Extended Vacation

That was a long vacation, huh? Not one post for the entire month of August. What can I say? Life happens. Ok. First things first. Our family vacation turned out to be the best family vacation EVER. For real. The monkeys were soooooo cool - my favorite memory of Honduras. Can you believe that the first photo is G's Dad? Love it! After the cruise, my Mom came to visit. Fun times - we laughed non stop, shopped non stop and managed to even bake together. I have some yummy From Scratch recipes to post. Since her visit, I have been totally engulfed in yoga. My website is up. Yaaaaah! And I finally found a yoga studio in my area that not only challenges me in my personal practice but also has two amazing teachers that truly inspire me - I know for a fact, I am becoming a better teacher because of them. And finally, we are in the midst of making some really important decisions regarding the next couple of years - we are thinking about finally growing some roots here in the good old USA. More to come:)

Believe the Hype

It took over six months but in the end, they got me. Lululemon. I tried. I really tried to hold on to the athletic apparel choices of my youth. Growing up, I played basketball, volleyball, soccer, and softball for seven years straight - I was a Nike girl. Head to toe. I didn't play basketball without my Air Jordans. I didn't go to soccer practice with out my Nike shower shoes. And I didn't step on a volleyball court without my Nike headband - which kept the sweat from falling into my eyes so that I could clearly see who's face I wanted to spike the ball towards. Ha! I swayed a little as I grew up, dabbling in Adidas and after a brief shindig with the company in Germany, I remained loyal. When I started practicing yoga here, I instantly took note of the obvious dominance of Lululemon outfits in the class. I liked every piece I saw but I was happy with my Nike and Adidas ensembles. I was comfortable, my clothes were easy to move in, and in my mind, they were designed specifically for exercise so why would I try any other brand? But over time, I started noticing things. Little things. Like, when I was in Downward Facing Dog, my pants would ease down my lower back, showing way more skin than necessary. I noticed that although I loved my cropped pants, I couldn't find a pair of Nike pants that were long enough for my 5'11 frame. And then, the wire clasp on my sports bra was right in the middle of my back, which was fine for standing poses but when I was on my back for Inversions, it was pretty painful, not to mention dangerous - wire hook + spine + pressure = injury. So after hearing rave reviews about Lululemon's tall pants, I decided to go to one of their stores, just to check out the line. I tried on a few items and I had to admit to G, hovering outside the fitting room door, I loved every single item I tried on. Not only the fit but the fabric. I twisted, squatted, bent over and lunged...and the clothes moved with me. I walked out of the store with a few items and the following day, after a particularly hard (in a good way), hot and sweaty class, I knew it - they got me. Say whatever you want to say about Lululemon...the line is yuppy-ish, over priced, it doesn't fit into the "true" yoga culture.....I've heard it before. I like Lululemon, simply because they make good clothes that are ideal for yoga. And to solidify our new found relationship, Lululemon now offers a discount to all yoga teachers. Yup. they got me!

Breaking News

I have a job.

Not just a j-o-b but my first teaching job! And I finish my yoga teacher training next weekend. There is a lot of excitement in our house right now. And I know I have a lot of blogging to do - we really need to catch up! In the mean time, I'd like to give a shout out to my biggest fan. He loves me no matter how well I do or if I totally suck. He's always there for a quick good luck kiss - and lately, it seems to be working every time.

Denzel

Yoga Kids

Today, I helped teach yoga to 24 excited, inquisitive, and uberflexible eight year olds. I was so happy to be asked to assist and as expected, I learned something about teaching - never underestimate kids. When I found myself standing on my mat, in the middle of a huge circle of the loud and fidgety bunch, I thought it was going to be a pretty big challenge to grab and HOLD their attention. But from the first pose, they followed our directions, asking for adjustments, and even breathing in unison. Don't get me wrong, there were a few goof ball boy moments. Thank goodness for their teacher, who could get a kid back in line with only a few whispered words, who was also 8 months pregnant, mind you. But in general, I was wowed by the kids' ability to focus and take direction. And the comments were great. One funny comment was from a brown eyed girl in purple pants. After being warned about the dangers of trying to force yourself into a pose and the possibility of pulling a muscle, she yelled, "It's ok if I pull a muscle today. I do it all the time and my Mom doesn't care." I only have one month left of teacher training. I have learned soooo much. For the few people that read my blog, you may be wondering....well, what? I have to admit, I have shied away from posting about my own personal philosophy on yoga. I think it's because I am still in the process of discovering it. What I will say is that I am grateful for yoga. With all the things I've learned through reading, studying, meditating, and hours of practicing, I have learned the most valuable lessons about myself - what I'm made of, who I am, and what kind of yoga teacher I want to be. One more month and I will teach my first class...wow...time flies.

