Time to grow my hair out!
Saturday, August 20, 2011
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Sleep Deprived Girl Hugs Bunny
I figure I should post a pic of sleep-deprived girl since she's hugging a bunny pillow. :B
Sunday, June 12, 2011
Friday, June 10, 2011
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Yoga
Today I went to a yoga class.
I've been going to YogaWorks level 1 classes for about a month now. Yoga helps me to simultaneously relax and become more energized. Going to yoga classes gives my days a structure that I look forward to and encourages me to be a normal human being (read: get out of my pajamas, shower, leave the house)...
Many of the level 1 classes at the YogaWorks near my house are after lunch, at around 2pm, and then later at around 7:30pm. These times are perfectly alright, but I really like taking classes earlier in the morning to super-charge my day with yogic bliss (or something like that).
So, I looked at their little monthly schedule and found, to my delight, a 9am class. Level 1/2.
I asked the woman at the counter what the difference between a level 1 and a level 1/2 class was. She basically told me level 1/2 (between level 1 and 2) were just a bit more challenging...
What she meant to say was this:
Do you like doing push-ups?
Do you love straining your arms?
Do you enjoy hanging out in downward dog for an obscenely long time?
Do you want to be ripped?
Do you want to sweat with old muscled men?
Okay, so it wasn't that bad. Obviously I'm exaggerating, but the difference between the level 1 and level 1/2 class was astonishing. It wasn't that the poses were simply more challenging (which would be nice). Instead, our teacher made us repeat poses like downward facing dog (which strengthens the arms) and chaturanga (ditto - it's basically a push-up) over and over again.
Back before yoga exploded into American mainstream culture, my mom was a yoga teacher. She taught classical yoga that focussed on a changing variety of poses rather than on brute strength.
I've been going to YogaWorks level 1 classes for about a month now. Yoga helps me to simultaneously relax and become more energized. Going to yoga classes gives my days a structure that I look forward to and encourages me to be a normal human being (read: get out of my pajamas, shower, leave the house)...
Many of the level 1 classes at the YogaWorks near my house are after lunch, at around 2pm, and then later at around 7:30pm. These times are perfectly alright, but I really like taking classes earlier in the morning to super-charge my day with yogic bliss (or something like that).
So, I looked at their little monthly schedule and found, to my delight, a 9am class. Level 1/2.
I asked the woman at the counter what the difference between a level 1 and a level 1/2 class was. She basically told me level 1/2 (between level 1 and 2) were just a bit more challenging...
What she meant to say was this:
Do you like doing push-ups?
Do you love straining your arms?
Do you enjoy hanging out in downward dog for an obscenely long time?
Do you want to be ripped?
Do you want to sweat with old muscled men?
Okay, so it wasn't that bad. Obviously I'm exaggerating, but the difference between the level 1 and level 1/2 class was astonishing. It wasn't that the poses were simply more challenging (which would be nice). Instead, our teacher made us repeat poses like downward facing dog (which strengthens the arms) and chaturanga (ditto - it's basically a push-up) over and over again.
I actually had fun, but I didn't feel very "shanti" doing my warrior one next to a groaning man sweating bullets.
Back before yoga exploded into American mainstream culture, my mom was a yoga teacher. She taught classical yoga that focussed on a changing variety of poses rather than on brute strength.
On the one hand, I am fortunate to live in a world that embraces 'alternative' practices such as yoga and brings it into the mainstream...but at what cost?
Sunday, May 8, 2011
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