ball snack yesterday: "Mommy, this popcorn ball has mushrooms in it." (He meant marshmallows. I have been giggling at the visual of a popcorn ball with mushrooms.)
Did a hip opener class at John's studio yesterday; haven't done one since shortly after I started practicing, and I remembered it being much more difficult then than it was yesterday. One thing I wonder: why is yogi nidrasana so much easier than supta kurmasana?
Monday, September 29, 2008
Saturday, May 3, 2008
Tap tap tap...is this thing on?
Yeah, it's empty and echoing in here....
The silent auction is, at last, over. The followup is not, alas. The couple that was handling the software end of it has dropped the ball and the rest of us have had to take over. They did a terrible job of keeping up with payments the night of the auction, so we are having to try to reconstruct everything based on what is in the cashboxes. This time last year, even without software for checkout, I was already done with all that and had collected all payments & distributed all leftover items. So that remains to be done, but hopefully will be finished within a week.
Turnout wasn't as good this year as in previous years, but the auction made more money. Go figure. In spite of the turnout, everyone who I have spoken to says that it was the most fun spring party yet. We had great teacher turnout from both schools, and I have to say, those ladies (and guys) definitely know how to have a good time. Dancing with Will's kindergarten teacher to "Brick House" (which she is, for sure) is something I will not soon forget.
In other news, Will has started seeing an OT for "handwriting without tears" at a studio right around the corner from us. I can 't believe how lucky I am to have found this place! After listening to Will say that he hated art, he hated Mondays because it was art day, he was the worst in the class at art and writing, I googled "handwriting classes atlanta" and the first place that popped up was this place, a five minute walk from the house! What's more, he's the only one taking this class right now, though they accept up to four kids for one session, so he is getting one-on-one time with the OT. He has some large motor and small motor issues, some cross-body coordination issues, but they are mild and she thinks that lack of confidence is also part of the problem. He absolutely loves going, because they spend the first half-hour doing strengthening things that he really enjoys. When they get their summer camps scheduled, I'm hopeful he'll be able to do some of those as well, so that he'll be feeling good about his writing when school starts in the fall.
Will's starting that class has also prompted me to allow Michael to begin staying home by himself for short periods of time. He's just in the way at the OT, and he tends to distract Will, so last week I dropped him at home, then took Will to his session. Michael made himself a snack, unpacked his backpack, and did his homework. That was such a success that later in the week I took Michael home after school and took Will with me to Lowe's. I tell you, this is going to make my summer so much easier, being able to leave Michael at home. Now I don't have to haul them both with me when I run errands. We had talked about doing this last summer, but he wasn't ready to be left alone; now, at almost ten years old, he is. We laid down some rules - no going outside, no cooking, only answer the phone when certain numbers pop up on the caller ID, take the phone to your room so that if I call, you don't freak me out by not answering. He is definitely up for the independence and responsibility. Neither he nor Will are ready for Will to stay with him, but maybe in another year.
In other news, we are also having some work done on our kitchen, which I am very excited about though we're probably going to be broke the rest of the summer once we've paid our contractor. He's a guy who lives in the 'hood, and Lee saw his wife at school and mentioned that I was interested in a new kitchen counter. I was, though hadn't planned on doing it this soon, but we got the ball rolling and I should be all set within a week. He's already taken the template for the counters, and we've chosen a granite very similar to this.
In addition, he is removing our old, grubby gas cooktop, crappy slide-in oven, and grungy old microwave/hood, and sitting in my dining room is a new stainless steel gas range with convection oven, and a stainless steel microwave that looks as though it will do everything except wash and put away the dishes for me!
As well, I am getting a new stainless undermount sink, and have bought a new faucet fixture which will be installed with the countertop.
We've already paid for the countertop and sink, and our contractor is aiming to have everything installed by next Friday. He'll remove our old counter and sink (hopefullly leaving our tile backsplash intact), install the range & microwave, then install the counter and sink the next day.
The Top Ramen noodles we'll be eating all summer sure will taste good cooked in my fancy new kitchen. ;-)
In order for the kitchen to really look good I need new cabinet doors and drawer fronts, and the floors need to be refinished, but that's going to have to wait a year (or two).
I am really excited about baking in my new oven, but I'm not sure what the deal is with a convection oven vs. a traditional oven. As best I can tell, the baking temp only has to be reduced fifty degrees, but I'm not clear on whether the oven will adapt that for me (as a friend says hers does) or whether I have to adjust the time stated in the recipe.
So in the social/domestic whirlwind, my practice has taken a back seat. I've done a few practices, a few hot flow classes and a Bikram class, and about half an hour of the primary series yesterday at home. I have not done full primary in two weeks! Tomorrow is a workshop at John's studio called "Jumping Into Your Core: Using Vinyasa for Internal Strength" led by a woman named Anne Nowell. I debated signing up for this workshop, since I have not been practicing regularly, and frankly have not been motivated to. I went ahead and signed up today, in hopes that it will be fun and motivating and will get me going again.
School ends in three weeks, and oddly enough, I am not panicking at the thought of summer like I normally do, despite the fact that I was grinding my teeth at the sight of long-sleeved hoodies in the summer version of the J. Jill catalog I read during lunch. You might need your long sleeved hoodies here in the ATL if your building is kept at meat-locker temps, but believe me, long sleeves only lead to heatstroke outdoors. I won't rehash my feelings about summer - I did that last year. I've signed the kids up for a few camps, and we have a week at the beach scheduled, but otherwise, we're going to be mostly hanging at home. The fact that they're a year older will, hopefully, make it a bit easier. I've started letting Michael do some cooking lately, and I plan to continue cooking lessons for him all summer. I've also told them that we're going to have an enforced independent reading hour every afternoon this summer that we're home, all three of us.
So that's what's been going on chez Mama Yogini. There are many things going on between now and the end of school, including Will's sixth birthday, so updates will probably continue to be sporadic.
The silent auction is, at last, over. The followup is not, alas. The couple that was handling the software end of it has dropped the ball and the rest of us have had to take over. They did a terrible job of keeping up with payments the night of the auction, so we are having to try to reconstruct everything based on what is in the cashboxes. This time last year, even without software for checkout, I was already done with all that and had collected all payments & distributed all leftover items. So that remains to be done, but hopefully will be finished within a week.
Turnout wasn't as good this year as in previous years, but the auction made more money. Go figure. In spite of the turnout, everyone who I have spoken to says that it was the most fun spring party yet. We had great teacher turnout from both schools, and I have to say, those ladies (and guys) definitely know how to have a good time. Dancing with Will's kindergarten teacher to "Brick House" (which she is, for sure) is something I will not soon forget.
In other news, Will has started seeing an OT for "handwriting without tears" at a studio right around the corner from us. I can 't believe how lucky I am to have found this place! After listening to Will say that he hated art, he hated Mondays because it was art day, he was the worst in the class at art and writing, I googled "handwriting classes atlanta" and the first place that popped up was this place, a five minute walk from the house! What's more, he's the only one taking this class right now, though they accept up to four kids for one session, so he is getting one-on-one time with the OT. He has some large motor and small motor issues, some cross-body coordination issues, but they are mild and she thinks that lack of confidence is also part of the problem. He absolutely loves going, because they spend the first half-hour doing strengthening things that he really enjoys. When they get their summer camps scheduled, I'm hopeful he'll be able to do some of those as well, so that he'll be feeling good about his writing when school starts in the fall.
Will's starting that class has also prompted me to allow Michael to begin staying home by himself for short periods of time. He's just in the way at the OT, and he tends to distract Will, so last week I dropped him at home, then took Will to his session. Michael made himself a snack, unpacked his backpack, and did his homework. That was such a success that later in the week I took Michael home after school and took Will with me to Lowe's. I tell you, this is going to make my summer so much easier, being able to leave Michael at home. Now I don't have to haul them both with me when I run errands. We had talked about doing this last summer, but he wasn't ready to be left alone; now, at almost ten years old, he is. We laid down some rules - no going outside, no cooking, only answer the phone when certain numbers pop up on the caller ID, take the phone to your room so that if I call, you don't freak me out by not answering. He is definitely up for the independence and responsibility. Neither he nor Will are ready for Will to stay with him, but maybe in another year.
In other news, we are also having some work done on our kitchen, which I am very excited about though we're probably going to be broke the rest of the summer once we've paid our contractor. He's a guy who lives in the 'hood, and Lee saw his wife at school and mentioned that I was interested in a new kitchen counter. I was, though hadn't planned on doing it this soon, but we got the ball rolling and I should be all set within a week. He's already taken the template for the counters, and we've chosen a granite very similar to this.
In addition, he is removing our old, grubby gas cooktop, crappy slide-in oven, and grungy old microwave/hood, and sitting in my dining room is a new stainless steel gas range with convection oven, and a stainless steel microwave that looks as though it will do everything except wash and put away the dishes for me!
As well, I am getting a new stainless undermount sink, and have bought a new faucet fixture which will be installed with the countertop.
We've already paid for the countertop and sink, and our contractor is aiming to have everything installed by next Friday. He'll remove our old counter and sink (hopefullly leaving our tile backsplash intact), install the range & microwave, then install the counter and sink the next day.
The Top Ramen noodles we'll be eating all summer sure will taste good cooked in my fancy new kitchen. ;-)
In order for the kitchen to really look good I need new cabinet doors and drawer fronts, and the floors need to be refinished, but that's going to have to wait a year (or two).
I am really excited about baking in my new oven, but I'm not sure what the deal is with a convection oven vs. a traditional oven. As best I can tell, the baking temp only has to be reduced fifty degrees, but I'm not clear on whether the oven will adapt that for me (as a friend says hers does) or whether I have to adjust the time stated in the recipe.
So in the social/domestic whirlwind, my practice has taken a back seat. I've done a few practices, a few hot flow classes and a Bikram class, and about half an hour of the primary series yesterday at home. I have not done full primary in two weeks! Tomorrow is a workshop at John's studio called "Jumping Into Your Core: Using Vinyasa for Internal Strength" led by a woman named Anne Nowell. I debated signing up for this workshop, since I have not been practicing regularly, and frankly have not been motivated to. I went ahead and signed up today, in hopes that it will be fun and motivating and will get me going again.
School ends in three weeks, and oddly enough, I am not panicking at the thought of summer like I normally do, despite the fact that I was grinding my teeth at the sight of long-sleeved hoodies in the summer version of the J. Jill catalog I read during lunch. You might need your long sleeved hoodies here in the ATL if your building is kept at meat-locker temps, but believe me, long sleeves only lead to heatstroke outdoors. I won't rehash my feelings about summer - I did that last year. I've signed the kids up for a few camps, and we have a week at the beach scheduled, but otherwise, we're going to be mostly hanging at home. The fact that they're a year older will, hopefully, make it a bit easier. I've started letting Michael do some cooking lately, and I plan to continue cooking lessons for him all summer. I've also told them that we're going to have an enforced independent reading hour every afternoon this summer that we're home, all three of us.
So that's what's been going on chez Mama Yogini. There are many things going on between now and the end of school, including Will's sixth birthday, so updates will probably continue to be sporadic.
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Most boring update.
Been so busy and tired lately that on the days that I don't plan to attend a class, I don't even think about practice. Home practice is going to be out of the question until this silent auction is over.
We had an auction committee meeting the other night. We've got a decent number of donations and the auction is a month away, but still some of the people at the meeting are throwing out ideas for sponsorships, raffles and donations. Really, I don't care which other school got a BMW dealership to donate the use of a BMW convertible for a week, and I further don't care what other school made 75K on their auction with a donation from Jane Fonda for a lunch with her. We're two k-3 schools with a combined student total of less than 500, and at least a third of them are free or reduced lunch and therefore unlikely to bid on any of these items, if they attend at all. So let's not waste time coming up with these fabulous ideas, especially since the suggesters have no intention of soliciting these donations.
The main thing hanging over my head is the timing of the forms for tickets and volunteers, and the printing of the auction catalog. The catalog is my responsibility, but our only copy of Word is on Lee's laptop which usually goes to work with him, and will be going with him to Virginia for three days next week. We'll be at the beach a week from today for spring break week, and when we return there are only two full weeks until the event.
Needless to say, I'm feeling a bit stressed, trying to keep up with everything. Lee keeps reminding me to chill, to take deep breaths. What is he, a yogi or something?
In a change from my usual insomnia, I've been sleeping like the dead this week. I think it might be the zyrtec I started taking for my seasonal allergies. It does not make me feel sleepy during the day, but I sure do sleep hard at night. Today I had to add some claritin to my zyrtec, because I was going to the soccer field which is surrounded by trees. The claritin gave me an out-of-body experience and extremely cold extremeties. Wierd.
Yesterday I went to full primary, well, it wasn't full primary because John spent the first fifteen minutes chatting with someone. We made it through bhuja, then went directly to closing.
There was a wierd energy in the room. There's one woman who, when we get to navasana, won't do it but instead starts doing crunches. John didn't say anything last week, but yesterday he ragged her pretty hard about it but she still kept on with her crunches.
I felt very low energy yesterday, bendy enough, but each vinyasa between sides was an act of sheer will.
Last night we went to a happy hour at my friend Beth's house. It was warm enough so that we were all outside on the deck. We stayed until about 9:15, then brought the boys home and threw them in the shower. I laid down with Will and fell asleep before he did, listening to Jim Dale reading "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix". If it were possible for me to have Jim Dale's children, I would, I tell you.
