Come and visit the post! http://www.boomercafe.com/2014/04/16/boomer-especially-woman-travel-solo/
Advanced Yoga Studies 2: Completed!
I really cannot believe I have completed the second portion of Advanced Yoga Studies at The Mat, with Trina Hall (who is fabulous!). This has been a two month, every Saturday and Sunday, endeavor. People always look shocked, “you do five hours of yoga?”. Well, yes, but not 5 hours of poses, or asanas. Yoga involves much more than the “exercise” portion. Yoga as exercise is really a western way of thinking, the poses are only one of eight parts of yoga (there are eight limbs, actually). The health benefits of yoga are undeniable, and what fascinates me is we have no clear, unrefuted historical origin of the poses, though yoga has been practiced for 5000 years. The poses are meant to prepare your body for meditation and breathing…but each pose also has health benefits specific to the pose. How was it known that these poses were “healthful”? And yes, Yoga poses are good for you: “In 2010, researchers at the University of Maryland School of Nursing published a comparative analysis of 81 studies that examined yoga’s health benefits and the health benefits of aerobic exercise. The researchers found yoga to be especially effective at reducing stress. This may not be news to those who practice yoga, but even die-hard enthusiasts will be surprised at the number of other health benefits yoga can confer—often to a larger degree than aerobic exercise. The researchers found that yoga outperformed aerobic exercise at improving balance, flexibility, strength, pain levels among seniors, menopausal symptoms, daily energy level, and social and occupation functioning, among other health parameters.” (http://www.rodalenews.com/yoga-benefits)
There is a book from the 1800s which details 122 yoga poses, but you don’t find yoga asana books from a thousand years ago. Was it an oral history and lineage that has been lost? Most ancient writings on yoga focus on meditation, energy systems of the body such as the Chakras (hey, it is not that strange once you learn about it), and the flow of energy. So my scientific, logical side says, oh yeah? If you can’t see it, how do you know it is there? Well, there are a lot of things we cannot see but we know they are there, like gravity. I am fascinated by the locations of the Chakras, which were discussed and practiced for thousands of years without medical knowledge. BUT, each of the seven chakras is located and associated with one of seven endocrine glands in the body. They are also where groups of nerve centers are, each called a Plexus. How would the ancients know that seven major energy centers in the body would correspond to the most important glands and plexus of the body? How coincidental is it that each Chakra is associated with that part of the body’s endocrine gland and nerve plexus? Here is an interesting website, it shows a diagram of the plexus, glands and chakras from the website, In Good Hands. Pretty fascinating, yes? Amazing how things line up sometimes.
Yoga cultivates awareness…and the first thing we need to be aware of is our own body. Many forms of yoga insist on “proper form and alignment”, however, we are all made differently, and not everyone can, or should, be in “proper alignment”. Forcing one’s body to do a pose is a violence against yourself, and that is the first tenet of yoga, Ahimsa, or do no harm. Do no harm to anyone, or anything, and certainly, do not harm yourself. There are many asanas, or poses, not available to me. I have a spine that has been rebuilt, with 8 titanium pedicle screws and a few rods for good measure. I must modify. Modification actually makes the pose stronger for the one who needs a modification. When you force your body to do a pose through pain, you risk injury. It’s not a competition, yoga is a personal experience, it is you, on your yoga mat. No one else’s yoga practice matters.
Anyway, finishing Level 2 feels rather amazing. The individuals in my Advanced Yoga Studies class are people of exceptional character, and I feel privileged to share a bit of their lives. The journey is not over, far from it, but there is a special feeling when one graduates from each level. Now I have to synthesize all of the information I’ve learned, and that will take a bit of time. Level 3 begins in August.
So, if you don’t do yoga, why not give it a try? The benefits are clear, and scientifically supported. You might surprise yourself! Namaste!
Another Fabulous Photo Friday!
I kind of like these posts! I get to choose photos and relive a trip, or time, of my life. After much thought, I have decided that today is….Savannah, Georgia! For those who do not know, I am also a private college consultant, and Randy and I took a trip to Savannah to check out Savannah College of Art and Design. Fabulous school…and we fell in love with the city. It feels like going into the past…it is charming and beautiful, with so much history! We also loved the river, and the Bonaventure Cemetery. Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil…we only saw the good side of Savannah!
