Monday Already?

Good morning blog friends! Hope everyone had a great weekend and did tons of great things. The weekend of course went by way too fast.I was walking into Starbucks on Saturday and among all the now dead trees this little bush of berries appeared. It was so vibrant and pretty! So alive. Isn't she pretty?

How oh how is it Monday already? But guys, it’s a holiday week which of course means a short work week! Can’t wait to see the family in a few days. It seems like we’re all so busy lately and never have the time to connect. 7 nieces and nephews always make the holiday’s fun for sure. No travel for me which makes me happy. We go to my sister’s house which is just about 40 minutes from me. Any one out here doing the holiday travel thing?
Ok now it’s time for a yoga weekend recap. I’ll try not to be too long winded!

Day 21: Saturday 4:30 with Hannane. Got there early so had plenty of time to stop into Good Health and pick up some things. This store is locally owned and run and they have tons of local products. Love that. It’s been there since I was a kid and has expanded nicely over the years. They really cater to their customers. It’s kind of like a mini, mini Whole Foods (of course love WF too!) with better prices. Awesome selection and having it a block up from the studio is perfect. Grab a few things along with a snack and Zico to have before class. Good crowd for a Saturday afternoon. People must have slept in and missed the morning classes! As mentioned before Hannane always has been known for being fierce; Keeping the room extra HOT and holding postures for an extended time. Lately, as she moves along in her pregnancy, she’s been easing up in class. Last week she was tough again so I didn’t know what we were in for today.
Class starts and it’s, well, it’s warm. I keep doing the old looking up at the ceiling trick as if to send the message to the teacher “turn up heat, turn up heat, turn heat”. So funny how many people I see doing the same thing. My sister was doing it the other day and the teacher actually said “Robin, is something falling from the ceiling?” People looked kind of aggravated and finally the girl beside me says OUT LOUD...It’s too cool. Yikes. Hannane says, too cool huh? Anyone else think it’s too cool? The whole class together...YES. Some people even raised their hands. Never seen anything like it before. With that she says then you’re not working hard enough and bumps up the heat. Saw that one coming. Not sure what the temp was but Oh My God. I think the water in my water bottle was boiling. The kind of hot class that when you get home your sweat soaked towel is still steamy hot. Very challenging class. Always up for a challenge though. I was fading fast at the end, I felt like a balloon loosing its air, and she says Stay Strong Traci! Just the boost I needed. Let’s finish this thing up! I know some people think her classes are too hot but this is Bikram. The room is suppose to be hot, not luke warm. I will say I was really hoping for the door to pop open for a breath of fresh, crisp air. Never happened. I was tired after class and looked forward to grabbing a shower, some dinner and relaxing. Ahhh.

Day 22: Sunday morning class. 10am with Sarah. By now some of you know I am not a big fan of morning classes. Not at all. Last week was ok though. So going into this one I was not dreading it as much. Got up, dressed, had some toast with peanut butter and a Zico and I’m on my way. Decide I’m a little tired for the front row this morning so grab a nice spot in the second row. I had that tired face, no hiding it when your eyes look like little slits! For some reason no one set up in front of me so I still had a nice clear shot of myself in the mirror. I use to have a problem looking at myself practice but now it’s like I need the mirror to see where I’m at. There were two people behind me who were new and I could see them following along with me. Better step it up and show them the right way. No slacking this morning Traci!
I thought the room was a nice temp. Not too hot that it kills you (good for a morning class!) and not too cool. Of course if it was a night class I would have for certain said way too cool. Major breakthrough on Standing Bow! I see Sarah looking at me during the posture and smiling. We come out of the posture she says “WOW Traci” that’s come along way, looked amazing. She said it again after class and said how rewarding it is as a teacher to see something like that. Sure felt great too!

Class left me feeling energized and happy. Definitely had that yoga glow! Stop for a latte (obliviously) on my way home and enjoy it with a late breakfast. Shower, change, Whole Foods trip, out with friends to watch some of the Patriots game. Not a bad Sunday at all! The whole day I could not get the running bug out of my head. I just really need to rock out a run. So at 7pm last night guess what I did. It's cold and dark but I didn't care. I pulled on my warm Under Armour hat with that great pony tail opening in the back, my running gloves, pants, shirts, jacket, put my reflective strips around my arms (I’m a safety girl), grab the Ipod and I’m off. From the very second my feet hit the street I am pumped. Oh it felt so good to get out there in the fresh air, using my legs to push forward off the ground below. My lungs felt great, I felt so strong. And happy. I probably could have run forever but I kept it a short and sweet. I ran just a mere 3.5 miles but it was good just to be out there. I didn’t want to push it. Saving my nice long runs for after the Challenge. Can't. Wait. Bikram and Running are my equal loves but I get very different feelings from them. Both so, so good. Balance. All about the balance folks. It’s a very good word.

So as we talked about its Monday. Sipping on some amazing peppermint tea now thinking I have lots to do here at work before the holiday but...then it’s a 4 day weekend! Isn’t Thanksgiving great? It’s truly just about spending time with our friends and our families. No stress of getting that “perfect” present. Just a time to enjoy traditions, to laugh with my silly (that's an understatement) family, to eat (although since I haven’t eaten meat in 20 plus years its not my favorite meal) to enjoy a glass of wine or two etc. Can’t wait. Oh and listen to this I have to go to an 8am Thanksgiving morning class. UGH! That’s going to hurt.

Tonight is 6:30 with Mimi. Always an awesome class. Going to be sure to get there right at 6pm as this class has been so packed lately. Need to secure a spot in the front; otherwise I tend to feel like a sardine. Have a great Monday everyone! See ya’ll tomorrow for more yoga fun.

Cheers,
Traci