Day 364: 12/31/13- Bad Movie Night and Yesterday's Tree Climb

Day 364: 12/31/13- Bad Movie Night and Yesterday's Tree Climb 
New Thing: Bad Movie Night and Yesterday's Tree Climb
Inspiration: A cool tree in Valley Forge Park, Fireproof, Travis, Trish, Ken
Time: Several hours 
Bottom Line: Good times will be had by all. 

Reflection: I forgot to mention in yesterday's post that I found a really great climbing tree yesterday on my run in Valley Forge Park. I climbed pretty far and had an excellent view. Noteworthy enough to get a mention.

For today's new thing, we are having a New Year's Even celebration with our friend's Travis and Trish. We will be viewing (and riffing on) Fireproof for a revival of our "bad movie night." This delightful tradition (which was started before Ken and I were married) is where we watch bad movies and, well, make fun of them. I have never actually seen Fireproof, but it has the most important quality for a bad movie candidate: it takes itself really seriously and thus becomes unintentionally funny.  Perfect way to spend New Year's Eve!

Day 352: 12/19/13- Yoga Advent Light Meditation

Day 352: 12/19/13- Yoga Advent Light Meditation
New Thing: Yoga Advent Light Meditation
Inspiration: Amy, Yoga with Spirit
Time: About an hour
Bottom Line: Brought tears to my eyes

Reflection: Tonight, Amy put together a beautiful yoga meditation that focused on candles and Advent greens. It was so beautiful, it moved me to tears. Thanks, Amy!

Day 350: 12/17/13- Full Moon Yoga Day

Day 350: 12/17/13- Full Moon Yoga Day 
New Thing: Full Moon Yoga Day      
Inspiration: Yoga, Moon Day, Amy
Time: About 30 mins.
Bottom Line: Seeking balance

Revolved half moon

Reflection: As you know, I am endeavoring on a great journey to become a yoga teacher. The training has been amazing so far and I am so excited about where it will lead. On of the things that we are encouraged to do is to learn more about the yogi lifestyle on our own as part of our education. One of the topics I have been looking into are "moon days." Here is Yoga Journal's explanation: 

You may be familiar with the caution "Avoid practicing yoga on the full or new moon!" This tradition of observing "moon days" stems from the belief in the Ashtanga system that practicing at either extreme of the lunar cycle leaves you vulnerable to injury. One theory is that because the body consists mainly of water, you are affected, like the ocean's tides, by the moon: On full-moon days the pull of the moon is so strong that your prana (life force) moves upward, leaving you feeling headstrong and liable to push yourself beyond your limits; on new-moon days, the pull of the moon is so diminished that you find yourself lacking motivation. The ultimate time to practice, then, is during the middle of the lunar cycle, when the moon is a half circle and your prana is balanced. 

Typically, you are not to practice on full or new moon days, but today, I was feeling especially tight and decided to try yoga journal's abbreviated series of themes and variation of "half moon" pose found here. It was just the light practice I needed.

Day 289: 10/17/13- New Running App

Day 289: 10/17/13- New Running App  New Thing: New Running App
Inspiration: New phone
Time: 45 mins.         
Bottom Line: Hey guys, did you know there are these things called "app" that are applications that you can put on your phone and use them to do things. Check them out. I have a feeling these things might have a chance to stick around. 

Running: For real. I like this.

Day 255: 9/12/13- Yoga Anatomy DVD

Day 255: 9/12/13- Yoga Anatomy DVD
New Thing: Watch the first section of Yoga Anatomy with Davie Keli
Inspiration: Amy, Davie Keli, Yoga Teacher Training          
Time: About an hour            
Bottom Line: Already totally into this even though a lot of this went over my head.

Reflection: Next week, I start one of my life's goal of yoga teacher training with my friend and teacher Amy! My first homework assignment was to watch a section of David Keli's (Amy's teacher) Yoga Anatomy DVD. It was fascinating and it already has me thinking about how the physical and the spiritual are linked even though there are so many voices that stress more of a pluralism--as though we could concentrate on one part of ourselves and not the other. I think the same could be said about theology. There are many people out there who want to talk about Jesus in either his divine nature or just his human nature--as though he is half God and half man. But, what we are always called to remember that he is fully human and fully divine at the same time. That is the joy and mystery of the incarnation. It is always full and complete, never anything less. 

