My Olympic Summer report #2

Image compliments of nichegardens.com

Heart pumping update:

Friday I was up at 5am so I did an hour of power yoga before the boys woke.

Saturday I cleaned for an hour.  Definitely a heart pumper!

Sunday the family and I took a walk.  Not the most heart thumping exercise but the togetherness with hubby and little one in the stroller was wonderful.  The sun was beautiful.

Yesterday was Bikram (practice and teach) and today I just banged out 10 minutes on the stairclimber.

Phew!  This is kind of fun - my goal of at least ten minutes of heart thumping is a very manageable goal for me.  It doesn't seem insurmountable, I can do it at home (around the baby's schedule), and when I get out to get a real workout in I feel very proud and excited by exceeding my goal.

I'm very focused as well on creating positive social connections with my friends and family.

I've learned some intrinsic thinking skills.  The biggest help I'm finding is to realize that I don't have to solve others' problems.  When seeing others as complete, capable, and creative (the Intrinsic Coaching mantra), it takes the heat off of the listener.  When others come to you in distress or with a problem, it's much easier to listen fully, and ask questions to help the other person elicit his or her best thinking.

For example, hubby was very exhausted on Friday night.  He was a bit crabby, even.  I started to feel my own tension rise as I went to my normal pattern of trying to "fix" things for him.  Instead, I asked him: "What's the most important thing for you right now."  And after pondering it for a bit, he responded, "I need to be silly.  Can we watch a funny movie or something?"

I would never have thought that was what he needed or wanted - it would not have occurred to me.  He was pleased to have come up with something on his own and had more energy towards it because it was his idea.

In addition, we stole away this weekend and I took him to the spa for a massage.  It was a very healthy and relaxing way to spend time away together.  I said to him, i want to find ways to enjoy ourselves that don't end up with a hangover or a belly ache.  He agreed.

Since this is a yoga blog, I do want to post a bit about what I'm working on in my practice.

I learned what it feels like to have an open hip!

I have a chronic movement pattern of a very closed right hip which has thrown off my gate, sent me to the chiropractor, and had me sort of confused for quite a while.  I strive for right/left side evenness and this issue has been a thorn in my side (haha).  It's caused pain in the left hip over the years.

So using yin and restorative postures to explore and let go, I've found my way into sensing the right hip which was the first challenge.  Then recently I felt the difference between when that hip is open and when it is closed.  I will post some images about this at some point.  It is a very subtle sensation but I was able to bring it into my bikram practice yesterday.

Oh how wonderful it is to feel poses differently, even after years of practice.  

I do love the bikram series, there is always room for change in the body.

I taught a great class, lots of experienced people in the room, so I was able to lay off  instruction for some second sets, allowing the students to feel from the inside during the poses.

Ciao!

Olympic Summer Here we go!

Image compliments of DepositPhotos.com 

http://depositphotos.com/1900259/stock-photo-Flowers-as-a-symbol-of-Olympic-rings.html

It's an Olympic Summer and I'm an official Olympics addict.  I've created a fun wellness program for my company (day job) that I'm going to give a trial run.  I've set a goal for the next eight weeks to get myself ready for my favorite sporting event and I will be tracking my progress here.

My goal: To get my heart pumping every day.

 I want to be clear about what that means.  I'm going to get my heart pumping every day to the best of my ability.  Should life get in the way, I'm going to make my best effort.  If I can't get all the way there on a given day, it's probably because I'm stressed and running around and working too hard!  I'm going to give myself credit for taking care of my stress on those days.

My first task is to choose a non-profit to get a nominal donation if I make it all the way.  This will help me get out of my chair and get moving for at least a good ten minute session.  By doing my best, I am also supporting Central Vermont Home & Hospice Services.  I'll be making a donation to them at the end of the program.

Day 1 was yesterday... I pulled up to the gym after a day of meetings with only ten minutes before I had to leave to pick up my son at daycare.  So, I walked the parking lot for ten minutes.  Later I walked a huge hill on my road.  It was a nice way to digest dinner.

