Kundalini Yoga

As a homeschooling full-time mom, it's not always easy to find consistent time to yourself to squeeze in exercise routines, etc.  In my case, since I had gone through so much with pregnancies, I've had a lot to work through emotionally, and of course physically.  It's imperative to heal your emotions before you can truly begin your physical healing journey (in my case, balancing thyroid, weight loss...gained not only during pregnancy issues, but because of the emotions behind them).  I'm proud to say that I'm VERY balanced...but am still "left" with weight...some of which I've lost; around 25 pounds.  There is more to go:)  Things throw me off easily, but I get back on track faster.  Part of taking better care of myself, and being a very spiritual person, involved me wanting to incorporate a regular yoga practice into my day.  It's taken awhile, but I've finally found a form of yoga that truly fits the bill for me!  Kundalini yoga....I LOVE it!  (Kundalini draws up the earth energy).  Since I'm a Kundalini Reiki Master, this kind of made sense for me to go in this  direction...and I now have about 10 dvd's and I LOVE LOVE LOVE them.....I find that I wake much earlier (NO alarm, sahm's don't DO alarms;)....I think about yoga throughout the day...I feel very peaceful, and very energized, and just plain feel good!  This form of yoga is MUCH different than traditional Hatha poses....and breathing and various types of breathwork are key!  This is very cleansing for your organs and glands and blood and body and spirit...and you can really feel it.  This morning was nice and cozy with rain and candles, and J even joined me...and even Piper did:)  I'm very grateful to have begun practicing Kundalini yoga...this is life-long for me...not a short-term fad:) 





and yes, he literally did the downward dog pose, on a mat at one point...it was cute:)

Yoga Mat for Sale on Craig's List (this is hilarious, you really should read this post!!!)

I copied and pasted this, because it's one of the funniest things I've ever read.  I couldn't stop laughing.  I can't believe somebody really posted this as an ad!!  It's long, but it's worth reading for a good laugh.  Enjoy:)



It looks like someone in Seattle is selling a yoga mat for $1. The mat was only used once and comes along with this hilarious usage timeline detailing the seller's experience in a hot yoga class. (Not such a good experience).

I doubt the room got up to 175 degrees, but nonetheless, funny.

I also doubt the seller used Heidi Kristoffer's super-easy method for yoga mat cleaning.

Any takers?

Here's the full text from the Seattle Craigslist ad below:

Yoga mat for sale. Used once. - $1 (Bellevue)

Yoga mat for sale. Used once at lunch hour class in December 2009. Usage timeline as follows:

11:45a
Register for hot yoga class. Infinite wisdom tells me to commit to 5 class package and purchase a yoga mat. I pay $89.74. Money well spent, I smugly confirm to myself.

11:55a
Open door to yoga room. A gush of hot dry air rushes through and past me. It smells of breath, sweat and hot. Take spot on floor in back of room next to cute blonde. We will date.

11:57a
I feel the need to be as near to naked as possible. This is a problem because of the hot blonde to my left and our pending courtship. She will not be pleased to learn that I need to lose 30 pounds before I propose to her.

11:58a
The shirt and sweats have to come off. I throw caution to the wind and decide to rely on my wit and conditioning to overcome any weight issues my fiancée may take issue with. This will take a lot of wit and conditioning.

11:59a
Begin small talk with my bride to be. She pretends to ignore me but I know how she can be. I allow her to concentrate and stare straight ahead and continue to pretend that I don't exist. As we finish sharing our special moment, I am suddenly aware of a sweat moustache that has formed below my nose. This must be from the all the whispering between us.

12:00p
Instructor enters the room and ascends her special podium at the front of the room. She is a slight, agitated Chinese woman. She introduces me to the class and everyone turns around to greet me just as I decide to aggressively adjust my penis and testes packed in my Under Armor. My bride is notably unfazed.

12:02p
Since I do have experience with Hot Yoga (4 sessions just 5 short years ago) I fully consider that I may be so outstanding and skilled that my instructor may call me out and ask me to guide the class. My wife will look on with a sparkle in her eye. We will make love after class.

