Poof! There Goes A Week

A Week just seems to fly by these days.

Highlights of the week.......
Started a Yoga teaching job at local health club. Only have 3 classes a week, but the perks include a free membership at the club. It is literally a quarter mile from my house. That is a big bonus.

On Thurs. I sought out my first Anasura Yoga experience. Searching Yoga websites, I found a local Yoga Shala that has a 3 hour advanced yoga class every Tues & Thurs. It is based on Anasura Yoga. I rolled in, put down my mat, and was warmly welcomed. It was very much less formal and structured than I am used to. We started with chanting, then self warm up. It struck me that during warm up, everyone was working on handstands. A strange way to warm up I thought. I went through the standing series of Ashtanga.
After 30 min of self warm up, the class kind of started.
We did 3 sets of 1 min handstand, 1 min. Pincha mayarasana, 1 min Ab work, and 1 min back bending. This I really liked. It was challenging... I was the only one not doing handstand and pincha mayarasana against the wall. It was noted by the instructor. In handstand, I was able to do the full first min, but had to come down once in the second set, and 3 times in the third set. After those sets, we began a long set of asana with a few workshopped poses. Everyone was very friendly and supportive. After about 90 min of asana, we did 10 min sirsasana (headstand), and 12 min salamba sarvangasana (shoulder stand). I had no problem with the head stand. When it came time for shoulder stand everyone started grabbing every imaginable prop. Everything from blocks and foam pads of every shape, to folding chairs. I made some joke about it, but noone was amused. Obviously, there was some Iyengar influence here. I switched my legs to Padmasana (lotus) a little more than half way through the 12 min, and kept my legs there while in shoulder stand for the second half. I am going to try and get back to that class next Thurs...

Friday morning mysore practice at 5:30am with the oldest daughter. One of Mr. Indias last practices here before he and his wife leave for India again. On Wed, after mysore practice, A few of us met after practice for tea and coffee. I was late because I had to first drop the oldest daughter off home to prepare for school. It was relaxing, and the conversation pleasant.

After Mysore on Friday, I had a meeting with another Yoga instructor I know who set up an interview for a potential teaching job at a nice health club near by. I took her power class at 9:30am. Yes, I know that is only 2 hrs. after my morning mysore practice. What can I say. I am over the edge sometimes. After the class, a very good one, I might add, she introduced me to the manager in charge of Group fitness. She was very cordial, and told me to put in an application, and if anything came up, they would call me.

Needless to say, after food shopping on the way home from the power class, I took a two hour epsom salt bath, and spent the rest of the day relaxing.

In the early afternoon though , the wife and I took a trip to the Ins. Co to pick up a check. Last Nov. I was in an automobile accident. I was stopped, and was hit from behind by a pickup truck, who pushed me into the pickup truck in front of me. My van was totalled. The pick up trucks were both fine. Anyway, settled the claim, and picked up the check. It was not as much as we had hoped for, but considering that I was fortunate not to have been more severely injured, it was ok.

Friday night we went to do something that we haven't done in at least 20 years. We went with some friends to play, BINGO. What a trip. Of course, the first thing I do is tell my bingo joke loud enough so everyone around us can hear. The joke is an oldie, but a goodie. It goes:

How do you make 20 old ladies say "FUCK" all at the same time?
Just yell "BINGO".
It drew laughs from our party, and dirty looks from all the seniors around us.

Needless to say, we did not win. I had forgotten that playing Bingo is like watching grass grow.

Yesterday I kept thinking about everyone on the east coast getting pounded by a tropical storm. It is a typical story. Weather always sucks on the weekends at the shore. So glad that we are no longer there.. Was hoping that everyone was ok. It made me think of my special friend in Belmar. I alway hope that she is ok and safe.

Woke up with a little bit of a sore throat this morning. I am drinking ginger/ green tea with honey as I blog.. I also have been having some left hamstring issues which have migrated into my left knee. I have been doing a lot of wheatgrass shot lately. I have also begun supplimenting with Tumeric. Tumeric is supposed to be an anti inflamitory that will help loosen some joint up a little....I have to be better for mysore tomorrow morning. Today will be a relaxing day. Trying to rehab. May break down and take a deep stretch class this evening.