Teri Parris Ford's Blog

ONE THOUSAND

This morning I made it to Jennifer's 11am Inner Fire Flow class and celebrated my one thousandth yoga class at Inner Fire Yoga Studio. I have been.practicing yoga for 9 years now, so when you do the math, a thousand classes isn't that crazy. My practice is certainly no where near perfect-- it is simply practice. I start over again almost every time I step on my mat.

While I am not a very confident yogi, I have come a long way. I recall after about 5 years of practice, a teacher walking up behind me and shoving her hip into mine, pulling my arm up and pushing my thigh over to force me into triangle pose correctly. I imagined she was so tired of seeing me do the pose wrong, she finally forced me to do it right and it was like a yoga epiphany. Very few teachers will do that for you. My favorite teachers are the ones that do a good job of verbally describing where body parts are supposed to be or have a great music selection. Jennifer does both, so I intentionally picked her class to be my 1000th. 

I love going to hot yoga for the heat, the stress relief of letting go and for the feeling of healing. 10 years ago a friend told me to do myself a favor and start doing yoga before I turned 50. It was the best advise anyone has given me for how to grow old. Hot yoga has cured my thyroid issues (doing Standing Separate Leg Head to Knee Pose and Rabbit pose), cured my carpal tunnel problems (doing Locust Pose, or Salabhasana), gotten rid of my bad BO (Kapalbhati breathing and sweating toxins out regularly), helps my back issues any time I have a flair up (spine twisting, triangle, and head to knee poses), prevents my plantar fasciitis from returning (head to knee poses, mountain, yin and other toe stretching), and cured my digestive irregularity (wind removing pose and more). 

So what's next? I suppose I have another thousand classes to take in the next ten years. I am considering teacher training just to strengthen my own practice and possibly to have a part time job after I retire. I listened to Marianne Williamson on Oprah's Super Soul podcast this week and thought about how the universe (God), has paved my journey with so much grace. My yoga practice has helped me survive the roughest parts of my journey, not accidentally. I am so thankful for the classes I had on days when I was in pain, emotional pain or physical pain. I have always walked away feeling better, more whole and so grateful for the experience.

Taking Care

I took the morning off to get an over due blood test done. I spent some of the morning working on my National Boards. It's due in 6 days but I'm hoping to get it done this weekend, so I've been spending a lot of time getting it finished.  I'll be thrilled when it is over next week. 

I missed my morning classes but worked with my yearbook kids who are making a video. After school I took my 999th yoga class. I've know I've been close to a thousands classes but wasn't sure how close. Come August, it'll be 10 years of practicing yoga. I'm thinking next year I may start working on becoming a yoga teacher.

900 Classes

It was warm quiet morning. I drank some coffee, watched some news and I took Balt for his walk. I did some cleaning and then went to a late morning hot yoga class. I was awarded my 900 class prize. My goal is 1000 classes by August 2019. 

I made a nice salad for lunch and talked to Monika in Greece on Facetime. I went into work and got to see both Joe and Josh, who were both working on personal projects. I had a group of newspaper kids meet at school to start planning the next school year. It was nice to get a bit of work done but I mostly enjoyed connecting with Joe and Josh! I came home and had leftovers for dinner and am geared up to watch a movie before bed.

800+

I was honored today during my hot yoga class with a bead bracelet and a shout out for going to 815 classes as of that night. My goal is to make it to 1000 in less than 10 years and I'm on track (Aug 2019 is the deadline-- no sweat!). I certainly don't look like someone who has gone to over 800 classes-- balance is a struggle, but I'm always glad I've gone, so I keep going.

Today was good, lots got done at work and I had time to get to a 4:30pm yoga class. I had leftover soup for dinner and watched This Is Us. The pets keep waking me up closer to 4am than 5am, so I'm ready to pass out by 8pm. 

The Aroma of Spring

Monday is the first day of spring and it's starting to feel like it. My dogwalk this morning was in 34 degrees, which was cold but not freezing. After a leisure morning, Erika and I welcomed the spring with a special yoga class that combined the slow flow of vinyasa fused with the sweet surrender of yin yoga. It was an amazing class filled with aroma therapy and essential oils. The class was nearly 3 hours in the afternoon. Erika informed me that she will begin training to become a hot yoga teacher later this month. After the class I made a visit to Trader Joe's for a few items and treated myself with a pot of daffodils to bring in the spring.

My morning started with a slight 1/5 pound loss, but I'll take it. It's getting easier to make good decisions. I'm allowed dark chocolate treats, which make the diet doable. I'm supposed to finish each evening with an ounce of dark chocolate and 1/2 glass of red wine. I double the chocolate and don't indulge in the wine. 

30 Day Challenge Met

I had to go to 2 yoga classes this evening in order to make up for my sick day yesterday and I was feeling well enough for the challenge. I had a very good work day, catching up with the kids. It seems there are quite a few student who suffered through a short and violent illness like mine. I guess there is some kind of bug going around. I had a very fun conversation about projectile vomiting at lunch. After school I ran straight away for a 4:30pm hot yoga class and then went home and fed Balt. I made sure not to eat dinner, just an apple with peanut butter. I went back in for a 7:30pm class and felt just fine through it. I'll sleep well. I managed 30 yoga classes in 30 days without much back pain at all, so I have progressed since last year! Erika also got through the challenge as well. I only had to do two doubles, I'm not sure about her, I think she had at least 2, but when you work at a yoga studio, how hard is it to get to a yoga class everyday!!? She told me the weekends were difficult. Okay, I'll give her that.

