Raina's Journey to Find Balance....in all aspects of life.

[Raina]

This is probably going to be the oddest log ever. I honestly am unsure about how it will end up, but alas I have to start somewhere.

I did my first yoga class today. I hadn't done one for about 10 months. This was a new sort for me- vinyasa in a 106º humid studio. I've done a lot of Bikram and I am going to mix that in too, but I'm up for a whole mix of things.

My goals:
~To be gentle with myself but grow stronger mentally and spiritually through growing physically.
~To listen to my body and my heart and follow both instead of my mind.
~To treat my body better and really try to take better care of it in every way.
~To find a better balance between my new hectic career and my sanity.

[Raina]

The Invitation

It doesn't interest me what you do for a living.
I want to know what you ache for,
and if you dare to dream of meeting your heart's desire.

It doesn't interest me how old you are.
I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool for love, for your dreams, for the adventure of being alive.

It doesn't interest me what planets are squaring your moon.
I want to know if you have touched the center of your sorrow,
if you have been opened by life's betrayals,
or have become shriveled and closed for the fear of future pain.

I want to know if you can sit with pain,
mine or your own,
without moving to hide it, fade it, or fix it.

I want to know if you can be with joy,
mine or your own,
if you can dance with wildness and let ecstasy fill you to the tips of your fingers and toes
without cautioning us to be careful, to be realistic,
or to remember the limitations of human beings.

It doesn't interest me if the story you're telling me is true.
I want to know if you disappoint another to be true to yourself,
if you can bear the accusations of betrayal and not betray your own soul.

I want to know if you can be faithful and therefore be trustworthy.
I want to know if you can see beauty,
even when it is not pretty every day,
and if you can source your life from its presence.

I want to know if you can live with failure,
yours or mine,
and still stand on the edge of the lake and shout to the silver moon "Yes!"

It doesn't interest me to know where you live or how much money you have.
I want to know if you can get up after a night of grief and despair,
weary and bruised to the bone,
and do what needs to be done for the children.

It doesn't interest me who you are now or how you came to be here.
I want to know if you will stand in the center of the fire with me and not shrink back.

It doesn't interest me where or what or with whom you have studied.
I want to know what sustains you from the inside when all else falls away.
I want to know if you can be alone with yourself,
and if you truly like the company you keep in the empty moments Your life is not a coincidence, it is a reflection of you.

~Oriah Mountain Dreamer

[Raina]

I went to class today after work and I went in full of energy and positivity. Ohhhh my gosh was my body furious. My mind was very weak. I had a heck of a time through parts of the class focusing on my breathing. I think I was especially thrown because in Bikram, I know all 26 asanas and the order they go in. Today I did asanas I'd never done before along with old favorites that failed to be as "easy" as they used to be.

I suppose today was a reminder that the mind is more powerful than the body and I need some practice quieting mine down!

What a disjointed mess to start my new log. lol I also wanted to note that excessive biking and weight training are going to be thrown into this mix. I don't have a set schedule as my studio is right by my hospital and my practice will mostly revolve around my work hours. :rose:

[*Bunny*]

Nice Raina.

Best wishes on your journey. :rose:

[slimm26]

Raina!!!! I'm IN! I can't wait to see your progress, wherever it may take you. :rose:

[T-Cake]

This is awesome. :wiggle: I love how your "training" is totally new to most of us. It'll be great to read and learn about. :rose:

Nice work today learning the asanas! Now you know how I feel :lol: ;) I totally agree with the ego-in-check thing re: yoga. Very very true; humbling experience, for real.

[Raina]

Today was about 25% based on variations of planks. 3 sets of 1 minute planks are one thing. lol This was incredibly challenging. I am lacking flexibility in the wrist I had surgery on. I know I'll get more and more back but it was tight today. I can't wait to get some of this stress and tension out of my entire system.

