Day 4 Rodney Yee Is In The House

As you can tell by now, the change I have decided to work on first is to rededicate myself to my yoga practice. So far so good. 4 days running I have managed around an hour practice, give or take a few minutes. I am so pleased with the way things have been going. The body has a memory to be sure. In some ways its like I never left the mat. In others, I feel like a complete beginner. My muscles are still very sore, especially the triceps from the dreaded yoga push up. I still feel a lot of tightness where before there was none. I am beginning to be more aware of my body and how it feels. I notice some progress already. So all in all the first step is going well.

I got my DVD set in the mail today. Naturally I opened it right away and got to it. I opted for the Core Yoga Workout section. I was very disappointed. I got the Yoga Now set with Mariel Hemingway and Rodney Yee. I guess I should have expected it with an actress involved . Mariel talked about how you can achieve a beautiful body and lose weight. Not impressed.



Don't get me wrong. I know I decidedly do not have a beautiful body (unless you ask my husband then I have THE most beautiful one) and I could stand to lose some weight but this is not my reason for doing yoga. I am more about the Body/Mind/Spirit connection than about the six pack abs and yoga butt. The workout was a little odd as well. Arm swinging, jumping etc... I am hoping the other two DVDs in the set are better. I really wish I could get my hands on one of those small TVs with the VHS player attached. They only make them with DVD now. I have so many great yoga tapes but they are on VHS. Anyway, on to other things.



The garden is doing well. I thinned my beets and got a whole load of greens. Nice tender greens. Paul asked if I would make Borscht, which of course I will. I really enjoy leftover borscht cold the next day. Yummy lunch on the deck with a nice piece of crusty bread. Can't forget a dollop of sour cream.

I put in a climbing rose last year and although it is little, it flowered profusely. In fact, most things are doing well this year despite some disappointing losses.

On a funny note, all my girls and their families were over for a Mexican feast a few weeks back and of course I made Mojitos. Everyone enjoyed them. This week I went out to the herb garden only to discover to my shock that I used... OREGANO for the mint portion. Can you believe it. Funny thing was, nobody noticed. I never mix up herbs. I was obviously totally distracted. We now have a new summer drink. Oregojitos. Try one for yourself. :)

Day 3 Good and Bad

Oh, yoga, I love you. I really do.

Today I practiced for 75 luxurious minutes. 75 minutes! When I think of it, it seems a little indulgent. Doesn't it? 75 minutes in my new yoga studio all by myself doing something only for me? I really need this. I do.

I managed ten Sun Salutations today. Yes, I said ten. I did them early on instead of after the standing poses. I must admit that moving into Chaturanga was more like a belly flop though. My arms and chest are still sore. My hamstrings, tight. Kai, if you are reading this, should I just keep practicing even though my triceps hurt pressing the ON button on the dishwasher? The practice was so so good though. I really love yoga. Did I mention that? I even mustered up the gumption to attempt shoulder stand after a long absence. One thing I realized is that I hate twisting poses. Hate them. I did quite a few today to see if my aversion to them is because they are uncomfortable. Oh, and Kai, if you are still there, I CAN'T BREATHE in camel pose. Why?

So, I got my haircut today. Not remarkable and no picture. I'll post one as soon as I can. It is short again and it feels good. It is my "go to" haircut and it suits me, my life, my "I don't want to spend time on something as silly as hair" attitude too. Part of me always wishes and tries unsuccessfully to grow long hair. I love short hair though. I comment to Paul wherever we are and say "Look at that beautiful woman!" and inevitably it is a woman with very very short hair.

I know it looked better on me 15lbs ago but I am determined to get back there.

I went to the city today for my haircut and for Athena's eye exam. She doesn't need corrective lenses...yet. The traffic was so bad and I had to make some extra stops and I was late getting home. And what did I do? Had some wine. Humph. Tomorrow is another day.

And lastly, lest I leave on a sour note, check out the picture below. It is an awesome "un-birthday" present from my oldest, who knows my taste well. I love Canada and I love nature and I love natural home decor. All three in one lovely gift. Thanks Jen.

Day 2 Where Are You Rodney Yee?

Ouch! That was my first thought this morning when I woke up. My shoulders and chest were so sore. I guess 5 Sun Salutations was too many. My thighs felt so tight. Perhaps I held the standing poses too long? I ached all over. Athena thought if I just ate breakfast all would be well.