Post Christmas

I cried my eyes out last night watching a Netflix original called Other People with Molly Shannon. I do not recommend it if you have a mother with cancer-- just too close to home. Then this morning at yoga, the instructor said something at the end of the class that almost set me off. I had to fight hard to hold back from balling my eyes out again! Oh, it was something about loving after having a broken heart and it surprised me how it hit me so deeply so quickly. Maybe having all three girls around has me feeling more emotional? It had been a year since we were all together, but last Christmas we were in California, so really, it feels much longer since we were home all together. 

Anyway, so today was just a clean up and relax day. My whole agenda for this vacation was just to be available to spend time with the girls. I made them a fruit salad and scrambled eggs for breakfast before going to hot yoga all together. We got to see Erika but she had to work since all the other managers are on vacation, she's in charge. I decided to sign up for another 30 day hot yoga challenge for January. Last year I really struggled to finish because of back issues. I've learned to be gentle with my back. The heat often gives a false feeling of being loose and limber-- then I over do it. Part of my problem is that I don't have great core strength, so my back has to compensate and is stressed. I'm going to try again mostly so that Erika will have one more person sign up and to see if I can improve my practice from last year. 

After yoga, the girls went out to lunch with friends, while I made myself a salad and watched some Youtube. Later Jessi came home and we went shopping together. I had to get a part and wipers for my truck which has been out of commission since school got out. Jessi needs to buy a Christmas gift for her boyfriend who is coming on Friday. I made grilled cheese (and ham) sandwiches for dinner and called it an early evening. 

Happy Birthday Balt!

Balt turned 6 today, so I made sure to give a really nice walk this morning and the weather was wonderful for us both! I went to a late morning yoga class after our walk and then popped into school to make sure things were cleaned up after Friday, since I was gone. I raked leaves and spent some time watching a movie and then met up with Erika back at the yoga studio for a Yoga Nidra class at 6pm. Yoga nidra is a lesser known yoga practice that’s a form of meditation and a mind-body therapy. It's a guided relaxation that starts with some yin type stretching to prepare. We were offered oil for our hair before we got starting and then cocoa butter for our feet after some stretching. The class took an hour and a half and had live music to help set the mood. It was amazing! I fell into a deep unconsciousness but was awakened when Erika grabbed my hand (to make sure I didn't start snoring), I felt as if I had been buried under sand with a very warm and heavy feeling all over but then a very bright orange glow seemed to surround me like an intense sunset (my eyes were closed and covered with a small towel) and then I started to become aware of the teacher talking and I regained full consciousness at some point. It was a extremely relaxing and de-stressing. Erika and I went out to dinner after and had a very nice evening together!  

What to Give Up

Today was a better day. It was absolutely freezing this morning-- single digit temps with wind chills even lower. Still I made time to walk Balt and he seemed to be in heaven. I got to work with my legs still thawing out from the time outside. My classes are wonderful. The last hour class started out full and has, little by little dwindled down to about a dozen kids, most of them boys. Today two of the three girls were out, so it was quite noticeable suddenly. I spent my lunch hour covering Joe's news club since he was out sick. I've been sneezy lately, so I'm trying to make sure I stay healthy.

After school I ran out to meet up with Erika for yoga. It felt good to be back, but I am still sore both in my back and hips. I read today about the connections between the mind, body and spirit in yoga. Yoga is, afterall, a Hindu philosophy that teaches how to experience inner peace by controlling the body and mind. There is no separation between the mind, body, and spirit. The three are to exist as a union. So if something is bothering you spiritually, emotionally, or mentally, it is likely to show up in the body. The two places I am having pain, I believe are deeply connected to inner, emotional pain. While my hips were sore often, it was never enough to keep me from practicing. Loosening up the hips is thought to help release trapped emotions. But it was the back pain that fascinated me most, since that is where I am suffering the most and it seems related to the opening of the heart, core strength and is greatly effected by stress and anxiety. I read several articles on how a broken heart deeply effected the body and how yoga could help. While the past 30 days were not a huge success as I only got to 25 out of 30 days, I learned I have limits and I have needs that need to be addressed. I need to move slower, especially in yoga. I need to learn to use and build my core strength. 

Today was Ash Wednesday and I did spend some time thinking about Lent and how to celebrate this season. I usually give up something like meat or bread. This year I'd like to move away from eating habits and think about my time and energy. I want to give up stress, but that's a hard one since it is so much determined by circumstances. I'd like to add more time for meditation, which I suppose means giving up some time for that. Usually my dogwalking time is somewhat meditative, but I'd like a more focused time to sit, breathe and meditate. Let's see how it goes.

Too Much

My back ached all day, from the time I got out of bed this morning to the time I laid down to go to bed this evening. As close as I am to finishing the 30 day challenge, my body is telling me, it's too much. I walked nearly 6 miles today, ran errands, and wrote 3 recommendations. My Monday was busy but I still felt a bit like I failed. Tomorrow I should have been able to go to my 30th yoga class but instead it'll be my 26th, if I go and I'll try to get to 30 later in the week. I'm 4 classes short after missing today. I've learned a lot and I've done a lot more yoga this past month than I would have had I not been challenged, so it certainly wasn't a total loss. Live and learn.

 

Some Blue Sky

It was a nice Friday. I was going to go out to lunch today but then decided to just come home and enjoy some soup with Balt. After school we went for a walk and got a splash of sunshine and bits of blue sky. It was quite pretty.