On a happy note, I only noticed the sweat a few times (mainly once in the eyes and a few times when it started pouring up my nose). It was funny when we'd go between some of the down positions to standing because when your arms went up, you'd whip a fat line of sweat out a foot in front of your mat. Mmmmm. Delicious!

[Hidngod]

Today was about 25% based on variations of planks. 3 sets of 1 minute planks are one thing. lol This was incredibly challenging. I am lacking flexibility in the wrist I had surgery on. I know I'll get more and more back but it was tight today. I can't wait to get some of this stress and tension out of my entire system.

On a happy note, I only noticed the sweat a few times (mainly once in the eyes and a few times when it started pouring up my nose). It was funny when we'd go between some of the down positions to standing because when your arms went up, you'd whip a fat line of sweat out a foot in front of your mat. Mmmmm. Delicious!

Now that! Is hot!
I'm so in. I'm open & looking for :dunno: something, so I'm interested in your journey.

[claire]

Today was about 25% based on variations of planks. 3 sets of 1 minute planks are one thing. lol This was incredibly challenging. I am lacking flexibility in the wrist I had surgery on. I know I'll get more and more back but it was tight today. I can't wait to get some of this stress and tension out of my entire system.

On a happy note, I only noticed the sweat a few times (mainly once in the eyes and a few times when it started pouring up my nose). It was funny when we'd go between some of the down positions to standing because when your arms went up, you'd whip a fat line of sweat out a foot in front of your mat. Mmmmm. Delicious!


I'm in :) Planks are a killer. I took a stretch class that adding many yoga moves. It was painful!

[P Bo]

Very cool Raina! I'm very interested in your journey as I need to start a new path myself. Thanks for sharing this with us!

[Fawkes]

I noticed a Bikram school near me the other day.

It seems you are using Yoga old school - Yoke or Union with God - type of way. More of an internal journey than just stretching. Is Bikram designed this way?

I did Yoga many decades ago, but the emphasis was on transcendental states not stretching

[Raina]

Bikram is a type of Hatha. As much as I love it, it also bothers me on a fundamental level because it can only be called "Bikram" if the teachers/owners are trained at the only Bikram studio and the actual place certifies your studio.

The hot yoga classes are the Bik 26 asana sequences in the same order etc but without the rules. There's music allowed and additional commentary and omg wood floors allowed. lol

I like that this studio does quite a bit of different stuff....that's why I stopped in on Tuesday to check out the vibe I got. I loved it.

You know me Fawkeroo. You know I'm a blend of Christian and Buddhist so to me, this isn't about stretching. I just think there's a huge connection between the spirit, the mind, and the body and you learn so much about who you are and what matters through all of this.

[T-Cake]

I have sooooo slung the sweat across the room myself!! I know how that goes! Funnnn.

And the up the nose thing... for real, I thought that was just me :lol:

I can't believe this place has wood floors -- REALLY?! Are they nuts?! Of course, the Bik studio I go to has carpet which I also think is retarded... but whatever :)

Glad you liked it!!!

[Tweak]

I'm really glad you liked your class! Yoga helped out you out on so many levels a few years ago. I really am glad you're getting back into it! :)

[Raina]

I just got back from a 21 mile bike ride. We're over 800 miles now for the summer and should be hitting and passing the 1,000 mile mark by the end of the season! Pretty nifty. :rose:

[T-Cake]

1,000 miles! That's so cool! Dammit, now I'm going to have that song in my head the rest of the night... :wallbash:

[Tweak]

Great job on the bike, seester. :rose:

[CK]

in!!!!

[Hidngod]

I just got back from a 21 mile bike ride. We're over 800 miles now for the summer and should be hitting and passing the 1,000 mile mark by the end of the season! Pretty nifty. :rose:

That's terrific! :hi5: I'm already setting my records, but I'm nowhere near that. Next year.

[slimm26]

1000 miles that is awesome chula!! That takes a lot of dedication, which you have! Awesome job! :rose:

[*Bunny*]

WOw Raina, that's some major biking.

