Bloggers really can become true friends in real life and I am so excited that the gorgeous, sexy, joyful, talented, generous, loving Phil is engaged to someone who makes her so crazy in love. I also just realised that it's been two years since I've seen her in the flesh, the shame! The Sydney/London divide will do that and sadly no mulla/time for an October rendevouz. Cheers to you gorgeous girl, your man and sweet love. We so need to celebrate for real and in the flesh. London...next stop! 2010 just got a whole lot sweeter *mwah* x
I'm not giving up on this Yovember thing but I am consolidating. I can't realistically post every day now because I want to invest my time in studying for my end of term exams. I did defer all four of my subjects but still have the option of sitting the final exams this year. I will sit three of them and extend the fourth subject into next year.
So this is my plan for the rest of Yovember. I'll update if it changes or if I feel like adding a note to the day.
Monday 23
5 km run + (100x) situps/pushups/squats/lunges
Tuesday 24
20 min hoop meditation
* super tired with little sleep because we went to see Ry Cooder and Nick Lowe perform at the gorgeous State Theatre last night. It was an alright gig (wasn't keen on the song choices) but Juliette Commagere was so inspiringly beautiful as the support.
Wednesday 25
5 km run + (100x) situps/pushups/squats/lunges
+ 20 min hoop meditation * cobwebs + spiders that catch a ride + sweat = morning runs in the summertime. dangerously sticky. I posted this as my FB status. When I was doing my situps, the little fella that caught a ride decided to walk down my chest. Nice. I used to jump and scream but now I just flick, not kill. They still scare the hell out of me. Don't know why really, being brought up on a farm and all.
Thursday 26
20 min hoop meditation
* classes started up again at DWY this week but I didn't go. Aunt Flo is due and she's really knocked me about this week so I'm never really keen on a strong yoga practice in the first couple of days simply because of the tired/mood factor. I do miss the classes though because it's been two weeks now. Will surely look forward to next week. I'm also home sick. I've had a headache bordering on a migraine all week and today I'm feeling quite nauseous. I'll blame it on Sydney weather. Hot, cold, hot, cold, and then of course Aunt Flo's visit.
Friday 27
20 min hoop meditation
Saturday 28
5 km run + 75 min samadhi yoga w/ Sarah Owen
* run + samadhi + lou jacks brekky + russian navy pedi by kathy = perfect way to start a gorgeous weekend and all before 12, in time for beer o'clock. Now if only Rachel was in Sydney today ;-)
Summer is seriously just around the corner now and today hit 41℃ (105.8℉), yikes! I love a BBQ and this summer I want to clear out the backyard and buy a wading pool. A barbie (vegie style thanks), lots of beer and a pool. Can't think of anything more relaxing while hanging out with friends in the summertime. Unfortunately, this also marks the bushfire season. A shout out to all the firefighters and volunteers helping fight the fires today, you guys are so amazingly brave - thank you.
This morning's practice was good but now I'm in a bit of pain - not the teacher's fault! It's always a little more challenging practicing in the heat, and Sydney gets very humid, but the practice is modified to suit. I kept forgetting to breathe and I was slack in my alignment. Really slack because I know myself to get lazy in the heat. I also tried to push myself too far in my forward bends, twists and reclining hero pose. The pain is centred directly below my ribcage. It's happened before when I push myself too far but it usually goes away overnight. It's just a bitch right now and will be when I try to go to sleep. I really hate taking medication but I have to for the muscle ache or it's very uncomfortable. Live and learn.
Today was buy a new washing machine day after our baby blew up the other day and it surprisingly took longer than we envisaged. I thought I knew exactly what I wanted but then ethics came into play. The machine I wanted didn't have a high energy or water rating so it took us a while to decide on another machine all together. But we did get one. We try to be as considerate to the environment as we can be when buying mod cons. I hope we made a good choice in the end.
Today's practice: 5 km run + 75 min Samadhi Yoga w/ Sarah Owen
I had a good run but the yoga class was a little off. Samadhi has two rooms and the bigger room we normally practice in was being set up for a day with Mother Maya. So the smaller room it was. Not a great space at all. The carpet is spongy (the other room has a concrete floor which I prefer, and I have floorboards at home) and there are two rather large iron poles in the middle of the room. I keep thinking that someone is going to fall over one day and really smack themselves out, and it'll probably be me! I know it's good to be out of your comfort zone and be challenged but I really don't like practicing on carpet. My mat bunches, trips me up and it feels like I'm dragging in my standing poses. It's not often that we have to practice in this room but when I know we'll be in there, I just don't go. I'd rather practice at home. Plus it's noisy. It's on the bottom floor right next to the cafe. I'm sorry but if I smell freshly roasted brewed coffee wafting past me, I do get distracted because I love a good coffee. The distraction could also be that there are people walking in/out of the room because it doubles up as an office. Bad juju going on there. When a class is on, don't go shuffling paper, typing on keyboards or jiggling your keys people!
