It's a New Day for This Mom.

I'm moving over to a new blog. I got tired of my old template, but wasn't sure I could change it w/out losing my archives. So here's where you can find me now: Mama Yogini

February? Or April?

It's beautiful, high 60's, gorgeous flawless sky, slight breeze. I'm wearing cropped jeans, a tiny short sleeve tee, and Chaco sandals. When it turns cold again, as it inevitably will, it's gonna be an unpleasant shock.

Hot 90 this morning. I debated going, because after the PTA board meeting last night, R, G & me went to Steinbecks, where B met us, and I had two Harpoon draft ales and a bunch of crab and artichoke dip. I felt pretty gross this morning, but not hungover, so I went ahead to class...I'm glad I did. I had a good sweat going & felt much detoxified afterward. I also pushed into a great backbend AND got myself vertical in a headstand, though only for a nanosecond...woot! It's much easier for me to get my legs halfway now. When I really engage my bandhas, my legs feel very light. I just need to work on my alignment and balance, because I feel like my spine is too curved...and also I can't lift my legs while straight; I have to bend them and lift them. I suppose once I've gotten comfortable with that, I'm going to have to start all over and learn it the real way.

Will field trip tomorrow and zoo trip w/friends tomorrow afternoon. Decatur 101 class on Thursday monring, then silent auction/spring party meeting Thursday night. Primary level 1 on Friday morning, then girl's night on Friday night, then Decatur 101 walking tour on Saturday morning, plus Michael's rock climbing class, then soccer parents meeting, then mom & dad visit on Sunday and Monday. There's a LOT going on. Other than Friday's class, I hope I can squeeze in a primary series at home at least once.

Yogic strife.

There's apparently some wierd stuff going down at DHY...lately when I've been there I've caught a vibe where people are grumbling or whispering together, and I picked up, somehow, that it was about the owner, who I've heard is a super tightly wound type A....I talked to my friend R on the playground today, and she's good friends with C, who teaches pilates and also used to work the desk, and apparently the owner has told all her desk help that she is no longer paying them salaries, but paying them in yoga. Two of them don't even do yoga. ONe of them was there working when I signed Michael in for yogaKids this afternoon, so I don't know what the deal is. Also I overheard the yogaKids teacher saying that the owner will not add another class no matter how much she begs, even though her class is filled to capacity, and she was looking to take her yogaKids classes elsewhere. That would be a bummer.

I got up this morning at 5:30 to do a thirty minute "short forms" practice while Lee went for a run. MAN, was I ever stiff and creaky. I didn't feel much more flexible by the time I got to the end, and I actually got fatigued pretty quickly too. I went and saw Dr. Kerry this morning and the popping that she got out of my neck was incredible. It feels quite a bit better.

PTA board meeting tonight. I was feeling pretty aggravated earlier while I was getting ready for the meeting, but I'm focusing on letting go. Namaste. Seeing the light in everyone, no matter how passive aggressive, overly emotionally invested, or irritating they are to me. R & G want me to go out for a drink with them afterward, so I'm chugging water in order to have a glass of wine and not wake up with a hangover.

Hot 90 at 8:30 in the morning, then no practice again until Thursday morning, another short practice at home.

If an ashtangi falls over in her living room and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?

So Lee and Michael went to NC today for Lee's Uncle Jack's 90th birthday party and Will and I stayed here. Will is complaining of a sore throat, but even if he wasn't, five hours in a car is definitely not a good thing for him.

I put "Hoodwinked" on for him upstairs, got my David Swenson book, put on some yoga music, and started primary. My neck, lower back and upper back are very whacked out...I am definitely going to the chiropractor tomorrow...and I was determined to go as slow as I wanted. 5 A's, 3 B's, then through to Utkatasana, where I felt like I lost the flow I had going. I am never sure about the transition right there. In fact, I am probably not doing any of the transitions right, which makes me worry a little bit about having to practice at home so much - I am worried about getting into bad habits. I should probably practice with my DVD a few times. Anyhow...I managed to get back into more of a flow with the seated postures. And I also, for the first time, managed to jump my legs back from a crossed position in the vinyasas. Woot! I also bound my index fingers on both sides in Mari D, though I felt pretty hunched over.

