Tuesday, June 16, 2015

Sea Legs

Helllllooooo Darlings!

I am so sorry that it has been 2 months since I blogged...

I got a little busy with...life...

nothing special just life...and I didn't feel all that creative after I finally put my Pippin costumes to bed after our performance at the Tommy Tune Awards

(The Tommy Tune Awards, named for our hometown hero Tommy Tune, are the local high school theater awards...they give awards for shows, actors, tech crews...and costumes...which to my continuing surprise even 2 months later ME AND MY TEAM OF GIRLS WON!!!!)

I had dealt with so much creativity and glitter I sorta felt the well ran dry...and I felt the need to really focus on my son...

but today I have been forced to stay at home by on over-hyped-by-the-local-media storm that has yet to do much more than spit some rain on my house...

I did lose a hibiscus blossom...

let's say a little prayer for the blossom...

thank you...I think I can recover...

The worst part of all of this was that because the media warned me (with all day news reports...dang they made me miss The Chew) that flooding rain was going to happen I decided to cancel my workout tonight so I cancelled my bike (our spin studio has us reserve our space in class by booking a bike) and took myself of the yoga list...

of course none of this promised flooding rain has happened...yet...the media continues to warn me that "we need to stay on alert"...

In the past 13 days I have taken 11 spin classes and 9 yoga classes...it was time for a break...but after all the media "spin" (not to be confused with REAL spin) I needed something to take the stress off so I went on to yoga and it was truly just what I needed.  I listened to my body that I needed a day off from the bike but my body was craving breath...and distressing...and some Magic Mike...

Yes...

the horror of it all...

not the storm...

I

HAVE

BECOME

A

YOGA

GIRL

I know...you are all shaking your heads...go ahead...

shake...

This all started in January when sweet AnnaBanana invited me to a yoga event...

I warned her that I didn't like yoga and the two times I had tried it I walked out of class after 20 minutes that I felt was 19 minutes more than I should have given it and that those were 40 minutes of my life I would never get back.

I knew NOTHING about yoga but I went...because I love her...

and as we started flowing I realized I didn't hate it...and that maybe, just maybe it wasn't so bad! And that somewhere in the middle of my downward dog was a place that was meant for yoga...

We can blame a lot of this on Magic Mike...

Magic Mike is an amazing spin instructor but one day he shared with me that he really wanted to train to be a yoga instructor and so I said "if you do it I will come to your classes!".

I knew he would do it...

and I knew I was going to have to go...

and he did it...

so I went...

and...

I TOTALLY LOVED EVERY SECOND OF IT

When I found out that Revolution Studios was going to add some "Namaste" to the "clip in rock out" I figured it was something I would do once a month or so...not something that would be a regular activity with me...

but I walked into that amazing and gorgeous yoga room, gently heated by the infrared heaters in the ceiling...and the beautiful windows that added to the gorgeousness of the space and the peace I felt just walking in there and I knew this was no ordinary experience for me.

Mind you I barely knew what downward dog was and I sorta remembered what "Warrior 2" was but
I knew Magic Mike would help me flow through it...

I had heard of some of the poses...I lived in fear we would do something called "crow"...or is it "raven" (wait, I think that is Game of Thrones...ravens are Game of Thrones and right now I hate that show but we will discuss it later...because I need to discuss it)

I sweated so much I was dripping...but it felt good...

and even though I couldn't do all of it, I was proud of myself for just trying...

and before I knew it an hour was up and I was crying with pride for sweet Magic Mike and proud that I survived...and I didn't have to "crow"...

so since I survived I went again...

and again...

Mind you all of this has taken place since the beginning of May...

but one week into it I switched my membership at Rev from just unlimited spin to unlimited YOGA and spin and I haven't looked back...

I have had yoga sweat dates...

I have taken yoga and cried...

I have forced my friends to take yoga with me...

I
AM
A
YOGA
GIRL

Now I haven't reached the state where I have my own mat and towel and a cute little carrier for it that lives in my car, but who knows...

it could happen

and I am not sure what Crow or Raven or blackbird or whatever is but I know my friend SpicySusu can do it...

and I have totally loved every class I have taken...not once have I wondered when the class would end...when I could lay down...when I could be done...

and thank goodness the music is awesome...no Enya at all...that first class with Magic Mike he set the tone for what I would come to expect with the Revolution yoga experience...Just as KuteKim promised there was no "spa" music and Magic Mike gave me---Taylor Swift!

I told myself that I was going to take yoga for what it is...a chance to learn about myself...to stretch myself (literally and figuratively) and to call it what it is...

A PRACTICE

that there is no end game....that I just needed to expand myself and use each class as a PRACTICE so I could remember that I'm learning...

I have small goals:

to stretch one 1/2 inch further every week...

to hold that pose two seconds longer...

to balance just a little longer (I struggle with that one)

to listen to my body...

and in class with GoodGollyMissMolly I have even cried...

a lot...

Right now JayVee is reading this and laughing her ass off...because for YEARS she has tried to get me to do something more than ride that spin bike...she's toldI  me over and over that I can only change if I vary what I do and push myself...

and SHE WAS 100% right...

(she always is)

(about fitness stuff...I get to top her on the cooking...but only that...)

I work some stuff out on the mat...and sometimes I just work my body out...but I always find myself in "Savasana" and as I sink into that final relaxing pose and let go of it all I just empty myself onto the mat...

(oh goodness I do sound like a yoga girl)

My point in all of this is not to get you to do yoga (but hey if you try it I'm proud of you) and not for you to say "Yay Anice!" but to show you that sometimes you have to give something you thought you hated a try...

but not liver...that does not apply to liver...you don't have to try liver again if you hate it...

I never thought I would say I liked yoga...much less loved it...but my instructors have shown me otherwise and now I look forward to each class...to the heat...to the sweat...to the stretch...to the possibilities...

My friend SuperSandra can do the splits...SpicySusu can do a standing split...Magic Mike can hit poses that are breathtaking...CeraBeara and KuteKristina can do things with their young bodies I couldn't do when I was there age...

but it's ok

I'm 50

and I am only limited by what I THINK I can do...

my body will tell me otherwise...

I don't compare myself to others...

I compare myself to the last time I was on the mat...

and that my darlings is why we do whatever we do...

to push ourselves further...

to stand it a little longer...

to try a little harder...

to move one more inch...

IN ALL THAT WE DO

Do something you thought you hated...

Move in a way you did not think was possible...

Try something that scares you...

I will see you on the mat...in Savasana...at peace...and pride...

Inspiration Song: "Sea Legs" by the Shins...because 1) I wobble about on the mat and I often think I don't have sea legs yet for yoga...and 2)I love the Shins...

Bye Darlings...I have missed you and I hope you find some inspiration with this...let me know if you try something new...it's what I do this for!




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