Another Brush with Crazy at the Coffee Shop

Just had an utterly lovely week at a yoga retreat. Yoga everyday, walks outside in the snow, yoga everyday...amazing, organic, nutritious food that you don't have to plan, shop for, or clean up after...yoga everyday...ah, le sigh.

And now, back to reality. Stopped at a coffee shop on the way home. After several hours in the car, I'm stretching while I wait for my tea.

Deceptively sane-looking man in his 40s-50s approaches.

Him: What are you doing?

Me: (mid side-bend) Um...stretching?

Him: The universe punishes those who drive in poetic ways.


Me:  Ok.

Him: Drivers poison our planet with their driving...And their cars...And now the planet...and the universe are punishing you in poetic ways for your driving.

Me: Ok.

He leaves. I'm still waiting for my tea, still stretching. He comes back and says - NO JOKE - "I forgot my crayons." Grabs a box of crayons from the table near me, returns to his seat at the counter, and proceeds to start coloring.

I did not dare to look to see if he was coloring outside the lines.

Does this stuff happen only to me?

OM for the Holidays Part 4 and 5

*This article appeared in its entirety in a yoga newsletter over the holidays. This is the final installment. Hope you have a wonderful holiday season!

 

Holiday Scenario #4: You’re back in your childhood twin bed, at your in-laws, or bunking on the floor. Bottom line: Counting sheep just isn’t working. You’d kill to catch some Zs.
YA: Restorative yoga to the rescue! Try child’s pose and legs up the wall pose (described above). Start with 5-7 minutes each, extending your exhale, and stay as long as you like.

Holiday Scenario #5: You ate a tad too much turkey, a few too many latkes, or way too much stuffing. Now even your elastic-waisted pants are straining.

YA: Twisting poses are your friend. They stimulate and aid digestion. Try any of your favorites or the following: Modified Marichi’s Pose. Sit on the floor with both legs extended out and follow as described above. Let the left fingertips find the floor behind your hips. Switch sides.

Lay on your back with your arms out in a “T.” Inhale and draw your left knee into your chest. Exhale and let the knee cross the body, moving toward the floor on the right (it doesn’t have to reach the floor). Stay for a few deep breaths. Switch sides.

A final word of wisdom? Yoga travels, so don’t forget to take your OM hOMe or with you wherever the holidays take you!

OM for the Holidays Part 3

*This article will appear in its entirety in a yoga newsletter over the holidays. In advance, I'll be posting sneak peeks to provide you with yoga assists for your most common holiday scenarios.

The holidaze is upon us. How can your yoga practice support, ground, and boost you through the season? Here are five common scenarios and possible yoga assists.

Holiday Scenario #3: You’re heading home for a holiday bash via plane/train/automobile and your back is killing you.
 

First, roll up a jacket or blanket and place it above your waistband to support the natural lordotic curve of the lower spine. This works best as a preventative measure, but is helpful at any point.

Yoga Assist: Try modified marichyasana (Marichi’s Pose). Draw your left knee into your chest, wrap around the shin with your fingers and elongate the spine. Wrap your right arm around your left leg and gently twist toward the left. Modified standing ardha chandrasana (half moon pose) is a great release for the lower back muscles. If possible, stand in tadasana (mountain pose), feet shoulder width apart (or stay seated). Inhale the arms straight up. Exhale and drop the left hand to the hip as you up and over the head to the left with the extended right arm. For the upper back, try modified garudasana (eagle’s pose for the arms). Seated or standing, bring the arms in front of you at a 90-degree angle, elbows even with the shoulders. Stay here, or drop the left elbow below the right and twine the forearms, bringing the palms together. Take a few deep breaths and switch sides for each pose.

If you’re driving, pull over first. :)

 

OM for the Holidays Part 2

*This article will appear in its entirety in a yoga newsletter over the holidays. In advance, I'll be posting sneak peeks to provide you with yoga assists for your most common holiday scenarios.

The holidaze is upon us. How can your yoga practice support, ground, and boost you through the season? Here are five common scenarios and possible yoga assists.

Holiday Scenario #2: Between the holiday frenzy, your grandma’s “Why are you still single?/How’s the job search going?/When will I have grandkids?” and your mom’s “If only we saw you more…” the fam’s driving you crazy.
Yoga Assist: Try to get some time on your mat to re-center yourself. No classes available? Try a few sun salutations at home. In adha mukha svasasana (downward facing dog), a grounding, detoxifying inversion, let the accumulated negativity flow out with each exhale. For extra energetic detoxing, take a few rounds of lion’s breath. As you exhale through the mouth with the tongue out, consciously commit to releasing any tension or stress that needs to go. No room or time? Just sit quietly and try lion’s breath.

OM for the Holidays Part 1

*This article will appear in its entirety in a yoga newsletter over the holidays. In advance, I'll be posting sneak peeks to provide you with yoga assists for your most common holiday scenarios.

The holidaze is upon us. How can your yoga practice support, ground, and boost you through the season? Here are five common scenarios and possible yoga assists.