This morning I spent two hours in line at the recreation department, waiting to register the boys for camp. I'm not sure it was worth it; I was registering each for one week of half-day camp. I didn't know it would take that long, so I didn't bring a book, and was reduced to eavesdropping on the conversations around me. One woman showed me her spreadsheet of camps for her kids - she had columns for date, place, friends attending, hours, and items needed (ie, swimsuit, lunch, soccer cleats).
This afternoon we had a home renovations guy who lives in the neighborhood come by and talk to us about a new kitchen countertop. We have a grubby, worn, white contractor-grade laminate countertop that came with the house. About six years ago we had a tile backsplash installed and why I didn't go ahead then & get a countertop then, I don't know. Anyway, I'm so ready for a new one. When all is said & done, we'll have a new countertop (possibly granite), a new slide-in range (we have a grubby gas cooktop and a barely functioning built-in electric oven beneath it), and a new undermounted sink with new fixture. The countertop is going to run us $2000 or so; a row of tile in the backsplash is going to have to be removed with the counter and will be replaced with a new row of trim, in some color to tie together the existing tile and the new countertop. The oven is going to run us at least a thousand, and the sink & fixture, several hundred. Not entirely sure how we're going to pay for all this, but it's much needed, and the guy really needs the work. He has two kids in school with my kids, and he's a really nice guy who comes recommended.
Tomorrow is going to be spent working on the silent auction, sending Michael off to a birthday party around the corner, and then hot flow at 4:30.
We had an auction committee meeting the other night. We've got a decent number of donations and the auction is a month away, but still some of the people at the meeting are throwing out ideas for sponsorships, raffles and donations. Really, I don't care which other school got a BMW dealership to donate the use of a BMW convertible for a week, and I further don't care what other school made 75K on their auction with a donation from Jane Fonda for a lunch with her. We're two k-3 schools with a combined student total of less than 500, and at least a third of them are free or reduced lunch and therefore unlikely to bid on any of these items, if they attend at all. So let's not waste time coming up with these fabulous ideas, especially since the suggesters have no intention of soliciting these donations.
The main thing hanging over my head is the timing of the forms for tickets and volunteers, and the printing of the auction catalog. The catalog is my responsibility, but our only copy of Word is on Lee's laptop which usually goes to work with him, and will be going with him to Virginia for three days next week. We'll be at the beach a week from today for spring break week, and when we return there are only two full weeks until the event.
Needless to say, I'm feeling a bit stressed, trying to keep up with everything. Lee keeps reminding me to chill, to take deep breaths. What is he, a yogi or something?
In a change from my usual insomnia, I've been sleeping like the dead this week. I think it might be the zyrtec I started taking for my seasonal allergies. It does not make me feel sleepy during the day, but I sure do sleep hard at night. Today I had to add some claritin to my zyrtec, because I was going to the soccer field which is surrounded by trees. The claritin gave me an out-of-body experience and extremely cold extremeties. Wierd.
Yesterday I went to full primary, well, it wasn't full primary because John spent the first fifteen minutes chatting with someone. We made it through bhuja, then went directly to closing.
There was a wierd energy in the room. There's one woman who, when we get to navasana, won't do it but instead starts doing crunches. John didn't say anything last week, but yesterday he ragged her pretty hard about it but she still kept on with her crunches.
I felt very low energy yesterday, bendy enough, but each vinyasa between sides was an act of sheer will.
Last night we went to a happy hour at my friend Beth's house. It was warm enough so that we were all outside on the deck. We stayed until about 9:15, then brought the boys home and threw them in the shower. I laid down with Will and fell asleep before he did, listening to Jim Dale reading "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix". If it were possible for me to have Jim Dale's children, I would, I tell you.
This morning I spent two hours in line at the recreation department, waiting to register the boys for camp. I'm not sure it was worth it; I was registering each for one week of half-day camp. I didn't know it would take that long, so I didn't bring a book, and was reduced to eavesdropping on the conversations around me. One woman showed me her spreadsheet of camps for her kids - she had columns for date, place, friends attending, hours, and items needed (ie, swimsuit, lunch, soccer cleats).
This afternoon we had a home renovations guy who lives in the neighborhood come by and talk to us about a new kitchen countertop. We have a grubby, worn, white contractor-grade laminate countertop that came with the house. About six years ago we had a tile backsplash installed and why I didn't go ahead then & get a countertop then, I don't know. Anyway, I'm so ready for a new one. When all is said & done, we'll have a new countertop (possibly granite), a new slide-in range (we have a grubby gas cooktop and a barely functioning built-in electric oven beneath it), and a new undermounted sink with new fixture. The countertop is going to run us $2000 or so; a row of tile in the backsplash is going to have to be removed with the counter and will be replaced with a new row of trim, in some color to tie together the existing tile and the new countertop. The oven is going to run us at least a thousand, and the sink & fixture, several hundred. Not entirely sure how we're going to pay for all this, but it's much needed, and the guy really needs the work. He has two kids in school with my kids, and he's a really nice guy who comes recommended.
Tomorrow is going to be spent working on the silent auction, sending Michael off to a birthday party around the corner, and then hot flow at 4:30.
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Yep, still busy.
I'll spare everyone the recitation of everything that's going on. Most of it is school & kid related stuff. Last Friday night we had bad storms & a tornado nearby, then more torrential rains early Saturday morning which resulted in the cancellation of the first soccer game of the season.
I've been managing to get in practices when I can, either some of primary plus some stretching here at home, primary series on Friday morning with John, or hot flow classes at the hot yoga studio. For the past four or five Wednesdays I've been going to a 6am class. It's a good class because even though it is an hour long, the people that come are regulars, so he can move the class along.
James, the teacher, mixes up the postures with each class, and today we did the prasaritas. I'm feeling a bit of strain in my right collarbone, probably due to overstretching in prasarita C.
James also came and stood on my feet and pushed my knees closer together during urdhva dhanurasana so I couldn't try to go deeper by letting my feet splay out a little bit. Yeah, that made it harder!
Early last week I had a very short-lived cold, for less than 24 hours I felt crummy, but good lord, the congestions aftermath. It's been a week now and I am still blowing my nose frequently, and, not to be gross, but sometimes it's hard to stop. I paused during a vinyasa class on Monday to blow my nose and I had to leave the room! Last Friday John bound me in supta kurmasana and I was dying for a kleenex - I was like, do I unbind and blow my nose or hang out for five breaths?? I've been trying to invert more, trying to work on upper body strength, and I've just been having to open my mouth and breathe through it when I invert.
In about half an hour I have to go get Michael out of school and take him to the dentist for two extractions. Poor guy, he has no idea what's coming. I had many extractions as a child and they were horrible. I hope the procedure has improved with the years. I'm taking my mp3 player for him to listen to, if he likes.
Got some encouraging news from Will's kindy teacher - she told me there was a group of kids in the class who are *over* reading workshop and are ready to read independently, so she had them tested to see where they were. Will tested the highest in the group and is ready for accelerated reader books. His reading has taken off unbelievably in the last month. I always assumed, because he was slower to develop than Michael, just last year had an evaluation for speech delays, and still struggles with small motor skills, that he would be just average in ability. However, in addition to taking off with reading, he's also learned to tell time much more quickly than Michael did. As bright as Michael is, he was still tentative with time-telling at the end of first grade.
Lee took Michael to a chess club meeting last night. A group of about fifty kids, from kindergarteners to teenagers, meets every other Tuesday at a nearby church. Most of the other kids in the club play on school teams and in tournaments, so Lee said that Michael was at a big disadvantage. Despite getting checkmated right away in one game against a kindergartener, Michael really enjoyed himself and wants to go back. One of the chess instructors gives private lessons, so were thinking about springing for a few of them this summer.
I've been managing to get in practices when I can, either some of primary plus some stretching here at home, primary series on Friday morning with John, or hot flow classes at the hot yoga studio. For the past four or five Wednesdays I've been going to a 6am class. It's a good class because even though it is an hour long, the people that come are regulars, so he can move the class along.
James, the teacher, mixes up the postures with each class, and today we did the prasaritas. I'm feeling a bit of strain in my right collarbone, probably due to overstretching in prasarita C.
James also came and stood on my feet and pushed my knees closer together during urdhva dhanurasana so I couldn't try to go deeper by letting my feet splay out a little bit. Yeah, that made it harder!
Early last week I had a very short-lived cold, for less than 24 hours I felt crummy, but good lord, the congestions aftermath. It's been a week now and I am still blowing my nose frequently, and, not to be gross, but sometimes it's hard to stop. I paused during a vinyasa class on Monday to blow my nose and I had to leave the room! Last Friday John bound me in supta kurmasana and I was dying for a kleenex - I was like, do I unbind and blow my nose or hang out for five breaths?? I've been trying to invert more, trying to work on upper body strength, and I've just been having to open my mouth and breathe through it when I invert.
In about half an hour I have to go get Michael out of school and take him to the dentist for two extractions. Poor guy, he has no idea what's coming. I had many extractions as a child and they were horrible. I hope the procedure has improved with the years. I'm taking my mp3 player for him to listen to, if he likes.
Got some encouraging news from Will's kindy teacher - she told me there was a group of kids in the class who are *over* reading workshop and are ready to read independently, so she had them tested to see where they were. Will tested the highest in the group and is ready for accelerated reader books. His reading has taken off unbelievably in the last month. I always assumed, because he was slower to develop than Michael, just last year had an evaluation for speech delays, and still struggles with small motor skills, that he would be just average in ability. However, in addition to taking off with reading, he's also learned to tell time much more quickly than Michael did. As bright as Michael is, he was still tentative with time-telling at the end of first grade.
Lee took Michael to a chess club meeting last night. A group of about fifty kids, from kindergarteners to teenagers, meets every other Tuesday at a nearby church. Most of the other kids in the club play on school teams and in tournaments, so Lee said that Michael was at a big disadvantage. Despite getting checkmated right away in one game against a kindergartener, Michael really enjoyed himself and wants to go back. One of the chess instructors gives private lessons, so were thinking about springing for a few of them this summer.
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Back to backbending.
So last Friday I went to John's morning class which turned out to be almost all of primary. It was one other woman and myself, so we got lots of adjustments and personal attention. I continue to be strength-challenged.
After the closing chant we were sitting on our mats chatting and I confessed to John that I was really struggling with backbending and he said "I noticed". He said, correctly, that lack of strength appeared to be my problem, since I have very open shoulders. He recommended that I work on holding my backbends as long as possible in order to build strength. He also said "I bet you probably have trouble holding headstand, too" (he leaves us to do closing on our own, so he doesn't see my headstand). Correct also - I usually start wobbling after fifteen breaths and have to come down. I also told him about my psoas issues, which seem to be slowly resolving.
I have been working on backbending since that conversation. They are much improved over a month ago, though I still feel like I am crunching in my lower back. Yesterday I did most of primary at home, and after each backbend, lowered onto my forearms in an attempt to clasp my hands behind my head. Before my psoas issues, I was able to do this. On my last attempt yesterday, I was able to touch my fingers together, but I got a cramp in my lower back and had to come down.
I figured out the self-timer on my camera, so I took a picture of today's backbend:
Since I didn't kill myself during my practice, I felt like I had good strength, but though I was pushing into my chest, I still felt crunching my low back. It felt like much more of an arch than it appears.
I also took a picture of myself in headstand, and I continue to have my legs angled more toward the front, due to my fear of falling. It feels like I am more up-and-down than I look. I moved my mat to the wall so that I could work on that without worrying about falling. I need to get used to the feeling of my legs being directly over my hips.
Now, onto another subject: I got a wonderful recipe for caramel walnut banana upside down cake from Yogamum. I made it last weekend, and, oh my GOSH. It is one of the best things I have ever eaten, seriously, especially when it was still warm. It's a rich banana bread recipe on top of caramel and nuts, like what you get on sticky buns.
I served it with plain, softly whipped cream.
I never do things like eat leftover cake for breakfast, because if I eat any sweets or even carbs in the morning, I pay for it the rest of the day with blood sugar crashes, but I had a piece of this the next morning with my coffee. It was worth it.
Last night I invented a soup that was so good, my boys fought over the leftovers for snack this afternoon. I found a recipe for a cheese soup on epicurious, and turned it into a corn, black bean & chicken chowder. First I fried a couple of pieces of bacon, then in the grease (and with a little olive oil added) I sauteed a few finely chopped carrots, an onion, two stalks of celery, and three cloves of garlic (next time I will also add a red bell pepper). When the veggies were soft, I added about a tablespoon of chili powder and a teaspoon of cumin, stirred it around until it was fragrant, then added about three tablespoons of whole wheat flour (turned out I could have used less - the cheese makes this soup quite thick). Then I added about two-thirds of a carton of chicken broth, and let this simmer for a bit.
Then I added some half & half and milk - not sure how much - probably a cup and a half of each, heated this gently, then added two cups of grated sharp cheddar cheese. I think the sharp cheddar is a must - it gave it a great flavor. Any other robustly flavored cheese would be good, too. I stirred in the cheese until it melted, then added about a cup of corn, a can of drained black soy beans (regular black beans would be fine, too, but I used soy because they are very high in fiber) and two poached, shredded chicken breasts. I let all this simmer very gently until it was heated through. I added a generous splash of chicken broth to thin it out a bit at the end.
If I'd had some, I'd have sprinkled it with chopped cilantro. I crumbled up the bacon and sprinkled it on top of the servings, and served it with tortilla chips.
