Revelation

Yoga is often perceived to be a calming but no-nonsense practice.  I think that people are often scared away from yoga classes because they are afraid to mess up, they think no one falls and no one laughs and it is all very, very serious. 

These people have clearly not hung out at Revelation Yoga.

Now, do not get me wrong.  Kim is very serious about her practice and the practice of her students.  And, as they should be, her gentle classes are very gentle and her power classes are very tough but Kim herself is light and fun.  Her classes always have music, from earthy and flowing to tribal to bursts of hip-hop that seem to come out of no where.  You try holding Goddess Pose with Black Eyed Peas as your background music - you cannot hold a straight face.

That to me is what yoga should be.  It should be serious as far as learning poses and pushing your body and steadying your mind, but it should also be light and fun...its so much less daunting, less judgmental that way.

Class last night was small - just three of us - and tough physically as a Power Class should be.  But it was also light and fun.  No heavy hearts, no heavy souls.  There was laughter and easy discussion of the poses and what we each needed to deepen our practice.  There was a feeling of community in the class that I truly appreciate.

Interested in practicing at Revelation?  The studio is having its One Year Anniversary on September 14th...I'll keep you posted on developments as far as a ribbon cutting or other Happy Anniversary happenings

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Just wanted to drop you all a note that Run, Lift, Chant, Breathe is going on a long weekend starting at 5:00pm today - a long girls weekend get away - WooHoo!!  See you all when I return!

New Rules Update

It has occurred to me that I have not updated you all on my weight lifting in quite some time. Remember when I was coming back from my wrist injury and was devastated that I had lost so much strength? Well I am happy to report that I was almost back up to full strength about a week later and I have gained back my confidence in the weight room. I have also officially completed Stage 4 of New Rules and I feel great.


I know that a bunch of you are following the New Rules program so I thought that I would give you an overview/list of random thoughts associated with it. Ready? Here we go!

1) When I first started the program, I was STARVING the day after lifting. I have to admit that the program still makes me pretty hungry but it has calmed down now that my body has adjusted.

2) I make my recovery/protein shake before heading to the gym, keep it in my locker, and chug it as soon as my workout is finished. I find that this aids in recovery and keeps me from searching out a pizza come lunch time.

3) In general, I crave protein more. Usually I eat vegetarian during the week (with the exception of tuna or sardines at lunch) but now by the time Friday night rolls around I am seeking out some serious meat…usually chicken but sometimes beef.

4) My body, particularly my legs, are tired all of the time. They are exhausted after lifting…then I put them through torture in power yoga…then I make them run. I do have a rest day once a week and I have subbed out a power yoga class for a gentle yoga class, but still my legs are tired.

5) Stage 3 is really boring. Really, really boring.

6) Stage 4 will destroy you, particularly if you do all 3 sets (you get a 2 or 3 option). This destroying is due in large part to the return of the Reverse Lunge with Forward Reach (I really, really tried to find a video of this torture…but couldn’t). Ouch.

7) Underhand Lateral Pull-Downs are what hurt my wrist. I must go overhand despite what the book says.

8) Planks for 2 minutes do not exist. At least not in my world.


I would love to hear any thoughts or questions those of you trying out the program may have!!

Walpole Road Races

Yesterday we (Tammy, Meri, Chrissy, Libby and I) ran the Walpole Road Race and oddly enough my time was almost identical to the Butterfly 5K.  Which means that, all course and weather excuses aside, I am simply running 10-15 seconds slower per mile than I used to...and I pushed during this race. 

I felt like I started out strong - good pace but not winded.  I hit the first mile marker in 9:30 seconds.  I was less than thrilled - I like to pass the first mile at between 9:18 and 9:20.  See?  10 seconds.  Then I passed the second mile marker at around 19:15 or so...so mile 2 was 9:45 seconds...hmph.  And really, I felt like I was going at a good little clip.  I finished up in 30 minutes and change.  Now, this course was challenging.  The last half mile or so feels like its pretty much uphill.  Really, you turn a corner and your stomach drops.  I thought I was going to puke running up that hill and all I could think of was finding an orange to regulate my blood sugar.  And the end result was a less then stellar finishing time.

Which leads me to this - So what?

