In This Corner

Not only did I work out yesterday AND the day before, today I bought a bunch of yoga classes and actually attended one. The guy who was my first teacher was subbing for someone (actually, he was subbing for another of my favorite teachers), and I had already decided to spend some of what will be a huge tax refund on some yoga classes, and lo and behold, there he was on the schedule for today. One of the things I love about his teaching is that he spent a lot of time studying Iyengar, which emphasizes proper alignment and which thus encourages the use of props such as blocks and straps and bolsters and whatever else you need to get into a proper version of the pose. He periodically teaches a workshop on the use of props.

And his sense of humor cracks me up. Because of his attitude, when I started, I felt comfortable coming to class, even though I was surrounded by people who seemed to be much better able to go deeply into asanas (poses) than I could. Even today, for example, there was a row of yoginis up front who were pretzel types. That ain't never gonna be me. Another favorite teacher has told me that I have great form (which is more important than how deeply one gets into a pose), and that's compensation. She and I have also talked about how being stiff-jointed the way I am means that I simply cannot throw myself into poses, that I must take my time, do it gradually over time, and, for some asanas, recognize that I may not get deeply into those poses in this lifetime. I find that that process deepens my concentration and focus, and also opens me up--I almost feel like I"m getting more out of it somehow.

Our bodies are amazing, though. As I mentioned briefly a couple of posts ago, with regard to calluses, we reshape and adapt ourselves in ways that me maybe didn't realize we could. Even with yoga, I'm not ruling out anything. Some things seem unlikely to me--hanumanasana, for example--but who knows. Back when I practiced regularly, I just tried to practice in that direction, with that intention, while also being accepting of where I was. (That was one of the other things about Vinnie's Saturday morning class (he doesn't teach it any more, but it was a great favorite): It collected a fair number of men, and not just the yogis but the regular guys, and it collected a fair number of men and women whose bodies weren't svelte and limber. I think his acceptance and humor and use of props was what gave people the space to try things.)

One of the things with which I'm experimenting is trying to develop more core strength. Because I've never owned a car, because I've always walked a lot, and because of the sports I've played, I've always had a certain amount of physical strength, particularly in my legs and shoulders. But it's not really "core" strength, in many ways, insofar as core strength is, literally, at one's core, in one's abdomen. Because of my relatively greater extremity strength, the lack of core strength isn't pressing for most activities of daily living, but it would improve my overall well-being, I think, if I worked on that. Rowing seems to help that, if I do it properly, and yoga both requires and reinforces it; if I go back to handball, I'll be in good shape for it.

Meanwhile, I'm getting seriously hungry. I stopped at a starbucks with my laptop on the way home from yoga--because I can! I don't know how well the laptop will actually work for copyediting/proofreading, but I just got a smallish job, so I'll use that to experiment. For now, though, it's time for some food. Mostly, I just wanted to blog from a coffee shop--because I can. Which is lame, but I can live with that.

Oh--the interview yesterday? It seemed to go well. I liked the person--she's the boss of the person who'd be my boss--and she said she was going to give a good report to my prospective boss, so who knows. I'm sure I'll have to meet with more people, but it seems like no one has said no. Yet.