It was totally yummy - definitely a keeper. It had flavor from the chili powder, but not so much that the boys complained. Actually I could probably up the amount next time. The black beans, corn and chicken gave it a nice texture.
Well, I owe Will thirty minutes of computer time for two days of great behavior at school, so I'm off....
After the closing chant we were sitting on our mats chatting and I confessed to John that I was really struggling with backbending and he said "I noticed". He said, correctly, that lack of strength appeared to be my problem, since I have very open shoulders. He recommended that I work on holding my backbends as long as possible in order to build strength. He also said "I bet you probably have trouble holding headstand, too" (he leaves us to do closing on our own, so he doesn't see my headstand). Correct also - I usually start wobbling after fifteen breaths and have to come down. I also told him about my psoas issues, which seem to be slowly resolving.
I have been working on backbending since that conversation. They are much improved over a month ago, though I still feel like I am crunching in my lower back. Yesterday I did most of primary at home, and after each backbend, lowered onto my forearms in an attempt to clasp my hands behind my head. Before my psoas issues, I was able to do this. On my last attempt yesterday, I was able to touch my fingers together, but I got a cramp in my lower back and had to come down.
I figured out the self-timer on my camera, so I took a picture of today's backbend:
Since I didn't kill myself during my practice, I felt like I had good strength, but though I was pushing into my chest, I still felt crunching my low back. It felt like much more of an arch than it appears.
I also took a picture of myself in headstand, and I continue to have my legs angled more toward the front, due to my fear of falling. It feels like I am more up-and-down than I look. I moved my mat to the wall so that I could work on that without worrying about falling. I need to get used to the feeling of my legs being directly over my hips.
Now, onto another subject: I got a wonderful recipe for caramel walnut banana upside down cake from Yogamum. I made it last weekend, and, oh my GOSH. It is one of the best things I have ever eaten, seriously, especially when it was still warm. It's a rich banana bread recipe on top of caramel and nuts, like what you get on sticky buns.
I served it with plain, softly whipped cream.
I never do things like eat leftover cake for breakfast, because if I eat any sweets or even carbs in the morning, I pay for it the rest of the day with blood sugar crashes, but I had a piece of this the next morning with my coffee. It was worth it.
Last night I invented a soup that was so good, my boys fought over the leftovers for snack this afternoon. I found a recipe for a cheese soup on epicurious, and turned it into a corn, black bean & chicken chowder. First I fried a couple of pieces of bacon, then in the grease (and with a little olive oil added) I sauteed a few finely chopped carrots, an onion, two stalks of celery, and three cloves of garlic (next time I will also add a red bell pepper). When the veggies were soft, I added about a tablespoon of chili powder and a teaspoon of cumin, stirred it around until it was fragrant, then added about three tablespoons of whole wheat flour (turned out I could have used less - the cheese makes this soup quite thick). Then I added about two-thirds of a carton of chicken broth, and let this simmer for a bit.
Then I added some half & half and milk - not sure how much - probably a cup and a half of each, heated this gently, then added two cups of grated sharp cheddar cheese. I think the sharp cheddar is a must - it gave it a great flavor. Any other robustly flavored cheese would be good, too. I stirred in the cheese until it melted, then added about a cup of corn, a can of drained black soy beans (regular black beans would be fine, too, but I used soy because they are very high in fiber) and two poached, shredded chicken breasts. I let all this simmer very gently until it was heated through. I added a generous splash of chicken broth to thin it out a bit at the end.
If I'd had some, I'd have sprinkled it with chopped cilantro. I crumbled up the bacon and sprinkled it on top of the servings, and served it with tortilla chips.
It was totally yummy - definitely a keeper. It had flavor from the chili powder, but not so much that the boys complained. Actually I could probably up the amount next time. The black beans, corn and chicken gave it a nice texture.
Well, I owe Will thirty minutes of computer time for two days of great behavior at school, so I'm off....
Thursday, March 6, 2008
The busy season
Spring is always a busy time of year - social events, school events, soccer season, summer vacation and summer camp planning. I've been going from one thing to the other, and I had insomnia almost every night, so I've been operating in a bit of a fog. Let's see if I can recap:
Last week was the Kids' Consignment sale. The date kind of crept up on me so I spent three or four days madly pricing things to sell. Last Monday afternoon Michael had his first orthodontist appointment. After an exam and a set of x-rays, she determined that the first thing to do was pull four baby teeth. The two on top are preventing adult teeth from coming in; one on the bottom has an adult tooth behind it, and the other on the bottom is the mate to the baby tooth. Those appoiments are scheduled for consecutive Wednesdays later on this month.
Last Tuesday was an open house at the 4/5 Academy that Michael will attend next year. After that, my friend Gloria and I took Michael and her daughter (who will also attend that school next year) out to dinner at Ted's Montana Grill. They were highly entertaining and fun to be with. After dinner I had to drop my Kids' Sale items off.
Last Wednesday morning I went to a Hot Flow class at 6am. I expected it to be a bust because I am usually super stiff and creaky first thing in the morning, but it was a great class and I was glad that I went. I got my hair cut that morning, then went and bought tickets for myself and a friend to see Jose Gonzales last Sunday.
Thursday morning I worked the Kids' Sale from 9 to 12:30. Friday morning I went to another Hot Flow class. Saturday I did full primary at John's studio. Our mid-series activity was partner dropbacks. I was partnered with a petite girl who I did not trust not to drop me, so though she assured me that she wouldn't drop me, and that my hands were almost on the floor, I couldn't do it. That afternoon I had to go back to the Kids' Sale and pickup my leftovers. I was happy to see that all of the Thomas the Tank Engine stuff sold, along with almost everything else. I also tried to pick up Will's soccer schedule, but the coach had taken off with all of them.
Sunday I went up into our library and did half of primary. My fingers brush the ceiling fan when I raise my hands over my head in surya namaskars, but I had a decent practice and got through the marichyasanas before I was interrupted. Sunday night was the Jose Gonzalez concert at the Variety Playhouse - Gwen and I think we were the oldest people there.
Monday was a PTA Board meeting. We are trying to recruit some people from the board, but it is hard. The same people keep volunteering. Tuesday I went to a vinyasa class that was just okay - not much flow and lots of focus on alignment. Not my favorite type of class.
Wednesday morning I went back to the 6am Hot Flow, another good class. I had to prepare for a Silent Auction committee meeting last night - our auction is in seven weeks, and we've been conducting a lot of business via email, but we all needed to sit down together and make up a list of things to do. After the meeting, which was at my friend Cindi's house, she and I killed a bottle of wine and discussed what a thankless job being a PTA Board member is (she's on the board at her child's school, which is our partner in this auction). I didn't get home until after midnight. Ironically, I did not suffer from insomnia last night, probably because I did not sleep long enough to wake up and then be unable to go back to sleep.
Today I spent hours working on an agenda and to-do list for the auction, and organizing a teacher breakfast to be hosted by Michael's class in a few weeks. A little while ago. I got an email from Michael's teacher. Some of the kids who generally breeze through their classroom work get to do extra projects, so Michael and another boy researched and prepared a Power Point presentation on the Revolutionary War. The PPT listed various facts, and they spoke extemporaneously about them. His teacher said they did a fantastic job. I'm so proud!
Tomorrow morning is "Community Circle" at school, led by the kindergarteners, then a class at John's studio. I think it is only half primary, though.
Saturday we are invited to two parties, one a surprise party our neighbor is throwing for his girlfriend in the afternoon, and the other an evening cocktail party down the street. We are getting a sitter for the cocktail party and then walking to a neighborhood pub afterward for dinner.
I am also trying to plan a week at the beach in July with two other families, and an initial search for rentals shows that we need to get moving and book something.
Next week is the PTA's Spaghetti Dinner, a mid-week field trip to see "Seussical the Musical" for Will's class, then a teacher workday on Friday, Will's first soccer game, and a dinner party next Saturday.
We're also expecting the return of freezing weather this weekend, after two days of warm, open-up-all-the-windows weather. So many trees are in bloom here, that are probably gonna get zapped by frost.
Geez, I sound really brain dead. This must be the most unimaginative blog post ever.
Oh, I almost forgot. I got some new shoes this week, just in time to pull the wool socks back out:
Last week was the Kids' Consignment sale. The date kind of crept up on me so I spent three or four days madly pricing things to sell. Last Monday afternoon Michael had his first orthodontist appointment. After an exam and a set of x-rays, she determined that the first thing to do was pull four baby teeth. The two on top are preventing adult teeth from coming in; one on the bottom has an adult tooth behind it, and the other on the bottom is the mate to the baby tooth. Those appoiments are scheduled for consecutive Wednesdays later on this month.
Last Tuesday was an open house at the 4/5 Academy that Michael will attend next year. After that, my friend Gloria and I took Michael and her daughter (who will also attend that school next year) out to dinner at Ted's Montana Grill. They were highly entertaining and fun to be with. After dinner I had to drop my Kids' Sale items off.
Last Wednesday morning I went to a Hot Flow class at 6am. I expected it to be a bust because I am usually super stiff and creaky first thing in the morning, but it was a great class and I was glad that I went. I got my hair cut that morning, then went and bought tickets for myself and a friend to see Jose Gonzales last Sunday.
Thursday morning I worked the Kids' Sale from 9 to 12:30. Friday morning I went to another Hot Flow class. Saturday I did full primary at John's studio. Our mid-series activity was partner dropbacks. I was partnered with a petite girl who I did not trust not to drop me, so though she assured me that she wouldn't drop me, and that my hands were almost on the floor, I couldn't do it. That afternoon I had to go back to the Kids' Sale and pickup my leftovers. I was happy to see that all of the Thomas the Tank Engine stuff sold, along with almost everything else. I also tried to pick up Will's soccer schedule, but the coach had taken off with all of them.
Sunday I went up into our library and did half of primary. My fingers brush the ceiling fan when I raise my hands over my head in surya namaskars, but I had a decent practice and got through the marichyasanas before I was interrupted. Sunday night was the Jose Gonzalez concert at the Variety Playhouse - Gwen and I think we were the oldest people there.
Monday was a PTA Board meeting. We are trying to recruit some people from the board, but it is hard. The same people keep volunteering. Tuesday I went to a vinyasa class that was just okay - not much flow and lots of focus on alignment. Not my favorite type of class.
Wednesday morning I went back to the 6am Hot Flow, another good class. I had to prepare for a Silent Auction committee meeting last night - our auction is in seven weeks, and we've been conducting a lot of business via email, but we all needed to sit down together and make up a list of things to do. After the meeting, which was at my friend Cindi's house, she and I killed a bottle of wine and discussed what a thankless job being a PTA Board member is (she's on the board at her child's school, which is our partner in this auction). I didn't get home until after midnight. Ironically, I did not suffer from insomnia last night, probably because I did not sleep long enough to wake up and then be unable to go back to sleep.
Today I spent hours working on an agenda and to-do list for the auction, and organizing a teacher breakfast to be hosted by Michael's class in a few weeks. A little while ago. I got an email from Michael's teacher. Some of the kids who generally breeze through their classroom work get to do extra projects, so Michael and another boy researched and prepared a Power Point presentation on the Revolutionary War. The PPT listed various facts, and they spoke extemporaneously about them. His teacher said they did a fantastic job. I'm so proud!
Tomorrow morning is "Community Circle" at school, led by the kindergarteners, then a class at John's studio. I think it is only half primary, though.
Saturday we are invited to two parties, one a surprise party our neighbor is throwing for his girlfriend in the afternoon, and the other an evening cocktail party down the street. We are getting a sitter for the cocktail party and then walking to a neighborhood pub afterward for dinner.
I am also trying to plan a week at the beach in July with two other families, and an initial search for rentals shows that we need to get moving and book something.
Next week is the PTA's Spaghetti Dinner, a mid-week field trip to see "Seussical the Musical" for Will's class, then a teacher workday on Friday, Will's first soccer game, and a dinner party next Saturday.
We're also expecting the return of freezing weather this weekend, after two days of warm, open-up-all-the-windows weather. So many trees are in bloom here, that are probably gonna get zapped by frost.
Geez, I sound really brain dead. This must be the most unimaginative blog post ever.
Oh, I almost forgot. I got some new shoes this week, just in time to pull the wool socks back out:
Monday, March 3, 2008
Bizarrely funny.
I have never cared much about the comic "Garfield", but this is quite funny.
Garfield Minus Garfield: who would have guessed that when you remove Garfield from the Garfield comic strips, the result is an even better comic about schizophrenia, bipolor disorder, and the empty desperation of modern life?
Garfield Minus Garfield: who would have guessed that when you remove Garfield from the Garfield comic strips, the result is an even better comic about schizophrenia, bipolor disorder, and the empty desperation of modern life?
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Got my butt kicked.
That's what happens if you wait almost three weeks inbetween full primaries. Yow! I had yet another night of insomnia on Friday night (and, okay, two glasses of wine and a beer) so I felt quite tired. My back felt fine, and I felt bendy, but seriously lacking in stamina. Sometimes John just does primary series and sometimes he adds a bunch of extra stuff, like handstands inbetween each of the eight navasanas, and then a bunch of extra backbends and partner dropbacks. Today I am supersore in my hamstrings and the front of my shoulders.
Yesterday's class was also packed and it was my day to be annoyed by other yogis. There was one guy there who I'd never seen before, who did these jumpbacks that were almost like donkey kicks: his feet went way up into the air on the jump and a full two seconds after everyone else jumped back, his feet would hit the floor with a loud BANG!