Nice work. :rose:

[Curious George]

Raina,

I was over Ulter and Tcakes a couple of weeks ago and we were chatting as us Polacks (ulter is an honorary one) are prone to do. I mentioned in passing that my wife, who really doesn't like to train at all, is doing yoga. They asked me what kind and I told them, "It's the one where it's really hot and they stay in there for 90 min."

They got this weird look on their face and said, "Bikram?" I said I didn't know anything about it, I just thought it was yoga. They told me that it is no joke. Here is my wife who doesn't like to work out with weights, I think because she feels that she would have to compete with me in some silly way, is doing something incredibly hard. She is hooked and has been doing it religiously for a month. She has never left the room and is increasing her flexibility as well as alleviating some depression problems she has had. She has told me she will start reading your log to get some hints.

Rock on Raina.

[Hidngod]

Raina,

I was over Ulter and Tcakes a couple of weeks ago and we were chatting as us Polacks (ulter is an honorary one) are prone to do. I mentioned in passing that my wife, who really doesn't like to train at all, is doing yoga. They asked me what kind and I told them, "It's the one where it's really hot and they stay in there for 90 min."

They got this weird look on their face and said, "Bikram?" I said I didn't know anything about it, I just thought it was yoga. They told me that it is no joke. Here is my wife who doesn't like to work out with weights, I think because she feels that she would have to compete with me in some silly way, is doing something incredibly hard. She is hooked and has been doing it religiously for a month. She has never left the room and is increasing her flexibility as well as alleviating some depression problems she has had. She has told me she will start reading your log to get some hints.

Rock on Raina.
That's terrific.
I think that's the same reason my wife doesn't like working out with me. :(

[takniteasy]

Raina, after catching up on your log and some consideration, I have made plans with a GF to go to yoga Thursday nite. I will be going for the same reasons (basically) that you go. My life is in tremendous turmoil right now and I have got to find some balance.

Thank you for sharing your experiences and how yoga has helped you. I don't know what type of class this will be but I will be sure to update you on it when I get done.

:rose:

[bigdamray]

Raina, I love your sig quotes!!

[T-Cake]

I miss you, Raina. I hope life is treating you well :rose:

[Tweak]

NO KIDDING! :lonely:

[Raina]

I had a physical today (yay having insurance again). We have a new plan of attack for my asthma. I got a new rescue inhaler that won't irritate my heart.

As for my heart, it's more SOL news. It's been acting up like crazy in the past week. It goes from normal to slowing down into the 40's for no reason and then I get all woozy and dizzy. I have to admit that I'm really frustrated about that whole deal.

I'm psyched about the asthma stuff though and am hoping that this combo does the trick. I had 2 attacks on Monday when I was just reading in my living room.

I biked this afternoon. Only 20 though (which almost doesn't count in my book lol). I also popped a half an ativan and took a 2.5 hour nap late in the afternoon. I'm hoping that will help me not be as drained as I'm working from 11pm-730am tonight.

Oh another happy note, I stopped by a new training school and really liked it. I'm going to be bringing Dew home in a couple of weeks and I'm going to train him on Thursday nights where he's been training (only because my co-owner trains there and the teachers have offered to handle for me professionally). This other place has smaller classes and I'll be able to do some of the day classes. Training and working with Dew is going to be a really good thing for me. We'll go to school twice a week and train every day.

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b385/RainaRoo/Dew1.jpg

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b385/RainaRoo/Dew.jpg

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b385/RainaRoo/DewH.jpg

He has a show the weekend of the 22nd but I'm working so I'm having the other owner show him for me. :)

[T-Cake]

This is sooooo exciting, your puppy :D

Great news about the inhaler -- FINALLY! Sorry your heart is being obnoxious, though. I hope you get to the bottom of that soon, see what's up.

:kiss:

[Raina]

Ohhh my gosh I actually SLEPT today! I got 7.5 hours of great sleep this afternoon. It was heavenly. It's been a while since I got really good sleep like that and I know it'll make work go a lot better tonight.

