Barefoot & On the Mat: May 2022

[Margot]

Hello everyone!

Thanks for your kind thoughts. I was banned from the computer for a week and have to now reduce my screen time for the next couple of months. Luckily, I have no serious issues but the specialist has advised that I be cautious, due having a bad case of iritis in both eyes several years ago. Last week, I burst a blood vessel in the eye before my appointment and then after all the prodding and testing, it felt pretty sore for a few days. I'm feeling much better now and bought these cool blue light glasses for screen work, which seem to help, although it could be the placebo!

Due to no screen time, I've been doing lots of household chores (oh joy!), walking and gardening. I've also been working through some of Jessica's new workouts and am enjoying them so far. I was surprised to get some DOMS in my lower abs doing her Fusion Full Body Flow.

This morning I did Jessica's Split Strength for the Lower Body. I may feel it in my butt tomorrow!

Pat - Well done for getting all your planting done. I've been weeding the veggie patch this afternoon. I find gardening very grounding but it's not friendly to the old back! Do you have a link to osprey nest? I'd love to see the chicks. The Van Gogh experience sounds wonderful. Hope you'll tell us all about it after your visit.

Cyana - Sorry you're having to deal with all the repairs and costs that the raccoons inflicted on your roof. I think it's natural to be afraid of taking that leap into retirement. As someone said to me, we naturally lean towards safety and the familiar and steer away from the unfamiliar and any kind of change.

Pam - I see you're doing Ellen's classes too. I did her latest 45 minute workout the other day and really enjoyed the routine. She's becoming one of my favourite teachers. I also do the rest and assess in Somatics. It's so encouraging to see positive changes in the body at the end of the session.

Paine - Thank you for mentioning the plant verification program on the iphone. One of our favourite walks has a lot of trees and we were able to identify most of them. I'm ashamed to say we've walked this route so many times and didn't even know what they were. What a lovely surprise to have your family over for dinner tonight.

Sandra - I'm excited to hear that Jessica may be doing some Youtube classes with her Mom. I hope too that we may see Debbie again in Jessica's future programs.

Beth - Thank you for posting a new class. I'm looking forward to trying it tomorrow.

Carolyn - Good luck with your move to Payson for the summer. I hope the kitties will enjoy the ride. Our cats were terrible passengers and cried the whole time they were in the car.

Waves to Garrie and all.

Hope you all enjoy the rest of your holiday. It's a holiday here this coming Thursday and Friday for the Queen's Jubilee, so there will be a lot of street parties and celebrations.

[Paine]

Margot, it's nice to hear from you. Here is the link to the Osprey CAM:

https://ct.audubon.org/mas-west-river-osprey-cam

Beth, I was talking about this one:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7z7z...nel=HollyDolke

It doesn't say anything underneath it which I thought was unusual because I've never seen that before in YouTube.

[toaster]

Paine, yes, that workout does have the title underneath for me - "INTENSE flat abs in 10 minutes - flat stomach burn." Weird that that isn't showing for you!

Margot, sorry I missed you in my shout outs before; glad you are doing better. I have wondered about blue light glasses - I do think they are a thing and not just a placebo.

Hope most of you have gotten to enjoy a holiday today!

[cyana]

Margot - Good to "see" you - no pun intended! Did you order your blue light glasses on line? I've thought about buying a pair, considering the long hours I spend in front of the computer. When I look on Amazon, for example, I'll see all the "Wow, these are great!" reviews and an almost equal number of "I don't think these really block anything."

Today's weather forecast showed a 15% chance of rain. DH and I go out to do yard work and within 5 minutes it's pouring! We had to retreat to the front porch and wait it out. Fortunately we were able to get several hours of work done - including pruning and weeding.

Waves to ALL. Sigh. Need to wind it down since it's back to the grind tomorrow. I feel like Groundhog Day meets Moan Day since I've been moaning for at least the past 4 days!