Then there's a woman who I occasionally see who is a bit....odd. She comes into the studio with a gym bag full of stuff which she unpacks in the middle of the floor....clothes, water bottle, coffee cup, hair scrunchies, shirts, toothbrush & toothpaste...then she piles a bunch of it around her mat. She usually wears an assortment of jangly costume jewelry, too. Anyway, yesterday, she and all her stuff, and her cell phone, were next to me, and she did some major groaning and sighing. I can see it during the first sun salutations...but come on, by the prasaritas I was ready for her to knock off all the "ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh"ing and "mmmmmmmmmmmmmm"ing.
Normally I can tune out the distractions, but we were packed in there so tightly yesterday that I couldn't, and once I notice something annoying, it's hard to do anything except become progressively more irritated by it!
In a couple hours I am going to a hot flow class, with a teacher who is also a butt kicker. I just ate a wrap with hummus and tabbouleh. He's going to love my garlicky breath!
Yesterday's class was also packed and it was my day to be annoyed by other yogis. There was one guy there who I'd never seen before, who did these jumpbacks that were almost like donkey kicks: his feet went way up into the air on the jump and a full two seconds after everyone else jumped back, his feet would hit the floor with a loud BANG!
Then there's a woman who I occasionally see who is a bit....odd. She comes into the studio with a gym bag full of stuff which she unpacks in the middle of the floor....clothes, water bottle, coffee cup, hair scrunchies, shirts, toothbrush & toothpaste...then she piles a bunch of it around her mat. She usually wears an assortment of jangly costume jewelry, too. Anyway, yesterday, she and all her stuff, and her cell phone, were next to me, and she did some major groaning and sighing. I can see it during the first sun salutations...but come on, by the prasaritas I was ready for her to knock off all the "ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh"ing and "mmmmmmmmmmmmmm"ing.
Normally I can tune out the distractions, but we were packed in there so tightly yesterday that I couldn't, and once I notice something annoying, it's hard to do anything except become progressively more irritated by it!
In a couple hours I am going to a hot flow class, with a teacher who is also a butt kicker. I just ate a wrap with hummus and tabbouleh. He's going to love my garlicky breath!
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Busy.
We had an awesome time in San Diego. Loved the city, loved Carlsbad, the beaches, and Legoland. Will was a total trooper on the flights - if I had known that they would be able to watch four and a half hours of Cartoon Network on the seat back tv's, I wouldn't have worried. I despise Cartoon Network, but it kept him quiet and happy each way. You gotta do what you gotta do, you know?
Been crazy since returning - we were only gone four days, but I am still not caught up on the laundry. Next weekend is a kids' consigment sale in which I participate twice a year - the spring sale kind of crept up on me. My dropoff day is next Tuesday and I have a million things to do between now and then, not the least of which is price all the shit I pulled out of the attic, including what must be at least a thousand dollars' worth of Thomas the Tank Engine stuff. My god, we spent a small fortune on the Thomas phase!
Yesterday morning was my first practice in a week - hot flow class. I was still trying to catch up on the water I didn't drink on our trip, so I felt kind of crummy and I struggled. Today I woke up with a scratchy throat & congested sinuses, so I didn't practice at all. I really had no desire to, until I surfed to a yoga blog - I don't remember whose - and all of the sudden I CAN'T WAIT to get back on my mat. I haven't done full primary in about two weeks.
Hopefully I will be able to breathe enough through my nose that I can do a hot flow class in the morning and then full primary at John's studio on Saturday morning. I know I am full of lame excuses, but I just can't muster the motivation to practice at home right now. It's too drafty and I can't get warm enough. I have paid John for six morning classes, so he should be putting them on the schedule soon.
Oh, and speaking of yoga, while we were eating lunch last Friday in Del Mar Beach, Lee goes "So, when are you going to yoga?" I just looked at him and said "I'm not going to yoga." He goes, "Oh, I thought you were." I gave him a LOOK. "When I brought it up, you gave me attitude and told me that if I went I'd be spending most of the day by myself because you and the boys didn't want to wait around on me to be done." He gave me a blank look and said "Oh, I just assumed you'd be going anyway."
GRRRRR. I could have gone to a Sunday morning class in Encinitas, but I didn't have my mat, no clothes, nothing.
Men.
Been crazy since returning - we were only gone four days, but I am still not caught up on the laundry. Next weekend is a kids' consigment sale in which I participate twice a year - the spring sale kind of crept up on me. My dropoff day is next Tuesday and I have a million things to do between now and then, not the least of which is price all the shit I pulled out of the attic, including what must be at least a thousand dollars' worth of Thomas the Tank Engine stuff. My god, we spent a small fortune on the Thomas phase!
Yesterday morning was my first practice in a week - hot flow class. I was still trying to catch up on the water I didn't drink on our trip, so I felt kind of crummy and I struggled. Today I woke up with a scratchy throat & congested sinuses, so I didn't practice at all. I really had no desire to, until I surfed to a yoga blog - I don't remember whose - and all of the sudden I CAN'T WAIT to get back on my mat. I haven't done full primary in about two weeks.
Hopefully I will be able to breathe enough through my nose that I can do a hot flow class in the morning and then full primary at John's studio on Saturday morning. I know I am full of lame excuses, but I just can't muster the motivation to practice at home right now. It's too drafty and I can't get warm enough. I have paid John for six morning classes, so he should be putting them on the schedule soon.
Oh, and speaking of yoga, while we were eating lunch last Friday in Del Mar Beach, Lee goes "So, when are you going to yoga?" I just looked at him and said "I'm not going to yoga." He goes, "Oh, I thought you were." I gave him a LOOK. "When I brought it up, you gave me attitude and told me that if I went I'd be spending most of the day by myself because you and the boys didn't want to wait around on me to be done." He gave me a blank look and said "Oh, I just assumed you'd be going anyway."
GRRRRR. I could have gone to a Sunday morning class in Encinitas, but I didn't have my mat, no clothes, nothing.
Men.
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Breakthrough practice and, we're off
Short & sweet here today - I've got to get going this morning! Valentine's Day party with the kindergarteners, a happy hour after school with friends & their kids, got to get the hamster farmed out for the weekend, etc. etc.
A few days ago we weren't sure if we were going to get to take our trip this weekend - Will started having intense hip pain on Monday afternoon which progressed to him not even being able to sit up on Tuesday morning without crying in pain, so, long story and six hours in the children's hospital ER later, he was diagnosed with transient synovitis, which means that a virus settled in the tissue lining his right hip joint and inflamed the tissue. The doctor said take Motrin for pain/inflammation and lortab to sleep at night, and by yesterday afternoon (I kept him home from school) he was barely even limping. So yeah, we still get to go to SD!
So I was tired and foggy-headed yesterday afternoon, feeling fat and toxic and housebound, so I went to a six o'clock hot flow class yesterday, expecting it to suck but wanting to go anyway. Low expectations! It absolutely rocked and my back and hips felt flexible like never before. Ustrasana? Check. Hands on floor. Supta vajrasana? Check. Shoulders comfortably on floor. Urdva dhanurasana? Check. Arms straightened effortlessly. Sirsasana? Check. No pain at all in lower back.
Driving home, I could still feel energy humming up and down my spine, and me, I had ten times more energy after practice than I did before.
No practice until next Wednesday, probably. But I can't wait to see if my regained flexibility is for real or just a fluke.
If anyone hears screams of joy on Saturday morning, that'll be my kids, when we arrive at Legoland.
A few days ago we weren't sure if we were going to get to take our trip this weekend - Will started having intense hip pain on Monday afternoon which progressed to him not even being able to sit up on Tuesday morning without crying in pain, so, long story and six hours in the children's hospital ER later, he was diagnosed with transient synovitis, which means that a virus settled in the tissue lining his right hip joint and inflamed the tissue. The doctor said take Motrin for pain/inflammation and lortab to sleep at night, and by yesterday afternoon (I kept him home from school) he was barely even limping. So yeah, we still get to go to SD!
So I was tired and foggy-headed yesterday afternoon, feeling fat and toxic and housebound, so I went to a six o'clock hot flow class yesterday, expecting it to suck but wanting to go anyway. Low expectations! It absolutely rocked and my back and hips felt flexible like never before. Ustrasana? Check. Hands on floor. Supta vajrasana? Check. Shoulders comfortably on floor. Urdva dhanurasana? Check. Arms straightened effortlessly. Sirsasana? Check. No pain at all in lower back.
Driving home, I could still feel energy humming up and down my spine, and me, I had ten times more energy after practice than I did before.
No practice until next Wednesday, probably. But I can't wait to see if my regained flexibility is for real or just a fluke.
If anyone hears screams of joy on Saturday morning, that'll be my kids, when we arrive at Legoland.
Monday, February 11, 2008
Could I have found the cause of my back issues?
Thanks to Tova's comment in my last post, I went looking for information on the psoas, and, long story short, I think that I may have created my own problems by using a yoga ball to sit on at the computer, instead of a chair. I think that my posture, combined with trying to engage my core in order to balance, has shortened, strained, whatever, my psoas muscle.
Last week I ditched the ball and got a chair, and today, in the vinyasa class I took, I pushed up into urdva dhanurasana, and I wasn't even that warm, but it felt the best it has felt in six weeks.
I am going to continue to work on stretching my psoas, and see if it doesn't keep improving, if in fact that is what the problem is!
The excitement level is ramping up around here: it's all Legoland, all the time. The first thing Michael said today was "four more days until we go to Legoland!" I'm pretty excited, myself . Today I went to Target to pick up a few things for the trip and spent $96. How is that even possible?
I have to, um, facilitate Valentines for Will. I say facilitate because I am going to try to avoid having to do them all myself, but that is probably what will happen, because Will hates to write, draw, or scissor. Michael has opted not to do Valentines for his class. I asked him several times if he was sure. "I know all the girls will do them, and I know for a fact that of the boys, Grant and Garland are doing them." "I know. I still don't want to do them." "Are you sure you will feel okay about it if you are the only person who doesn't do them?" "Yes, I'm sure, I don't mind." Alrighty then! I admit feeling a pang that my little boy doesn't care about the Valentine's exchange with his classmates anymore, but then when he held my hand unselfconciously the whole walk home from school, I felt very happy.
Last week I ditched the ball and got a chair, and today, in the vinyasa class I took, I pushed up into urdva dhanurasana, and I wasn't even that warm, but it felt the best it has felt in six weeks.
I am going to continue to work on stretching my psoas, and see if it doesn't keep improving, if in fact that is what the problem is!
The excitement level is ramping up around here: it's all Legoland, all the time. The first thing Michael said today was "four more days until we go to Legoland!" I'm pretty excited, myself . Today I went to Target to pick up a few things for the trip and spent $96. How is that even possible?
I have to, um, facilitate Valentines for Will. I say facilitate because I am going to try to avoid having to do them all myself, but that is probably what will happen, because Will hates to write, draw, or scissor. Michael has opted not to do Valentines for his class. I asked him several times if he was sure. "I know all the girls will do them, and I know for a fact that of the boys, Grant and Garland are doing them." "I know. I still don't want to do them." "Are you sure you will feel okay about it if you are the only person who doesn't do them?" "Yes, I'm sure, I don't mind." Alrighty then! I admit feeling a pang that my little boy doesn't care about the Valentine's exchange with his classmates anymore, but then when he held my hand unselfconciously the whole walk home from school, I felt very happy.
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
In which Mama Yogini complains about her lower back again
Today, during the Core Power Flow class I took, all I could think was "I want to quit yoga". It didn't help that the room was too hot and I felt like throwing up, but my lower back and hips were totally uncooperative. One would think that as the class went on, the muscles would loosen, but the opposite happens.
I got a chiropractic adjustment yesterday; it made no difference at all.
Yesterday and Monday I did half primary at home. Everything felt good except for urdva dhanurasana and headstand. I cannot lift myself up in urdva dhanurasana without major protest from my hips and lower back, and in headstand, I felt major pressure on my hips and lower back. What the heck is going on?
It hurts the most right above my hipbones, toward the back. Those muscles are perpetually stiff and sore. The stiffness and pain extends across my lower back during any kind of backbend. I have played around with different combinations of dropping my sacrum, engaging or not engaging my glutes, engaging my core, whatever. If I can stand neutral, sacrum dropped but not pushed down, no muscle engagement except a firming of my core, that is when it feels the best.
I used to be able to put my hands on the floor in ustrasana, but my hips will not release enough anymore; I can barely touch my heels.
Bikram's supta vajrasana is another one which used to come easily:
I used to be able to rest my shoulders comfortably on the floor and have my arms over my head; now I can lower myself onto my elbows, then briefly onto my shoulders but then I come right back up, because the pressure on my lower back is too much.
The teacher threw ardha chandrasna into today's class:
which created an intense stretch in the area of my hips which is the most stiff and sore. No matter how much I'm stretching - and janu B creates that kind of stretch, and when practicing alone I sit in that posture for fifteen breaths on each side - it never seems to make a difference later. It feels good at the time, but there is no cumulative effect.
So what am I supposed to learn here? Wait, I know. It's that I should go back to running four miles several times a week. Yeah, that's it!
I got a chiropractic adjustment yesterday; it made no difference at all.
Yesterday and Monday I did half primary at home. Everything felt good except for urdva dhanurasana and headstand. I cannot lift myself up in urdva dhanurasana without major protest from my hips and lower back, and in headstand, I felt major pressure on my hips and lower back. What the heck is going on?
