This is a physical truth. This is not an opinion.

Posted on July 24, 2013 by sorellaaglio

The title of this post is something my yoga teacher said tonight about twists, and about using yoga to help in your physical self. It was slightly startling, because of how true it was: the physical benefits of poses are as true as any fact you’ve ever been told from a doctor.

I went to yoga to a class focused on opening up the shoulders/upper chest, combined with restorative poses. I have been exploring a lot of new yoga classes, and the ones I am taking now once a week are Iyengar yoga. This, combined with my recent foray into Drishti yoga has taken my practice deeper, allowing me to really trust my body’s strength and give it the muscle memory needed to perform certain poses.

My vinyasa flow has gotten more focused, and recent upperward dog has really clicked for me, as has chaturanga. I finally am focusing on every movement within a flow, not just the end game. I am understanding the connection between my shoulders, elbows, heels, and hips.

My teacher, Jay, consistently reminds us that we control our parts. Our bodies are controlled by us, and we can get our bodies to do things for us, to support us. This lesson has helped deepen my practice and has helped me to get toned as I venture to lose some weight to be a healthier me.

I love yoga because every class is about the current moment. Every moment spent on the mat is a moment for yourself, a moment for your body, your brain, your heart, your spirit. I love every class because I am constantly learning, and relearning, and revisiting, and really understanding how to ask my body (and mind) to do what I’d like them to do.

Yoga also clears my mind and relieves stress, and is such a good full body workout. It’s never a workout I dread. I don’t even really consider it a workout, but something necessary to my life, like eating and breathing and laughing. The more yoga I do, the happier I am. The more time I set aside for me, the better quality time I spend with others.

I’d love to hear about your yoga journeys as I progress in my own – what types of practices you have, how often, what you love and what you don’t, your favorite poses…not that we’re supposed to have favorites…

Namaste.

she always licks my elbow.

Posted on July 22, 2013 by sorellaaglio

I’ve been hanging with Cooper a lot, lately. She comes up at the sound of the first click of dishes, first just her nose, then her front paws, and finally she’s sitting behind me, hoping something will drop.

She doesn’t like the vacuum cleaner, or the sound of the mixer. She doesn’t mind the heat of the open oven. She does not eaten fallen green beans. She sits, waiting, like a toddler in a diaper, as C observed.

She tumbles after Jeff when he gets home, diverting her attention from the kitchen for a moment to see if he’s brought anything worthy of her. From the bedroom, I can hear paws tapping across the wood.

She will lick your elbows, or your knees, or whatever is in front of her. Then she’ll stand, expectedly, waiting for you to pat her head. And, you will.

Then, she’ll go sit from her watch post on the back porch, next to the tomatoes, surveying the neighborhood, and keeping the peace.

Love has surely shifted my way

Posted on July 16, 2013 by sorellaaglio

After near-radio silence, I’m happy to announce we have a venue, and a date for the Hayford/Palluzzi wedding!

After much research, we’ve decided on Kinney Bungalow in Narragansett, RI.

I fell in love with this location when we were searching, because of its history, its name, its tie to the West Coast, its distance from the ocean, the fact that it is next to a farm…pretty much everything about it. I was happy to find it was free for September 27, 2014, our now-official wedding date!

Thank you to Lauren for actually heading to Rhode Island to check out the venue and confirm that she could see Jeff and I getting married here. Now comes the rest of the planning, details from the caterer to the dress to the flowers.

I am the worst wedding planner you guys, following in Nikki’s footsteps. Luckily I’ve had Corelyn and Jeff around (who are excellent planners) to keep me on task, and there has been emergency chocolate (sorry, Mary!) and movies and wine after both planning sessions.

I think now that we have a date and a venue, I will be on better behavior, and planning might even be fun from now on! No more lying on the floor proclaiming I am sending a proxy to get married to Jeff, or deciding that I don’t care where I get married, as long as it meets one hundred insane standards I’ve set for no reason.

Here goes nothing, everyone! (438 days to go!)

all you have to do in this pose is nothing.

Posted on July 16, 2013 by sorellaaglio

Happy on-the-other-side of Monday, everyone! Things are looking up, up, up over here.

After a weekend that has sobering news from several fronts in the world, it is humbling to rediscover things to keep us grounded. Here, we’re having a wonderful day because there are new albums out, new websites and yoga routines to explore, and a new wilderness to explore on the other side of this work day.

I have checked out two new yoga routines this past week, and I am happy to report they’re opening me up and keeping me active (and present!) on the mat, which is welcome after a lull of love for yoga (gasp!) I discovered it was a combination of boredom (after all, I only have three DVD routines I’ve been cycling through) and the heat, so I have been heading to the studio once a week, finishing off a Groupon and making it last over the weeks by reinvigorating my practice once a week in-studio and the rest of the time committing to “hot” yoga in my non-air conditioned house!

Meanwhile, on the music front, you guys, Matt Nathanson’s new album! Every single one of his albums make me SO smiley, all for different reasons. I was in a music rut again, and I am happy that there are two new albums out to add to my “new” music, along with Hanson’s “Anthem.” Sara Bareilles knows how to speak to the heart, and for her and her talent, I am so grateful. Also up is a new single from Brett Dennen, with an album release in October. Rejoice!

I hope you’ll check out the new albums (below) and the yoga site to revisit the mat in a new way, yourselves!