Days of Yoga

Song in my head: “Hear my Song” from “Songs for a New World”
Food craving after class: toast

Okay, that was a nice workout.  I’ll be honest, I’m still not loving yoga at the gym.  Three nights in a row might be too many.  I really, really miss Coil.  

Basically, I was so worried about having a repeat of last night’s class, I trekked all the way out to Clovis because I was able to research the instructor.  (Note to GB3: instructor bios on your website would be really, really helpful.  Then I wouldn’t feel like such a stalker journalist in my quest for information on these people).  But I saw that Anna Parker was teaching tonight in Clovis, and I liked a lot of the things she had to say on her website, so off I went.  

Okay, my main complaint tonight is about the other people in class.  I know, I know.  Free yoga.  Free yoga.  But the two girls right behind me were talking during class.  A lot.  Oh!  And the texting!  Okay, I am married to my phone.  We are attached at all times.  Except during yoga.  The fact that I even have my phone next to me during yoga at the gym is still so bizarre to me (granted, it’s in my makeshift “gym yoga bag” (read: Anthropologie bag), but still).  Yoga is my time of radio silence.  Pretty please, turn off your phone.  And yes, yoga is harder than it looks.  I’m glad to hear you’ve made that wonderful discovery.  Now it’s quiet time.

Still, I needed a decent workout today, and I got it.  And I’m recharging my batteries at Coil as soon as humanly possible.

Namaste, y’all…

 

Lookit!!! My gorgeous cousin Natalie is blogging for lululemon now!  Soooooo cool.  (I’m more-than-a-little jealous).  Enjoy!

Song in my head: “Wheels of a Dream”
Food craving after class: gnocchi  

Okay, so I may have spoken too soon.

Tonight’s gym yoga was not good.  Not good at all.  I’ve been weighing whether or not I should even write about this, because it feels so negative, and… would I really say these things to the instructor’s face…. I’m not sure.  So I’m going to keep this sort of light, and hope she’s not a reader.

I tried a new instructor tonight.  (I’m not going to use her name, obviously, but if you’d really like to know so you can avoid something similar, message me).  Basically, the main problem was she just isn’t a yogi.  She knew the postures (well, sort of.  She said we were in Crescent Moon when it was really more like Warrior I), but we went through them without much transition, or really any connection through the practice at all.  It’s hard enough finding center and my inner happy place in the gym as it is… when there’s no real rhyme or reason to the practice… it just felt like stretching, and not great stretching.   

We also went into some pretty advanced poses in this class.   Now, I understand that all-level classes must be difficult to organize.  But there was really no build-up to these poses.  One time, for example, Marie spent an entire class doing poses to loosen up our knees and ankles to just attempt an advanced pose at the end.  But in this class it was like, “Okay, let’s move into this one, see if you can do it.”  I rolled my eyes in class.  That’s not good.

I’m really not blaming her for my experience— she was incredibly nice, and warm throughout the practice, and I hope other people got more from it than I did.  But, maybe she was trained just enough that the gym thought it was okay.  The thing is, it really didn’t feel like yoga, and if I can say that with my limited experience, an actual yoga teacher should know the difference.

Okay, I’ve been building up to the savasana story, because it may be my favorite one ever.  First, we went into it with no transition.  It was literally, “Okay, we’re almost out of time now and I love this part, so let’s do savasansa.”  The thing about savasana is, you have to build up to it so that it’s a genuine release, or really, you’re just lying there fairly pointlessly.  (I actually threw in some twists secretly right at the beginning just to try and squeeze some endorphins out of my body).  And then she said, “This is known as “corpse pose,” but I don’t like that name, so I like to think of it as ‘jellyfish stranded on a beach.’”  My first thought was, “Um, jellyfish on beaches are dead.”  (This should really be an indicator of where my mind was at the time— ie, not in savasana). But THEN, while we were in savasana, she took us through a visualization of being a jellyfish, and then washing up on a warm beach.  And the whole time I’m thinking, “And now I’m a dead jellyfish.”  Granted, I have a true fear of live fish, so ocean imagery isn’t the best for me.  But… really???  Dead jellyfish?  Is that really so much better of an image?

Okay, so not all my gym yoga nights are going to be good ones.  This one was definitely a learning experience.  I’m not giving up.

Namaste, y’all…

 

Song in my head: “How Can I Keep from Singing?”
Food craving after class: mozzarella cheese

Well, hello there.

It turns out, I don’t know how to do yoga without writing about it afterward. :)

Tonight was my second night back after a fairly long hiatus from classes, and I can’t even tell you, a) how much I missed it, and b) how amazing it feels to be back. There are probably lots of reasons for my break… after the 100 days, I was actually in a mourning period. Rather than feel 100% elated, there was a part of me that was just sad. This project had become such a part of my life and such a friend to me that letting go was difficult. But I wasn’t quite sure where exactly to go next, so I sort of just went… nowhere. Well, that’s not exactly true. I think part of me did need some sort of break— just not the drastic one I took. Life has been pretty wonderful since Day 100. I did an incredibly fun Disney show during the holidays. Anthony and I spent Christmas in Texas, which was absolute bliss. And I sort of just fell back into the groove of life again. I’m ready to get back to my yoga groove now.