I ran hard and felt that I could not have put in anymore effort - I did not quit and I earned every second of that race result.  I am slightly slower than last year but I am lifting weights more vigorously and I am spending all my free time in the yoga studio.   I am also 15 or so pounds lighter than this time last year.  Which leads me to believe that I may be a slightly slower runner but that I am healthier all around. 

This does not mean I don't want to improve my running times.  My sister-in-law and I are already cooking up big plans (HA!) to increase mileage.  I would like to get back to racing 9:30s.  But I am not going to get so caught up in shaving 45 seconds off my time that I sacrifice my weight training or my yoga.  It is not reasonable to expect to be perfect at everything you do, but trying hard at everything you do is totally reasonable and should be expected.

Congrats to Lib for taking 1st in her division again!!

Practice

If I practiced running with nearly as much energy and intention as I practice yoga, I could be a superstar. Seriously.


Yesterday afternoon I went for what I can loosely call a run at lunchtime. It was 95 degrees but not humid, so I figured it couldn’t be that bad. Riiigght. Basically I jogged from shade patch to shade patch for around 30 minutes and called it a day. I was not even tired from the exertion, but my soaked running clothes told me it was enough.

Last night, when all I wanted was to lay in the air conditioning, Bill convinced me that what I really wanted to do was go to Power Yoga. And you know what? He was totally right…yoga always makes me feel better. Actually, Bill always encourages me to go to yoga and I really appreciate that extra push out the door.

There were only two of us in class (apparently I was not the only one inclined to sit at home in the air conditioning). As I have mentioned before, I love small classes. I like the energy of a large class, but I love the personal attention of a small class. And trust me, I need that personal attention.

I think that people assume that because I spend hours each week practicing yoga that I am some super bendy yoga master. This notion is laughable…really, it is. I have made strides in my practice but my postures are far from perfect, my stomach muscles are less than strong, my shoulders are still tight and I cannot, among many other things:

1) ‘Float’ (jump lightly from downdog to the top of your mat); or

2) Go to low push-up with dropping my knees.

And this is why I love small classes…they provide the opportunity for an hour and half of almost personal instruction without paying the $75-$100 it usually costs.

Last night, when Kim instructed us to ‘float’ to the top of our mats for about the 15th time I found the nerve to speak up “Um, I don’t float…I land like a frog.” It is very unsightly, me trying to jump lightly to the top of my mat. And I suspect that many other people have this issue, but man did I want to solve it. As luck would have it, the other girl in the class needed help floating too. Enter a 10 minute floating lesson. Yes!! Granted, I had to use several props, but I floated! (to almost the top of my mat).

We then finished up the class and Kim led us through my favorite end-of-class series of Shoulder Stand, Plow, Deaf Man, Fish before savasana…she as clearly indulging me.

After class, I took the opportunity to talk with Kim about strategies to get me into low plank without dropping my knees. Kim showed me some basic moves and told me she was going to be watching me next class to make sure I was practicing.

Practice is ongoing, it is never ending and it is a source of learning and growing...which is exactly why I love it. Practice.

The Waiting

Lately I have been living every second of my days with a sense of anticipation, of waiting.  I blame autumn in New England - the ingrained excitement for the school year to start, for the leaves to turn, for the air to be chilly and to wear sweaters and jeans and make chili in the crockpot. 

I also blame myself because I often crave change and find myself looking for it around every corner.  The worst of it is when I try to bring about change and I am left waiting to see if my efforts have paid off.  Will I be able to lift more weight?  Will I be able to run faster? Will my twists be deeper? Will I be thinner?  Will I be more successful?

Will my life be more satisfying? 

Yup, thats the ultimate one.  We provoke change to make our lives more satisfying.  And that is not a bad thing.  The problem arises when we are so busy waiting for our lives to change that we cannot focus on having a satisfying life now, with no change.

I spent some time looking through Yoga Journal online to help me learn to be satisfied with my life now and to stop looking to the future for fulfillment...when I realized that of course I know how to achieve that.  I have to find satisfaction with where I am now and not where I will be...the same as I am constantly preaching.  But it is oh so hard to practice what you preach.

I have decided that I need to embrace this waiting.  I need to accept that the waiting is my now and instead of looking forward, enjoy the feelings of uncertainty and the process of change.  I ask that you all bear with me...this is not an easy task.