Floating amongst the crowd of concert goers, rather than in the ocean, these jellies seemed a bit out of place. In fact, I mistook them for mushrooms when we first came upon them.
Lights, Camera, Action
These lovely lights hang in the front entrance of my yoga studio. Finally, after over a year and a half of admiring them, I had time to capture their beauty. This was because I had more than a few minutes to spare before class and, for once, I wasn’t busy chatting it up with one or more of the other students.
On the day I took this picture, the studio was being occupied by one of the teacher-in-training students and one of my favorite instructors. All the teachers at our studio are amazing so, in a way, they are all my favorite for one reason or another. This instructor, in particular, if my favorite teacher of playfulness and light-hearted action.
As I remember, the student was preparing to teach his observational class to his peers. It’s just one of the tasks required to gain the accreditation that will allow you to teach after successfully completing the initial 200 hours of training. Then there are the various tests covering anatomy, Sanskrit, and yoga philosophy. No biggie.
Of course I’M JOKING; it’s TOTALLY a big deal!
Time is whooshing past, and the pages of my calendar keep turning at an increasingly rapid pace (it seems). It is becoming apparent that my trip to India is becoming ever close. I have become acutely aware of how little I know of the practice of yoga, the history & philosophy behind all that we do, the Sanskrit, and essentially everything else.
It seems like it’s only been a short time since I went from “doing yoga” to “practicing” yoga. I’m not quite sure how long before I will be ready to teach it to others. I just know that I want to… some day.
Many of the yogis who are going on this trip with me are either already teaching or are well on the way. I feel a little out of my league and, at the same time, I feel like I am crazy lucky to be able to experience this with them.
I am nervous as heck…but super excited too.
Criss-cross Applesauce
It’s early in the morning. I sit in my bed, sipping a cup of coffee and easing into my day. My morning reading consists of several SPAM messages in email, and only a few new FB posts since I last checked in. Combined, the the two capture only a few minutes of my time. I reach for my book and read a few pages. However, I am quickly irritated with the character for carrying a pack load in excess. How many pages will it take for her to get a clue? Knowing that this is part of her journey offers little to ease my annoyance.
The book soon returns to my bedside.
Outside, I hear the footsteps of a runner. THAT, I think, is what I’d like to do with my morning lull. But I know better.
It’s been a week since my last run; a teaser of sorts. Long enough to remind me of how much I love running, yet just enough to remind me that my body had not been fairing well since the end of our backpacking trip.
The onset of pain after my return to 8 long hours of sitting at my desk, rather than during a week of trekking through the backcountry, is proof that our bodies are not meant for sitting for extended periods of time. They are meant to move.
Sadly, I’ve resorted to swallowing NSAIDs morning and night for coming up on a week now. Just enough to stop the sciatic pain shooting down my leg, but not enough to fully resolve the issue.
I don’t dare run until my latest pain is at bay and my body is pain free once more. One feeble attempt to raise my left leg, as if running, tells me I’d be a fool to give it a go.
And so, I wait…
Death and Life. Life and death.
So lovely is the juxtaposing of this dead and decaying tree and the delicate wildflowers. Death and Life. Life and death.
Hello Weekend
FINALLY, the weekend is here.
It’s been a long work week filled with a lingering fog from the post-backcountry return. Reintegration took much more time to take hold than expected. Thankfully, I finally feel like I’ve pulled my head out of the clouds — in spite of wanting desperately to return once more.
Now that the weekend is here, I find peace in not having to be seated in a chair, or car, for the entire day. My body wants to relax but it also wants to move.
This photo depicts the ease I feel in the weekend pace, regardless of how many events appear on the calendar. My your weekend be filled with ease too.