Hope you and yours have a safe & happy start to 2010.
I’m on a bit of blogging leave of absence… safely home in Cambridge, but alot on my plate personally. Hope to be back to daily entries by the time Ana comes to town 21 January.
Still on the mat, just off the net for a little while!
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/12/23/phys-ed-can-touching-your-toes-test-your-arteries/
A few weeks ago, I posted on a NY Times article about a study showing that flexibility doesn’t improve athletic performance. (And ranted about the sit & reach test. It’s all right here: http://autumnlotusyoga.omblogger.com/2009/11/27/is-stretching-unnecessary/)
Well, skimming NYT on line today, found a fascinating article on how the sit & reach test can correlate with flexibility of the arteries. The stiffer the body is, the more inelastic the arteries, increasing the likelihood of fatal heart attacks. On the flip side, more flexible muscles correlated with more bendy arteries & better cardiac health. Pliable muscles = pliable arteries = overall better health.
Why, we ask?
To quote: “How it is that stiff muscles in the back and legs are linked to stiff tissues near the heart is an issue that hasn’t been fully elucidated, Mr. Yamamoto says, although arterial walls are composed of the same kinds of elastic tissues as muscles elsewhere in the body. So it’s likely, he says, that alterations in the composition of muscle tissues in the lower back (including aging-related alterations in the amount of collagen within the muscles) could be occurring in the arterial walls at the same time.”
Bitchin’. 
Now that is right in line with the purposes of yoga & the idea of the unity of the body.
We made it in yesterday afternoon & LOVE it. Vegas back story: Beloved Husband & I got married in Vegas 2 years ago. However, it was a 48 -hour whirlwind for me, complete with Elvis, fairytale dress, 10 members of family/friends… but without a single touristy thing.
Well, we’re making up for that. Neither BH nor I gamble at all, but we both love lights, shows & restaurants. We have so far been to Bobby Flay’s Mesa Grill, seen the fountain show at the Bellagio (& a really unintentionally funny one at Caesar’s) and booked tickets for a Cirque show & for Jubilee.
The Jubilee ticket purchase was preceeded by a fantastic guided tour of the backstage by one of the showgirls. Sarah G is a redhead, 30 years old, from Colorado, a mom, and an architecture student with a degree in public relations. She also has been a showgirl for 6 years with the only true showgirl act left in the US (Jubilee, at Ballys Casino) and is now the line captain for the chorus & “swing” dancer — she knows all the parts & fills in each night wherever they need coverage. She is one gorgeous, hardworking redhead! She is my new hero. Because she does all this while walking sideways in 3 inch heels, with a 16 pound headdress & feathers & rhinestones on every available surface!
Yoga was definitely traditionally practiced yesterday morning. Woke up at 2 am to do 45 minutes of asana before we went to the airport. Have not yet squeezed it in today. Unless you count some quiet meditation while soaking in a HUGE tub complete with jets. That is quite close to enlightenment in & of itself, really… 
It was nice teaching on the solstice. I was thinking about it on the way into the studio & came up with the theme on the T ride.
I find it intriguing & comforting that the shortest day of the year marks the turning point towards spring. The darkest of times heralds a new beginning, even if it’s not obvious for some time. Long before the frost melts & the flowers come out, change has occurred. So we set the intention of finding renewal, even (especially!) in the midst of darkness.
Class plan was focused physically on neck, hips, shoulders. Kinda went like this:
Pranayama, cross-legged: Inhale, hold; exhale to uddiyana, hold
Unlocking the hips in Baddha Konasana
Rollbacks with block between thighs
Figure four hip/back release with leg extension
Twisting abs with a roll
Bridge with a block, figure four
Dolphin with one leg up
Classical Suns, 3 together, 2 alone
At wall: Dolphin, Chair with block, Forearm balance, Twisting Chair alternated with standing forward bend
Center: Twisting chair alternated with standing forward bends
B series into:
1) WII; Reverse warrior with neck release; Extended side angle variation with half bind
2) Triangle; Half Moon; Standing Splits
3) WI; Ostrich; Head to ankle prep; Head to ankle
Down dog to seated
Half Lotus Spinal Twist (strap modification)
Closing pose choice: Shoulderstand; Headstand; Pigeon
Savasana
Did Peter’s class after my own. Up WAAAY early tomorrow to practice before our flight. Cross fingers!!!
Total suckage. On so many fronts!
Snowed in. Pretty but… meant that we were in a tizzy of working out whether & how & if our flight out of Boston today was happening.
Short answer: It’s not. There was drama.
Good news — we’re rescheduled for Tuesday EARLY morning & got the hotel & everything else changed without penalty.
Bad news — yeh, practice didn’t happen. It happens.
Good news — teaching my class now tomorrow morning after all! Back on track!!
Will save the final reveal of the fabulous holiday destination until I actually get there. I’m terrified of jinxing it.
As stated manymanymany times in this blog (and outside it!), it’s not like I wake up every morning to bluebirds & fairies & rainbows, singing about how I love to go to class.
Most of the time, I grumble & rumble & tell myself stories about how I don’t want to go & it’ll be too hard & I’ll be humiliated or get hurt or have an awful time & it’d be much better just to give up & stay home anyway.
These stories are pretty much total bs. It’s not worth the effort to argue with them, or tell alternate stories about how great everything will be. It’s just a matter of not engaging with them at all. Let ‘em complain, let it pass. I ignore them all the way to the studio (or onto the mat) & the awfulness never happens. Sure, some days are better than others, but it always works out & I’m glad to have practiced.
Today I ignored the stories & really had a blast at Lynne’s two hour core vinyasa (Forrest plus whatever else she feels like, including some slow stuff & today, dancing!). Got to practice with two of my favorite peeps, one on either side. All good.
Let’s see how I do with the stories tomorrow. Supposed to snow here overnight…
Damn, Boston is cold this week. Freaky cold, IMHO. It makes me feel better hearing long-time residents also complaining about the cold. It’s in the teens & I am blaming the cold for my recalcitrant attitude & muscles these past two days.
Tues & Wed were nice bendy days. Wed was long ‘un. 4-5 hrs of yoga. Thurs I was a wee tired & sore & did one of two intended classes. Same today. They were fine classes but dear lord, it’s been like moving stone. Added a little extra stretching at home tonight & am hopeful for a better day tomorrow.
The body goes around & around.