I went to hot yoga this evening and made sure to discuss my back situation before class with the teacher, who was a really good one. He told me that my pain was in "the best possible place to have back pain" which seemed weird but he explained why. Then he offered some hands on assists in the class and at the very end pulled on my legs while I was laying in shavasana which was amazing. I was really glad I talked to him. I talked to another women in class, who overheard my conversation with the teacher and she encouraged me to get a massage, which I'm going to do asap. My back is sore from all the extra pulling and bending. The strain is manageable, but I know I have to be really careful that I don't over do it so I'm just taking this one day at a time. I came home feeling amazing but ready for bed by 8pm.

New Shoes in my new classes...

I ordered a pair of new vans after Christmas with a coupon I earned and they are like no other pair of shoes I've ever owned and I've gotten a few nice compliments already. It isn't often I get new shoes. I had a student notice right away in my first hour class and ask, "are those Vans?" I said yes and then he proceeded to tell me that only Mexicans wear Vans. Luckily, I'm Mexican so it was all good. My new classes are all coming along quite nicely. I had my Art Metals and Glass 2 class sort glass today to get ready for a mosaic project. I assured them it would be kind of therapeutic and somewhat of a community building activity. They bought it and my class looks so much nicer now. 

Right after school I ran off to a hot yoga class; my 17th in a row. My back is the only issue and I've been as gentile with it as possible in class. There's no pain and I want to keep it that way, but I can feel it sore and a bit sensitive. I am surprised that the classes seem to be getting easier and that the heat has not been an issue at all. I am staying hydrated throughout the day with water and hot tea. After yoga, I'm trying to eat light dinners and drink lots of water and hot tea. I have yet to lose one pound but I think I'm building muscle, at least that's my hope. I keep waiting for the challenge to get really hard, but I've yet to hit a wall. Still, I am REALLY looking forward to February 10th- my first day off after accomplishing my 30 days.

Actually Half Way

I woke up early enough to make sure I got a good walk with Balt before I left for work early. The first day of the semester is always exhausting. I try not to talk too much, opting for community building activities as much as I can. I still have to introduce all new projects and explain new processes, so I'll be talking a lot all week. I have my ideal schedule this semester, with an extended prep and lunch in the middle of my day that allows me to get a lot done. 

I came home after school and took Balt out for a little bit, got ready for yoga and met up with Erika for a hot yoga class-- my 15th class! So I am exactly 1/2 way through the 30 day challenge. My back still is bothering me with a bit of an ache, not really pain, mostly sore, but I am really taking it easy on all back bends from now on. Tonight's class seemed a bit easier than yesterday's mostly because it wasn't as crowded and not nearly as hot. I came home to chicken soup I had made in my crock pot and got working on a power point for tomorrow. I'm in for a busy week.

11 Days In & 1 Day left

There's one last day of the semester left and then I'm officially 1/2 way through the school year. I haven't even had time to really think about my new classes next semester. I'm most concerned about having two yearbook classes. The other three classes I'm teaching next semester, I've taught before, so it should not be a lot of prep, but it is still a big transition. After my finals this morning, I grabbed lunch for Joe and I at Panera and got to work on re-PDF'ing yearbook pages. Every time a student looks through the final pages, they find more mistakes-- tiny mistakes, sure, but we are still finding them. I spent the late afternoon hanging my wall for the student show in the gallery. I have a few more paintings to hang and asked Josh to share a sliver of his wall with me. I had very talented students this semester and am very proud of the work on display.

After school I ran to pick up Balt and then darted off to meet Erika at yoga. It is my 11th day in a row and I'm starting to feel an ache in my mid back, my buttocks and hips. I have to start taking it easy on the back bends and the hip openers. I am amazed at how each day I seem to sweat in different places more. Today my legs were completely soaked. I can tell my breathing a bit more steadier, but I am still very distracted. There's a lot on my mind lately and I'd like to get better at letting it go for the hour I'm on my mat. I came home from yoga, showered, heated up left over chicken and then got to work on my scrapbook. I got through Halloween-- so close to being done. I'm hoping to finish this weekend.

5 days in

I slept in a bit today but got up early enough to make sure to take Balt for a nice walk. It was 33 degrees and it felt almost warm! I actually went to work without a coat on. It was a grey day, no sun, but quite nice because of the temps. I always find it amazing how warm getting above freezing feels in the winter time.

It was a crazy busy day with tons to do, lots to grade, to clean, to organize and get ready for next semester, not to even mention that I have 2 big yearbook deadlines coming up. Monika came by school in the afternoon to visit and then we went home after school and rested a bit before a 5:30pm Hot Yoga class. We got to see Erika at the end of her 4pm class as we were going in. We came home after, showered and then went out to dinner and out for a bit of shopping. Today was my 5th class in a row, which I've done before. It won't get really hard until about half way through, I think. 

Always

The world lost another amazing artist to cancer at the age of 69-- Alan Rickman. He played a great bad guy in Die Hard and funny bad guy in Robin Hood, but the best bad guy he played wasn't really a bad guy but a complicated guy; Snape, of course (see Snape's most important scenes below). I liked Alan Rickman before Harry Potter, Love Actually helped seal the deal. As the Harry Potter movies continued, Alan Rickman just kept getting better and making Snape more lovable. I got home late this evening and Monika told me to watch CBGB (2013) with Alan Rickman. It was a nice way to end the evening celebrating one of my favorite actors.