It hurts the most right above my hipbones, toward the back. Those muscles are perpetually stiff and sore. The stiffness and pain extends across my lower back during any kind of backbend. I have played around with different combinations of dropping my sacrum, engaging or not engaging my glutes, engaging my core, whatever. If I can stand neutral, sacrum dropped but not pushed down, no muscle engagement except a firming of my core, that is when it feels the best.
I used to be able to put my hands on the floor in ustrasana, but my hips will not release enough anymore; I can barely touch my heels.
Bikram's supta vajrasana is another one which used to come easily:
I used to be able to rest my shoulders comfortably on the floor and have my arms over my head; now I can lower myself onto my elbows, then briefly onto my shoulders but then I come right back up, because the pressure on my lower back is too much.
The teacher threw ardha chandrasna into today's class:
which created an intense stretch in the area of my hips which is the most stiff and sore. No matter how much I'm stretching - and janu B creates that kind of stretch, and when practicing alone I sit in that posture for fifteen breaths on each side - it never seems to make a difference later. It feels good at the time, but there is no cumulative effect.
So what am I supposed to learn here? Wait, I know. It's that I should go back to running four miles several times a week. Yeah, that's it!
Saturday, February 2, 2008
Gratifyingly excited.
We told the boys this morning about the upcoming Legoland trip. I presented them each with a folded map of the park printed off the internets and said "we're taking a trip during the upcoming long weekend, guys." Michael ripped his open and shouted "Legoland? Are we really going to LEGOLAND??" Then he began leaping around the room and yelling. Will was more sedate, but still excited and immediately began speculating about what he might be able to buy at the Lego store there. Then I left Lee with the chaos and went to yoga. HA!
Last night I read online reviews of Legoland. Most of them were positive, though almost all of them said that Legoland was best suited for kids ten and under, which makes me really, really glad we are taking this trip now. They are only young once, which is what I keep chanting to myself when I think about how much the whole thing will have cost when it's over. If we waited until we could really afford it, Michael would probably be too old to appreciate it.
After completing our taxes last night, I felt better still that we were going. Lee's firm owes him money which I was counting on when I made our reservations, but a client owes *them* money, hundreds of thousands of dollars, which they know they will get, but not when. His law partner asked if she could pay him what he's owed later, after the firm gets paid. So I was a bit uneasy about the trip plans when I found that out, but since I e-filed our returns, we should have our refund in hand around the time we leave.
When I got home from yoga, Michael and I got out his atlas and studied a map of California, checking out the topography and what's nearby. I'm going to let him go online and do some research on Southern California and have him tell us what he learns.
So, onto this morning's practice. I meant to dose myself with Motrin before I went, to make my lower back feel better, but I forgot in the Legoland excitement. My hamstrings felt stretchier than usual, perhaps aided by the fact that John made us hold each of the prasaritas for ten breaths each. All of the forward folding postures felt great. John wasn't nearby to help me into supta kurmasana, so with a bit of rocking, I got my own ankles crossed. Everything else felt great and solid...until we got to the dreaded urdva dhanurasana.
I'm not sure what approach to take with this struggle. I am tempted to quit doing any kind of backbending altogether. My lower back just does not want to bend and my hips don't want to cooperate either. No matter how much I lengthen, engage my core, avoid compressing, push into my chest, whatever...it's like, imagine trying to bend your finger backward. It can go there very reluctantly if it's pushed, but it certainly doesn't feel natural and it hurts.
Why is this happening? I have never been great at backbending, but it has never been so difficult as it is now.
Perhaps I'm just getting old. You know, I used to be able to drop a few extra pounds without much difficulty, but maybe because I'm no spring chicken anymore, that doesn't happen, as I discovered while bound in supta k, contemplating the fat that has settled on my belly and will not budge.
Let's all sing together, what a drag it is, getting old....
Last night I read online reviews of Legoland. Most of them were positive, though almost all of them said that Legoland was best suited for kids ten and under, which makes me really, really glad we are taking this trip now. They are only young once, which is what I keep chanting to myself when I think about how much the whole thing will have cost when it's over. If we waited until we could really afford it, Michael would probably be too old to appreciate it.
After completing our taxes last night, I felt better still that we were going. Lee's firm owes him money which I was counting on when I made our reservations, but a client owes *them* money, hundreds of thousands of dollars, which they know they will get, but not when. His law partner asked if she could pay him what he's owed later, after the firm gets paid. So I was a bit uneasy about the trip plans when I found that out, but since I e-filed our returns, we should have our refund in hand around the time we leave.
When I got home from yoga, Michael and I got out his atlas and studied a map of California, checking out the topography and what's nearby. I'm going to let him go online and do some research on Southern California and have him tell us what he learns.
So, onto this morning's practice. I meant to dose myself with Motrin before I went, to make my lower back feel better, but I forgot in the Legoland excitement. My hamstrings felt stretchier than usual, perhaps aided by the fact that John made us hold each of the prasaritas for ten breaths each. All of the forward folding postures felt great. John wasn't nearby to help me into supta kurmasana, so with a bit of rocking, I got my own ankles crossed. Everything else felt great and solid...until we got to the dreaded urdva dhanurasana.
I'm not sure what approach to take with this struggle. I am tempted to quit doing any kind of backbending altogether. My lower back just does not want to bend and my hips don't want to cooperate either. No matter how much I lengthen, engage my core, avoid compressing, push into my chest, whatever...it's like, imagine trying to bend your finger backward. It can go there very reluctantly if it's pushed, but it certainly doesn't feel natural and it hurts.
Why is this happening? I have never been great at backbending, but it has never been so difficult as it is now.
Perhaps I'm just getting old. You know, I used to be able to drop a few extra pounds without much difficulty, but maybe because I'm no spring chicken anymore, that doesn't happen, as I discovered while bound in supta k, contemplating the fat that has settled on my belly and will not budge.
Let's all sing together, what a drag it is, getting old....
Thursday, January 31, 2008
I can't take credit for this.
It's haiku made up entirely of quotes from George W. Bush, forwarded to me by my dad.
I'm almost sad we're not gonna have Dubya to kick around any more!
MAKE THE PIE HIGHER
I think we all agree, the past is over.
This is still a dangerous world.
It's a world of manmen and uncertainty
And potential mental losses.
Rarely is the question asked
Is our children learning?
Will the highways of the Internet
Become more few?
How many hands have I shaked?
They misunderestimate me.
I am a pitbull on the pantleg of opportunity.
I know that the human being
And the fish can coexist.
Families is where our nation finds hope,
Where our wings take dream.
Put food on your family!
Knock down the tollbooth!
Vulcanize society!
Make the pie higher!
I am the Decider!
In 2009 we will see the end of an error and hopefully not the beginning of another one.
I'm almost sad we're not gonna have Dubya to kick around any more!
MAKE THE PIE HIGHER
I think we all agree, the past is over.
This is still a dangerous world.
It's a world of manmen and uncertainty
And potential mental losses.
Rarely is the question asked
Is our children learning?
Will the highways of the Internet
Become more few?
How many hands have I shaked?
They misunderestimate me.
I am a pitbull on the pantleg of opportunity.
I know that the human being
And the fish can coexist.
Families is where our nation finds hope,
Where our wings take dream.
Put food on your family!
Knock down the tollbooth!
Vulcanize society!
Make the pie higher!
I am the Decider!
In 2009 we will see the end of an error and hopefully not the beginning of another one.
Monday, January 28, 2008
A wild hair.
The weekend of President's Day, the boys are off from school on Friday and Monday. Feeling restless, I looked at airfare to Washington DC, thinking we'd maybe take the boys and go museum hopping for the weekend, since it's not too far away and couldn't be that expensive, right? Well, airfares were in the neighborhood of $300 apiece. I had recently checked airfares to San Diego, just for the hell of it, since the boys' fondest desire is to go to Legoland, and I knew that San Diego wasn't much more. So I checked again, and they were still cheap, so we up and decided to go for the long weekend. Plus, I already had one Legoland admission ticket, from the Brickmaster membership I got Will for Christmas. See, look how much we saved already. ;-P
With taxes, each of us is flying for about $312 round trip, and we've got reservations at a place across from the beach in Carlsbad. We're not going to do any of the other area attractions, like Sea World or the Zoo. We will be spending an entire day at Legoland, and that will be enough; the rest of the time we will hit the beach or take a day trip.
Even though this kind of large financial expenditure is one I don't want to think too hard about (if I were truly financially wise I'd have put what this trip will cost on our home equity line of credit debt instead) but I've decided that something like this, the boys will remember FOREVER and that is worth it. We're not going to tell them until this weekend. They are going to be beside themselves with excitement, and that, I can't wait to see.
Vinyasa class today, with my favorite teacher, the guy with the ashtanga background. He's a great teacher. We did a lot of postures from the primary series, inversions, and urdva dhanurasana. No practice tomorrow, because I am chaperoning a field trip to CNN Center with a bunch of kids (of which Michael is one) who participated in episodes of the school's daily news program that were winning entries at the International Student Media Festival. The Media Festival is in a different city each year - this year (or last fall, to be exact) it wan in Anaheim, making it prohibitive, both financially and time-wise, for almost everyone, so with the previous set of winning entries we started the tradition of a catered buffet for the kids and their families, teachers, school board members, etc., where the kids receive an awards certificate, a t-shirt, and we view the winning festival entries. Also, again this year as part of the festivities, we are touring CNN Center, though this year instead of the generic CNN Center tour, we are getting a deluxe behind-the-scenes, sit-where-the-anchors-sit tour which will last most of the school day. You can't swing a dead cat in Decatur without hitting someone who works for CNN, so some generous parent set this tour up for us and everyone is very excited.
With taxes, each of us is flying for about $312 round trip, and we've got reservations at a place across from the beach in Carlsbad. We're not going to do any of the other area attractions, like Sea World or the Zoo. We will be spending an entire day at Legoland, and that will be enough; the rest of the time we will hit the beach or take a day trip.
Even though this kind of large financial expenditure is one I don't want to think too hard about (if I were truly financially wise I'd have put what this trip will cost on our home equity line of credit debt instead) but I've decided that something like this, the boys will remember FOREVER and that is worth it. We're not going to tell them until this weekend. They are going to be beside themselves with excitement, and that, I can't wait to see.
Vinyasa class today, with my favorite teacher, the guy with the ashtanga background. He's a great teacher. We did a lot of postures from the primary series, inversions, and urdva dhanurasana. No practice tomorrow, because I am chaperoning a field trip to CNN Center with a bunch of kids (of which Michael is one) who participated in episodes of the school's daily news program that were winning entries at the International Student Media Festival. The Media Festival is in a different city each year - this year (or last fall, to be exact) it wan in Anaheim, making it prohibitive, both financially and time-wise, for almost everyone, so with the previous set of winning entries we started the tradition of a catered buffet for the kids and their families, teachers, school board members, etc., where the kids receive an awards certificate, a t-shirt, and we view the winning festival entries. Also, again this year as part of the festivities, we are touring CNN Center, though this year instead of the generic CNN Center tour, we are getting a deluxe behind-the-scenes, sit-where-the-anchors-sit tour which will last most of the school day. You can't swing a dead cat in Decatur without hitting someone who works for CNN, so some generous parent set this tour up for us and everyone is very excited.
Saturday, January 26, 2008
Full led primary this morning.
I've been poo-poohing the studio and led practices in my mind since I haven't been able to go, but I went this morning and remembered why I love them, and the studio, so much. Alas, I still am not going to make it more than once a week, so I'll be pining away for those practices I guess.
I was worried about the studio not being warm enough, because it was barely above freezing when I left for practice, but I shouldn't have worried. He had the heat cranked and by the time we got to seated, all the windows were completely fogged. I was even able to get my arms all the way through in garba, which I cannot do unless I am pretty sweaty or else John pours water on me. Today I was pretty sweaty.
I also bound in supta kurmasana, I could have done it myself but John was right there and crossed my ankles behind my head for me.
Backbends were utilitarian....functional...a struggle. John of course had us doing five ten breath backbends, then walking back and forth on our hands, which I could not do. I did manange to straighten my arms, but it didn't feel good.
I think my lower back issue relate to sleeping on my back. Typically I am a side sleeper, but I have been waking and finding myself sleeping on my back lately.
I was a little more toward the back in class this morning, so I was able to watch the others in class more than usual. I know this is a total cliche, but everyone has their particular strengths in their practice, which, even though it's a total surface thing, is somewhat reassuring to see. Some people are really strong and have beautiful chatarungas, never letting their elbows go out to the side or touching down. Some people are really good at balancing and inverting. Others are flexible and can twist - this is me. Forward bends are a breeze, as are postures like Mari D, kurmasana, supta kurmasana, garba pindasana, and the foot-behind-the-head postures. Others are super backbenders. There was a mix of folks in class today, and the energy was good. Everyone does something well, balancing the struggles of their practice with the ease.
I heard some stuff about the hot studio where I practice which has been bothering me. One of my friends, who also has a third grader at my kids' school, does web design for the hot studio so usually is in the know about that place. She said that the weekend that they had their grand-reopening after their remodeling, they gave out about a thousand free class cards (I got them too, they were handing them out to everyone who was there that day). Well, the owner of the studio told the teachers to expect a bunch of new students in their classes but that they would not be getting paid for students who used those cards, and about five of them have quit.
I didn't know that's how the teachers got paid, per student in class. Is this standard? And if so, isn't it unreasonable to expect a teacher to perhaps not get paid for a class, if it were full of newbies? This is really troubling to me. I threw my cards in the trash, because I don't feel right using them. I really like all the teachers there, and I know most of them teach for a living. They can't be making a ton of money doing it.