On three hours sleep and a day of work on top of that, did I really think I was going to do anything physical or meditative at all? Nope, not a chance. I'm not keen for an injury. Today was about just being and getting a good night sleep. I never underestimate the power of sleep to rejuvenate the mind, body and spirit.
Dropping in....going to the New Moon screening at midnight tonight. Love it or hate it, it's totally my idea of a sweet getaway from all my study/work stress of late. It's fun and I've always been in love with vampires, especially those with a conscience and a soppy, deep, passionate love story. And yes, I'm a huge Robert Pattinson fan. The killjoys can just go bitch somewhere else.
Yesterday was intense and kinda exploded with a great big belly laugh when my washing machine did as well. Sometimes you need that external {{bang}} to give you a well deserved slap and to make you realise it's just broke. Fix it or get a new one, and get on with it. So today was a lot more calm. I seemed to go through the motions without any major mishaps. I had a new teacher for yoga but I was really looking forward to the teacher who usually did this particular class. Not sure what I think of this other teacher yet because often I'll say I don't like a teacher and then they become a fave soon after. It wasn't a very strong practice and it seemed like we were all waiting for the practice to really kick in when all of a sudden we were heading into savasana. There was a lot of talking and lot of pausing mid sentence which kind of threw me. And also a lot of explaining. This tends to happen with greener teachers from what I've experienced. I'm not so much into the explanation of poses unless I'm really learning something. One of the thing that irks me, especially because I study medicine, is the pseudo-science and anatomy spouted in some classes. But then I just have to let it go, be in the moment and be responsible for my own body at the end of the day.
Practice today: 5 km run + 75 min samadhi yoga w/ Sarah Owen
Today's practice was exactly what I needed to help me feel strong enough to make decisions that would seem like I'm giving up. But I'm not giving up, I'm just changing the path. Sarah Owen has such a beautiful, calming presence and her classes are influenced by Yin Yoga. Sarah has studied with teachers such as Sarah Powers. Her classes tend to be slower and the poses are held for longer and I find that this really allows me to breathe into a pose and get down deeper than I normally would in a dynamic vinyasa sequence. I also really appreciated the time spent in meditation, and away from my home. I find the yoga studio a neutral place, a place to be objective. I have too many distractions at home right now, plus my cats like to do downward dog alongside me and jump all over me when I'm lying down. Their favourite pose is savasana where they sit on my chest and start "treading water", ouch!
I deferred ALL my subjects today. I have to admit that I took on too much this year and even though I don't necessarily think I have failed, I just can't keep up anymore. I can still attempt to finish all four subjects before Christmas, or choose to extend them for another term. But for now, there is no more exam tonight and I'm working from home. I can reassess what I'm going to do to hopefully make 2009 end on a happier note. What I'd really like for Christmas and the start of 2010 is for all my family and friends to have a break. A break from what 2009 has been for them. Of course 2009 has not been all bad, but I know we are all looking forward to a fresh start. The new year always inspires so much hope and renewed faith.
This weekend is all about studying for my nutrition mid-term exam on Monday. I have a bunch of minerals to look over and I need to make sure I have a basic grasp of what they're all about. It's going to be a tough exam because there are at least a dozen to cover for the mid-term but if I keep reading over my notes and look up anything I don't understand, I should be able to get at least a pass mark.
I'm not great in exam situations. I'm one of those people that get really stressed when being examined and then the blank wall goes up. I know, I do yoga right? I should be able to just roll with it but being examined doesn't come so easy to me. Practice, practice, practice though. The more I do it the better I'll get, I hope. Also adult education. Even into second year, I'm still getting used to all this studying and essay/literature review writing again. It's been well over a decade since I sat for my HSC.
My study staples include: water, water and more water + running + yoga + sun + kitties + coffee + meditation + good food + good sleep.
Today's practice: 5 km run + 75 min samadhi yoga w/ sarah owen + 20 min hooping meditation
I booked my flights for Byron today and I'm really looking forward to the workshops and retreat with Jivamukti Yoga's Sharon Gannon and David Life in February 2010! Looks like I might be extending my time up there for some added fun after too.