Okay, so that was the bad news. The good news today was... I AM GOING TO INDIA THIS SUMMER!! A girl friend of mine let me know of a scholarship that the UW offers to educators. I applied for it on the day it was due and asked my principal to send in a recommendation. I have to admit the recommendation made me look a whole lot better than my application. I got an email today congratulating me. This summer is going to be crazy! CUBA AND INDIA... here I come.

So Balt got me up at 4:30am this morning and I finally made it to a 6am yoga class! I was quite surprised at how crowded it was. I guess there's a solid crowd who get up early to do yoga. The fact it was almost 20 degrees made it not so painful to leave the house. I have to admit the early yoga experience was different. I sweat in different places and felt different, but it was a great experience. I'm not sure I'm ready to do yoga so early every day, but once or twice a week during this challenge won't be so bad.

My day at school was a bit crazy. There's so much to do. I took Balt to daycare and stayed late working on the yearbook with kids. Next week is catch up week. 

 

2nd Challenge Day

The alarm went off at 5am but I still did not make it to a morning yoga class, but it all worked out fine. Monika needed the car today for an eye appointment at the UW and then to go out to lunch with a friend. She picked me up at 4pm and we met up with Erika for a 4:30 hot yoga class all together. It's always more fun to take classes with my girls! The class was hot and crowded but we got in early to get good spots by the door (which is always nice to have a blast of cold air when someone opens it). I tried to keep my breathing steady and not to fidget as much. 

Afterword, Monika and i cleaned up and then ran errands together including getting 5 Guys for dinner!! The lettuce wrap burger is less then 500 calories but the fries are killer-- Monika and I shared a large. We came home to eat and watch a movie, Ex machina (2015), which was really good. Monika then proceeded to share with me all the mythological and Biblical references as well as philosophical references. It was very apparent she'd taken a philosophy class in college.

Time may change me...

One of my favorite David Bowie songs is Changes. It reminds my of my childhood and youth.  I remember being at my cousins' house, who were 4 years older than me and listening to their Young American's album and thinking they were so cool for listening to David Bowie. I was 10, and my favorite song was Fame. I could listen to it over and over again. I was not a fan of every phase of David Bowie's career but by the time Under Pressure with Queen came out I was in high school and digging his scene. And then there was the Labyrinth. I saw the movie several times in the theater, not just because of Bowie but because I was a huge fan of Jim Henson. I certainly have many memories of listening to Let's Dance on my car cassette and singing to Modern Love and China Girl with friends in my car (a white Fiat Spider convertible that I loved). I was sad to hear of David Bowie's passing-- he is an icon of my youth and reminder of many fun times. He changed the way I thought about music.

Today I started a 30 day challenge today to detox and focus on change. Inner Fire Yoga is hosting a HOT YOGA challenge; 30 days of 105 degree hot yoga classes. I got up at 5am this morning to make it in early but could not pull it off. I had to go in after school at 5:30 instead. It was a great class and I came home feeling wonderful. I am going to have to utilize the morning classes on days I'm busy after school, but i think I can make this happen with some discipline. The first week's focus is on breathe and I can feel how my breathe changes with stress and exertion. I want to be able to slow my breath, improve my balance and try to work on stillness. I am a fidgety practitioner of yoga... of life, really. I often can see how my yoga practice mimics my life, while eager, I'm unsteady and inconsistent. I'm hoping 30 days with my feet on my mat in the heat can bring some positive change not only to my posture and poses but to my mindset.

Here we are.

We landed in Madison after 3am this morning. Jessi drove the last hour, Monika kept her company and I passed out with Balt in the back. They were thrilled to be home. Erika was happy to have us back as well. I managed a few hours of sleep before getting up to unpack and clean up. I got out to Costco for fruit, pet food and essentials. Monika and I went out to lunch with Erika while Jessi made her way up north to visit with friends for the New Year's celebrations. Monika and I ran lots of errands; washing the car, getting a few more groceries, getting a hair cut, etc. For dinner I made a Cowboy Caviar bean salsa, trying to keep things light since I was celebrating the New Year's with a midnight yoga class. I dropped Monika off downtown around 10pm and then met up with Erika at the yoga studio. She built a fire for the class and I volunteered to keep an eye on it so that she could go out with friends. The class started at 10:45 and ended at 12:15.

During the yoga class, we were asked to jot down standout events or emotions from 2015 and then we pushed them away with yoga poses. Next we jotted down our intentions for 2016 and then pulled them in with more yoga poses. By midnight we were all in inversions, legs above the heart, and sweating. It was a nice way to start a new year. I wrote at length about 2015 a couple of weeks ago. I failed to mention completing a 1/2 marathon in May which was a big accomplishment for me. That was one of my stand out emotions for the past year-- feeling accomplished, mostly because of my art show but also just for getting through the whole year pretty much on my own. I dealt with loneliness and sadness as well but it's all in the past now. 

I struggle with finding my Intentions, especially during a yoga class. I like setting goals but setting an intention is not making a goal. It's not about future outcomes, but rather about present being. Looking at what matters most, inner values and how my actions will follow those values. So I set my life intentions for the year to find peace, joy and contentment within my circumstances and then at the end of the class I walked outside (after getting bundled up with snow boats and a coat) and set it all on fire-- the past and the future jottings of ink burned into smoke that floated into the sky. 