Where do you draw the line between doing the right thing and making a smart business decision? Especially for a yoga studio, that line must be really fine, and maybe my expectations are higher because it's a yoga studio and I expect the owner to act in a more yogic manner.
I was worried about the studio not being warm enough, because it was barely above freezing when I left for practice, but I shouldn't have worried. He had the heat cranked and by the time we got to seated, all the windows were completely fogged. I was even able to get my arms all the way through in garba, which I cannot do unless I am pretty sweaty or else John pours water on me. Today I was pretty sweaty.
I also bound in supta kurmasana, I could have done it myself but John was right there and crossed my ankles behind my head for me.
Backbends were utilitarian....functional...a struggle. John of course had us doing five ten breath backbends, then walking back and forth on our hands, which I could not do. I did manange to straighten my arms, but it didn't feel good.
I think my lower back issue relate to sleeping on my back. Typically I am a side sleeper, but I have been waking and finding myself sleeping on my back lately.
I was a little more toward the back in class this morning, so I was able to watch the others in class more than usual. I know this is a total cliche, but everyone has their particular strengths in their practice, which, even though it's a total surface thing, is somewhat reassuring to see. Some people are really strong and have beautiful chatarungas, never letting their elbows go out to the side or touching down. Some people are really good at balancing and inverting. Others are flexible and can twist - this is me. Forward bends are a breeze, as are postures like Mari D, kurmasana, supta kurmasana, garba pindasana, and the foot-behind-the-head postures. Others are super backbenders. There was a mix of folks in class today, and the energy was good. Everyone does something well, balancing the struggles of their practice with the ease.
I heard some stuff about the hot studio where I practice which has been bothering me. One of my friends, who also has a third grader at my kids' school, does web design for the hot studio so usually is in the know about that place. She said that the weekend that they had their grand-reopening after their remodeling, they gave out about a thousand free class cards (I got them too, they were handing them out to everyone who was there that day). Well, the owner of the studio told the teachers to expect a bunch of new students in their classes but that they would not be getting paid for students who used those cards, and about five of them have quit.
I didn't know that's how the teachers got paid, per student in class. Is this standard? And if so, isn't it unreasonable to expect a teacher to perhaps not get paid for a class, if it were full of newbies? This is really troubling to me. I threw my cards in the trash, because I don't feel right using them. I really like all the teachers there, and I know most of them teach for a living. They can't be making a ton of money doing it.
Where do you draw the line between doing the right thing and making a smart business decision? Especially for a yoga studio, that line must be really fine, and maybe my expectations are higher because it's a yoga studio and I expect the owner to act in a more yogic manner.
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Rats, or not
In an earlier post I reported hearing scuffling around in the attic one night when I slept in Will's bed with him. Because we had a rat episode in the fall (rats under the house) I assumed one successfully navigated the poison bait stations we left under the house and crawled up the wall into the attic. I went to the hardware store last week and got traps and some poison. Well, last night Lee baited a trap and took it up in the attic and discovered a squirrel. Lee is convinced it's a mama squirrel with babies, because she didn't run out of the attic, she went over to a spot where the insulation is kind of mounded up, and she stayed there. We could see her tail sticking up and she sat perfectly still. He didn't leave the trap up there, but how the heck we're going to get that squirrel (and babies, if there are any) out of there is anyone's guess. Squirrels are a huge nuisance, but I don't want to leave a nest of babies to die there if we trap the mama.
So that's the latest drama at our house, other than the fact that Will's had questionable behavior days at school every day for the last week. His teacher loves boys. She thinks Will is the cutest thing in the world. It's a good thing, too, because he can be a real pain the butt.
It was too cold to practice at home today. It was gray and windy, every window in the house was radiating cold air, so I went to a Bikram class this morning. Darn it, my lower back is still giving me fits. I used to be able to rest my hands on the floor during ustrasana, but now I can barely get my hands to my heels and I can't push my hips forward without pain. It's very frustrating and discouraging. I have been looking forward to led primary on Saturday, but I'm not sure I want to go, because John always kicks ass with backbending, but I am having such a hard time with them right now! It's not that I think I've injured myself, it's that I feel so incredibly stiff across my lower back and above my hips. Am I just an old lady, or am I doing something wrong?
And I got on the scale this morning and discovered that I've gained four pounds. Ugh.
So that's the latest drama at our house, other than the fact that Will's had questionable behavior days at school every day for the last week. His teacher loves boys. She thinks Will is the cutest thing in the world. It's a good thing, too, because he can be a real pain the butt.
It was too cold to practice at home today. It was gray and windy, every window in the house was radiating cold air, so I went to a Bikram class this morning. Darn it, my lower back is still giving me fits. I used to be able to rest my hands on the floor during ustrasana, but now I can barely get my hands to my heels and I can't push my hips forward without pain. It's very frustrating and discouraging. I have been looking forward to led primary on Saturday, but I'm not sure I want to go, because John always kicks ass with backbending, but I am having such a hard time with them right now! It's not that I think I've injured myself, it's that I feel so incredibly stiff across my lower back and above my hips. Am I just an old lady, or am I doing something wrong?
And I got on the scale this morning and discovered that I've gained four pounds. Ugh.
Monday, January 21, 2008
Full primary this morning, for whatever it was worth.
You know, if I can just get past the surya namaskars, I really start to enjoy myself.
I was SO tempted to skip it this morning. It's been in the 20's since Saturday and we just can't get the house warm enough. We have heat pumps, which are fine except during weather extremes, which the 20's definitely is (are?) for this part of the country. They have been running nonstop since Friday - our power bill is going to be unreal. Anyway, my feet and hands were freezing, the air was cool and very dry, and I just wanted to get in a hot shower and then bundle up. However, Lee and Michael were leaving for the morning to work on the MLK weekend service project sponsored by the city, so I decided I'd better take advantage of the relative solitude. I let Will pick a movie and I got started. Lee called as I finished my surya namaskars and said that they had been sent to a house to do yardwork, but that there were too many volunteers and either they would try to get sent to another house, or else they'd come home. I got back to my practice and was just starting to build up some heat at marichyasana A, when I heard them pull into the driveway, with two friends in tow. I hauled my mat upstairs to the library, where I can barely sweep my arms overhead without hitting the walls, and my fingertips touch the ceiling fan when I raise my arms overhead, but at least I was out of the fray. I had finished the marichyasanas when Will came in to ask me to help him find some warm clothes, because they were all leaving again. I helped Will dress, then when they all left, I took my mat back downstairs, all heat gone by this point, but at least I had room to finish. I did the rest of the series, then spent about ten minutes stretching backwards over my yoga ball, and then some spinal twists.
Last night we met our former next door neighbors at a Korean restaurant for dinner. They moved to Athens to take professorships at the University of Georgia, so we don't see them very often but we love them dearly. Anyway, I was curious to see what my picky eaters would do with Korean food. The former neighbors' daughter (who is also our babysitter) was there, as was another family and their two daughters, plus a Latvian friend of the former neighbors who is a graduate student at UGA. We all ordered an assortment of things, plus an array of kimchee. I was so impressed with all the things Michael tried; he tried at least half of the kimchee, plus some kind of fried dumplings, a scallion and seafood pancake, a clear noodle dish with vegetables and sauce (which he loved), and three different kinds of bulgogi, plus some kind of odd pine nut porridge, which neither of us cared for at all, and he shared a tempura platter with Will.
I liked the kimchee, the clear noodle dish and the bulgogi, but I didn't care for the dumpling or the pancake, and the tempura was just okay.
Michael was a total trooper but Will, not so much. He grumbled and complained, wouldn't try anything, and then made gagging noises at the tempura vegetables. Then he whined and flopped all over me when we were just sitting around after eating, and I had to finally take him to the car, where I fussed at him for being such a pain.
He has also lost the watch he got for Christmas, which I'm irritated about as well.
It's a good thing that he's lovable and cute most of the time.
I was SO tempted to skip it this morning. It's been in the 20's since Saturday and we just can't get the house warm enough. We have heat pumps, which are fine except during weather extremes, which the 20's definitely is (are?) for this part of the country. They have been running nonstop since Friday - our power bill is going to be unreal. Anyway, my feet and hands were freezing, the air was cool and very dry, and I just wanted to get in a hot shower and then bundle up. However, Lee and Michael were leaving for the morning to work on the MLK weekend service project sponsored by the city, so I decided I'd better take advantage of the relative solitude. I let Will pick a movie and I got started. Lee called as I finished my surya namaskars and said that they had been sent to a house to do yardwork, but that there were too many volunteers and either they would try to get sent to another house, or else they'd come home. I got back to my practice and was just starting to build up some heat at marichyasana A, when I heard them pull into the driveway, with two friends in tow. I hauled my mat upstairs to the library, where I can barely sweep my arms overhead without hitting the walls, and my fingertips touch the ceiling fan when I raise my arms overhead, but at least I was out of the fray. I had finished the marichyasanas when Will came in to ask me to help him find some warm clothes, because they were all leaving again. I helped Will dress, then when they all left, I took my mat back downstairs, all heat gone by this point, but at least I had room to finish. I did the rest of the series, then spent about ten minutes stretching backwards over my yoga ball, and then some spinal twists.
Last night we met our former next door neighbors at a Korean restaurant for dinner. They moved to Athens to take professorships at the University of Georgia, so we don't see them very often but we love them dearly. Anyway, I was curious to see what my picky eaters would do with Korean food. The former neighbors' daughter (who is also our babysitter) was there, as was another family and their two daughters, plus a Latvian friend of the former neighbors who is a graduate student at UGA. We all ordered an assortment of things, plus an array of kimchee. I was so impressed with all the things Michael tried; he tried at least half of the kimchee, plus some kind of fried dumplings, a scallion and seafood pancake, a clear noodle dish with vegetables and sauce (which he loved), and three different kinds of bulgogi, plus some kind of odd pine nut porridge, which neither of us cared for at all, and he shared a tempura platter with Will.
I liked the kimchee, the clear noodle dish and the bulgogi, but I didn't care for the dumpling or the pancake, and the tempura was just okay.
Michael was a total trooper but Will, not so much. He grumbled and complained, wouldn't try anything, and then made gagging noises at the tempura vegetables. Then he whined and flopped all over me when we were just sitting around after eating, and I had to finally take him to the car, where I fussed at him for being such a pain.
He has also lost the watch he got for Christmas, which I'm irritated about as well.
It's a good thing that he's lovable and cute most of the time.
Saturday, January 19, 2008
Enough with the snow already.
Geez, how do you people who have snow all winter stand it? The muddy boots, the wet jackets, the snow encrusted mittens drying on every surface, the pants that are constantly wet from the knees down...I'm over it.
And all that with only one full day of snow.
Actually, it's been kind of nice. There hasn't been the ice that normally causes the metro area to shut down entirely, just a nice white blanket of snow that is quite pretty and perfect for snowball fights. I am over the whole need-to-change-clothes-after-every-foray-outside thing, though.
There are several legitimate reasons that I blew off full led primary this morning. See, if I weren't feeling guilty about it, I wouldn't be justifying it on my blog. I guess I am feeling like one of those half-primary losers. To begin with, I was having a rather gnarly ladies' holiday. Then late yesterday afternoon Will began to complain of an earache, bad enough to cry off and on about it all evening. I went to the pharmacy and got him some homeopathic eardrops and some liquid decongestant, not knowing what else to do, and why do these kinds of things happen on Friday afternoon anyway?
I dosed him with chewable Motrin, and gave him some eardrops, and at bedtime decided he'd sleep better if I slept with him. So I did. And at various times during the night I awoke and more than once I HEARD SOMETHING SCUFFLING AROUND IN THE ATTIC OVER MY HEAD.
Either there are squirrels or, god forbid, rats up there. Eeeeek!
Anyway, Will slept better than I did, though I did have to dose him with Motrin during the night, and when I woke up at 7:30 I really intended to go to full primary, except that I had cramps, it was sleeting and freezing cold, and the studio is a twenty-minute drive, then I would have to park at least two blocks away and walk to the building, and you know, I just couldn't face it this morning.
So I had my coffee by the fire and read the paper, and Will woke up feeling much better, so I went to the 11:00 Core Power Flow class at the hot studio, only three minutes away, which I also did yesterday. The class was taught by a guy who has an ashtanga background, so it's challenging and fun, and today's class rocked.
My lower back is still rather uncooperative, but it's somehow tied to tightness in my hips, and I find myself constantly trying to stretch along my sides and right above my hips. If I could I'd lie in that supine spinal twist, the one where your legs go to one side and your gaze to the other, all day.
Anyway, after class, it was really snowing hard and when I got home everyone else was bundled up to go outside. I stayed in and did some stuff around the house, then after a while we all bundled up (again) and went around the corner to the neighborhood pub for a few beers (well, not the boys, they had non-alcoholic beverages). We played a few hands of gin rummy and watched the snow fall and had a really nice time - the kind of afternoon that reminds me why I like spending time with just my own family for a change.
And all that with only one full day of snow.
Actually, it's been kind of nice. There hasn't been the ice that normally causes the metro area to shut down entirely, just a nice white blanket of snow that is quite pretty and perfect for snowball fights. I am over the whole need-to-change-clothes-after-every-foray-outside thing, though.
