BLOG DRAMA

"As she hurriedly finished her breakfast (including one-half of a juicy orange), she turned to the keyboard; only to find her fingers sticky with the afore-mentioned juice.  What to do?  Wipe it off, and get back to the typing.  The end."

Joking . . . it's not the end of this blog post, just the end of the blog drama for which this post is titled.  HaHaHaHa !!!  (I do love a good (or bad) joke in the morning.)

What is not a joke is the soreness I am experiencing each time I inhale deeply.  I can only think of one person to blame for that, and that person's initials are DR (as in Desiree Rumbaugh).  She's back and didn't miss a beat yesterday, moving us in all directions -- sideways, up, down, on hands, on knees, on one  hand and one knee.  You name it, I think we moved there.  All with the intention of keeping our back body spread, ribs and belly engaged through front body, shoulder blades on back -- standing tall with the firm foundation that posture gives us.

Breakthrough moment!  We did Hanumanasana (splits) and I went lower than usual -- however that's not the breakthrough.  The next pose, the one where you are in a lunge, put right shoulder under right knee, stretch right leg forward off the ground, and lift back leg.  You know that one?  (I can't remember the name of it.)  Anyway, I have never (NEVER) taken the front leg off the ground, unless I bent the knee.  Yesterday, I not only lifted it from the ground, but the leg was straight.  Be still my heart.

Other news from the practice -- the Pasadena Posse was there, including my friend Jose Alvarado.  So good to see him.  I put my mat across from his, every once in a while we'd both look up and he'd be cheering me on.  That, plus LeeAnn next to me, made the practice truly inspirational.  Someday, I may be able to do at least a portion of the poses they do; for now, it is fun to watch.

My own teaching has been very rewarding lately.  People struggling with conditions or injuries that preclude most from even thinking about yoga, are showing up.  They are doing the best they can, and they are finding benefit.  Love that part of teaching.

Today?  Taking one dog to the vet (routine check), then to Temecula for Gentle Yoga at Yoga For Life, followed by Wisdom Warriors at Living Yoga, and a basic class (also at Living Yoga) that I am subbing for a friend.

Hope you have a great Thursday!

I'M BACK . . .

One day short of a month, I'm back; back to writing in the blog, since I've always been here -- just silent on the writing front.

What have I been doing?  Yoga, teaching yoga, more yoga, more teaching, some housework, practicing my guitar(s) -- yes, plural, spending time with family, a little yard work, and NOT writing in the blog.  For a good reason?  No, just not writing.

I was reminded 2 days ago (when I received an ad from Apple about the new MacBook Air) that my husband, Howard, bought me this MacBook Pro computer about 4-5 years ago.  The reason?  I worked on an older laptop (PC) then, and he says he enjoyed walking out and finding me smiling at the computer in the mornings as I wrote.

Then, I touched base with a Wisdom Warriors friend and she commented that she enjoyed reading my blog posts (what blog posts, I thought); perhaps I could take this as a friendly 'nudge' to write again.   Whatever the reason, writing in the blog has brought me pleasure -- new friends, reconnection with old friends, education thru researching some of the topics I've written about, sharing information, etc., etc., etc. Basically, a lot of enjoyment just from writing.

SO, I'm back.

My teaching has exploded!  I teach more classes now than ever; and, as people learn about me, some of those are well attended. As I've posted on Facebook a couple times -- I am different in my teaching; and many students struggle with that. That's o.k., since there appear to be many who need my style of teaching.    

I was even asked to step in as guide for one of our Wisdom Warriors sessions!!!  Be still my heart -- standing in for Desiree Rumbaugh (and Mary Payton).  This happened just one day after I cracked my big toe doing a 'bad' demo (the sound heard round the room).  So, I was a bit compromised when the big day came.  That meant I picked the pose list (Desiree left us well prepared with ideas for teaching) with the fewest poses that would challenge that toe.  It was fun, it was another growth experience.  A few attended (meaning 3, literally); and we worked hard.  I misunderstood Desiree's instructions, repeating a pose sequence 3 times (I believed she had written "repeat 5 times", but I made an 'executive' decision to just do it 3 times).  What she really meant was 'do the five poses in a row'  -  NOT do the 5 poses, 5 times.  No wonder we ran out of time!  

All in all, it turned out well.  We collaborated during the practice, each offering thoughts and pose variations that benefitted us all.  Another 'be still my heart' moment, and the way I love to practice -- with some help from my friends.

On another topic, my current favorite yoga book is "Yoga at the Wall" -- since I use the wall a LOT in several of my classes, especially the therapeutic/gentle classes.  Some great ideas in there.  

Guitar goes well -- ups and downs.  Some days the fingers work better than others.  I'm still taking lessons and I'm still practicing (and I have accumulated a few guitars to work with).  Isn't that how guitar players are?  My routine is to practice on one, then choose another to work with for a bit.  So, I am using the guitars in my 'stable' (is that what you call your collection of guitars?).  Anyway, it is fun. I haven't played for anyone yet -- just not nimble or confident enough yet.  Someday.  

It's Saturday, a free day embellished by dinner with new friends.  Hope your weekend is a good one and Happy Father's Day to all who care for others.