And who, you ask, was Johnny Mercer? An American lyricist, songwriterand singer. He was also a co-founder of Capitol Records.
General Nathanael Greene, second in command to General George Washington, is interred in Savannah. General Greene is an ancestor of Randy’s, on his mother’s side.
As their website says, “It is a place full of nostalgia and intriguing characters. It is a colorful mosaic of times and people and the bonds that have formed throughout the years. The feelings of home and family are evident when you walk through the door. As you look around at all of the knickknacks, paintings, family pictures and memorabilia that form its décor, you may wonder how a drugstore could have evolved into what you see now…..World Famous Clary’s Café. ” If you go to Savannah, you must eat at Clary’s!
The Northern Troops camped in Savannah’s sacred Colonial Park Cemetery, and defaced many of the tombstones, and changed dates and performed other mischief. When you go, be sure to view these stones.
We loved our visit to Savannah, and looking at these photos, I’d love to go back! I have an excuse, I have 3 students at the Savannah College of Art and Design!
Randy’s Recovery Continues!
For those who do not know, I will recap: in August, my spouse, Randy suffered a respiratory issue, they diagnosed pneumonia, but it did not clear up after several days. He had 30% lung capacity at that time, and when steroids did not help, testing began in order to see if he could qualify for the Lung Transplant List. He did qualify, and he remained in the ICU, unable to get up or move around because of lack of oxygen. We were waiting for lungs. On August 29, he suffered respiratory failure, and was put on a machine, ECMO, which acted as his lungs (lung capacity was down to 2%, one cannot survive at that level) and a ventilator. He was maintained by an incredible team of doctors and nurses at UT Southwestern Heart and Lung ICU and kept unconscious for almost two weeks before lungs became available. He is very lucky to be alive, and we are all so grateful he is still with us! I have blogged about this Unexpected Journey from the beginning.
Here we are, 7 months after surgery. It has been tough, I cannot deny it. Randy was so atrophied from months in bed he could not walk. He is still doing therapy, although he is finally free of the wheelchair and the walker. He is able to drive, and he continues to work on his strength, which is nowhere near what it was last July. The nurses told us that for every day in bed, it takes 3 to recover. Randy still has work to do to get back to a “normal” life.
Recovery is not easy on the patient, or the family, and especially not for the caretaker. There have been many frustrations along the way, and Randy continues to get frustrated and angry pretty quickly. The drugs have a lot to do with that, and we need to just accept it, because Randy will have to take these medications for the rest of his life. I think we are here, on the precipice of understanding that life is, and will continue to be, different. There are so many drugs to take, for suppression of the immune system, for inflammation, for his tummy, blah blah blah. I didn’t know that someone could take all of that medication! There are certainly potential side effects, so we have to keep on our toes and watch his numbers carefully. What numbers you may ask? Well, he has to take his blood pressure and temp every day (all of this must be logged, of course), check his sugar and inject insulin (the medication has made him diabetic for now, we are hoping this will go away eventually), and he has to take his spirometry numbers. What is spirometry you ask? It is a test performed with an instrument called a spirometer. It is used twice daily to check how well one’s lungs are working once one is being treated for a chronic lung condition. Spirometry measures how much air you can inhale and exhale. Spirometry also measures how fast you can exhale. Spirometry values below average indicate your lungs aren’t working as well as they should. Falling spirometry numbers are what alerted us a month ago that he was in rejection, and he spent time in the hospital as they tweaked his medication. The situation resolved quickly. Whew!
So…we have to be flexible, because our lives are now unpredictable and fluid, and dependent upon Randy’s continued progress. I continue to be positive about all of this, after all, some people who have had transplants are at 10 or even 20 years plus! I’ve decided Randy is going to be one of those people. There have been difficulties, but we will get through them. We still intend to do some traveling, though he cannot travel out of the USA yet, there are places to enjoy in the good old USA which are not too far from major medical centers. I have taken two trips since the New Year, and it has been positive for both of us to get some separation, and just relax a bit. We have some reservations for trips coming up, one in San Antonio (5 hours away), and a trip to Lake Tahoe in the summer. That one is a bit of a concern because of the altitude. We’ll just play it by ear.
