yoga, books, movies, tv & too many crime procedurals – not necesarily in that order
Watching the Star Trek reboot for at least the 5th time. Sign of good photography? The fight scene on the drill squicks my height issues EVERY single time I see it.
Right now we’re nerding out with ST, I’m enjoying another glass of Big Fire pinot noir, hoping Dave’s dog won’t howl at us some more and LOVING Simon Pegg as Mr. Scott. New True Blood AND Mad Men tonight. w00t!
It’s spring, damn and blast. I don’t care if the snow disagrees. One of the things about living at 10,000 feet is close to 9 months of winter. I don’t really mind it as the snow is light and fluffy and always looks amazing on the trees and mountaintops. We also get more than 300 days of sunshine every year and there’s not a single bad thing about that. Plus the lack of humidity means that it virtually ALWAYS feels warmer than the thermometer says it is. When we moved, I said I could stand as MUCH snow as you want to send me as long as there’s sunshine. Glad to say it’s absolutely true. This is the end of my second winter (!?) out here and I still love it as much as I did on our first visit.
That said, vacation was a kick in the ass. Time to refresh everything all over, albeit without nearly as much rain as Seattle sees, and I started today. Woke up, finished reading a book, cleaned up the kitchen and then started on our bedroom. Dusted and swept everywhere, got up the rugs for washing, stripped the bedding and mattress pad for washing (which it’s doing right now) and as soon as that room’s done I’ll move to the next.
The basement bedroom, like two of the upstairs rooms, has a mirrored set of sliding closet doors. It’s also much larger than any of the other rooms (with the exception of the basement living room and the kitchen/dining area) and I noticed today that I could probably make a decent yoga space in there. It’s got laminate flooring and high enough ceilings that I don’t have to worry about barking my hands or feet. It’s also cool enough (being the basement) and has a fan so that I should be able to work as hard as I like, comfortably. That’s going to be my new spot then, at least until we get one of the upstairs rooms converted into a real workout space.
One of the things I love about yoga is its malleability. I can tailor my workout to whatever feels appropriate at the time, focusing on whichever areas I’d like. Unfortunately that is also one of the things that stumps people about having a “home practice”. With so many options, how do you keep track of where you started or what you’ve done? I think it’s one of the things people really like about Bikram and the ashtanga series – there are proscribed movements in a particular order such that you’ve always got the next step in front of you. While that sounds nice in theory, I think I’d get bored with it.
I generally start with the Sun series and modify it however I’d like. It’s infinite if you add in Warrior II and Chair (Sun B) and can be modified to include almost anything – triangle, side angle, revolved variations of both, twisting chair, Warrior III, pyramid and about a dozen different ways you can modify Downward Facing Dog. I’m tempted to do audio posts about the variations just so that people can try them if they’re interested. Everyone approaches yoga a little differently and one of the reasons I love taking classes is because I can hear how other people change things up.
So I guess MY spring goal is thirty days of yoga posts. If I can squeeze in classes I will, but it will primarily what I do at home and on the road (we’ve got some overnighters this month). I think my plan will be to work through the Eye of the Tiger practice – it’s pretty comprehensive but too long for everyday. I can attack parts of it and digest what I like and don’t.
Below is the Eye of the Tiger workout – I can’t recall what site I found it on but it’s an Anusara practice.
Eye of the Tiger Practice
The Eye of the Tiger practice is designed as an ultimate daily practice routine to maximize strength, stamina, and flexibility in all the major parts of the body. It covers all the main classes of asana including: Surya Namaskar, standing poses, handbalancings, inversions, backbends, hip-openers, forward bends, and twists. The entire practice can take over 4 hours to complete, so in order to abbreviate, perform a few poses in each category moving down through the lists from top toward the bottom. During a week’s practice schedule be sure to attempt the poses that you might have skipped in previous practices.
Invocation
Surya Namaskar – 10-108x or 10-20 min.