Holiday Scenario #1: Somewhere between Logan, your layover, the phlem-y cougher next to you, and the recycled plane air, you started to feel sniffly…and now are in the midst of a full-blown cold.
Yoga Assist: It's common knowledge that being stressed, getting little sleep, and taking on too much puts you at greater risk for getting sick. During the holidays, it's easy to fall prey to all of these. Fight back with yoga, which can reduce stress, boost immunity, and help ensure you sleep better—all keys to preventing and recovering from the sickies. Also, as cold viruses live in the nasal passages, try the ayurvedic practice of using a neti pot, available at any pharmacy or health food store.

Already sick? A vigorous practice may sound about as appealing as a root canal. If so, a few gentle restorative poses might be just what the doctor ordered. You'll still harvest all the immune-boosting, stress-reducing, sleep-inducing benefits.

Start with balasana (child's pose). Bring your toes together and keep the knees a bit wider than the hips. Rest your forehead on a block or your stacked hands. You can gently roll your forehead left and right as you slowly inhale and exhale. This can feel really good for sinus congestion, and may enhance the relaxation response. Then roll onto your back and take supta baddha konasana (supported butterfly). Draw the soles of the feet together and support under each knee with blocks or pillows. Place a rolled blanket or towel under the neck for support and gentle elevation. Next, try viparita karani (legs up the wall pose), supporting under the hips with folded blankets or a bolster. If you have one, place an eye pillow over the eyes. Hold each pose for 5-7 minutes. Come out slowly by resting in the fetal position before gently sitting up. 

Stay tuned for Part 2! 

A Gift From the Gardening Gods

Just in time to get the weekend started off on a good note! I got my organic produce delivery. And there, nestled among the butternut squash, bananas, lemons, and various other veg, was this magnificent example of just how awesome nature can be...

 And just in case you missed it...

And in case you need the close-up in order to see the naughty...

Happy Friday!

Earthbox Update - Week Twenty-Nine: End of Season Assessment. OR: What Should I Plant?

Ok, so I'm coming to grips with the fact that the season's really over (except for lettuce and herbs, but more on that later).

Come spring, I can imagine a world in which I'm buoyed up by the hopefulness of a new season stretching out in front of me. Intoxicated by the endless possibilities and with winter having dulled my memory of things like the ten plagues and cucumber beetles, and monsoons and aphids, and zucchini that can't get it on without my help, I can imagine myself planting again this seasons biggest losers.

So to keep the scent of incredibly putrid cucumber beetle-eradicating measures fresh in my mind, to remember just what a pain in the ass it is to wash every single effing leaf (front AND back!) by hand with soapy water, and lest I forget that I didn't really enjoy acting as a zucchini sex aide, here's a rundown of the seasons winners and losers:

Winners. AKA "I'd like to thank the academy..."

1. Peppers. Fun to grow, disease-free, and produce plenty of fruit to make it all worthwhile. I recommend Carmens (horn-shaped sweet reds) and golden bells.
2. Tomatoes. See above--fun and disease-free. Lots of fruit. Also, a perk for us urban gardeners, lots of foliage to provide a green screen from neighborhood eyes. Try the Mortgage Lifter and the Black Krim.
3. Green beans. Try the Bush Bean Contender. Quick to harvest, lots of beans. Easy to care for. Disease-free.
4. Herbs! Rosemary, oregano, parsley, sage, thyme, and basil. Nary a problem and very productive. Highly recommend. Next year I want to also try dill and chives. My gardening guru, Aunt Joan at Primex, tells me my herbs are perennials (they'll come back next spring if I let them die/rest over the winter). She also said I can transplant them inside for continual harvesting. I'm opting for the latter - who doesn't want fresh herbs all winter?!

Losers. AKA "I blame my agent, the director, the screenwriter, the makeup artist and that homeless guy on the corner..."

1. Cucumbers. Disease- and pest-magnets. If there is an aphid, cucumber beetle, predatory bug, a bug that nobody's ever heard of, or even a hint of powdery mildew within a 200-mile radius, it will find your cucs. Unless you enjoy the smell of rancid farts (in the form of organic pesticides) or have absolutely nothing better to do than wash each leaf front and back with soapy water (to treat aphids), SKIP. Soooooo much work and not one single cuc. SKIP. SKIP. SKIP.
   
2. Zucchni. Same as above. You might as well put out a welcome mat and advertise in neighboring counties. Aphids, cucumber beetles, and powdery mildew will make a beeline to these plants. Too much time spent spraying those buggers with organic pesticides and soapy water. Also too much time spent compulsively showering after treating them in a desperate and futile attempt to remove the scent of rancid fart and millions of dead aphid carcasses off me. All that and only one zuc?! BIG FAT NEVER AGAIN.
   
3. Basil. Basil's going on both lists because the first crop mysteriously died and had to be replaced--picky little bastards. If you can get it to grow, big winner. Fresh pesto is fabulous. If you get a picky little bastard batch, try again. If the second kicks the bucket too, then you know it's a sign.

So there we have it--a rough guideline for the spring that will hopefully help at least one other gardener. Any and all suggestions are welcomed and encouraged! :)