Andrea the Gastronaut

Sunday January 24, Day 10

Restorative yoga seems to be a weekly Sunday thing for me now. I really enjoy ending the weekend with passive stretching. The rest of the day feels mellow. This Sunday I’ll be doing three classes, participating in a fundraiser that Esther Myer’s studio is hosting for Habitat for Humanity. I should have mentioned this here days ago so that people reading this would have a chance to participate. Thanks to my friend Ruth for giving me a head’s up about it.

Monday January 25, Day 11

Awesome hot hatha class with Linda (IAM Yoga)! I stayed in my eagle pose on one side. On the other one, I touched down only briefly – less than a second. My toppling tree was more controlled. My tree pose is improving. I felt strong, more balanced. I remembered what an instructor said last week about keeping abs in to help balance. I constantly have to remind myself to keep my abs tight and my form correct, especially when I’m being distracted by the heat.  We started the class with ab exercises and these muscles were subsequently sore for two days.

Tuesday January 26, Day 12

I initially intended to go to a class but chose to hang out with colleagues instead. I’d initially decided that I wasn’t going to have a beer at the bar because I was going to go to class. On the way to the bar my mind changed: I’d have a beer (it was Bar Volo and you don’t go to a place like that to not drink) and miss class. I ended up neither going to class nor drinking (I went to Bar Volo and didn’t drink). This 40 day challenge isn’t about all or nothing to me, it’s about balance without going too far either way. When considering whether or not to sign up for the challenge I decided that I was not going to try for 40 consecutive days. Then I decided that if I make it to 4 or 5 classes a week I’ll consider the challenge successful.

That all said, I bought a couple of yoga DVDs on the way home, which as I mentioned in a post last week, I’d intended to do at some point anyhow. I bought AM Yoga for Your Week and AM and PM Yoga for Beginners. I also bought a foam yoga block. I can improvise with pillows as props as well as belt, towels and scarves in place of straps but I couldn’t think of a suitable block replacement.  A block is multipurpose. Before bed I did a 30-ish minute yoga session from the AM & PM disc, so I did my yoga for the day and could check that day off.

Wednesday January 27, Day 13

I did two sessions today: A DVD session in the morning and a Yin class in the evening. Here’s my current description of a yin class: You know how when you sit in one position for too long and then you move you’re tense, maybe sore, maybe feeling pins and needles? That’s Yin yoga. Postures held for 5 minutes at a time, not that there’s anything wrong with escaping them to shake off the tension and moving back in, and working up to the 5 minutes. Groans were heard (okay, mostly from me) when the postures were over. It’s kind of like restorative yoga, but whereas restorative is passive stretching – I also refer to it as “active rest” – Yin is active stretching. If that makes sense.

Thursday January 28, Day 14

Instead of going to a class after work I went to donate blood. It’s something I encourage everyone to do and something that I was actually doing for the first time, but not first attempt. Third time appears to be a charm, which pleases me.  Over the last 10+ years I’ve 1) Gone through the screening and questionnaire process and been lying down with a needle jabbed in my arm repeatedly only to be told that my veins are too small; & 2) Been told that I didn’t have enough iron in my blood. But hey, my vegan friend donated earlier this week. Also, I’m in their database and they keep leaving me messages. Like another not-profit that I know of (if you’re Jewish you know it), once you’re in their database they’ll find you and call relentlessly. They finally caught me again. I encourage everyone to donate blood if they can. As Canadian Blood Services slogan says, “It’s in you to give.”

I’m not mentioning this to generate debate but as observation: When I was looking at the donation questionnaire today a couple of things stuck out: 1) I can understand why queers find it homophobic and 2) Final question: “Have you, in your past or present job, taken care of or handled monkeys or their body fluids?” I kid you not. Monkeys. The nerd in me wants to Google that tomorrow.  After my pint of blood was taken – technician (is that what they’re called?) pulling on my skin the entire time because it stung otherwise, causing her own arm to go numb – a purple tension bandage was wrapped around my arm. It looks bad-ass and I almost want to leave it on for all of tomorrow.  I then had my “juice”, a cookie (Dad’s oatmeal, yum!) and away I went. I thought that a lolly pop would be appropriate. I was brave.
(And this, friends, was my brief obligatory vaguely “food”-related content of this post.)

I could have done a 20-30 DVD yoga session this evening but my arm is sore and I’ve stayed up blogging. I’m a slow writer/editor. Besides, as I said while discussing Tuesday, it’s about balance.

Overview of my first two weeks on the 40 day challenge:

• I’ve gone to class 10 times out of 14 days (would have been 11 if it weren’t for a bad public transit day).
• Done two DVD sessions.
• I’m feeling more content most of the time.
• My balance is improving, possibly my coordination too.
• I’m more conscious of my breath, using my “yoga” breath when I’m not in yoga.
• Realizing the yoga can result in sore muscles!

It’s a minor pain in the butt to carry my yoga mat bag around with me. It’s kind of bulky when it’s full, sometimes holding stuff for work as well as yoga clothes and towels, and has the mat strapped on. I’m often afraid of whacking people with it, especially on a crowded streetcar or subway. I also don’t want to have the mat itself touch down on the sticky floors of public transit because despite the fact that I put a towel on top when in use and roll it so that the side touching the floor is always on the outside, the thought is kind of gross.  Just once I deliberately left the mat at the office and rented one at the studio, and I would again but not often. I really want one of these Yogoco yoga mat bags sold by my sister’s company, Energy Xpressions (check them out for your yoga clothes and bags! Encourage your local retailers and yoga studios to carry Energy Xpressions products!). They look like they could fit a machine gun. Not that I’d try. That would be anti-yoga.

Uncategorized Energy Xpressions, IAM Yoga, yoga, Yogoco