Handstand – 1-5 min. ea. 1-3 X
Pincha Mayurasana (feathered peacock) – 1-5 min. ea. 1-3 X
Standing Poses – 30-60 sec. ea./ side
Vrksasana (tree)
Parsvakonasana (extended side angle)
Trikonasana (triangle)
Virabhadrasana I (warrior I)
Virabhadrasana II (warrior II)
Anjaneyasana (crescent lunge)
Ardha Chandrasana (half moon)
Virabhadrasana III (warrior III)
Parivrtta Trikonasana (revolved triangle)
Parivrtta Ardha Chandrasana (revolved half moon)
Parivrtta Parsvakonasana (revolved side angle)
Parsvottanasana (intense side stretch/pyramid)
Utkatasana (chair)
Garudasana (eagle)
Prasarita Padottanasana (wide-legged forward fold)
Utthita Hasta Padangusthasana (extended hand to big toe)
Pada Hastasana (hands to feet)
Handbalancings – 1-2x ea./ side
Lolasana (pendant)
Vasisthasana (side plank)
Eka Hasta Bhujasana (elephant’s trunk)
Astavakrasana (8 angle)
Bakasana (crane)
Eka Pada Bakasana II (one legged crane)
Eka Pada Bakasana I (one legged crane)
Visvamitrasana (pose dedicated to visvamitra)
Eka Pada Koundinyasana II (pose dedicated to Koundinya)
Dwi Hasta Bhujasana (two-handed legs over arms)
Bhujapidasana (shoulder pressing pose)
Titthibhasana (firefly)
Parsva Bakasana (side crane)
Eka Pada Koundinyasana I
Eka Pada Galavasana (flying crow)
Kukuttasana (cock posture)
Parsva Kukuttasana (revolved cock posture)
Abdominals – 30-50x ea./ side
Crunches
Criss-Crosses
Navasana (boat)
Urdhva Prasarita Padasana (raised stretched out foot)
Jathara Parivartanasana (spinal twist)
Supta Virasana (reclined hero) – 5 min.
Hip-openers – 1 min. ea./ side
Baddha Konasana
Janu Sirsasana
Parsva Upavistha Konasana
Upavistha Konasana
Triang Mukhaikapada
Eka Pada Raja Kapotasana prep.
Bharadvajasana II
Inversions – 30sec.– 1 min. variations
Sirsasana
Parsva Sirsasana
Parsva Sirsasana in Virasana
Eka Pada Sirsasana
Parsvaika Pada Sirsasana
Parivrttaikapada Sirsasana
Padmasana in Sirsasana
Parsva Padmasana in Sirsasana
Pindasana in Sirsasana
Sirsasana II
Mukta Hasta Sirsasana
Baddha Hasta Sirsasana
Prasarita Hasta Sirsasana
——————————————
Sarvangasana
Sarvangasana II
Eka Pada Sarvangasana
Parsvaika Pada Sarvangasana
Halasana
Supta Konasana
Parsva Halasana
Karna Pidasasana
Parsva Karna Pidasasana
Parsva Sarvangasana in Padmasasana
Parsva Sarvangasana
Setubandha Sarvangasana
Backbends
Eka Pada Supta Virasana
Bhujangasana
Eka Pada Rajakapotasana I prep – one leg in Bhekasana
Dhanurasana
Parsva Dhanurasana
Ustrasana
Purvottanasana – bent knees
Backbends with chair
Urdhva Dhanurasana – (5-25x)
Eka Pada Urdhva Dhanurasana
Viparita Chakrasana
Dwi Pada Viparita Dandasana (head up)
Eka Pada Viparita Dandasana
Headstand Drop-overs – (5-25x)
Mandalasana – (3-25x)
Urdhva Dhanurasana – drop-backs – (5-108x)
Vrischikasana I – feet on chair
Kapotasana – pigeon droppings – (3-10x)
Eka Pada Rajakapotasana I
Eka Pada Rajakapotasana II
Eka Pada Rajakapotasana IV
Valakhilyasana
Padangustha Dhanurasana
Natarajasana
Twists & Forward Bends – 30 sec – 1 min. ea./ side
Uttanasana
Virasana – twist
Baddha Konasana
Eka Pada Rajakapotasana prep
Janu Sirsasana
Upavista Konasana
Parsva Upavistha Konasana
Agnistambasana
Ardha Baddha Padmasana Paschimottanasana
Marichyasana II
Triangamuhkaipada Paschimottanasana
Krounchasana
Bharadvajasana II
Compass
Yogadandasana
Pascimottanasana
Urdhva Mukha Paschimottanasana I & II
Ardha Matsyendrasana
Malasana I
Pasasana – one leg
Padmasana
Hanumanasana
Ardha Matsyendrasana II
Marichyasana IV
Parivrtta Janu Sirsasana
Parivrtta Paschimottanasana
Kurmasana
Somakonasana
Eka Pada Sirsasana
Bhairavasana
Chakorasana
Durvasana
Uttanasana
Supta Padangusthasana
Balasana
Meditation – 10 min.
Savasana – 10 min.