There are several legitimate reasons that I blew off full led primary this morning. See, if I weren't feeling guilty about it, I wouldn't be justifying it on my blog. I guess I am feeling like one of those half-primary losers. To begin with, I was having a rather gnarly ladies' holiday. Then late yesterday afternoon Will began to complain of an earache, bad enough to cry off and on about it all evening. I went to the pharmacy and got him some homeopathic eardrops and some liquid decongestant, not knowing what else to do, and why do these kinds of things happen on Friday afternoon anyway?
I dosed him with chewable Motrin, and gave him some eardrops, and at bedtime decided he'd sleep better if I slept with him. So I did. And at various times during the night I awoke and more than once I HEARD SOMETHING SCUFFLING AROUND IN THE ATTIC OVER MY HEAD.
Either there are squirrels or, god forbid, rats up there. Eeeeek!
Anyway, Will slept better than I did, though I did have to dose him with Motrin during the night, and when I woke up at 7:30 I really intended to go to full primary, except that I had cramps, it was sleeting and freezing cold, and the studio is a twenty-minute drive, then I would have to park at least two blocks away and walk to the building, and you know, I just couldn't face it this morning.
So I had my coffee by the fire and read the paper, and Will woke up feeling much better, so I went to the 11:00 Core Power Flow class at the hot studio, only three minutes away, which I also did yesterday. The class was taught by a guy who has an ashtanga background, so it's challenging and fun, and today's class rocked.
My lower back is still rather uncooperative, but it's somehow tied to tightness in my hips, and I find myself constantly trying to stretch along my sides and right above my hips. If I could I'd lie in that supine spinal twist, the one where your legs go to one side and your gaze to the other, all day.
Anyway, after class, it was really snowing hard and when I got home everyone else was bundled up to go outside. I stayed in and did some stuff around the house, then after a while we all bundled up (again) and went around the corner to the neighborhood pub for a few beers (well, not the boys, they had non-alcoholic beverages). We played a few hands of gin rummy and watched the snow fall and had a really nice time - the kind of afternoon that reminds me why I like spending time with just my own family for a change.
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
It ain't much, but its....
SNOW!
And we've got accumulation!
Lee and the boys are outside in their coats and mittens, having a snowball fight. I am inside with the fire lit, an enormous dish baked penne in the oven, and a glass of wine here next to me.
There wasn't supposed to be much snow or accumulation, but we're getting it. I think it's all supposed to melt during the night, or turn to sleet, with normal conditions tomorrow. I just hope school isn't cancelled. I'm supposed to help my friend with the broken elbows with her email tomorrow.
Did my surya namaskars today, and several stretching postures, but I'm pretty sore from the last two days of vinyasa, and I'm not sure there's much point to pushing myself.
Happy Winter!
And we've got accumulation!
Lee and the boys are outside in their coats and mittens, having a snowball fight. I am inside with the fire lit, an enormous dish baked penne in the oven, and a glass of wine here next to me.
There wasn't supposed to be much snow or accumulation, but we're getting it. I think it's all supposed to melt during the night, or turn to sleet, with normal conditions tomorrow. I just hope school isn't cancelled. I'm supposed to help my friend with the broken elbows with her email tomorrow.
Did my surya namaskars today, and several stretching postures, but I'm pretty sore from the last two days of vinyasa, and I'm not sure there's much point to pushing myself.
Happy Winter!
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Vinyasa again today.
We did a lot of hip opening postures in this class, all of which felt great on my lower back. We did a spinal twist at the end, the twist where you draw your knees in, then let them drop to one side, arms extended to the side, with your gaze away from the direction of your knees. As I twisted to the right, looking toward my left fingertips, the teacher knelt down next to me, pushed gently down on my left shoulder while pushing my hips more toward the right. An audible POP came from my lower back. "Awesome!!" she mouthed, as I went "aaaaahhhh".
No class tomorrow, as I have been summoned for jury duty. With a bit of luck, I'll get on my mat for some surya namaskars tomorrow afternoon, at least.
A "wintry mix" is predicted for Thursday, which means that if I go to the grocery store tomorrow, the shelves will be emptied of bread, milk, and beer.
No class tomorrow, as I have been summoned for jury duty. With a bit of luck, I'll get on my mat for some surya namaskars tomorrow afternoon, at least.
A "wintry mix" is predicted for Thursday, which means that if I go to the grocery store tomorrow, the shelves will be emptied of bread, milk, and beer.
Monday, January 14, 2008
And yet again today.
I went to a Vinyasa class at the hot studio today taught by a guy from whom I've taken a Primary Series class and several Core Power Flow classes. He's kind of an unlikely-looking yogi, but has a very soothing style of teaching, is friendly and encouraging, and has a way of creating flow between postures even when it's not a flow class.
A lot of the postures in today's class were from the primary series, linked by sun salutations, plus we played around with inversions against the wall for strength building.
Since there's no weekday morning class on the schedule at John's, and apparently there are not to be any added, I'm going to be on my own for ashtanga, it looks like. However, there are a lot of Vinyasa classes on the schedule at the hot studio, and all the teachers are good ones with ashtanga backgrounds, so I've decided to let that be my instruction - which I definitely still need - with the full series to be done on my own on the days I don't go to the hot studio.
Instead of being bummed out about this, as I would have been a few months ago, I'm very excited and motivated.
Oh, and this guy was in my Vinyasa class today.
A lot of the postures in today's class were from the primary series, linked by sun salutations, plus we played around with inversions against the wall for strength building.
Since there's no weekday morning class on the schedule at John's, and apparently there are not to be any added, I'm going to be on my own for ashtanga, it looks like. However, there are a lot of Vinyasa classes on the schedule at the hot studio, and all the teachers are good ones with ashtanga backgrounds, so I've decided to let that be my instruction - which I definitely still need - with the full series to be done on my own on the days I don't go to the hot studio.
Instead of being bummed out about this, as I would have been a few months ago, I'm very excited and motivated.
Oh, and this guy was in my Vinyasa class today.
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Made it to the mat again today.
Did a Core Power Flow class yesterday in a packed and steamy room. Stayed up waaaaay too late last night. Muscles were sore today from yesterday's class. I thought I'd skip any yoga today, and I walked the three-quarter mile to the library and back instead (on the way back toting a heavy bag of cookbooks). However, I wanted to prove to myself that I could commit to fifteen minutes a day, minimum, on the mat, so when I got home I pulled off my sweater, kicked off my shoes, and did ten surya namaskar a's, some stretching, and two ten breath headstands, plus some more playing around with inversions and handstand attempts.
'm not participating in Wo Yo Prac Mo, but somehow the idea of it has made me challenge myself to do *something* on the mat every day. Maybe what I'll gain from this commitment is a love of practicing alone at home. Wouldn't that be nice!
'm not participating in Wo Yo Prac Mo, but somehow the idea of it has made me challenge myself to do *something* on the mat every day. Maybe what I'll gain from this commitment is a love of practicing alone at home. Wouldn't that be nice!
Friday, January 11, 2008
A sick day.
Last night I went to school for curriculum night, and when it was over Beth and I decided to go get a beer. I called home to tell Lee, and he said that Will had been complaining of being very cold and tired, and had fallen asleep as soon as he got in bed. Uh oh, I thought. Michael was sick with a fever, cough and fatigue earlier in the week, and I suspected Will caught it.
Sure enough, during the night, Will climbed in bed with us and put his burning hot body right up against me. He slept, but he whimpered and tossed and I finally went and got in his bed.
I kept him home from school today which meant that I didn't get to the Core Power Flow class I was looking forward to, but to my surprise, I looked forward to primary series at home instead.
I let Will watch a Pokemon movie - he's never seen any of them before, and god, he was so happy - while I practiced. I never even broke a sweat, but I still felt strong and focused. I did everything through bhuja except for janu C and mari D, then skipped around a bit after that. My back felt good, so even though I wasn't very warm, I still was able to push up into a five-breath, straight-arm backbend. I did a quick closing and savasana just as the movie ended.
Normally sick days with my kids find me grinding my teeth in frustration because I haven't been able to leave the house, but today was different. I had a nice practice, Will and I read a magazine together, I've done laundry and vacuumed, I moved almost all my photos from my computer to a CD, cleaned off my desk, organized the shelf in my laundry closet, and did some online shopping (bought a pair of Hard Tail yoga capris and a Prana yoga tank). Will fell asleep on the sofa about 2:00 and I called my friend Gwen and arranged for Michael to go home with her son G. so that I didn't have to take Will out, so I was on my own until after 5:00. I also made a batch of banana - chocolate chip - oat cookies. The recipe is basically the tollhouse cookie recipe, with a cup of oats and a mashed banana added. They're good - the flavor is like banana bread, with a chewy, nubby texture. I'm taking them to a mom's get-together tomorrow night; we'll be having cocktails and snacks and a chick flick while all the dads channel their inner rednecks and take the boys to Phillips Arena to see Monster Jam.
Sure enough, during the night, Will climbed in bed with us and put his burning hot body right up against me. He slept, but he whimpered and tossed and I finally went and got in his bed.
I kept him home from school today which meant that I didn't get to the Core Power Flow class I was looking forward to, but to my surprise, I looked forward to primary series at home instead.
I let Will watch a Pokemon movie - he's never seen any of them before, and god, he was so happy - while I practiced. I never even broke a sweat, but I still felt strong and focused. I did everything through bhuja except for janu C and mari D, then skipped around a bit after that. My back felt good, so even though I wasn't very warm, I still was able to push up into a five-breath, straight-arm backbend. I did a quick closing and savasana just as the movie ended.
Normally sick days with my kids find me grinding my teeth in frustration because I haven't been able to leave the house, but today was different. I had a nice practice, Will and I read a magazine together, I've done laundry and vacuumed, I moved almost all my photos from my computer to a CD, cleaned off my desk, organized the shelf in my laundry closet, and did some online shopping (bought a pair of Hard Tail yoga capris and a Prana yoga tank). Will fell asleep on the sofa about 2:00 and I called my friend Gwen and arranged for Michael to go home with her son G. so that I didn't have to take Will out, so I was on my own until after 5:00. I also made a batch of banana - chocolate chip - oat cookies. The recipe is basically the tollhouse cookie recipe, with a cup of oats and a mashed banana added. They're good - the flavor is like banana bread, with a chewy, nubby texture. I'm taking them to a mom's get-together tomorrow night; we'll be having cocktails and snacks and a chick flick while all the dads channel their inner rednecks and take the boys to Phillips Arena to see Monster Jam.
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Everyday this week, so far...
It hasn't been full practices, or even the primary series, but I have been on my mat every day!
Monday was a Core Power Flow class. Tuesday, Michael was home from school with a bad sore throat and I had volunteer commitments, so Lee came home to stay with him while I did my volunteer thing. I didn't think I was going to squeeze in any practice at all, but I did five a's and three b's and some stretching backward over my yoga ball. If I can't spare at least fifteen minutes for sun salutations every day, then I need to rearrange my priorities.
My volunteer commitment on Tuesday was to help the city's Volunteer Coordinator with preparations for a big service project that takes place the weekend of the MLK, Jr. Holiday. Hundreds of volunteers do home repairs and yard work for seniors in the city who cannot afford them. The Volunteer Coordinator - her name is Leeann - is the woman for whom I have volunteered the past three years with a Christmas gift project for underprivileged kids. Well, about a month ago, just as that project was wrapping up Leeann was making a last delivery of gifts to a recipient when she tripped and fell, breaking both her elbows.
She was unable to travel for Christmas, and could do almost nothing for herself. She underwent surgery at Emory on what was supposed to be the most severely broken elbow, except that the x-rays got mixed up and they operated on the one that was not as severely broken - the arm with which she still had a little bit of mobility. So after her surgery, she had to get round-the-clock home health nurses to do basically everything for her.
My friend Beth organized a whole bunch of people to do things like bring her meals and run errands for her for a few weeks after the accident. I took her a meal a few days after Christmas and she was moved to tears at how generous people have been to her, as well as very grateful for visitors, since she couldn't drive herself anywhere or hold the phone up to her ear. She is the nicest lady, and she does so much for the city, so I really wanted to do everything I could to help her.
Well, the MLK service project is a massive effort of organization, and as Leeann can barely feed herself, and is undergoing three times weekly physical therapy that exhausts her, I offered to come help her go through her emails and respond to them in order to get volunteers sorted for the project. I made her a quiche and picked up some fresh fruit for her, then spent about two hours going through her emails for her and sending the responses she dictated.
If there's anything that I do in my life that is rewarding, it's volunteer work. I love being a part of an effort that makes a difference in people's lives.
ANYWAY, all that to say, I didn't think I was going to squeeze in anytime on the mat, but I made myself take a break from all the other stuff that needed doing at home and do it.
Yesterday morning was another Core Power Flow class, in a steamy hot room. I was having issues with my lower back yesterday, again, but I discovered that stretching, as in pigeon pose or a very deep lunge, seems to help. Yesterday it felt as if the muscles above my hips were very sore and I didn't feel bendy at all in my lower back or hips. Once I was very warm, though, at the point in the class where you can opt for modified bridge or full urdva dhanurasana, I pushed up into urdva d. It wasn't pretty, it didn't feel great, but I did straighten my arms for two breaths at least.
I know it's totally an ego thing, persevering with backbend. I don't want to back off of it, because I know I can do it. I'm not willing to wait it out and see if my back feels better if I leave it alone.
I did five a's and three b's this morning, as soon as the boys left for school, with some additional forward folds to stretch my hamstrings and some more deep lunges to stretch my hips.