Time Together

Balt and I got in 3 miles this morning. It was much warmer today but cloudy with morning showers. We had a wonderful leisurely morning. Erika has had to get up early to work. Today she wanted to get over to the Bikram headquarters in Los Angeles. I wasn't sure how bad traffic was going to be so we left really early and ended up with an hour to kill-- the diamond lane on the 405 was smooth sailing! Erika was so excited. It was a really fun activity, a super hot yoga class and a great workout. I'll be sore tomorrow. After the class, we hit traffic home. We planned quick showers and going out to dinner as quick as we could-- everyone was so hungry after the yoga practice. We had a fabulous day!  

A bit of news...

The December Inner Fire Yoga. Newsletter was emailed out to me this morning. I was listed as an Honorary Yogi reaching 500 classes this month. That's about 100 classes a year-- nothing crazy but Erika was impressed. I took tonight off because I had to stay late after school with newspaper and yearbook kids, though. Also in the Newsletter was a spot light on Erika as a staff member. I've copied the article and posted it below. It had a photo that Monika had taken of Erika accompanied. On the company website, her staff bio has a different photo and a very nice write up. It is so exciting for me to see her finally coming into her own plus I love seeing her at work!

At work today we had a wonderful luncheon to wish Joe well as he takes a full month off to be with his family. A retired teacher, Martha, who went to Europe with us a couple of summers ago will sub for him starting Monday. I'm excited to hang out with Martha but will miss Joe. Still I'm happy that he has this opportunity but I'm not really envious. While I miss my girls, and cherished those cherab years, I would never go back to the days of having an infant constantly in my arms, especially two! Those were tough times with little sleep and constant vigilance. 

I stayed late with kids after school, picked up Balt from daycare and then came home, built a fire and sorted mail. I got my Christmas cards already. So I will have plenty of time to address them before sending them out next week sometime. Monika called to keep me posted on a few items she's dealing with -financial aid related and internships for next summer/fall. I always love hearing from her, especially mid-week. 

STAFF SPOTLIGHT: Erika Ford, Strategic Marketing Manager for Inner Fire Yoga
What do you do at Inner Fire Yoga?
I am the Strategic Marketing Manager at Inner Fire Yoga. My focus is to develop, implement and measure marketing, sales and promotional plans for Inner Fire Yoga. I manage brand communications to maintain a cohesive branding message across all lines of business. I work to develop and maintain the marketing and events strategic plan and calendar. With lots of help from the management team, I coordinate all of Inner Fire Yoga's marketing, public relations, strategic partnerships, social media, digital media, promotions, word of mouth, cause marketing, events, and advertising. I also oversee sales, customer feedback and followup. I write scripts and copy for sales and marketing material. I work closely with Michael, the Creative Manager/Studio Manager on graphic design, email communications, our email newsletter, website updates and more!
What are some things Inner Fire Yoga may not know about you?
I went to Kindergarten in Germany! I lived there for a year while my father was working on his PHD in German History. We moved there when I was 4 years old and I was fluent within a matter of months. Sadly, I lost it within a few months of being back in America but I still know a few phrases.
Tell us about some jobs you had before working at Inner Fire Yoga?
I worked several different pizza jobs while working on bachelor's degree. I am proud to say I graduated 100% debt free from UW Madison from serving pizzas part time for years before landing my dream job. I am a pizza connoisseur at heart, always on the mission for the best pizza in town. I love to talk pizza, ask me for a recommendation any time!
What is your favorite place to visit or vacation?
I just got back from spending Thanksgiving in southern California with my extended family. I absolutely love going see my family in LA and going to the pacific ocean. It's safe to say that the beach is my happy place :)
Favorite films?
This is a tough one for me, I am a huge movie buff. I am one of the few people I know that still goes to a video rental store, a proud patron of 4 star video cooperative on State St. Some of my absolute favorites include: Edwards Scissor Hands, High Fidelity, Fight Club and The Final Cut.
Favorite concert?
I'd have to say CutCopy at the majestic theater in Madison just a few years ago was one of the best concerts I have ever been to. I also had a blast seeing Weezer live in concert for the first time at Los Angles' Made in America Music Festival this past spring, it was also by far the largest concert I have ever been to with over 70,000 people there.
Favorite things to do when you are not at Inner Fire Yoga?
Most recently, I love taking care of my 4 month old kitten, her name is Luna. She is a tortoiseshell cat and completely makes my day every time I see her. I also enjoy making glass art, or "torch-working." I learned how to do it after I graduated from High School and I have been doing it ever since! I love to make pendants and other small trinkets. I sell a lot of the art I make at the art sale at James Madison Memorial High School to help raise money for their art department.

My Yoga Practice

Since turning 50, I have gone back to a consistent, almost daily, yoga practice. Not since my mid-forties have I practiced yoga so much and I can tell there's a big difference in my practice as an older woman with completely different needs. Five years ago I needed yoga as a major stress relief activity and to help calm my mind of a very busy schedule. While I still need the stress relief and to calm my mind, it is so much more internal now. I'm not thinking about all the things I need to do anymore, but my mind is still in desperate need of inner peace. The meditative practice of yoga allows me to come to my mat focused completely on the present and that's something I really need to do on a daily basis. For the past few years I have been trying to get to a class on weekly basis. This had been a good minimum for a busy mom but I am reaping greater rewards now as I have moved to a daily practice.

I think the older I get, the more important yoga is to my well being. While I need to push my limits, it is integral that I prevent injury. I can no longer do anything that is high impact. My feet and my joints won't let me. What I love about yoga is that I am very aware of my body. I can feel how every pose effects my body. I am able to work to sculpt my muscles, I can push to use every muscle, helping to strengthen my body, but I can also pull back a bit and relax a bit when I need to. It is really important for me to balance that push and pull and to be really honest with myself when I'm pulling back and not trying my hardest.