One big change for the new year is that I signed up for my company’s gym membership. (I know, I know— ahhhh!!! gym!!! Hear me out). I’m trying to slim down a bit for a show in March (more on that later), and I needed the motivation. Also, it’s free. So a couple of weeks ago, I went with one of my favorite coworkers, and we did circuit training. I would LOVE to tell you how inspiring I found it. I would LOVE to say I could totally do that for a while. Sadly, that’s not the case. I did truly love the company. And I loved knowing that I was working out, and feeding that side of my body. But really, mostly I just hated it. I remember thinking, “This is why I don’t do this. Can I go do yoga now?” But I’m locked in for a year, so here’s my solution… the gym offers yoga classes. Now, before we all crinkle our noses at the idea of yoga at the gym, let me put it in the way I choose to see it— I have free yoga for a year. Now, it’s not my favorite yoga. It’s not my home, or my family. But I have enough of a foundation that I can really get a lot out of yoga in any setting. And I can still check in with my Coil family a few times a week as well. I can find a happy medium. And again— free yoga for a year.

So tonight I tried it. Well first, last night, I went back to Coil, and it was absolute heaven. I felt like I’d never left, and part of me was just screaming “How could you leave this for so long??” I can see now what I’m like without yoga in my life, and I can’t do that anymore. I’m much more susceptible to negativity, and I can get sucked into a bad mood so much faster. I just refuse to do that to myself anymore, and I’m going to take yoga wherever I can find it. Which brings me back to tonight— gym yoga…

Okay, actually, it was just fine. It wasn’t my home, it wasn’t life altering, but for what it was, it was fine. The instructor did everything she could to make the less-than-ideal environment as hospitable as possible. I could do just about everything she threw at us, but I didn’t push my limits on the things I couldn’t do (well, almost. That gym energy is contagious. But I’m aware of it at least, which is a start. We’ll see how sore I am tomorrow).

Oh, and I have a new pet peeve— people (girls) who are decked out in lululemon garb (and we all know how much I adore lululemon) but then use the cheapiest yoga mat possible. Really? We were so concerned about spending money on the outfit we forgot to spend money on the basic necessity of the practice? Oh, and Fresno doesn’t even HAVE a lululemon, so there were roadtrips to get these outfits. Lulu also has mats, ladies. Mandukas are available in Fresno. You’re clearly investing in this, so you might want to invest in the right area. Just sayin.’

Anyway.

So this is my new chapter. I’m not sure what I’m going to do with it exactly, except that I will be doing yoga, and I will be writing about it. Now, as aforementioned, I’m in a show that opens in March. Rehearsals start on the 22^nd, and they are going to be incredibly grueling and time-consuming. I’ll be lucky if I can grab a class once a week. (I’m not kidding. Right now we’re scheduled for 40 hours of rehearsal a week). So there may be a mini-hiatus in the near future again. I’m just going to ride it out, enjoy things as they come, and update here as much as possible.

So here we go… Chapter 2…

Namaste, yall…

Song in my head: “I’m Still Here” from “Follies”
Food craving: lemonade

Okay, so I’m still here.  I just did a couple of sun salutations before an audition today.  Mostly because I wanted to.  But also because I just felt like I needed it.  

I’m not going away any time soon.  I might assign another number value, or I might just keep going.  Either way, 101 is fun.

Namaste, y’all… 

 

Song in my head: “The Butterfly”
Food craving after class: sushi, chips and salsa, lemonade, and ice cream with gummy bears

For once, I may be at a loss for words.

This has just been the most amazing trip ever.  My friend Kristin surprised me tonight by printing out the entire project (including the pictures) and putting it in a big binder— All 160 pages of it.  The whole thing is just staggering.  It almost doesn’t seem real, or even possible.  But apparently I made it.  I lived for 100 days trying something new, and I filled up 160 pages along the way.

Really, I’m just a girl who thought she might see what 14 days of yoga felt like.  And somehow, it became something so much more.

People mention the “Julie and Julia” comparison a lot, and in her book Julie Powell said this about Julia Child:

“I have no claim over the woman at all, unless it’s the claim those who have nearly drowned have over the person who pulled them out of the ocean.”

Here’s the thing— the best part about this whole thing is, when I started, I wasn’t drowning.  I’m not even going to have some revelation where I say something like, “I was drowning, and didn’t even know it.”  The truth of the matter is, my life was awesome before all this happened.  It’s just so much better now.  I’ve gained an awareness I never knew was possible.  And I have a new appreciation for lavender, butterflies and chandeliers.  (Not to mention manduka, lululemon and Sally Loo’s).

My life is the same, and also so different.  And it’s just so much better.

Namaste, y’all…

 

Song in my head: “Once Upon a Time” from “Brooklyn”
Food craving after: shortbread

Today we broke a chandelier.  Literally.  It was all metaphorical and great, and then it was literal and with a demolition hammer.  Just hearing the first crack was surprisingly satisfying. 

I’m one day away from my goal, and I brought a metaphor full circle today.  I really feel like I should have more to say about it.  But really, today just felt good.  It’s overly simplified, I know, but I’m sure I’ll have some elaborating to do tomorrow.

Namaste, y’all…