My practice this morning was really tough. I'm not very good at doing any form of exercise when it gets warmer (Sydney gets very humid) and yoga is no exception. I get up early to go for a run before the sun rises for this very reason, even in winter. So back to this morning, I had a lot of mental hoops to jump through to the point where I was getting really upset with myself. Why couldn't I suck it up and just do it? I decided to back off a little and went into child's pose a few more times than I normally would. That seemed to help a little.
Why do I do yoga? Do I want to keep working on what's going on inside me and keep exposing myself to the emotional, ethical, philosophical and physical challenges that arise? When will I be able to hold myself in certain poses? And headstand, why are you still my nemesis? Am I seriously just trying to do too much which is only highlighting that I don't put 100% into any one thing I am trying to achieve and then freaking out? Then there's all the other stuff. I really miss spending quality time with my family and friends. Dad has been sick too and it was a little scary there for a while but he's on the mend.
Bah. A little overwhelmed today. It could have something to do with my man arriving home today which I am super excited about and my nutrition exam next Monday, not so super excited about. It never ends. Study, exams and assessments, a perpetual state of low-level stress that amps up around exam time. I will NOT be working full-time and studying practically full-time next year. Something has to give and it'll be decided over the New Year break. Right now I have to get through December and complete second year.
I can't wait to go home today and catch up with the crazy monkey man I love. But first, I need to channel some elephant power to get me through the work day methinks!
"I pray to Ganesh to take away the stress / and pave the way into a place that’s blessed / centered in the chest where the breath is felt / when your blessed by Ganesh than the stress can melt..."MC Yogi
My man is coming home tomorrow so I spent the night baking. I very rarely bake but this is a fave of his and I wanted to make something special for when he arrives home. Unfortunately, I'll be at work when he arrives but that's probably a good thing for him to unwind from the long flight. Australia is so far away from anywhere.
Practice: 5 km run + (100x) situps, pushups, squats, lunges + 10 min sun salutes + 10 min meditation
Thoughts: I was pushed further than I would normally go in class today and it was like a mini-breakthrough both mentally and physically. I need to challenge myself more and not just be comfortable. One of the main things I came to realise is that I want to consciously work on opening my hips more so what I'll try to incorporate into my daily practice now is holding downward facing frog. It's a funny pose but the stretch is good and will hopefully do the trick.
Monday's are my busiest day so while I couldn't fit in an asana practice, I did find time to be still and present.
Practice: 5 km run + 20 min sound meditation listening to Dead Can Dance to welcome the new day and end it - Lisa Gerrard's voice is pure bliss, pure magic.
Today is all about focusing on my essay about advancements in wound healing. Blogging every day is a real challenge. It's time. I work full-time, study full-time and now try to do yoga every day too while writing about it. Mmm. I need to prioritise or I'll burn out. Another reason why my posts haven't been too deep or enlightening either. There is such a thing as doing too much to the point where you don't actually enjoy anything you're doing, and maybe even not really being present when doing them. I want, need and will to be present today.
I needed this practice tonight and I forgot just how powerful focusing on the heart chakra anahata can be. It helps me feel more centred within my heart and reaches right out of me. I adore Shiva Rea as well. I've never had the opportunity to practice with her, even when she visited Australia recently, but I do enjoy her DVDs and think her instruction is good. She shows me and allows me to experience how joyful yoga really can be, while still having a strong and dedicated practice - something I am working on.
Chakra Four: air, social identity, oriented to self-acceptance. This chakra is called the heart chakra and is the middle chakra in a system of seven. It is related to love and is the integrator of opposites in the psyche: mind and body, male and female, persona and shadow, ego and unity. A healthy fourth chakra allows us to love deeply, feel compassion, have a deep sense of peace and centeredness -
I've been catching up in blogland the past several days and wow, it's amazing to see so many new blogs. It’s also great to see some of the old crew still blogging. I cringed though when I stumbled across and was reminded of the "angry" bloggers out there, especially in the yoga community, who are still angry and just plain nasty. I won't go back there. So in respect to this, I thought I'd give a shout out to the blogs that I've really appreciated and enjoyed reading this week. These guys inspire me, make me laugh out loud, challenge me, make me smile, feel warmth and all round goodness - click here.
This seems to be a good pose at the end of my practice before or even instead of savasana (corpse pose) for when I don't want to do an inversion. I really enjoy the feeling of having my legs up above me (don't be naughty) and maybe because it's like an ultimate surrender. If my legs are up above me, it's not like I can run away in a hurry so I can really go deep on so many levels. Nice.