Day 212: 7/31/13- 21 Day Yoga Challenge

Day 212: 7/31/13- 21 Day Yoga Challenge 
New Thing- Start the Yoga Journal's 21 Day Yoga Day Challenge               
Inspiration: Yoga                        
Time: About 30 mins.       
Bottom Line: Day one-Check

Reflection: Today I started Yoga Journal's 21Day Yoga Day Challenge. Each day, a different yoga video is send to my email box. The first one was a little slow for my likening, but we will see what comes next. 

Day 201: 7/20/13- Sunrise Beach Yoga & Morning Prayer

Day 201: 7/20/13- Sunrise Beach Yoga & Morning Prayer        
New Thing- Sunrise Beach Yoga & Morning Prayer         
Inspiration: Longport!                       
Time: An hour and a half 
Bottom Line: Shanti

 

 

 

Reflection: This morning I work up early to greet the sun with some yoga and say my morning prayers on the beach. It was amazing. I am still very quiet and still after that hour and a half session and I hope that will last. Shanti.

Day 199: 7/18/13- Beach Run and Herbal Water

Day 199: 7/18/13- Beach Run and Herbal Water       
New Thing- Beach Run and Herbal Water                
Inspiration: Longport!                       
Time: Longer than it should of thanks to the heat
Bottom Line: Hot and thirsty. 

 

Longport on the beach.

Reflection: I slept WAY in this morning and as a consequence, missed being able to go for my run a time when the temperature beach less resembled that of the sun's. But, run I did and it was still nice to be on the beach. I did push-ups on the old peer above.

When I got back in, I cooled down with new Ayala's Organic Herbal water in ginger lemon peel flavor. I don't know if it was the heat or the water, but it was the tops. Also, the ginger let me drink the whole cool drink down at once without hurting my stomach. I learned that trick in the Little House Books. ;)

Day 179: 6/28/13-Canoe On Lake Sheridan

Day 179: 6/28/13- Canoe On Lake Sheridan
New Thing- Canoe on Lake Sheridan        
Inspiration: Gram                   
Time: An hour    
Bottom Line: Breakfast, boats and memories 

Reflection: Today, I went back to my hometown of Tunkhannock to help my Mom and Aunt Dee get ready for Gram's funeral. We started by having breakfast at the Beagles Pub which I have actually never eaten at even though it is a T-Town institution. We then went back to where we used to live to pick flowers at our best-friend's house and to drive by the old family homestead and other haunts. Then, Ali, Doug and I took a sun-set canoe ride on Lake Sheridan. It was a day full of memories.  

Day 161: 6/10/13- Insanity “The Asylum” Workout

Day 161: 6/10/13- --> Insanity “The Asylum” Workout
New Thing- New Workout   
Inspiration: The last Insanity workout    
Time: About 50 mins    
Bottom Line: Hard

-->Reflection: You may remember that earlier this year, I tried out the “Insanity” workout and really liked it. So, I decided to try out the sequel “The Asylum” which promises even harder workouts. It is as least as hard as the first one, so I am happy about that. And sore.

Day 112: 4/22/13- CrossFit Class

Day 112: 4/22/13- CrossFit Class   
New Thing- Attend a CrossFit Class            
Inspiration: Groupon Coupon                           
Time: A hour                
Bottom Line: What a workout! 

Reflection: I found a great coupon online to take a CrossFit class for the first time. CrossFit is an intense style of exercise and I was definitely worn out at the end. I'll be sore tomorrow. 

Day 110: 4/20/13- Climb Mt. Misery

Day 110: 4/20/13- Climb Mt. Misery 
New Thing- Run the Mt. Misery and Valley Creek Trail at Valley Forge        
Inspiration: The Spirit                       
Time: Under an hour to get around the parts of the park I haven't been to.            
Bottom Line: Best run of the year despite the name. 
 

Good Morning Valley Forge!

Reflection: This morning, I took to Valley Forge for a run (I do love running there) and decided to try out some trails that I had never been on before. I started up Mt. Joy and then crossed the river near Washington's headquarters to the Horse & Shoe Trail and the Valley Creek trail and up the Mt. Misery trail. Following that, I went all over the place on that side of the park. Great run!

My Morning View

Stairway to Misery

Day 102: 4/12/13- Handstand!

Day 102: 4/12/13- Handstand!                                     
New Thing- Yoga Handstand  
Inspiration: Amy                 
Time: Less then a min.
Bottom Line: One face-plant, one handstand.

Obviously not a picture of me.