Yoga helps me sleep better, breathe better and even smell better. Hot yoga especially is an amazing detoxifying process that allows my body to sweat out all the crap in my system. I am always amazed that all the sweaty people in a hot yoga class don't stink to high heaven. There's certainly a musk smell, but it isn't a foul body odor. When I come home and pull off my wet clothes, I can smell a bit of the ammonia from toxins that have been sweated off but none of my yoga clothes ever stink of BO, which is pretty amazing.

My biggest weakness in yoga is my lack of balance, which I believe is from having weak facia in my feet. While I want to lose weight, what I need most is stability to keep me from injury. I know that yoga is helping my weight control efforts. I have been checking my heart rate in class to see if I'm actually getting a cardio workout and I average about 100 to 120 BPM during my workout-- not bad. I'm learning to work a bit harder to get my heart rate higher as I am able to strengthen my muscles and can stay in poses longer, which comes with better balance. Yoga helps to improve my circulation. Eventually I am hoping my yoga practice will lower my resting heart rate which will increase my endurance and improve my oxygen intake during my practice. It is amazing how it all works together.

Most classes have yoga teachers asking to set an intention for that particular session or some other part of your life. When I first started yoga 6 years ago, my intention was often just to survive the hour. As my practice improved, I found myself offering strength to others. I recall thinking how I wanted to offer up strength and happiness toward my life partner because I had all the happiness and strength I needed in life and I knew he did not. There is this eerie feeling that I somehow projected strength onto someone to leave me. I know that sounds crazy and might be the subject of different essay in the future. As I have returned to the mat on a daily basis I have begun to realize that I need to stop throwing my intentions at others. I believe the simple act saying something in your head can have far-reaching effects. Yes, I know that sounds a bit like the "secret." I am learning to ask for healing, and to claim unconditional love.

Yoga helps me to come to mat no matter what mood I'm in, no matter how alone I feel, no matter how my day went I stand on the mat and none of it matters. I am there to breathe. I am there to start over and focus on the present. It is a wonder to me how a yoga class will turn everything around. Each class gets me out of my funk, helps me to breathe deeper, increases my flexibility, and reduces my aches. It is a lubricant for me, for my muscles, for my head and my soul.

After a rainy work day, I came home and let Balt out for a bit and then ran to a hot yoga class. It worked its magic and allowed me to have a wonderful evening. Note; the photos above are from Sunday night after a class Erika and I took together. We were both pretty hot and sweaty. The top photo is tree pose, the second photo is warrior one and third is downward dog. I told Erika I'd do warrior one, but not warrior two, because I look so much thinner in one and she laughed at me but assured me she felt the same way.

You're Doing it Wrong.

I was in a yoga class the other day and the instructor shouted out, "you, in the pink, you're doing it wrong. Please stop what you are doing and look around to see how it's done." Luckily I was not in pink. The yoga studio is a non-judgemental place but no one likes being called out. I do enjoy a helping hand that straightens out my pose, a pull on my arm or leg to get it just right. A couple of weeks ago I did a pose wrong-- rabbit. I have too much in my middle to pull my forehead all the way to my knees so I tend to roll my body forward. I threw too much weight forward onto my head and tweaked my neck. I dealt with a sore neck for a while. I have learned that doing poses wrong can do serious damage.

I was thinking about being called out to stop what you're doing and just watching. In a weird way I feel like there was a cosmic finger that pointed at me a several years ago to let me know I was doing things wrong, but you can only watch for so long before trying again. I am not sure what I'm doing most of the time and I am sometimes amazed at how others can live so "cosmically" confidently. I guess I understand WHO I am, I'm just not sure WHERE I fit in within the universe. There was a time not that long ago when I thought I had it all figured out. I am starting to understand WHEN things changed and even WHY. I keep thinking that if I just sit back and watch I'll figure more stuff out. There's an art show in March for art teachers and I'm trying to figure out what to make. It's been a while since I've made personal art. I'm thinking it's time for a new self-portrait and I'd like to bring in some of the depth of my questioning into the art. 

I had a leisure morning and made chili for dinner. The girls went out to eat with their dad but I went to yoga. After yoga, I went grocery shopping and then came home to get some baking done. I made Erika gluten -free, sugar-free oat banana muffins and gluten free granola. Monika watched Back to the Future Parts 2 & 3, while Jessi napped, 

Gluten Free Granola Recipe-- 2 cups Oats, 1 cup Oat Flour, 1/2 cup almonds, /2 cup sunflower seeds, 1/4 cup pecans, 1 cup coconut, 1/4 cup honey, 2 tsp cinnamin, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/2 cup raisens, 1/4 cup olive oil, 1/4 cup butter, 1 egg, 1/2 tsp vanilla, Press into a pan and cook for 1/2 hour (350f)

Shallow

There is a Sunday slow-flow yoga & meditation class at 10am that I have a love/hate relationship with. While I love slow flow because of the ease of pace while maintaining a difficulty that is mostly self imposed, the meditation part of the class (the last 20 minutes) is mentally restorative in some ways but also personally eye opening. According to Wikipedia, meditation can refer to a broad variety of practices designed to promote relaxation, build internal energy, get closer to God, or to develop compassion, love, patience, generosity and forgiveness. It involves regulating the mind. Yoga was designed, I am told, so that yogis could sit for long periods of time in mediation after it's practice.