This is probably one of my favourite, favourite poses. After several rounds of sun salutes, it feels good to feel grounded and so strong while holding this pose. It makes me feel like I can do anything, achieve anything. But I've been a little confused with how to angle my hips. One of the things about going to different studios, and even going to different teachers within the same studio, is that each will have their own way of getting into, holding and getting out of a pose. The main studio I go to holds this pose as you would expect in the traditional ashtanga tradition but the other studio asks that the hips be squared forward and considers this better alignment. This comes from the teachers being taught by yoga teachers who are also physiotherapists. I do whichever alignment is practiced at the the studio I attend because I am trying to understand which works better for me. I should probably stick to one alignment but interested to know what other yogis think about this (?).
I did another hoop workshop on the weekend with Jo from Live::Love::Hoop. I love hooping even if I am terrible at it. It's fun, it's meditative, challenging - anything I want it to be.
This is a great pose to sit in during the day for a couple of minutes to re-group. I'm usually fairly busy throughout my work day but I always make time to just sit and be for a few minutes outside the office. It helps me feel rejuvenated and more positive.
Today, right now, is 38°C (100.4°F) in Sydney. It's hot. It's humid. It's bright. Love it. But not so much to practice asana in and I've never been interested in trying hot yoga. Fortunately I prefer to practice asana (and run, walk or hoop) early before the heat takes over. Summer is well and truly on its way.
This morning I actually woke up and had the cranks because of study/work pressure but got over it just as quickly. If I went to work, it probably would have ended in tears. But I do yoga right? Right. Being a yogi doesn't mean I swan around enlightened with that blank, vacant, peace, hippy look in my eyes though. I'm in this world, part of this world, feel in this world and react in this world. It's how I then deal with that initial reaction that makes all the difference.
This mornings practice was good and sweaty. I'm probably the least experienced in the class and can't get into a lot of the poses that the others can but you know what? That's okay. I always hear people talk about the "journey" rather than the "destination" and it's more fun that way. Otherwise, I'll forever be thinking about "when I get there I'll be able to..." but what about now? It's all about now. There are so many lessons to be learned along the way and I learn something new with each class. It's been a good day.
Right now I can only practice this by walking my feet up the wall but I can feel myself getting stronger. I have a real battle in my head about my strength and the belief that my arms will be strong enough to hold me up. Practice, practice. Here's what I'm trying to eventually do off the wall below. She makes it look so easy and graceful, yeah? So not easy and it'll take quite some time to look that graceful while doing it too. I'm a realist.
It's kind of weird not having my partner around and in another country. It's quiet. No guitars, no xbox, no other man made noise. It's cool but the absence also makes me realise how much I really dig him, even after 7 years together. More internal chit chat and more monkey mind going on but hopefully I can tame it so I can focus again. It's almost like I initially felt like I had to fill up every waking moment while my partner is not here. Mistake. I need to take a step back and just enjoy the quiet time at home, especially since it's not so quiet in other areas of my life.
Running this morning was tough. After the hooping workshop yesterday, my thighs in particular were so sore! I'm bruised and battered but inspired to keep hooping. It was hilarious how many hoops kept escaping at random moments, especially mine. Good fun, and quite rhythmically meditating. So after my run, instead of doing a yoga asana practice, I decided to do 10 minutes of movement meditation (arms up over head and back down again while focusing on the breath). I was just too sore to break into a full-on sun salute.
My yoga practice tonight will include listening to the Gayatri Mantra by Deva Premal and a short 10 minute meditation to quiet my mind and just be. I only arrived home a short while ago from college and it has been a long day at work. I don't like to do anything too active just before going to bed either.
I love Deva Premal's interpretation of the Gayatri Mantra. It always sends shivers down my spine. I first heard it while in savasana a couple of years ago. I don't listen to it often but when I do, it's electric. It's exactly what I need tonight.
Pose of the day:shoulder stand aka salamba sarvangasana. This is one of my favourite poses now that I'm not throwing myself up into it and getting lower back pain (you'd think I'd be getting pain in the neck). I used to use the momentum of rocking back and forth to basically throw myself up but I've since learned to just use my core and lift, then slowly pull myself down in reverse. It's such a great feeling when poses fall into place like this, like anything in life, but I did have to put in the effort to get there and of course having great teachers. My core still needs a lot of work though (as well as my upper body strength).
Today is a good day. My man arrived safely in Chicago and I caught up with all my favourite people while doing my favourite things - morning run, yoga, coffee, hanging with my kitties in the sun and hooping.
