Elsja Down Under

Yogaaargh July 10, 2009

Yesterday was my first day back doing power yoga and I wanted to punch the teacher in the face. Now, that’s not a bad thing per se, that just means it was tough- which is what I needed.

My few sessions of  yoga in the states were great for bits of nice stretching and relaxing and I even was a little sore after- but seriously, yesterday I thought I was going to die. After doing power yoga regularly for a few months, I got to the point where I didn’t really need much water during the whole class. I’d sweat a lot but I wouldn’t feel like I was vomit. Well yesterday I was guzzling the water, sweating my ass off and I got to the point where I just could not do one more single chaturanga (kinda like a reverse push-up). I had to take “water breaks” just to try and get some blood to flow back to my brain so I wouldn’t fall over when doing balancing poses. At one point, when the teacher said “ok one more time on the right side” I actually yelled obscene profanities at her (in my head). Once on each side is enough… no need to repeat people!!

But even after all that  agony… even with the pain that has taken over my back, sides and arms… even after losing pretty much all of my body fluids… I still want to go back.

I’m so glad I’ve found one miserable form of exercise that I actually enjoy.

Making the World a Better Place February 19, 2009

I’m going to start doing something nice for the world.

I am going to start volunteering! By volunteering, I really just mean doing some work at a yoga studio a few times a week in exchange for free yoga classes.

So I guess it’s not REALLY volunteering per se but hey, I’m not getting paid. To me- that’s volunteering.

I may not be helping sick children or cleaning up beaches*, but it WILL still help the world out! How you ask??  Hey, if I get healthier and more in-shape, I will be a much happier person. If I have some time to “meditate” and relax, I will be a much happier person. If I happen to meet a new friend while I’m doing my happy helper yoga duties, I will possibly be a happier person (unless that new friend starts to get on my nerves like a lot of people tend to do). Anyways, If I am happier, Andrew will be happier and he will have better days at work. This means he will fly the planes with even more superiority than he already does and all the passengers will be even safer and more comfortable on their flights. Then, they will arrive to their destinations in a good mood and they will spread their happiness to others. My happiness will spread throughout the planet. AND… since I won’t need to PAY for yoga, I will have more money to spend in shops and restaurants which will help to stimulate this poor economy.

So you see… my 2 hours of work each week in exchange for free yoga classes really will make the world a better place.

You can all sleep easy tonight!

*For the record- I WOULD help sick children if I could actually find a place close to me where they need volunteers for this. I would not clean beaches. I clean my house, I don’t pick up other people’s trash. I’m a people person, not a litter and manual labor person. Good thing there are other people who like doing that sort of stuff.

Boots and Books June 18, 2008

Ok so I found boots! FINALLY.

I went to dinner with some friends the other night in the city, and since I was 30 minutes early I decided to wander around and look for shoes. I had nearly given up with 10 minutes to spare when I found a pair of decent looking black boots. Now, they were a tad too big- but let’s face it, they won’t slip off my feet when they go halfway up my calf. They are kinda casual and I would prefer to have these in brown, but… they only had my size in black. They were the last ones left. They weren’t phenomenal but they weren’t hideous either. And they weren’t too expensive. So with 5 minutes until I had to meet my friends for dinner, I made the spur of the moment purchase.

Too big, too casual and too black?? I’M SOLD! But really, I do like them. I think.

 
In other Elsja news, I finished reading a book. This might not seem like a big deal, but it is- because I hardly ever read. I can’t recommend this book highly enough… I really liked it. Eat Pray Love is one woman’s tale of self-discovery (in a nutshell). I had seen it in Target and thought about buying it but it seemed too “search for existential meaning” for my liking…like some typical “I found myself through God” book. So, I just wasn’t interested.

Until… I saw the author on Oprah. Then I was sold and I knew I had to read it. Good ol’ Oprah is a marketing genius! (If I could just get her help with my invention idea…)

The author throws in some humor and sarcasm, which I like. She is very real and talks about her highs and lows (lots of lows) and doesn’t make this all seem like some bogus spiritual journey.

Be warned…this book talks a lot about meditation, religion and yoga… which aren’t for everyone- but I can honestly say, she wrote it in such a way that it doesn’t seem like it was written by some fruitloop. I tend to be the type that sits in a yoga class and giggles to myself when everyone around me is trying to meditate and “clear their chakras” blah blah hocus pocus… I always thought that aspect of yoga was a bunch of crap. I really was just there for the exercise. This book enlightened me to think that maybe meditation wouldn’t be such a ridiculous idea after all.

Oh… and she also throws in a fair share of food and sex… so there’s something for everyone!