Punctuationasana: A Guest Post by Missed Periods and Other Grammar Scares

Confession time: Guys, I'm super excited today. No, not about tomatoes (although they ARE exciting), or gardening, or my latest brush with crazy. No, today I'm excited because I'm featuring my very first guest post! Yay! {confetti}

Self-proclaimed grammar nerd, yogini, author, blogster, and all-around hilarious gal about town Jenny Baranick is sharing her thoughts on Punctuationasana. Read on to learn how yoga and punctuation intersect in ways you've never even imagined, then check out her blog, laugh your asana off, and then waste absolutely no time in logging onto amazon and ordering her book. 

I've already ordered my copy because Krishna knows I don't want any unplanned or unwanted grammar mistakes (and neither should you, so get ordering!). And full disclosure, I've never actually met Jenny and no, she's not slipping me commissions (she has to save every penny towards her dream pad, the 50 Shades of Grey Apartment, after all). I stumbled across Jenny's blog a while back and am genuinely excited for her book and the chance to support a fellow up and coming author.

Punctuationasana

I tend to subscribe to the “live and let live” philosophy—except when it comes to yoga. I am super annoying because I try to push yoga on everyone. However cliché this sounds, yoga has enhanced my life in every imaginable way—physically, mentally, and spiritually—so, sue me:  I think the world would be a better place if everyone had healthy lower backs, a calm mind, and a generous spirit. 

For a while there, I thought yoga teaching was my calling. I took a teacher training course, and I did even teach it for a while. But around the same time I began teaching, I fell in love with writing, and I felt that I had to choose because both yoga and writing would be full-time disciplines. So I chose to pursue writing as a career and take yoga classes instead of teaching it.

My first writing endeavor is the recently released grammar book Missed Periods and Other Grammar Scares.  (I’m also an English teacher.) And here’s what I realized: grammar and yoga actually have a lot in common—ending punctuation in particular.

For example, Child’s Pose (Balasana) looks kind of like a period, doesn’t it? 

And like a period provides a nice long pause between sentences, we often come into Balasana when we need a nice long break between poses. 

If you use your imagination a bit, Chair Pose (Utkatasana) looks kind of like a question mark: 

And perhaps it’s no coincidence that when I am in Utkatasana I find myself asking this question: Why am I in this pose that is burning my thighs when I could be home on the couch?

And Head Stand (Sirsasana) looks like an exclamation point:            

And when I am in Sirsasana, I often feel like exclaiming, “Hey, Mom! Look at me! I’m upside down!”

Who knew yoga could be so nerdy! Or that punctuation could be so spiritual!

About the Author

Jenny Baranick teaches English composition, critical thinking, and a remedial English class called Writing Skills at the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising. Consistently shocked at the poor grammar of her students, in January 2010, Jenny started her popular Missed Periods and Other Grammar Scares blog.

Caprese Salad: Simple, Classic, Delightful...and Fresh from the Garden!

The garden bounty continues and this week the featured delights are tomatoes and basil...which means it's time for homemade Caprese Salad.

Simple, easy, classic and utterly delicious. Chop some tomatoes and fresh mozzerella, slice some basil, and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, a dash of vinegar (I'm into white balsamic right now), sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. #amazing!

It's Plantin' Time!

OK. Big news: Just this week, the totally shaded porch of our new home somehow started getting sun. This is no doubt due to the Earth's position now shifting to a place where the sun's rays can tickle the future-plant-bedecked porch in spite of the fact that the building next to us blocks the sun we should've been getting all season. Whatever. I only care that NOW I CAN GROW THINGS! HOORAY!

I immediately headed for the nearest garden center and, in an over-zealous frenzy that surely must be indicative of addiction, bought way too many plants. I got tomatoes, peppers, collard greens, two kinds of lettuce, and far, far too many beans. In the herb fam, I snagged some rosemary, thyme, and three different kinds of basil.

Here's the method to my madness:

Basil: A must. Hardy, pretty, and if you grow enough of it, you can not only save yourself the horror of pay $4 for three sprigs at the store, you can also make copious amounts of pesto. Make a double bath and the extra can be frozen in zippy sandwich bags for a summery treat in mid-winter. Trust me, it's heaven.

Beans: Hardy, fast growers that, as a fun little perk, also produce beautiful pink flowers.

Lettuce: Nothing better than a fresh-picked salad! Bonus: they don't like the heat of July-August, so when they're done, I can pluck them out and replace with a heat-lover.

Collard greens: New to me. {gulp}

Peppers: As my friend Dee once said, "Peppers are so rewarding to grow." SO true. Love seeing them on the vine.

Tomatoes: True confession: they aren't my favorite fresh fruit (and to me they'll always be a veggie, but whatevs). But, much like peppers, they are SO rewarding to grow. When you see them covered in their brightly hued fruit, you sit back and think, "Yeah. I grew that." Bonus: I like to give them away to neighbors. And now I have new neighbors to meet and impress with my growing acumen {blows on fingernails and rubs on imaginary lapels}


Parsley and Dill: Self-propogated from last year! Yup--these determined crops spread their own seeds from last season and came up by themselves. SWEET!! I like your spirit, guys!

So much to do...except for the self-propogating herbs. Yeah! Nice work, guys!

I spent the weekend planting. There is something so primal, so deeply instinctual about digging your hands into the dirt and planting. Hours and hours later, tired and hungry, with an aching back, I felt connected to something bigger and older than me. I also felt excited about what this season will bring. Stay tuned!