Reflection: I had a very cool experience this morning at yoga class. My friend, teacher and fellow St. David's member, Amy, lead us through an invigorating class as normal and then asked one of the other students (who is also a yoga instructor) to stay and help her with her handstand. I had already read Amy's "Yoga Thoughts" for the day which was a powerful essay on fear and her battle with her nemesis--the handstand. So, I was really impressed to see her face this pose with bravery and energy. She executed it beautifully and I was to inspired that I wanted to try it myself!    

As I came to the wall, Amy gave me instant confidence and grace by telling the second teacher who was going to help me get into this pose that, "Hillary can definitely do this. She is totally strong and totally fearless." I was so touched and never thought of myself that way before. It definitely gave me confidence and I swung both my legs up the wall--and fell right on my face because beginners need to use one leg at a time. But the second time I got my legs up and it was great!! I definitely felt my abs for the rest of the day.    

Thank you for the inspiration, Amy!   

Day 81: 3/22/13- Seven Heavenly Virtues Week- Humility

Day 81: 3/22/13- Seven Heavenly Virtues Week- Humility                      
New Thing- Go a whole day without look at a mirror    
Inspiration: The Seven Heavenly Virtues            
Time: All Day                
Bottom Line: Mirror, mirror covered on the wall...

No Peaking!

Reflection: Today's heavenly virtue is humility, the opposite of vanity. Take it away, Wiki:

Modest behavior, selflessness, and the giving of respect. Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it is thinking of yourself less. It is a spirit of self-examination; a hermeneutic of suspicion toward yourself and charity toward people you disagree with. The courage of the heart necessary to undertake tasks which are difficult, tedious or unglamorous, and to graciously accept the sacrifices involved. Reverence for those who have wisdom and those who selflessly teach in love. Giving credit where credit is due; not unfairly glorifying one's own self. Being faithful to promises, no matter how big or small they may be. Refraining from despair and the ability to confront fear and uncertainty, or intimidation.

I agree with the above description of humility--especially the thought that it is "not thinking less of yourself, it is thinking of yourself less." It means that to think to highly or lowly of oneself keeps the focus away from God and others. Both are forms of vanity.  

As anyone who is close to me knows, I struggle with body image issues. Often, when I look in the mirror, it not a loving response that pops into my head. But I know that that is not how God sees me. He views me as his Beloved Child--even if I don't see that. Yet, I find my backwards vanity to be a distraction from God's vision.

Camel Pose

So, today I decided to have the "courage of heart" to take on the "unglamorous" task of thinking of myself less. I decided to cover every mirror in the house so as to not focus on myself as much today. It was liberating in someways. I had no way of knowing how I looked--good or bad. The only time when it was not possible to get away from mirrors was during my pure barre class and then again at my yoga class. I was willing to have the mirrors though to be have the humbling experience of bending to the wisdom of my teachers who teach out of love. (Luckily with teachers like Amy, that it purely a joy!) I was actually doing pretty good job of not looking at the wall of mirrors at yoga, until we did camel pose (as seen on the left). In that pose, I could do nothing to escape my reflection on the wall. We flowed in and out of this pose three times (in fine Trinitarian fashion) and each time I was face-to-upside-down-face with myself. This posture is considered a "heart opener" and it occurred to me that this would be a good time to open my heart to the love that God has for me. It may have only lasted a few minuets but it was a good reminder that I am never as good or as bad as I think I am. I hope that it was a step towards a more humble life putting God in the center of all my thoughts. 

Day 74: 3/15/13- Attend a Pure Barre Class

Day 74: 3/15/13- Attend a Pure Barre Class               
New Thing- Attend a Pure Barre Class
Inspiration: Pure Barre Class        
Time: 55 mins.            
Bottom Line: Surprisingly good work out. 

Reflection: This morning I ran down to the local Pure Barre studio to take my first class using this technique. Here is a description:   

Pure Barre is a total body workout that lifts your seat, tones your thighs and burns fat in record-breaking time. Utilizing the ballet barre to perform small isometric movements set to fantastic music, Pure Barre is the fastest, most effective, yet safest way to change your body. Pure Barre is intelligent exercise. The technique protects your joints as it does not involve any bouncing or jumping. Each strength section of the workout is followed by a stretching section in order to create long, lean muscle without bulk. 

I have tried this on dvd before, but that was nothing like taking an actual class. Those isometric exercise were way more intense when there was a teacher there to make sure I wasn't cheating. I will say that I was the only one there who did not look like a dancer, which either means the method works well OR that only dancers take these classes. 

