Author Archives: sorellaaglio

everyone has a tiny whitney houston inside of them.

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It’s concert season, around these parts. Last week, I went with C and T to see Hanson, where I was not disappointed by great tunes, lots of old songs to groove too, and an usually comfortable venue AND crowd. This was one of the best Hanson shows I’ve been to (and I’ve been to six or seven.)

hanson

Then this past week, I got to see Matt Nathanson, who is always a delight in concert, moving his hips and making us clap, asking us to judge people around us who aren’t singing along.

Matt posits that there is a tiny Whitney Houston in everyone, and tiny Whitney needs to DANCE, so we sang “Dance with Somebody” and generally bopped around the floor of the Wiltern, singing as loud as we could and waving our heads around. This was hands down the best time I’ve seen Matt (this was the fourth time) because he has so many new fun songs, and “Modern Love” as an album really just screams “I AM A BLAST SING ME.”

mattnathanson

I love concert season, because it means I get to get dressed up, go to a venue, sing and dance around and feel like I’m sixteen again at the Verve Pipe concert my Dad shuttled us to in Detroit circa 2002.

Up next, I’m hoping to see 3eb in December, and we’re going to Radio Lab Live in November, which while not a concert is still a live event that I can’t wait to be a part of.

Here’s to fall, concerts, live music, and tiny Whitney.

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

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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.

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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.

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