Yogic Bliss



padangustasana, or toe stand--one of my favorites



Heading to northern California for a week meant I would be missing out on my twice-a-week yoga routine I've come to rely on for so many reasons.  It's partly because it's my only form of exercise (if you don't count the 'airplane' game with Kenyon, running in a race against Jackson and Alex down to the corner, or lugging laundry up two flights of stairs).  It's partly because I go with my good friend Summer, so I get a hearty dose of friendy stuff along with the exercisey stuff.  And it's partly because it forces me to set aside my everpresent and ever-increasing to-do list as soon as I step on the mat.  After a good yoga class, I feel like the social, physical, and spiritual parts of my self are all fulfilled.  Not bad for an hour and $12. 



natarajasana, or dancer's pose--the bane of my existence



I took advantage of the gorgeous weather on our third day and did my standard Bikram yoga-inspired series of poses out on the expansive deck.  I figured a view of the redwoods, the ocean, the dewy lawn, and blossoming garden would only enhance the feeling of serenity that yoga gives me, right?

These pictures evoke a feeling of peace........solitude...........ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

Um, not so much.  The picture below gives a more accurate account of the experience.

Do you see me over there, practicing my headstand while Kenyon and his cousin Celeste run around like screaming banshees?  It was like doing yoga in the lovely Serengeti while a herd of rampaging rhinoceroses race by.  Challenging? Yes. Peaceful? No.

I shouldn't complain; at least he was partially clothed for once...