Tag Archives: yoga

Taking the plunge: public pools, sharing lanes.

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This week I’ve finally decided to start swimming at the gym. I bought a bathing suit a few weekends back, and I already had goggles. Swim cap ready, I headed to the gym Monday morning after waking up too late to make 6 am yoga. I swam from 6:15 to 6:45, for a total of 31 minutes, and swam 16 laps. That’s a little less than a half mile. After consulting with my sorella, I learned that she was just as slow when she started, so I didn’t feel so badly.

But I did have questions. How do you breathe? Do you breathe every stroke? Do you exhale under water? Am I kicking my legs correctly? Does it make you feel like you’re going to drown? Do you ever swallow water when trying to breathe? Why doesn’t my swim cap cover all the hair in the back, and how can I take it off without pulling out all of my hair.

Needless to say, I need a few days (and a yoga session) before I could dive back in. Last night, though, I had about 45 minutes of free time before I was supposed to meet a friend at the movies (more on that later.) I grabbed my swim stuff and headed to the (overcrowded after work) gym. One lane was open, so I grabbed it, though not for long. Soon I was sharing my lane with a speedo-wearing man, but at least he was just as slow as me, so I didn’t feel as bad. The swimmers in the middle lane were intimidating, as they didn’t stop between laps and seemed to have thrashing down to a minimum. And they didn’t stop mid-pool to make sure they were swimming straight.

Shortly after, about 20 minutes in, I was sharing the lane with two speedo-clad men. Luckily, this made me swim faster (who doesn’t love a little competition?) I ended up swimming 18 laps in 26 minutes, which was about .55 of a mile, and was faster than Monday! Improvement! Already! Splendid!

Today my back hurts a little, so I’ll be going to yoga to see how I do, but I think it’s because I am not kicking correctly….Nikita says I should use a kickboard, which I will try next time I swim.

After swimming last night I headed to the movies (located a mere 2 flights downstairs, oh LA how I love you) with my gym bag, wet hair, in sweat pants, and holding my bike helmet (I biked to the gym.) I talked to my dad on the phone, telling him about how ridiculous I looked and how hot it was outside and how I always looked like a hot mess when going to the ArcLight and someone famous always walks by. Immediately after I hung up with him (CW had arrived) Gene Simmons walked by. Serves me right.

Weekend is almost here. Can’t wait. What are you lovelies up to? Anyone have kicking technique advice?

5gts: Friday before Halloween Edition

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1. Today I am dressed as one of my coworkers, who I told last year I would dress as. He came up to me today and said, “So are you dressed like me?” (I was.)

2. Tomorrow I am going to be dressed as Alexander. I have a red wig. I have some fake gum to put in my hair. I got the book from the library. CC is going to be Harold. We’re set to go.

3. Someone brought us a pumpkin pie today. The small children are dressed up, and there is a Halloween Party on the field. I love working at a school.

4. Speaking of working at a school, and libraries, today I went and used my library card at the school library for the first time. I have a month to read the books I got out, and there is no limit on the number of books staff check out. Cannery Row, Tortilla Flat, and Sweet Thursday, here I come!

5. Despite missing yoga Tuesday (slow carpool…) I will be going tonight, before CRAFT NIGHT. What, my friends, is better than Craft night, you ask? Nothing, my friends, nothing.

What are you doing this Halloween weekend?

This weekend was:

