inner yogi conquers sigh

My inner yogi is a contemplative.  She's not prone to competition, contortion, or consumerism.  Not that I've ever heard her talk, but these are facts I've gleaned over the years.

Her inhibition set in on her maiden yoga class in the Student Recreation Center at the college we were attending.  The instructor and I got off on the wrong foot because I asked, "What are your sit bones?" The instructor sighed her disdain, and my friend mouthed to me, "YOUR BUTT."  That was just the beginning.

The instructor circulated like a dedicated mall security guard.  It was intense, and I heard her sigh every time she came by me.  She attempted to give me hints, but stopped trying.  Finally, these words escaped her lips, "You're not even trying."  I was sweating from my attempt at all the insanity, but my bones would crack and my muscles snap before I could pull off some of these feats.  I've never been flexible on any plane of existence.  I've been able to touch my toes with straight legs approximately twice in my life.  From then one, she merely sighed while passing me and my aching body.

But there's no such thing as a mere sigh when it comes to her. Yoga instructors are masters of le sigh: sighing as art form and weapon.  It's all the breathing exercises. There may be an entire class devoted to sighing with a part one and two. It's two-fold power is: 1) it wilts your soul with disdain and disgust and 2) creates smug cloud that affects your oxygen levels much like hiking just the peaks in the Himalayas (if that were possible).  I can't breathe; I'm getting light-headed. Furthermore, le sigh connotes spiritual enlightenment (the instructor's not yours), which is the nail in the coffin of doom.

Perhaps, your defeat is supposed to lead to limpness, which translates into flexibility.  Not so in my case.  I got frustrated-- one might even say "angry", and my inner yogi curled up in the fetal position to die.  Turns out, inner yogi is no feminist.  Inner yogis are not to be confused with pet spider monkeys who aim to please and adore learning tricks.

My inner yogi remained curled up in the fetal position, and I continued making jokes about how much I hate yoga until... OLD LADY YOGA at my local Y.  We're talking roughly a decade. So,  I went to the class because of my weird work schedule, and I was so stiff from sitting so much that I was willing to try anything... even yoga with a defeated inner yogi.

Maybe it was the sweat pants and white tube socks in lieu of lulelemon uniforms.  Maybe the instructor had abandoned the art of the sigh due to all the hearing aids.  Maybe it was my desperation.  But, my inner yogi uncurled herself and lay on the floor and even joined me for sitting crisscross applesauce (even though she did ask, "She means indian style, right?")  She really didn't mind any of the low-key exercises.  Turns out, she's a minimalist who isn't prone to exhibitionism in any form and allergic to sighs.

A Hike

the view

Thanks to Amanda's comment, I felt inspired to have fun.  I was at a loss to do something on my budget, and then it came to me. I went on one of my favorite hikes: Crowder's Mountain.  It's about six miles, nearby, and involves a mountain.  It usually takes about 2 hours to do it, but today was hot... even in the shade.  And, it was crowded because it was the weekend. So, those are my excuses to why it took over three hours.  I enjoyed myself-- taking breaks at scenic stops that I usually rush past, drinking water.  I was reminded why we sweat: the breeze felt so nice!

Rock Top Trail

Then, I came home and had a big, fat nap after a big, fat lunch!  I read some about ancient Rome.  I chatted with one of my old roommates and found out that it's National Dance Day.  (Happy National Dance Day to you!)  I ate watermelon for dinner!  I got an email from a college friend!  I ate three desserts!  Boom.

It's a climb!

Now, I've officially gotten sucked into the Olympics.  Gymnastics, swimming, beach volleyball.  I almost cried with the story about John Orozco, the gymnast from the Bronx.  I'm even enjoying Ryan Lochte's cockiness; it's cute since it's earned.

But, what's so compelling is the beauty and happiness of a win... no matter what nation.  I'm no fan of China-- I was not impressed with them bullying Taiwan, and the Olympic Committee cowling to the Chinese.  But, I caught myself cheering for some Chinese athletes.  It's like a friend said, "You can't be mean to a child because of something his parents did."  The same goes with the athletes.

pilates

Pilates kicked my butt today. A good, swift kick. I should have known when all the chicks were decked out in legit gear showing off their svelte bodies. Next time, I'm going to a class with chubby people in sweat pants. I was in the back equally unbalanced with the lone dude. I was sweating and mildly stressed, then my sense of humor came to my rescue. It was oddly ridiculous: while we were doing these bizarre, painful exercises, people were shouting out about stock options and christmas decor. And, I felt like I got a good enough workout that I didn't feel obligated to run in the rain. And, I ate healthily the rest of the day. My snack tonight was carrots. Carrots. Clearly, this week-old gym membership is working its magic. Next thing I'm going to be selling athletic gear at Sports Authority, drinking protein shakes and training for an Ironman. Watch out!