After navasana, I had to refer more to my book because those are the trickier, more unfamiliar postures. I crossed my ankles for the first time in bhujapidasana! Last week in class I managed to touch my toes together off the ground briefly before it was time to move on, but today I just stayed in the posture and scooched my toes toward each other on the floor until I could cross my feet, then I just crossed them more tightly together, then balanced for a few breaths until I fell over on my butt.

I kept going, though I had to refer to my book between postures, to setu bandasana, where I blanked and couldn't remember the modification John showed us last week. Then I did a modified backbend, a full backbend, then all the way through to sirsasana, where I attempted headstand twice before moving on to baddha padmasana, where I bound briefly (though I can't fold forward while bound), then I did the last two postures, then savasana, by which time my yoga mix cd had finished and my new Snatam Kaur cd had started, which made for a nice relaxing end.

My chatarangas have come a long, long way. When I first started, by the time I got to vinyasas, I would jump (or more likely step) back, then just lower all the way to the floor. Today I got through the whole practice (though I skipped vinyasas between sides) and was able to jump back, lower and hover just above the floor, then move myself forward toward updog slightly before having to lower my belly all the way to the floor.

The rain has stopped, and it's beautiful, sunny and warm outside. I'm going feed Will lunch, then we are putting on our mud shoes and go outside for a while.

Vamos a un restaurante Mexicano!

I went with the second graders today to Los Bravos for lunch, where they ordered and conversed with the wait staff entirely in Spanish....then got up and sang "vamos a un restaurante Mexicano" to all the patrons and staff. It was one of the funniest and cutest things I've ever seen. Several of us moms sat together with Michael's teacher, who is just a lovely, lovely person and a lot of fun. The whole field trip was fun.

Friday night...I'm sitting here with a glass of red wine listening to Michael, Will and Jake from next door have a battle out back with two wooden muskets, plastic light sabers, various balls, and a couple of foam rockets. They have chicken nuggets in the oven; Lee and I are going to have buffalo burgers on the grill, plus roasted beets and watercress with feta cheese and a balsamic dressing, and roasted asparagus.

No practice today due to field trip; I did a hot 90 yesterday morning. I have been feeling a bit more stiff in my neck and upper back recently; don't know if that's because I have not been doing bikram as much, or because of my trying to learn sirsasana (which I worked on some more after the hot 90; I can get my legs to about half way and stay there for a little while, but no further without chickening out).

Tomorrow afternoon Michael and I are going to a parent and child yoga workshop; we went to one last month and it was loads of fun. Sunday Lee and Michael are going to Highlands, NC to Lee's Uncle Jack's 90th birthday. I hope to do at least the 45 minute short forms practice while I hypnotize Will with a movie or something. I am going to primary series level one next Friday...I guess I'll get in a couple hot 90's next week. I just hope I can keep my motivation going when I can only go to maybe one primary series class a week.

Ashtanga-inspired yoga-lite.

So I was all excited about the ashtanga class on the schedule at DHY and I went last night. The instructor asked me about my experience - all the other attendees had apparently taken this lady's "intro to ashtanga" workshop for five weeks earlier this year - and I told her I was learning ashtanga from John at only yoga. "Well, I'm very different from him", she told me. I'm okay with different, but this class was slloooowwww. First off, she had us prop on blocks and stretch. That took up about the first six or seven minutes of class. Then we did the opening chant. Then about twenty minutes of very slow surya namaskar a's (during which two more people came in) with lots of detailed instructions. Then two or three surya namaskar b's, which moved so slowly that I kind of spaced out and lost my place. She would say "do the next at your own pace" and even going more slowly than usual, I still finished ahead of everyone else. (My chatarangas have improved!).

We did padangustasana and padahastasana, then triangle, warrior I, and the pose whose name escapes me, John teaches it for newer yogis with the forearm on the thigh, and then the other arm stretches overhead. We did it the traditional way with blocks; well, everyone else used blocks. Then I think we did another surya namaskar or two, then bridge, then savasana. We couldn't run late because there was a Pilated class waiting to come in.

So, nontraditional and I think too beginnerish for me. Which is too bad - I was very excited to be able to do ashtanga at my "home" studio.