[yogapam]

Today’s workouts:
~An Essentrics mentor’s barre class on zoom to celebrate her birthday
~Jessica’s Fusion Flow & Glow: Full Body Flow - This was really nice, more on the gentle side. Jessica gives excellent modification options. I liked the gliding, it was very controlled & a nice pace. I have laminate flooring which is very conducive to gliding, but I can see how carpet would be less so.
~Hip & quad acupressure followed by hip, thigh, & shoulder stretches, finished with half saddle.

Margot - Glad you’re on the mend, that must have been rather scary! I think it’s Pat who’s been doing Ellen B. Like you, I’ve been enjoying Jessica’s new set.

Beth - I’ll have to check out your new practice. IIRC, you and I have talked about resilience before as it’s a topic that really interests me. I think it’s something that needs to be studied, why do some people have an abundance & others have none?

Pat - I saw mom on the nest today. She was quite vocal & I wondered if there was a potential predator lurking nearby. Yes Courtenay is a pretty town. DS2 & DIL are there until August & then they head north to a more remote community for 2 years as DS wants to get some rural experience under his belt.

Sandra - Thanks for the update on Jessica & her mom!

Cyana - I hope your work week starts off at a reasonable pace tomorrow.

Waves to Paine, Carolyn & Garrie!

[toaster]

Pam, yes, I think you and I have talked about resilience. It's an interesting subject. There are some external factors that play a role (e.g., trauma), but there also can be protective experiences, such as stable childhood relationships.

Here is an interesting overview from Harvard:
https://developingchild.harvard.edu/...ts/resilience/

From the American Psychological Association:
https://www.apa.org/topics/resilience

And from Psychology Today on building resilience:
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/resilience

[Pat58]

Good morning everyone! I took today off to extend the weekend. Back to the grind tomorrow. Yesterday I accomplished:

~ Lee Holden 30 Day Challenge - Day 30 I finished the challenge!
~ Jessica Valant Lower Back Exercises
~ Kassandra's new sacral chakra practice
~ Walk around neighborhood
~ 8,663 steps

The combination of a short qigong, therapeutic Pilates and short yoga left me buzzing and tingling. The Kassandra was okay, not a fave. I noticed the singing bowl in the background and commented that it would be nice if she gave us a guided meditation finished up with some singing bowl. I also swapped out my summer clothes and packed up two bags for Goodwill, and gave the bedroom a deep clean.

I love these "days off" LOL.

Margot, it's good to see you post. I hope your eye recovers quickly. My favorite guitarist, Toni Iommi, always wears the blue tinted glasses. Maybe he got in the habit because of stage lights and just likes them now. Here is the link to the osprey cam.

Pam, when do you come home from down under? Yes, the osprey nests are under constant attack, from crows, hawks and eagles by day, and owls at night. Those tall, highly visible nests are sitting ducks.

Sending hugs to Cyana as she resumes slaving over her computer.

Good morning to Paine, Sandra, Beth and anyone who visits us today.

[toaster]

Paine, that sounds like a nice combo! I like Jessica Valent - I need to check out that one. Yay for finishing Lee's challenge!

cyana, hope your yardwork didn't leave you sore, and hope your transition back to work today is not as bad as anticipated.

Wishing everyone a good day!

[Paine]

I did some Yin Yoga this morning and will be going on a neighborhood walk with my 3 year old grandson.

Cyana, I know how much you hate going back to work today after your nice vacation!

[yogapam]

Good morning!

Thanks for the article links Beth, very interesting. Resilience makes me think of my grandmother who was very resilient. She was orphaned at a young age, abused by an aunt who took her in and used her as slave labour on a farm, and then ended up in an abusive marriage. In spite of, or maybe because of all that, she had a great zest for life and wonderful sense of humour. In contrast, I have a friend for whom every little thing that goes wrong is a crisis. I guess a lot of it comes down to coping skills.

Pat - I hope those chicks stay safe! I just looked and both parents are there. You had a productive day yesterday. I’m in purging mode too, trying to tackle something every day. Enjoy your bonus day off. I’m at home, haven’t been down under (although that would be fun!). Courtenay is an hour drive from here, is there another one in Australia?

Back later with my workouts.
Waves to all!