12:10p
It is now up to 95 degrees in the room. We have been practicing deep breathing exercises for the last 8 minutes. This would not be a problem if we were all breathing actual, you know, oxygen. Instead, we are breathing each other's body odor, expelled carbon dioxide and other unmentionables. (Don't worry, I'll mention them later.)

12:26p
It is now 100 degrees and I take notice of the humidity, which is hovering at about 90%. I feel the familiar adorning stare of my bride and decide to look back at her. She appears to be nauseated. I then realize that I forgot to brush my teeth prior to attending this class. We bond.

12:33p
It is now 110 degrees and 95% humidity. I am now balancing on one leg with the other leg crossed over the other. My arms are intertwined and I am squatting. The last time I was in this position was 44 years ago in the womb, but I'm in this for the long haul. My wife looks slightly weathered dripping sweat and her eyeliner is streaming down her face. Well, "for better or worse" is what we committed to so we press on.

12:40p
The overweight Hispanic man two spots over has sweat running down his legs. At least I think its sweat. He is holding every position and has not had a sip of water since we walked in. He is making me look bad and I hate him.

12:44p
I consider that if anyone in this room farted that we would all certainly perish.

12:52p
It is now 140 degrees and 100% humidity. I am covered from head to toe in sweat. There is not a square millimeter on my body that is not slippery and sweaty. I am so slimy that I feel like a sea lion or a maybe sea eel. Not even a bear trap could hold me. The sweat is stinging my eyeballs and I can no longer see.

12:55p
This room stinks of asparagus, cloves, tuna and tacos. There is no food in the room. I realize that this is an amalgamation of the body odors of 30 people in a 140 degree room for the last 55 minutes. Seriously, enough with the asparagus, ok?

1:01p
140 degrees and 130% humidity. Look, bitch, I need my space here so don't get all pissy with me if I accidentally sprayed you with sweat as I flipped over. Seriously, is that where this relationship is going? Get over yourself. We need counseling and she needs to be medicated. Stat!

1:09p
150 degrees and cloudy. And hot. I can no longer move my limbs on my own. I have given up on attempting any of the commands this Chinese chick is yelling out at us. I will lay sedentary until the aid unit arrives. I will buy this building and then have it destroyed.
I lose consciousness.

1:15p
I have a headache and my wife is being a selfish bitch. I can't really breathe. All I can think about is holding a cup worth of hot sand in my mouth. I cannot remember what an ice cube is and cannot remember what snow looks like. I consider that my only escape might be a crab walk across 15 bodies and then out of the room. I am paralyzed, and may never walk again so the whole crab walk thing is pretty much out.

1:17p
I cannot move at all and cannot reach my water. Is breathing voluntary or involuntary? If it's voluntary, I am screwed. I stopped participating in the class 20 minutes ago. Hey, lady! I paid for this frickin class, ok?! You work for me! Stop yelling at everyone and just tell us a story or something. It's like juice and cracker time, ok?

1:20p
It is now 165 degrees and moisture is dripping from the ceiling. The towel that I am laying on is no longer providing any wicking or drying properties. It is actually placing additional sweat on me as I touch it. My towel reeks. I cannot identify the smell but no way can it be from me. Did someone spray some stank on my towel or something?

1:30p
Torture session is over. I wish hateful things upon the instructor. She graciously allows us to stay and 'cool down' in the room. It is 175 degrees. Who cools down in 175 degrees? A Komodo Dragon? My wife has left the room. Probably to throw up.

1:34p
My opportunity to escape has arrived. I roll over to my stomach and press up to my knees. It is warmer as I rise up from ground level - probably by 15 degrees. So let's conservatively say it's 190. I muster my final energy and slowly rise. One foot in front of the other. One foot in front of the other. Towards the door. Towards the door.

1:37p
The temperature in the lobby is 72 degrees. Both nipples stiffen to diamond strength and my penis begins to retract into my abdomen from the 100 degree temp swing. I can once again breathe though so I am pleased. I spot my future ex wife in the lobby. We had such a good thing going but I know that no measure of counseling will be able to unravel the day's turmoil and mental scaring.