I haven't posted about yoga at all!  I'm still doing yin, kundalini, bikram, meditation and more... when life allows!  Peace, all.

Edited to add... Day 2: 10 minutes on the stair climber!  Ouch.  How am I dripping with sweat and can hear my heartbeat in my ears from 10 minutes?!?!

Intrinsic Thinking

image compliments of wikipedia

It's been a long busy while between postings!

Manny is now almost 10.5 months old and is no longer a baby... he's a little boy.  He's his own post, so let's just call him and motherhood amazing (most of the time.)

I went to a fabulous conference in Vermont, the Governor's Awards for Worksite Wellness - this is the annual de facto wellness conference for all of Vermont.  The keynote speaker was Dr. Rosie Ward (http://drrosieward.com/) and she talked a lot about the difference between telling people what to do vs. leading them to their own wisdom in a collaborative environment.  The first treats others as inferiors and oneself as superior, the one with the expertise.  The second way invites a partnership of equals, in which the student is thought of as whole, and contains the knowledge and directions to get where he or she wants to go.

I hope to use some of these leading questions as I teach and as I work with myself in my own practice.

Recently, my practice has been such a boon for me.  I have started doing an hour of yin yoga whenever I can squeeze it in.  Yin is a practice of holding floor poses for 3-5 minutes at a time.  It really puts me into "receiving" mode (as opposed to should/doing/thinking mode, which is absolutely my default.)

Once I quiet down, I find that I can connect with my breath and get into a meditative state through Yin practice or through meditation itself.  My bikram practice has been more spotty recently as I haven't been able to get to the studio as much as usual.  However, the work I've been doing, which I would have thought before as "not doing much" - lying around on the floor yoga takes a long time and doesn't burn calories (but it does tone the organs and stimulate the flow of energy!) has cleared my mind and allowed me to fall into the flow much more than anything else I've ever done.

I find myself more relaxed and less attached to creating the outcome I desire.  

Any time I find myself thinking of what to say next as opposed to listening in a spirit of service these days, I try to breathe and get back to center.  

Progress in lotus and splits!!  

First class teaching in four months!

Image compliments of allposters.com

Yesterday I taught for the first time in four months!  I'm so grateful to have had the chance.  The class was small and full of seasoned practitioners.  It was nice to see these friends and show them a really cute picture of my little guy who is 3.5 months old.

I had many doubts about teaching.  I plan to return to regular teaching in October, so this was a test balloon if you will.  It was no problem and was great fun!  Lots of dialogue rolled off my tongue.  There were a few places where I didn't have the words I sought but it was certainly not evident to the students.  Places I want to brush up on: Standing Separate Head-to-Knee pose, Triangle (always), Cobra and the entire spine strengthening series... and Rabbit.  I actually forgot the pose name of rabbit.  The students reminded me.

I believe my tone has changed a lot since training and now since motherhood.  I knew there were those in class who hadn't been in a while and who needed encouragement but not too much pushing.  I think I hit a great balance, because one woman who was nervous before class said she felt lucky that she picked this class for her return.

I made it to class myself before teaching which was wonderful.  My body has been crying out for yoga which I'm able to supply only some of the time.  I've been rebuilding my strength at the gym when possible.  All the relaxin has left my body and the ligaments have tightened right up!  In one sense, it is great to feel that rigidity of structure again.  On the other hand, I feel all kinked up from three months of being hunched over the baby breastfeeding.

I kicked out in Standing Head-to-Knee pose for the first time in over a year I think.  Man did it feel great.  Last year at this time I had just found out I was pregnant and was having the first trimester ickies.  What a long hard rewarding year it has been.  I still have a long way to go with my physical goals but I do feel a sense of emergence.

Yoga with a babe.

Image Compliments of layoutsparks.com

 Needless to say everything has changed; here I am posting at 2am because it's my "free" time - I'm hooked up to the pump with a hands free bustier on!  So I have a bit of time to type before heading back to bed and snagging as much sleep as I can before the 5am feeding.

