Category: Beautiful Places

Pushed away the desire to sleep in this morning to make it to my fairly weekly class over in East Bay… crossing the Bay Bridge is so easy when there’s no traffic. I mean, who is crazy enough to get up no different than weekday hour to cross the bridge just to get to a yoga class on a ZZZ sleepy weekend morning – most would rather opt to stay under warm covers in the comfy bed I imagine since it’s only on Sundays we get to sleep in … I normally do not care for Iyengar classes due to its austerity and sternness I used to find way too serious, dry and boring – but he keeps it light with humor and does not even call it an Iyengar class – it’s a “Fine Tuning” class; Yay, just what this yogini needed, i.e., fine tuning of the fundamentals:) I love the fact that I have to focus and thoughtfully embody my body with each detailed cue.

You really have to put on that “pair of glasses” for your internal eyes to see what your body is up to … command your body to move in a certain way rather than in a habitual automatic pattern. Normally I avoid male teachers* having felt mangled in the past but when my legs were pulled up to the sky, reminded that it takes a lot of strength to adjust/correct/improve someone’s shoulder stand…would be tough to do for a petite willowy yogini of an instructor (because WE can hurt ourselves while spotting if we lack the strength and the right stance) so they don’t usually mess with that kind of spotting … So happy I was spotted which allowed me to get into a much better shaped shoulder stand – legs vertical so much more than I could have ever done on my own … haahhh – the vertical “lift” upward felt so nice:) (used 5 blankets! Manduka wool blankets tend to run thin- but nice and smooth:)

Miso Ramen ordered by M.
Veggie kakiage tempura. I can eat this!
What a treat of crab & salmon roe bowl ordered by M – had a little morsel to taste … so this is why becoming completely Vegan is a bit hard and I am a Pescetarian. Giving up meat is not hard for me but … seafood? sushi? Will be Pescetarian but end up being a Vegan as sushi is rather a rare treat anyway- maybe 4-5 times a year at most? It’s all about moderation …per Dr. Shigeaki Hinohara living legend of a doctor, age 103.
Edamame! I can eat this:)
Mojito ordered by the other M – took a sip – minty!
@ “Iyasare” Bekeley. Iyasare means to “to heal” so these are healing foods from Japanese perspective, probably not meeting the criteria for other health food definition but to me, SOUL food IS healing. Yet do hope that your soul food is not bacon for your health – recall a Bikram yoga instructor who kept on talking about BLT sandwich, apparently her favorite food – during class – as though the yoga practice was so that she’d be allowed to eat that BLT. Funny.
*****
When I see a student who seems to have considerable amount of energy escaping – a bit Vatta, maybe a bit anxious – like to give some grounding props so not all her energy we are harnessing dissipate into thin air … yet it is too bad that modification is not made possible for someone with limitations – something to think about going forth. BTW, Who would not know Judith Hanson Lasater, PT & PhD or Roger Cole, PhD, if we are talking Restorative Yoga that’s science based? Yes, there are so many types of so called restorative yoga styles out there but … hope it’s not called restorative and turns out to be something else like just nap and stretch. And yet, as the guru says – ALL yoga is restorative as in restoring your “chi”, prana or life-force. All – yep, all – which gives me the license to be more creative? Perhaps.

Realized I was in Berkeley/Oakland Friday, Saturday and Sunday this week … perhaps we should move over there at this rate?
* could be a top ranking profession in that “15 Professions you don’t want your future husband to work in” – that article offended so many…