This inhaler is great. I used it tonight and biked 21. It didn't make my heart as moody! I got 2 gnats in my right eye and one in my left. Stupid nature!

I'm not entirely sure this is a traditional workout, but my uterus is doing some sort of German volume training or something. It's been contracting into a hateful ball of evil misery nonstop for the last 2 hours. That has to burn some cals.

[badgergrl]

Hey girl!
Lovin' the new log title...this has been my entire life journey! Let me know if and how you find it. LOL

I am really intrigued by this yoga stuff, and I can't wait to try it out post-comp.

How is the jobby job?

[Hidngod]

Some unconventional workouts you got there, girl. Eyelid gnat slapping & hyper uterus clenching.
Good stuff.

[Raina]

I heart my job. I really do. I just got home about 5 minutes ago. I like overnight shifts. They have a very different pace but in a good way. I'm not working again until Tuesday so I'm just going to take a 3-4 hour nap now since I want to be able to sleep tonight.

It's supposed to be beautiful here this weekend so the plan is to get in a lot of biking in maybe a nice hike in there somewhere. No yoga til Tuesday. I've decided that's for days I work....literally "days" too because their morning classes are at 630 and 900. I'm not about to hang around the stupid for 1.5 hours after overnight shifts to work out. lol

[CK]

What a cute dog! it is awesome to hear about the inhaler, and your job going great!

[Raina]

I biked 21 miles this morning. I'm spending the afternoon at the lake. Does life get much better than reading on a boat on a glorious day?

[Raina]

Adam was the better athlete today since he biked 20 miles before I even got up this morning.

We went out to my mom and dad's for an hour or so to show them his new car. Then we went to Afton State Park and went on a 5-6 mile really hilly bike. It was hot out but it was really fun. He'd brought a backpack and we had lots of water. Bits went with and kept up the whole time. I'm pretty sure you can't wear out a papillon. :)

[*Bunny*]

:rose:

No. it doesn't get any better than that to me.

[Tweak]

I'm glad this inhaler seems to be working better for you.

Gooooooooooooooooooo seester. :)

I'M SO EXCITED TO MEET DEW!

[Hidngod]

Adam was the better athlete today since he biked 20 miles before I even got up this morning.

We went out to my mom and dad's for an hour or so to show them his new car. Then we went to Afton State Park and went on a 5-6 mile really hilly bike. It was hot out but it was really fun. He'd brought a backpack and we had lots of water. Bits went with and kept up the whole time. I'm pretty sure you can't wear out a papillon. :)

Sounds nice.

I went & found a Bikram studio near me. :hyper:
It's closed for renovations. :(

[*Bunny*]

Dew pics...


:heart:

[Tweak]

lol

Dew is so frickin' cute.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v675/AMHuot00/Dew2.jpg


Also, I got Bits a beret and she hated me for it.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v675/AMHuot00/Bits-1.jpg

[Raina]

Here's one thing I can say is a perk to working mostly nights- I have the ability to take naps and it's wonderful. I still can't sleep longer than an hour or two without ativan but at least I can nap without it!

Today Ads and I brought the dogs on a 2 mile walk. It was insanely hot out and though we'd planned to go home and then go right to the gym, instead all 4 of us fell asleep for an hour and a half. lol

I've been busy with the new dog. I love him dearly. He's so small. He makes Bits look like a giant. You know I've been worn out/stressed/off when I've had a stunning new dog for 6 days and have taken almost no pictures. He's going to training twice a week. I'm working with him a lot at home. I'm showing him for the first time September 14th (he's shown before but it's my first time in the ring handling).

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b385/RainaRoo/BitsDew.jpg

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b385/RainaRoo/Dewers.jpg

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b385/RainaRoo/Dewers2.jpg

Bits says" "Hey guys- I'm cute too"!