1:47p
Arrive at Emerald City Smoothie and proceed to order a 32 oz beverage. 402 calories, 0 fat and 14 grams of protein -- effectively negating any caloric burn or benefit from the last 90 minutes. I finish it in 3 minutes and spend the next 2 hours writing this memoir.

3:47p
Create Craigslist ad while burning final 2 grams of protein from Smoothie and before the "shakes" consume my body.

4:29p
Note to self - check car for missing wet yoga towel in am.

Any takers?! 

http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-3153/Hilarious-Yoga-Mat-for-Sale-Ad-on-Craigslist.html

Wax Museum Biographies

so the girls' yoga/ballet instructor Ms. Laura, always does a fun learning project after yoga is done.  Over the last few weeks, she gave the girls instructions to choose a famouse woman (or man:) in history, dress the part, and act them out, after their "button" is pushed...as if they are wax figures in a museum.  They are also to choose their wax "still" pose.  

Fairy Girl wasn't too interested in participating, so I'm not going to push it.  But Little Angel was all over this one...a little too all over....she couldn't narrow it down to any one person...but, her indecisiveness didn't hurt her, because she researched several famous people, and learned: Betsy Ross, Martha Washington, Maria Tallchief, Eleanor Roosevelt, Marie Antoinette...until we finally convinced her (after missing out on two opportunities to practice in class:) to go for Amela Earhart.

Here are the other girls:

Wax Museum Biographies (from right to left):
Pearl Cornioley
Maria Tallchief
Betsy Ross
George Washington
Jacklyn Kennedy Onassis
Laura Ingles Wilder
Amelia Earhart 

And great time, and lots of learning, was had by all!

creative story telling, following yoga

Homeschool Yoga Class

It's Just Another Manic Monday

I do NOT like to over-schedule my girls.  I do NOT like to over-schedule ME.  That said, some of MY rules are meant to be broken, on occasion;D

Backtracking (not related to the "over-scheduling":)

Grandma and Grandpa were here! 

 and the girls had a knitting lesson with Grandma (**the note is to further assist my little leftie...apparently it is challening for a right-handed knitting teacher to teach a leftie;)

 We shopped!!!  (Fairy Girl received her very first gift card/ shopping spree!  this took awhile...Target has a LOT for a 7 girl to choose from you know.)

We dined....

It was ITALIAN!!!!

Ok, so we dined...lots, until we ran out of food or food inspiration...and when I stopped feeding the grandparents, they took off (to quote Grandma J: "if you stop feeding the strays, they leave:D"

We cheered on the Pack

AND THEY WON!

!!

So, as I was saying, when we stopped feeding the grandparents....they left:D
And then we met our homeschool group for an equestrian field trip.  Here's the cool thing: on Friday we went to Hilton Head to hit the Farmer's Market (where we plan on having our own stand!!  As soon as I can build up some bracelet (and other goodies, soon to be announced;) inventory!  It's amazing that I'm not keeping up with the demand!  It's all good...working on my craft "studio" as we speak, so I don't have to share with the homeschool room, and keep setting up and putting away....photos to follow......
Well, anyway, I digress.....when we were at the farmer's market, Fairy Girl kinda sorta got bit...by a horse:/

 the story of MANIC MONDAY:

And ironically, today, we had a field trip to an equestrian farm with our local homeschool group.....but, no life-long fears, as you can see she jumped right in and is brushing the horse.  (Little Miss Angel, on the other hand, kind of steered clear;)

We were starving, so we hit Panera's, something different for us;)

there was a pumpkin cookie!!!!!!!

After the pumpkin cookie, there was  our weekly yoga class...(not pictured, as mom participated:D) 

 But I DID get a shot of their Chinese Ribbon Dancing!

 

And then there was art class, with a professional artist.

And they created these adorable bags!

And then they went to their very first ballet class! 

(they will be in leotards soon....this sort of just came up:D)

They will perform in the Nutcracker in December!

first glimpse of our NEW bigger camper!!!!  (ignore the mess, was in the process of transferring our goods from our old one)

RIBBIT....RIBBIT

Carryon

Homeschool Yoga Class is Fantastic (moms participate too!)

 

Yogis des Enfants