Cultivating My Inner Tree

Went to restorative yoga, which is a beginner/restorative combo class. Lots of students who are progressing beginners were there, so the teacher worked on more difficult poses. Usually this is fine, but today I was hoping for something VERY restorative. My hands and shoulders are still tired. Anyway, class was good. We did a lot of shoulder openers, and I did a lot of adjustments to give my arms and hands a break. Glad I went. Am going to take Thursday off from flow class an will return on Sunday. My body needs a rest.

Workout:

• Type: Flexibility
• Date: 03/19/2008
• Total Time: 1:00:00.00

Had a great class that helped relieve some of the soreness and tension in my neck. I did, however, realize that my hands are pretty exhausted too. Even when using sharp, good quality shears and saws the ole paws’ll get tired after a lot of work. Mine are pretty well done in. Down dog was rough on them. Still, a great class. Glad I went.

Now I’m going to rub some arnica gel into my hands and wrap them around a warm cup of tea while I lounge about, perhaps taking a nap on the sofa before I go to bed. Sometimes that’s just the ticket!

Watch out rose hedge, I’ve got a set of shears with your name on them tomorrow!

Workout:

• Type: Flexibility
• Date: 03/18/2008
• Time: 20:33:37
• Total Time: 1:30:00.00

Arms and shoulders are sore from doing so much hands-on gardening training. I’ve been doing about 2-6 hours of pruning & or digging a day for the last week. Add a few chatauranga to that & you’ll find me with a tight neck and shoulders. Today I did go to yoga, which was excellent. I also booked a 2 hour acupuncture and massage for next week. (Yes, I can hardly wait!). I held off on doing a lot of gardening work. I have a lot of client commitments and after pruning and transplanting in my own garden yesterday for several hours, I decided a day off of digging/pruning was a good idea.

I did get out and help my friend who is digging out to install his patio soon. I went waterfeature container shopping with another friend. And, we measured a patio area in our garden. I’ll be ordering about 5 tons of crushed rock, which we’ll be installing next weekend (and the week after probably). So, my sore body better buck up and get ready for some hard work. Hmmm…I may need to book more than one massage!

Workout:

• Type: Flexibility
• Date: 03/16/2008
• Time: 15:58:39
• Total Time: 1:30:00.00

Got back to my past-usual Thursday night yoga. Different teach who I hadn’t studied with prior to last night. Her pace was slow, but the poses and overall class was difficult. I needed the challenge after being mostly off my practice for most of February. Even had to face my nemesis twisting triangle. Good overall practice. Looking forward to class on Sunday.

 Also, haven’t been logging it, but I’ve been doing loads of hands-on gardening sessions. Spending about 4 hours a day in gardens teaching, so getting lots of fresh air and exercise daily!

Workout:

• Type: Flexibility
• Date: 03/13/2008
• Total Time: 1:30:00.00

So nice to be back at it!

Workout:

• Type: Flexibility
• Date: 03/12/2008
• Time: 18:00:00
• Total Time: 1:00:00.00

This morning we got up, got the kids off to school, rolled out our yoga mats and went through a practice together. I led a bit, but mostly got us started on flows that we did at our own pace. This means I got a good practice in for myself. It felt great!

Today its about 70 and sunny — a real treat — nearly as sweet as the slice of red velvet cake I enjoyed after lunch

Workout:

• Type: Flexibility
• Date: 03/03/2008
• Time: 09:00:00
• Total Time: 1:30:00.00

Tonight’s yoga class will be my last one at the studio for a few weeks. I was powerful tired going in after doing yoga yesterday & a lot of heavy garden work yesterday as well. Still, I worked hard and felt much better after class.

In a couple of days I head to Virginia to visit family and speak at the Maymont Garden Show. I also hope to meet, in person, a couple of fellow Sweat365 bloggers who live nearby.

Now, its time to pack!

Workout:

• Type: Flexibility
• Date: 02/18/2008
• Time: 19:00:00
• Total Time: 1:30:00.00

Workout:

• Type: Flexibility
• Date: 02/17/2008
• Time: 12:00:00
• Total Time: 1:30:00.00

Went early to the studio for my regular Weds restorative class. Got there early to help out the instructor by opening it as she was running late. Low & behold she was there already. This was fine. It meant I got a little extra time in my practice. I need all I can get. I’ve got a trip out of town coming that will mean my regular practice is going to be disrupted for a couple of weeks. Will have to push myself by myself during that time! For now, I enjoyed a great class!

Workout:

• Type: Flexibility
• Date: 02/13/2008
• Time: 18:00:00
• Total Time: 1:30:00.00

It feels great to be back on track with my yoga practice. Last week was all off kilter, and my yoga really suffered until I went on Sunday morning. And, today I felt back in the swing.

It’s interesting. I wonder if a body eventually reaches a point where, when on a regular exercise program and a pretty consistent diet, that it stops building muscle and focuses more on releasing fat reserves.  Here’s the deal: I’ve dropped about 5-8 lbs since December without trying. Now, I say that, but keep in mind that I do exercise regularly, so “not trying” only means that I still eat pretty much whatever I want. I’ve been doing pretty much the same exercise program for almost 2 years. One small change is that I have been outdoors a lot more now that garden coaching is ramping up with a lot of plant ID and pruning consults, but I’m not doing a lot more strenuous work, just meandering outside. Could that be it? Or could it be that my body has hit a point where it is just releasing some last fat reserves or burning through everything I eat faster? I’m not sure.

I do know that I’ve lost a few pounds, haven’t gotten flabby and am definitely down a size in clothes. Well, except for my big shoulders and upper arms that are starting to look a bit too enormous for me. Maybe I should take up body building (Yes, that’s your queue to LOL!) At least the flab is gone, but what I’d give to have skinny arms and shoulders. Sigh…I need to keep focused on the “bright” side, right? If my arms would just get out of the way ;)…

Or, I should just stop questioning and be happy with the new changes. I actually think I see some abs in there somewhere!

Workout:

• Type: Flexibility
• Date: 02/11/2008
• Time: 19:00:00
• Total Time: 1:30:00.00