This morning I am planning to help out in Michael's classroom (I have to go get in the shower in a minute or I'll be late!) so I did David Swenson's 30 minute short form series. I got out my book, put on some music, and went through it in about 35 minutes. I did everything, plus a couple of attempts at sirsasana. I actually felt like I had a good, kind of flowy practice! My knees and hips protested quite loudly when I came out of Mari C - and I actually could not bind on the left this morning, due to pain in my hip joint - but other than that, I felt good and I stayed with my breath more often than not.

And Will slept through the night last night. Three cheers!!

"In the spring, a young woman's fancy lightly turns to thoughts of shoes."

I hope ol' Alfred, Lord Tennyson, doesn't mind my paraphrasing here.

I have been on a mini shoe-buying frenzy. I have bought four pairs of shoes from Zappos this weekend - a pair of Converse low-tops, some Kenneth Cole Reaction beaded pewter thong sandals, and two pairs of Keds print skimmers - one in a frog print and one in a parrot print that's a Mary Jane. I probably won't keep both pairs of Keds, though. Gotta love the zappos free shipping and returns!

Practice yesterday was great! Four of us from the Foundations workshop were there plus just two other women - so everyone got lots of adjustments. As I thought, it was not the entire primary. We did everything to uttita hasta - in prasarita padott... C, John came over and pushed my clasped hands down toward the floor until I thought I was going to have to shout "uncle"! For uttita hasta, we only did a modified D, with hands under the thighs, but for ten looonnngg breaths.

Then we did everything else to trianga mukha (which we skipped), with vinyasas between postures, not sides, then the janus, then Mari a, b and c. Then five navasanas, which lasted a couple of days, then bhujapidasana, in which I can begin to cross my feet before falling on my butt.

Then we skipped way ahead to bridge pose, then two backbends if we wanted (or two more bridges). I did the first bridge, then a backbend, and then wanted to do a second backbend, but I had moved my yogitoes off to the side and my hands were slipping, so I came back down and did another bridge. I still can't work out the mat/yogitoes thing. I hate to stop and move the thing off and on my mat. Until I work up a good sweat, the yogitoes isn't grippy enough....but just a little bit of sweat and my hands begin to slip on my mat.

Anyway....paschimottanasana...John came and leaned on me and my face was waaaay flat on my shins. Then shoulderstand, plow, karnapidasana. Then urdva padmasana, which I had never done before. I've either skipped it when doing my DVD, or modified, or something. Anyway, very wierd feeling to be balancing on my shoulders, but I did it. Then pindasana in sarvangasana, in which I could only touch my fingers together with John's help before rolling down. Then matsyasana, uttana padasana, then sirsasana. I told John when I got there that I had been practicing at home, but that I was still scared of falling so could not keep my legs up. So as soon as we got to sirsasana, John was by my mat waiting for me. I got my legs up briefly and he held them there but I had to come down quickly. I tried again several times... I can get my legs up halfway (bent, not piked) and can hold them there longer each time I try...so I know it is coming....slowly. I practiced a few more times when I got home, and I told Michael that I couldn't hold my legs up because I was scared of falling. He said "mommy, why don't you think about NOT falling?" DUH!! What a great idea from an eight year old. I probably amd going to fall if I think I am.

After that....child's pose, then savasana. I felt GREAT. Though I have something going on with my left hip....any tight twisting pose, and I feel pain in the very inner part, like deep inside the hip crease. This has been going on since I started Bikram...in final spinal, I really feel it. In primary, I feel it in the Maris when I have to twist to the left. The top of my left thigh is also sore to the touch...I'm not sure what that's from....my lotus foot? Then why is my right thigh not sore also? My left thigh seems to be perpetually sore, though not visibly bruised. I'm not sure what's going on.

My chatarangas are slowly improving....my (noisy) jumpbacks and jump ups are too, though jump throughs are ages and ages away...and I absolutely love how, in the later vinyasas, my down dogs feel extremely deep and stretchy.

For dinner last night we had a big crock pot of chicken and black bean chili, which rocked....I ate three bowls. So much for leftovers.

Today is another holiday from school....the boys are awake and listening to some Talking Heads song at full volume and playing the drums....it's the song that goes "Baby baby, please let me hold you, I wanna make you stay up all night! "