Give your battle cry

Rob and me in Oregon - August 2015

When I was a kid, the fabulous Atlantic Trojan cheerleaders (including my pal Robbie Dob) had a cheer that I loved.

It called for each high school class to stand and represent  - and it went like this:

"Freshmen, freshmen don't be shy, stand and give your battle cry" and the frosh would stand and yell
V I C T O R Y (spelling the word) that's the Freshman battle cry!
and on through the classes. Of course the seniors rocked it the best.
That cheer really brought out my school spirit.

Yoga brings out my spirit too.

At Yoga this week we were asked to thank our bodies - first our legs and then our arms and so on. We were reminded that even though it may not be perfect, this is the only body each of us is going to have.

As the spiritual music played and I moved through a series of yoga poses, I pondered this fact. My body is a warrior! That thought made me feel quite emotional. I held it together though - I was bending like a pretzel - no time for blubbering!

It's been through a lot, my body. In my early years not so much. I was fortunate enough to be a fairly healthy person. The event of childbirth did take a toll - growing and nurturing three precious bundles, especially when two are over nine pounds of wonderful. More recently, a few health issues have put some dents and dings on the chassis and under the hood. Still, these things are nothing like others have dealt with. I feel fortunate.

Yoga helps me be mindful of many things. I might not be super flexible, but that's okay. I'm working on it! I also hope to build strength and balance. I'm trying to do better at concentration - to keep my mind from wandering away from the task at hand.

Someday I'll get it - and this body and I will shout out a battle cry. (Is there one for nearly 58 year olds?)
Isn't life grand?

August - Rockaway Beach, Oregon

Namaste

It's a yoga term that means: "The Spirit within me salutes the Spirit in you"

 

When I was a teen, my friend Mona Jones took me to the old rock quarry outside of Atlantic to swim. It was a deep clear pond that had a diving board. Yep a real board someone had rigged - way up high. And it didn't stick out far enough so you could just drop off it into the water. You had to run and leap.

 

I stood on that board a long time. And then I made my approach several times before I finally leaped. And I screamed. But I finally did it! Man that water was cold. And deep thank God. I took the plunge.

 

I approach many things in life like that diving board. I'm not a quick jumper and find many excuses not to jump. I might hit the dirt! The water will be cold. I think I hear my mom calling...

 

But when it comes down to it, life is meant to be lived. I don't want to spend my life sitting in the chair blogging about nothing. I want to regain my physical strength so I've been eyeing classes in various local publications to see what might help me do that besides the biking and walking I do on my own.

 

So I took a big leap and signed up for Gentle Flow Yoga. When I put my credit card number in and paid the fee I knew I was locked in. I'm too cheap to chicken out altogether. I was nervous all day yesterday - the first class was at 6:15 p.m. What if the new yoga mat I'd purchased wasn't cool? What should I wear? I knew where the school was but didn't know my way around it. Ugh. I asked Paul to reassure me and he said something like "suck it up buttercup".

 

I got there fairly early (thanks Dave B.) and staked out a spot. My outfit and mat were fine. I even broke out of my introverted self and introduced myself to Justine and Barb (so proud - I made a special effort to remember their names as I usually suck at that).

 

Gayle Vattese is the instructor for the class of about 20 women. We plunged right in and I just watched and imitated others to know what to do as Gayle coached and instructed. We concentrated on breathing - filling our lungs more fully than perhaps we'd done all day, and were thankful for it. It was quite spiritual - yet Gayle through in some smartass humor too. My kind of gal! She'd say something like, "press your ten fingers into the mat...eleven if you're lucky."

 

Man did we stretch! My stiff body didn't appreciate it, but it will learn. I tried not to let my mind race ahead to other topics, as it tends to. "What should I eat when I get home?" "Oh, I need to remember my laptop in the morning" Stuff like that. But I wasn't all that successful. I will work to do better.  OOOhhhmmm. Downward dog baby. I can't wait for next week.

 

Paul and I peddled into the High Trestle Bridge from Madrid last Sunday - a gorgeous Iowa fall day! My shoulder is feeling good and the beer was cold after our ride.