And, I heard back from two job prospects. One of them I talked with the guy on the phone for over an hour. I think I'd really like the work, but it pays very little. Very little is of course much more than I'm making right now, and it's very interesting, worthwhile work.... And, it's work. We shall see. Maybe, they'll work in tandem. The other's a little blah, but it'd pay the bills better than saving the world.

I watched The World's Greatest Dad with Robin Williams. It's interesting not great. The soundtrack is good, and I love Robin Williams. The protagonist is real-- not overly like-able but still sympathetic.

snow 1.5 hours?

Forget a snow day. Our school system let out one hour forty minutes early. Okay, whatever. Class was kind of pointless for the most part-- the kids were all high on snow... and getting out of school. So, I left school at 2:35, went to the Y, ran 6.5 miles on a treadmill, then aced a piyo class. It was my best yoga class ever because I was warmed up after just having run an hour. Of course, everybody looked cute and all yoga chic, and I was wet with sweat in my old running gear.

I really want a snow day tomorrow. So, I'm at the library checking out KL Going's Saint Iggy and the 2010 Newberry Winner When you reach me by stead. Snow day. The sky has been dropping these huge, luscious snow flakes. However, said snowflakes melt as soon as they touch the ground. I hope it gets cold tonight.

biz E

*Busyness and no internet at home are my only excuses. Sorry. I didn't even make my self-imposed quota for February. C'est la vie.

*Career Day went well, leaving me very pleased. My cousin's law school friend had an interesting presentation with pictures he'd used in court, but he had an even cooler message of dedication and persistence.

*The custodian has given me a deadline to get out of the building: 5:30. It seems reasonable, but when you have a bunch of parent conferences and a bunch of work to be done on the computer and things to run off. It gets dicey.

*So, some people are calling for snow, and some people are calling for cold rain. I want snow, but the rain people have a stronger argument. All shall be revealed by 6am tomorrow.

*I went to a Yoga class last night-- my first since college. It wasn't that scary; there were other yoga-phonies in there like I am-- they had on lacrosse t-shirts. But, I am sore: there's some funky bending and lifting going on.

*I now must put a hotel on my credit card for the middle school conference and get my stuff ready to start the novel.

*Lent is going well except I inadvertently ate some cheese in a vegetarian lasagna. I just wasn't thinking.

my first regatta in ten years!

Yesterday had a lot of religious significance: Rosh Hashannah for Judaism and the Marrakesh for Islam. Oddly enough, it did for me too because it's about this time of year that I miss rowing. The weather is getting crisp as a Granny Smith and the leaves are starting to turn. I want to feel the speed and the coolness of the water. This time of the year represents all the things I miss about it.

So, when you can't be with the one you love, love the one you're with. I raced on a sailboat this weekend for the first time and had a great time. The new art teacher at my school owns a J/27 and invited me to crew for him. I immediately accepted.We had two races on Saturday and one today-- we got second in all three. Saturday's wind hovered between 4-7 nauts and Sunday's 6-10 knots (I don't know how to spell this not, knot, naut.) I need to learn knots to be helpful; Richard went off on a diatribe about how useless Girl Scouts is when he found out my cluelessness regarding knots. I learned so much. There are so many terms (clew, tack, pinch, scream, spinnaker, halyard, lift wind vs. head wind). Plus, there were all the flags. The strategy was fun too. There were about 36 boats in the race.

The crew were four guys who have been sailing together for at least 10 years; the banter between the crusty sailers was fantastic. They were encouraging and fun. There were aspects that were brand new and extremely familiar. It was different to be excited about heavy wind. Choppy water wasn't a good thing in rowing and a great thing this weekend. Sailing isn't the workout that rowing is, but I came home with tired muscles-- there's tugging, lifting, etc.

Then I drove home from Lake Norman, took a nap, went for a 5 mile run and gearing up for my classwork for my LE class. Yippee, yi, yay. I had an exhausting, depleting week at work. I needed this beautiful, fun weekend. I'm slowly learning that leaving work alone when you leave makes me a better, saner, happier, more productive teacher.

This adventure in rowing reminded me what an adventure life can be, how many kind and generous people there are, how beautiful God's creation is, and how good our God is! It was no official religious observance for my faith, it was spontaneous observance.