The pastor of our church many years ago taught us the practice of Lectio Divina (Latin for divine reading). In Christianity, meditation is based on scriptural reading and prayer in order to promote communion with God. The practice was not about studying but rather meditation. It was a practice I struggled with as a mother of young ones and a busy person by nature. I used to think that circumstances made the meditation difficult, but yoga has taught me differently. I have been told that beads help. I know they are part of a long tradition. I imagine that animals meditate and they don't need beads. They seem to spend long periods of time deep in thought with cat naps in between ;).

So now I realize that my mind is shallow. This sounds bad but I have found it to be a blessing in some ways. I believe the lack depth of consciousness helps me sleep at night. I very rarely struggle with good sleep. In yoga classes, if left prone or in corpse pose (Shavasana) for more than a minute or two, I loose consciousness competely. Falling asleep is not mindful meditation. I loose consciousness so quickly and so easily, that while I am no where near having narcolepsy, the ease in which I can fall asleep startles me. While talking about mediation with my husband, I realized that my ease of falling into sleep may be related to my poor meditation habits. I think my mind is shallow and now I have to figure out how to move on from there.

My Friday bliss class left me more sore than any other class this week and I thought I was taking an easy class. Slower poses, held for longer periods of time do alot to deep muscle tissue. An extended frog pose killed my hips joints. The slow flow class this morning was perfect-- difficult, hot but not overwehlming. I have learned to sit up on a block, crossed legged, for the mediation portion. I have been to classes where a candle is lit and focus is catured there. Closing my eyes works better. I have to admit while I have learned how not to fall asleep, I am still grasping at how not let my mind wonder. I may not have depth, but I think I have breadth as wide as the sky. 

Last night's pictures of Jessi and I were dissappointing. Not because of the teacher who took them. One image horrified me and the other, I posted. I have never been photogenic but if I smile full heartedly, I look disturbing. Add the tight jacket showing too many lumps, slim jeans that are not complimentary and show a few more bumps, and hair that's out of control-- I just can't stand the way I look. As long as I don't see myself, I feel okay. I am supposed to wear glasses and do just fine living life in soft focus (it is hard to read my iPhone in the morning, though). I am encouraged by my friend's story of giving up sugar-- she said it would take two months. Still I can eat a lot of food that is sugar-free. I may need something a bit more to kick things off.

This afternoon I helped with college applications. I looked over a couple of essays, helped with a few forms and paid for transcripts and ACT scores to be sent. It's a long process really that Monika is realizing that is best done earlier. Jessi is working on applications in order of deadlines at this point. I'm happy to report we have added a couple of midwest states to the list and hope to have a California school done by the end of the week.

From head to toe

Melissa organized a mani-pedi-cure party for a trio of friends. I am the old lady of the three, but enjoy the company of young moms. It is nice to hear the stories and know that part of my life is forever over. The $40 session of 2 hours of pure pampering was glorious. I came home ready to tackle the living room of Christmas. I took the tree down and then packed all the stuff away. I swept up all the loose needles and vacuumed up the dust, dirt and missed bits of wrapping paper.

I finished just in time to get to a hot yoga class early. The beginning of the year, at any fitness type studio is typically packed. For hot yoga, January is "high" season, which means packed classes. I got to my class 20 minutes early to find a dozen or so already waiting. I stretched a bit, pulled my hair back and then laid down. At some point my deep breathing (snoring) wakes me and I find I am surrounded. Because the room is so full, the heat is turned up from humid perspiration and body heat. The swelter helps to create an intensity to the yoga practice that is amazing after its all over. While in the midst of it, it's not so amazing-- it's kind of agonizing.

Tonight was our department's semi-annual holiday party. I wanted to get a photo of us all and I forgot. We ate tamales and enjoyed gathering with spouses. I heard Josh say to Geof's wife that the last time he had seen her was 2 years ago at our last holiday party. I couldn't remember if that was the case for me as well. It is nice to see the significant others of the people I spend the most time with. We had a wonderful time and I must say, I look forward to the next time we will gather-- Christmas 2014. 

The 2nd to Last Day of 2012

I spent most of the day cooking up tamales. I wrote about making tamales in 2008, I didn't get any pictures of this batch... yet.They have become a family tradition for us (as well as millions of others) and this year they will be served at our semi-annual art department holiday party.  I didn't get them done in time for dinner, so my husband brought home a pizza.

After prepping all the supplies I needed this morning, I took Balt for his walk. The day was bright but so cold. After our walk, I went to a noon hot yoga class that was so hot and so intense, it took a while to fully recover. There were several new folks in the class, half of which could not finish the class, one fell over, another needed her inhaler several times to get through and yet couldn't. There's always something triumphant about getting through a class that someone else couldn't. 

I made beef tamalas first and then the vegetarian ones. I cooked the beef in red chili sauce in my crock pot all yesterday and simmered organic black beans on the stove. I made more vegetarian tamales this year, because every year, I run out of the vegetarian first. I need to set a side a bunch for our dinner party on Wednesday, or else I fear they may get gobbled up. Monika was the first to try them out and she gave me the thumbs up. She's already invited a friend over for lunch tomorrow!

 

"Well, how did I get here?"

