Last week I decided to try and get back in to shape...again...and thought I should go gently with a little light yoga to start. I have been paying for my gym membership for years now and only go probably 20% of the year which is really bad but apparently very common. It was time to make use of it.
I got to class at the gym dressed in stretchy pants and sports bra ready to go. Standing amongst a large group of ladies, ranging in age and shapes and one brave man I thought I did not look too bad considering my couch potato habits of the winter.
We selected mats...well I got 2 of the thin mats then another thicker mat to put underneath those. No point in killing my knees on that wooden floor now was there! In fact I caused quite a stir as several of the ladies smacked their foreheads for not thinking of it last time they were there and suffering. Brain points already! I headed to the back of the class, not sure if this was to hide or to not have to see myself that close up in the mirror.
The teacher bounced in and asked if there was anyone new to yoga, there wasn't...was there anyone new to her class...three of us raised our hands. Okay she said with what seemed like a gleaming eye to me.
It all began just fine, we breathed deep..I was good at that, we stretched our arms upward...again not a problem and gently came back to center....I was good!
After this initial false sense of security the next 30 minutes passed by slowly. We were up, we were down, we all had our bums in the air, we were all stretched to the limits. As I watched most of the others glide smoothly from pose to pose I had to wonder how they did it. At best I could move heavily with very unladylike grunts and wobble while completely off balance. At one point a tiny elderly lady who was as big as a tooth pick stood on one with the other leg held straight out to the side while grasping her toe! (I had such an urge to push her over!)
With relief we were through the exercise and time to meditate. With us all lying on the floor with our eyes closed the instructor came around and held her lavender soaked hands over our noses then rubbed our temples and scalp.....what the hell!!! The lady next to me...another newbie... sounded like she had nodded off for a while. (She had found it even harder than I did and when she stood she was covered in sweat with her hair standing up and looking completely confused...unless that was the lavender)!
I did leave feeling good though, the next day I could feel where I had moved making me think how pathetic I was, I had not run a marathon, only stretched for a little while. Will I go again...I think I will. I don't think I will ever be like the tooth pick lady but at least I can aim for better than a tree trunk!
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Monday, March 9, 2009
Words 101
Last weekend I was working at a volunteer job at for the High School. Many choirs from around the area were part of a contest. I was assigned to sell concessions to the teenagers and parents who attended the event.
I did listen to some of the choirs and was impressed by the wonderful diction as they sang. Each work was enunciated clearly, even when sang in a foreign language.
Fast forward 20 minutes to the concession area. Who are these people! Now I know that coming from England I already have a little bit of a hang up where the English language is concerned and is often loosely used here in the States. I too can be a little lax with it at times but the words that came to my ears made me want to scream.
"What kind of soda you got?" asked one, "where are the bathrooms at?" asked another.
Perhaps even worse than this was the young lady who asked for an item and then finding she didn't have enough money say, "oh jk". I later found out she meant "just kidding". Now I know in this time of phone texting this is the way to communicate, I have even been known to type some of the short cuts in to my phone myself, well if the few I know and some I seem to make up, but to now have to deal with it in the spoken word....you have got to be kidding! I can only imagine these people later at a job interview talking in text.
I also received the usual "oh, you have an accent" to which I usually reply, "oh, so do you." I had one young man say how much he liked to use the word "bollocks" because it was such a fun word to say. I asked if he knew what he meant, he said no.
Now I try to be patient, I try to be understanding but this just drives me crazy. I understand that each culture has it's little quirks in language but come on GMAB! (Give me a break.)
I did listen to some of the choirs and was impressed by the wonderful diction as they sang. Each work was enunciated clearly, even when sang in a foreign language.
Fast forward 20 minutes to the concession area. Who are these people! Now I know that coming from England I already have a little bit of a hang up where the English language is concerned and is often loosely used here in the States. I too can be a little lax with it at times but the words that came to my ears made me want to scream.
"What kind of soda you got?" asked one, "where are the bathrooms at?" asked another.
Perhaps even worse than this was the young lady who asked for an item and then finding she didn't have enough money say, "oh jk". I later found out she meant "just kidding". Now I know in this time of phone texting this is the way to communicate, I have even been known to type some of the short cuts in to my phone myself, well if the few I know and some I seem to make up, but to now have to deal with it in the spoken word....you have got to be kidding! I can only imagine these people later at a job interview talking in text.
I also received the usual "oh, you have an accent" to which I usually reply, "oh, so do you." I had one young man say how much he liked to use the word "bollocks" because it was such a fun word to say. I asked if he knew what he meant, he said no.
Now I try to be patient, I try to be understanding but this just drives me crazy. I understand that each culture has it's little quirks in language but come on GMAB! (Give me a break.)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