Life can really turn you upside down and all around, can’t it? We never thought Randy would get sick…or become ill so young! He’s only 57. We have been handed these circumstances, so we have to make the very best of them. Today we discovered he is not digesting his food well, and so he is on another medication. He also needs to lose more weight, and we all know I do! They suggested a low carb diet, so tomorrow I am headed to a place called My Fit Foods and have meal plans drawn up for us to begin a low carb regimen. Maybe this will get some weight off…I gained almost 15 pounds through this ordeal! Honestly, I was slim for most of my life, so why can’t I be one of these people who lose weight when stressed? No, I have to gain it. Grrrr. Well, I’m hoping the low carb will turn it around. We will do it together.
So, life is good. There are ups and downs, but all in all, I’d say we are a pretty damn lucky family. It is time for something great to happen now, and we are ready. Let the good times roll!
Still wondering about 370
When Malaysian Air flight 370 vanished, I was on a boat in the Andaman Sea and did not know about it until I returned to shore. Since then, I have followed the news, not obsessively, but I check in every few days to see if anything has been found. I saw something this morning about the black box, but don’t have details yet.
What is it that is so compelling about 370’s disappearance? Planes have gone down before….but in recent history, not without a trace. Over a month, and no definitive evidence at all. The best clue yet, they say, maybe they have a ping consistent with airline flight boxes in the northern part of the search area. At over 14,000 feet deep. That’s almost 3 miles down. And “encouraging”, but not definitive.
Every time I travel and get on a plane, or a boat, or any vessel, I do ponder the possibility of losing my life. My basic thought, which is fleeting, is what are the odds? In my favor. Someone on flight 370 probably thought the same thing as they buckled in. Just that sudden, quick thought of what if? And they probably said, how likely is it? 1 in 11 million. That is correct. 1 in 11 million that you would die in an airplane crash. The odds of getting into a car accident are 1 in 5000, so we are all much more likely to die in a car than on a plane.
What is so compelling about this story? Well, it is a mystery, so far, and mysteries always get our attention. I think, though, that many people project, “that could have been me”. To see the families so devastated has been just awful, and because we all have family too, the thought of “it could have been me” is present, even if subconsciously. The thought of those people…is frightening, and sobering. People just like you and me. Gone. Disappeared. Vanished.
Scenarios have played out in my head…and I’m sure, in your head as well. I don’t want to go into detail on those thoughts, but I think it is reasonable to believe that the people on board flight 370 have left this world, regardless of what happened to the plane. In the days ahead we will hear more, much more. All I can think about are the people so closely involved in this…and my heart goes out to them. I cannot tell them I know what they are going through, because I don’t. Not many people do. But the passengers, crew, and families are in my thoughts, and I hope they can find a tiny bit of comfort knowing how many people hold them in their hearts.
Throwback Thursday: Boulders Beach, South Africa!
Outside of Cape Town is Boulders Beach, a beautiful spot where a South African Penguin Colony lives. They are the cutest …birds you can imagine! They are birds, but of course, they don’t fly in the air, they fly underwater! The penguins are nesting at this time of year…I had no idea that penguins made little dens and sat on their eggs. These little babies are brown and furry! We always hear about the Emperor Penguins, but most penguins do not live in such arctic conditions. These penguins are known as Jackass Penguins. I’m not kidding. They are called Jackass because of the “heehaw” sound they make! They really do sound like donkeys! We walked among them, saw their nests and their young, then walked on the beach where a small group of them came out and swam. I sat near the water and enjoyed watching them in their little tuxedos! It was a cloudy day, and “winter” (to them) as well, so we pretty much had them to ourselves. The beach was pristine, with huge boulders (hence the name Boulder’s Beach), and tidal pools filled with sea stars and crabs and other little critters. Incredible experience!
We also met a new animal, the Rock Hyrax or “dassie”. Strangely enough, their closest relative is the elephant! They look like rodents….they are absolutely adorable. I’m sure you will agree that Ally took some wonderful photographs of them.
The Rock Hyrax, or “Dassie”!
We stopped for lunch in Simon’s Town where Ally took a bit of a tumble (fell on her ass, actually). It is usually me, but Ally took the fall on the continent of Africa! (Of course, I have fallen on Africa too….just not on that trip!) Afterward we went up Table Mountain to see the view….endless vistas…
Another beautiful day in South Africa!