It rained today. But this morning was beautiful. I took both Jessi and Monika at school before 6am, then came home and swept and cleaned up the garage with the door open. I took Balt to daycare at 7am and drove to Dunkin Donuts to pick up treats for after school. My ride slightly emotional and I'm not quite sure why. I get hit with the Talking Heads song "Once in a LIfetime" singing, "My God! What have I done?" It's a weird feeling at times wondering how it is I am 47 years old, living in the midwest teaching high school. It's a beautiful life, with common complications that I usually don't think too much about, instead I'm thinking, "Same as it ever was, same as it ever was..."

I made it into the pool today at lunch. I worked on my book shelf and covered for Melissa's painting class while she is out of the state for a funeral. Afterschool I met up with the newspaper kids for a short meeting and ate a donut. I stayed a while longer with the Spartan News kids since Monika was involved. I ran to Sam's for milk and bread, and made pizza toast for dinner. Monika popped into Old Navy for 40% off sale and then I ended the day in bliss-- yin yoga class. I am reminded often of something I heard a yoga teacher say-- while we think everyone is practicing yoga these days, the truth is only the very privileged practice. 

No Clarity

Erika posted this instagram today from Jessi's old iPhone, that she's now using because her Google phone was stolen. She's encouraging me to get the iPhone 5 so that she can have my 4. Tempting. Very tempting. She has to dress up business-like now for school which, I believe she is enjoying.

Today was a very nice Tuesday with not a lot of excitement and classes full of busy students. I'd have to say I really like all of my classes and genuinely enjoy my students. The newspaper was posted last night so I was teaching today without the distraction of working of the paper-- that really helps. After school Balt and I went for a very leasure walk. He's a bit of a couch potato and while does get excited to go outside, he spends much of the walking time lagging behind me, smelling stuff.

I made dinner today and worked on an assignment for my media class and then went to yoga. I thought I was late but found the schedule had changed. Instead of my favorite 7;45 "inner fire flow" they offered a new 8pm "slow flow and meditation" class. Instead of being late, I was early. I enjoyed the slow flow but was a little shocked to hear that we would finish the class with 20 minutes of meditation. I wasn't sure I could sit still that whole time, knowing if I laid down I'd sleep. The instructor guided some of the breathing and suggested we might have moments of clarity. I believe that was goal. While I sat still the whole time, breathing and sweating-- I found no moments of clarity. I found myself fully inside myself, feeling every drop of sweat, every ach and pain, every deep breath. I can be physically present and can not break out of that experience. Still, I left mentally refreshed and physically stretched. I might like this new class even without any clarity.

Right where I left off.

I woke up at 5am and decided to start the day early cleaning. I was eager get to things back to the normal we had prior to getting new carpets. Monika's room is still in an upheaval but today I worried about the garage, which had become a dumping ground. At 8am Balt and I took a break to go to the nearby dog walking fields. As we were setting out to leave a old man drove up with two hounds with electronic collars. He yelled at Balt to leave his dogs alone. He said, "them are working dogs!" Balt seemed quite confused. They didn't seem to be doing anything different than he usually does and he doesn't get paid. ;)

By noon, the garage was nearly clean. I took a car load of stuff at noon to school, St. Vincent's and Half Price Books. I picked up vegetables and met up with Jill for a working lunch to talk about student government.

At 4pm I made it to my first hot yoga class after a 3 month hiatus. I took the time off for several reasons; to mix things up, to save money and justify paying for my membership at the pool, and to give my feet a break. My podiatrist seemed to think yoga exacerbated my plantar fasciitis, but I'm not so sure. After 3 months off, my feet feel no better and at time worse. I've been told one of the most sure ways to cure plantar fasciitis is to lose weight, which I didn't seem to be able to do this summer. I am hoping going back to hot yoga may assist. I also noticed after 3 months that my back began to feel achy at times, my skin has be extremely dry, and my mind not as calm. I expected my first day back to be painful, but I was able to go through all 26 poses without pain but not easily-- still, it's never easy. I left feeling lubricated, eager to get back to my practice on regular basis.

I came home, showered and went out to dinner with the family-- Mexican food, of course. I went grocery shopping after while my husband watched Contagion (2011) with Jessi. I brought back Marie Calendar's pie and ended the evening with a just a bit of whipped cream.

Very nice

The weather temperatures are rising  each day this week, peeking tomorrow but staying nice. There were happy people all over Madison, basking in the spring-like wonder of a warm, sunny day. I am afraid tomorrow the happiness will turn into ecstasy.

Today tickets went on sale for the boys basketball state game on Friday. Since taking on the adviser position of the newspaper I have advocated for a student press pass. The school used to give it away to an outsider. I feel it is important to have a student taking pictures and reporting for the school paper. Last year I asked a student to produce a video as well.  I used newspaper funds to purchase two student tickets for two students who have produced work for the paper in the past. They will share the pass with a few other students also working on projects. As the adviser, I also get floor access to supervise. Yes, that's kind of nice. Friday (and hopefully Saturday) will be exciting nights for our school. 

The day was good. Having lost most of my prep time last week from dealing with the gallery show, my goal this week was to get caught up. My list of things to do keeps getting shorter and that always makes me happy. My kiln shorted out after getting it working again, so it looks like I will need to figure out how to get funds to purchase a new one. I had several flex shafts need new hoses and greasing. I purchased cement for my advanced classes for their stones. I surprise myself with how much "fix it" type stuff I'm called to do as a teacher.

I finished the day in a hot yoga class. I nearly threw up a couple of times. I was overwelmed by the heat, I guess. It amazes me that even after more then a year of consistant yoga, I can go into a class and just fall apart. I have great experiences and terrible ones still. It is such a metaphor for life.