I have been practicing Gary Kraftsow's Viniyoga Series for Hip Therapy found here:http://www.amazon.com/Viniyoga-Therapy-Back-Sacrum-Kraftsow/dp/B000U0C9UE
I think it's a great series to help restore things around my c-section area, both in terms of scar tissue and just general hip and stomach fitness.  It gets in nice and deep and is not too challenging when I'm so drained that I can't do much more.

I am headed back for my third bikram class tomorrow - I'm very excited to get into the studio.  Last class I did was quite hot and it totally left me drained... but in a good way.  It's so wonderful to work hard like that and my body craves it.  I did most of class, even added the situps in the floor series.  However I did sit some sets late standing series and was very much "done" by the end of class.

We will see what tomorrow brings.

So the first few months with a babe is so hunched over!  And so much time parked under my little man, sitting.  My hips and lower back don't feel great I'll just say that.  I would be doing bikram every day if I could but I'm still pretty sleep deprived and unless he sleeps during the day, I don't have a chance to practice, even in a non-heated way (like just dabbling.)  Still, I will get my practice and my body back.  It's just a matter of time.

first class back

wow. don't have much time so I'll keep it brief.

Manny was born via c section. his umbilical cord was tied in a true knot. when the cord knot cinched, thankfully my hobby saw the heartrate drop and flagged someone down, we were in the operating room in 10 minutes. Hubby may very well have saved the baby's life. I also came down with bells palsy before the birth and still half of my face is not moving. this is supposedly temporary.

so it was not the birth I imagined and recovery has been slower than I have liked. Still I made it to class today. Manny is four weeks old. Class was challenging and I won't get into it except to say I feel better than I have in ages. I am so grateful for my practice.

Third Trimester on the Mat

Image compliments of funonthenet.in

Do you notice the neutral title of this blog post?  If you don't have anything nice to say... don't say anything, right?


I'm just kidding.  Let's start with saying some nice things about practicing Bikram in the third trimester.

• In general, I'm free of back pain
• In general, I'm free of hip pain
• Class leaves me feeling less pregnant and more human
• Many students offer me words of encouragement for even being there, which I drink up.
• Exercise is good for me and the little one on board!
• My blood pressure is great.

As one gets bigger, everything gets harder.  Balance is a dream best left behind.  The lung capacity shrinks, standing bow is a wibble-wobble fest... etc.
I tend to try my best through the standing series and depending on the teacher and the heat, I usually make it through the postures.  Triangle, which used to be my nemesis before training, is now one of my favorite poses, though I don't hold it for all four sets every class.  Second part of awkward and the standing balancing poses are kind of a joke.  I do them, I do my best, but I spend way more time falling out and getting back in than I do in the actual poses.
When I get to the floor, I do my best but at rabbit (which we substitute with seated butterfly pose), I don't go down on the floor for savasanas - I just stay upright seated between the poses.  At that point I don't need to be racing to the side-lying savasana and getting back up.
I've also substituted a wide legged twist that allows for the belly - I learned it in an Iyengar class and it's just way better than trying to do some sort of ardha matsyandrasana with the belly in the way.  Oh I so wish I could find a picture of it - if you have a burning desire to see it email me and I will be happy to snap a pic and send it to you.  It's a wonderful way to twist while pregnant.

I'm officially 33 weeks now and my belly is WOW - HUMONGOUS.  I'm quite proud I've kept up with my practice and teaching.  I do teach still, though I teach the floor series seated, getting up to help people with corrections.  I find that practicing then teaching is still something I can do but it leaves me drained the following day.  At this point, anything that gets me out of my own head and burns hours of the third trimester is a good thing.  I love seeing the students at the studio and talking about yoga, I love giving a good hard bikram butt-kicking to these dear students, leaving them feeling all sweaty and wrung-out and recharged.

I look at their practices with sheer envy - just missing the ability to work hard like that, to do all the poses, to do situps and compression poses.  I cannot WAIT to get back to my practice for real.

Soon enough!  Soon enough.