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Sunshine. Scrambled eggs. My favorite girls. Tunes in my kitchen. Yoga at the gym. “Oh, we’re subleasing.” Downward facing dog. Triangle. Airplane. Walking home in the sunshine. Packing for the beach. Books, towels, blankets, pizza. Sun. In the car, tunes up, windows down, friends surrounding friends. Busy beach, moving on, quiet beach. Laughing so hard you cry. Sun. Blanket spread, friends arriving. “These are my friends from high school.” Loving getting to say that, over and over again. Explaining how we’re all friends. Running in the water. Video taping it. K, B, and I in the water. Getting tossed out of the ocean by the waves. Bruises from the sea [no, thank you, you are not admitted.] Laying out. Showers on the beach. Wedding on the beach. Reading on the beach. Sleeping on the beach. Bleachers on the beach. Nerf football. Chattering away at each other. Birthday wishes. Sun going down, lifeguards arriving. Young lifeguards. Time to leave. Packing it up, in, and out. Changing, laughing, sun dipping. Pictures. Two cars, four girls, makeup on. Smiles, oohs and ahhs, pictures. Camera on timer, on the car. Friendly passerby shooting our smiles, or glances at the sea, and the helicopter. Dinner. Fancy restaurant, by the sea. Seated, by the kitchen. A bottle of wine. New friends, old friends. Seafood, Alfredo. Mud Pie. Laughing, laughing. Smiles. Stories, long and short. Hugs, mints flavored like sugar, and hugs. Valet cars, and home. Traffic. Life stories, on the streets of LA, through the night, to home. Rent. Rent checks. Back in the car. More life stories, because the traffic in LA is never light, and the load on your heart is never lifted.

Sleep. Wake.

Bikes. Farmer’s market. Is that man dead? No, I think no. Garlic, and so large it is. Peaches, because they are too good to resist. Sunshine on my shoulders, bike grease on my hands. “Do you always get this much stuff” because the bag was so heavy. 5 ears of corn. Ride home, dead man walking, dead man gone. Sun. Home. K and M home, too. Some water, some rest. Clean the kitchen — more guests coming. avocado brie toast. Clean out the cooler. Thank you, K. Onto the Grove, for movies. Missed movie…Crate and Barrel. Wanting to own every piece of furniture. “Where do you send your samples?” and Barbara. Loving everything. Teeny spoon. Too late again, fourth row? A fourth friend. Seated two by two, laughing inappropriate loud throughout — parts funny, and not. Movie over, 6:40. Just like she said.

Home, change, borrow clothes, Corelyn you’re a saint. Pink Taco. For five. At eight. No, for three. At eight thirty. Slowly back to five…friends, stories, epic stories, family trees, timelines. Tahiti. Not going to Tahiti. Ever. It’s a volcano. So many tacos, so good. Sangria, by the pitcher, because we can. Dark atmosphere, light hearts.

Outside. Dark. 10:00. Photographs on the stairs, by the blue wall. Jumping, jumping high fives, band photos. I am the lead singer. Smiles, not smiles, advertisements for who knows what. “Remember when we had a band?” “Oh, you mean Frost?” Because I had forgotten we named it. “Just kiss her.” More photos. Tree lights, Jeff lying on the ground, photos. Mannequins, poses, smiles, laughing. “You know what would be a great shot?” Three cameras. 11:02. Let’s get out of here, Diddy Riese.

Diddy Riese. Short line. Share a sandwich, taste all three. More laughs, more smiles. 11:48. “Would you like to be in our short documentary?” Are you sleep deprived? Yes, right now. Laughs, chats. Snapped Achilles? Interesting story. Visual journalism. So, so nice to meet you, good luck. 12:00. In the car, home. 12:20. Best. Weekend. Ever.

Monday Morning: Drink a bottle of water, on an empty stomach

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Last night I asked Jeff if he thought I should go to yoga this morning. I explained my reasons for and against, and after a pause, he said, “No pain, no gain.” I’d have to agree. So I got up at 5:30 this morning and headed to the gym with a bag full of who knows what (towel remember, extra shoes, even deodorant) and went to  yoga.

Here are my problems with Monday morning yoga:

1. My teacher was a talker. He even told us we should drink a bottle of water on an empty stomach once a day.

2. My teacher also left the lights on. What? Do I really need you to SEE me whilst I am doing elbow plank?

3. My teacher liked to do poses for a looonnnng time. (I cannot do side plank for two minutes, as it turns out.)

4. My teacher did not do very many vinyasas between poses, which meant I was left shifting from Warrior 1 and one side and the next without any real flow…not good, as my other teacher’s word of the week is “Flow.”

Overall, I did appreciate the yoga, but I think I might switch to Monday morning swimming, if this same teacher is going to continue. I personally like yoga in the dark, and I love to feel the flow through my body as I go from pose to pose. This class felt more like an introduction to yoga and its poses. We’ll see how the schedule looks next week…