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b385/RainaRoo/Wavey.jpg

Adam went to the gym with me today. It's the first time he's ever gone with me. I put him on TCake circuits and I think he's going to be gimping around tomorrow. We'll see if he winds up wanting to stick with it. I'd love it if he did. This is what I did:

5 minutes mellow treadmill warmup.

Circuit 1
Seated Cable Rows 8x 50, 60, 50
Cable Tri Pushdowns 8x 45, 50, 50
Upright Cable Rows 8x 45, 45, 50

10 minutes of 3.0 at 10%

Circuit 2
High Cable Crossovers 8x (per side weight) 25, 30, 30
Assisted Chins 8x 110, 110, 100
Planks 1 minute x3

10 minutes of 3.8 at 7% and then a cooldown for 5.

Life's good, just busy. I'm working tonight from 11pm-730am.

[Tweak]

YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY PUPPIES!

I'm glad to see you on here! :roses:


How did Adam like circuits? It was ungodly hot out yesterday.

Raina where is the dog show??? I'm totally coming to watch!!! :jumpjoy:

[Raina]

I'm going to Rochester on the 14th. Are you sure you'd want to go? Wait until his January show. That one's in the cities. Plus I'm not sure how well he'll do because that puppy ripped out half his tail hair and he needs the weight of that hair to hold his tail over.

I haven't talked to Ads today. I just woke up. He thought the circuits were about what he thought yesterday. I found out at the end that he did 21's wrong and I anticipate him being uncomfy from that. Somehow he thought that the 2nd part meant bringing your arms up to a 90º parallel to the floor and curling and then putting the elbows back down and doing full reps. OW.

Yesterday was icky.

I also still have 3 bigger than jelly bean blisters on my toes from over a week ago. They're completely torn apart and one has an infection. I have to say that it didn't make me want to do much last week and it's not the time to have a working on my feet job. They're pretty awful looking and I can't figure out how to dress them because everything rubs off.

[Raina]

I lifted on Friday but I haven't really been around much since (actually, since I left the gym that eve I've worked 26 hours).

We walked the dogs before we went to the gym. I thought that counted as warmup but I got vetoed so we did 5 minutes of warmup on the treadmill.

Circuit 1
V Squats 8x 100,100, 110
BB SLDL's 10x 45, 45, 50
Shrugs 3x failure with 20's

10 minutes of cardio at 13% and around 2.8mph. 5 minute cooldown.

Circuit 2Good Mornings 8x 65, 65, 65
Standing Arnolds 8x 12, 12, 12
Something or another....I can't remember. lol

Adam did more cardio for 15 minutes. I got about 5 minutes through and then didn't want to do anything so I foam rollered the hell out of myself, did some walking lunges, and skipped around being loud because we were the only ones at the gym.

He's agreed to go 3 times a week with me to train at the gym. :clap:

I'm writing his circuits based off of ones I've done mixed with what Tweak and Cakes have done. He doesn't do the same stuff as me. It's funny to see how sore he gets. I think it's cute. I'm way proud of him and excited to have someone to go to the gym with me and be rather bossy about making me go. ;)

[Tweak]

Let me know if he wants me to teach him any heavier lifting stuff.

I'll come out to the show in January! :elephant:

[Raina]

He woke me up to go yesterday but I declined and we rescheduled for tonight. That would have meant getting 4 hours of sleep, training, and then working again overnight. That wasn't going to happen.

I think the circuits he has will be fine for now. He likes the variety. I think it'll help him too since he wants to add some lean mass while leaning out a bit.

[T-Cake]

I love Dew :D Tooooo cute :)

Glad you're doing well. :)

[Raina]

I didn't work out yesterday. I just couldn't. I was shot. We're going tonight.

I've slept 18 of the last 24 hours. Clearly I've been a little lacking in the sleep department. This is the first time I've felt rather normal in a while.

[Nick]

:sleep: Ok sleepy mcsleeperson, tonight you KILL IT!!! :wavey:

[jenscats5]

This whole log is pretty nifty!! :rose: You seem to be loving life & living large.....awesome!!