Day 73: 3/14/13- Yoga Socks

Day 73: 3/14/13- Yoga Socks              
New Thing- Practice Yoga with Yoga Socks   
Inspiration: Yoga       
Time: 90 mins.            
Bottom Line: Not bad. 

 
Reflection: Tonight at yoga class, I tried out yoga socks which are basically just toe-less socks with grips on them. It wasn't bad. I definitely had more grip, but I wasn't thrilled with hos my toes felt a little separated. I think they will be very nice when I start doing out-side yoga. 

Day 70: 3/11/13- Run with Little D. in Valley Forge

Day 70: 3/11/13- Run with Little D. in Valley Forge           
New Thing- Run with Little D. in Valley Forge Park   
Inspiration: Spring Weather!      
Time: One Hour         
Bottom Line: Getting out in the fresh air mother-daughter style.  

Reflection: I know that I did a new run just yesterday, but I just couldn't help trying out another new one today since it is warming up. I love to go running at Valley Forge, but it is always a solo run. So, today, I took D. on the 5.5 mile trail in her stroller which we haven't had out in over a year. It was fun and D. really enjoyed it. I honestly think that I have not tried to run with her since she was a newborn but it was quiet the workout pushing that almost-40lb. little girl up and down hills. I promise, no new running thing tomorrow!

Day 69: 3/10/13- New Trail Run

Day 69: 3/10/13- New Trail Run          
New Thing- New Trail Run on the Brook Farm Trail   
Inspiration: Spring Weather!      
Time: One Hour         
Bottom Line: Spring Fever! 

Find more beautiful pictures of this trail here.

Reflection: The weather has been SO nice the last couple of days that I just had to go out for a run between church obligations. I decided to take a trial that I have never been on before called the "Brook Farm Trail." It was very rocky, I had to cross a brook three times and it was very short, but it was absolutely exhilarating and so I ran it a few times. I was bounding though the forest like some kind of idiot deer--until I almost didn't clear the last brook as I tried to take it in one leap. Still--awesome. Spring is coming!!

Day 19: 1/19/13- St. David's S.P.A. Day, Qigong and Face Mask

Day 19: 1/19/13 - St. David's S.P.A. Day       
New Thing- Qigong and Homemade Face Mask       
Inspiration: Spiritual Practices in Action       
Time: 5 hours       
Bottom Line: "Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought with a price. Therefore honor God with you bodies." 1 Cor. 6:19-20

Ancient Qigong Moves

Reflection: As you may remember from my post of two days ago, today the women of St. David's gathered together to have a Wellness day devoted to honoring the bodies that God has given us as temples of the Holy Spirit. It was a whole day centered on the Incarnation and learning how to use spiritual practices and bodily prayers to grow closer to God. Since Jesus came to us in bodily form, we know that He cares about bodies and speaks to us through these tangible creations that we live with. We started the day with Morning Prayer and then had Tie Chi and Qigong which I had never tried before. Here is Wikipedia's description of this ancient practice:

Qigong, chi kung, or chi gung is a practice of aligning breath, movement, and awareness for exercise, healing, and meditation.With roots in Chinese medicine, martial arts, and philosophy, qigong is traditionally viewed as a practice to cultivate and balance qi (chi) or what has been translated as "intrinsic life energy." Typically a qigong practice involves rhythmic breathing coordinated with slow stylized repetition of fluid movement, a calm mindful state, and visualization of guiding qi through the body. 

 

 It was very relaxing as was the yoga that followed. We then had a presentation on super foods and a guided mindful eating mediation. Finally, we had a discussion and presentation on eco-stewardship and healthy skin practices by using a skin mask (that we took home) made of egg whites, honey and lemon juice. It tightened and softened my face. A wonderful sabbath day of centering.

Day 7 1/7/13- Insanity Workout

Day 7 1/7/13 - Insanity Workout 
New Thing- Try Out the "Insanity" Workout System   
Inspiration: Working Out 
Time: 30ish minuets for the Fit Test
Bottom Line: Started Sweating at the Fit Test Alone

Reflection: I found a cheap copy of the "Insanity" workout online and decided to try it out for the next 60 days. It claims to be the "most difficult workout ever put on DVD." I started with the fit test which was hard enough to make me sweat--and it wasn't even an actually workout routine. I do love an intense workout, so I am hoping this will be as good as the hype!