Last week was a recovery week in my training program. This worked out perfectly because I needed to taper before Ragnar Del Sol.Monday: This should have been my rest day, but I skipped training over the weekend to celebrate my birthday in Rocky Point. I ran/walked 7.75 miles during the warmest part of the day. I could think of nothing but an iced lemonade, so I satisfied my craving with one from ... Read more
Marathon Training, Week 8
I took it easy this week because I needed it. I write down my goals each week, and one of them is usually "Run consistently." Not this week. Instead my goals included practicing more yoga and resting more.Monday: Rest and stretching.Tuesday: Yin Yoga at Sutra Midtown. The class was taught by Nelly, who has a calm, nurturing demeanor. She has a soft touch during adjustments. It's light as a ... Read more
Sunday Night Lunar Flow at the Clarendon Hotel
The supermoon is a time to reconnect to intentions set in the beginning of the year. It's time to hold myself accountable by asking, what steps have I taken to move closer to my goals? These thoughts were my motivations during yoga class Sunday night. Lunar Flow was invigorating — just what I needed to end a week and start a new one. And as a yoga teacher I was inspired by Mary Canisales' powerful ... Read more
Yoga-Teacher Training: Week 13, Part 1
I've been waiting for today for 3 months. It's the day four of us taught our 45-minute final practicum classes in front of one of our instructors. I've been working hard to prepare, running through my class almost every day for the past two weeks, teaching Graham and my sister and cousin, rewriting my sequence (many times), and finalizing my playlist. I even reworked the sequence (and playlist) ... Read more
Yoga Teacher Training: Week 6
TuesdayWe spent our last Roots of Yoga session discussing and practicing meditation styles. We started by trying to meditate for about 10 minutes. I could not get into it. It turned out some of the other girls couldn't either. First, I couldn’t stop replaying conversations from throughout the day (or thinking about things I should have said). And then it was the music. I loved the songs and kept ... Read more
Yoga Teacher Training: Week 5
Last week flew by, mostly because of everything going on outside of yoga. I noticed that the concepts we're studying in yoga I'm reminded of every day off the mat.TuesdayOur lecture and yoga practice centered on vibration as a tool and the chakras. I seemed to have the most difficulty in getting out the seed syllable Hum, for my throat chakra. This might be a hint that I am holding back on saying ... Read more
Yoga Teacher Training: Week 3
As I sit here with sore muscles and a stomach full of pasta, it's hard for me to believe I've made it through three weeks of yoga-teacher training. My body sure believes it though.TuesdayThe week's lecture focused on the yamas and niyamas. I've been applying what we've learned in my life, especially satya, truthfulness, and ahimsa, non-violence. For instance, if I don't want to do something that I ... Read more
Yoga Teacher Training: Week 2
Exhaling out.It's been quite the week.It started Tuesday with a lecture on the history of yoga, which I thoroughly enjoyed. On my to-do list is to read the Bhagavad Gita as well as a book by Iyengar. A few insights stayed with me from the reading, one being:"Self-possessed, resolute, actwithout any thought of results,open to success or failure.This equanimity is the path."I relate to this quote in ... Read more
Yoga Training: Week 1
I survived my first week of yoga teacher training. It wasn't easy, and I've already learned a lot about myself. Here's how it went:OrientationYoga-teacher training orientation fell on the same day I flew back from the East Coast. I had woken up at 5:30 a.m. Eastern to get to Baltimore from Alexandria. I then had a four-hour layover in Detroit before finally landing around 4:15 p.m. Needless to ... Read more
My biggest adventure yet: Yoga Teacher Training
I've been thinking about taking my yoga practice to the next level for a while, but it was difficult to decide to actually pursue teacher training. There are many reasons not to do things, and those are the thoughts that pop into your head when faced with change. But I had to focus on the reasons why I want to do this. I was able to adjust my work schedule for the fall and find a way to pay for ... Read more