And I LOVE LOVE LOVE the new puppin pics!! What a cutie!!

[Raina]

Guess what I wound up doing last night? Sleeping. I slept from 4-630 and then went back to bed at 10. I felt like my normal manic frantic self again today.

They asked me to work a double today and I said no. There's always pressure to put in more hours. I hate not feeling like a team player but I absolutely can't/won't overdo it. I'm too new into this to burn out and yes, money is nice, but not at the expense of my health and sanity. I love what I do and I want it to stay that way. I also don't just want to work because my home time is more important to me than a job ever will be.

I suppose it goes back to the whole theme of this thread- balance. :)

I'm showing Dew on Sunday! I'm bringing him to school tomorrow night to do one more formal practice with him before the show. There's also talk of a hiking trip this weekend and a possible cuddle date at the apple orchard. It probably sounds silly to say I want to spend some time with Adam but I've pretty much slept through most of the time we've had to spend together in the past couple of weeks. It's fun to go to the gym together. :)

[Raina]

I'm not going to win an award any time soon for getting around to writing down my training. :)

Adam joined my gym and we're doing circuits 3 days a week. We're still doing lots of active cardio on the off days...it's a shame to waste beautiful days! Tonight we went for an almost 7 mile walk. It was quite dark by the time we got home but it's just so dang nice to share that time together.

I've always always wanted to have a sweetie who would train with me. I am so content I'm just plain obnoxious. :cupcake:

I've been feeling ickers for the last handful of days. I have no idea what's wrong with me but my heart keeps getting too slow and my blood pressure drops so I'm spending a lot of time being dizzy. I've been so pukey and drained (Insomnia Queen is now the Constant Napper) that I actually took a pregnancy test. Everyone at work's been accusing me of that because I'm so worn down and sick. Thankfully it was negative (yayyy for the pill).

That said, I still got through 7 miles tonight, even not feeling good...and I managed to wear out the dogs too!

[Tweak]

I think a lot of people are just feeling run down. It's the changing of the seasons. Just do what you can!

I'm glad Adam's holding you accountable!

[Raina]

I meant to lift last night- Adam did....but I got into a show about cults on E and I wound up doing 45 minutes of treadmill. 3.0 at 8-11%. I was so enthralled with the show I barely even noticed how tired I was. :)

[Ulter]

It's really cool that you have a partner and it's Adam.

[Raina]

He's a pain in the ass about the gym. He hounds me even on my crabbiest night and makes me go...and then once I'm there I'm fine. He's loving circuit training and feels great working out again (as he worked out 5-6 days a week for a couple of years before he started dating me).

We're going to bike 30 miles this morning.

I always thought it would rule to have a partner to train with but I really can't believe how motivating it is (especially when I'm worn out with a badittude).

[Raina]

....so I made it 28 miles. 912 calories. I am shot!!

[Blueta2]

Cool log....I'm in :-)

[*Bunny*]

28 miles, wow girl, my @$$ would be numb. Impressive.

I was going to ask if you wanted to attend a retreat with me the weekend of November 7-9, 2008 in St Paul, but I'm doing that Sears Tower Challenge that weekend.

So, I wanted to throw it your way anyway since two awesome women are leading it and I know you'd dig 'em.

Pricey though, eek, you'd NEED a double.


:rose:


If you want more info check out the Bik home page, Seminar or Stpaulbik site.

[Raina]

Dang it! That sounds fun but I traded that weekend for the one before it for Tweak's show. The asshats in scheduling ignored my request and booked me for overnights October 31-November 3rd. I was really pissed off about it because I'd put in my request 8+ weeks prior.

Thank you for offering though!

I have been such a good little worker-outer (and an awful girl about logging it). I got some sort of respiratory illness going right now and am having multiple asthma attacks a day and am surviving on robitussin. I threw myself on some prednisone and have tinkered with my flovent dosing so I'm hoping that does the trick.

I find it hard to train when I can't breathe.