This morning I went for a Real Haircut. Real, as in, I went to a stylist for curly hair and spent some time talking to her about what my hair does and what I want, and didn't just go to the same person who's cut my hair for the last fifteen years just so she could lop an inch off the bottom and let it go at that. I also paid $65 including tip which makes it really Real!
Anyway, it's rainy and humid today so I can't really tell what it's going to look like, but the general idea is that it's a bit shorter and more layered in the back than it has been, gradually getting a bit longer toward the front. I like the way it feels in the back, but right now it looks like a big fuzzball, so the jury is still out as to whether it was worth the money.
Tomorrow morning I am going back for yet another Core Power Flow class, and then again on Saturday morning. The hot studio has recently renovated, so they are having a big reopening reception on Saturday and everyone who comes out for class that day gets three free classes credited to their accounts. So, I'm skipping my regular Saturday advanced primary practice this week. It's still practice, though, I firmly believe.
Monday was a Core Power Flow class. Tuesday, Michael was home from school with a bad sore throat and I had volunteer commitments, so Lee came home to stay with him while I did my volunteer thing. I didn't think I was going to squeeze in any practice at all, but I did five a's and three b's and some stretching backward over my yoga ball. If I can't spare at least fifteen minutes for sun salutations every day, then I need to rearrange my priorities.
My volunteer commitment on Tuesday was to help the city's Volunteer Coordinator with preparations for a big service project that takes place the weekend of the MLK, Jr. Holiday. Hundreds of volunteers do home repairs and yard work for seniors in the city who cannot afford them. The Volunteer Coordinator - her name is Leeann - is the woman for whom I have volunteered the past three years with a Christmas gift project for underprivileged kids. Well, about a month ago, just as that project was wrapping up Leeann was making a last delivery of gifts to a recipient when she tripped and fell, breaking both her elbows.
She was unable to travel for Christmas, and could do almost nothing for herself. She underwent surgery at Emory on what was supposed to be the most severely broken elbow, except that the x-rays got mixed up and they operated on the one that was not as severely broken - the arm with which she still had a little bit of mobility. So after her surgery, she had to get round-the-clock home health nurses to do basically everything for her.
My friend Beth organized a whole bunch of people to do things like bring her meals and run errands for her for a few weeks after the accident. I took her a meal a few days after Christmas and she was moved to tears at how generous people have been to her, as well as very grateful for visitors, since she couldn't drive herself anywhere or hold the phone up to her ear. She is the nicest lady, and she does so much for the city, so I really wanted to do everything I could to help her.
Well, the MLK service project is a massive effort of organization, and as Leeann can barely feed herself, and is undergoing three times weekly physical therapy that exhausts her, I offered to come help her go through her emails and respond to them in order to get volunteers sorted for the project. I made her a quiche and picked up some fresh fruit for her, then spent about two hours going through her emails for her and sending the responses she dictated.
If there's anything that I do in my life that is rewarding, it's volunteer work. I love being a part of an effort that makes a difference in people's lives.
ANYWAY, all that to say, I didn't think I was going to squeeze in anytime on the mat, but I made myself take a break from all the other stuff that needed doing at home and do it.
Yesterday morning was another Core Power Flow class, in a steamy hot room. I was having issues with my lower back yesterday, again, but I discovered that stretching, as in pigeon pose or a very deep lunge, seems to help. Yesterday it felt as if the muscles above my hips were very sore and I didn't feel bendy at all in my lower back or hips. Once I was very warm, though, at the point in the class where you can opt for modified bridge or full urdva dhanurasana, I pushed up into urdva d. It wasn't pretty, it didn't feel great, but I did straighten my arms for two breaths at least.
I know it's totally an ego thing, persevering with backbend. I don't want to back off of it, because I know I can do it. I'm not willing to wait it out and see if my back feels better if I leave it alone.
I did five a's and three b's this morning, as soon as the boys left for school, with some additional forward folds to stretch my hamstrings and some more deep lunges to stretch my hips.
This morning I went for a Real Haircut. Real, as in, I went to a stylist for curly hair and spent some time talking to her about what my hair does and what I want, and didn't just go to the same person who's cut my hair for the last fifteen years just so she could lop an inch off the bottom and let it go at that. I also paid $65 including tip which makes it really Real!
Anyway, it's rainy and humid today so I can't really tell what it's going to look like, but the general idea is that it's a bit shorter and more layered in the back than it has been, gradually getting a bit longer toward the front. I like the way it feels in the back, but right now it looks like a big fuzzball, so the jury is still out as to whether it was worth the money.
Tomorrow morning I am going back for yet another Core Power Flow class, and then again on Saturday morning. The hot studio has recently renovated, so they are having a big reopening reception on Saturday and everyone who comes out for class that day gets three free classes credited to their accounts. So, I'm skipping my regular Saturday advanced primary practice this week. It's still practice, though, I firmly believe.
Monday, January 7, 2008
Back to the mat.
And what a creaky return it has been.
On the home front, when we returned from the beach, I was really in the mood to be domestic and hunker down at home with the family, cooking wholesome meals and just being together. So far we've done that. Thursday night I made homemade tomato soup with whole wheat rolls, Friday I made grilled steak salad, Saturday night I made a big pot of turkey chili, and last night I made spaghetti & meatballs (the meatballs were not homemade, but the sauce was). Tonight is broccoli cheese soup, with a loaf of whole wheat bread, which was still warm when I picked it up at the Farmer's Market today.
School started back today and I think the boys are very happy to be back in a routine and seeing their friends. Will has made some developmental leaps over the holiday that have amazed me...he is reading everything he sees, and he has learned to tell time! He asked for a watch several times last fall, so I got him one for Christmas, a kids' Timex with hands, not digital. He's worn it almost every day and can almost always tell me exactly what time it is.
I got in one short practice at the beach on New Years' Eve, and it felt great. I went to a Core Power class on Thursday night at the hot studio, and that was a great class too. Saturday morning I took the advanced primary class at John's, and that practice wasn't so great. The energy of the packed room was wonderful, but I never really got very warm, and I didn't feel so strong or bendy.
After having a good practice alone at the beach house, I decided to try to make practicing at home alone more appealing, especially since when I spoke to John on Saturday at class, he wasn't sure if he was going to have a weekday morning class this quarter or not. So instead of practicing in my living room, where I have to roll up the rug and every forward bend gives me a great view of all the dust bunnies, popcorn kernels, legos, and jenga blocks under my sofa and entertainment center, I decided to practice in the dining room, which contains only my desk, a table and chairs, and a lamp....far fewer distractions. I did not listen to music, and I even got my buddha statue and set him near my mat to evoke the feeling of the studio.
In the interest of time, I skipped every other set of between-sides vinyasas, but otherwise I did the full series. I didn't even break a sweat, but otherwise - other than backbends - it felt like an okay practice, not monumental or particularly inspired, but not bad.
Backbends have turned into a big problem for me. At the beginning of December, I felt like my backbends were really coming along. I could usually straighten my arms in backbend with no problems and had just become able to lower onto my forearms and clasp my hands behind my head.
However, the last few weeks I have had a lot of stiffness in my lower back and hips and unless I am very, very warm, I can barely lift myself up at all! My lower back simply would not go there.
I held a backbend in the hot room last Thursday night effortlessly, with straight arms...but Saturday I could barely lift the crown of my head off the floor, and I experienced the same thing today. Additionally, my forward folds are feeling more stiff than usual, updogs are a challenge, and I feel lots of pressure in my lower back during headstand.
What could be going on? Is it the lack of practice in the last several weeks, or something else? It's very discouraging. I'm not sure if I just need to spend some time stretching, if I need to go see my chiropractor, or if getting back into regular practice will help. Even as I sit here typing, my lower back feels stiff and achy.
Marichyasana C has also turned into a posture I dread. The twist coupled with the compression of the hip joint, especially on the left, is really painful. I used to have a wrist bind in Mari C on both sides, but now I can only clasp hands on the left. I find I enjoy Mari D much more, and it's much more comfortable, than C, and I am still able to catch my wrist on the left in Mari D.
I have upped my daily dose of fish oil caps, but so far, I can't tell a difference.
I wonder if the extra padding around my middle is affecting my practice in any way - the scale does not show any weight gain, but I can feel a bit of extra something around my waist and where a six pack would be, if I had one. God, I'm ready for all the crap food to be out of the house already. Lee brought home a big bag of M&M's that someone had given his partner. She sent them home with him for the kids. I've put them in the freezer, but I still find myself grabbing a handful now and then. That's got to stop!!
Despite my worries about backbending and my lack of motivation to practice alone, I am proud of myself for just doing it today, no excuses, and I think I could come to enjoy practicing at home.
On the home front, when we returned from the beach, I was really in the mood to be domestic and hunker down at home with the family, cooking wholesome meals and just being together. So far we've done that. Thursday night I made homemade tomato soup with whole wheat rolls, Friday I made grilled steak salad, Saturday night I made a big pot of turkey chili, and last night I made spaghetti & meatballs (the meatballs were not homemade, but the sauce was). Tonight is broccoli cheese soup, with a loaf of whole wheat bread, which was still warm when I picked it up at the Farmer's Market today.
School started back today and I think the boys are very happy to be back in a routine and seeing their friends. Will has made some developmental leaps over the holiday that have amazed me...he is reading everything he sees, and he has learned to tell time! He asked for a watch several times last fall, so I got him one for Christmas, a kids' Timex with hands, not digital. He's worn it almost every day and can almost always tell me exactly what time it is.
I got in one short practice at the beach on New Years' Eve, and it felt great. I went to a Core Power class on Thursday night at the hot studio, and that was a great class too. Saturday morning I took the advanced primary class at John's, and that practice wasn't so great. The energy of the packed room was wonderful, but I never really got very warm, and I didn't feel so strong or bendy.
After having a good practice alone at the beach house, I decided to try to make practicing at home alone more appealing, especially since when I spoke to John on Saturday at class, he wasn't sure if he was going to have a weekday morning class this quarter or not. So instead of practicing in my living room, where I have to roll up the rug and every forward bend gives me a great view of all the dust bunnies, popcorn kernels, legos, and jenga blocks under my sofa and entertainment center, I decided to practice in the dining room, which contains only my desk, a table and chairs, and a lamp....far fewer distractions. I did not listen to music, and I even got my buddha statue and set him near my mat to evoke the feeling of the studio.
In the interest of time, I skipped every other set of between-sides vinyasas, but otherwise I did the full series. I didn't even break a sweat, but otherwise - other than backbends - it felt like an okay practice, not monumental or particularly inspired, but not bad.
Backbends have turned into a big problem for me. At the beginning of December, I felt like my backbends were really coming along. I could usually straighten my arms in backbend with no problems and had just become able to lower onto my forearms and clasp my hands behind my head.
However, the last few weeks I have had a lot of stiffness in my lower back and hips and unless I am very, very warm, I can barely lift myself up at all! My lower back simply would not go there.
I held a backbend in the hot room last Thursday night effortlessly, with straight arms...but Saturday I could barely lift the crown of my head off the floor, and I experienced the same thing today. Additionally, my forward folds are feeling more stiff than usual, updogs are a challenge, and I feel lots of pressure in my lower back during headstand.
What could be going on? Is it the lack of practice in the last several weeks, or something else? It's very discouraging. I'm not sure if I just need to spend some time stretching, if I need to go see my chiropractor, or if getting back into regular practice will help. Even as I sit here typing, my lower back feels stiff and achy.
Marichyasana C has also turned into a posture I dread. The twist coupled with the compression of the hip joint, especially on the left, is really painful. I used to have a wrist bind in Mari C on both sides, but now I can only clasp hands on the left. I find I enjoy Mari D much more, and it's much more comfortable, than C, and I am still able to catch my wrist on the left in Mari D.
I have upped my daily dose of fish oil caps, but so far, I can't tell a difference.
I wonder if the extra padding around my middle is affecting my practice in any way - the scale does not show any weight gain, but I can feel a bit of extra something around my waist and where a six pack would be, if I had one. God, I'm ready for all the crap food to be out of the house already. Lee brought home a big bag of M&M's that someone had given his partner. She sent them home with him for the kids. I've put them in the freezer, but I still find myself grabbing a handful now and then. That's got to stop!!
Despite my worries about backbending and my lack of motivation to practice alone, I am proud of myself for just doing it today, no excuses, and I think I could come to enjoy practicing at home.
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
Holiday recap.
Aftermath, Christmas:
New Year's Eve:
We're back from four days at Edisto Island with five other families. Great time. Though our bike rack somehow shattered the rear window of my CRV on the way down while it poured rain, and it was in the 30's all the way home today.
I got on my mat one time at the beach house, and I think I might have reached a point where I can practice alone. In silence. And like it!
I read almost all of Middlesex at the beach. It was an amazing book and I hope to finish it tonight when I finally get to bed.
We're all exhausted, especially the boys, from four days spent with nine other kids. I can't wait to get my house back in order and make yummy, homecooked meals.
New Year's Eve:
We're back from four days at Edisto Island with five other families. Great time. Though our bike rack somehow shattered the rear window of my CRV on the way down while it poured rain, and it was in the 30's all the way home today.
I got on my mat one time at the beach house, and I think I might have reached a point where I can practice alone. In silence. And like it!
I read almost all of Middlesex at the beach. It was an amazing book and I hope to finish it tonight when I finally get to bed.
We're all exhausted, especially the boys, from four days spent with nine other kids. I can't wait to get my house back in order and make yummy, homecooked meals.
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