I decided to stick to one glass of wine last night instead of three. Sometimes when I'm cooking I don't even realize how many glasses I pour. I don't get drunk. I just enjoy the taste of red wine. It has always gone hand-in-hand with cooking in my kitchen. It's romantic to me.
Bare feet. Sometimes wearing a little apron. Chopping some onions for beef bourguignon. Drinking red wine. Listening to Jackie Gleason or Regina Spektor. The aroma of garlic and fresh herbs.
C'mon. It's just romantic.
Waking up this morning felt effortless. It's becoming easier to wake up earlier than I actually have to and becoming very rewarding. Having the extra time in the morning to do yoga, shower, get ready for work, eat breakfast, do the dishes, play with the dogs, water the plants and FaceTime with my sister means when I get home from work I can walk into a clean home and simply go from there.
More yoga? Maybe. Play with my dogs? Yes. Cook dinner? No problem.
I periodically go on YogaJournal.com and read articles about how to better improve my form. It's all helpful and encouraging but most importantly, it's all about how you practice as an individual.
I found an extremely helpful video on inversions that got me excited to try this morning. I've been building strength in my shoulders and arms for handstands mainly by working on my crane pose and supported headstands.
After two months of practice, today I did a headstand. What I think got me there was realizing I could do a tripod egg pose without any support. After following this video I found new and easier ways to get me there.
Start in tripod dolphin (where your legs are straight down, like downward dog) and bring one knee at a time onto your forearms.
It took me a handful of tries but I finally got myself up. This made my day.
Breathe. Concentrate. Use your abdominal.
I then tried the other inversion, a supported headstand (salamba sirsanana)
This was much harder. Thankfully I rocked back and forth between the wall and the couch for support (I didn't plan that.. so I was thankful it worked out that way).
It's easy to put all your weight on your head and neck but the key is to use your shoulder strength to hold yourself up and out of that locked position.
If you don't feel you're there yet, do this against the wall. It took me two months to do this today. Practice makes perfect.
I finished with a few heart-opening sequences and cut my elbow with my sharp claws that I need to cut. I was sweating and bleeding all over my mat and something about that made the weirdo inside of me feel POWERFUL. I just did a headstand for more than two seconds and it felt good. I am getting stronger.
Being strong is so gratifying.
I have never envied the frail, hungry-looking woman in the black and white editorial photo. She's smoking a cigarette while looking out the window, slouched over on her over-sized window sill. Her mascara is running like she's been crying. Her effortless look isn't effortless at all. She looks naive and weak. I've never wanted to look or be like that.
I envy life, light and passion.
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