So, I made it yesterday without any wine. It was a lot easier than I thought. At 4pm I started thinking about having a glass. At 5pm I thought about it more. By 6pm I was in the back yard swinging on the swing set with Athena, walking around the yard pulling the odd weed and watching a storm roll in. After she was bathed and in bed I had totally stopped thinking about it. Phewsh! That was better than I expected. Only trouble was, apparently the wine worked well as a sedative. Sleep did not come easily. In fact I was wide awake at 10:30 pm, which never happens to me. Oh well. Maybe tonight.

Today I managed to get on the mat for about 45 minutes. I was not satisfied but I had to pick Athena up from her Summer Playground Program, which she calls SUPER FUN PROGRAM. I didn't do any Salutations but I did work on some standing poses, a few back bends and a couple of inversions. I am pretty sure I compacted my spine an inch or so in headstand. I'll have to measure myself later to find out. I had a small personal victory today though. It was the first time EVER that I was able to gaze at my upper hand in Half Moon pose. Yeah me! I was so inspired by this small accomplishment that I came down to the kitchen and dumped a full 235g bag of Old Dutch ripple chips right down the garburator. True story! I LOVE chips.

As I was practicing without instruction (my new DVDs have not arrived yet) I heard Rodney Yee's voice, giving me little modifications along the way. Rodney was my first great teacher. I went to his class every other day for years. I knew him well. His voice, ever present,was guiding me along through my practice. And now, he sits, in VHS form, downstairs in the TV stand, right where I saw him last. My new DVDs cannot get here soon enough.

In other news, tomorrow I am getting a new haircut. A long overdue haircut. Sorry Mom. I know you like my hair longer. I cannot wait. I don't know what I am getting yet or how it will turn out but I am excited and optimistic. I'll post a picture of the before and after tomorrow. Maybe.

I also have all this waiting for me:

To turn into something grand for this little one:


And then I plan to do a PM yoga tape tonight after Athena is in bed and afterwards have a long lavender infused Epsom salt bath. No wine again. I can do this thing!
PS Paul has been away for a few days but is back tomorrow!

Day 1 Here We Go

I have had many calls and emails about my Birthday present to myself. All are wondering what I mean, what I will do. I do plan to document my journey from day to day. More for myself and to monitor my progress. You are welcome to read along if you like.

Today is day one. Day one of the new me. Day one of authentic me.

I got a new Yoga room this weekend. We spent some time moving our Guest Room from upstairs to the lower level where Paul's office is. This worked out better than we thought. He moved around his furniture in his home office and we put the futon in there. Not only is it more private and quiet for guests but there was also room for an end table, lamp and clock for anyone who will be staying with us. Nice too for him as he seems to have more room now, not to mention a couch to take afternoon naps on.

Anyway, I now have about 90 square feet of our home all to myself. All for my yoga practice.

It looks wonderful. It will be always ready for me and it is all mine. So this morning, I managed a 50 minute practice. It was pure bliss. I was so happy.

Since I have been away from a consistent yoga practice for a while now, I noticed that things were different. Quite different.

I still had strength for the Sun Salutations. I did them close to the end of practice so I only had time/energy for 5 of them. But hey, 5 is better than none, no? I also noticed that my belly got in the way terribly for Revolved Triangle and some forward bending. Ughh. That will have to go. As I lay in Savasana at the end of my practice I felt hot and sweaty, my body also felt open and relaxed. I felt a smile begin to grow on my face as I realised how I missed this and how glad I was that I did this for myself today. So now that I have my own yoga studio, I plan to practice at least 5 times a week, no matter how short or long a practice. This is one thing I am going to do for myself.

Which leads me to the second thing. I am not going to have any wine today. Not a drop. Not tomorrow either. I plan to get rid of my belly by stopping my 2 to 3 glasses a day (yikes!) of wine habit. That will be tough but I will do it. Paul says I should just have 1 glass a day. I am opting to go cold turkey. At least for a while. So there it is. I've said it for all to see. I will not have any red red wine for a yet to be determined length of time. Keep me to it.

M

Happy Birthday to Me

How Long?

How many nights will I lie in my bed and say to myself "Tomorrow will be different?"
How many times will I say to myself "Soon I will change."
How often will I speak the words "I am not living my authentic life. I am not being my true self."?
How many mornings will I wake up and say "This day will be different" Yet repeat yesterday's day.

Well, I have given myself a start date/ A deadline./ A NEW Beginning.
That day is Monday July 13th .
That is the day I begin to be me. That is the day I start my TRUE life.
That is the day I start to take care of myself first. First!
Not selfish. Just necessary. And long overdue.
My birthday is July 09th.
I will be 44 years old.
This is my gift to myself.
Stay tuned.