Seeing how much work there was at hand, Pelu immediately
became overwhelmed and had no other option but to take a nap.

Happy Halloween, y'all!

From this 10-pound puppy cowgirl and her human. :)

The Big Plunge

Throughout my twenties, my Italian grandmother lamented my single status. As all her other grandchildren married and reproduced, she was wont to introduce me as her "granddaughter...the unmarried one."

Finally, at the ripe old age of 30, I too got married. This meant that she could stop saying Hail Marys to that effect and I could feel relieved that she'd now stop asking if I'd met any "special friends" during our daily conversations.

I'd earned a blessed reprieve. Or so I'd thought.

Until...she started asking when she'd see great-grandchildren. Ah, le sigh. It seems marriage is not enough for a little Italian nonni.

In much the same way I resisted marriage, I've stubbornly resisted the kid pressure. Maybe it has something to do with all that getting up every three hours for round the clock feedings. And cleaning up someone else's poop. And the whole 18 years (minimum) of undue responsibility--the idea of another (utterly helpless!) little being depending on you for their food and safety and care. I couldn't just go away for the weekend with friends or hubby anymore.  I couldn't have wine with dinner, mimosas with brunch, or vodka...ever?! (OK fine - not "ever," but at least for a year or two given pregnancy and breastfeeding).

That level of commitment is so very intense and overwhelming. And I'm kind of a wimp and definitely a commitment-phobe. Which basically boils down to...fuhgeddaboudit.


So here I am, nearly 34, and my biggest responsibilities are my indoor plants year-round, and my garden in the summer. No fish. No cats. No big burden of responsibility.

Until I decided I was ready for at least a little more responsibility. And suddenly, getting up every three hours for the first few months and cleaning up someone else's poop didn't sound quite as bad.

Which is how I knew I was ready for the big plunge: a puppy!

Enter: Pelu. An adorable mutt from MacAllen, Tx. Her mom was a cockapoo (half cocker spaniel, half poodle and trust me, that sounds better than the alternative "poodlecock") and the dad is a mystery. My vet says she looks like a border terrier. And given that, at five months, she's only growing longer and not taller, I think she may be part long-haired dachshund as well.

I got up every few hours to let her out for the first few days of housetraining. Then I realized this tiny puppy and I were soulmates: she could hold it for at least eight hours. Heaven! Mama can sleep!

Yes, she is utterly dependent on me for her care, food, safety, and well-being. But surprisingly, that isn't as terrifying as I'd feared. I can actually handle it. She loves to snuggle. She can entertain herself for hours while I work. She naps like a champ. And she has a sassy, loving, irrascible personality that is entirely endearing.

Which makes her just about the most perfect little creature in the world and exactly the right amount of responsibility.

Still not ready for kids though! :)

Napping...like a boss

An Inadvertent Yoga Model

Guess who got to show off the lovely new Lotuspad yoga mats? Yup--you guessed it! I'm trying to contain my excitement and play it cool, but I can't--I'm super excited to be involved with this small, start-up company that believes in creating eco-friendly, and, OK yes, beautiful yoga gear.

Being a model newbie, I had no idea what to expect. But working with Annie Pickert of Hazel Imagery was easy and fun. She definitely knew what she was looking for in terms of background, light, angle, and image...which made my part easy. Well, as easy as holding various poses for 2+ hours without a break can be. Let's just say that after holding any pose for over five minutes, my arm/leg/whatever supporting body part was literally shaking with effort, and I definitely got quite a workout :)

Honestly, though, the whole thing was really awesome. I love photography and I love being outside (especially on a beautiful sunny day), and I've been known to put up with yoga on occasion...so really, it was a dream come true.

It's also cool to collaborate with a small, local company whose mission I support and believe in. And in terms of the mats themselves? Check out the stylin' color combos (I'm especially partial to the orange/pink), the cool imprint patterns, and, of course, the hot yoga model. Even better, notice that Lotuspad yoga mats are made of a super soft (I'll even go so far as to say velvety) material which is called TPE (thermoplastic elastomer). TPE is a newly developed and patented material that is PVC/latex-free, takes less energy to manufacture than standard yoga mats, and will biodegrade in a landfill or hot compost. Owner and founder of Lotuspad Katy Downey also points out that PVC is a known human carcinogen, is hugely polluting to manufacture and dispose of, and yoga mats made from it never biodegrade.

If you wanted to get all yogic about it, you could see this as an example of the principle of ahimsa, non-harm (the first and most important niyama, or no-no, in Patanjali's "Yoga Sutras," the foundational text of yoga). These mats create no-harm to the environment or to us. And unlike some other eco-friendly mats (ahem, you know who you are), they are non-harmful to your wallet at $42/each (plus a 10% discount courtesy of moi, use "SaraD" at checkout).

You can read more on the Lotuspad site, but in the meantime, check out some of my favorite shots from the shoot and see more at http://lotuspadyogamats.com

The pink side of the "Radiant" Eco Yoga Mat

Three-legged dog on the blue side of the "Balance" eco yoga mat

Probably my fav! Nice shot, Annie!

Lastly, lest you think I'm getting all greedy and grabby and violating the yoga code (definitely not cool and in direct conflict with the Sutras), I'd like to clarify that I received no monetary compensation for this project. :)