My Mirror Image

Yesterday, for the first time, I practiced yoga in front of a mirror. I went to a very well known and respected yoga studio in DC and to my surprise, even the noon class was packed. The studio was on the larger size with one mirrored wall. When the class started, I felt myself sort of avoiding looking straight ahead, where the mirrored wall was. I felt like as soon as I saw myself, I would immediately start critiquing myself and of course, my body. You know the drill. I wanted to concentrate on the class. So, in order to stop thinking about NOT thinking about looking at myself, I moved a little to the right of my mat and in a narrow space in the mirror, full of other reflections, I looked at myself. Head to toe. And something strange happened. I took me all in and instead of thinking about how much leaner I wish my inner thighs were, I looked at my form. And I thought - I'm doing my best. I feel good in the poses. It's obvious I'm not the most advanced in the class but you know, for where my body is at this stage in my practice - I look good. And it felt good to say that to myself! At that moment, I got it. I realized that is one of the best things about yoga...it's not about what your body looks like. It's not about how perfect you come into poses. It's not about who can meditate the longest. You aren't competing with your neighbor or even yourself. In practicing yoga, you do it just as you are and you determine your own potential. The reward of yoga, feeling good both physically and mentally (achieving balance), is based entirely on you. I felt great after that class and I will go back to that studio. But the next time, I won't avoid looking straight ahead.

Sweet yet Annoying

G has a new obsession. Laundry. Every time I leave the house for yoga teacher training, he has about 8 hours all to himself. He usually does the same thing every time I'm gone - he works in his home office, takes Denzel to the dog park, does stuff with wires and cables (???), works out with the intern - you know, guy stuff. But lately, guy stuff includes doing at least, AT LEAST, a couple loads of laundry. Now, I do our laundry during the week. And since it's only the two of us, we really don't have a lot of clothes that have to be washed. But it seems like now that I am out of the house for hours at a time, he wants to the laundry..."his way". This means going through his closet, sometimes reorganizing the closet, searching for missing dirty socks or old workout T-shirts that need to be revived or even creating small piles of clothes all over the office that will eventually be pieced together with other piles, that he wants to wash. Yesterday, as soon as I walked in the door from class, he didn't ask me how my day was or if I was sore or if I learned anything new. The first thing he said was, "Hallo. So, do you have any dark clothes? I've got the washer almost filled, just waiting on you!" And because I didn't have enough dirty dark clothes in my laundry bin, he insisted that I take off all of my sweaty clothes on the spot and throw them in, in order to start the wash immediately. But I guess I should be happy that at least he isn't overloading anymore. Last week I finally managed to convince him that stuffing the washing machine beyond it's capacity is not "efficient" and does not save water and money when the clothes don't get clean and I end up having to wash them a second time. I wish he would develop an obsession with cleaning. Or shopping for presents for his wife.

My Yoga

I finally decided to go after my goal of becoming a certified yoga instructor. And after the first week of training, I am feeling a wide range of emotions. I am so excited to learn as much as I can and take advantage of the wonderful teachers I'm privileged to study with. I am eager to see the transformation in my body, in my strength and flexibility. I am ready and willing to open my mind to meditation. I'm nervous about keeping up with the women in my class. With my 6 foot frame, I sometimes feel like a giant compared to the petite flexible women who are constantly assuring me otherwise. I am charged in every class to push myself, to try to reach my full potential. G is so supportive of me and a little shocked - when I woke up at 8:59am one morning and literally tore through the house, racing to make it to my 9:30am power yoga class, he sat there with an open mouthed look of amazement on his face. He also gave me an encouraging present, my first and only (they have a life time guarantee) Manduka yoga mat. It's perfect for my weak knees. It will take six months for my certification and when I think about the amount of information and hours in front of me, it is a bit intimidating. But, most goals are. Here I go!