Edited to add reference links so you know what I’m talking about.
Due to my work schedule, Saturdays are my Sunday which makes Sunday my Monday. It’s discombobulating because despite KNOWING which day it is, I tend to act based on what day it feels like. So I make calls that I’d normally make Monday or try to run errands that I can’t run until everyone else’s Monday.
In order to stave off cutting my hair again, I’ve recolored it (again). Back to a nice shade of auburn which should settle me for a while.
In TV news, last night was I Love You, Man which still cracks me up. It’s funny in no small part because I think the social activities that have traditionally allowed social interaction have shifted over the years, making it harder to find companionship. The idea of “dating” friends is funny but mostly because it’s true. How do you make new friends these days?
We’re pretty excited about our travel plans. Less so about having to pay the government this year. I generally dread tax season and this year was a double-bonus of suck. Feh.
In 2 months, though we’ll be headed back to Michigan for a visit! It’ll be nice to see some old friends and the family.
Tomorrow’s excitement includes laundry, going to the bank, getting dog supplies together for the sitter, making up spare beds, packing clothes and generally wrapping up loose ends.
I keep recommending this movie to people and the overall reason is “It’s a fun movie.” It is. A fun, upbeat and positive film that always leaves me feeling good after I watch it.
It’s more than that, though. It’s a movie about girls. But not just girls – almost every girl I know. I didn’t grow up in a small town, let alone a small town in Texas. I never played roller derby. I am not the girl in this movie.
On the other hand, every girl I know is the girl in this movie. We’re all awkward and uncertain and have odd relationships with our families. Growing up, we’re not sure where we’re going or why (amongst the MANY things that are unclear in wretched adolescence). But we find a thing – everyone (not just girls) – and that’s the thing that changes us. It’s something we’re good at – school, sport, music, gaming, hobby – and it gives us confidence and provides inspiration and makes us feel like we belong in our skin and our opinions MEAN something. It’s the confidence that propels us into that next place – regardless of uncertainty and fear and the certain knowledge that we aren’t perfect – with a sense that we’ll be OKAY.
Pretty much everything about this movie resonated with me. The family interplay and all the intricacy of navigating it, the relationships with friends (new and old and how that all works out), that sense of wonder when you find something NEW and how it feels to be growing into yourself. I don’t think those feelings go away but this is the first film I’ve ever seen that CELEBRATES them. I left the theater with a huge smile on my face and that’s happened every time I’ve watched the DVD too.
1. I wear size 27 jeans. I discovered this while trying some on at a store in the outlet mall (which normally charges enough for their jeans that I wouldn’t even walk PAST the place) along with the PERFECT skinny jeans. Until today I believed flattering skinny jeans were akin to Bigfoot, Moby Dick and the Easter Bunny – oft spoken of but rarely seen. Now I’m a believer. Buying these jeans made me think of Petrona, who once said something about finding the right fit making the expenditure less relevant. These were 50% off but still more than I’d like to pay for denim. On the other hand, ATTRACTIVE SKINNY JEANS to go with my AWESOME PIRATE BOOTS.
2. The Sony earbuds currently on sale at Target kick ass. That is, if you don’t like the noise-canceling flavor which I don’t because I like to hear a motherfucker sneak up on me. So yeah. Inexpensive but NOT cheap. Great sound, great looking, long enough cord that the Zune can sit on my treadmill or in my cargo pants pocket and not cause any drag. PERFECT.
3. Foursquare is surprisingly interesting. I’m intrigued by what others find relevant in terms of creating a venue or leaving a tip. I am STOKED about using this in Seattle.
4. I miss my Doc Martens. I saw some of the not-fake-but-not-real zip up the side variety and it made me want some lace ups. Alas there seem to be none in this area.
5. Email on the phone is made of win, especially when you get to use the coupon that got EMAILED to you without PRINTING IT. LOVE.
6. I really, really, really want this health care bill to pass and be overwith. Because honestly, the reform CANNOT be worse than the current system. Absolutely cannot. And as the BBC pointed out: the Tea Party movement believes that making insurance companies ACTUALLY PAY for sick people is UNAMERICAN. All emphasis theirs, not mine. Ironically.
7. My Twilight drinking game is kind of spectacular.
8. I’m starting the Serious Wardrobe Culling this week.
9. The Tudors sheds more like on torture methodology than I ever needed depicted.
10. Spring, according to retail, must occur only in the first two weeks of February as I searched HIGH AND LOW today for a raincoat and found NOTHING. WTF.
