Wishing you a wonderful new year full of prosperous new beginnings and peaceful continuings. 

Reading Through the Centuries Project: Black Beauty

So y'alls, guess what? A year late...I met my goal of reading Black Beauty! Hoo boy, that's right, it only takes me a year to finish reading a book normally assigned to school children.

Goals: I meet them.

Now I can watch the movie that I got "for the family" last Christmas- I told myself I wouldn't watch it until I finished the book. Clearly it wasn't enough motivation to get the thing finished quickly. I will give a report on how the movie is. Hopefully it won't take me a year to watch.

My verdict on the book- worth reading. It's a really interesting historical lesson in the living conditions of people and horses in different social circumstances in the middle of the nineteenth century. I think it definitely served Anna Sewell's purpose of informing her contemporaries about things they might not have realized were cruel or inhumane- and might have made people think about the way they treated the animals they used on a daily basis. For example, the popular custom of making carriage horses wear 'bearing reins'.

These reins, which by themselves are not necessarily cruel, but when over-tightened- which was the fashion during this era- forced horses to carry their heads unnaturally high- cutting off the horses' breath and placing serious strain on their neck muscles. Sewell devoted a lot of the book to mentioning these reins and describing their effects on the horses- they went out of style in her lifetime, I wonder how much affect Black Beauty had on that- the book was very successful at the time it was published.

It's a really quick read- not that you'd know it from my pace, but the chapters are short and easy to read. If you're looking for something to read, try it- it's free on most e-readers too! Score!

Anna Sewell- ca. 1878

A Week in the Life of a Budget Yogi- Tuesday

Today was a super blah day at work. Kind of soul sucking. So today's yoga needed to be mellow. In some ways I wanted to do some real calorie burnin' yoga, because I ate too much today :) but my body said no no, you need some Mellow Out And Heal From Your Day Yoga. So I listened. Sometimes I'm a good listener. not always, but sometimes.

I can pretty much do Rodney Yee's AM Yoga by heart now, so to get out of my messy and decidedly non-mellow house, I took my yoga to a very special place:

My balcony.

I recently fixed this thing all up- I regret that I didn't use it adequately sooner, but it is what it is and now I am. I got some fun colored chairs, painted a rock with the word NAMASTE and brought my plants out. And can I tell you...I LOVE IT. Its my tiny little oasis. I read out here, the little one and I eat lunch out here, and tonight, I did my yoga out here.

Namaste, indeed! :)

A Week in the Practice of a Budget Yogi- Monday*

This post is the first of a short series of posts that documents a week in the life of my Year of Yoga. I call myself a Budget Yogi because I mostly do DVD's at home. DVD's are fine for the most part; I really enjoy the collection I have. Would I like to practice more in a real live studio? Sure, but but it really depends on my bank account on any given day, as well as child care, so mostly it ends up being just me, my cluttered living room, a two year old, a dog or two, a cat, and an onscreen Rodney Yee. Rock on!

Today I came home at lunch to do my yoga for the day. I only work 5 minutes or so away from my house, so sometimes this is a nice option- especially if I know the evening is going to be busy. It's also a nice break from everything to come home to an empty house and to light a candle and mellow out for a half hour in the middle of the day.

The DVD selection for today's practice was Yoga for Stamina- a nice 20 minute flow that includes my favorite Tree Pose. :) My mood for today's practice was half way between 'Totally Distracted Lets Just Do This So I Can Check It Off the List' and 'Totally Blissed Out'. My mind wasn't completely on task, but I wasn't completely unfocused either.

What I have found during this year is that I'm not going to be Totally Blissed Out everyday. Some days it will just be a check off the list- but that's ok. I'm there, I made the effort to pull the mat out and practice, and my body will get the benefit. When I'm conscious of a mindset like that, I try to focus more and be present, but sometimes it just doesn't stick. On days like those, I concentrate on the fact that I made good choices in getting on the mat, even if I wasn't totally present. What matters on those days is that I showed up.

I think life is often like that, no?


*This post is also cross posted on my other blog Yoga for Kaylee

Everyday Magic

Today as I was driving myself and the Sweet Baboo home from a blah day at work (for me, not the Baboo- it seemed like he had a perfectly great day in daycare), I turned onto my street just as a wind blew a bunch of leaves off the trees that line the road on both sides.

As they swirled down around my car, it occurred to me that there really is magic all around us if we look for it. I'm glad that today I happened to be doing just that, because those swirling leaves really were enchanting.

Wordless Wednesday: Meaning What it Means

21 Day Adventure Cleanse- Follow Up

Wow...have I not posted since June 21st? We had a kiddo with an illness and then I went to the beach for a few days so posting on the cleanse got away from me. What did not get away from me though, was finishing the cleanse! I finished all 21 days. I didn't do a "perfect" job, but that's not the point. (Not to mention that 'perfect' is really really boring!) I made major changes for 21 days and stuck with them and I am so happy I did. The changes I felt were so noticeable! I felt lighter, less bloaty, and I finally lost those last 4 lbs from when I had my son 2 years ago (I had lost 55 of the * 60 * I gained, but those last four were NOT wanting to budge. Well they finally did! YAY! :)

I felt so much better living the 'Crazy Sexy' way of life, that I have made the decision to stick with it. If I was able to feel that much better making a few changes in behavior and routine, why would I go back? I don't really miss the things I ditched, and when I do (like coffee and something gross and sugary), I just have some as a treat and move on. Treats instead of the everyday norm. And you know what? When I do have them, they taste better!

So here's to my new Crazy Sexy way of life! If you are even remotely interested in trying some of Kris's ideas- pick up a copy of her book from a friend, the library, or the bookstore (or let me know, I would even send you my copy. Complete with toddler scribbles on the cover!) Even making one little step towards a healthier you will make a difference. You're awesome, and you deserve the best health and life possible right?! RIGHT!

Cheers!